If you watched this past Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia, you may have had a few odd questions. Abby Ohlheiser and Connor Simpson of The Wire posted a QRG on the site that highlights some of the confusing aspects of the opening ceremonial show.
If you took the time to read through the article and connect the dots from event to explanation, then you just read through a carefully thought out quick reference guide. In the rest of this post I will address the conventions and other aesthetics every QRG should contain. Enjoy.
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| K. Latham. "Quick Reference Guide to NCAA Rules." Uploaded 09/23/2013 via Flickr. Public Domain Dedication. |
The following questions will focus on these examples of Quick Reference Guides:
1. What are the convention of a Quick Reference Guide (QRG)?
QRGs utilize subcategories to divide the guide into sections. Many times the use of questions will help orchestrate the path of the reader. Questions will point to a specific time during an event that a reader may be wondering information about. The division of the guide in this way helps readers easily navigate their way around. It also helps to anticipate what a readers' looking for, opens up a way for readers to be interactive with the article, and also helps spike curiosity among audiences.
2. How are those conventions defined by the author's formatting and design choices?
All five authors used questions to direct readers to specific answers. In a QRG, these answers have to be well thought out, and be often drawn from multiple sources and additional research. Questions leave a reader wondering, Why?, with the author present to provide a response.
3. What are the purposes of the above stated QRGs?
The purpose of each of the QRGs is to inform their audiences of the events that occur on the topic presented. Questions were posed in each of the articles to entice readers to want to find out more.
4. Who is the intended audience for each of the ORGs?
Going from the first to the last article I have stated previously above: The first guide caters to users of e-cigarettes as well as to those looking to start. The purpose is to educate them on the negative effects of "vaping." They state that although it is healthier than tobacco smoking it still is very harmful to the human body.
In the next article, the author shoots to inform her readers of the Gamergate movement happening online over debates in gaming. Surprisingly, the controversy takes a political spin on the subjects. It could even be said that it is informally a battle between liberals and conservative gamers.
The third article on Greece's debt crisis highlights country's money management. Statistics are presented in the forms of graphs and tables. Author uses these visuals to show the reader just how bad the situation is. He assumes his readers are already informed on the matter of a national crisis, but included just enough to get even the simplest of readers up to speed.
On to Sochi, Russia, this QRG was published in early 2014. The authors provide the answers to a few of the sequences of the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics that left viewers dumbfounded. the authors include the use of a separate text color for the subtitles to help readers find the answer they're looking for specifically. The audience is basically anyone who does not understand Russian folklore or historic culture.
The fifth and last article listed discusses the deal between progressives and Bernie Sanders, a democratic candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The QRG aims to inform readers of how Sanders and race collide. Audiences of this articles are almost meant to evoke a reaction to reading. Tweets from frustrated followers of the controversy are included to help the article relate to its viewers.
5. How do the QRGs use imagery or visuals? Why are they used in this way?
All five of the QRGs use imagery for the better improvement of the context. Especially in the article referring to the Sochi Winter Olympics, the imagery was used to help readers get a sense of what the author is trying to talk about without having to type it all out. If flying horses pulling a sun were tried to explain over text, it would be much harder to contextualize than to simply include a photograph.
In reflection to my peers' blog posts on the same topic of QRGs, I am happy to see that many people are understanding the details of a quick reference guide. We all seem well informed about what makes up a guide and what it should point to with regards to an audience. My peers, Jessica, Kyle, and Savannah, all presented valid points on writing a QRG equally. I can definitely learn a thing or two from each one of them as we all progress through finalizing our guides on our controversies.
Well done. Your post perfectly outlines the necessary requirements, or general structure of a quick reference guide. I am glad that you pointed out that the QRG should be brief and easy to follow, where the information can be easily accessed and absorbed by the reader. You also pointed out the need for formatting qualities such as the bullets and timelines in order to make larger quantitative information more readable.
ReplyDeleteGood job