Re: Blank pages -Reply

[NANCY KAMINSKI <NKAMINS1 -at- FAIRVIEW -dot- ORG>]

>>> Fabien Vais <phantoms -at- ACCENT -dot- NET> 06/11/97 09:29am >>>
"...I just don't understand why anyone thought of putting it on
"blank" pages anyway? Did they think readers were too stupid to realize
that the page was "intended" to be blank? How many of you, when you
see a "blank" page in a manual, think that perhaps the author "intended" to
put something there? Is it blank because there's nothing to put there? Is it
blank for a purpose? Hmmm! I wonder...!

I believe this custom arose when writing military manuals, or other
governmental manuals. I've seen MIL-STD books that did have pages in
the middle of the section left blank, in order to allow for future expansion
of topics. Then, when the topic is expanded, they wouldn't have to put in
dot pages, just send out the now-filled page as an update. So, when
users would get a manual with a strangely blank page in the middle of a
section, they wouldn't think, "Golly, the printer made a mistake! Wonder
what I'm missing?" they'd know it was on purpose.

.02. You get what you pay for!

Nancy Kaminski
Fairview Hospital and Healthcare Services
Minneapolis MN

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