Item: MindTouch
Rating: 8
Author: Al Pahl

Overall Satisfaction with MindTouch

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

MindTouch allows our clients to seek information on, and updates of, our school-related software.

Pros and Cons

Pros

MindTouch makes it easy to have templates and self-help instructions so that a variety of teammates can contribute without a ton of learning curve.
The MindTouch search engine makes it easy for our clients to find what they need.
MindTouch created an easy ability to add and control users. And we found the page-level security meets our needs.
MindTouch's flexibility means you can get the organization and look you want, without needing a degree in html.
MindTouch support people genuinely care about my success, are easy to get to, respond in a reasonable time period and are both knowledgeable and down-to-earth.

Cons

MindTouch (MT) bought the text editor from someone else. It lacks precision, flexibility and features. Word can do many things the MT editor cannot. Photos can be hard to place and run text around them without awkward spacing. The tool to place text near photos needs improvement from its present level of zero. Photos cannot be cropped. Placing a photo in the middle of a numbered list will require a big time investment. The text frequently loses "normal" and needs to be re-defined. Pasting text into an article never is formatted correctly the first time. It would be nice to be able to do text boxes, like Publisher allows. Presently, all copy runs the full width of the only text box you get.
MindTouch's support people often like the enhancements I suggest but getting them into the product -- if it happens at all -- takes too long. MindTouch does many admirable big-picture things but needs to pay more attention to enhancement suggestions and improving its text editor.
When you are in any of the control panels or behind-the-scenes control areas, why do you have to close that page -- actually close out of MindTouch and then go back in, to get back into the text editor?
The "views" counter on each page is very difficult to reset. You have to export the page, delete it and then import it back in. This would be less necessary if we, as clients, could control when the counter starts. Currently, it starts when the page starts, so every time you access the page as you construct it counts as a view -- actually, in our install, it seems to count as TWO views. That's like having your traffic counter on your highway count all of the construction traffic before the road was opened to the public.

Alternatives Considered

MindTouch was purchased by our management team. I had no knowledge of the selection process until the decision was made and my training began. I'll say this: MindTouch is easy to learn to use.

Likelihood to Recommend

MindTouch is well suited for both small and large staffs. But if complex, artsy pages are your goal, you better have programmers on your staff.

Using MindTouch

Users and Roles

11 - Support, Client Services, Documentation

Support Headcount Required

3 - Detail-oriented people. Need people with a little writing flair. Need people who can communicate directly and concisely. Some page layout experience is a plus.

Business Processes Supported

Getting software updates to clients.
Allowing clients to get help, by themselves, on our software products.
Providing a platform where we can easily get videos to people who want them.

Innovative Uses

Our deployment time is too short to have found any yet.

Future Planned Uses

Using the API and some programming to integrate it with our system that manages Service tickets.
I would hope to get our sales staff more involved so that they can use it during presentations and as a way to create a library of info for potential clients.

MindTouch Implementation

MindTouch Training

Configuring MindTouch

MindTouch Support

Support Rating

Love MindTouch and its employees. On the other hand, the last time I commented to trustradius, they dogged me with emails and notifications for what seemed like weeks. Strongly dislike trustradius.

MindTouch Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	None

Exceptional Examples of MindTouch Support

I wanted our landing pages to look a certain way and display info in a certain way. They helped us develop one series of css/dekiscript/jem which meets our needs and we can duplicate that set for every page we need it on.

Using MindTouch

Usability

Go back and read my answers in difficult/cumbersome and some of the comments I made in the free-form areas early in this session.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Quick to learn Feel confident using Familiar	Not well integrated

Easy Tasks

Templates
Managing Users
Changing headline definition changes it in the whole shootin' match
Linking people from one page to another.
Copying and moving pages.
Linking people to off-site URLs
placing videos
creating copy in an article which is only for teammates to view

Difficult Tasks

Cropping photos (can't do it).
Placing text consistently and elegantly next to photos.
Getting text to STAY in normal style without losing some of the elements thereof.
You always have to format text after you paste it in.
Placing our software updates in MindTouch and having clients download from there is slow. We now put them on our .ftp site and link to them from MindTouch. Works great!

Pros

Cons

More Reviews of MindTouch

MindTouch