RE: my bad displays habit

Subject: RE: my bad displays habit
From: "Gene Kim-Eng" <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
To: suzchiles -at- gmail -dot- com, techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:40:15 +0000

I prefer to just skip the "The XXX window displays/appears/opens/whatever." After the instruction to click OK or whatever, I go right to the next step, "Set ABC in the XXX window." The "displays" statement seems superfluous, especially if the next step in the instructions includes a labeled screen cap.

Gene Kim-Eng


------- Original Message -------
On 2/26/2010 10:25 PM Suzanne Chiles wrote:
I have fallen into the bad habit, when writing task topics, of following the
instructions with sentences like "The Edit Settings window displays." I know
this is bad usage, but all other versions of this type of information seem
awkward and overly-thought-out. I think it goes back to a manager I had many
years ago who wouldn't let us say "appears" because she thought it made it
sound like the results of a magic spell.

Anyway, I am open to suggestions.

tia,
Suzanne

--
Suzanne Chiles
suzchiles -at- gmail -dot- com
I tweet as Homescribe on Twitter
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