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Subject:Re: You Use 'you'? From:Tim Pera <uusr656!tim -at- RAMBONE -dot- PSI -dot- NET> Date:Wed, 8 Jun 1994 14:04:29 CDT
Derek Cheng asks:
"When does the use of the second person in documents hinder, and when does
it help?"
Mike LaTorra states:
"...I have carried over this usage to documentation. Has it helped?
Maybe. Has it hurt? No. There is no evidence that it has from any
of the customer feedback that I have gotten in face to face
meetings or in writing..."
I would say the use of "you" definitely helps, since research shows
that manuals are effective (i.e., they do what we intend and readers
actually use them) to the extent readers get the sense they *can*
learn the material presented. The more comfortable the reader, the
more successful he or she will be.
Tim Pera
tim -at- pbs -dot- com
"To forget about you I turn to the wine.
An empty bottle, a broken heart,
and still you're on my mind."
