Re: Using the second person (was: Humor as a communication technique)

Subject: Re: Using the second person (was: Humor as a communication technique)
From: Sharon Burton <sharonburton -at- EMAIL -dot- MSN -dot- COM>
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 11:54:39 -0700

On the Microsoft note, one of the things to remember, now that Microsoft
owns the world, is that if your user has actually read a manual or a help
file, it was probably a MS product. In that case, you have to consider what
the user expects both in terms of style and voice. Otherwise you are asking
a frustrated user to find what they want, understand it, and learn the way
you talk about it. And they won't do that. Users (they are us) are generally
lazy and don't want to work at something. I am no exception. By the time I
actually open the manual, I am probably out of ideas and getting frustrated.
I hate reading manuals. And I write them for a living.

So while we should not all slavishly follow MS, we do have to take into
account what they are doing. They do own the world. And are a very strong
influence in the parts they don't own. What is installed on every one's
computer when they buy it? MS products....

And using you instead of the user is just part of modern technical writing.
You are speaking to the person reading the book, after all.

sharon

Sharon Burton
Anthrobytes Consulting
Home of RoboNEWS, the award-winning unofficial RoboHELP Newsletter
www.anthrobytes.com
anthrobytes -at- anthrobytes -dot- com


-----Original Message-----
From: Hope Cascio <hope -dot- d -dot- cascio -at- US -dot- ARTHURANDERSEN -dot- COM>
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Date: Tuesday, 16 June, 1998 10:52 AM
Subject: Using the second person (was: Humor as a communication technique)


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>I see this as a different issue. You can use "you" instead of "the user"
>and still be polite, not "chummy." We use "you" throughout our
>documentation, and trust me, accountants are not, as a group, people who
>appreciate a touchy-feely funny happy doc set. I'd argue for using the
>second person for readability, not tone.
>
>(emptying the change from my pockets today!)
>Hope Cascio
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
>_________________________________________________________________
>
>To: TECHWR-L @ LISTSERV.OKSTATE.EDU
>cc: (bcc: Hope D. Cascio)
>From: Debbie Figus <debbief -at- NETVISION -dot- NET -dot- IL>
>Date: 06/16/98 12:33 PM
>Subject: Humor as a communication technique
>___________________________________________________________________________
>_________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
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>
>Gord Deyo <DeyoG -at- ITLS -dot- COM> wrote:
>
>>I could imagine what my manager would do to me after handing in our
>>procedures interlaced with one-liners and cartoons. Maybe Microsoft
>>would hire me. ...
>
>Gordo=92s post made me smile.
>
>Recently I tried to defend using =93you=94 instead of =93the user=94 to=
> the
>hardware engineering manager here. In the course of the conversation, w=
>ith
>me talking about contemporary style, etc., he said to me, =93We aren=92=
>t
>Microsoft.=94 I got the point.
>
>The discussion of humor in technical communications seems to be more
>relevant to writers for =93user friendly=94 kinds of products, maybe li=
>ke some
>software applications or training materials. I work mostly on hardware
>manuals for avionic communications boards. My goal is clear, logical
>explanations of highly complex information, among other things, of cour=
>se.
>
>I will add, though, that the =93... for Dummies=94 books are quite plea=
>sant to
>read through, obviously due to all that humor. So it does have its plac=
>e,
>it seems.
>
>Debbie Figus
>Excalibur Systems
>Jerusalem, Israel
>=
>
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>
>




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