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Subject:No subject given From:Michael Burke <miburke -at- WSICORP -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 16 Jun 1998 11:54:45 -0500
>Subject: Re: Humor as a communication technique
>Author: ,Lisa Higgins [SMTP:lisarea -at- LUCENT -dot- COM] at fed01 Date:
>6/16/98 5:31 AM
>To the many existential hells I've accumulated over my life, I will
>now add "reading a 'humorous' technical document written by someone
>who thinks Tim Allen is funny."
How about the technical document written by Jerry Seinfeld:
1. Click the Foo button and yadda yadda yadda, you're done.
Seriously, the use of humor must always take the audience and their
situation in mind.
The manual I write are directed towards an audience who need
information in a quick, concise format. They would find humor as an
obstruction rather than as a help.
I personally (for what its worth) agree. I would rather use a
manualthat spared the humor. As a writer, I don't always know the mood
or personality of the user. If the user is stressed, anxious, nervous,
or hurried, humor could be the wrong ingredient.
Michael Burke
Technical Writer
WSI Corporation
Billerica, MA
