English 421Y: Technical Writing Online

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.

Context and audience are a central focus when developing any technical document, and white papers certainly fall within this category. For instance, there are some pretty big differences between a marketing white paper and a white paper for government use. Let's first consider their tone: a marketing white paper is probably much less objective, and is more focused on, if not in fact biasing information towards their product, at least presenting their product in a positive way. A government white paper is probably very objective in its tone, and attempts to give more facts than it does "marketing hype".

Also important to consider when comparing and contrasting these two types of white papers is their respective readers. A marketing white paper will be geared towards giving consumers the information they need to select their product. A government white paper could be read by politicians, lawyers, aids, and staff, and is all an attempt to inform these leaders about the possibilities presented in the white paper. I'd imagine since decisions made by government leaders impact a broad spectrum of people, that white papers discussing these decisions would have to be very objective, unbiased, factual, and balanced.

I'd consider these the biggest possible differences between these two types of white papers, but a good white paper in either scenario should tend to be more objective and unbiased, regardless if it's made by a company for marketing purposes. This gives the product a fair chance in the minds of readers and gives more credibility to the company.