In this post I'll be investigating the purpose and effectiveness of the quick reference guide style of writing.
This style usually serves the purpose to inform as thoroughly as possible while still being concise and to the point. This gives people who lack the time and/or attention span to read a long, in-depth article on the situation the opportunity for the same knowledge, more or less.
It's usually found in small articles on the internet, these articles are usually written about the latest trend or viral issue in today's society. This format is really built for that subject matter, as people want to stay current without spending too much time reading up on an issue. This gives them a literal quick guide to the latest debates and happenings around the world.
I would say the audience for this genre is young people, probably those under 35 who want to understand why things are happening, for example the Starbucks red cup controversy. Older people may not care, but young people want to know in case it comes up in conversation with their peers. This genre allows them the knowledge without any large time commitment.
The key features of this genre are small, informative paragraphs with additional summary points and graphics or sometimes embedded videos. These provide quickly readable examples that don't sacrifice the brevity of the article.
Based on this, I would say this genre is a conversation update tool. I say this because most of the topics provided in examples (vaping, Syria and Starbucks) are things that come up in everyday conversation, especially in young people and these articles are an easy thing to read to update one's knowledge. It's an easy way for young people to know what they're talking about.
Reflection:
Upon reading my classmate's post, it became clear that we read some of the parts of the QRG differently. I thought that the general audience was young people, but others seem to think it has a varied audience, or people who care specifically more than others. We did tend to agree that QRGs are found almost exclusively on the internet. I did feel better about my post though, because after reading these I found that my classmates and I agreed on many aspects. You can find my comments here and here!
I like how you related quick reference guides to "a conversation update tool". I think that was a really relatable way to describe them. I also like how you mentioned it was a way for people to brush up on a subject without delving into it or getting bored.
ReplyDeleteI don't one-hundred percent agree with the audience you chose for quick reference guides. While they can be found as quick internet articles that younger people have access to, I also relate quick reference guides to things like newspaper and magazine articles that our generation normally does not read or reference.
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ReplyDeleteYour post is very well written. I like that you provided a specific age group to your audience, rather than a broad statement as I did in my post. I definitely got an idea of how specific I need to be. I believe that the age group you chose is appropriate. These recent generations tend not like wasting their time, and the quicker they can consume information the better.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the description you gave about the genre, given that it is usually concise and to the point. It may help others if you liken it to something like Vine, or a Twitter post which are also short and to the point, but either way, great post.
Note on conventions of the blog post genre: Revisit Step 1.5 from "Deadline 1" to re-familiarize yourself with the conventions of blogging. You're missing one item on the bulleted list of conventions there.
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