If you have spent any amount of time online looking for software you will know what a tiresome task it can be.
Whenever I see a piece of software I may be able to use I usually enter the name of the software and the word “review” into a search engine to see what other people have to say about it. More often than not, the results are a complete waste of time and I just end up at loads of software download sites who have the software available to download and are inviting people to write a review.
However, there is another route to take when trying to find out if a piece of software is for you – check the forums.
A lot of software providers include a forum as part of their website. This is an excellent way for clients to get answers to problems, to submit suggestions to wish lists and for potential users to do a bit of research before buying.
Look for problems
When I am researching software I generally know what it can do, but I find forums are a great place to find out exactly what a piece of software cannot do, or what it has problems doing. I also find forums are a great place to find out about the attitude of the people you may have to deal with if problems occur.
Forums are a great source for discovering problematic areas as most people will only make a comment or post a question if a problem exists.
Just like the real world, hardly anyone contacts you say “well done, great job”, but you can bet your bottom dollar they won’t waste any time getting in touch if there is a problem. Therefore, in the forums, everything is out in the open and gives a great insight into who and what you are dealing with.
What to look for
Repetition – Look for the same problem repeated over and over. It is not a good sign if you see posts about the same problem and the situation is even worse if the repeated problem relates to your requirements.
Speed to respond – How long does it take the forum admins (or contributors) to answer questions? If you think the time taken is to long, go elsewhere. All the details regarding post dates and times are usually included in each post. Some time ago I asked a question in a forum and didn’t receive an answer at all (I checked daily for 10 days). I knew the forum admins were active because other peoples’ questions were being answered. Needless to say I unistalled the software and have not been back since. I found this most frustrating because I had spent almost two days downloading, installing, learning and experimenting with said software.
Attitude – If a question is answered in an unprofessional or rude manner you might like to think about taking your business elsewhere, unless, of course, you are happy with that kind of approach. Most of us are not and would expect at least a minimum amount of respect, even if the question being asked is so stupid it is off the scale.
Busy forum areas – Have a look around and see which areas of the forum are busiest. If the technical or customer services areas are really busy you should look at the whole section very closely to see exactly why that is (what type of question is being asked and are the questions being answered?). If the wish-list is the busiest area and the type of suggestions being made are responded to positively, the future for the software could be interesting and therefore worth using.
Refunds – Most software providers will offer a 30 day money back guarantee when they sell you a product. Have a look ’round the forums to see if anyone has experienced delays or problems getting a refund.
Positivity – As I mentioned at the start of the post, I generally look at potential problems when researching software (and scripts for that matter), but you should also look at the positive things people have to say as they may outweigh the negative. It is wrong to tar everybody with the same brush and there are some excellent software providers around who care about their customers and the service they provide.
Ambience – The kind of feel you get from the forum goes a long way. If you feel like you want to be part of the community then stay and get involved. If the ambience is not to your liking, click off and go somewhere else.
As usual in this scenario, the final choice comes down to you and depends upon what you want to achieve, what your goals are and (if payment is required) what your budget is. If software is free you can accept wasting a bit of time looking into something that ultimately doesn’t work for you, but it you are paying for software and you are operating on a tight budget, do your research first.
