Mimic, Captivate - Preferences of Screencasting?

[Collin Turner]

Abby,

I'll certainly give the new version of Camtasia a shot - I'm never a "one
tool fits all" person. I believe there are many to fit most situations.
Thanks for the heads up.

I don't exclusively do training, but I agree with what you're saying here.
Screencasting is merely a new facet on the jewel. I don't believe it's a
trend because it's being bent rather nicely to fit many needs. I've used it
to do software simulations, Web site demos, Wire frames, training,
presentations...and the list moves along a line from there. It's at a point
where I have a difficult time defining it as "Screencasting" any
longer...but that's the word with buzz, so it's used.

I still prefer writing as "the" medium.
------------
-Collin Turner
The unofficial words of a Tech Writer
http://www.collinturner.com

On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 7:06 AM, Abby Klemmer <aklemmer at factset.com> wrote:

>
> Collin -
>
> I've been quite happy with Camtasia. Its zoom-and-pan capability is key
> for me. Camtasia's latest release, version 5, has several useful new
> features, such as embedded quizzes and iPod-friendly publishing.
>
> I've also begun experimenting with embedding small Camtasia animated
> software-demos within PowerPoint presentations & publishing those with Adobe
> Presenter. This cuts way down on development-time, particularly for
> "quick'n'dirty" internal training, where time-to-market trumps all else -
> particularly since I'm comfortable using PowerPoint's built-in custom
> animations to liven things up. I like how Adobe Presenter automatically
> imports the Notes pane from each PowerPoint slide, and uses that as a
> transcript -- quite handy for serving non-native English speakers and/or the
> hearing-impaired, with very little extra work on my part. Presenter also
> lets you add quizzes with little additional work.
>
> I think the whole online-training realm is an exciting one for people in
> our profession, although I'm skeptical whenever it's seen as a
> "one-size-fits-all" solution. It is one more tool in the overall arsenal,
> but it is not a replacement for good online/print documentation and a
> living, breathing training department.
>
> Abby Klemmer
>
>
>
> ===========================
>
> "Collin Turner" wrote:
>
> Since screencasting, demos and tutorials are becoming a pretty consistent
> part of my job duties as a "tech writer", I'm wondering which tools all of
> you are having the best experience using?
>
> I personally prefer Captivate.
> I haven't used Mimic.
> I'm not fond of Camtasia.
>
> Preferences? And what are your thoughts about this role in our field?
>
>
>