Knowledgebase Additions

[chris ashdown]

If it gets two small a number of people asking questions then gradually people will drift away and the forum will just be a place to visit either once a week or when you need something,

[RuralWeb]

Therefore at the risk of being controversial why not cease to advertise the community on the actinic website, let people find the community

Agreed - if its not part of the actinic support structure it should not be on the support page

[Mike Hughes]

I agree that it shouldn't be on the actinic support page. I actually think it should have a more prominant position their main page. The actinic community and it's members are a key benefit for actinic and shouldn't be hidden away.

Mike

[RuralWeb]

I actually think it should have a more prominant position their main page.

Agreed - with thier fantastic new website they should be able to put it in there no problem - job for Bruce

[pinbrook]

membership of the community only to be given by Actinic to people 30 days after they have bought the software, thus trial users and newbies get forced to search for answers to questions always asked by newbie and already here - thus reducing its alter ego as a support desk

[jont]

membership of the community only to be given by Actinic to people 30 days after they have bought the software, thus trial users and newbies get forced to search for answers to questions always asked by newbie and already here - thus reducing its alter ego as a support desk

Actinic will never agree to that - the forum is a great way to encourage people to actually buy the software if they get stuck during the trial period and determine if the product is suitable.. maybe trial users could only be allowed to post in a separate area only gaining full access via their licensed copy key.. thereby showing the benefits of buying (getting full access.. added upsell feature for Bruce T) and to show people they are trial users so if members do not want to provide free support they can chose to ignore.

[pinbrook]

Actinic will never agree to that - the forum is a great way to encourage people to actually buy the software if they get stuck during the trial period and determine if the product is suitable

shame.... does actinic offer support to trial users?

I'm simply thinking aloud from ChrisD's comment that this community shouldn't be considered a support forum, but should be a community for sharing ideas.

[jont]

shame.... does actinic offer support to trial users?

I would imagine not as they are over run with people who pay for support let alone those on the trial.

There is a lot more to this forum than simply support ... example sites, general e-commerce, SEO etc and from Actinic's viewpoint it should also offer support .. both from the Mods and from other users .. bless their socks but programmers do not actually use the product in the way an end user will (the number of times we see "We can not replicate the issue") so hand-on advice is preferable in some instances (look at the size of the wish list). The AUG has largely been written by forum members not by Actinic.

It is also a great marketing tool to encourage users to buy their product. A thriving support community must go some way towards encouraging people to buy their product... not everyone can afford the additional cost of support and as the product is geared essentially towards people who probably do not have any design/html/code skills. A forum also allows people to make a post, read and implement the reply in their own time. We often see follow up posts a few days later as it did not work and they are busy running a site to drop everything and try out some new code... repeatedly phoning Actinic support as it did not work would probably overload their whole support system.

[RuralWeb]

the product is geared essentially towards people who probably do not have any design/html/code skills

True - until you open the design window which IMO should be turned off in the default software so it forces the user to get to grips with the basic software before they get more advanced.

I seen many instances of people diving stright into the design window thinking its how they do basic changes like adding text, changing colours etc and really trashing the site. If they were forced to do it through the themes then they would achieve much more. V7 in effect did this because most users did not even know the template manager existed until they were very used to the software.

Even a warning when first switching to the design window would help

[RuralWeb]

Or not being given a password to open the design window unless you do the Actinic design course

Marketing are you listening

[Duncan Rounding]

Well Done Contributors

I think the new 'Suggested new Articles for KB' (http://community.actinic.com/showthread.php?t=31138) is becoming the most useful thread I've read on the forum. I look forward to seeing the information incorporated into the KB in an organised and logical manner.

Well done all contributors so far - especially 'Croccy' and 'Gabs' whose efforts are to be commended.

I for one have learnt a lot from the thread and will definitely be making use of some of the information posted.

[leehack]

I agree, it's a great resource, it's just a crime that it is going to be hidden away in the KB. It should be in this forum with maximum prominence. IN FACT, if it continues like that it should have a dedicated READ-ONLY forum of it's own.

Hiding it away in the KB is utter madness.

Time for the MODS to loosen their control, i want the connection problems forum, i can get that great.

[Duncan Rounding]

Personally I think the AUG and the KB shoud be one and the same.

[pinbrook]

I've already commented somewhere else that i'd like to see the AUG as an online tool

maybe nows the time to have an extra forum here for AUG and KB combined - called TIPS and TRICKS - but it must be Q/A format - not links to other thread - the Q/A must be with in the thread - then no extra comments etc - comments/discussion can go back into other forums. At least then if you search the tips forum you get no trash

maybe we could open this to allow certain people add access, and leave it read only for the majority (to add articles you must be approved by actinic, or nominated)

I must admit this makes it easier for us to add useful stuff - the KB thread takes me a few minutes each day , i see something useful and add it -job done

[Duncan Rounding]

I agree a closed read only forum for AUG and KB 'tips and tricks' sounds like a very good idea. I still think though that's it's very useful to have an organised downloadable and printable format as well.