Tim from the Museum of Victoria writes:
 
At the Museum of Victoria we are starting to dabble with the idea of
augmenting our coverage of the museum user (or potential user) by
producing CD-ROM, CD-I or similar material. This would probably be
directed at the Education sector but we are keen to consider wider
audiences. The general aim would be for cost recovery, though profit
would be nice!
If anyone has experiences to share, war stories, examples of successful
products, i would be most interested to hear. There are also issues
relating to whether to produce Mac or IBM (for CD-ROM), types of
authoring systems, etc, etc. _Any help would be appreciated!
***********
 
Tim, why not experiment first with publishing on high-density floppy disk?
You can assemble, program, master and distribute floppy disk-based
content much more quickly and easily than CD-ROM. Also, it is easier to
"convert" files from a floppy disk into another format (ie: MAC and PC)
than it is to convert an entire CD-ROM.
 
True, most of the savings hinges on the sheer volume of content you can put
on a floppy vs. a CD-ROM: 1.4 megabytes vs. 650 megabytes. There is less
of everything to produce: less content, less production, less muss and fuss
in the mastering process, etc. But if you have not published electronically
before, floppy disk is a cheap investment to get you over the learning
curve (before you invest thousands in a CD-ROM).Also, the profit margins may
be better. Most CD-ROMs sell for $15 before they sell well. A floppy disk can
be sold for $5 (or even $3), and you will still probably realize more revenue
than from a $15 CD-ROM.
 
Also, if your content fits on a floppy disk (or two) it can be bundled into
someone else's CD-ROM ("Art Museums of North America," for example) as an
extension of your market.
 
I could go on. If you would like more information from someone who has been
involved in content development for electronic media for a while, please
e-mail me at [log in to unmask]
 
Hope this helps!
 
Susan Jacobson
Interactive Telecommunications Program
New York University - Tisch School of the Arts