Chapter 3 of "Readers and Contexts of Use" introduces the concept of profiling the target audience as a preliminary planning phase to anticipate the goals and requirements of the final documents. It suggests that “the knowledge gained in profiling your audience is essential to effective technical communication” (TCT). I agree fully; as times change and technology evolves, people often take on busier schedules which yield a desire and demand for simplicity in every aspect of their lives. These individuals wish not to sift through excessive, unnecessary content in trying to read and comprehend the material. This is imperative in my line of work in program and network security where any material included that might be considered unnecessary is just that, unnecessary and more of a burden than anything. We wish to know only of what insecurities exist and any plausible reasons, but nothing more.
Other challenges exist in the quest to author effective and persuasive material, primarily in regard to the ever-increasing importance of international communication through electronic networks. Courtesy of the aforementioned advances in modern technology, “many of the barriers that once separated people and cultures no longer exist. It is now common to interface and communicate with individuals that speak foreign languages, have different customs, and maintain different expectations” (TCT). I work in a department that services not only Purdue’s West Lafayette campus but many institutions around the country and interface with individuals whom possess these traits on a daily basis. It is rarely an easy task but something that must be expected in many careers. By profiling the targeted readers beforehand we can account for these differences throughout our work and the result is a universally accepted document set.
In addition to profiling who will read the document, it is equally important to profile where those individuals will read it. Chapter 3 suggests that we, as authors, should anticipate the context in which our audience will read the documents, including physical, economic, political, and ethical contexts. For example, where will the readers physically be located when reading the documents? If my team is diagnosing a severe security hole in Purdue’s network, I would not expect to be given an article out of a public magazine to find the resolution. What economic issues might influence the reader’s decision? Personally I don’t prefer to read documents that are obviously written for either extreme economic situation. What political forces are influencing the readers? As is likely true for most, reading articles that have a strong opposing political view to my own might have a prominent influence on my lasting opinion of the piece. And how will your ideas affect the rights, values, and well-being of others? I believe that any document that imposes on an individual’s rights, values, or well-being has little potential of success in persuasion.
I feel the take home lesson is this: it is imperative to begin the writing process by profiling those that will serve as your target audience as well as where, when, and how they will view the documents. By putting this time and effort into your work you will not only avoid many obstacles in how end users interpret the context of your writing but will also show those users that you are considerate and concerned about them as your audience.
Similar Circumstances
I too have held a job where programming was one of my primary job descriptions. As you probably know unless you have years of experience with a certain programming language, while “cutting code” you constantly need to reference syntactical information about the specific language your writing in. This of course comes from technical documents! What languages have you programmed for in the past, and of these, which provide the easiest to use and best technical documentation? I’ve found in my experience that PHP has very good documentation on php.net. Every method has thorough and standardized documentation that provides its input parameters and the function of the method.
Unnecessary Material
I would be surprised if there were any technical field that thrived on unnecessary materials within its documents. Just as you see it as a burden in your job, so do others in their respective jobs. The difficulty lies in writing materials for those working in other professions. For instance, if I were writing a report to you from an engineering firm, it may be difficult for me to determine what is necessary and what isn't. The same would probably go for you if you were writing to somebody outside of your business. I think the hardest part is figuring out what information is worth reporting and what isn't, because if somebody neglects to include a certain piece of information, the future reader may be completely unaware of a key point or finding.
Response
I agree with your interpretation of the final take-home message. I definitely think that it is important to profile the expected target audience. However, I think that sometimes it is harder to write to a certain audience from the beginning. It is harder to find the right words or phrases to fit the specific contexts of the target audiences. It can often be easier to write some or most of the paper and then revise it to fit the specific audience. Writing can be easier when written in your own words, and then changed as the more contextually correct words come to mind. So while it is definitely important to profile the intended audience, this information may not be needed until later in the writing process.
Profile reponse
You mentioned that for a job you had to communicate not only to people around the west Lafayette area but other areas around the country. That is neat that you have had experience. Did you happen to notice any culture gap within the United States? I know many people associate culture to countries, but as the chapter talked about this isn't always the case. Profiling a group is always interesting when you are on the side that does the profiling. However I find that some people dislike being placed within a group, especially if they feel that group doesn't define them, but like you said profiling your readers is essential in efficiently passing your point.
Evan
Instructor Feedback
Justin,
I think you are on the right track with this reading response. I think your attempts to connect the readings back to your own experience is a good way to respond to the readings in a way that allows you to better incorporate them into your thinking about technical writing. My early suggestion, as we will not be commenting on all of your reading responses this semester, is to provide just a little more detail. For instance, you write, "I work in a department that services not only Purdue’s West Lafayette campus but many institutions around the country and interface with individuals whom possess these traits on a daily basis. It is rarely an easy task but something that must be expected in many careers. By profiling the targeted readers beforehand we can account for these differences throughout our work and the result is a universally accepted document set." This is good stuff; a concrete example would really drive home the point. A concrete example along with a quote from the reading that you think connects well is a great structure for these responses.