Saturday, September 12, 2015

QRGs: The Genre

Muldoon, Kevin. How to improve your Blog writing skills 


For this blog post, I am going to be discussing quick reference guides and their conventions. For the example I will be using the Gamergate scandal: 

What do the conventions of this genre - the Quick Reference Guide - seem to be?

The conventions of this genre include the following: 

  • Informative titles and additional subheadings 
  • Short introduction that expands upon the title
  • Use of cited graphics that relate to the topic
  • Short paragraphs that get right to the point
  • Hyperlinks to information

How are those conventions defined by the author’s formatting and design choices?

The title usually will tell you upfront what the entire article will be about. Along with that the subheadings allow for a quick reference to various useful topics. The short texts and graphics allow for the reader to find the information at an easier pace. It is more enjoyable for the reader to find the information they want at this pace. 

What does the purpose of these QRGs seem to be?
A QRG is meant for giving quick and accessible information for the reader. The piece is meant for the reader to be able to find the information in a way that is laid out for the reader to get easy access to the information.

Who is the intended audience for these different QRGs? Are they all intended for similar audiences? Or different? How & why?

The intended audience for these QRGs are usually people who are either in a rush for information or who do not want to read a long drawn out article on the same topic. As well, each topic is always aimed for a different audience> Not all QRGs are meant for the same type of people. Some may be more drawn out and more in depth and some may be just for the surface information. 


How do the QRGs use imagery or visuals? Why do you think they use them in this way?

QRGs use the graphics to draw the readers eye. By putting the graphics in the article the reader can get a visual perspective on the situation just as much as the written. The author uses them to further his or her point and to keep interest up for the QRGs.


REFLECTION:

These QRGs can go in many ways, but as I read my classmates take on them I found that we all nearly had the same format and same answers. My classmates Hallye, Isaac, and Victoria all shared the same form as I, just with their own various takes on it. Its good to see that other people have the same opinions and information as you to help ease any doubts. I found my information sound and reliable through looking at the other posts. 

3 comments:

  1. Hey Evan! Your information seems pretty sound and well articulated. The only think I would suggest, is because you have such a dark background, it would help the reader scan easier if you number the questions (or bullet them) and bold it. It helps it stand out more and shows that it is a new though or topic. But good job!

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  2. Your analysis of the QRG seems to be pretty thorough! I included many of the same conventions as you in my own post as well. One thing I really liked was your description of the audience of a QRG. In my own post, I mention that the audience is just the general public, but it makes sense that each QRG is going to be aimed towards a different audience depending on the topic. Great job on this!

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  3. I think you did a great job with this post. I don't disagree with your analysis, and what you wrote was very similar to what I wrote. One thing you could add though, from the things we talked about in class, is that pictures can be used to remind the audience that what they are reading about involves real people (humanizing the issue). Other than that, I can't think of any other suggestions. Great job!

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