I don't think the TW is necessarily to blame. It's a case of a little information being dangerous. The little information is that some printers ship with a USB cable included. The reality is that many do not; depends on the OEM deal, region, and so on. It also could have been one of those decisions that had not yet been made when the document had to go to print. One could assume (a techwriter no-no) that the printer never ships with a cable, and so write "USB cable not included." just as if batteries were not included. But then if the user finds a cable in the box -- bonus!?!?
There's no good way out of this situation. The TW doesn't know at the point of writing the document what the situation will be. We try to avoid that at all costs. Even if you explain it to the user, telling them that in some instances you get a cable, and in some you don't, the users who don't get the cable will feel they've been deprived. You could say "Depending on where you purchase your printer, a USB cable may or may not be included." Some users will still feel excluded. I liked Jeff Hanvey's solution -- a checkbox on a parts list that shows whether the USB cable is supposed to be included or not. Otherwise, you have to build in the idea of uncertainty from the beginning -- "Not all models include all peripheral cables. You may need to purchase a USB cable." --Beth Milan Davidovic wrote: > Have a look at this: > > http://weeklyscheiss.blogspot.com/2006/11/oh-good-grief.html > > And suggest how the TWer in question should have handled the business > about the cable. > > _______________________________________________ Are you a Help Authoring Trainer or Consultant? Let clients find you at www.HAT.Matrix.com, the searchable HAT database based on Char James-Tanny's HAT Comparison Matrix. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details. Interested in Interactive 3D Documentation? Get the scoop at http://www.doc-u-motion.com -- your 3D documentation community. _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals To post a message to the list, send an email to [email protected] To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com or, via email, send a blank message [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit the TCP site at http://www.techcommpros.com To find out more about the list, including archives and your account options, visit http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com If you need assistance with the list, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
