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>
> Please help me settle a difference of opinion. A writer in my group
wrote a
> PowerPoint presentation about the new features of a new release of our
web
> site. The audience for the presentation was support people. In our
user
> guides, we always refer to the user as "you". Throughout this
presentation,
> this writer used "the user" instead. When the presentation went for
editing,
> the editor wanted all "the user" references to be changed to "you".
The
> writer didn't do it (and sent the presentation out as final), saying
that it
> wasn't necessary because the audience was support people, not users.
The
> opposing opinion in our group says it should have been changed because
the
> editor (who is also the manager) has final say in matters of style,
but also
> because "you" is just as understandable (perhaps even more so....less
words
> to read, less awkward construction...), and because the trainers
presenting
> most likely are saying "you can now do this...." rather than "the user
can
> now do this...."
By "support people", do you mean "technical support people" or
"secretaries and administrative assistants"??
If you mean "technical support people", and if there is a reason to
distinguish between *users* of the system -- the people that technical
support people deliver their services to -- and the support people to
whom the presentation was directed, the distinction in the training
materials seems correct.
The writer should have, however, argued for the use of a different term
for the audience than "you" with her manager and not disobeyed a
directive.
In some instances, it would seem that it would be silly to say "you" to
a group of people who are getting ready to deliver services to people
who are *using* the system. It seems the distinction would be crucial
for effectively communicating to the audience their responsibilities.
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