RE: levels of detail -- are we beyond this?

Subject: RE: levels of detail -- are we beyond this?
From: "McLauchlan, Kevin" <Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>
To: "Tom Johnson" <tomjohnson1492 -at- gmail -dot- com>, "TECHWR-L'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:15:04 -0400

On Behalf Of Tom Johnson was heard to say:
> Subject: levels of detail -- are we beyond this?
>
> I just ran into some detailed instructions on going to a website that
look
> like this:
>
> 1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking *Start* > *Programs* >
*Internet
> Explorer*.
> 2. In the *Address* field, enter *http://sampleurl.com* and press
> *Enter*.
>
>
> Is it me, or is this kind of detail totally unnecessary in this day
and
> age?
> I'd say 99% of the time, people will understand the much simpler
version:
> "1. Go to http://sampleurl.com.";

Two explanations come to mind:

a) It was copy-and-pasted from something a dozen years old.

b) It was written for bureaucrats (*).

(* As my wife, the sales-and-training-rep assures me (from copious and
repeated exposure to the gamut), the only animals consistently dumber
than a gaggle of Real-Estate Agents is a passel of bureaucrats. In both
cases, instructions [written, verbal, and illustrated] are largely lost,
ignored, and/or forgotten before the last paragraph/pictograph is
uttered. "Send those instructions again, so I can delete them again.")

- Kevin



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References:
levels of detail -- are we beyond this?: From: Tom Johnson

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