Is "don't quit your day job" too American?

I kid

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Brierley, Sean
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 12:53 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TCP] Appropriate humor in tech comm

Well, that sounds typically American to me. 

What your humour has to be is less Three Stooges, less Benny Hill, less
Mr. Bean, less laugh track, and more ... subtle, more inside, more high
brow.

For example, not the following:

1) Click File > Compact. This feature doesn't work because we employed a
cut-rate programmer who could only program in B-, not C+
</baddaboom!><laugh track />

Instead, write:

1) To use the File,  Compact menu, click File, <unremarkable clickable
popup to developer's mobile number and perhaps a compromising
photo>Compact</unremarkable clickable popup> Compact. When prompted by
the blue screen, turn off your computer's power, wait 60 seconds, then
turn it back on. <no laugh track or baddaboom! />

Cheers,

Sean

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Bill Swallow
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 3:20 PM
To: Chris Borokowski
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TCP] Appropriate humor in tech comm

I disagree. Humor is subjective and open to interpretation, and in some
cases you do not want people to misinterpret cetain instructions.
Nor in some cases do you want to distract from the information being
presented.

There is a time and a place for everything.

On 4/19/07, Chris Borokowski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Humor has a place anywhere, as long as you do not confuse a part of 
> your audience that would not be confused without the humor present.


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