Humour And A "Serious" Product - Opinions Needed

[DmitriPopov]

Hello!

I develop and sell a help authoring tool - a kind of product that is by default "serious" and even boring. But as a micropreneur I should always think of making things different from my competitors.  Their sites are, you know, really serious and corporative, so I decided to do a little twist and create something offbeat on my website. So here we go, my "Tutorial":   

http://www.helpinator.com/tutorial.html

But now I'm in doubt - is it funny at all? Or just harms my reputation without any good. Please take a look and tell me what was the first thing on your mind? Was it "Wow!", "WTF?!" or "I'd better close it right away!" 

[Renegade]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!





EXORCIST SOFTWARE~! HAHAHAHAHHAAHHAA~!



I LOVE IT~!


However, do take me with a grain of salt as I have a bit of a twisted sense of humour!

One of my web sites - NSFW

http://www.fucksatan.com/

I have a foul mouth, and well, may not be the average for the audience. Though I do write software.

But seriously, that would totally be a super-plus in my books if I were looking to buy. (I have a Help & Manual license, so don't need anything else at the moment.)

I think it makes things much more fun and attractive. But do get other opinions. It would be a big plus in my books, but I'm perhaps not the best judge.

[KynloStephen66515]

On first glance, I notice something that, for me, is an instant turn off.  Within 3 seconds of clicking the link, I see religious references.  

On that note...I wouldn't use it...Mainly cause I like satan being inside my computer.

[Renegade]

I like satan being inside my computer.

-Stephen66515 (June 20, 2012, 12:56 PM)

Bwahahahahaha~!

I can quickly see that I'll be peeing my pants laughing in this thread~!

[Shades]

Depending on your market it could go wrong for you. If you try to sell it in the (more) religious parts of the USA for example, you might reconsider the name of your example application (the textual part of the screenshot on the intro page is OK, though). For an atheist, an agnostic or otherwise reasonable person your humor is harmless, I would say.

I remember reading a story on slashdot about how a BSD administrator was chased out of rural town she was just passing through. The reason? She wore a shirt with the BSD logo on it.  

A quote I heard on one of the doctor House episodes: "If you could reason with religious people, there wouldn't be religious people."

Personally, I found it kinda funny.


P.S.
With a name like helpinator, you might consider changing the current smilie figure with one that resembles Schwarzenegger?  

[rgdot]

No reference to metro? 



 

[Renegade]

But seriously people... What person wouldn't want to remove Justin Bieber from their computer? And even then, if they didn't, would you want them to use your software?

And if people are so stupid to run someone out of town for a BSD shirt, they're not in the market. They probably have a hard time operating an Xbox and struggle to read "Dick and Jane".

[nudone]

A quote I heard on one of the doctor House episodes: "If you could reason with religious people, there wouldn't be religious people."

-Shades (June 20, 2012, 01:11 PM)

Going to stamp that on my brain. Very pithy quote worth remembering.

As a wannabe Satanist, "Satan Remover" get a thumbs-up, just for the name-check.

[cranioscopical]

I'm sorry to be po-faced and all but it seems questionable to me.
Given that your intended audience isn't the average parent or 'teeny' fan you might be safe.
I wonder, too, how much focus you will get on the content alone versus the application.

[Stoic Joker]

Personally, after seeing hordes of end users with that (classically pathetic) deliver me from evil look on their face...I think it's perfect.

The mollycoddling PC crowd will always whine about everything, but most normal folk (including the religious ones) will appreciate the humor. It's a refreshing change for the typical (snooze fest) dry as a desert parched bone technical writing.

[DmitriPopov]

However, do take me with a grain of salt as I have a bit of a twisted sense of humour!

-Renegade (June 20, 2012, 12:51 PM)

It seems to me your sense of humor is as twisted as mine

On that note...I wouldn't use it...Mainly cause I like satan being inside my computer.

-Stephen66515 (June 20, 2012, 12:56 PM)

Believe me, my Helpinator will bring even more Satan into it

With a name like helpinator, you might consider changing the current smilie figure with one that resembles Schwarzenegger?

-Shades (June 20, 2012, 01:11 PM)

I was thinking about it as a theme for program's logo, but turned it down because a lot of other help authoring tools use robots as mascots.

I wonder, too, how much focus you will get on the content alone versus the application.

-cranioscopical (June 20, 2012, 02:52 PM)

I thought initial reaction will make people to stop by and read. And I didn't thought of it in a religious way since Christian Satan is more pop culture character than scary religious figure it supposed to be.

It's a refreshing change for the typical (snooze fest) dry as a desert parched bone technical writing.

-Stoic Joker (June 21, 2012, 06:34 AM)

Thank you! This is what it is for.