[Solved]Options for teaching clients to use CMSMS

[jasnick]

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

I am wondering what is the best way to teach clients to maintain their own sites. Do I write a manual for their particular site?
Telephone tutorial? Personal visit - not always possible as I don't live in a city and my clients are far flung sometimes.

The admin section is probably quite alarming for a client with limited computer skills. As I never use TinyMCE in WYSIWYG mode, I am not particularly conversant with it yet will need to be to explain its use to clients. I am doing a site now and am trying to make it very easy to edit stuff using TinyMCE by not using any complicated coding.

[frankmanl]

Have a look at the wiki: http://wiki.cmsmadesimple.org/index.php/Main_Page
That just might be a good start for new users.

Frank

[jasnick]

Thanks, Frank

[gocreative]

My solution is to create an FAQ section on my website where I have written general instructions on the most common tasks (adding/editing pages, uploading files etc), and when a website is in the testing phase I direct my clients to these pages.

I also offer phone support and have trained a couple of people face-to-face, but it's time-consuming and often unnecessary if the instructions are clear and include up-to-date screenshots.

[jasnick]

Thanks, that's a good idea! Yes, having to go and visit a client to teach them wastes at least half a day and they probably won't remember half of it. Most of my clients will only be editing existing pages, not adding new ones, so I think a small set of instructions like your FAQ will do as well.

[gocreative]

Feel free to copy anything from my FAQs if you like:

http://www.go-creative.com.au/index.php ... eturnid=23

[jasnick]

That's very generous of you! Thank you very much.

[Duketown]

jasnick,

You might consider to buy a book about how to use CMSMS, raise the consultancy price a bit and give the book at as a supportive companion (or just give it as a service).

Duketown

[jasnick]

Duketown - I've got the book myself CMS Made Simple - but I think it is far too sophisticated for my clients. I find it very useful.

[Wishbone]

I wrote a module called OwnersManual which allows you to leave notes that they can get to in the admin panel.

I usually start off with the trouble they can get into when pasting text from email or Word into the WYSIWYG, and how to do it properly.. I then go through each section of the website, and what part of the admin panel controls that section.

[jasnick]

Thanks wishbone - I installed it and found it but don't know how it works. Its early here - perhaps I'm not fully awake! How do I start?

Thanks

[Wishbone]

CMS -> Site Owner's Manual

You will see the default text.. It's the same as the help text... Click on the Edit tab, and you will see a WYSIWYG so that you can replace the default text with the the instructions for your client.

Two permissions:

View Owners Manual: Allows users to view (no edit tab)
Edit Owners Manual: Allows users to edit

[jasnick]

Yes, I wondered if that was what it meant.

I wasn't sure if it meant that material could be added to individual pages but as I couldn't see a Add Content symbol, I thought I had better ask.

So I just add a mini-manual or whatever in this box and set the client permission to View. What a good idea. The whole thing is then on-site so to speak and they can check up on things as they edit.

Thanks very much!

[Wishbone]

A future enhancement that I have planned is to be able to have multiple pages, like one for Content, News, Calendar, etc.

[gocreative]

It would be good if you could create those individual pages of help, but then choose a module/feature that it's associated with. That way you could have an article about how to use the WYSIWYG editor, then associate it with editing pages, the news module and so on. On those particular pages, you could click a help icon somewhere in the header and it would therefore show you all articles related to that page/action/module.

Anyway, off topic... stopping now