Re: Sanity check& intangibles

Subject: Re: Sanity check& intangibles
From: DURL <durl -at- BUFFNET -dot- NET>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 10:00:36 -0400

Yes, I think we should constantly be doing all those things like
encouraging the reader...it's how we get him/her to read our stuff. BUT
this might be more about usability & audience analysis & getting to know
our audience, and not working out of our own biases. Do you know what a
veliger is? I didn't, and wanted to change it to a better-understood term
(a larval mollusk; now you know!!). Then I found out my audience knew
veligers from mollusks like I know my phone number. What I would've
thought was helpful would've been perceived as patronizing.
So: do we really have here an argument for usability & audience
analysis before moving on to the rhetoric? For ex, do *all* engineering
firms work solely in greys and maroons? All lawyers in Times?


Mary Durlak
Erie Documentation

TECHWR-L List Information
To send a message about technical communication to 2500+ list readers,
E-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send administrative commands
ALL other questions or problems concerning the list
should go to the listowner, Eric Ray, at ejray -at- ionet -dot- net -dot-



Previous by Author: In vs. On
Next by Author: Re: Editing Tests
Previous by Thread: Re: Direct e-mail
Next by Thread: TW Job in Cincinnati, Ohio


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


Sponsored Ads