How You Can Help Support The Journal

First, Thank You

If you have purchased any version of The Journal (and/or upgraded to the latest version), you have my everlasting gratitude. You can forever tell me, “I bought The Journal” and get me to smile. Even if you’re reporting a bug. =)

Thank you for your support! I really cannot thank you enough.

Now, a Bit About Me

Since I’m using so many personal pronouns, let me introduce myself: I am David Michael.

Sometimes people ask about the “team of developers” working on The Journal. That makes me smile, too. =) Because I am that team. The Journal is me. And I, David Michael AKA “DavidRM Software,” am The Journal.

From the very beginning (in April, 1996, when Windows 95 was new and the internet still had that new-electronics smell), it’s always been just me. I spec out the designs (in The Journal, of course, though, no, not so much in early 1996), I write the code, I answer all the emails, and I fix all (most of?) the bugs. If you’re curious, you can read more about me, in both first and third person, on the “About” page.

Why I’m Posting This

I’m writing this today because I need your assistance.

I primarily sell The Journal to normal people (as opposed to businesses or corporations), so I charge a people-friendly price and offer people-friendly discounts. I also provide what I hope comes across as people-friendly customer support (via email and on this web page) for free–both before and after the purchase.

Before I go on, let me take this opportunity to say: If you have any question about The Journal, or a comment or suggestion, or even a bug report, please don’t hesitate to email me (support@davidrm.com).

While The Journal has provided a nice living for me and my family since about 2004 (it took a few years to build up), it’s been, at best, a “lifestyle business.” The Journal has never spun off enough extra revenue to hire another programmer or even support an office outside my home. I’m not complaining, though. Just making it clear that I’m not an internet millionaire. =)

Which is why I need your help.

How You Can Help Support The Journal

If you use The Journal, please consider doing one or more of the following:

• Tell me how you use The Journal! I love to hear how people use The Journal, and I love to share your stories on the web page and in The Journal’s Newsletter (with your permission, of course).
• Refer The Journal to your friends and family. Tell them they can use the “Nice Person Discount” to get $5 off (I’ll trust your judgment on their character).
• Buy a copy of The Journal for a friend or loved one. You can use both the “Gift” and “Nice Person” discounts to get $10 off. Because I think you’re great. =)
• Check out The Journal’s available add-ons and buy one (or more) of those for yourself. Or for one (or more) of your friends. The add-ons don’t just benefit me, BTW. I split the profits with the people who created them (and, yes, one of those people is my Dad).
• Please consider upgrading to The Journal 7. If you’re using an earlier version of The Journal, I recommend upgrading. A special upgrade discount is available. The Journal 4 was last updated in 2008. The Journal 5 in 2012. I assure you, I have fixed a number of bugs since then, added a lot of features, and just generally made The Journal better and easier to use. =)

I want to continue to support and improve The Journal. 20 years is a good run for software, but I want to see The Journal grow and be used by another generation for an additional 20 years, and more.

And to do all that, I need your help.

Thank you, again–and in advance!

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

-David

David Michael
support@davidrm.com