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Subject:Re[2]: Of Mice and Morons From:Harry Hager <hhager -at- dttus -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com, mwest -at- oz -dot- quest -dot- com Date:07 Apr 2000 07:51:48 -0500
Michael,
Please lighten up a bit.
You are taking Andrew's words much to literally. He is not talking
about having contempt for the readers here. Quite the opposite.
He is talking about being able to translate technical information to
the level needed by the target audience. He is talikng about dividing
that information into bite-size chunks so the reader does not choke on
a stream of consciousness.
Have you ever heard of the KISS technique for teaching and writing?
KISS = Keep it simple stupid.
This term has been used in teaching and tech writing for years and
even decades.
Do you think that term expresses contempt for the reader?
Jim Hager
hhager -at- dttus -dot- com
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: RE: Of Mice and Morons
Author: mwest -at- oz -dot- quest -dot- com at Internet-USA
Date: 4/7/00 2:49 AM
Andrew Plato wrote:
> Your job as a writer is to transform readers from a drooling morons to
> semi-educated people. The utmost respect you can give your reader
> is to write them text that even a moron could understand.
No. My job as a writer is to help my employer's customers do what they need
to do, quickly and easily, using the products for which they have spent good
money.
Reading this list, I sometimes think I have stumbled into a Monty Python
sketch instead of a professional forum. Contempt for one's audience is not
mitigated by extending it into a general contempt for everyone including
one's self and one's profession.
Michael West
Melbourne
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