The Proper Format For Creating a Guide
Creating a guide is a process which many are unaware of and most people usually follow their own guidelines, which is always a bad thing. You can follow your own format, just make sure it's acceptable and neat. In this guide I will show you how to successfully format a guide and how to mock what a perfect guide should/would look like. The first step to creating a good guide is intelligence and the second step is knowing how to put your information into words, which isn't always a simple process.
Things To Include:There are multiple things which one must include to create a perfectly formatted guide, which includes impeccable grammar. Below are the essentials to a good guide:
- Pictures. These are essential because they allow visual learners to follow your images to show them how to correctly carry out your guide. You don't need ten pictures per guides, you just need pictures where your words may not be enough to describe the specific process. Pictures make the difference between a good guide and a great guide.
- Grammar. This is one of the best things which a guide can contain. when it's written correctly. Grammar is something which you must attain overtime and it entails good spelling. Sometimes a user doesn't have correct grammar, but good spelling is something everyone should be able to do. These forums have built in spell checkers and they are simple to use.
Correct Example: A quote taken from a guide about snowboarding.
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Snowboarding is a great wintertime activity, which takes much talent and practice. Before you begin snowboarding you should have the correct supplies.
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Incorrect Example:
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SNowbording is a great winter/time activity. which makes much talent or practice. B4 you begin snowboardingg u shud have the correct supplies.
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- Organization. This is the most important thing on my list. When your guide is organized it shows a reader the type of work you put forth. When something is neat, someone would be more apt to read it. But, if something is all jumbled up and hard to comprehend then a user is less apt to read it.
Correct Example: This is a guide about working out.
When you workout you're going to want to make sure that you keep the most important factors in mind. A lot of these 'musts' are of high importance and if you leave any of them out your workout will be unsuccessful. Below I will list these points of importance:- Make sure you never break your form, if you have to the weight you are using is too high. If you break your form you are only hurting yourself.
- When working a certain muscle group make sure you focus on that specific muscle, and don't use any other to aid in the process.
- Take protein, it's very important in the muscle building process.
- Make sure you stay consistent with your workouts. This means you should follow a specific schedule and work new muscle groups every other day.
- Eating healthy can easily increase the productivity of an average workout.
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Incorrect Example:
When working out make sure you follow these steps which I tell you below:- Don't break form, it's bad.
- Focus on the muscle which your working out.
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- Detail. This is a very important factor because the further you travel into detail the easier it is for a reader to understand your guide. When you describe something thoroughly it is much easier for a reader to create a mental picture of what your words are describing.
Correct Example: This is a guide written about playing football as a wide receiver.
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When playing wide receiver the first main piece of information you must attain is how to enter a stance. Your going to want to put your inside foot forward and your outside foot about one foot and six inches back. You are also going to want to place your hands up, about chest level, this way you will be ready to maneuver around a defensive back. You're also going to want to get a slight lean forward and make sure your comfortable with a solid base.
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Incorrect Example:
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If you play wide receiver your going to want to do what I'm saying. Get in an athletic position and be ready to beat a defensive back.
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-The difference is that atop you will be able to know exactly how to stand and what the correct position is, down to the last position of important. With the incorrect example your are somewhat unaware of what type of athletic position to be in.
- Categories. When creating a guide you should categorize your work. It allows the reader to follow certain portions of the guides based on the specific category.
- Background Information. In almost every guide I create I leave a portion at the top to tell a little bit about how I am linked to the topic and what the guide will include.
- Lastly, provide examples. I have provided examples in this whole guide which will give the readers a lot better idea on what I am speaking about. When you have examples it is far easier for someone to comprehend a topic of learning.
Examples of Guides:
Analog's Guide To The IPhone 3G-
Brady's Guide To InvisionFree Web Design-
Chickenultra's Guide To Enabling File Extensions-
13-01-2009, 10:53 PM
The Proper Format For Creating a Guide
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