English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

The concept of a white paper is unique, and pretty interesting, to me. For starters, how can such a specific title be so misunderstood by so many? End sarcasm. I don’t think the term ‘white paper’ is a fair name for these documents, as it offers no description or support as to how advantageous they can be. Throughout the past 3 years in Computer and Information Technology, and working in IT, I’ve read more white papers than I care to recollect.

White papers are like marketing advertisements for the business class.

The topic this week and for the remainder of the semester is white papers. I've had some experience using white papers in the past, but most seemed either overly technical, in the case of a theoretical physics paper, or overly biased towards one solution, as in the case of a wireless carrier's product. However, after reading the material covering white papers, I can definitely see how an unbiased white paper can be very informative and can help a decision maker make better decisions.

Personally, I had never even heard of a white paper before reading about them on the course website this week. They seem like useful tools for informing the public, assuming that the author can grab the attention of the reader.

From reading the few pages in Thompson and the white paper about white papers (does that make it a meta-white-paper?) I have solidified some things that I have also gleaned from personal experience. The main thing is that when done properly white papers are quite useful and informative. However when done improperly, white papers can be nothing more than useless propaganda pamphlets.

This week’s reading is about white papers. From what I have read, it seems to me like the most important part of making a white paper is the research. Although objectivity seems to recently be less of a primary goal, the sustaining idea is that white papers are supposed to present the facts. The writer is trying to present all available choices with the pros and cons to their audience so that they can have a fair look at all options.

In many cases, relating to your audience can be ineffective and exhausting. For example, being able to provide a clear understanding of a brand new technology to the customer is not an easy task. However, there is a useful document called the white paper that allows education for target audiences efficiently and successfully. It is a well organized document geared to your audiences for an informative analysis. A white paper is offered for those interested in learning more about an issue of concern accompanied by valid data and important details on the situation.

This week’s readings covered our next project’s focus, specifically white papers. As “How to Write a White Paper”, an actual white paper, explains, the purpose of a white paper is to argue a certain position, or present a solution to a problem. In “The Streak Behind The Sizzle”, another white paper written on white papers, the author notes that these technical documents are also often used to explain or elaborate on the benefits a complex product or technology might offer.

After reading some of the instructor posts and the Thomson Handbook it is apparent to me that white papers are not often used in too many different instances, but they can be used by almost any organization or company in the world that offers a product or service and by really any kind of government. The main goal of a white paper for a company is basically to explain to a potential customer all of the technical specs of their product/service in a way that the decision maker will understand how and why their offering will improve their business.

From the readings and the sample white papers, it seems that the general use of white papers is to disseminate information and offer an analysis of that information as a foundation for people to make decisions.