Genii Weblog

Paid or free courses on Midas development?

Mon 29 Nov 2004, 10:08 PM



by Ben Langhinrichs
Here is one of those questions which may seem at first gasp to have a "Duh!" answer, but which may not be as obvious as it seems.  If I were to develop some course material teaching developers how to use the Midas Rich Text LSX, @Midas Formulas or Midas Rich Text C++ API, should these be free and available from here, or cost something and available from a site such as The Learning Continuum Company?

OK, raise your hand if you answered something like "Of course I'd rather have it free".  Don't be shy, as I won't be able to see you anyway.

Free is good, and a viable option, but it may not be the best option.  It is possible that a course that costs something, even a few hundred dollars, will have more credibility for some companies.  They may be more willing to allocate time to a developer who uses an on-line course that is clearly more than just a free demo.  Clearly only because there is a cost involved.  In addition, the developer or consultant who has paid a few hundred dollars for a course on Midas may be in a better position to claim some higher expertise with the product than the poor schmoe who has only browsed the website and tried out the free on-line demos and tutorials.  It is not a certification, but corporations do respect someone who has "attended a course", and a paid course may seem more "real".

So, given that, what do you think?  Should I develop a paid course and get TLCC to carry it?  I wouldn't see any of the money, so it doesn't make any financial difference to me, but I do sometimes get companies who buy a Midas license and then want to be sure their developers are getting the most out of it.  Would this be a reasonable way?

Copyright © 2004 Genii Software Ltd.

What has been said:


238.1. Richard Schwartz
(12/01/2004 04:49 AM)

How about developing introductory courseware for TLCC on the basis that they can offer it as a "bonus" to anyone who purchases one of their existing developer courses and also signs up for one of your trial licenses, and advanced courseware for sale to paid Midas licensees?

-rich