TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Carl Stieren discusses better terms for "online help", then laments:
>Unfortunately, the install base of Windows 3.0 and 3.1 is what?
>30 million or more? All of these people see the word "Help" as the
>last item on their Program Manager Menu Bar. Also, most applications
>running under Windows also use "Help" as the last item on their menu bar.
"Help" is a brief and clear menu choice. The term "help" may not be
appropriate for all the kinds of online documentation, but is a good way
to tell the user that "here is something that may tell you what to do". In
my experience, even inexperienced users can figure out what "Help" is for,
just by what the term connotes. I remember being a novice (a hundred years
ago) and seeing "Help" for the first time. Believe it or not, I think it was
on a Commodore 64 application. I hate to read docs (even though I write
them), so not knowing what any of the menu choices were for, I chose "Help".
The help wasn't great, but it got me started, and I learned to *look* for
a "Help" option.
Peace,
jim grey
--
jim grey |beebeebumbleandthestingersmottthehoopleraycharlessingers
jwg -at- acd4 -dot- acd -dot- com |lonniemackandtwangin'eddiehere'smyringwe'regoingsteadyta
jimgrey -at- delphi -dot- com|GO/M d p+ c++(-) l u+ e- m*@ s+/ n+ h f++ g- w+@ t+ r- y+(*)
|ACD, Terre Haute, IN -- The Silicon Cornfield
