Class materials or a book recommendation

[spinsterweaver]

I just purchased Flare 9. I need to come up to speed very quickly, but the next 4-day training isn't for a month. I will gladly train myself. Is it possible to obtain the materials used in the Basic/Intermediate class? Otherwise, can somebody recommend a decent book I could use?

Janet Polley

[Nita Beck]

Janet, I'm pretty sure that MadCap doesn't sell their training curriculum separate from their training classes.

Regarding third-party books, these are the ones that MadCap recommends: http://www.madcapsoftware.com/services/ ... books.aspx

Many of these books have been updated for Flare 9 or come with a Flare 9 supplement.

Hope this helps.

[spinsterweaver]

Thanks Nita! I didn't even notice the Recommended Books choice on the menu. Looks like a trip to the tech book store is in my weekend plans.

janet

[sdcinvan]

It is a real shame that MadCap doesn't 'give away' a getting started training videos.

I am also in a position where I need to learn the basics of MadCap Flare very quickly, however, the cost of the $599 for a getting started webinar/training course seems a bit too Oracle'ish - a bit greedy. Sure, the training needs to get paid but why can't a recording of this course be given away for free to newly registered owners?

I'm with a small company and it took a bit just to convince them to part with the cost of MadPak. Even though I am an 'expert' in Adobe FrameMaker, I decided to put my confidence in MadCap Flare; the least MadCap can do is tell me how to use the darn thing. I joke a bit but I am also serious.
IMHO, what better way to attract more customers than to post a free 1 hour beginner training on how to use MadCap to build a manual. If I need more, sure... I'll try to get some money together to pay for future courses... but the main point is... you convinced me, I'll buy the software, I'll be an evangelist of your product.

It would be nice if MadCap put just 10% of the effort made to produce those amazing marketing videos, to make some nice beginner tutorials.

Thanks to Nita for the books reference: http://www.madcapsoftware.com/services/ ... books.aspx
Books are great for reference but they are not the most effective way to learn a product.

Here are a few other MadCap Flare resources I found while desperately trying to learn Flare:

http://www.madcapsoftware.com/resources/ [some good stuff - especially the recorded webinars]

http://www.madcapsoftware.com/videos/we ... size=small
[According to a long-time MadCap user - MadCap used to publish a lot of freely available training webinars - this is all that is available now]

http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... Guides.htm [Fantastic how-to guides - BUT WHY are they a secret? Found them using a deep Google scan]

http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... Videos.htm [Some great starter videos]
Just don't waste your time clicking the link: "For more videos, see http://www.madcapsoftware.com/resources ... rials.aspx. Those are NOT tutorials but rather marketing videos.

https://kungfuwit.wordpress.com/2010/07 ... s-to-read/ [a little bit out of date]

http://techwhirl.com [a great alternative (to this forum) for all things tech writing and plenty of Flare authors]

http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Madcap-Flare [another great resource for all things tech writing - here is a MadCap Flare section - unfortunately, much of it is dated]

And then there are some You Tube videos: just search for "MadCap Flare"

[Nita Beck]

Paul Pehrson offers some very reasonably priced training courses. Check out http://www.paulpehrson.com/docguy-training/.

Also, although you said you don't think books offer good training (an opinion I don't share), Lorraine Kupka's reasonably priced "Five Steps to MadCap Flare" has an excellent chapter on print output. The book is available here: http://www.northcoastwriters.com/fiddleheadpubs/.

Lastly, all the MadCap print docs are readily available from links in the footer of their products' Help systems.

Oh, one more resource: Flare user groups are springing up all over. Perhaps there's one near you. Check out http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... 13&t=17261.

EDIT. OK, I lied about one more. Here's another great resource: Laura Johnson's blog http://www.flareforhelp.com/.

[sdcinvan]

Paul Pehrson offers some very reasonably priced training courses. Check out http://www.paulpehrson.com/docguy-training/.

Also, although you said you don't think books offer good training (an opinion I don't share), Lorraine Kupka's reasonably priced "Five Steps to MadCap Flare" has an excellent chapter on print output. The book is available here: http://www.northcoastwriters.com/fiddleheadpubs/.

Lastly, all the MadCap print docs are readily available from links in the footer of their products' Help systems.

Oh, one more resource: Flare user groups are springing up all over. Perhaps there's one near you. Check out http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... 13&t=17261.

EDIT. OK, I lied about one more. Here's another great resource: Laura Johnson's blog http://www.flareforhelp.com/.

Thank you Nita!

Also, although you said you don't think books offer good training (an opinion I don't share),

Ha... ha... Can I retract that comment? I write books for a living.
To explain away my inane comment, I think I was speaking in comparison to video training or classroom training. I am also an eLearning author and I have found that interactive video-type training is often more effective than a static paper book (but it depends on the subject matter).

Thank you for the additional resources.