TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Some possibilities (I haven't seen tonight's spam summary, so at least half
the list mail is still being held - sorry if these were already posted):
"From the Dashboard, choose option A or choose option F, to access <function>.
(For reasons of legacy support, either option opens <function>.)"
or
"From the Dashboard, choose option A to access <function>.
[Legacy users can also choose option F to access <function>.]"
Obviously, you could choose a phrase less generic than "legacy support"
or "Legacy users".
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+kevin.mclauchlan=safenet-
> inc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-
> bounces+kevin -dot- mclauchlan=safenet-inc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Combs, Richard
> Sent: July-23-12 12:54 PM
> To: Monique Semp; TechWR-L
> Subject: RE: wording q - is "both" superfluous?
>
> Monique Semp wrote:
>
> > So in the doc I want to say that âYou can <access the function
> screen>
> > from two starting points in the menu:â, then give the bullet list of
> > the two menu paths, and then I want to explain that they bring you
> to
> > the same screen.
> >
> > So for that final sentence, which of the following is best, and, more
> > importantly, why?
> >
> > * Both menu selections bring you to the <function> screen.
> > * Either menu selection brings you to the <function> screen.
>
> You start by telling them to access the <function> screen in one of
> two ways and end by telling them those are the two ways to access
> the <function> screen. Too many words. Too much repetition and
> detail. That's how you end up with a thousand-page manual that
> nobody ever reads.
>
> > Or, maybe I avoid it altogether and just say, âWhen you choose the
> > <function> from the Dashboard menu, the <function> screen
> appears.â
>
> Much better.
>
> Richard G. Combs
> Senior Technical Writer
> Polycom, Inc.
> richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
> 303-223-5111
> ------
> rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
> 303-903-6372
> ------
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> ^^^^
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
> Doc-To-Help. Choose your authoring formats and get any output you
> may need.
>
> Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-
> days.
>
>http://bit.ly/doc-to-help
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> ^^^^
>
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as
> kevin -dot- mclauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more
> resources and info.
>
> Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our
> online magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our
> public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
The information contained in this electronic mail transmission
may be privileged and confidential, and therefore, protected
from disclosure. If you have received this communication in
error, please notify us immediately by replying to this
message and deleting it from your computer without copying
or disclosing it.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help. Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need.
Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
