RE: Simply

Subject: RE: Simply
From: Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- westnet -dot- com -dot- au>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Tue, 01 May 2007 11:32:53 +0800

Chris B said:
> Now I'm wondering how much other marketing-speak has crept into
> technical documentation, which should be free of that entirely.

It used to be common to pad the first page of a software manual with
marketing fluff in a misguided attempt to flatter the reader.

"Congratulations on your wise purchase of Copro Lite Gold for Windows
Professional (Executive Edition), the powerful industry-leading
enterprise-wide business-to-business multi-tier solution..."

A manual should begin with a very short, clear statement of what it's
for and who uses it.

I remember reading something on the art of sales that said, "As soon as
you've made the sale--stop selling!" That is, don't keep listing the
virtues of the product and don't keep assuring the customer that they've
made a great decision. Manuals should be written on the assumption that
the sale has already been made, and now it's time to get to work.

Stuart
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

Now shipping: Help &amp; Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help &amp; Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.


Previous by Author: RE: Re: Simply
Next by Author: Certification
Previous by Thread: RE: Re: Simply
Next by Thread: Information Engineers


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads