RE: know your ... who?

["Lauren" <lauren -at- writeco -dot- net>]

My rudimentary example of "knowing an audience" does not encompass *every*
example of what a writer needs to know about an audience.  There is not
enough bandwidth to share *every* example and other examples are not
"counter-examples" as you state.

The "model" I described requires that the writer learn about the audience
and your examples do not counter the model, but they further illustrate
issues that require knowing one's audience.

Lauren

> From: jlshaeffer -at- aol -dot- com

>  Lauren wrote:
> 
> 
> For example, a document prepared for recent high school 
> graduates should be
> written for that audience, so the writer should know how to 
> write for high
> school graduates.  Such documentation should not contain 
> complex terms that
> require a college education to understand.  A writer doesn't 
> need to meet
> every high school graduate that uses the document to know how 
> to write for a
> high school graduate.  So I really don't understand the issue 
> here.  Writers
> must know the audience of their documents.
> End quote
> 
> 
> Sounds good, but for many questions that are answered on this 
> list with a "know your audience," that model does not work. 
> 
> For example: 
> 
> Does the recent high school graduate prefer a textual link or 
> an iconic button?
> Does the recent high school graduate use the Index or the 
> Table of Contents or the Search button first?
> Does the existence of 4 or more heading levels help them 
> follow the material?
> Which is proper, "an SQL ..." or "a SQL ... ?
> 
> I'm running out, but I'm sure there are even better 
> counter-examples in the archives. 
> 
> Jim Shaeffer
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
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