Content reuse

Content reuse in documentation, especially within a SaaS environment, involves writing content once and using it across multiple locations by leveraging special syntax to pull from a single source, which simplifies updates and maintains consistency. Successful content reuse requires careful planning, agreed-upon policies, and consistent standards among all writers and contributors to ensure efficiency and avoid common pitfalls such as misuse or abuse of reused content. Effective organization and naming conventions, as suggested by experts like Richard Rabil, Jr., facilitate easy retrieval and updating of content, while policies on when and how to reuse content help prevent inefficiencies. Additionally, tracking reused content, possibly through tables with metadata or comments in markdown, ensures that all contributors can find and update content as needed, thus optimizing the benefits of content reuse and reducing review and editing efforts. As Redocly prepares to release new products with overlapping features, the careful implementation of content reuse strategies will be essential, and the author expresses a commitment to learning and sharing insights from this journey.