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.
A while ago, I had a conversation with my web designer nephew and his
web designer wife -- these are young people who grew up with computers
and are completely at home with all new media.
We were talking about how Microsoft doesn't have dedicated online help
any more and you just get a huge list of their knowledge base stuff,
forums, videos, etc. I said, "I always skip the videos, I hate them" --
and they AGREED!
I thought I'd come across as an old fuddy-duddy, but they find them as
annoying and time-wasting as I do.
On 09/26/14, Julie Stickler<jstickler -at- gmail -dot- com> wrote:
I'd much rather search a help system or scan the index of a huge manual
that sit through a video to learn how to use something. I don't have
the
patience to sit through the 2 minute cat videos my friends post when
they
say "The best part is the end!"
I think that part of it is that I tend to be either a complete novice
at
something, or a power user (and seldom in between). So I'm either
looking
for that overview that tells me "What the thing does" "how the thing
works"
or "why should I care" or I'm looking for that configuration setting
that I
remember setting to do obscure function, but can't remember where to
find
it. Videos, even short ones, seldom help with either problem.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Read about how Georgia System Operation Corporation improved teamwork, communication, and efficiency using Doc-To-Help | http://bit.ly/1lRPd2l
