A current engagement is to move a client's documentation to a knowledge base type solution, and we have been asked to identify and evaluate possible tools.
They showed an example of a site they liked so we could discuss what they like about it--pretty standard stuff.
They only want one or two people to be able to author the content, so a wiki is not needed. They thought they needed a KB because they thought, based on how their ancient help looks, that RH was only capable of screen/reference-based help (and they'd need a different tool to do task-based help!).
Their copy of RH is too far out-of-date for upgrade pricing but I think it may still be a worthwhile option for project mgmt. and because a nice-to-have is responsive design which I'm not sure the KB tools offer (haven't gotten that far with them yet). The existing RH project will be scrapped, so it's not a factor to reuse that content (if ever the trash can icon was appropriate it's here). So far I've found that RH can meet the following requests:
- primarily search-based, no tri-pane
- a way for users to say if topic is helpful (Y/N), feedback form, contact Support
- dynamic content for different versions
- can use Google Analytics to track usage
Now here's where I'm out of my depth: normally we have nothing to do with the hosting of our outputs - we give the clients the output (usually Webhelp or HTML5) and they do whatever they need to do with it. The current client asked about hosting and web servers. Is there anything magical about RobohelpServer to warrant the $10,000 cost? Or can they serve up the content themselves effectively with other means? They do currently have a portal and may just "throw the help on there".
They plan to have the technical discussions with vendors once I provide a short-list of options, including pricing, for them to run with and decide on. But if RHServer is a "must", that's a big dollar figure to be considered.
I appreciate the collective wisdom (including, possibly off-list, any tips or experience with kb tools!),
Laurie