The "full benefit" will vary from person to person.  I know people with the program who simply want to track what they have.  Getting the profiles "just so" isn't what they want.  They just want a database.  I suspect this is the majority of purchasers.

I would recommend anyone starting to start small.  Find flaws in your own downloaded profiles and fix them while learning how things are done.  I spent several months doing this when i first got the program while also reading the forums to glean what i could.  Then i moved on to bigger more complicated things.

While detailed how-to instructions would help they would be no easy task (or small cost) to generate.

It's not really frustration, it's just the simple fact the I believe most users of the program don't get the full benefit, and naturally the rest of us don't get the full benefit from having more people involved.

And it's not a request for a manual or full documentation. Simply all that is needed are a handful of How-To guides. But these should be seen as "authoratative", by that I mean supported by Invelos and preferably in a section of the Invelos website - even if it's the community that end up putting these things together.

My recent query about boxsets where Addicted2DVD kindly answered and replied posting just a couple of images helped clear things up immensley, and it bothers me that something like this can't be kept somewhere as that post will filter down the list over time and basically the info will be lost. Until someone else asks the question and he or another user answer in a similar style.

So, not full documentation, just a handful of guides for the basic things. If people use them and thus gain confidence from using them, then they will be more amiable to participating in the forums rather then maybe having intrepidation of doing so for fear of being silly or something.

Me, I don't care if people think I am mad/weird/stupid - I'll just ask away anyway :-)

Ok, along the lines of what you say we need, we have:

- pinned threads in Technical Support
- pinned threads in New Users
- Support Knowledge base
- Support FAQ
- Contribution Rules
- Wiki (user supported)
- Site search

That's a start anyway. Perhaps you would be willing to organize the information that you were just provided, while it is still fresh in your mind, and submit an article to the Wiki and/or request that it be pinned in an appropriate Forum. You can request pinning via a support ticket.

There you go .... good idea. Maybe with your encouragement and guidance, the Wiki will grow in content. Keep stirring the pot. I like your constructive approach. 

(Now back to bed. Woke up thirsty and picked up my tablet to help get sleepy again ...)

Edit: If you decide to proceed, start a thread. Then you could request help for specific images, get others to contribute paragraphs, edit, proofread, etc.

Quoting Parsec:

Quote:
My recent query about boxsets where Addicted2DVD kindly answered and replied posting just a couple of images helped clear things up immensley, and it bothers me that something like this can't be kept somewhere as that post will filter down the list over time and basically the info will be lost. Until someone else asks the question and he or another user answer in a similar style.

Yes, that is exactly why I involved myself in the DVD Profiler Community Knowledge Base.
"A picture says more than a thousand words."

Unfortunately you are the first user in a very long time that has asked for an access to the wiki ( ), even threads like Suggestion: Start a wiki (or fix the program) brought zero influx to it. 

cya, Mithi

Quoting scotthm:

Quote:
I've lured three people into using DVDProfiler so far, and they fall into the category I'd call "the masses".  They don't contribute, and are perfectly happy if their DVD is in the database with good cover art.  They don't care about cast, crew, studios, etc., don't visit the forums, and would be perfectly happy even if we were still on version 3.0.

Maybe it's time to infect them with the idea of having a nice complete database for their profiles. You might get lucky and infect one of them with the habit.

Quoting Mithi:

Quote:

Unfortunately you are the first user in a very long time that has asked for an access to the wiki ( ), even threads like Suggestion: Start a wiki (or fix the program) brought zero influx to it. 

cya, Mithi

I'll ask for access to the wiki when I'm done updating profiles.  I've always thought that was the best use of my time. 

Parsec, are you referring to the same wiki as others do? As the existing wiki is hosted on Doug's website.

Going back to your original concerns: I share your view.

Most users here on the forum reiterate time and again one of the assets of DVD profiler is its cheap onetime cost. But it IS commercial software. As far as we know there is a single owner/software designer/programmer (Ken) working on it, assisted by a few that screen the contributions. That relation between low cost and an apparently (very) small business makes sense, BUT...

The help system is, throughout all the years up to now, mostly a limited tutorial on the menu options + the contribution guide. There is no in-depth help on all features, unless you want to peruse the forums of invelos.com and intervocative.com very extensively, on:
* program functionality, i.e. available right clicks, short cuts, using CTRL when clicking, hidden functionality in some of the windows like initially hidden tabs (filters windows), columns, etc.
* the finer art of do's and don'ts for contributing profiles
* the finer art of what you do locally versus 'the central db'
* the finer art of making reports (which currently can be managed in different program entry points)
* the specifics of optional plug-ins, that ARE endorsed by Invelos because these are listed on the site
* and all other things Parsec refers to in his OP with "How To"s.

I can understand Ken's apparent effort to keep up with current affairs and make new mobile versions for smart phones and modern day tablets (I am not saying I know what he's up to) and keeping us locals happy with minor version upgrades of the PC version. For quite some years we've been receiving 3.x updates. But where is the 4.0 version alluded to in so many (old) threads?
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a v3.9 somewhere next year and a v3.10 somewhere in 2014 and so on. But will it keep the business alive?

As Parsec says, there are a lot of quick wins if all dispersed documentation would be made available to the average person having a copy of the program. IOW, making features into accessible selling points. Having it done by the user community leads to a lot of well intended efforts, but the current wiki shows that doesn't really work.

For a commercial piece of software like this, I'd suggest, for the short term:
* Bring the wiki under the wings of invelos, or create a genuine new one under Invelos' wings
* bring all dispersed information in that wiki
* create the suggested 'how to's in there as well
For a slightly longer term, Invelos should define its 4.0 version. So far, only suggestions can be found here and there in threads, but are these really committed? I'm not asking for the time frame as we all know Ken/Invelos to be a bit reserved on that one... but it would be nice too.