RE: Gerunds Always in Headings for Online Help?

["Sarah Kampman" <skampman -at- acornsys -dot- com>]

> 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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