Comments on: Posting White Papers as PDFs and Word Files?? http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/ Everything about writing and marketing white papers Sun, 07 Sep 2008 13:13:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Bob Smiley http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-38788 Bob Smiley Sat, 03 Nov 2007 00:08:08 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-38788 I often send things using PDF, and think distributing a white paper in this form would be a great way to publish it. But I often hesitate to send the same documents in word, even though I used it to create the document. It's not just what Roger Parker mentioned... it's more the sense that word isn't considered a cross-platform tool, although every word processor in the world can read it. It "feels" like Microsoft. Now with the new word format, that's even more the case. If posting word, I'd definitely use DOC and not DOCX format. But I'm not sure my hesitation to post DOCs is the best approach. Especially more recently, the business community is definitely word-aware, and less anit-microsoft (much to the dismay of my silicon-valley buddies). I'm consistently getting requests to republish in word something people have received in PDF; the "feel" of PDF by my readers seems to be changing into one of "You (publisher) don't trust me (reader)" where it used to be one of "I want PDF so I can read it with nice formatting". So, I'm just as interested in seeing others' posts about this topic... I hope you get some more on this one. Bob I often send things using PDF, and think distributing a white paper in this form would be a great way to publish it. But I often hesitate to send the same documents in word, even though I used it to create the document.

It’s not just what Roger Parker mentioned… it’s more the sense that word isn’t considered a cross-platform tool, although every word processor in the world can read it. It “feels” like Microsoft.

Now with the new word format, that’s even more the case. If posting word, I’d definitely use DOC and not DOCX format.

But I’m not sure my hesitation to post DOCs is the best approach. Especially more recently, the business community is definitely word-aware, and less anit-microsoft (much to the dismay of my silicon-valley buddies). I’m consistently getting requests to republish in word something people have received in PDF; the “feel” of PDF by my readers seems to be changing into one of “You (publisher) don’t trust me (reader)” where it used to be one of “I want PDF so I can read it with nice formatting”.

So, I’m just as interested in seeing others’ posts about this topic… I hope you get some more on this one.

Bob

]]> By: Roger C. Parker http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37966 Roger C. Parker Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:06:28 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37966 I am a bit concerned about the "security" issue, i.e., someone else "appropriating," via copy-and-paste, my content and passing it along as their words. Granted, nothing is ever totally secure, but it appears to be a lot harder to copy and paste a lot of content from a PDF file than a Word.doc. I can see that direct quotes from a white paper might be desirable for reporters doing an article on the topic of your white paper, but--on the other hand--the Word.doc versions could be made available through your site's Media or Press portal on an as-needed basis. Roger C. Parker I am a bit concerned about the “security” issue, i.e., someone else “appropriating,” via copy-and-paste, my content and passing it along as their words.

Granted, nothing is ever totally secure, but it appears to be a lot harder to copy and paste a lot of content from a PDF file than a Word.doc.

I can see that direct quotes from a white paper might be desirable for reporters doing an article on the topic of your white paper, but–on the other hand–the Word.doc versions could be made available through your site’s Media or Press portal on an as-needed basis.

Roger C. Parker

]]> By: Torsten Herrmann http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37104 Torsten Herrmann Sat, 20 Oct 2007 06:59:23 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37104 Cut&Paste is not a problem anymore - at least for experienced users. But I guess that a PDF signals much more that you can pass it along as Word files often count as a virus carrier. Cut&Paste is not a problem anymore - at least for experienced users. But I guess that a PDF signals much more that you can pass it along as Word files often count as a virus carrier.

]]> By: Michael Stelzner http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37090 Michael Stelzner Sat, 20 Oct 2007 05:17:49 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37090 Hey Will - Thanks for catching that :) - Mike Hey Will - Thanks for catching that :) - Mike

]]> By: Will Sansbury http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37071 Will Sansbury Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:56:16 +0000 http://www.writingwhitepapers.com/blog/2007/10/19/white-papers-as-pdfs-and-word-files/#comment-37071 "... something to ass along..." Priceless. “… something to ass along…”

Priceless.

]]>