The following sign has been posted above the copy machine on “my” floor (I haven’t changed anything except to add commentary):
**Helpful Hints on Usage of Paper
Look at paper wrapper before opening the pack.(why? is it pretty? Will it tell me something useful and should i look at a specific part of the wrapper?)*
*Paper has a print side, look at paper before loading. (WHICH DAMN SIDE IS THE PRINT SIDE? Is it shiny, does it have pretty, sparkly colors on it? Does the outside of the package let you in on this knowledge somehow or do I need magical powers?)
*Use paper that is already opened. (How do you open a piece of paper?)
*Return unused paper to the correct location (shelf) (There is no shelf in this room. Does this mean that everytime I finish making a copy I have to take the extra paper out of the copier and put it somewhere else? Or do you mean any paper other than plain white?)
NOTE: Contrary to belief paper does spoil, for this reason we ask that everyone adhere to the hints above. This helps hold down cost!!! (How can you tell if it’s spoiled? Does it smell? Do things start growing out of it? Does it have an expiration date?)
Call the Document Center 6012 if paper supply is low or out.**
UUUUUGGGGHHH! DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT! IF YOU’RE GOING TO POST A SIGN TO HELP PEOPLE OR GIVE HINTS AT LEAST MAKE IT USEFUL!
I know, weak rant and on the scale of human suffering this is a really big negative number. I have to force myself not to look up at the wall when copying so I won’t read this again, which doesn’t help too much because then my brain automatically “reads” the damn thing to me anyway. I want so much to rip this sign off the wall, march downstairs (well take the elevator) and make them write it again, with my supervision. (Boy, I’m tough aren’t I?)
Ahh, don’t let these guys get you down, mornea; they’re just doing their job. If everyone applied the same level of logic and critical reading skills, the world might be a better place. I was an admin assistant for a few years, and until reading this thread I had no idea paper had a “print” side and a “back” side. And after perusing some packages of paper lying around my own office, I don’t see any notes on the outside indicating which side might be which.
They just don’t teach you stuff like that in college.
If I saw that sign in my office, I’d suggest to the copy center people that they add a daily check of all machines to their procedures and implement a single-location paper warehousing system, since they obviously feel non-copy-professionals are too dumb to operate their machines.
Oh, c’mon. Mornea’s point is: if someone’s gonna go through the trouble of posting such a sign, then presumably the problem(s) being addressed is (are) important. If so, the sign ought to be clear and to the point. Like: “Load paper with print side down; read paper wrapper to determine which side is the print side.” The sign Mornea quotes doesn’t say which way the print side goes in and doesn’t connect the “look at wrapper” statement in a sensible way. Combined with the other silliness contained in the relatively short sign, one has to wonder if it does any good at all.
Sure, you can puzzle it out, but you shouldn’t HAVE to. That’s just sloppiness on the part of the signwriter.
I hope the copy room professionals don’t double as technical writers.
Thanks zut and missdavis102. I’ve always been taught that when you create something that’s supposed to be instructional, you make it so that the least experienced person will be able to comprehend and follow the directions.
What sense does it make to create a sign specific to one room, then copy it and place it in rooms that are set up differently?
Obviously it wasn’t clear enough from my post that I understood what was wrong with a sign that was unclear. Does Guadere’s apply to this too?
In the men’s bathroom in my building, there is a sign above the toilet that says, “Your mother is not here to take care of you. After using the facilities you need to wipe yourself.”
Which, at first glance, makes it look like they’re reminding you to wipe your ass. Actually, it’s a poorly worded way of saying “You need to clean up the bathroom after you use it, since no one is going to clean up after you.”
(Yes, I’ve been in the men’s room. Each bathroom has just one toilet, much like your bathroom at home. If yours is busy, you are welcome to use the other. And no, I don’t know why they bother separating them by gender.)
