When reading about the White Paper project I was still very confused about what a White Paper really was. After reading the “The Steak Behind the Sizzle”, Ellisa Miller explains what a White Paper needs to include and what it needs to omit.
At first a White Paper seemed like an instruction manual with a different style. Once I read more about it, they are very similar but with more recommendations and informative information in a White Paper Document. In “The Steak Behind the Sizzle”, Ellisa Miller states, “Effective white papers explain innovative technologies in a compelling way that helps potential customers understand both how and why the offering will improve their business climate.” I thought that this statement was interesting because it explains what a White Paper document should include and why it is important. It not only provides information but also can be used to inform new employees and curious people. Because of this, White Paper document are very important not to mess up on.
I think that utilizing a team to make a White Paper project might be a hard task. If some students could actually meet in person it would probably make this project a lot easier, but I guess that would not be the purpose of taking this class online. I think after everyone has completed this project that they will have learned something about working in teams via the internet.
After reading about open source documents, such as white papers, I thought that the articles were very interesting. Open source is very important with White Paper documents because they are used to inform the public about different subjects. Without countries being open source, many companies will not be able to provide their White Paper documents to the public.
Also, When reading the government document I thought that it was funny that they are scared to go open source because they do not trust Microsoft.
Similarities between White Papers & Instructions
At first, your comment about the similarities between white papers and instructions caught me offguard. Our instructions were so directive, and white papers are meant to be neutral (at least for the purpose of our assignment). But then I realize you've made a great point; at the heart of their purpose, these documents share a fundamental goal: to inform & assist the audience. Interestingly, both documents come from an expert point of view. Instructions have to be written by someone who knows the process, and equally, white papers have to come from someone who knows the technology and all of the solutions to the problem/issue at hand. I think you make an interesting point that two such different genres in terms of voice (directive vs. informative) can have so much in common!
Kristin
Goals
It makes a lot of sense that white papers should have a goal. A company would not invest weeks of time of several employees writing a white paper if the company did not think that the white paper will be beneficial to the company. White papers written by companies have the goal of making money in the long run. The same applies for government white papers: the government spends money on writing them because the papers help them achieve some kind of goal. It's important to always suspect the hidden motives behind anything you read or hear, including white papers.