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Subject:RE: Advocating Documentation and Support From:"Brierley, Sean" <Sean -at- Quodata -dot- Com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 8 Mar 2001 14:31:30 -0500
I proposed #1 for my current employer. We sell software but at low volume.
We ship 3-ring bound doc sets printed in-office. During my tenure, I've put
most things online as I revised them, as CHM and PDF. I recommended that we
not ship the three-ring bound, office-laser printed stuff . . . but I was
overruled. I did recommend going to perfect-bound, 4-color covers, 9x11
paper, from a Docutech or Web Press and charging the customers for any
printed documentation enough to cover the cost (I estimate $20 per book
including covers for our sub-1000 copy print runs), while providing online
doc for free. The charge for books idea was shot down, too. I thought
charging for printed docs would let us provide better printed doc sets . . .
and printed doc sets the company would be more proud of . . ..
Cheers,
Sean
sean -at- quodata -dot- com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michele Marques [SMTP:marquesm -at- autros -dot- com]
>
> (1) Include at no extra charge only electronic copies of documentation and
> charge for people who want to order a printed manual.
>
> (2) Include only one copy of the documentation and charge people who want
> to
> order additional sets. If your software is meant to be used by many
> people,
> then your customers may want additional document sets, especially if not
> all
> users are at the same location.
>
> (3) A variant of #1 - even if you provide printed manuals for the initial
> purchase, only provide electronic copies of documentation for upgrades and
> charge for ordering a printed manual.
>
IPCC 01, the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference,
October 24-27, 2001 at historic La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
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