Re: What do you call something?

[Keith Hood <klhra -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

In the documentation, are these things part of cartoons cartoons?

If it's part of some kind of drawing, what's wrong with using the word "callout?" It sounds to me like essentially the same thing.

If the item is not part of a figure or illustration, I'd call it a "notice" or "alert" or "tip" or something like that. It serves the same purpose.

I suggest, if you haven't already, insert a page somewhere near the start of the doc that gives examples and illustrations of such special-purpose items, along with typeface differences used. I usually do that under the heading "Symbols" or "Typographical Conventions."


--- On Thu, 3/18/10, Spectrum Writing <info -at- spectrumwritingllc -dot- com> wrote:

> From: Spectrum Writing <info -at- spectrumwritingllc -dot- com>
> Subject: What do you call something?
> To: "TechWhirl List" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
> Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 4:14 PM
> Okay, you know how, for example, like
> in cartoons, when a character talks,
> the words are contained in some kind of like balloon type
> object   - anyway,
> they are surrounded with a semi-oval shape border with a
> pointed end that
> points to the character's mouth -
> 
>  
> 
> what on earth would you call that in documentation? Please
> no joke - I have
> several of these to describe - different colored ones mean
> different things
> and rather than writing the red
> "thing-a-ma-jig/doodad/whatchyamacallit/doohickey" means
> this, I would like
> to say the red <insert object name here> indicates
> that this is a warning,
> the green < > means this has been processed, etc.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks!
> 
>  
> 
> Tammy Van Boening
> 
> Owner/Principal
> 
> Spectrum Writing, LLC
> 
> www.spectrumwritingllc.com
> 
> info -at- spectrumwritingllc -dot- com
> 
>  
> 
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