I often hear what I call the "generic you" when people are speaking. But it has no place in writing. What is the "generic you"? It's when a writer uses the word "you" (second person) when first or third person should be used. "You" refers to the reader, and if the writer isn't addressing the reader, then "you" shouldn't be used.
Here's an example:
"When you walk into the doctor's office, you feel at home immediately. The doctor makes you feel like you already know him."
If the reader isn't actually entering the doctor's office, then the writer is using the "generic you." Instead, he or she should use the first person: "When I walked into the doctor's office, I felt at home immediately. The doctor made me feel like I already knew him." Or the third person: "When patients walk into the doctor's office, they feel at home immediately. The doctor makes his patients feel like they already know him."
