MadCap Flare 7

Authoring tool Flare, from MadCap Software, is one of my favorite content development applications. It’s right up there with FrameMaker, and might even take the number one spot — if I ever got a chance to use it. Flare’s popularity is growing, but I haven’t had many clients or employers that have adopted it as their authoring tool.

It used to be common for technical writers to specialize in either print or help. The growth of web publishing helped blur the lines between the two disciplines, and I think it’s safe to say that the best contemporary tech communicators have embraced the mode of creating content (you know, writing) that can be published in any number of media: print, online, desktop, and mobile. This sort of multi-channel publishing is what Madcap Flare does best.

I’m a big believer in “use it or lose it”, and I don’t want my Flare skills to atrophy so I am looking forward to attending MadCap’s Roadshow when it comes to Boston in May. I’ll post a report here after the event.