RTFM is not short for Read The Friendly Manual. And there are several reasons why.
- Most manuals are not friendly.
- RTFM is rarely spoken or written in a friendly manner.
- RTFM is a common symptom of a common disorder in the world of technology and geek-speak: EUDS, Elitism and User Disdain (or Disregard) Syndrome.
However … if you want your infowriting to help people get work done, you’ll need to completely eliminate EUDS and take a fresh look at your customers and colleagues. This mini-seminar is designed just for that purpose.
Beginning with a tongue-in-cheek look at a bad writer-reader relationship, the following posts discuss useful tactics for attitude change: how to morph a Klingonesque RTFM (Read the Freakin’ Manual) mentality into an RFM (Reader-Friendly Manual) point of view, in eight reader-friendly sessions. (Why not subscribe so you’ll know immediately when new sessions are added?)