I've already finished the user manual for Studio Manager 7, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved! I somehow managed to lure Kathy *Scout* Tomyris back to review every word in the new manual and mark it up with red ink.
I will be doing the typing and writing in the fabulous Pages software and when it's done, we'll be sending it out to every Studio Manager 7 customer as a pdf. We are targeting July for this full update to the manual, but I may send out a v1 beta of it with the new improved format before then.
By the way, I've been working with Scout all day today on the manual and she was admiring her handywork. A couple minutes ago, she spontaneously exclaimed, "This a really good user manual!". In talking further, she said:
It explains everything you need to know. Studio Manager is one of those pieces of software where it is really true: RTFM! If you can't find something in this manual, it probably doesn't exist.
The reason I mention all this is that only a few of our customers crack open the manual. And I just want you to know that you are missing a lot if you haven't read the manual. We have lots of real world wisdom in there on how to get the most out of Studio Manager and, incidentally, how to be more successful in running a creative services business. As most of you know, I've been specializing in serving the creative services sector since 1986 and Scout was already working as a designer at that point.
Because we serve a global market and many of our customers can't afford to hire a consultant to walk them through the process of setting up and using Studio Manager, we think the user manual is a key ingredient in the success of our product. We may never meet you, so we want to extend ourselves in your direction by helping to ensure that you have a great experience and get a lot out of Studio Manager.