Re: Slithery words and eliciting reactions

Subject: Re: Slithery words and eliciting reactions
From: Jody LaFerriere <JLaFerriere -at- INFOMAP -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 11:02:07 -0400

>From: Dan BRINEGAR[SMTP:vr2link -at- VR2LINK -dot- COM]
>Sent: Thursday, July 24, 1997 6:31 AM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: Re: Slithery words and eliciting reactions
>
><snip>
>Good car magazines are able to give the beginner all the information he
>needs to follow the procedure, without annoying the veteran shadetree
>mechanic... It seems to work for the target audience and the clients like
>it!
>
>If I presented the steps shown above in a strictly info-mapped
>Step/Action/Result table, the customers would just look at the last page
>and call in for their money back.....
--------------------------------

Well, speaking for myself (and I guess, a little bit for Information
Mapping), you CAN use that tone and writing style within an Information
Mapped document. I have written some of the chattiest manuals ever, and
didn't have to change the method to support it.

However, I do have to look at my audience. You are dealing with
frightened new users. As someone who is computer savvy, I hate reading
"Now wasn't that easy!" in the middle of a "how to do x" procedure.


>--------------------------------------
>Jody LaFerriere - mailto:jodyl -at- infomap -dot- com
>Information Mapping, Inc.

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