Re: Info vs products

[Richard Yanowitz <ryanowit -at- NYCT -dot- NET>]

We tech writers can get awfully literal at times and thereby close
ourselves off to interesting ideas.

For example, although I never heard before the interesting view on letting
us know what we can do with a product (versus step-by-step instructions), I
read the spirit very differently from at least a couple of responses.

Someone cleverly but misleadingly applied the notion to a car, which
actually isn't a good example because we already know a car's benefits; but
if we didn't know, a manual might say, for ex., that you can get heavy
things up a hill with little personal strain, or you can re-think your
living arrangements in relation to where you work, or you may want to be
aware of certain health or environmental consequences.  People can think of
numerous examples of their own.

None of that needs to preclude inclusion of enough instruction to get the
owner going towards realizing the opportunities a car provides.  What
constitutes good/useful instruction will, of course, vary by context and
audience.


Richard Yanowitz, NYC
ryanowitz -at- bigfoot -dot- com

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