TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Paul Strasser wrote:
>
> Whether it's appropriate in a given situation is the question
> only you can
> answer, based on what exactly you're discussing in the manual. If the
> reference is to a critical part of a long set of
> instructions, duplicating a
> section is reasonable. In fact, it's expected. You don't
> want the reader
> shifting back and forth between ten different chapters to
> complete a basic task.
Absolutely. One of these days I'm going to finish numbering and writing the
Rules of Technical Writing:
Rule 3: Don't force 'em to think.
Rule 3a: Don't make 'em hunt for information they need *right now*.
It's a manual, not a mystery novel.
On the other hand ...
> But if it's a cross-reference for information purposes ("for detailed
> information about Code Tables see page 135"), by all means
> cross-reference.
This doesn't contradict Rule 3 or Rule 3a. Far from it. If the information
is not necessary immediately to complete the task, or it's beyond the level
of the average user, then you could be forcing 'em to think or hunt for the
next piece of information. Hence:
Rule 4: Don't force 'em to slow down or stop before they get to where
they want to be.
As for the location of the cross referenced materials, who cares? As long
the sign posts are clear (me, I like page numbers), you're sticking to Rules
3, 3a and 4.
(For those that might be wondering:
Rule 1: Know your audience.
Rule 2: Cover your a$$.)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Experience RoboHelp X3! This new RoboHelp release combines single sourcing,
print-quality documentation, conditional text and much more, into the most
monumental release of RoboHelp ever! http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l
FrameMaker-to-PDF TimeSavers Assistants let you enhance & automate navigation
in PDF doc sets (chapter tabs, next/prev chapter/pg, bookmarks, popup menus);
create interactive PDF forms, rollover popups; presentations: http://www.microtype.com
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
