Jorge Guerrero

Q1. If a website can be viewed by people from all around the world, how can it be translated to a different language?

Q2. For how long can a website last active?

Q3. How screenshots are done in order to use them as visuals in a document?

Proposals

Proposals are documents that describe new projects, present innovative ideas, offer new strategies, and promote services. The purpose of a proposal is to share ideas and plans for the reader consideration. All big projects star with a proposal. It is very important to know how to write them. Proposals should be written as persuasive documents because most of the times the writer will want the reader to do something based on the proposals information.

There are two kinds of proposals, internal and external. Internal proposals are written to plan or propose new projects within the company. External proposals are used to communicate or persuade the clients outside the company. All proposals should include an introduction, which is in charge of defining the subject. All proposals should describe the current situation. In other words, it is during this phase that the writer will define the problem. After the problem has been defined, a solution to that problem should be carefully described. In order to show that you are qualified to solve the problem, a qualifications section is required. In order for the reader to be informed about the costs and benefits of making a project out of the proposal, a costs and benefits section should be included in the proposal. Graphics will come in the form of charts, graphs, maps, illustrations, photographs that will be used to support important points. For a proposal, a rhetorical situation should be defined, this will help to have a document written to the right people, about the right subject, and at the right moment.

Almost every big or little project started with a proposal from one company to another. An effective proposal is the key to lead way to a new project because it is here were a relation between proposer and the client starts.

Designing Websites

Websites are virtual documents floating around a world wide web. Today, it is the most popular way to share documents and to communicate around the world. Websites can be very helpful because they help you find information and also to share information with people all around the world. The main goal of websites is to inform and to persuade people about a certain topic. This one should be very careful when designing a website. A very similar pattern used to write documents should be used to design website.

All websites should contain a homepage, which will be introducing the subject of the website. Node pages are directly linked to the home page and they will subdivide the website’s content into smaller topics. The navigation page will help the used search for the information they need within the website. Pages within a website will contain facts, pictures, and other information that needs to be informed to the reader. When creating a website it should be kept in mind the five W and How questions in order to determine its rhetorical situation. A website should have a purpose, subject, context of use, and should address the readers’ needs. Just like any other document a website should have a topic, and a purpose for having that topic. Style in a website is very important because it is the first thing the user will notice as soon as they enter to the home page.

I believe websites are the most reliable way of communication around the world. They are just electronic documents that can be accessed by anyone around the world in order to inform or persuade. Designing a good website is the key to achieving its main goal. An effective website is the one that has a clear subject and a purpose. Keeping in mind the context of use and the readers needs is essential when designing a website.

Creating and Using Graphics

When looking at a document it is very satisfying to find graphs that will help understand the information in the document. Graphs and diagrams will explain in less word paragraphs of information put together. During this review of chapter 11, four guidelines for using graphics will be explained.

In order to effectively use a graph in a document one should keep in mind four guidelines for using visuals. Guideline one refers to being able to tell a story from just looking at a graph. Organization of information in a graph is the key to give the reader a clear view of the information being explained. Guideline two refers to being able to strengthen the written text with the use of strong graphs that will not replace information but support information already written. Guideline three explains that a graph should be ethical. A graph should not hide information, distort facts, or exaggerate treads. Unethical graphs will sometimes hide information that might affect the purpose of the document. Ethical visualizations will show honest information. Unethical visualizations will be detected by the reader and ruin the entire documents credibility. Guideline four explains the importance of labeling and placing a graph properly. The x and y axis should be labeled. When using different colors to represent information a key should be shown in order to identify the information.

There are many different kinds of graphs that will help understand the information presented in a document. It doesn’t matter if it’s a line graph or a bar chart, it would be good to keep in mind the four guidelines for using visualization in a document. Graphs will help the reader digest the information without having to visualize the information in their mind.

Letters and Memos

When people write to communicate with each other they typically choose to write letters and memos. Letters and memos are written to communicate formal messages, such as results of important decisions, formal inquiries, refusals, and new policies. The increase of formality in a letter or memo ensures that the reader will be reading the paper. Even today with the technology to send an e-mail instantly, letters or memos written in paper express that they are more important than e-mails.

Memos and letters will contain similar content, the difference would be that a letter will be send to people outside the organization or company and memos are sent to people within the company or organization. Letters and memos consist of a basic pattern which includes at the beginning a header, followed by an introduction, after the intro comes the body, and at the end comes the conclusion. Memos require a signature. Letters and memos also serve as transmittal documents, which mean that it will help introduce a document by explaining its purpose and clearly stating who should receive it. Letters and memos should be planned keeping in mind who will be the reader, why will they be reading, where will the letter or memo be read, what the point of the paper is, and how will this letter or memo be used. The purpose of the letter or memo should really be easy for the reader to understand. The purpose usually is to inform, to explain, to complain, to congratulate, to answer, to confirm, to respond, to apologize, among others.

E-mails shouldn’t be defined as informal because most e-mails communicate important information to other people any where in the world in a matter of seconds. Very important information flow around the world in the form of letters and memos this is why they should never be replaced by e-mails or instant message.

Designing Documents and Interfaces

Today, it is very important to have an attractive and easy to read document regardless of what format it is to be written in. it would be a waste of information if it was presented with no headings, graphics, or lists, because the reader probably wouldn’t even want to start reading the document.

There are five basic principles of design. These principles will help create an inviting document were the reader will find it easy to locate the information they need. Five principles to consider when designing a document include balance, alignment, grouping, consistency, and contrast. Balance provides stability and structure to a design. Weight or data should be evenly distributed within the pages. Balance can be achieved by placing a large element on one side of the design and several small ones on the other side. Alignment creates a sharper, more ordered design. Aligning elements allow them to create a visual connection with each other. It eliminates messy effects which come where items are placed randomly. Grouping helps create organization. By grouping similar elements together or in close proximity a relationship between elements is created. It also helps the reader to focus on where they will start reading and where they should finish reading. Consistency strengthens a design by tying together individual elements. It helps achieve association among elements. “The consistent repetition of an element is widely used in multy-page documents & websites”, (maddisondesigns.com). Contrast helps highlight key elements within the design. Contrast is needed to differentiate from two or more elements that are opposite. Contrast can be achieved using different font color, font styles, or different font thickness.

Good design on a document can really determine how successful it will be. It will help understand the basics of the document and allow communicating the key theme.

Activity Reports

Activity reports really help a company maintain track of activities within the company. There are 6 basic features that make up an activity report. These features are introduction, summary of activities, results of activities or research, future activities or research, incurred or future expenses, and graphics. There are different types of activity reports depending on the purpose of the report.

All forms of activity reports share on goal- to objectively inform readers about what happened, what is happening, and what will happen in the future. Progress reports are written to inform a supervisor, associate, or customers about progress you’ve make on a project over a certain period of time. Progress reports are written when it takes over three or four months to complete a project. Briefings and white papers refer to authoritative reports or guide that often addresses issues and how to solve them. “White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions”, (Wikipedia.org). An incident report is a form that is filled out in order to record details of unusual events that occurs at a certain place. Laboratory reports are written to describe experiments, test, or inspections. Lab reports include a summary of the experiments, a presentation of the results, and discussion of the results. Planning and researching activity reports shouldn’t be too complex since the writer already has most of the information in order to put together the information you have to ask yourself who will read the report, why, where, when, how might the report be used, and what information do they need to know.

Activity reports are very useful in order to maintain precise record of a certain activity being performed. Activity reports are informative as well and really play an important role in news papers and informative articles. Today it is very easy to find samples of activity reports, for example; as soon pick up a science book laboratory reports will flourish.

Readers and Context of Use

When a professional document is to be written, identifying the reader is very important. It could be as important as the information in the document itself. There are some questions the writer should ask himself in order to write a good paper.

In order to create a well oriented document the writer should have an idea of who will be reading the document, what will the reader need, where and when will the document be read, why the reader is interested, and how the document will be read. In order to accomplish an effective paper the writer should realize that the reader will be looking only for information they really need. The writer should make a document organized enough to get the right interpretation of it by the reader. The document should be concise, meaning that the reader doesn’t need a very long and hard to read document, but one with good information expressed in simple sentences. A reliable document should include visuals like graphs in order to make it easier to read.

The reader will be pleased no matter race or cultures with the document as long as the writer keeps in mind his needs, values, and attitudes. I believe profiling the reader is one of the most important steps in writing a document simply because no matter how much information is given in this document, if it’s not aimed correctly it will be worthless.

Origanizing and Drafting

Today it is very easy to find information about a certain topic. A library can have several books just for one subject and the internet holds huge amounts of information which can be accessed just by typing key words on any search engine. The problem is that it doesn’t matter how much information you have, if it’s not organized it could be worthless. In order for information to be used in any way it needs to be organized into a document, this way it will be transmitted to the reader. A basic document includes an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

The introduction section of a document will state the purpose and goals of the document and the subject will be introduced. It will be during this phase that the writer will make his best afford to gain the attention of the reader. The body of a document contains the content, evidence, and purpose. During this phase the purpose of the document will be explained in great detail in order for the reader to take action or make a decision. The conclusion is the final phase of a document. During the conclusion the main ideas should be summarized. It would be a good idea to give your own opinion over these main ideas during this final phase. Visualization to the future should be included in the conclusion, which describes how the writer will be impacted by the readers’ actions. A document can be presented in a hard copy form or using a presentation software. A good presentation using software such as PowerPoint should be organized similarly as if it was going to be presented as a paper document.

Incredible amounts of information flow all around as today but we have to be able to organize if it’s going to be used in any way. I believe a good introduction will be fundamental if you want the reader to really pay attention to the rest of the document. It would be sad to have really good information and ideas but a weak introduction because changes are that the reader wouldn’t reach the body of the document.

Ethics in the Technical Workplace

This topic is very interesting because it walks about the important role ethics play in the technical work place. It is incredible how much influence ethical behavior has in today businesses. From what I understood ethics involves philosophy (moral philosophy). It brings together concepts like morals, law, good and bad, justice, and values. At first I didn’t understand how ethics or moral philosophy could have any impact on today’s globalized technical work place, but now I understand that in today’s world, morals and ethics could make the difference between succeeding or failing in the work place.

Values come from personal ethics, social ethics, and conservational ethics. Personal ethics can be referred as an internal guide that tells if something is right or wrong. This internal guide is motivated by family influence religious beliefs, and cultural values. Family influences refer to parents who will tell their children what is right and wrong, and of course they put themselves as living examples to follow. Religious beliefs or faith refers to following spiritual laws. Culture values refer to the style of life that surrounds us. Social ethics are values derived from constitutional, legal, utilitarian, and caring sources. Conservational ethics main focus is to maintaining the health of the natural world. Some internet websites can be really harmful because sometimes they are unethical. They will promise the user that it is safe to do business with them and all of the sudden your identity has been stolen.

Ethics in the technical workplace really plays an important role when doing business. It can be very easy to get in trouble when we fall in unethical companies, websites, or even just a singular person. The best way to go is to show ethical values every time we do business, do homework, or even in personal relationships