Real-Life Communication
Technical writers are communicators. They take complex technical
or scientific information and put it into terms that make sense to people.
They write manuals, product reports and articles for the users of technology.
Putting
complex concepts into simple terms isn't as easy as it sounds. Let's see if
you've got what it takes.
You're a technical writer working for a multimedia
company that has just designed an exciting new database to be used on the
Internet. Your boss wants to market this database to businesses that have
so far shied away from information technology.
The problem: the people
in these businesses don't really understand what the Internet is and how it
works, so they don't see how your company's database can work for them.
As
the technical writer, you've been given the task of writing a couple of short,
explanatory paragraphs on the Internet. You've decided to break things down
like this:
What is this thing called the Internet?
- Definition
- Why is everybody making such a big deal about it?
- What does it mean for average North Americans?
How does the Internet work?
- What comprises the Internet?
- How do people communicate via the Internet?
- How does one computer communicate with another?
Before you begin writing, here are some technical definitions
to work with. Don't forget that the point of this exercise is to take scientific
terminology and translate it into easy-to-understand language.
Definitions
- internet
- Any set of networks interconnected with routers. A router is an apparatus
which advances traffic between networks.
- Internet
- The Internet is the largest internet in the world. Descending from the
ARPANET of the late '60s and early '70s, the Internet is a set of enormous
interconnected networks that uses various protocols -- including the Internet
Protocol.
- Network
- Hardware and software data communication systems. You create a network
when you connect two or more computers together. An internet is two or more
networks.
- Protocol
- A set of rules that describes how to convey information over a network.
Protocol allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem to
make Internet Protocol connections and thus connect with information on the
Internet.