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Subject:Re: Styles for User Guides From:John Posada <jposada01 -at- YAHOO -dot- COM> Date:Sun, 4 Apr 1999 17:15:46 -0700
Let's introduce another aspect to this discussion (and
granted, I'm doing little devil's advocacy here).
Is the template part of the content and therefore
"owned" by the client, or is it part of the program
that generated the output, and therefore, since they
don't own your copy of Frame or Word, don't own the
template?
The template determines the format of the content
through a series of tags or styles (among other
factors such as Master Page, etc.). OTOH, doesn't the
Bold button on the menu bar? Just because you can
easily customize the character tag for bold and it is
much more difficult (if possible) to customize the
bold button, does that make any difference? Plus, in
some programs, you can add a style or even a macro to
the menu.
Based on the prevailing premise so far, create a
customized template for the customer and it is
automatically owned by the customer. Yet, create a
customized version of Word for the purpose of creating
the customized documentation (some macros, some VB
scripts, etc.), and the program isn't owned by the
customer.
I say that this whole ownership issue can be addressed
in the contract scope. Determine from the beginning
whether the customer owns the template. Since it
usually involves a degree of effort, make the contract
say that if the customer wants to own the template,
they buy the template...you pick the amount, from a
nominal fee ($25) to a substantial amount. If you
don't want to charge, turn it around and say that if
you can retain ownership of the template, you will buy
it from them...again, a nominal amount or large
amount...depending on how strongly you believe it can
strengthen your toolkit. You might find out that
within certain guidelines, the customer doesn't care
if the template is used as the base of your next
template, and you can build upon your template library
without guilt or worries
Just some thoughts.
John Posada
--- Sharon Burton-Hardin <sharonburton -at- email -dot- msn -dot- com>
wrote:
> As a starting point for a new template, no, I don't
> see the problem,
> necessarily. But the problem I do see is using the
> same template because the
> new client doesn't have the time/money to spend on a
> new one.
>
> This is an interesting discussion. I wonder if there
> are any attorneys out
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