[Scribus] Again: Tutorial

[Gregory Pittman]

Peter Nermander wrote:
> No. The TYPE of content is important. But if we for example take a magazine they don't change their layout from issue to issue, they have a fixed layout and then maybe for some type of content use what I consider as "decoration" (customized title etc).
>   
I have no disagreement with this. It's good to keep focus on the purpose 
of the tutorial, which is to show the capabilities of Scribus in a 
step-by-step demonstration. Yet, one challenge that tutorials have is to 
keep the user's interest, so it doesn't hurt to have a bit of a "Wow!" 
factor in the material. Repetitive operations should be minimized, eg, 
you don't have to have yet another page of the same layout as a 
step-by-step procedure. It might seem superfluous, but having a sidebar 
that gives permission to skip ahead will help some. It can also be good 
to have indices which allow ease of use as a more focused reference -- 
wikis can handle that easily.
And let's not forget the importance of keeping the authors' (the people 
who made the tutorial) interest. This will help to make sure there is 
maintenance and updating done to the tutorial.
Finally, we already know there is quite a range of capabilities in those 
who are attempting to learn about Scribus. Some are looking for much 
more than how to import images or use Story Editor. Someone mainly 
interested in making a newsletter with a simple format may be looking to 
make a much more ambitious project in the future.
> A layout is visual, it should be viewed from a distance and immediately lead your eyes to the right places, giva attention to the right parts. But the actual content of those parts is not critical.
>   
You speak as someone with experience, perhaps an innate sense of this. 
But many do not have this, and one of the ways to subliminally introduce 
the idea is by using examples with a good layout, whether that feature 
is pointed out or not. One would not need to use paintings by the 
masters to illustrate features of lighting, balance, use of color to 
beginning art students, but teaching art with magic marker diagrams just 
wouldn't be the same thing.
> Scribus is used to realise a layout, and I think the tutorial should be targeted at that. Not how to design a layout...
As a saying from my youth went, "If you're not part of the solution, 
you're part of the problem." Showing the example of good layout can be 
one of the ways to combat a world filled with cheesy PowerPoint 
presentations.

Greg