This assignment will help you discover Web resources that will be valuable in your career and develop skills in evaluating the sites you find. It will also give you practice in tailoring your content for specific readers and in setting up a standard business memo.
Part A
Your purpose is to recommend three web sites that offer valuable resources to students in your career field.
Your readers are Parkland students who are majoring in your field and/or share your career goals. Decide exactly who they are and how your memo will be delivered to them -- at a club or association meeting, to a specific classroom group, in a new-student or graduation packet, etc. Analyze their current and future needs, why they chose this major, any specialized interests they may have in the field, their employment goals, how much progress they've made in their career preparation, etc.
Once you know exactly who your readers are, browse the Web to find sites that will help them prepare for and pursue their chosen career field. Spend some time at several sites and choose three that you think offer the greatest benefits. Possible types of sites might be:
Online journals and magazines
Article databases
Sites maintained by professional associations and organizations
Instructional sites or tutorials that teach academic or job-related skills
Networking opportunities -- chat rooms, news groups, discussion boards
Sites for job seekers -- employment listings, resume builders, interest and aptitude tests, etc.
Sites for those seeking further education -- continuing education resources, guides for choosing a four-year university or graduate school, etc.
There are hundreds of thousands of sites that offer career resources and advice. The quality varies widely, so be discerning. Before you make your final selections, think carefully about the purpose of each site and the motives of its sponsors. The best sites will be those that offer a large amount of original material on several different pages. Avoid selecting a site whose main (or only) purpose is to sell or promote just one product, service or institution. Commercial sites are okay if they feature helpful, objective content in addition to product promotions.
Browse the content of each site and look for specific features that would be interesting and helpful to those in your career field. Evaluate and take notes on:
Content: Who is the intended audience for the site? What is its purpose? What features and benefits does it offer your readers? How would your readers use the site in their academic and professional lives? How does its purpose and content compare to similar sites?
Author: Who is the author (authors) of this site? What is their purpose or motivation? Does the site tell you anything about their background, expertise and credibility?
Presentation: Is the site attractive, well organized, easy to navigate? How do the layout, colors and images enhance the information? Are there gimmicks and technology that overwhelm the content? Are there links to other worthwhile sites?
See Evaluating Internet Information for other questions that will help you judge the reliability of the sites you're considering.
Before you write, look at your notes and decide which points will be most relevant and interesting to your readers. Then write a memo of 500-750 words that recommends the three sites and explains and supports your evaluations.
Use an Introduction-Body-Conclusion structure to organize your discussion:
In the Introduction (1
paragraph, 2-4 sentences), capture your readers' attention by starting with
a general observation or idea that relates to their interests, needs,
problems, career goals, education, how they use the Web, etc. Relate that
idea to the purpose of your memo and the main benefit they can derive from
the sites you're recommending.
Maintain a broad focus. Don't mention specific sites in the
introductory paragraph. Avoid "announcing" your topic or purpose
("This memo will show ...").
In the Bodysubhead that identifies the site
by name and URL. Each section should be at least 125-150 words.
The first sentence of each section should focus on the
benefit -- the one main reason this site is valuable for your readers. Support that conclusion by analyzing and describing the quality
of the content, the authors' credentials, the visual presentation, how
it compares to similar sites, etc. Anticipate how your readers will use the
site and zero in on the features that you believe will be most helpful.
Include specific examples to explain and illustrate the
content and its benefits. You may want to include brief instructions to help
the reader find and use the features you're recommending..
In the Conclusion (1 paragraph, 2-4 sentences), re-emphasize the major benefit and recommend that your readers visit the sites. Avoid announcing the end of your paper ("In conclusion,...", "To summarize,...").
Some general tips:
Remember that your purpose is to evaluate and recommend the sites. Your purpose is NOT to summarize the content. You should include brief examples of the type of information that is available, but take care that you are not writing a memo that sounds like an encyclopedia entry. Tell your readers only what they need to know to understand your evaluation, visit the site and explore the content for themselves.
Keep the focus on your readers' needs and interests, not yours. Address your readers directly (use "you"). Eliminate ALL references to yourself (I, me, myself) and the work you did to find the sites.
Stress the practical benefits and explain how your readers can use each site. Tell them how the site can answer their questions and offer specific examples to illustrate your points. If needed, provide brief instructions on how to navigate the site and use special features.
Remember that this is a business memo, not a personal letter. Your memo should offer objective, well-supported evaluations, presented in language that conforms to "modern business style" -- simple and direct, but not overly formal; friendly and conversational, but not slangy.
Pay special attention to "reader signals". Use paragraph topic sentences and transitions to provide a context for the details you present. Aim for a paragraph length of about 3-5 sentences. See Four Secrets to Successful Writing for suggestions on how to use topic sentences, support material and transitions to develop strong paragraphs.
Set up the memo to conform to the business memo format in Chapter 55b of the Little, Brown Handbook. The heading should be:
TO: [Identify your
readers -- Students in Dr. Sims' Communications 131 course, for example, or
Members of the Parkland Agriculture Club]
FROM: [Your name]
DATE: [Today's date]
SUBJECT: [Identify your topic ]
To submit your memo, send it as a message to the Paper 2 folder.
Open the folder and choose "New post" from the menu
bar (top left).
On the Subject: line, type your last name and the
assignment number (Jones - 2).
Use cut-and-paste to transfer text from your word processor
to the HTML editing screen.
If you want to save your text as a draft for later editing,
click the + box next to "Advanced message options". Your draft will be
hidden from other students until you post it.
Check and format your text.
Click "Save" (bottom left) to post the message to the
folder
Complete the textbook readings (listed under Assignments) before you begin this project. You might also want to reread Four Secrets to Successful Writing and check out the other help files on the Writing Tools menu. Be sure you log in to Angel regularly. I'll be posting messages under the "Lessons" tab that will help you evaluate sites, organize your material and polish up your final presentation.
Part B
After you submit your memo, read all the other class members' memos in the folder. Choose three that interest you and visit the web sites, then send responses to the folder and to the three students who wrote the memos. For each response, open the original message and click "Reply" from the menu.
Write a brief message (1-2 paragraphs) that explains what it was about the memo or the recommended sites that caused you to select it. If you're in the same career field, you may want to add suggestions for other sites. Mention any especially interesting or insightful observations the author made. If you have a different opinion about the quality of the sites the writer chose, politely explain and offer support for your conclusions.
As before, if you receive responses to your memo, you may answer them privately, publicly or not at all. This project is finished when you write and send your responses to the three memos.
This memo -- including your replies to three of your classmates' memos -- is worth 10 percent of your course grade. I'll evaluate your memo according to the following criteria:
Does your site selection reflect careful searching and evaluation? Did you choose reliable, high-quality sites that offer real benefits to your readers?
Have you made it clear why you are recommending each site? Have you emphasized the features and benefits that are most relevant to your readers' education and careers?
Does your memo have a clear organizational structure with an introduction, body (with subheads) and conclusion?
Is there a thesis, presented in the first paragraph, that unifies your overall recommendation and clarifies your purpose?
Is your thesis adequately supported by specific observations, examples and analyses of the sites' content and design?
Are the paragraphs unified and coherent? Have you used topic sentences to set up the ideas and make transitions?
Have you set up your memo in the proper business-memo format described in the textbook?
Is your writing style free of repetition, wordiness and clichés? Is the text free of distracting errors?
Analyze your readers and decide how and where they will receive your memo.1.
2. Research web sites
that offer career resources and select three sites that you
think will be most beneficial to your readers.
3. Take notes, develop
an outline and write a memo (in proper business memo format)
of 500-750 words.
4. Reread ALL
the instructions on this page and in my posts in Angel. Double-check
your memo to be sure you've met all requirements.
Proofread your work before you post.
5. Log in to Angel and post your memo to the Paper 2 folder.
6. Read all
the memos from other class members and respond to at least three.
Send each response as a reply message to the Paper 2
folder with a cc: to the author.
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