Audience Analysis of a Usenet Newsgroup  

For this exercise, you will be working with and expanding on the concepts of audience discussed in the textbook by completing these preliminary tasks: · Selecting a Usenet newsgroup that discusses issues in your field · Writing and posting a relevant question to the newsgroup · Collecting responses to your question After completing these tasks, you will write a report in which you evaluate your success in adjusting your communication to your chosen audience. In the process of completing this assignment, you will gain a more sophisticated understanding of audience and get better acquainted with the kinds of interactions with professionals and students that are possible on the Internet.

Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Audience Analysis>Online

Conducting a Productive Web Search

There are two main types of indexes: those that are hierarchical (i.e. that lead one from a general topic to a more specific one) and those that list sources in some sort of order (most commonly alphabetical).  The first type of index often contains a broad range of topics while the second are usually sources designed to address a particular topic or concern.

Purdue University (1998). Academic>Course Materials>Online>Search

Researching on the Internet  

There are enormous advantages and disadvantages to using the Internet as a source for research. The Internet can be a very convenient way of finding up-to-the-minute data quickly and easily; however, it can also present difficulties for researchers, as it is not edited (as newspapers and magazines are). Anyone with the knowledge and access to a server can publish anything. As a result, it’s difficult to know whether your sources are reliable. Ideally, of course, the Internet should be used in conjunction with more traditional resources like journals and newspapers. (You should generally use as many types of reliable sources as possible in your research.) For this exercise, you will be searching for information on the Internet (preferably about a topic you’re working on in this or another class) and reporting on the search and the results. Your purpose in reporting on your search will be to recommend to your audience, which should be another student or even a professor in your field, whether or not she or he should use the Internet as a source for research. If so, how can she or he use the Internet most effectively for researching in your field? If not, why not?

Burnett, Rebecca E. Thomson (2001). Academic>Course Materials>Online