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RE: SOAPBOX WARNING - Was RE: Breaking into the tech writing job market
Subject:RE: SOAPBOX WARNING - Was RE: Breaking into the tech writing job market From:"Melissa Nelson" <melmis36 -at- hotmail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Wed, 09 Aug 2006 11:03:35 -0400
I do not know about writing to a grade level, although I do remember
something about that from a tech writing course. I just remember the KISS
rule from college...Keep it Simple Stupid. I have never viewed that as
writing down to someone, more as just keeping it as easy to understand as
possible with what you are writing.
I write with my fiancee in mind. When we were first dating I watched him get
so frustrated with a car manual while fixing my car that he ripped it
up, damned it to hell and and threw it away. I never want anyone to damn my
manuals to hell, so I try to make them simple to understand, does not mean I
make them simple. If that makes sense.
From: "Diana Ost" <Diana -dot- Ost -at- msmcorp -dot- com>
To: "Mike Schmidt" <mschmidt -at- weathercentral -dot- tv>,
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Subject: SOAPBOX WARNING - Was RE: Breaking into the tech writing job
market
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 10:34:23 -0400
>I hope everyone will keep an open mind.....
>
>When I refer to "writing to a # grade level," I am basing that comment
>on Robert Gunning's Fog Index, as contained in his book "How to Take the
>Fog Out of Business Writing." The Gunning Fog Index is one of the
>measures included in Microsoft Word's readability statistics.
>
>It is NOT about being condencending or attacking anyone's intelligence.
>Believe me, when I worked for the medical equipment company that made
>kidney dialysis machines, when they said they wrote the machine
>instructions at "a *fourth-grade level*" I believed it, because making
>sure the patient understood the instructions for interfacing that
>machine with their body was critical, to the point of death if they
>misunderstood what was written.
>
>You could say, "I'm not writing medical stuff, so I don't need to do
>that." Why make any writing more difficult than necessary? Technical
>writing by it's very nature is created so that people can solve a
>problem. They *don't* read it for pleasure; they read to find an answer.
>Why not make that experience as easy as possible for them?
>
>FYI, according to Gunning, here are some grade levels for current and
>past popular publications:
>
>Reader's Digest - 10
>Time, Newsweek - 11
>Harper's, Atlantic Weekly - 12
>The Bible - 7
>
>
>The AlexanderCommunications.com Web site says this(in their wonderful
>style guide):
>"Anything beyond grade thirteen will be too difficult for most readers.
>Most major metropolitan newspapers, for example, are written at the
> >>sixth grade level<<. [Emphasis mine]. The Wall Street Journal is
>written at grade twelve. The IRS code is so complex it measures
>'unreadable.'" [No kidding!] (Gunning coached the "Wall Street Journal"
>staff about writing to an effective grade level (12th grade) for their
>readers.)
>
>In a study by Donna M. D'Alessandro, MD, Peggy Kingsley, BA, and Jill
>Johnson-West, MSW, at the Children's Hospital of Iowa University, they
>determined that "The readability of patient education materials on the
>Internet is too high for average adults" and said "Such data should be
>written at the 8th-grade level or lower, the authors said, noting that
>about **50 percent** of the U.S. population **reads at or below that
>plateau.**" [Notice 8th grade level OR LOWER]
>
>If you want to read more, or order the book, go here:
>http://www.richardkallan.com/
>
>...putting soapbox away now....
>
>Diana Ost
>Technical Writer/Reporting Analyst
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: techwr-l-bounces+diana -dot- ost=msmcorp -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+diana -dot- ost=msmcorp -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
>Behalf Of Mike Schmidt
>Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:58 AM
>To: Robotti, Anne (Carlin); techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>Subject: RE: Breaking into the tech writing job market
>
>I'm repeating what I've been taught. It's not condescending at all. The
>theory is that many don't refer to the manual until they're having a
>problem (myself included), and at that point, they don't want wordy,
>grammatically perfect novel writing. They want: "To make it go, push the
>green button."
>
>My first boss (and mentor in this field) used to write like we was
>writing a novel. Too wordy, too involved, etc. I agree that you need
>simple, concise, easy-to-read steps. Hence, a 6th grade level.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: techwr-l-bounces+mschmidt=weathercentral -dot- tv -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+mschmidt=weathercentral -dot- tv -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
>On Behalf Of Robotti, Anne (Carlin)
>Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 8:53 AM
>To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>Subject: RE: Breaking into the tech writing job market
>
>
> > Something we have a lot of in our audiences. If you remember your
> > basic intro to tech writing classes, they tell you to write at about a
>
> > 6th grade level.
>
>I think that's a very condescending and obnoxious thing to say. And it's
>probably a root cause of the "users is soooooo stupid" attitude that
>makes a lot of engineers and tech writers unbearable, IMO. If you're
>writing for adults who are brand new users of a technology or product,
>you have to be particularly clear about each step, which you should be
>anyway. There's no reason to term that "a sixth grade level" and it sets
>up bad karma.
>
>Anne
>
>
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