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Chapter 1: Writing For Readers: 1. Academic, Public, and Work Communities

This document discusses different types of communities and writing. It begins by defining academic, public, and work communities. Academic communities focus on creating and sharing knowledge through learning. Public communities are defined by a shared location. Work communities consist of people within an organization. It then analyzes electronic communities, which are online communities that connect people virtually regardless of location through shared interests. The document concludes by discussing myths and realities about writing, such as the myths that writing is a gift rather than a learned skill, is only for transmitting information rather than exploring ideas, and involves a linear process rather than being recursive in nature.

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uzma nisar
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69 views2 pages

Chapter 1: Writing For Readers: 1. Academic, Public, and Work Communities

This document discusses different types of communities and writing. It begins by defining academic, public, and work communities. Academic communities focus on creating and sharing knowledge through learning. Public communities are defined by a shared location. Work communities consist of people within an organization. It then analyzes electronic communities, which are online communities that connect people virtually regardless of location through shared interests. The document concludes by discussing myths and realities about writing, such as the myths that writing is a gift rather than a learned skill, is only for transmitting information rather than exploring ideas, and involves a linear process rather than being recursive in nature.

Uploaded by

uzma nisar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 1: Writing for Readers

1. Academic, Public, and Work Communities


2. Analyzing Electronic Communities
3. Myths and Realities about Writing

1. Academic, Public, and Work Communities


The term community has two distinct commutative meanings: 1) Community can refer to a
usually small, social unit of any size that shares common values. The term can also refer to
the national community or international community, and 2) in biology, a community is a
group of interacting living organisms sharing a populated environment. However, Different
communities exhibit different characteristics and communication styles.

A community is not just a group of people bounded by a geographical links, such as a village,
settlement or district, but also includes those brought together by lifestyle, religion, hobby,
interest etc.

For example, the purpose of an Academic Community is to create, share and apply
knowledge. The primary activity in an academic community is learning. A university is an
example of academic community. Being a student of the university you are also member of
an academic community. Similarly, all of the people in a given location are an example of
the public community.

People working in an organization can be called as Work Community.

2. Analyzing Electronic Communities


Since the beginning of the Internet, the concept of community has less geographical
limitation, as people can now gather virtually in an online community and share common
interests regardless of physical location. Prior to the internet, virtual communities (like social
or academic organizations) were far more limited by the constraints of available
communication and transportation technologies.

Electronic communities all encourage interaction, sometimes focusing around a particular


interest or just to communicate.

Some online communities are linked geographically, and are known as community
websites. However, if one considers communities to simply possess boundaries of some
sort between their members and non-members, then an electronic community is
certainly a community.

Electronic communities resemble real life communities in the sense that they both provide
support, information, friendship and acceptance between strangers.

Electronic communities are used for a variety of social and professional groups; interactions
between community members vary from personal to purely formal. For example, an email
distribution list operates on an informational level. Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace are all
virtual communities. With these sites, one often creates a profile or account, and adds friends
or follows friends. This allows people to connect and look for support using the social
networking service as a gathering place. These websites often allow for people to keep up to
date with their friends and acquaintances’ activities without making much of an effort

3. Myths and Realities about Writing


Writing is often perceived as one of life's secret realms entered by only a privileged few.
Frequently we discover worthy writers who protect their interests by giving the impression
that to be a first-class writer you must analyze the mechanics of English for a good many
years and only after painstaking study will one be able to master the art. Here we will discuss
some of the Myths and Realities of Writing Well and Great Writing

Myth: Writing well is a gift.


Reality: Writing well is a learned skill.

Many people believe that great writers are born, not made – a most unfortunate
misconception. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, students are taught to write
through a structured process. With consistent formal instruction, extensive practice, and
helpful feedback, most students can become proficient writers.

Myth: Writing is for the transmission of information.


Reality: While in the end the writing may convey information, it’s major function is to
explore ideas. The danger of the information-transmission myth is that it focuses on how texts
are presented from the point of view of the reader rather than on what the act of writing can
accomplish for the developing thought of the writer. The writer is overlooked.

Myth: Writing is for communication.


Reality:The writer is always the FIRST reader and may often be the only reader.

Myth: Writing involves transferring thoughts from the mind to paper.


Reality: Thoughts are created in the act of writing, which changes the writer and changes the
emerging text.

Myth: Writing is permanent.


Reality: Speech, once uttered, can rarely be revised; writing can be reflected upon, altered,
and even erased at will.

Myth: Writing is a linear process.


Reality: Writing can be done in several places and directions concurrently and is as easily
manipulated in space as it is in time. Texts can be constructed from writing done on separate
pieces of paper; words, sentences, paragraphs, whole sections can be shuffled into different
sequences. Writing is recursive.

Myth: Writing is speech plus spelling and punctuation.


Reality: Every kind of writing has its own conventions of form and expression quite different
from speech. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing, indentation, word-dividing,
layout, and so forth, are necessary aspects of transcription necessary to make written
language readable for readers. For all writers, undue concern with transcription can interfere
with the exploratory aspects of writing.

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