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.
Subject:Alternatives to "user" From:Gwen Barnes <gwen -dot- barnes -at- MUSTANG -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 6 Jan 1995 17:44:38 GMT
-> I'm using "users" or "end users" in my first rough drafts, but I wish
-> had a word better than that -- one which implies "the people, trained
-> in a specific discipline, who are ultimately using this software to d
-> their jobs more efficiently" -- as opposed to the clerks and
-> administrators.
I feel that when you talk to the person who is supposed to do the
procedure rather than about them, there is no doubt as to who the "user"
actually is. And, you don't have to figure out what to call them. If you
use the third person, a really dumb user might think you're talking
about someone else.
Hence, rather than "The knobulator procedure is designed to help the
user obfuscate the foobaz", I would say something like "To obfuscate the
foobaz, you can select 'Knobulator procedure' from the list of options
on this menu".
