Hi Dave, thank you for your quick response. Let me see if I can help by going through your questions, point by point.
1. Looks ok, but since I am not familiar with any of the products I don't know whether the key information is missing or not!
First and foremost, we are not taking anything away. We are simply moving our existing content platform (bookshelves) to a new, modern approach (Wiki). By doing this, you benefit with so many more features and functionality, including the ability to find things much faster. Here are the benefits the Wiki will bring you:
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Findabily - The Wiki presents information in a simple and intuitive way. You can find information faster and easier.
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Collaboration. You can like, dislike, and provide us with comments about the content. We will be monitoring what you have to say and will work with you to improve it - faster! We did not have this ability with the bookshelves. We will now be able to deliver information updates independent from the product release at any time. Right now, that is quite difficult with the bookshelves. We are moving away from the bookshelves and forward with the wiki to accelerate our ability to delivery you with quality content.
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Blue Boxes. The boxes are organized based on business context and the categories you would expect to find Clarity content. That's why we have started this discussion with you now. We want to work with you and deliver you the best and most intuitive Clarity Wiki!
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Embedded Video. In the Videos box, we can embed videos so that you don't have to navigate to the CA youtube channel, search, and find the videos you want to watch. We can embed and play them right in this page.
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Expanding/Collapsing Table of Contents. For those who like the traditional way to find content, we provide this on the left side of the page.
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Announcements & News. This prominent place at the top of the Wiki can be used to tell you about important updates, fixes, an upcoming event for community members, an interesting cookbook article, upcoming training, an upcoming broadcast on BrightTALK, etc.
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Create your own PDF and Word Files. This powerful Wiki feature allows you to select any of the content on the Wiki and create your own PDF and Word files. We have heard from the community that our existing Clarity documentation is "good and overwhelming." So now, instead of you having to spend time and search hundreds of pages in a guide, you will be able to create your own with "just the content you want."
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Collaboration with your Community. You will have 1-click access and one place to collaborate with your peers on the Global User Community, submit ideas to improve the product, read blogs, access support, green books, cookbook articles on Flipboard, youtube videos, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and BrightTALK.
2. "version information" - can't see this - how do you propose the Wiki to cover multiple product versions / service packs etc
Versioning is being built into the wiki. So, based on the product version you are using, you will only see the content appropriate for that release.
3. For me presentation is almost irrelevant (Ok its secondary) - the content is the key thing rather than what order a button appears on screen.
I agree with you that content is key. However, the findability of the content is just as important because if you can't find it, it really doesn't exist. Just like we improved the usability of the product in v13, we need to improve the usability and findability of our content. And by retiring the bookshelves and moving to the Wiki, we make things easier for you and more collaborative.
4. Is there a vote on this ;-) ? (I know there were some conversations a little while ago, the upshot of these were (to my memory) that the "manuals" were the key document, however they were presented (PDFs, bookshelf etc))
As part of a company-wide initiative, all CA products are moving to the Wiki. Some products will get there sooner than others. This is in-line with our other approaches of delivering content to customers in the way that they consume it. That means new methods such as the CA Answer Bar, the Cookbooks on Flipboard, and other ways that may evolve in the future. Just as Development is making the Clarity UI more intuitive and usable, we will do the same with the content.
Personally I use the bookshelf downloads all the time - it is my #1 resource for information across various versions of the product.
With the ability to make your own PDF and Word files, you will still be able to create your own personal library. With the Wiki, content will be easier to find, there will be fewer clicks to find things, and you will have a collaborative and flexible environment. It will evolve into your one-stop-shop for everything Clarity.
I find the Answer Bar OK ; but it is just a front-end onto other collateral and I only ever use it accidentally (if I hit the 'wrong' search field online).
I'm not sure I see any benefit / use-case for being able to read product documentation on my phone - I need access to the documentation alongside the product itself (hence I will have some sort of computer available to me) - also, is the whole "wiki" downloadable to networks without open internet access?
We have heard from other Clarity customers and from other CA products that they love being able to access product documentation, cookbook articles, and other content on mobile devices. We are not taking away your ability to access the documentation alongside the product itself.
As far as the Wiki being available to those with no internet access - there is currently no offline version, so you have to be connected. The good news is that this has been identified as a business case in our wiki backlog.
(sorry ; all of the above is a bit of a reactionary post!)
Dave and Community Members - I encourage you to give the Wiki a try using the links I previously provided. This will help you get a sense of how the Clarity Wiki will work when we roll it out.
You all know that you can always reach out to me with questions, concerns, feedback, etc. I really value community feedback and I want to avoid any surprises when we roll out the Wiki. That's why I took this advanced opportunity to reach out to the community, let you know, and ask that we start collaborating now.
Cheers!