Sprouted ~ Software that grows with you...

This post is about Journler’s online help files, which are also included in the Journler application. Choose Journler Help from the Help menu.

Recently an individual emailed me about the website. He said it didn’t offer enough details. Having only heard about the program, he was unable to determine what Journler did or how to use it. What’s it for? What does it do? Why is it better than the system I already have?

At first I was somewhat offended. In my perhaps biased opinion I feel that the website does a fine job of conveying the general Journler idea. Thinking about it a little more, I felt that going into detail about Journler’s features on the main site would be nearly impossible. Journler does so much! I felt the same way about Journler’s uses.

Journler is a flexible application, and I have intentionally designed it to be that way. “Journaling is just the beginning” sounds cool but that’s not all. Journaling is just the beginning. How could I talk about Journler’s uses when folks are coming up with new ways to use the program every day? “Chronicle, organize, find, connect.” Vague, but how else can I convey the general sense of the program? Those four principles become a unique system in the hands of every new user.

Giving it some more thought I finally admitted to myself that maybe the website doesn’t perfectly clarify Journler’s intentions and potential uses. Of anything on the site the feature blurbs offer the most detail about the program, and they don’t offer that much. The bulk of the site is in fact designed more to “market” Journler. Is that inappropriate? I don’t think so. Is there an absence of substance because of it? Absolutely not. But the site won’t provide the kind of in-depth information that prospective users might be looking for. I don’t think it should.

Journler.com is simple, and I very much like it that way. Details risk turning the site into a maze. I can’t stand those corporate sites with swathes of menus and categores and subcategories that must be navigated before you can get to the information you’re looking for. Got something to show me? Put it out there and don’t make it confusing. I have an appointment with three juggling balls in ten minutes. At the same time, those details should be somewhere. The Journler Forums are an excellect resource for people already using the program and a wiki is in the works, but in all honestly potential users don’t have anywhere to turn.

Well, actually they do, I just haven’t publicized the information and you won’t find it linked from the main Journler site. The Journler Help Files (http://helpfiles.journler.com) go into great detail on what the program does and how to make the most out of it. I put some serious effort into the help files and I think that’s reflected. While they don’t cover potential uses, they do cover almost everything Journler is capable of, from basic entry creation to hidden keyboard shortcuts.

I’m going to start linking to the help files from journler.com. They aren’t as refined as the main site, but they aren’t that bad either, and they will provide the kind of information this individual and I’m sure others are looking for. If you’re wanting more information about Journler, really pining for the details so you can decide if Journler is right for you, check out the Journler Help Files. If you’re a longtime user and just upgraded to 2.5, or if you’ve been using the program for a few weeks now and are wondering how to get more out of it, check out those files as well.

Journler: journaling is just the beginning. The help files will show you why.