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Subject:Re: how to describe help From:Jonathan Price <jonprice -at- AOL -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 11 Apr 1994 12:19:13 EDT
Yes, Caryn, I think you're right: guys just don't like to ask for help. But
overall, most users have been burned when they tried to get help; they are
willing to try two, maybe three times, and if they don't find what they need,
they never go back-even when you improve it in the next version. Make sure
managers know this when they suggest a "gradual approach" offering only
beginner stuff this version, and more details later. The intermediate user
will try help now, find it lacking, and never, never go back. Result: the
company has lost all that investment in help, and still has to answer the
hotline for that customer.
But to go back to your idea about us guys not wanting to ask for help:
perhaps you could use a name that Rich Coulombre thought of for the book we
did on FileMaker: Under the Hood. Or Fine-Tuning. Or: Power Tricks and
Tips.
One woman I know said: "I know why DOS users keep talking about power. If
you have square wheels, you need a lot of power to move."
Best,
Jonathan Price
Communication Circle
918 La Senda, NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
