Summer A Blog Post I

Blog Posting I (Summer A)

This first blog posting deals with an ethical question.  Remember, there is no right or wrong answer.  Suppose a colleague of yours left her computer on.   You try your best to mind your own business, but the temptation overwhelms your senses of decency (not that you really had any to begin with).  So, as you peer over the desk, you see an unsent email on her screen.   With famished eyes, you read the text, perusing every juicy morsel of text.  It appears that, Jane, your colleague and competitor, has left the following message for your accidental perusal:

Dear Rich:

After last night together, I decided that I want to run away with you. I know it's crazy, but crazy and love go together fire and passion.  I don't care about my husband or kids.  All I care about is you.  I miss the strong squeeze of your arms around my waist and your heavy breathing against my cheek at night ;-)  It's hard to go an hour without your firm, gentle touch.

I know you worry that my husband will find out.  Well, you shouldn't.  He doesn't know anything about us.  Actually, he really believes I still love him.  I can hide from him, but I can't hide from you.  Hold me, take me, and love me.

Jane X0X0

Now you stand at the computer with the power to wreck the lives of two people employed within the company. Rich is the senior technical writer and Jane is a products specialist.  Both are employees of Mastech, a microchip company.  You never liked Jane, and she is your direct competitor for the big promotion.

 No one is in the office at the moment.  You have four scenarios to choose from.  Pick one of them and write your first response on your own personal blog page.

(I)You decide to cc Jane's email to everyone in the company.  Do you think doing this would be a justifiable action?  What might happen to the people involved should everyone know Jane's feelings about Rich?  Could you gain anything by doing something to hurt these two?  What might you lose if you sent the email?

(2)Read over chapter 11 of your text and discuss how Jane is incorrectly using email?  Also, what legal trouble could Jane face by sending this email through work?

(3)You decide to do nothing.  Despite your hatred for Jane, you don't want to risk any backlash from the parties involved.  Is this is a wise decision?  Would your personal outcome be better or worse if you decide to walk away?

(4)Suddenly, Jane appears in the cubicle, startling you.  She demands to know what you are doing in her work area.  How would handle this situation?  Would you mention that you read her email to Rich?  Would you threaten her with that evidence?  Or would you feign ignorance?

Last Blog: Summer B

For your last blog, I would like you to draft a one-paragraph proposal for the formal analytical report. Try to decide in this paragraph whether or not you want to do a research paper or a newsletter.  When you have your idea, think how the four contexts of use (ethical, physical, economic, and political) might influence your paper's topic. Name your document's purpose---inform, persuade, report, resolve, etc.---, and make a plan of action, detailing how will you begin and complete this assignment.  To receive full credit, I must see the following items mentioned in your blog:
(1)You have decided to do a research paper or a newsletter.
(2)Pick two of the contexts of use and apply their relevancy to your topic.
(3)Name your document's purpose.
(4)With at least three sentences, detail your plan of action for completing this assignment.
Good luck! It's been fun reading your blogs, and I look forward to reading this one.

Blog III and IV (Summer B)

This blog posting is worth double points.  I strongly suggest you take the time to do it well.  For this posting, you must look to the future.  You have completed your education, and now you must find a job of some kind.  To get full points, you must answer the following questions: (1) What’s your dream job is and how you plan to apply (are you going to consult the paper, jobsearch.com, or some other source?); (2) What are your salary expectations? (3) How you plan to dress for the interview?  (4) Suppose the interviewer asks you what your greatest weakness is.  What would be your response to that question? You must write at least two paragraphs to receive full credit for this assignment.

Summer B: Blog II

(2)Suppose you had to draft a technical document for a company.   Before doing so, you have to take your audience into consideration.  Using Chapter 3 to guide you, come up with a document that you would like to write for a certain company.  To get full credit for this posting you must do the following: (1)Create your own fictitious company;  (2) define the purpose of the company and their document; (3) name the genre of your document;  (4) briefly discuss  the physical, economic, and political contexts of your document.

Summer B: Blog B

(1)For this first blog posting, I would like you to pretend that you an angry email from a colleague of yours.  The email contains abusive language and fabricated accusations that you neglected company policies.  For full credit, you must answer the following questions:  (1) What is your first course of action? Are you immediately going to respond, or are you going to wait to craft your response? (2) Will you run to a higher authority, a boss or a supervisor, to help you with your email, or will you handle it alone? (3) Write a brief, three-to-four sentence message to your accuser.  Make sure you consider points about Email Netiquette as found in the Chapter 13.

Blog V: Formal Analytical Report Proposal

For your last blog, I would like you to draft a one-paragraph proposal for the formal analytical report. Try to decide in this paragraph whether or not you want to do a research paper or a newsletter.  When you have your idea, think how the four contexts of use (ethical, physical, economic, and political) might influence your paper's topic. Name your document's purpose---inform, persuade, report, resolve, etc.---, and make a plan of action, detailing how will you begin and complete this assignment.  To receive full credit, I must see the following items mentioned in your blog:
(1)You have decided to do a research paper or a newsletter.
(2)Pick two of the contexts of use and apply their relevancy to your topic.
(3)Name your document's purpose.
(4)With at least three sentences, detail your plan of action for completing this assignment.
Good luck! It's been fun reading your blogs, and I look forward to reading this one.