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GraphicsGeezer
Inspiring
January 5, 2014
Question

Why should forum experts work for free?

  • January 5, 2014
  • 1 reply
  • 3223 views

If you click the Help link in most Adobe programs you're directed to a website which contains the image shown below.

It makes the people who answer questions on this forum look like paid Adobe employees.

It's very nice that Adobe thinks so highly of these people. Personally I have benefitted many times from their patient, informed advice.

But it seems Adobe has taken advantage of this goodwill, using it as an opportunity to cut costs by scaling down its  technical support.

Wouldn't it be interesting if all the people who answered questions on these forums picked one day to go on strike, just to show Adobe how imporant they are?

I'm sure Adobe wouldn't suddenly decide to start paying people, but it might feel the need to improve its support to users. All we need to do is pick a day and spread this discussion to other forums.

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    1 reply

    try67
    Community Expert
    try67Community Expert
    Community Expert
    January 5, 2014

    I tend to agree... I don't like the fact that Adobe is charging $39 for any technical issue and when people don't want to pay it just directs them over to the forums, or that they publicize the forums as somewhere where "staff and experts" can help you out, when in fact it's only (OK, 99%) volunteer-experts who answer questions here.

    Adobe are having their cake and eating it at the same time... They are benefiting from people who spend their time helping out for free, while at the same time cutting back on their expenses on technical support (which is lousy at any rate) and charging for help with even the most simple technical issues (which I personally find outrageous).

    However, I don't think a "strike" of a single day will make any difference. Maybe a week or two will build pressure on the Adobe help lines and make the higher-ups realize that the experts should be compensated for their efforts, one way or another.

    station_two
    station_two
    Inspiring
    January 5, 2014

    Only paid workers can "strike". 

    A short-term boycott of the forums would have no reaction from Adobe.  A longer one would give the beancounters an excuse to shut the forums permanently.

    A
    Anonymous
    January 6, 2014

    Station_Two,

    A longer one would give the beancounters an excuse to shut the forums permanently.

    I feel that you are correct. The Adobe Forum Staff has to continue to fight for these forums, and expend a good deal of effort to gather data, to support their contention that Adobe gets back, far more than it pays out, regarding the forums.

    That is one reason that the "Correct," "Helpful," etc. are important - that is part of the data used for justification to the folk up in the "ivory tower."

    Hunt


    Bill Hunt wrote:

    That is one reason that the "Correct," "Helpful," etc. are important - that is part of the data used for justification to the folk up in the "ivory tower."

    Bill,

    If the above is the case the bean counters should be made aware that any answer maked "helpful" or "correct" is becoming endangered, at least in what I see.  6 months ago I could get points couple of times a week, now it is about twice a month.  I am posting about the same amount.  Not sure why the reason but as usual have thoughts.

    The new Forum greeting page has changed, and more users are using e-mail for responses.  In this mode they either do not have the option to mark "correct" or "helpful", or are just more ungrateful.  I do get a lot of "thank you" notes, however.  But that does not look the same to bean counters.

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