---
title: "A Good Response to “No One Reads the Help Anyway”"
date: 2007-12-11
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> For AI agents: a documentation index is available at https://idratherbewriting.com/llms.txt. Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any page URL.

# A Good Response to “No One Reads the Help Anyway”

In this [three-minute STC Atlanta podcast](http://mschoen.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=281803), Judy Glick Smith says she's tired of trying to convince sales people of the value of documentation. She says she's "tired of fighting the good fight."

No doubt as a technical writer you've heard the phrase, "No one reads the help anyway." They let out a small chuckle to indicate that they're only kidding, although deep down they're being totally serious. Many people believe help files are almost insignificant except to a small percentage of people.

But the next time you hear someone say, "No one reads the help anyway," say, "Yah, no one uses Google either."

This will lead to a puzzling follow-up question -- *What do you mean? I use Google all the time.*

Then you say, What do you use Google for? To search for answers, solutions, and information when you have questions?

Google is one large help file.

![Searching Help and Searching Google are the same fundamental thing](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/googhelp1.gif)
**
Update Jan 2008:** I updated my thoughts on this post with [some new reflections](https://idratherbewriting.com/2007/12/19/why-people-think-help-is-useless-and-how-to-change-this-thought/).