Journal Entry for Jan.28

Business communication is a topic I don’t know much about. However, the importance of context when it comes to writing is a situation all writers have some knowledge about. Context is determined by many things- lifestyle, experience, knowledge, audience, and so on. Based on what Driskill is saying, in business writing, it is more about the existing writing situation or context, and the most appropriate course of action.
Page 59 talks about external sources of meaning and internal sources of meaning. It talks about the internal sources being more influential on the writers than external sources, as internal sources come directly from the goal or mission statement of the company. These companies usually know what works for them and what doesn’t. External sources, on the other hand, are relative. They can be interpreted and used as the writer sees fit. From a writer’s and a student’s point of view, writing assignments for a course have a similar function, as external sources in the mutual funds industry. The internal sources and what the teacher wants or instructs are synonymous. These internal sources “affect virtually every document” or piece of assignment that is written. In order to get an “A-paper reaction” from my teacher, I must follow his explicit instructions.
Internal and external sources, placed in context, will affect writers in companies, classrooms, even newspapers. So, it seems more prudent to have a mix of the two.

Quotes I found interesting:

“Communication in organizational contexts is essential to the vitality, and even to the survival, of organizations and society in a technical era.”

“Individuals are sources of meaning and their preferences can affect writing practices.”

“The “subject” or “topic” is not context-free, but situated, involved in what the members of the organization must know, feel, or believe in order to accomplish their goals.”

The article “Making a Guide with Style” is quite relevant for me, as I have to utilize various writing styles for the different articles I write. Working at the newspaper, we are instructed to use AP style, so within that organization, it would be ‘web site.’
In academic writing, I find it easier to use APA style, as it seems more organized than MLA, and it also makes my writing flow better. When writing for magazines, such as Go Riverwalk, they usually use Chicago style in their writing. For each organization, there is a required format.
CTC creating its own manual or style guide seems logical to me because of the many formatting styles out there; employees will probably get overwhelmed or constantly be asking questions, such as ‘is it web site, Website or website.’
To have a set structure or model for employees to follow in an organization sets the standards for those employees, which benefits the organization, in creating optimal quality work, and takes some of the stress off the writers.