RE: Pet Peeves (was Re: The 'user' in User Manual)

Subject: RE: Pet Peeves (was Re: The 'user' in User Manual)
From: "Karen Murri" <kmurri -at- comcast -dot- net>
To: "'Mary Arrotti'" <mary_arrotti -at- yahoo -dot- com>, "'Techwr-l'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:05:53 -0600

Huh. I don't consider that anthropomorphic. Inanimate objects "act" all the
time. "A rolling stone gathers no moss." I can think of a long list of
examples. When an automated system completes it's programmed function, then
it is the "actor" and the function it completes is the appropriate active
verb. For simplicity, though, I do like your second sentence better.

-Karen

-----Original Message-----
Mary Arrotti said

Personally, I really dislike anthropomorphic writing.
1) Do this and the system allows you to do that.
2) Do this and you can do that.
There are instances (#1) where avoiding this type of writing makes for
better clarity (#2). But sometimes it's clearer - for my audience - if I
write something like "the system imports XYZ data." So, I do it. I still
don't like it but that's what makes it *my* pet peeve.

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Pet Peeves (was Re: The 'user' in User Manual): From: Mary Arrotti

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