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TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Hi everybody! I just want to announce my upcoming e-book for the people in this forum. I’ve been using the forum and the other Textpattern resources for years, and am very grateful for all the help I’ve got. But as I’ve developed sites for clients, I’ve seen the need for a simple guide for the end-user; the non-programmer. My idea is that you guys, who are developing TxP-sites for paying costumers, can save hours off training your clients on simple tasks like how to upload an image or how to format text using Textile.
I’ve thought a lot about the fact that I’m selling a guide to a free, open-source tool, but I believe it’s justified by the many hours I’ve spent teaching myself this stuff, and the hours you will save off training your clients. Besides, the cost can be transferred to your client, and everybody’s happy!
I’ve set up a splash-page with some information about the content at txphelper.com, and I’ll soon publish samples from the book to give you all a taste of the value it delivers. Also, I’m happy to hear about any issues you have run across when handing over a TxP-site: what does your client never get, what do they always ask about? If I haven’t already written about it, I’ll see if I can answers some of the questions in the book.
Best wishes from Atle!
atle(at)txphelper.com
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Wow! Congratulations!
I hope this e-book to become a success.
I would really like to have it, so I will try to find out how can I buy it from Argentina (I have no credit card nor a PayPal account… yups!).
Of course, I will be glad to collaborate in a spanish translation.
Again, thanks for your work, I think this will be an invaluable item for the community.
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#3 2007-03-13 21:05:43
- marios
- Archived Plugin Author
- Registered: 2005-03-12
- Posts: 1,253
Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Thanks for this. Great Idea. Would you be interested in Greek Localization maybe of the book ?
regards, marios
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Thanks for the positive vibes, guys! It won’t be a problem to buy it, I’m using a simple service from PayPal that only requires a credit card, no account needed.
Marios: If I notice a general interest out there, I might consider the idea of translating, and I’ll give you a shout!
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Hi,
Signed up, nice initiative.
We Love TXP . TXP Themes . TXP Tags . TXP Planet . TXP Make
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
You were much, much faster than me :)
Anyhow, good news, and great initiative.
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#7 2007-03-14 08:10:18
- FireFusion
- Member
- Registered: 2005-05-10
- Posts: 698
Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
This is excellent AtleL. Just what I was looking for.
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
TxPHelper for end-users is ready!
I’m proud to announce that my e-book “TxPHelper for end-users” is
finished and ready for purchase!
On http://www.txphelper.com you can download sample pages, have a
look at the contents of the book, and buy securely via PayPal.
If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email at:
atle@txphelper.com. I’ll do my best to answer swiftly.
Thank you for your patience, I hope it was worth it!
Best wishes
Atle Lillehovde
atle@txphelper.com
http://www.txphelper.com
—————————————————————————————————
PS: If you’re pleased with the book, I would be very grateful to
hear from you. Testimonials would be a great asset for the book.
You can email me your thoughts on atle@txphelper.com
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
I think it’s a great idea, but there are a few issues I had with the sample pages:
1. Grammatical errors. Please purchase a grammar and style book (such as Keys for Writers or The Writer’s Handbook) or hire an editor — there are just a lot of grammatical errors that hinder readability. A few examples:
I’ve worked with Textpattern since 2002, and have build several different sites with the platform.
Corrected:
I’ve worked with Textpattern since 2002 and have built several different sites with the platform.
It ensures readable, conform display of your content, and is actually quite easy to use.
conform is not an adjective.
2. Type. I think it’d be much easier to read in a serif font. Please use a space between sentences too.
3. Formatting. For the Textile examples, check out the Textile manual for a simpler and cleaner format.
Last edited by jm (2007-05-03 17:49:07)
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Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Hi jm, and thanks for the comments. As you might have seen on the website I’m a Norwegian, and I apologize to all of you out there who’s first language is English… I have just read through the book again to clean up the mistakes you pointed out, and I think I’ve taken care of them all.
1. The reason I dared to write this book in my imperfect English is that it’s not meant to be a literary masterpiece, but a step-by-step reference book for non-technical users of Textpattern. I had my mom in mind when I wrote the content: she doesn’t even have an email-account! So my main goal is to impart information about how to publish with Textpattern, and I decided to accept a few grammatical errors along the way to get the book done. And I certainly can’t afford to hire an editor!
2. Regarding the type: I’ve used Gill Sans exactly for it’s readability. It’s subtle changes in stroke-weight and the low x-height makes it very readable. But, as you pointed out, the space between sentences is very small, so I’ve added an extra space.
3. The Textile Formatting-chapter explains just the most commonly used modifiers, and I think it works fine. For users interested in learning more about Textile I’ve included a link to Threshold State’s excellent manual at the end of the explanations.
Again, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it!
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#11 2007-10-20 08:28:03
- cordelia
- New Member
- Registered: 2007-10-19
- Posts: 1
Re: TxP Helper for end-users: upcoming e-book!
Really nice idea, and I like where you began from.. with the issue that your mom doesn’t have an e-mail adress! True thing.
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
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