Re: Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
On 17/09/2013 Rob Weir wrote: On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 1:09 PM, Donald Whytock wrote: But a lot of products have a pop-up on startup with tips, which I assume are packaged with the product. That can be made optional, it can cycle through tips or select from them randomly, it can allow the users to page through the tips if they want, and you can make the tip file a periodic mini-update without requiring an entire release. That makes sense. For new users we know in advance the kind of info that would be interesting to them. We can prepare that in advance, translate, etc. And one of the tips could be to sign up for the announcement mailing list. This is a very good idea, probably better than the "e-mail thing" (which is not a bad idea in itself, but would pose some issues, like preparing content that is relevant both now and in three months and at the same time is not too generic). Having a communication channel to users is very good. We could make the tips/announcements unobtrusive by including them in the Start Centre, and actually I'd focus on announcements more than tips. Ideally, we could even make them language-dependent. And the possibility to broadcast announcements like "Want OpenOffice 4 in Arabic? You can help: 9000 [8000, 7000...] words untranslated" would help a lot in enlarging our community. Of course, this is a non-trivial coding effort, but it would have long-term benefits. Regards, Andrea. - To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org
Re: Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
On 17 September 2013 18:09, Donald Whytock wrote: > But a lot of products have a pop-up on startup with tips, which I assume > are packaged with the product. That can be made optional, it can cycle > through tips or select from them randomly, it can allow the users to page > through the tips if they want, and you can make the tip file a periodic > mini-update without requiring an entire release. Yes, I remember MS Word telling me "Don't run with scissors" ... - d. - To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org
Re: Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
2013/9/17 Rob Weir > When I purchase a commercial software package I register and then I am > sometimes offered a weekly "tips" email. It covers tips on how to use > the product, how to get support, FAQs, etc. It is very useful for new > users. > > But this is not a typical announcement list thing. Users don't all > get the same email each week. But everyone who is new gets the week > 0 email, and a week later they would get the week 2 email, while > someone else in that same week who is new gets the week 0 email, etc. > > Is this clear? It is sort of a system where the user gets a > programmed set of emails on a schedule. > > Does anyone know what this is called? And are there open source > products or free services that support this? > > I think this could be very useful for new OpenOffice users. Currently > we give them a huge torrent of information on the download page, and > in release notes. I doubt more than 5% of the information gets > absorbed because it it is too much. But if we could do it via weekly > "tip" emails, then it we'd probably get more information across. > > Another approach would be via a feed that is loaded by AOO itself at > first load. Many products have something like that, a tips dialog > that gives a new tip every time the product starts, or once a week or > something. > The "tip of the day". I think that something like that is less intrusive than a registration process, specially if there is a "don't show again" check-box. In fact, I think it is better to avoid any kind of "registration" process. Regards, Ricardo > > -Rob > > - > To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org > For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org > >
Re: Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
we don't have a specific name but we better call that umbrella of features as "Open Office Tips & Tricks". > On September 17, 2013 at 12:48 PM Rob Weir wrote: > > > When I purchase a commercial software package I register and then I am > sometimes offered a weekly "tips" email. It covers tips on how to use > the product, how to get support, FAQs, etc. It is very useful for new > users. > > But this is not a typical announcement list thing. Users don't all > get the same email each week. But everyone who is new gets the week > 0 email, and a week later they would get the week 2 email, while > someone else in that same week who is new gets the week 0 email, etc. > > Is this clear? It is sort of a system where the user gets a > programmed set of emails on a schedule. > > Does anyone know what this is called? And are there open source > products or free services that support this? > > I think this could be very useful for new OpenOffice users. Currently > we give them a huge torrent of information on the download page, and > in release notes. I doubt more than 5% of the information gets > absorbed because it it is too much. But if we could do it via weekly > "tip" emails, then it we'd probably get more information across. > > Another approach would be via a feed that is loaded by AOO itself at > first load. Many products have something like that, a tips dialog > that gives a new tip every time the product starts, or once a week or > something. > > -Rob > > - > To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org > For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org > --- Thank you very much for your time. --- Siv, Acquisition Coordinator, Talent Infotech Inc, 304 Canterbury Way, Severna Park, MD 21146. === Phone: 443-722-2543. Fax: 425-696-9020. ---
Re: Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 1:09 PM, Donald Whytock wrote: > On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 12:48 PM, Rob Weir wrote: > >> Another approach would be via a feed that is loaded by AOO itself at >> first load. Many products have something like that, a tips dialog >> that gives a new tip every time the product starts, or once a week or >> something. >> > > I would recommend against having the product dependent on making an > internet connection on startup. That might interfere with people who work > offline or have iffy connections. > > But a lot of products have a pop-up on startup with tips, which I assume > are packaged with the product. That can be made optional, it can cycle > through tips or select from them randomly, it can allow the users to page > through the tips if they want, and you can make the tip file a periodic > mini-update without requiring an entire release. > That makes sense. For new users we know in advance the kind of info that would be interesting to them. We can prepare that in advance, translate, etc. And one of the tips could be to sign up for the announcement mailing list. Bonus points if we can tell that a user is really new versus an upgraded user. For an upgraded user we might skip the general new user tips and go directly to tips related to new features. > This wouldn't necessarily preclude an email tip, but the email tips can be > ones that are new to everyone, and might eventually be added to the tip > file. (ooo-tips@ ?) > Could even include users sending in their own tips. We'd just need to agree on a format, such as maximum length. Regards, -Rob > Don - To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org
Re: Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
On Tue, Sep 17, 2013 at 12:48 PM, Rob Weir wrote: > Another approach would be via a feed that is loaded by AOO itself at > first load. Many products have something like that, a tips dialog > that gives a new tip every time the product starts, or once a week or > something. > I would recommend against having the product dependent on making an internet connection on startup. That might interfere with people who work offline or have iffy connections. But a lot of products have a pop-up on startup with tips, which I assume are packaged with the product. That can be made optional, it can cycle through tips or select from them randomly, it can allow the users to page through the tips if they want, and you can make the tip file a periodic mini-update without requiring an entire release. This wouldn't necessarily preclude an email tip, but the email tips can be ones that are new to everyone, and might eventually be added to the tip file. (ooo-tips@ ?) Don
Can we do this email thing (whatever it is called)?
When I purchase a commercial software package I register and then I am sometimes offered a weekly "tips" email. It covers tips on how to use the product, how to get support, FAQs, etc. It is very useful for new users. But this is not a typical announcement list thing. Users don't all get the same email each week. But everyone who is new gets the week 0 email, and a week later they would get the week 2 email, while someone else in that same week who is new gets the week 0 email, etc. Is this clear? It is sort of a system where the user gets a programmed set of emails on a schedule. Does anyone know what this is called? And are there open source products or free services that support this? I think this could be very useful for new OpenOffice users. Currently we give them a huge torrent of information on the download page, and in release notes. I doubt more than 5% of the information gets absorbed because it it is too much. But if we could do it via weekly "tip" emails, then it we'd probably get more information across. Another approach would be via a feed that is loaded by AOO itself at first load. Many products have something like that, a tips dialog that gives a new tip every time the product starts, or once a week or something. -Rob - To unsubscribe, e-mail: dev-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: dev-h...@openoffice.apache.org
