Bob Walsh has released his eBook MicroISV Sites that Sell! - Creating and Marketing your Unique Selling Proposition. HelpSpot is one of the apps featured in it. For $19 it's worth checking out if you're planning to start a software business.
My wife shook me up this morning to see the really vivid colors in the sunrise. By the time I grabbed the camera I had missed it a bit, but the picture is still very nice.
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This is probably the most useful thing I've read on a blog in the past year.
http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/775-ask-37signals-how-do-you-make-screencast-videos
The most important part is one simple sentence. Make the audio first!!!! Doh!! No wonder I always sound like an idiot trying to do the audio while using the UI. Do the audio first and then create the video portion while listening to the audio and match them up. So much more intelligent.
BarCamp is just around the corner (March 15/16). I'll be there! If you've never been I definitely suggest going, it's a great time and you can't beat the price.
I'll be there both days. It's in Brooklyn this year which is a fun change. I'll probably stay at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott which is right near the event and has a perfect view of downtown (I'm not a fan of sleeping on the floor).
UserScape also donated a few bucks and is offering up a 5 user HelpSpot license as a prize.
I hope to see you there!
The great guys over at Freshview did a nice write-up on HelpSpot. Thanks Guys!
They were actually one of our first customers and many of the best features HelpSpot has today are a direct result of their feedback and ideas.
[]: http://www.freshview.com/thoughts/2008/02/tools_we_use_helpspot.html
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I'm happy, proud, and relieved to announce the availability of the HelpSpot End Users Manual. The manual covers the features end users use on a daily basis (so everything except the Admin and Reports). While we've always had some documentation on the features, we've never had a complete guide to all the systems features (amazing isn't it!). This manual fills that gap and covers the current 2.1.1 release.
What I really like about the manual is that it's not so much click this click that click this, but focuses more on describing features, advice on how to use the most important features and general guidance. With Helpspot we don't have much trouble getting people to understand the interface, the biggest challenge is getting them to understand how to apply the features to their help desk environment and see how they can improve their efficiency. I think this manual will go a long way in improving our customers experience with HelpSpot.
We hope to roll this out later this week or next week, but I thought I'd post it here first so it could get a little testing. So if you're a HelpSpot customer or just an interested party I'd appreciate if you could download it and just make sure it opens for you, the fonts look right, etc. I know one person had a problem with the fonts, but we haven't been able to replicate that yet so your help is appreciated!
I'm working on getting setup with an on demand printer so that we can offer full color printed versions as well. That should be ready in a week or two so if you'd like to order print copies that will be possible shortly.
I'd really like to thank Jamie who wrote the entire manual. Without her persistence this never would have gotten done. I'd also like to thank Mike Rohde who did the cover design and some of the interior design and Working with Words who did the proofreading.
Last week my sister scored tickets to Blues Brothers on the big screen. I never got to see it in a movie theater so it was a real treat.
Pictures taken with the bogus iPhone camera so they're not great, but you get the idea. You have to be super humanly still to get a clear pic with this camera. Worst part of the iPhone.
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Very interesting comments on the Washington Post redesign by Edward Tufte: http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0002nk
My father's had a few interesting posts on his blog lately. Worth checking out for a little change of pace from my normal dribble.
I linked to this site indirectly the other day, but it really deserves it's own link. If you're in the market for a digital camera and specifically a DSLR from Nikon or Canon then this site is simply a must read. I've literally been through every article. Ken's writing style is great and the information is first rate. He's making his living from the site so he must be doing something right. When I purchased a new camera last week I made sure to buy it through his affiliate link.
I wish even a fraction of the content I read online every day was anywhere near this good.