Ive been using BaseCamp for about 6 months now for a production company. I have to say that it has helped us clean up our interoffice/client communication.

I read these forums on a daily basis and one thing keeps coming up.

Why do so many people see an issue with logging into BaseCamp?

Some many people seem to want the system set up, so they never have to even look at BaseCamp. They seem to want to do everything thru email.

Why would you pay for an app, and then want it to be changed so you never have to use it as it was intended.

If people want to have their company/client discussions thru email/replies. Then why not just use email.

Ive been trying since I started with BaseCamp to get people to actually use it as it was intended. A web based application. We changed to BaseCamp for the specific reason of reducing emails. It did take a few months, but now our entire crew is seeing how BaseCamp is so much more usefully than emails.

I understand that some clients/personnel might be apprehensive about changing from the tried and true email, in lue of a web based app, but just a few years ago, I was trying to convince some people to use emails instead of using the phone.

Some of use here like that fact that we can use a system that can relieve us of organizing/reading mass emails, just to keep ourselves informed of our companies discussions.

Also, with a expansion of smart phone/laptops and so many add ons like RSS reader and widgets what work on those smart phone, its not like its impossible to login to BaseCamp anywhere.

I just wanted to say thanks to the entire BaseCamp team for creating a very useful application and we love it just the way it was supposed to be used.

What worked for us was

a) putting together a printed up tutorial with screen shots
b) establishing account names and passwords for each user that mirrored their system log-ins
c) refused to take any edits to copy etc., forcing prokect managers to log into basecamp to change copy, etc.
d) make sure when sending messages about writeboards being ready for use, that we cut and paste the “Share this” link versus the link with “123” in the URL … that tended to confuse the issue.

Good idea on the Printed out Tutorial. This would save me tons of time having to reply to simple things. They could just click help, but that seems to difficult for some people.

On forcing them to use BaseCamp, its been harder than it should be. I still have one guy who will get up from his desk, walk all the way across the office, (and its not a small place) just to ask our media buyer a question. Instead of taking the few seconds it takes to post. I’m the companies tech director, so all I can do is remind the owner about how much he is paying for a application that some people just refuse to use.

I still think the email function can cause people to feel they don’t need to login. I don’t understand why people want to pay for an app and then just communicate thru email.