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David Hailey,FAHAILEY -at- WPO -dot- HASS -dot- USU -dot- EDU,Internet writes:
Effective writing . . . will also apply
rhetorical tools toward establishing a lasting, friendly,
and professional relationship with the user.
My feeling about good writing, in help files, and everywhere else in your
product documentation, is that good writing reassures the user that this
product is worthwhile. I think the user makes the subconscious connection
that, if the documents are error-free, then the product must be well-designed
and useful; and even more importantly, that if the documents are full of
errors (even if the errors are grammar or punctuation, rather than factual),
this product must not be worth a damn.
This is the argument I make with those who call me anal-retentive when I fuss
over picky details!
Gilda Spitz
SoftArc Inc.
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