Week Five discussion: Campbell 4 & 5, Barker 4 & 5, Breemer 4 & 8.

For our discussion let's consider our readings: in Campbell 4 we have read about appropriate word choice and grammar for policies and procedures and in Campbell 5 we read about formats that are appropriate for technical communication. In Barker 4 we read about reference documentation and in Barker 5 we read about analyzing the audience for our documentation. In addition you have read Breemer cases 4 and 8.

In your response, analyze the audience challenge in Breemer case 4 in light of Barker 5. Can you draw any meaningful comparisons? If so, what are they? In the second part of your response, look at the review of Barker in Kairos. Read Breemer case 8 and decide if Breemer's case has anything to say about the visual presentation of Reyman's review of Barker in Kairos. (Reyman probably had no input into the visual design of her review, of course.)

Answer to Lee's Questions

A common theme running through the chapters includes the importance of accuracy. Not only is it important in legal documents but also in procedures for software programs.

Just as it is important to keep in mind your audience when writing tutorials and other documents, it is also important to keep it in mind when considering the legal side of documents. The audience of your documents affects the accuracy of your document. As discussed in chapter 3 of Campbell, accuracy is very important in the legal side of policies and procedures.

Procedural documentation involves writing procedures which if written incorrectly could result in legal actions. An example would be if directions for the use of a software program which runs a piece of machinery were not fully explained and then results in injury, this then could lead to the company who wrote the procedure being sued.