When it comes to learning new software packages (and many other things, as well), there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who read the manuals and those who don't.
I'm a manual* reader. Whenever I get something new, my first order of business is reading the owner's manual or instruction sheet (Buy a new camera. Read the manual. Buy a new laptop. Read the manual. Buy a new flavor of Pop Tarts. Read the manual.). How else will I know how to use the product to its maximum potential?
My thirst for knowledge isn't limited to the manual provided by the manufacturer. I'll often go and get a How-To book. I'm especially fond of 
I realize there are some people born with the ability to figure out how software works by just sitting down and banging on the keyboard. I'm not one of them. On those rare occasions I try that approach, I end up getting just far enough to mess things up. Then I get royally frustrated. Then I throw things and stomp my feet and say bad words. And the kicker: I have to read the manual anyway to figure out what to do. I say it's better to open the manual in the beginning.
Evidently, I haven't passed this gene on to my children. They just install their software, double-click, and dive right in. They don't need no stinking manual.
Oh well, at least I'll know who to go to for help.
Today's bonus quiz question: Can you guess what software package I've recently purchased?**
Footnotes
*On-line guides, PDF instruction documents, paper manuals--it doesn't really matter. Although, I do like the feel of paper in my hands...
**My wife made me promise to state the following, in CAPITAL LETTERS. THIS PHOTO LOOKS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE ALAN ORLOFF.
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7 comments:
Wow, Alan! It looks like you've been taking steroids or something.
I don't like to read manuals so I try to figure out the software first. Then I mess something up in an unbelievably bad fashion and take out the manual. This scenario happens every time.
My kids seem to have a computer chip in their heads. No manuals for them.
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Hey, you look like Jay Leno!
As someone who used to WRITE manuals for a living: bless your heart! There is loads of good info. in there. Keep up the good work!
Elizabeth - No steriods, unless Gummi Bears count. And I think all kids have little computer chips in their brains.
Rebecca - I love a good user's manual almost as much as I love a good novel!
Karen - Yes, it's Photoshop. And I'm still plowing through the manual, but it's not going too well. That picture was supposed to look like Barack Obama!
I’m a hybrid…of course, with me it’s always complicated. I open up whatever gadget it is and scan the manual or instructions at the same time. So, I’m not quite one, not quite the other, you can imagine the mess that ensues.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Like Elizabeth, I usually wing it first, break it, then sneak a peak at the manual and hope no one will notice.
I use the Jack W. Regan method. I think all software should be intuitive and so I jump in and try to figure it out on my own. It worked with Yahoo! SiteBuilder and it worked with Microsoft Publisher. It is not working with Photoshop.
Galen, Jack, and Patricia - I'd like to be able to jump right in, but sometimes it doesn't work too well. And, Patricia, I hope you pick up Photoshop quicker than I am!
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