O'Reilly and XML

I was fortunate enough to attend O'Reilly's StartwithXML Conference at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium. The focus of the conference was how publishers can get on the xml bandwagon, with pointers from publishers already doing so.

Since PW posted a great article on the conference, I won't repeat what they've covered, but I will mention the few points that stand out in my mind:

1. To save costs, xml is only one of three necessary steps a publisher takes; the other two are offshoring and using standard, automated templates.
2. To have xml be the most useful, you need to start with an xml-first workflow--not an xml-last one--and this means that the authors and editors need to be trained in xml tagging and taxonomy.
3. The more "chunkable" and repurposable your content, the more important it is to get an xml-first workflow going.
4. XML allows easier updates and synchronicity of multiple files.
5. XML allows for simultaneous deliverables that can be adjusted to any medium since it is content-centric and design-agnostic.
   

Overall, it was great hearing how many publishers have embraced the new technology and realize that it's all about the content--and not its container--anymore.