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jonahxyesterday at 5:18 PM1 replyview on HN

Going to be that guy, even though I think this is a really nice work overall...

But the winking and "cool guy" emojis are so grating. In general, technical explanations that apologize for themselves with constant reassurances like "don't worry" and "it's actually simple" undermine their own aim.

Your job -- if you're making content for people with double digit ages -- is to make the explanation as clear as you can, not to patronize and emotionally hand-hold the reader.


Replies

jph00yesterday at 5:36 PM

No, your job is to help your reader get to the end of the text. That means writing in a way that most of your audience finds compelling, readable, and not intimidating.

Not all readers are the same, so you will fail at your job for some readers.

But few readers are emotionless automatons that need nothing but dry technical content, unless it’s a topic they are very motivated to understand.

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