Product perspective · February 2019
Let expertise into the content lifecycle.
This 2019 article introduced the third iteration of XDocs Web Explorer (WEX). It emphasized review, occasional contribution, and browser-based DITA authoring beyond the technical-writing team.
The 2019 announcement
Archive · Published 11 February 2019. Product versions, roles, contact details, and partnership statements reflect the original release period. Release prose is lightly edited for readability; direct quotations remain unchanged.
Over the past 14 years, Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) has become a de facto writing standard for technical documentation departments. They use it to extract the maximum value from their content. However, DITA authoring challenged non-technical writers. It required knowledge of the underlying data model, XML authoring applications, and best practices. For this reason, wikis have remained popular amongst engineers and SMEs. Yet wikis fall short in many ways when it comes to professional technical content.
After many years of development, Bluestream’s third iteration of the resolution to this problem is the XDocs Web Explorer (WEX).
Review, contribution, and authoring
WEX is a web-based module in the XDocs CCMS. It enables review, casual contribution, and full document authoring of DITA content on the web. The development premise was simple—no training or installation required! Its audience includes anyone who creates content or needs to participate in the organization’s content development lifecycle.
“This is a game changer for structured content adoption. We are finding that organizations are creating more technical content than ever before and that greater volumes of content are being produced by non-technical writers (engineers, SMEs, marketing, and sales). In order for an organization to truly benefit from structured content, all parties must be able to contribute in a meaningful way without having a technical mountain to climb,” says Nenad Furtula, VP Sales and Marketing at Bluestream.
WEX is tightly integrated with the Oxygen Web Editor. It can just as easily support any other web-based DITA XML editor, including Fonto XML and XEditor. The application centers on roles and workflow capabilities. This gives teams greater control when delivering publications within a particular workflow. At the same time, users can contribute meaningful content whenever great ideas arise. Furthermore, the WEX authoring experience is completely transparent: the interface resembles MS Word or a Wiki.
About Bluestream
Bluestream provides XDocs, a DITA-based Component Content Management System (CCMS). It is the leading single-vendor solution for organizations seeking to improve and enhance their information workflow. Bluestream combines a unique, rapid-to-deploy methodology with unrivaled functionality. This inspires author teams to create powerful, user-focused content. They can deliver that content flexibly to any device or platform.
Customers range from Fortune 100 organizations seeking complex cross-departmental documentation solutions to small businesses with single-author teams.
The company has been in business since 1997. Its customers span many verticals, including software, oil and gas, health care, military, manufacturing, and finance.
Bluestream Media Contacts
North America Office
Nenad Furtula, VP Sales and Marketing
Tel: +1 604 669 4469
EMEA Office
Rik Page Sales & Marketing Director EMEA
+44 798 013 0260
Editorial context · October 2026
What XDocs Web Explorer meant for contributors
An engineer checking a technical step has a different job from an author assembling a publication. The XDocs Web Explorer article recognized that difference. It described several ways to participate in the same lifecycle. As a result, contributors did not all need to become XML authoring experts.
Design the review around a clear request
- Define the questionFirst, ask the reviewer to confirm a behavior, supply a missing prerequisite, or identify a technical error. A request to “review everything” leaves the decision boundary unclear.
- Provide the contextNext, show the relevant product version, audience, and surrounding task. Otherwise, a correct sentence can still be wrong for that release.
- Close the loopFinally, record how the team handled the contribution and who approved the result. This helps contributors distinguish a suggestion from a released change.
A familiar interface still needs governance
The 2019 release language emphasized a familiar interface and a “no training or installation required” premise. Treat that as historical product positioning. However, a familiar interface does not replace an introduction to the team’s content rules. Explain ownership and review responsibilities during rollout. In this way, ease of participation supports editorial accountability.
A useful pilot
Choose one author, one subject-matter expert, and a small set of existing topics. Ask the expert to resolve a specific technical question. Then follow the contribution through author review and approval. Did the expert understand the request and have the right context? Finally, check whether the approved result reached the intended publication.
Archive source: Leveraging the knowledge of your SMEs without burdening them with technology, 11 February 2019.