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This is from a private message I sent to Ben. He suggested that others on
the list might find it useful.
Ben, I added a wee bit.
_____________________________________
The Ottawa IKEA store is across the street from Lee Valley Tools
(http://www.leevalley.com/). Now there is an example of marketing technical
_writing_, in contrast to the more graphical approach taken by IKEA. (No,
I'm not promoting one over the other; the businesses are completely
different.)
For the heck of it, I've chosen Canadian currency. I've purchased this
product before. The description given in the catalogue (same as on the web
site) is better and more complete than that coming from the manufacturer.
When I've given these things as gifts, I've included a description cut out
from the catalogue.
The booklet included in the kit is wonderfully candid, acknowledging that
kids--and some adults--will simply dive in to the kit and not bother to read
the documentation. The doc gives a brief history of rare earth magnets and
describes how one can make a compass and induce magnetism in a nail by
pounding it.
And my favourites ...
THE Best Duct Tape [the Hardware Tech's best friend, along with a good
mallet and a can of WD-40]: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=32180&category=1,110,43466&ccurr
ency=1&SID=
Note the use of the photograph for illustration of quantitative differences.
The marketing photo doesn't just lie there and look pretty. Note, too, the
candor: "If you buy a roll of this tape, you might also want to have a roll
of regular duct tape for wrapping your lunch or sticking up notices for
church picnics, and save your original duct tape for real work."
THE Best Fridge Magnets for Kid Art (okay, that's not their intended role in
life, but that's how I use them--one of the ways, anyhoo): http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=40071&category=1,42363,42346&ccu
rrency=1&SID=
Note the diagram clearly demonstrating how the magnets can be used in a
woodworking application. The 0.25" magnets will hold freezer (waxed)
boxboard to a fridge door. They're great for holding up construction
paper--even a couple of layers--and they're so small they don't obscure kid
art. A friend says that they're the *only* magnets that will stick to his
fridge.
[Come on, how many other tech writers stick papers to the fridge? I can't
remember that last time I saw my fridge door. These tiny magnets will hold
up more than one sheet, unlike your basic huge pizza parlour magnets.]
Geez, you'd think I work for the place. (No, I don't, and I don't get
anything for recommending the stuff. I truly admire the documentation.)
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