Re: Information Mapping - V

[Tony Rocco <tony_rocco -at- NAVIS -dot- COM>]

                      RE>>Information Mapping - VCR                6/27/96

I would not want to write a sys admin reference in the manner you suggest
here. Your style is great for the intended audience, but as I mentioned
previously, most audiences are not technophobic dunces, as you assume the
typical VCR user is.

--------------------------------------
Date: 6/27/96 14:04
To: Tony Rocco
From: mjwing -at- INGR -dot- COM

>> In making his case that technical writing is not and should not be
>> entertaining Bill Hartzer says:

>>> "If Technical Writing was entertaining
>>> reading, 99 percent of Americans would know how to program their VCRs!"

>> That's exactly the point Bill; if user manuals weren't so deadly dull, dry
>> and unimaginative, if they better served the needs of the user, people
>>would
>>know how to program their VCRs.

Okay, let's try two procedures for setting the VCR timer.

Procedure 1

1) Press the PROG button (located at the far left of the control panel)

        The Program Menu displays.

2) Press the "^" button until the Clock Set menu item highlights.

3) Press Enter

        The Time Set displays as follows:
        12:00

4) In sequence, enter in the correct time from the numeric keypad
(located directly to the right of the PROG button).

5) Press 1 for A.M. or 2 for P.M on the numeric keypad.

6) Press Enter

        The time is set


Procedure 2 (Get rid of that annoying blink)

We are now entering the mysterious world of VCR programming.

1) Press the PROG button (one of those buttons that you always wondered
about).

        Presto!  The Program Menu appears.

2) Press the "^" button.  Trust me, it won't mess up a thing.  Keep
pressing until the Clock Set item is highlighted.  (You can stop
pressing now)

3) Press Enter

        Whoa, what happened to the screen?  It says that it's 12:00.  Don't
fret, that's the
        annoying 12:00 that has been blinking since you bought the VCR.

4) Check your watch (you did change the batteries, didn't you?) and use
the numeric keypad (and you thought it was a calculator) to enter the
current time.  Hurry or the time will no longer be current.

5) Press 1 for A.M. or 2 for P.M on the numeric keypad.  Check outside
to determine if it is before or after noon.

Note:  By the way, I have no idea whether 12:00 is A.M. or P.M. Best
just to wait another minute.

6) Press Enter

        The blink has stopped and you're now a genius.

Obviously, my entertaining procedure is extreme; however, this is what
comes to mind when someone says we must be entertaining.  Please, feel
free to modify either example to show me the difference between dull,
entertaining, and cutesy.

Mike Wing

>_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
>_/
>_/   Michael Wing
>_/   Principal Technical Writer
>_/   Jupiter Customization and Educational Services
>_/   Intergraph Corporation
>_/   730-7250
>_/   mjwing -at- ingr -dot- com
>_/


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