[<<] [<] Page 1 of 1 [>] [>>] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subject:
Addressing Multiple Audiences
From: Randy Kramer ####@####.#### Date: 10 Apr 2002 22:48:49 -0000 Message-Id: <3CB4BF79.36A1@fast.net> A thing that frustrates me is when I'm reading a document focused on a rank newbie and I know significantly more than that, but I have to attempt to pick my way through what for me is a lot of extraneous material to get to the information I need. VCR manuals seem to be a typical example -- (seemingly) pages and pages that tell you how to set the time and date in excruciating detail, but no simple list of the essential steps for someone who has used another (or this) VCR before. (Someone else on the list expressed similar frustration in a recent post.) On WikiLearn, I hope to address that issue -- the following is quoted from http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/AboutThesePages#Beginner_Reminder_and_BehindTheS: <quote> On Wikilearn I expect to have (at least) two and sometimes three pages on each topic, one named ...Beginner, one named ...Reminder, and sometimes one named something like ...BehindTheScenes. The one named ...Beginner will have all the step-by-step instructions and details to help a newbie. The one named ...Reminder will have a list of the necessary steps, with little or no explanation, useful to someone who has gone through the Beginner page previously and needs a reminder, or to someone who has some knowledge of computers but has never used the particular operating system, program, or function being discussed. The WikiLearn pages on ftp may be a reasonable first cut at this approach -- see these pages: http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/UsingFtpBeginner http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/UsingFtpReminder In other circumstances, there may be pages covering installation (or other appropriate topics), like: InstallingFtpBeginner InstallingFtpReminder The pages named ...BehindTheScenes would provide more explanation, so that, for example, someone could accomplish the same results using their own procedures. As an example, if the ...Beginner and ...Reminder pages deal with something like setting up a network using a GUI tool, the ...BehindTheScenes page might explain what configuration files were changed by the GUI and why, and thus, you would learn how you might configure the network using a text editor. (This approach might also be followed even if the ...Beginner and ...Reminder pages deal with setting up the network using a text editor -- the intent is to provide conceptual rather than rote knowledge.) </quote> Maybe something similar is appropriate for a HOWTO as well? Randy Kramer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subject:
Re: Addressing Multiple Audiences
From: "Tabatha Persad" ####@####.#### Date: 11 Apr 2002 02:40:09 -0000 Message-Id: <00c101c1e102$94cea780$0928a8c0@voodoochild> Interestingly, the Gnome Style Guide does it in this manner. You can find instant links depending on your experience in the Introduction under "Who Should Read This Book" and in Documentation Fundamentals under "Reaching Your Audience". It could use a little streamlining, but you get the idea... Links for reference: http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/who.html http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/fundamentals.html Tabatha From: "Randy Kramer" ####@####.#### > On WikiLearn, I hope to address that issue -- the following is quoted > from > > http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/AboutThesePages#Beginner_Reminder_an d_BehindTheS: > > <quote> > On Wikilearn I expect to have (at least) two and sometimes three pages > on each topic, one named ...Beginner, one named ...Reminder, and > sometimes one named something like ...BehindTheScenes. > > The one named ...Beginner will have all the step-by-step instructions > and details to help a newbie. > > The one named ...Reminder will have a list of the necessary steps, with > little or no explanation, useful to someone who has gone through the > Beginner page previously and needs a reminder, or to someone who has > some knowledge of computers but has never used the particular operating > system, program, or function being discussed. > > The WikiLearn pages on ftp may be a reasonable first cut at this > approach -- see these pages: > > http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/UsingFtpBeginner > http://twiki.org/cgi-bin/view/Wikilearn/UsingFtpReminder > > In other circumstances, there may be pages covering installation (or > other appropriate topics), like: > > InstallingFtpBeginner > InstallingFtpReminder > > The pages named ...BehindTheScenes would provide more explanation, so > that, for example, someone could accomplish the same results using their > own procedures. As an example, if the ...Beginner and ...Reminder pages > deal with something like setting up a network using a GUI tool, the > ...BehindTheScenes page might explain what configuration files were > changed by the GUI and why, and thus, you would learn how you might > configure the network using a text editor. (This approach might also be > followed even if the ...Beginner and ...Reminder pages deal with setting > up the network using a text editor -- the intent is to provide > conceptual rather than rote knowledge.) > </quote> > > Maybe something similar is appropriate for a HOWTO as well? > > Randy Kramer > > ______________________ > http://lists.tldp.org/ > | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subject:
Re: Addressing Multiple Audiences
From: Randy Kramer ####@####.#### Date: 15 Apr 2002 12:22:41 -0000 Message-Id: <3CBAC460.527E@fast.net> Tabatha, Good links, thanks! Randy Kramer Tabatha Persad wrote: > Interestingly, the Gnome Style Guide does it in this manner. You can find > instant links depending on your experience in the Introduction under "Who > Should Read This Book" and in Documentation Fundamentals under "Reaching > Your Audience". It could use a little streamlining, but you get the idea... > > Links for reference: > http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/who.html > http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/fundamentals.html | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
[<<] [<] Page 1 of 1 [>] [>>] |