A Quick Reference Guide typically serves the purpose of explaining a topic, ranging from something as simple as coffee to as complex as world issues, in a relatively short article. This allows the reader to understand the basics of the issue they are interested in without having to know every detail.
Where, how, or in what context do readers usually find this genre?
This genre is typically found in magazines or on websites that is focused mainly on entertainment/sports news. However there are also Quick Reference Guides relating to national and/or world issues that can be found on websites of major news contributors.
Who is the typical audience for this genre?
I feel as though the audience for this genre can vary greatly depending on the content of the article. For example, a Quick Reference Guide that is about a popular pop singer would attract an audience of younger readers that relate to the person the article is about. An article about a world issue would typically attract an older audience or people interested in politics. Quick Reference Guides are a great way for people of any age to obtain quick information about a subject they wish to know more about.
What are some of the key features or characteristics that are unique to this genre, distinguishing it from other texts?
Throughout my research of this genre, I have found that most Quick Reference Guides have a variety of subheads, sometimes posed as questions, throughout the text. These subheads make the text easier to read because the content is logically put into different sections. Also, most Quick Reference Guides have pictures, illustrations, or charts imbedded in the text as well, helping the reader visualize what the author is talking about in that part of the article.
Based on your answers to the questions above, come up with a definition in your own words for this genre.
My definition for a Quick Reference Guide would be that a Quick Reference Guide is a short article or piece of text with an intended use for informing an audience about the broad issue or point of a wide variety of topics.
REFLECTION
I read James and Tianna's posts and they both wrote about quick reference guides as well. They both did a great job explaining them. I thought that the strength in James' post was explaining more in depth how the quick reference guides are used by mentioning politics and news throughout his post. Tianna's post was laid out very clean and was easy for me to read and also contained great information. I also read her reflection and can completely relate to her feeling as though her writing style is different because that is how I feel, so it was nice to see someone else feels the same. Overall I am excited for this class and this whole new experience using Blogger because I have never used something like this before.
I wrote on quick reference guides as well, and (don't tell anyone) but I thought you did a much better job than I did at explaining exactly what they are in an easy to understand way. It was very concise, informative, and to the point. Are we allowed to say "well done"? ...because well done:)
ReplyDeleteNote 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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