atw: Audience Analysis

  • From: "Michelle Hallett" <michelle@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:14:45 +1100

Following on from my comment to Brian, I got to thinking (always dangerous,
I know) and it seems to me that we don't talk much about audience analysis
and how it's done on this list. 

I'm wondering what people mean by audience analysis. I've always thought we
meant pitching our text to the audience (what jargon do they understand, how
educated are they etc). I'm wondering if we should also include our
audience's reading habits, as in the example I gave to Brian where newspaper
articles are structured to take advantage of the way in which newspaper
readers shift from article to article as they read or on the internet, where
readers skim what is visible on the screen and based on the content can
elect to scroll further. Some of what Christine's saying may relate to this
(though she should comment on this).

It seems to me that no one reads a user manual from beginning to end. Maybe
they read a business case that way (though I suspect they decide after the
first few paragraphs whether to read on). How many of us structure user
manuals the same way we structured our uni essays? How many of us think
about structure? (Note, I'm not accusing anyone, I'm raising this as
something we might discuss).

Michelle


-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michelle Hallett
Sent: Saturday, 21 November 2009 8:11 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: The New World Order

Brian,

Guess you don't know much about journalism then. In the single course I did
no journalism at uni we were taught to put our conclusions in the first
paragraph and then the most relevant facts, followed by facts that were
pertinent to the topic but not as relevant to the conclusion. 

The reason for this format: most readers read the first few paragraphs of an
article and, unless deeply interested in the topic, move on to other
articles in a newspaper. This format provides the reader with an
understanding of the main thrust of the article.

I haven't read Matthew's article but if it has a long, irrelevant tail it is
probably written in correct journalistic format. Given that this format was
devised for newspapers perhaps it should be revised, but I don't think so. I
think this style fits well with the way people read on the internet.

Michelle


-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Brian Clarke
Sent: Friday, 20 November 2009 10:54 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: The New World Order

Matthew,
I am an electrical engineer. I read your puff. Nice writing. But hard facts?

Poof! STOP.
Brian.
BTW - I have no respect for your leaving a great long, irrelevant tail on 
your message. 


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