RE: Gerunds Always in Headings for Online Help?

Subject: RE: Gerunds Always in Headings for Online Help?
From: "Sarah Kampman" <skampman -at- acornsys -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 16:50:32 -0600


> Questions:
> 1. Has anybody else seen how this use of gerunds might get in the
> way of the user finding what they are looking for?
> 2. Has anybody else come up with another scheme for naming the heading so
> that gerunds can be eliminated or used less often?
> 3. If the answer to #2 is Yes, would you please share?

My answer to #2 is yes, even though I use the simple infinitive instead of
the "-ing" form in the titles. I like to keep the how-to's grouped by the
basic task that needs to be accomplished. Here's how I handle it:

__Instead of:________________
How do I...
Add this
Add that
Add the other
Edit this
...

__I combine the verbs:_______
How do I...
Add...
This
That
The other
Edit...
Delete...
Etc...



I also provide slight redundancy in providing a Concepts section, broken
down by noun, that includes both conceptual and how-to info. For example:

Concepts
This
About this
This settings
This error messages
Adding this
Editing this
Deleting this
That
The other


Hope that provides an alternate way of handling things!

-Sarah Kampman
skampman -at- acornsys -dot- com


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References:
Gerunds Always in Headings for Online Help?: From: Jim Hager

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