Repair reports: Assumptions about the readers and what they are interested in

[Andreas Thaler]

As a former professional writer, I think about my readers here in the forum. They are the ones I write for. For me alone, keywords in my repair log would be enough.

The views that appear next to each thread show that readers exist. Internally and externally, sometimes over 1000 or more.


A view

is therefore a visit by a reader.

Whether he or she reads quickly or slowly and everything, how long it takes him, whether she likes the article or not, what he finds useful about it, all of this remains in the dark.

And who are my readers? Amateurs, professionals, enthusiasts, technically educated, technical laypeople, DIYers?

Less text, more photos? As a writer, you have to make assumptions about your readers and what they want.


As an author, you can only make assumptions about your readership

and try to serve this imaginary, certainly heterogeneous group in the best possible way.

What the best possible means remains an open question:

• Should you write shorter?
• Bring more photos instead of text?
• Is the text clear, well structured and easy to read?
• An introduction to the project and a summary at the beginning?
• Are the photos and their accompanying text meaningful enough?
• How do I read for myself?
• What interests me, where do I stick with it or where not?

Based on my experiences and observations so far, I assume that

• there is a broad interest in photo-technical topics here in the forum,
• most of the authors are highly specialized,
• repair reports are generally interesting
• and serve as an inspiration for some people to get active with a screwdriver themselves.

As for my reports

well, I think they could be shorter. But then the project may be presented too broadly and lack information for those who read the reports as tutorials.

But does it really matter whether I attach the Leatherette with Pliobond or with another, equivalent adhesive? Or whether my JIS screwdrivers are from Vessel, whether I wear gloves or whether I drink coffee or water at work?

Not easy for the readers, not easy for the authors.

Therefore, feedback is important and welcome

 

[xkaes]

The only thing I would add would be more text -- not that you don't include enough -- but the devil is in the details. The more details, the better it is for NEWBIES.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

The more details, the better it is for NEWBIES.

But doesn't that scare people away?

 

[xkaes]

You can always use the asterisk (*) approach. Put an asterisk (*, **, ***, etc.) next to specific text -- with more details at the bottom of the "page", so people can ignore that if they want.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

You can always use the asterisk (*) approach. Put an asterisk (*, **, ***, etc.) next to specific text -- with more details at the bottom of the "page", so people can ignore that if they want.

I think you have to package it in such a way that everyone can read it without escaping. That's the art.

Footnotes only where the topic goes deep.

You have to serve your readers.

 

[Dan Daniel]

Triage it. First, a quick key point summary, so an 'experienced' person can see the issues and solutions quickly. Then an expanded version. And then the idiot's guide. Basically the first text is the outline for the second which is the outline for the third, and you flesh it out more each time.

 

[xkaes]

You have to serve your readers.

If your readers are at different levels -- beginner, intermediate & advanced -- you either have to proceed as suggested above, or create three different
"pages" -- one for each level.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Triage it. First, a quick key point summary, so an 'experienced' person can see the issues and solutions quickly. Then an expanded version. And then the idiot's guide. Basically the first text is the outline for the second which is the outline for the third, and you flesh it out more each time.

I think that's good, as with specialist books that offer service.

I will put a brief summary at the beginning so that anyone interested can see whether the topic interests them enough to continue reading. So what repair problem is it, how is it solved, highlights, result. I can also make this clear using the editor's options here.

Then we get into the details.

Maybe at the beginning there is also information about the level of difficulty, i.e. whether a lot of disassembly has to be done, soldering, electronic knowledge, etc.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I just want to motivate people to do repairs themselves and - ideally - to talk about it.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

If your readers are at different levels -- beginner, intermediate & advanced -- you either have to proceed as suggested above, or create three different
"pages" -- one for each level.

Three versions would be too much, one text - but prepared accordingly, see above - should be enough.

I have a physics textbook that starts out simple with each chapter and then goes into more depth. You can leave at any time and still have learned something.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I was too quick to decide

I would of course appreciate further suggestions

The reader should not have to put any effort into the text; that lies with the author.

 

[MattKing]

Find some people who are really inexperienced and are willing to give you feedback on drafts.
The hardest thing is to know how you might be misunderstood.
My brother - a medical equipment and supplies sales rep - used to share a place with a friend who designed and developed software.
My brother regularly performed the invaluable service of causing his friend's in-development software to crash in circumstances that often surprised the developer .

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Find some people who are really inexperienced and are willing to give you feedback on drafts.
The hardest thing is to know how you might be misunderstood.
My brother - a medical equipment and supplies sales rep - used to share a place with a friend who designed and developed software.
My brother regularly performed the invaluable service of causing his friend's in-development software to crash in circumstances that often surprised the developer .

Good point.

But do we have completely inexperienced readers here?

I think where there is no feedback or questions, either everything is clear or the readers are no longer there.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions so far.

 

[MattKing]

I was suggesting real people - not us internet folks .

 

[xkaes]

But do we have completely inexperienced readers here?

I'd suggest you pick random threads and random posts -- and see for yourself. Looking at just the REPAIR SUB-Forum might lead you to believe that everyone knows how to use a soldering iron.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thank you for your work. If you could cross reference threads on Photrio and elsewhere then it would be great if this thread were made a reference source on Photrio, that would make finding repair information much easier for Photrio members and subscribers.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Thank you for your work. If you could cross reference threads on Photrio and elsewhere then it would be great if this thread were made a reference source on Photrio, that would make finding repair information much easier for Photrio members and subscribers.

Thanks, what might that look like?

All of my repair projects are in this forum, the respective titles should help you find them.

Should everything be on a separate page, for example arranged alphabetically?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I was suggesting real people - not us internet folks .

Here, in my environment, no one reads my texts anymore; people are no longer enthusiastic about middle-old cameras. I do not understand it either

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I'd suggest you pick random threads and random posts -- and see for yourself. Looking at just the REPAIR SUB-Forum might lead you to believe that everyone knows how to use a soldering iron.

I haven't heard of anyone who can solder properly

Of course, you could write your own texts for each target group, i.e. for beginners and advanced users.

But there is no silver bullet when it comes to repairs, everyone approaches it differently. At best, you can show how you managed to solve a problem yourself.

I think the reports should encourage you to embark on your own journey with the screwdriver.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thanks, what might that look like?

All of my repair projects are in this forum, the respective titles should help you find them.

Should everything be on a separate page, for example arranged alphabetically?

A directory which one can look up a camera, lens or problem and find a list of threads or urls to read.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

A directory which one can look up a camera, lens or problem and find a list of threads or urls to read.

You then have to find this overview page.

I think the search function in the forum is very powerful. Since I have the respective camera model, lens or device in the title, my contributions - along with those of other authors - can be easily found.

Or do you mean a complete overview of all relevant topics in the forum? That would make more sense than summarizing my reports separately.

But who is supposed to create and maintain it? This would have to be updated on an ongoing basis.

I make cross-references between my posts, I have an overview here because I know what I wrote, but everything else?

 

[xkaes]

I think the reports should encourage you to embark on your own journey with the screwdriver.

If all you've got is a screwdriver, you've got a bigger problem than a broken camera.

 

[xkaes]

But who is supposed to create and maintain it? This would have to be updated on an ongoing basis.

Sounds like a website.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

If all you've got is a screwdriver, you've got a bigger problem than a broken camera.

I don't think so, you can get very far with a JIS 0 screwdriver.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I also think that the field of photographic equipment technology and repairs is so large that it is difficult to keep an overview.

From glass plates in wooden frames to high-performance signal processing in chips for image recording, the range covers everything that lies in between in decades of stormy technological development.

Both repairers and their readers will probably have to specialize, for example sometimes in a single camera model.

And even with a single camera, interests will continue to divide. Here the mechanics, there the optics and, in the newer models, the electronics. You can delve into each of these areas almost endlessly.

What does this mean for the repair report author?

Definitely a fundamental decision.

Does he want to appeal to a broader readership or a more specialized one? Does he stick with one generation of devices or even just a specific model, or does he expand further?

For example, you could write a tutorial just for the Minolta XD7 and would have to decide whether to cover all technical areas of the camera or, for example, just the electronics. If you even have enough information about it.


Conclusion

If the topic of camera repair is already quite special and is looking for readers, its large subject area is even more so. So specialists will always write for specialists or generalists for generalists.

Overall, it remains a minority issue.