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Casual Articles - New Technical Writer - Don't Confuse Your Reader with Your Words
Forex Inflation indicators are frequently used when trying to forecast a direction of a currency in any Forex day trading. These indicators are an extremely essential part of basic analysis and of using monetary indicators in general. Inflation normally has a considerable effect on different economical factors, comprising on the interest rates, on unemployment, as well as on the online Forex currency price.Inflation is the rate of increase in a common price level of all goods and services. For instance, if the price of seeing a movie used to be $4, inflation augments that figure t
TIP: Be suspicious of any words your spelling checker identifies. Ask yourself two questions when your spelling checker identifies a misspelled word:
* Did I really spell that word incorrectly?
* If it's spelled correctly, am I certain that my Reader knows what the word (or acronym) means? If it's not in the spelling checker's dictionary it might not be in your Reader's vocabulary.
DON'T BE AMBIGUOUS
I have a notebook computer running MS Windows XP. If I am using the Media Player and I press the keys to hibernate the computer (put it into an energy-saving sleep state), something warns me that hibernating w
I have had some business blogging success in the past. I blogged the way the “pros” say to blog. My blog pointed to my autoimmune information site. The purpose of the blog was to establish my credibility as an expert on autoimmune disease, direct traffic to my primary website, and then ultimately make book sales from that site. It worked. People were convinced. Traffic flowed. Books were sold. Glowing testimonials from happy customers followed. (You get the point.)Following the same format and style, I started another blog for homeschoolers. (This blog focuses on combining homesch
Stop confusing your Reader with the words you use. Your Reader is trying his/her best to understand how your product works without having to figure out your writing. Here are some writing guidelines to help you stop baffling your Reader.
SAME CONCEPT: SAME WORDS
User Documents are not meant to be entertaining. Do not try to be creative, especially by using synonyms for specific concepts in your product. When you talk about a topic use the exact same wording to describe (or name) the topic everywhere in your User Document.
For example, the "Same Concept: Same Words" guideline, says that if there is a control on your product called the "Activation Button," then everywhere you talk about that button use the term "Activation Button."
Don't be "creative" and use words like "Activation Control" or "Start Control" to refer to the "Activation Button." Using the different wordings forces your Reader to have to stop and think "Is this the same thing as 'Activation Button'?"
DIFFERENT CONCEPTS: DIFFERENT WORDS
I bought something on the Internet that had a rebate available for it. When I ordered the product, I was given a "Tracking Number" to monitor the progress of my order. This is common for orders from large companies.
When I applied for the rebate, the rebate company used the same word, "Tracking Number," but this time it meant "their rebate tracking number." When their website asked for "tracking number" I entered the only one that I knew, the product ordering tracking number. I was wrong; the rebate number was a totally different thing.
The Rebate number is different from the order tracking number and should have a very different name from the order tracking number.
One might argue that "the rebate company is a separate company, and must handle rebates for all sorts of sellers." Sure, but they can use a very specific name for their rebate tracking number. They can call it the "Rebate Identification Number." That name would not be used by any selling company to track an order. The problem is solved. No User would confuse "Tracking Number" with "Rebate Identification Number."
QUIZ
Given the information in the previous two sections of this Article, wouldn't it be really silly if the rebate company originally called it the "Rebate Identification Number" and then unannounced switched to calling it the "Rebate ID"? Answer: Yes, it would be very silly. The change forces the Reader to have to ask, "Is this the same thing as the 'Rebate Identification Number'?"
It's not that your Reader is too stupid or lazy to figure out what you mean. It's that your Reader has better things to do than to decipher your writing.
WORDS YOUR READER DOESN'T KNOW
Jargon is the shortcut language of any industry. Make sure that if you use jargon in your User Document, you explain what it means. If the writing project can afford the bit of time, I recommend that you include a glossary in your User Document. Define all the jargon, acronyms, and words that you might use in ways your Reader might not expect. A great example of the latter are "debit" and "credit." The common understanding of these words is exactly opposite to those in the accounting (banking) profession.
TIP: Be suspicious of any words your spelling checker identifies. Ask yourself two questions when your spelling checker identifies a misspelled word:
* Did I really spell that word incorrectly?
* If it's spelled correctly, am I certain that my Reader knows what the word (or acronym) means? If it's not in the spelling checker's dictionary it might not be in your Reader's vocabulary.
DON'T BE AMBIGUOUS
I have a notebook computer running MS Windows XP. If I am using the Media Player and I press the keys to hibernate the computer (put it into an energy-saving sleep state), something warns me that hibernating wi
There are two main types of vertical spreads. There is the vertical call spread and the vertical put spread. Each spread allows you to do two things. First, you can buy it, making you long the vertical spread. Second, you can sell it making you short the vertical spread. Both can be employed to take advantage of directional stock plays. When we use the term “directional stock play,” we refer to using vertical spreads to capitalize on anticipated stock movements either up or down. A bull spread is used when the investor feels that a stock is
DIFFERENT CONCEPTS: DIFFERENT WORDS
I bought something on the Internet that had a rebate available for it. When I ordered the product, I was given a "Tracking Number" to monitor the progress of my order. This is common for orders from large companies.
When I applied for the rebate, the rebate company used the same word, "Tracking Number," but this time it meant "their rebate tracking number." When their website asked for "tracking number" I entered the only one that I knew, the product ordering tracking number. I was wrong; the rebate number was a totally different thing.
The Rebate number is different from the order tracking number and should have a very different name from the order tracking number.
One might argue that "the rebate company is a separate company, and must handle rebates for all sorts of sellers." Sure, but they can use a very specific name for their rebate tracking number. They can call it the "Rebate Identification Number." That name would not be used by any selling company to track an order. The problem is solved. No User would confuse "Tracking Number" with "Rebate Identification Number."
QUIZ
Given the information in the previous two sections of this Article, wouldn't it be really silly if the rebate company originally called it the "Rebate Identification Number" and then unannounced switched to calling it the "Rebate ID"? Answer: Yes, it would be very silly. The change forces the Reader to have to ask, "Is this the same thing as the 'Rebate Identification Number'?"
It's not that your Reader is too stupid or lazy to figure out what you mean. It's that your Reader has better things to do than to decipher your writing.
WORDS YOUR READER DOESN'T KNOW
Jargon is the shortcut language of any industry. Make sure that if you use jargon in your User Document, you explain what it means. If the writing project can afford the bit of time, I recommend that you include a glossary in your User Document. Define all the jargon, acronyms, and words that you might use in ways your Reader might not expect. A great example of the latter are "debit" and "credit." The common understanding of these words is exactly opposite to those in the accounting (banking) profession.
TIP: Be suspicious of any words your spelling checker identifies. Ask yourself two questions when your spelling checker identifies a misspelled word:
* Did I really spell that word incorrectly?
* If it's spelled correctly, am I certain that my Reader knows what the word (or acronym) means? If it's not in the spelling checker's dictionary it might not be in your Reader's vocabulary.
DON'T BE AMBIGUOUS
I have a notebook computer running MS Windows XP. If I am using the Media Player and I press the keys to hibernate the computer (put it into an energy-saving sleep state), something warns me that hibernating w
Does your firm’s website have a form link for potential legal clients to send inquires through to your law firm? If so, you may be wasting your's, or your assistant’s, time!I'll preface this by saying that many of the Internet legal client prospects you deal with in your career will likely be good, honest people. However, it seems the inquires generated through many legal web sites cause even the best, most honest, potential clients, to either intentionally, or unintentionally, waste your time.As a professional in this industry, your time is the one thing you can't afford
The Rebate number is different from the order tracking number and should have a very different name from the order tracking number.
One might argue that "the rebate company is a separate company, and must handle rebates for all sorts of sellers." Sure, but they can use a very specific name for their rebate tracking number. They can call it the "Rebate Identification Number." That name would not be used by any selling company to track an order. The problem is solved. No User would confuse "Tracking Number" with "Rebate Identification Number."
QUIZ
Given the information in the previous two sections of this Article, wouldn't it be really silly if the rebate company originally called it the "Rebate Identification Number" and then unannounced switched to calling it the "Rebate ID"? Answer: Yes, it would be very silly. The change forces the Reader to have to ask, "Is this the same thing as the 'Rebate Identification Number'?"
It's not that your Reader is too stupid or lazy to figure out what you mean. It's that your Reader has better things to do than to decipher your writing.
WORDS YOUR READER DOESN'T KNOW
Jargon is the shortcut language of any industry. Make sure that if you use jargon in your User Document, you explain what it means. If the writing project can afford the bit of time, I recommend that you include a glossary in your User Document. Define all the jargon, acronyms, and words that you might use in ways your Reader might not expect. A great example of the latter are "debit" and "credit." The common understanding of these words is exactly opposite to those in the accounting (banking) profession.
TIP: Be suspicious of any words your spelling checker identifies. Ask yourself two questions when your spelling checker identifies a misspelled word:
* Did I really spell that word incorrectly?
* If it's spelled correctly, am I certain that my Reader knows what the word (or acronym) means? If it's not in the spelling checker's dictionary it might not be in your Reader's vocabulary.
DON'T BE AMBIGUOUS
I have a notebook computer running MS Windows XP. If I am using the Media Player and I press the keys to hibernate the computer (put it into an energy-saving sleep state), something warns me that hibernating w
The reason why article marketing is so effective in boosting your affiliate revenue is due to the quality of traffic it generates. Not many marketing tools can produce the type of highly targeted traffic that article marketing can.The great thing about article marketing is that you never really have to guess what type of traffic you will be receiving to your site. Because of this, you are generally always able to match the right product or service with the traffic that article marketing is producing. In effect, you are actually dictating the type of traffic that you want.Le
It's not that your Reader is too stupid or lazy to figure out what you mean. It's that your Reader has better things to do than to decipher your writing.
WORDS YOUR READER DOESN'T KNOW
Jargon is the shortcut language of any industry. Make sure that if you use jargon in your User Document, you explain what it means. If the writing project can afford the bit of time, I recommend that you include a glossary in your User Document. Define all the jargon, acronyms, and words that you might use in ways your Reader might not expect. A great example of the latter are "debit" and "credit." The common understanding of these words is exactly opposite to those in the accounting (banking) profession.
TIP: Be suspicious of any words your spelling checker identifies. Ask yourself two questions when your spelling checker identifies a misspelled word:
* Did I really spell that word incorrectly?
* If it's spelled correctly, am I certain that my Reader knows what the word (or acronym) means? If it's not in the spelling checker's dictionary it might not be in your Reader's vocabulary.
DON'T BE AMBIGUOUS
I have a notebook computer running MS Windows XP. If I am using the Media Player and I press the keys to hibernate the computer (put it into an energy-saving sleep state), something warns me that hibernating w
A job offer can reveal a great deal about a prospective employer. It can convey the seriousness of the employer; a candidate’s value to the company and most importantly, the very decision of taking up the offer. It is usually based upon a number of factors out of which only some are flexible. While a factor may be of prime importance to one candidate, it may not be of much significance to another. Here are a few key points to make note of before taking (or turning down) a job offer:1. Title And Nature Of The Job Titles or positions are short but strategic and practical inform
TIP: Be suspicious of any words your spelling checker identifies. Ask yourself two questions when your spelling checker identifies a misspelled word:
* Did I really spell that word incorrectly?
* If it's spelled correctly, am I certain that my Reader knows what the word (or acronym) means? If it's not in the spelling checker's dictionary it might not be in your Reader's vocabulary.
DON'T BE AMBIGUOUS
I have a notebook computer running MS Windows XP. If I am using the Media Player and I press the keys to hibernate the computer (put it into an energy-saving sleep state), something warns me that hibernating will lose my place in the video. It then asks: "Do you want to continue? Yes/No." Continue what?: Continue hibernating, or Continue watching the video? It would only take one or two more words to remove the ambiguity.
THE BOTTOM LINE
When you revise your writing, make sure that your Reader does not have to guess what a word might mean. If you mean the same thing as another concept, use the exact same name. If you mean something different, then use as different (unique) a name as you can. Define jargon, acronyms, and any unusually used words. Eliminate ambiguity.
Your reader is uncomfortable enough having to read your User Document, instead of using your product. Don't make things worse by using wording that makes your Reader have to work out its meaning.
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