The Rhetorical Nature of XML. Constructing Knowledge in Networked Environments.

The Rhetorical Nature of XML is the first volume to combine rhetoric, XML, and knowledge management in a substantive manner. It serves as a primer on XML and XML-related technologies, illustrating how the naming of XML elements can be understood as a rhetorical act, and detailing the essentials of knowledge management practices that illustrate the need for intelligently conceived databases in organizations. Authors J.D. Applen and Rudy McDaniel explain how technical knowledge and rhetorical knowledge are symbiotic assets in the modern information economy, emphasizing that skilled professionals and apprentice learners must not only adapt to and become adept with new technological environments, but they must also remain aware of the dynamic social and technological contexts through which they communicate. Applen and McDaniel use this subject as a catalyst to encourage interdisciplinary connections and projects between experts in fields such as technical communication, digital media, library science, computer science, and information technology.

The authors demonstrate techniques for working with XML in interdisciplinary projects with attention to single sourcing and content management. Interviews with practitioners working with XML for research and in industry are also included, to illustrate how XML is currently being used in a variety of disciplines, such as technical communication and digital media. Combining applied theory and XML technology to solve real-world problems in technical communication and digital media, this work provides an entry point for students and practitioners who do not have an extensive background in markup languages, enabling them to begin developing user-centric projects using XML.

Visit the book’s companion web site: http://rhetoricalxml.com/

J.D. Applen is an associate professor of English at the University of Central Florida. His scholarly interests include XML and archiving, knowledge management, hypertext theory, the history of texts and technology, and the rhetoric of science and technology. He received his doctorate from the University of Arizona.

Rudy McDaniel is an assistant professor of Digital Media at the University of Central Florida. His research interests include XML, narrative theory, video game technologies, and knowledge management frameworks. He received his doctorate from the University of Central Florida’s Texts and Technology program.