If students approach logic software as learning tools, maybe you can provide solutions to exercises in popular textbooks as downloadable free content that can only be opened using your software?
This would make it easier for the Professors to recommend and a good incentive to pitch to the textbook publishers for bundling? If the textbooks are constantly revised, can you pitch the software to the authors and ask for a plug - maybe have the solutions downloadable from their website? ---------------------- I have no idea what kind of effort this is, but a free ebook with a few chapters on logic bundled with your software might also make it much more appealing? On Jan 14, 2010, at 2:42, darcy.otto wrote: > > Darcy, > > > > Students are far from an ideal market IMHO. They would rather spend > > their money on essentials (e.g. beer). > > As one of my friends put it, students have the incentive (no money) and all > the time in the world to to pirate it. Not that I think all students are > pirates; but you're right about the market. > > > Maybe professors don't even want students to use software for this? > > I don't think this is true. Proofs are the hardest part of an introductory > logic course and proof programs have a good track record at helping students > learn. Actually, many proof programs are available, they're just *all* > antiquated (mostly DOS, a few Windows 3.1 VB, a few creaky Java applets; > there is one still being developed (LogicCoach) that is Win32 era). People > still use them despite the fact that you have to press shift-alt-q followed > by F5 to save. <g> > > The thing is, they're almost exclusively Windows programs. I'm going to start > approaching textbook publishers, but my guess is they won't want to bundle a > Mac program. > > > The cheapness of a licence will make it difficult to make any money on > > ads or other paid promotion. You could try writing some content page > > about logic and hope that generates organic traffic. It will take time > > though. > > I thought about a Facebook campaign so more students get to know it exists. > If I go the route of trying to make the program more appealing to people who > are not enrolled but just want to learn something about logic, I guess that > would be an easy way of getting incidental traffic (search engine traffic is > virtually non-existent, despite the fact that the program has good organic > placement). > > > I suspect the worldwide market for people who are prepared to spend > > money on logic software and have Mac is too small to support even 1 > > person full time. I could be completely wrong through. I don't know this > > market at all. > > I think, unfortunately, that this is true. I am planning on a related > product, but perhaps I should just do something entirely different rather > than try to corner this market. > > One interesting thing is that the market for logic textbooks (that work with > this program) is very large and extremely lucrative - it supports dozens of > textbooks in the $100/copy range. I'm just not sure how to tap that > particular market. > > Thanks for the suggestions; I really appreciate it, > > Darcy > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ MacSB email guidelines: http://tinyurl.com/2g55d6 Use MacSB-Talk for off topic messages: http://groups.google.com/group/macsb-talk Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/macsb/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/macsb/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
