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Many people who have had the misfortune to use typewriters early
in their careers misuse capitalization and underlines. (After
all, typewriters really can't do very much.) Since the only
person who welcomes a change is a baby, most folks continue to
indulge in C&U.
Today, laser printers are so widely available that troglodyte
engineers are accustomed to them. When I'm editing a document by
one of these VERY IMPORTANT PEOPLE, I point out that most people
are no longer using to typewriters and expect the look of a laser
or typeset document. I assure the writer that my only happiness
in life is comes from making his/her words look good.
"After all the time you've put in on this, it would be a shame to
reduce the impact of your work. Caps and underline indicate older
technology; there are people out there who would conclude that
your ideas are older, too. Let's maximize the impact of your
work."
It's worked so far.
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Daphne Schor
Technical Writer
Management Information Systems
American Bankers Association
Washington DC 20036
dschor -at- aba -dot- com
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