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"If 'necessity is the
mother of invention,'
laziness is its father." |
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–Craig Richards |
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Wednesday, August 1, 2001
How did you get to be such an expert?
With so many users of AdminPro and BigSender being in the upper echelons of their fields, I wonder, is it the "power users" who choose my tools or do they become masters because they use my software?
Seriously... what do you think separates the entry-level user from the guru? Certainly experience. But hours logged don't necessarily track with level of proficiency, do they?
I think it can have a lot to do with how our minds are wired... Someone with an inquisitive nature who is willing to challenge the status quo with questions such as "Sure, it's tradition but, remind me, why do we do it this way?" may well be a key to mastery over software or anything else. However, a true master goes further than mere "What if...?" questions and attempts to answer them with innovative solutions.
I hope you enjoy "Master Minds: Becoming a Software Guru" which also serves to introduce a new regular feature in News2Me with tips, tricks, hints and shortcuts for helping you become AdminPro and BigSender power users.
The in-depth piece I am writing on ways you can avoid spamming is taking shape and I look forward to being able to include it in the next issue of News2Me.
Virtually yours,
Craig Richards
This message and previous issues are archived at CraigRichards.com/news2me where your friends and associates may also subscribe free.
Did you know? BigSender 1.02 is out and, among other improvements, features an important enhancement especially relevant to users with legacy email lists. To see the version history, reference the new price-comparison chart, create your free online demo or to put BigSender to work for you today, click here.
Master Minds: Becoming a Software Guru
With software (or any other tools for that matter), you will find a very wide range of proficiency from one user to the next and you have probably noticed it has very little to do with how long they have been using that tool.
We all know someone who has used MS Word for decades, for example, but does not know how to adjust the default margins, let alone take advantage of Word's powerful mail merge functions. These "entry-level veterans" (or drones as I fondly regard them) can usually "get done what needs doing" but often take longer to accomplish their tasks while their creativity and adaptability are stinted. When they get stuck and can't immediately figure out what to do, they just reboot their computer. Oh yes, they are out there!
Change your learning curve to a power curve. First thing: definitely read the now-common "quickstart guide" among most software reference materials because nearly all that info is actually relevant to the first-time user.
Do not read the manual. Instead, "flip" through it. Most of the time, a line-by-line reading of the user guide is not productive because you have little mental references for the publisher's terminology and no experience with the software's functions and interfaces. The information will be too abstract to be retained. By skimming, however, you will be able to quickly find the relevant section later if you get stuck or when you'd like to learn more about any settings, options or features.
After you have used some software for a period and have accessed the reference material from time to time (or even poured through a third-party "power user" book), you're ready for the next step: to become a master.
The secret for attaining guru status: Mastery is a mindset. Someone who was born with or who has attained a certain set of character attributes and tendancies including those I've observed below:
Masters tend to invest a great deal of themselves up front to reap the long-term rewards of greatest result with the least amount of energy and time expended. In that way, it could be said a master is ultimately motivated by laziness.
Not recognizing it as a character attribute, my own dear mom used to ask me (more than once as I recall), "Why do you work so hard to try to get out of work?" She intended this as a complaint, not as a compliment. She didn't 'get it' and, at the time, I couldn't explain it.
However, a master knows that "good enough" isn't and manages to sidestep the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mental rut; instead believing that just about anything can be made better in some way.
A master knows there are usually several approaches for accomplishing any task, has become savvy at judging which courses are likely to represent the more "elegant solution," then experiments with those finalists for the best result.
A master of any tool has usually invented new purposes and techniques that even its creators had not envisioned.
It is difficult for me to keep from laughing aloud when I hear the clearly impressed 'entry-level veteran' (drone) ask, "How did you do that?!" but then interrupt halfway through the simplest answer saying, "Oh, that sounds like too much trouble."
Beginning in the next News2Me, I'll provide quick tips & tricks, helpful hints and fun shortcuts for getting the most from AdminPro and BigSender, my two most successful software titles. If you're not already masters of these power tools, you soon will be.
Do you have an opinion, question, view or contrary position on this topic? I'd love to hear from you at news2me@craigrichards.com. Space permitting, particularly interesting replies may be printed in an upcoming issue of News2Me.
News2Me Archive
BigSender 3.80 Availability Announced
In addition to other improvements and enhancements, BigSender now includes the long-awaited user authentication feature for connecting to your mailserver.
News2Me 05/20/2006
In this issue: we discuss some hosting firms' anti-spam policies, our shiny new dedicated webserver, our discussion forum is temporarily disabled and improved transaction security at CraigRichards.com with high-grade 256-bit SSL encryption
Craig Richards Design Plans BigSender Update to 3.70 in Early January
This BigSender release further enhances the Message Composer interface with a realtime WYSIWYG HTML Editor, a plain-text wordwrap feature, an initial caps format for names and other handy improvements.
BigSender Now Speaks Italian
In addition to other improvements, fixes and enhancements, BigSender now includes an Italian BigSender Language File plug-in.
News2Me
In this issue, we announce our website's new search feature, information on my recent movie role and the latest enhancements to BigSender.
News2Me: Imagine Contact Management Made Simpler
What should you look for in a contact management solution? Power. Affordability. Flexibility. Simplicity.
BigSender 3.670 Released: Breakthrough Features
Innovative new features make BigSender 3 more powerful than ever!
BigSender Technical Bulletin: Annotations
BigSender 3.661 Gets Convenient New Features
BigSender Reviewed by The Office Letter
After an independent comprehensive evaluation of BigSender, The Office Letter concludes that, "for the money, it's a steal!"
BigSender Now Speaks German
BigSender Broadcasts: Get the Speed You Need
How to optimize BigSender and your server environment for the fastest send rates possible.
BigSender 3.6: Continuing the Revolution
After more than six months in development, now you can match to whole records or only specific fields for the most granular narrowcasting!
BigSender 3x: Now Even More Power and Flexibility
Announcing the newest batch of features in our popular web application designed to make it simple to manage your contact lists and to easily publish your announcements, e-zines, press releases and other online publications
Monday 10/21/2002 News2Me
In this issue: Pursuing Passions and Perfection
News2Me
In this issue, we announce our new alliance with Sun Microsystems, our smooth move, and BigSender gets even more new features!
BigSender 3 Released: More List-Management Features Built In
The most complete online list-management and email/web publishing system available gets a one-click automated bounce manager and other built-in conveniences!
News2Me: How To Publish Without Spamming
BigSender is a powerful yet easy-to-use publishing system ñ but like any tool, it can be used incorrectly. Follow these guidelines to get optimal results with BigSender...
E-News Gallery Goes Live
Where publishers of electronic newsletters & e-zines can showcase their publications.
AdminPro Is Updated
No longer requires Perl to execute!
Then The Rope Went Slack
Rather than dazzled and empowererd, has all this techno-speak ever left you feeling dazed and confused?
Marketing Secrets Revealed: When Customer Loyalty Isn't
Master Minds: Becoming a Software Guru
Are you an entry-level veteran or an inquisitive innovator?
What Is A Web App?
Bill Gates emphasizes the web browser as the "central application of computing."
BigSender Backgrounder
Microsoft Discontinues ListBot
Out: free services. In: fee services.
Official Premiere: News2Me
What's Happened to AdminFTP and TestMy.CGI?
AdminPro 2.5: More Power, More Control
Debug CGI & Manage Files from a Web Browser?
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