RE: FLASH: A word about tutorials

[Len Harrison]

Hi David,


I haven't posted here in several weeks due to a deadline crunch that will

probably continue through to mid-February. I've also only been able to read

this list sporadically, so I'm probably not up to speed on exactly what has

you peeved.


<rant>

Like Wesley I'm not primarily an illustrator or graphics designer. I come

from a technical background and am currently an instructional designer for a

software development company. I'm involved with Flash because I selected it

as the platform for product tutorials in our current suite to be released in

March. I have done a lot of Web design, can find my way around Photoshop,

Corel, Illustrator, and Freehand. I'm reasonably competant in print layout

as well. All this stuff are the tools of the trade so to speak, but skills

vary across the board. And I'd definitely say graphics design is one of my

weaker areas.


Now I don't know where I fit in your spectrum. I do know that eight months

ago I was one of those who were asking basic Flash questions. Since then

I've been able to answer these and significantly more complex questions

thanks to the people here. I've tried to do that whenever I could, because

it's a way of thanking others who helped me and of passing that help on to

others. I doubt anyone here who knows me would believe this list would be

better without my presence. Yet in reading your post, I feel this is what

you are saying. I doubt that I meet your standards for membership.


You speak of "selling" this technology and "driving" this industry. Well, I

"come from a[n] experienced background in design, layout, traditional

illustration, animation etc." But I will say this, in the next year there

will be Flash controls and plug-ins on the desktop of several thousand

people in a number of major companies in the US, UK, France, Germany, and

Japan running our silly little tutorials. Some of those will be there

because of us. Who knows, someone might come across one of your sites and

stay there because they already have the plug-in when they wouldn't if they

hadn't. I don't think the work I'm doing is all that great artistically.

Frankly half the time I think it sucks. But people like it 'round here and

so do our customers. I think it's because it moves and loads quickly and you

can interact with it. Just the basic functionality of the technology more

than my beautiful implentation of it. I'm probably not nearly as good as you

are. But I think I'm doing something that benefits you and other Flash

developers anyway.


And who knows, that journalist may just happen to write something about

Flash that moves things forward for you in unexpected ways. Like meeting a

potential client the day after he read a favorable article because somebody

helped the journalist figure out how to make movie clips or handle buttons.

Or like meeting a potential client the day after he read an unfavorable

article because no one helped that same journalist. Maybe that science major

comes up with a killer site that happens to use Flash for it's interface,

even if it's about something completely different. You just don't know where

things will go.


Bottom line, David, is I hate elitism. We're all people and we all deserve a

chance to do the best we can. The more people who use this tool, the better

things are for you, anyway. Even if they just "diddle" with it. Think about

all those people who just "diddled" with Web until it became the Next Big

Thing. The "diddlers" are contributing to the critical mass just like

everyone else.

</rant>


Apologies for length of post on a semi-OT subject, but I had to vent. I feel

better now. Be back later with more salient stuff.


len harrison

instructional designer

lenhabtcorp [dot] com

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