RE: Most annoying statement

["Joe Malin" <jmalin -at- tuvox -dot- com>]

Somewhere I was taught to avoid using "simple", "easy", etc. in
technical documentation, for exactly the reasons cited here. I have been
working with a book called (ironically) "The Definitive Guide to Plone".
Since it was written by a guru, it has this sort of frustrating offense
*everywhere*. 


	 Joe Malin
Technical Writer
(408)625-1623
jmalin -at- tuvox -dot- com 
www.tuvox.com
The views expressed in this document are those of the sender, and do not
necessarily reflect those of TuVox, Inc.	

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jmalin=tuvox -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Tony Markos
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 3:39 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Most annoying statement

My most annoying statement: "The procedure to do X is simple...."

Most of the time - especially in the "Dummies" books -when I read such a
statement, I find that the material that follows is incomprehensible.

Seems that often, when a writer does not understand what he/she is
writing about, he/she will preface the material with such a statement.
Evidently, the reasoning is that the reader will be so
embarrased/ashamed that he/she can not figure out such simple materials
that he/she will never think about complaining.  

Tony Markos
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