Last week, my blogging was light because I was busy demonstrating Accordance to the attendees of MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. This year at MacWorld, we experimented with a new, more open booth layout. We used an Apple 30-inch Cinema Display and a microphone to do demos to larger groups rather than just one or two people at a time.
MacWorld is always interesting. All kinds of people wander past and into our booth. Some come to us and say that they didn't realize we existed. A few even came to MacWorld to find out more about Fusion and Parallels because they thought their only option was to run Windows Bible software in emulation. I can't tell you how relieved they were to discover Accordance!
Others are skeptics. They tell me they're using some Bible web-site or freeware program and ask me why they should pay for a program like Accordance. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly they uncross their arms and start asking which package they should buy.
Others are curious. They'll ask us some question about the Bible or wax philosophic until they get bored or a more serious customer comes along.
Still others look for ways to challenge or shock us. I found it amusing how many people asked me if we had the "Gnostic gospels," usually in a needling sort of tone meant to imply that we didn't have the "whole Bible." I think they expected me to get uncomfortable or defensive, so it was fun to be able to say, "Yes, we do. In Greek and in English translation!" At that, the truly interested would ask to know more, while those who were just trying to get my goat would say, "Really?" and then just quietly slip away.
Then there are always those who don't dare enter our booth, but who walk by, notice the sign, nudge the person next to them and mouth, "Bible software?" in a bemused sort of way.
Saturday, after MacWorld was over, we held a free training seminar across the bay in Berkeley. I taught most of the seminar, but I also asked Tom McVeigh, a Mac consultant, Accordance reseller, and trainer-in-training, to teach a portion of the seminar. Where I tend to teach from the perspective of a developer, going from feature to feature in much the same way that a manual does, Tom taught from the perspective of a user who wants to integrate all those features into a practical workflow. He covered the use of user notes, user tools, sentence diagrams, etc. in a way that I think many of those who attended could easily apply to their own study.
After the seminar, we packed up, drove to the Oakland airport, and took a red-eye flight home. San Francisco is always a nice place to visit, and MacWorld is always fun, but it sure is good to be home. :-)
# posted by David Lang @ 10:59 PM
