Re: Use of first, second, and third person in technical writing?

[Martin Bosworth <martinhbosworth -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I had to write a user manual that was designed for two different
classes of user. One version was designed for patients, the other for
administrators. In addition to radical content differences, there were
differences in tone, readability, and comprehension that I had to
account for.

I used "you" almost exclusively for the patient's manual, to emphasize
the connection with the patient and make them feel at ease with what
was some very laborious technical stuff. I used third-person, like
"they" and "users" for the admin's manual, since that was a different
crowd who could handle a drier, more formal tone of voice.

I'm not sure if that was the right way to go, but it seems to have
worked. Your mileage may vary, but given current gas prices, I hope
not too much.

Martin

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