Re: Variety in Tech Writing (was: Display, Displays, or Appears)

["Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>]

Product liability lawyers love documents like this.  Every
new variation on the same intended meaning is another
tasty ingredient in the recipe for a lawsuit based on
inconsistent and confusing user instructions.

Gene Kim-Eng



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>
> There's probably several other reincarnating topics in the archives. I'd be
> willing to bet the "serial comma" argument comes back at least once a year.
>
> In the paragraph below, you mention something that I also use in documents. 
> You
> apparently use a variety of ways to refer to view changes, and I do the same, 
> to
> avoid monotony.
>
> One of the most frequent complaints about technical documents is, they are
> boring. The human mind requires variety, and readers get tired of seeing 
> exactly
> the same phrases on every page. When a document contains too many repeats of 
> the
> same words, people won't read it because the uniformity becomes irritating. I
> think varying the text a little makes the documents more usable, because it
> makes people more willing to reading them.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.