RE: documentation going away

Subject: RE: documentation going away
From: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>
To: 'Connie Giordano' <connie -at- therightwords -dot- com>, "'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:26:15 +0000

When I got my Droid X, I became a member of a community web forum dedicated to the Droid X. The forum contains more answers than the Quick Start Guide I have.

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+ccardimon=m-s-g -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+ccardimon=m-s-g -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Connie Giordano
Sent: lundi 16 janvier 2012 10:23
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: documentation going away

I didn't want to know my new Android phone comprehensively, I just wanted to know the basics of how to answer using touch rather than old fashioned buttons. The sales people were all about telling me how to use the camera, I just wanted to know how to answer the phone and reply to emails. I looked online, couldn't even find a user guide for the model I bought. I don't need a paper manual, but for goodness sake, please don't assume your smart phone is that intuitive to use-because I'm proof it isn't so.

Community forums? I don't have time to wade through the tons of mis-titled threads trying find a simple answer.

It's kind of presumptious to say "most users don't want that" since it totally depends on the product, the company's support strategy and the experience level of the user. Perhaps most companies think (or hope) most users want that since it's probably a lot cheaper up front, but I haven't found any kind of consumer research that says users are satisfied with such an approach. Can you provide some data to back up your statement?


Connie

On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 9:53 AM, Phil Snow Leopard < philstokes03 -at- googlemail -dot- com> wrote:

> I agree in the sense that if you want to know a product
> comprehensively, you can't beat a good manual. However, most users
> don't want that, they only want what was in the past tacked on in a
> page or three (if lucky) at the end labelled 'Troubleshooting'.
> Inch-thick manuals are really for those of us who provide help on
> online community forums, rather than for the majority of those who seek it, IMHO.
>
> Phil
>
>
> On 16 Jan 2012, at 21:46, John Allred wrote:
>
> > The rationale for shifting support to user communities is obvious,
> > from
> a cost perspective. But, from a user perspective, I question whether
> we should acquiesce in this trend to offload responsibility for support.
> Whether printed, or in a PDF or eBook format, company-written
> documentation has the benefit of being organized and authentic. Forums
> are not. Google is not. Searching for help on specific issues can be
> like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack. I used to
> have a one-inch-thick Excel manual on my desk that laid it out from A
> to Z. Besides being organized, it was also thorough. Now, I lose lots
> of time searching for help on Excel functions.
> >
> > I think we've lost something extremely valuable.
> >
> > John
> >
> > On 1/16/2012 8:16 AM, Phil Snow Leopard wrote:
> >>
> >> I think the answers are in your post.
> >>
> >> 1. Cost.
> >>
> >> 2. The internet, and more specifically, community forums that
> >> provide
> free technical help and establish a user community around the product.
> This provides several benefits:
> >> - a free marketing tool that has greater credibility than in-house
> marketing because enthusiasm comes from customers, not the company
> >> - a huge database of customer information and feedback usefule for
> >> : market analysis
> >> : product development
> >> : customer feedback
> >>
> >> To be honest, when you look at the huge pay-offs of internet-based
> >> help
> and the minimal cost, it remains a mystery why so many companies still
> produce paper documentation. The only rationale I can think of is for
> products where the user base or the product use is not conveniently
> related to online activity (like installing a shower, say) and/or the
> product is complex and safety critical (airplanes spring to mind,
> though there are of course many other more mundane examples).
> >>
> >>
> >> Phil
> >>
> >> Tech Writer:
> >> http://applehelpwriter.com
> >>
> >>
> >> Critical Thinking& Philosophy:
> >> http://essentialthinking.wordpress.com/
> >> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >>
>
>
> Tech Writer:
> http://applehelpwriter.com
>
>
>
> Critical Thinking & Philosophy:
> http://essentialthinking.wordpress.com/
>
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
> Doc-To-Help.
> Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
> Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
> http://www.doctohelp.com
>
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>



--
Connie P. Giordano
Principal Consultant
The Right Words of NC, LLC

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" - Walt Disney ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
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References:
Re: documentation going away: From: Phil Snow Leopard
Re: documentation going away: From: John Allred
Re: documentation going away: From: Phil Snow Leopard
Re: documentation going away: From: Connie Giordano

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