Re: ethics of technical to marketing writing

Subject: Re: ethics of technical to marketing writing
From: Bonni Graham <Bonni_Graham_at_Enfin-SD -at- RELAY -dot- PROTEON -dot- COM>
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1993 10:42:00 EST

Steven Owens writes:
Perhaps we can start another thread here; what do you (list members)
think of the idea of making a book more "personable", to more
effectively engage the reader's imagination?
***end of original message

Given that a seemingly vast majority of people will ask a co-worker
before they will consult a manual, I feel that the more "personable" we
make manuals (depending, of course, on the audience) the more we serve
our users. Perhaps if they think of the manual as a "person," they'll
take their questions to it, first? Granted, we don't want to overdo it
(think of a manual written by Faulkner, or Joyce -- lovely to read, but
could you ever find what you wanted?), but I feel that removing our
egos from our books is problematic, at best.

Sorry if this sounds fuzzy -- I'm back at work after a sick day due to
a cold.

Bonni Graham |
Technical Writer | serif, n. A teensy-weensy
Easel Corporation, ENFIN Technology Lab | crossbar attached to the
Bonni_Graham_at_Enfin-SD -at- relay -dot- proteon -dot- com | ends of letterforms by
President, San Diego STC | malevolent typesetters. Ac-
| cording to popular legend,
NOTE: apparently my email address needs | the first serif was designed
to be typed exactly as it appears here, | at Nottingham.
punctuation and all, or the system gets |
upset. | --Ezra Shapiro


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