September 13, 2003
Blog Entry

Best Format? PDF, eBookPro, CD ROM, Sub Site, Print.

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SUMMARY: No summary available
A publisher I know was looking for advice on how to electronically deliver a report/tutorial with a price in the $200 range, with low creation cost/time, low support costs, ability to work on all platforms (so as not to tick off vocal Mac users), ease of update, and ease of use. He didn't stipulate that he wanted to make sure it wasn't pirated, but I factored that in anyway. He also specified that he wanted this to be a handbook that would get the user solving the problem right there, while reading/hearing the material.
I sent him this email, and when Anne saw a cc:ed copy, she asked me to post it here too.
Disclaimer: I am NO content guru, but more of a delivery expert (having learned during many sleep-free nights the hard way); here are my thoughts:
CD:
Data CD? Ugh. Very 1993. The problem with putting it on the screen is that people expect it to be an adult version of Reader rabbit (oh, I guess that's actually what much of the Internet is). At any rate, they expect to be clicking a lot, and take a diff

easiest way get people doing along with you -- probably this and the Video CD.
Printed Manual:
Ugly, spiral-bound. Print as needed from Kinko's. Personally, I like to read away from the computer (bubble bath, or exercise bike, in that order). Have worksheets and forms. Proven to work.

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