RE: On the value of glossaries containing terms the audience should already know

["Al Geist" <al -at- geistarts -dot- com>]

Gene Kim-Eng wrote:

"There's ALWAYS going to be somebody looking at a manual who doesn't have
the technical chops to understand every acronym in it. Leaving out the
definitions will almost certainly increase the odds that that somebody will
be the person whose signature is needed on a contract or PO to buy the
product."

I would like to add to what Gene said. There are many of us who are
long-time tech writers with the "technical chops" that still don't
understand every acronym in a manual. You can either define the term upon
first use, but those "first use" instances can get lost. An easy to find
definitions list ensures the meanings of those acronyms do not get lost
along with that contract or PO.

Al Geist-Geist Arts
Fine Art Photography
Mobile: 231-301-5770
E-mail: al -at- geistarts -dot- com
Website: www.geistarts.com 
Facebook: Geist Arts
See Also:
Technical Communication, Help, Documentation Management

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used to
create them." (Albert Einstein)



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