Use video alternatives... PLEASE!

I think you should be given options.

If you're doing video, it's usually not much more work to add a pdf to go along with it. And doing an audio version should be easy too.

While I am like DavidO and prefer text, I know lots of people prefer video: give us the choice!

Side benefit: If you provide video, text and audio you have more perceived value for a little extra work, so you can charge more. Happy customers and more money in your pocket

Cheers,
Ben

I personally hate reading ebooks. I enjoy reading, but ebooks are generally brain dumps with very little or no editing, and I rather just watch a couple videos on in it.

Shannon

I think the big problem with videos is that people tend to waffle on instead of getting to the point. I too have watched many 10+ minute videos that needed to be no longer than 2 minutes to show what they were meant to show.

If you're going to use only video, get to the point. Demonstrate what you want to demonstrate and get it done. Don't sit there talking for 5 minutes with a frozen mouse pointer about what you're about to demonstrate, you don't need to waste video time on that.

Being in the video tutorial business I do know that making a screenshot PDF tutorial is much more of a pain and takes considerably longer than making videos (for me anyway), so I can somewhat understand people's reluctance to include them. I guess with speech to text software it can be done a lot quicker. In the end though it's something you do once and then it's done.

Personally I don't mind video only too much, as long as the video gets right to the point from the very start and as long as it's clear in what it demonstrates.