Use of "you" in documentation?

Subject: Use of "you" in documentation?
From: Geoff Hart <Geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 10:07:29 -0400

Mary Norman's group has <<...agreed that "you" really
brings the user into the fold, but we were wondering if there
are some more formal rules about this usage that we could
turn to.>>

I'm not sure what you mean by "formal rules", but speaking
directly to the reader (second person, imperative voice) is
generally a good idea because, as you say, it involves the
reader more directly in the documentation. It also clearly
identifies the actor, which can be very reassuring to new and
even experienced users of a product.

As for "you" itself, you really don't want to overuse it. You
should use it judiciously, not just because you thought you
liked the sound of "you" and you felt reasonably comfortable
that you were right about "you" being accepted by you and
your readers. You get the point? <g> Silliness aside, the point
about writing "you" is that it can become more of a chatty
conversation with the reader than clear, concise instructions;
in most cases, there's no need to use the word at all.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)} Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

"The text's out of joint, oh cursed spite/that ever I was born to set it
right."--Prince Hamlet, early Danish editor

From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=


Previous by Author: Name for navigation?
Next by Author: Alternatives to numbering, take II
Previous by Thread: Use of "You" in Documentation
Next by Thread: Style Guidelines for pull-down menus


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


Sponsored Ads