>Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 11:37:44 -0700 >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (John Dowdell) >Subject: Re: <lingo-l> What's the Deal on Breeze? >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>The deal is to help people achieve their goals. Making high-level toolkits >for specialists is one part of that... making it easier for the broader >mass of humanity to achieve common goals is another part of that. Lowering >the overall costs for the world sounds ditzy, but it's true. >Macromedia Contribute doesn't cannibalize most Dreamweaver users, but >instead moves their skills up a notch. Macromedia Breeze makes it easier >for any office worker to create online presentations, trainings or >meetings... those entry-level jobs won't be available to specialists >anymore, but few of those jobs could have afforded to buy such services >anyway. The amount of overlap, from what I've seen, is small. John, You missed my point entirely. I have no problem with people achieving their goals. I have no problem with user-friendly presentation software. I have no problem with office workers creating presentations. It happens all the time and it's a good thing. I don't for a minute believe that Powerpoint is taking work away from me or any other serious multmedia producer...nor do I believe that 'Breeze' will either. I have a problem with the tone of the 'Breeze' presentation and the implication that a multimedia designer/consultant is a *BAD* thing. The 'Breeze' pitch implied to business owners that in all instances for now and forever 'Breeze' will solve every possible multimedia need that they'll ever have. That is how I interpreted it. I understand degrees of difficulty and capability when it comes to the various design and presentation packages but the average business user does not. The 'Breeze' presentation made blanket derogatory statements about outside help. At least draw the distinction! For instance, instead of dismissing multimedia producers across the board you could have said something in the presentation along the lines of, "For some projects you might still need a quality design consultant, but sometimes you just want to get your message in the field quickly and easily...that's where 'Breeze' can help." I once did work for a client who asked me if I wanted to buy his copy of Director. When I told him I didn't need it, he offered to give me his copy of Director. He had a sales crew that he wanted to equip with multimedia presentations to run on their laptops. He bought Director (and I think it was 6.0) because the copy on the box said something like it was the most powerful tool for creating multimedia presentations and that automated behaviors and powerful design tools meant that anyone could be creating rich interactive content in a short time. After two weeks of trying to figure it out, he gave up and called my company. The only reason I bring this up is because I want you to understand that these people listen to what Macromedia (and other companies) say about their products. They believe it. Often times, they're in a hurry so they don't do the necessary research. And, if the blue sky is a little too intense, they can wind up buying the wrong tool for the job or the wrong tool for their skill level. They can also form opinions based on company statements. I'd rather not have them form the opinions regarding legitimate multimedia producers that the 'Breeze' presentation is making. I hope this clarifies my problem with the 'Breeze' pitch. It's not about the product. Al Allen Stare Intense Multimedia, Inc. [To remove yourself from this list, or to change to digest mode, go to http://www.penworks.com/lingo-l.cgi To post messages to the list, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Problems, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]). Lingo-L is for learning and helping with programming Lingo. Thanks!]
