I'm not much of a world traveler. In fact, I'm really more of a homebody. While I'm used to traveling a couple times a year to exhibit at week-long conferences like MacWorld San Francisco and AAR/SBL, I've never done much in the way of hopping from one city to another in rapid succession.
This week, however, I've flown from Orlando to Chicago, from Chicago to Detroit, from Detroit back to Chicago, from Chicago on to Boston, and finally, from Boston back home to Orlando. In each of these cities, we've offered one or two free all-day training seminars to help our users get the most out of Accordance. (That's why I've been so remiss about blogging this week!)
The response to the seminar has been overwhelming, and several seminars filled up to the point that we couldn't accept any more registrations. In each seminar, we've had users who are new to Accordance, others who have been using it for years, laymen interested in basic Bible study, pastors interested in sermon preparation, Greek and Hebrew scholars interested in advanced searches . . . you name it. The challenge has been to establish a pace and range of topics which would be of benefit to everyone, and I'm not sure we've always succeeded. Yet overall, most users seem to have gotten something out of these seminars, so we're convinced it's been worth the effort.
Here's what a few of those who have attended the seminars had to say:
I am now more convinced that ACCORDANCE is the Premier Bible Software in depth and ease of use!The best thing about it was how methodical the teaching was. Even though I don't own Accordance yet, the instructions were very clear and easy to understand.
I liked how questions were answered promptly without making it seem like a nuisance, and it was amazing at how knowledgeable you all are with the Bible and the program itself.
On the way to the seminar I wondered if I was wasting a day that could be better spent. On the way home, I knew I had used the day very well. All day long I was learning things about Accordance that will prove very practical and time-saving for me. Great day!
I appreciate everything that was done. In many cases these types of trainings are charged AND they try to sell you a product(s). You have allowed us to take advantage through explanation of the product and all that it has to offer and place the importance of understanding the software instead of trying to SELL the software. For that, I am forever grateful.
The seminar was fantastic. It far exceeded my expectations and I wanted to rush home immediately to start putting all the things I learned to use.
In addition to all the positive feedback, many attendees offered helpful suggestions for how we could improve things. A consistent theme was that the newest users felt we spent too much time on Hebrew and Greek, while those who wanted Hebrew and Greek typically wished they'd gotten more of it. We'll keep refining things for future seminars, but I think most of the attendees would agree: if we come to your area, you'll benefit greatly by attending.
# posted by David Lang @ 10:07 AM
