{"title":"Strategy of Technical Content Marketing in an Entrepreneurial Tech Company: Using the Funnel-Bucket Model to Guide the Message and Media","authors":"Scott A. Mogull","doi":"10.55177/tc862277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc862277","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: In this article, the content strategy for technical content marketing (TCM) is examined for a start-up tech company, Terra Solar, commercializing a \"do-it- yourself\" (DIY) home solar power kit that makes clean energy more affordable and accessible to a wider range of\u0000 consumers. Notably, this article illustrates the role of technical communication in technical content marketing using the funnel-bucket model, a framework for implementing content strategy for new products, to inform the communication goals of an entrepreneurial technology company and provides\u0000 a framework for implementing content marketing publication strategy for new technical products. Method: This case study integrates theory, research, and industry practices of content strategy, technical content marketing, advertising, digital marketing, and technical communication.\u0000 Results: This article situates strategic marketing plans with the theory of content strategy and includes a review of the latest research in content marketing to provide readers with a research-based guide for planning the commercialization strategy for technology products. Conclusion:\u0000 This case study describes the use of the funnel-bucket model as a framework for planning TCM genres to provide a coordinated set of informative and persuasive product-related information through multiple media platforms to reach target technical buyers.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44957005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparing the Multimodality of Chinese and US Corporate Homepages: The Importance of Understanding Local Cultures","authors":"Wenjuan Xu, Xingsong Shi","doi":"10.55177/tc262737","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc262737","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: In this cross-cultural study, we investigated the similarities and differences in the multimodality of Chinese and U. S. corporate homepages. Method: We collected the homepages of 35 Chinese and 35 U. S. companies' local websites. We developed a framework for\u0000 annotating different types of multimodal elements presented on corporate homepages. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, we compared the verbal-visual composition and arrangement on Chinese and U. S. homepages in terms of textual, pictorial, diagrammatic, and video elements. Results:\u0000 We found salient differences in the use of multimodal resources between Chinese and U. S. homepages. Chinese homepages overall made greater use of textual and video resources, with emphasis placed on directional textual elements and Flash animations and videos. They also tended to arrange\u0000 multiple news titles in a list, employ parallelly placed pictures, and use more QR codes. In contrast, U. S. homepages preferred to present individual news headlines with news summaries attached, use one large background picture with subordinate elements embedded in them, and offer more social\u0000 media icons for further connection. Conclusion: The differentiated approaches to deploying multimodal resources between Chinese and U. S. corporate homepages were closely associated with the distinctive cultural orientations and communication styles between these two countries.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46289568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"What They Were Thinking: Communal Rationality, Strategic Action Fields, and the Launch Plan for Oxycontin","authors":"Michael J. Madson","doi":"10.55177/tc749689","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc749689","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Few studies in our field have investigated corporate communications at the origins of the United States opioid crisis, which arguably began around the mid-1990s. Such analyses can illuminate executives and managers' collective thinking at the time (that is, \"communal\u0000 rationality\"), nuance our public narratives, and recommend ways that technical communicators can engage further with this public health tragedy. Thus, this article surfaces the communal rationality expressed in the launch plan for OxyContin, which I obtained through a Freedom of Information\u0000 Act request. This is perhaps the first close reading of a pharmaceutical launch plan in our scholarly literature. Method: Following precedent in other research, I applied a three-point heuristic based on the concept of strategic action fields: what is going on and what is at stake,\u0000 what interpretive frames are constructed, and what the rules of the game are. Results: The communal rationality expressed in the launch plan involves a complex tangle of cultural knowledge, including state and national laws, guidelines, classes of analgesics, and industry practices.\u0000 The writers effectively translate this knowledge into opportunities, positioning statements, strategies, and tactics. Conclusion: In some ways, the launch plan is an exemplary piece of technical and professional communication, but its treatment of ethics and risk is highly problematic—arguably\u0000 making it an example of communication failure as well. Future research should delve deeper into the opioid crisis, exploring additional promotions, genres, drugs, and methodologies.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47017674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Incorporating Computer-Mediated Communications in EFL Reading","authors":"H. Shang","doi":"10.55177/tc454765","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc454765","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The incorporation of computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been widely used in recent English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching and learning due to the rapid advancement of technology. Despite the prevalence of online CMC communications, previous research has\u0000 yielded mixed results, and empirical evidence on how online communications affect student reading comprehension is limited. This study compares the effects of online asynchronous and synchronous communications on EFL reading comprehension in a Taiwanese collaborative learning context. Method:\u0000 Ten reading comprehension tests and an online questionnaire survey were administered to 100 university students enrolled in two senior reading classes in Southern Taiwan. Independent-sample t-tests, descriptive statistics, and Pearson product-moment correlation analyses were computed to investigate\u0000 the differences and relationships between perceived asynchronous and synchronous communication use on EFL reading comprehension performance. Results: The findings revealed that participants used the synchronous communication mode more frequently than the asynchronous mode. The reading\u0000 score obtained through the synchronous group was slightly higher than that obtained through the asynchronous group; no statistically significant difference was found. As students practiced more in asynchronous and synchronous communication modes, their reading comprehension ability improved\u0000 significantly. Conclusion: Although learners generally accept both online communication modes, the open-ended question results reveal several disadvantages and advantages of online communication environments. The study's limitations, as well as the implications for instructional pedagogy\u0000 and future research, are presented and discussed.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43618249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Convergent Practices in Social Media Videos: Examining Genre Conventions in Business-to-Consumer Content","authors":"Brandon C. Strubberg, Chase Mitchell","doi":"10.55177/tc817333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc817333","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Technical communication (tech comm) and marketing communication (marcomm) are converging in business-to-consumer (B2C) contexts. Convergent videos integrate practices from both genres to address ever-changing digital audiences. In this paper, we review available literature\u0000 and analyze tech comm and marcomm social media videos to demonstrate traditional genre conventions. We then analyze a select couple of convergent social media videos to delineate genre conventions across genres. We end by considering four unique convergent strategies that these videos used\u0000 in combining elements of the tech comm and marcomm genres. Methods: We selected several social media videos produced by large home improvement brands to analyze the generic practices they employ in relation to accepted best practices in the literature from scholars in tech comm and\u0000 marcomm. We then analyze videos that fit neither genre in light of recent publications by Adobe discussing genre convergence and note several distinct genre practices that can be ascribed to convergent videos. Results: We find that convergent characteristics are distinct from tech comm\u0000 and marcomm. The brands employ convergent practices in some social media videos that blend genre conventions from tech comm and marcomm video production.Specifically, we identify four ways that these genres converge: using technical tasks as marketing opportunities, balancing corporate branding\u0000 with mundane user ethos, layering content pathways across the interface, and capturing attention with relevance. Conclusion: Convergence represents a new genre in that it purposefully attempts to engage users across the product lifecycle in single videos. This approach is a departure\u0000 from traditional marcomm and tech comm video production. Though limited in scope, this analysis provides examples of how convergent videos attempt to achieve this goal. We end by noting our limitations and offering suggestions for future research.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49344834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Elements of an Emergent Style Guide for Kickstarter","authors":"Stephen Carradini, Eric C. Nystrom","doi":"10.55177/tc679601","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc679601","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Crowdfunding campaigns are a way to secure capital for organizations, entrepreneurs, artists, and more. Little research has focused on stylistic aspects of text associated with successful campaigns. Method: We used corpus analysis to analyze the text of 312,529\u0000 Kickstarter campaigns. We used a novel scoring method to compute how often verbs and words surrounding verbs were associated with success or failure. We then identified prominent stylistic aspects of text that were often included in successful and unsuccessful campaigns. Results: Stylistic\u0000 elements strongly associated with success included using we instead of I, using contractions instead of full forms of verbs, inviting the reader to join the project and receive rewards, and projecting confidence via will instead of the more uncertain would .\u0000 Conclusion: Stylistic findings interact. Specifically, using we and contractions together indicates outcomes strongly associated with success. Broadly, each of the findings point toward creators of campaigns attempting to build trust in the readers. The elements of this\u0000 emergent style work together toward a goal of producing campaign text that describes a campaign readers accept and trust as likely to succeed.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44210274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Framework for Understanding Cognitive Biases in Technical Communication","authors":"Quan Zhou","doi":"10.55177/tc131231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc131231","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The communication of technical information is often susceptible to cognitive biases. Technical communicators need to understand cognitive biases and know how to tackle them accordingly. This article devises a framework of principles that provides technical communicators an operable affordance and a vocabulary to approach cognitive biases and to communicate empathetically. Method: I review a vast body of literature in technical communication with a focus on problems caused by cognitive biases. This work reveals significant problems in information visualization that can provide for a nuanced discussion on cognitive biases in technical communication. Using these problems as a guide, I draw upon cognitive theories in how people use information, the prospect theory about how people make decisions, and the self-determination theory about how such decisions are influenced by the social context. I then assemble a framework of principles that illuminates the workings of cognitive biases. I extrapolate sample questions that technical communicators can use to examine cognitive biases in information visualization and technical communication. Results: The framework of principles explains how cognitive biases affect technical communication. These principles are useful for gaining a deeper understanding of users from a cognitive bias perspective and optimizing for empathetic communication. Conclusion: Technical communicators and users are prone to cognitive biases. The framework of principles, cognitive biases, and sample questions presented in this article provide technical communicators a new lens to examine their work and improve user experience.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48860706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Increasing Inclusion in Technical Communication Academic Programs","authors":"Chris Dayley","doi":"10.55177/tc963195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc963195","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: Technical communication (TC) academic programs are responsible for training future technical communication practitioners. Increasing diversity in the field starts with increasing diversity in academic programs and helping students from diverse backgrounds to graduate.\u0000 Previous research has shown a lack of diversity in technical communication academic programs and a lack of inclusive practices in higher education in general. This study seeks to show how technical communication program administrators can increase support for students from underrepresented\u0000 racial and ethnic backgrounds through better inclusion. Method: I conducted qualitative interviews with undergraduate students, graduate students, and pre-tenured faculty members regarding their experiences in technical communication academic programs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed,\u0000 and coded for emerging themes. Results: Interview participants identified several areas where TC academic programs can increase inclusion, including focusing on inclusion rather than simply increasing diversity, problems with microaggressions, lack of representation, and the complications\u0000 brought about by intersectionality. Conclusion: TC academic programs, like higher education in general, are interested in increasing diversity. However, rather than focusing on simply increasing the number of students from diverse backgrounds, TC programs should focus on increasing\u0000 program inclusiveness. This includes actively including diverse voices in program decision making and being willing to make changes based on the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of traditionally marginalized people. These recommendations can also be used by practitioners to begin increasing inclusion\u0000 in the workplace.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44898071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Visual Translation, Design, and Language Justice: a Case Study from North Central Florida","authors":"Valentina Sierra-Niño, Laura Gonzales","doi":"10.55177/tc406986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc406986","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: This article presents a case study of how a bilingual technical communicator and a bilingual visual designer collaborated to visualize stories of language access in North Central Florida. Method: We combined participatory methods used in technical communication\u0000 (Agboka, 2013; Rose and Cardinal, 2018) with interviews and design methods (Gonzalez Viveros et al., 2020) from both technical communication and visual design. The goal of the study was to document the languages spoken by immigrant community members in North Central Florida, to interview immigrant\u0000 community members about their languages, and to transform interview data into visual designs that could inspire conversation about language justice in our community. Results: By transforming interview data into visual designs (i. e., collages), we were able to understand the complexity\u0000 that language plays in the lives of multilingual communities, gaining insights into both the challenges and the advantages of speaking multiple languages as immigrants in North Central Florida. Conclusion: We encourage other technical communication and design researchers to implement\u0000 visual data approaches in their work, particularly when working with participants whose language histories span beyond white American Englishes. As technical communication continues expanding into more global contexts and as language diversity continues to be a reality in contemporary technical\u0000 communication work, interdisciplinary collaborations among technical communicators, translators, and designers, will continue to gain importance and impact, particularly in community- driven projects.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45442325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"It's Not Just What You Say, It's How You Say It: Mitigating the Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions with Effective Content","authors":"A. Bonsignore","doi":"10.55177/tc344445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.55177/tc344445","url":null,"abstract":"Purpose: The goal of this article is to provide a tutorial for measuring the sustainability impacts of our content. Sustainability considerations should be just as important as the accessibility and usability of content. Fortunately, following our known best practices for effective\u0000 content creation and governance also results in a smaller carbon footprint. This not only benefits the planet but also positions content creators as valuable business assets. Method: An extensive literature review led to the development of processes and guidelines that connect our existing\u0000 best practices for content with a new paradigm for sustainable content. Results: This tutorial will examine five content scenarios and the relative impacts of each: modifications to individual web pages, content governance (removal of redundant, outdated, and trivial content), email\u0000 blasts, videos, and podcasts. Metrics will be provided for justifying content decisions to management, and recommendations will be given for both optimizing usability and sustainability. Conclusion: Merging established best practices for content creation and curation with measurable\u0000 energy-to-emissions data gives us powerful tools for justifying content choices and demonstrating measurable value to both the organization and the planet.","PeriodicalId":46338,"journal":{"name":"Technical Communication","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2023-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48027794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}