IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Dec 2018

Locating and Describing the Work of Technical Communication in an Online User Network

Jason Swarts North Carolina State University

Abstract

Background: Online user networks are important points of contact for users who seek help from their peers rather than documentation. Literature review: The appeal of online user networks coincides with and seems connected to growing user interest in topicalized and tailored content, the production of which is inconsistent with the “craftsman” model of technical communication. Studies of online user networks indicate that community members may be practicing a different kind of technical communication. Research questions: This study examines an online user network for an open-source software product and asks how we can study online user networks, with the aim of identifying important people, practices, and relationships associated with the kind of technical communication practiced in those settings. Research methodology: Social network analysis is used to visualize the structural properties of an online user network, in order to identify central figures and their relationships to others. Verbal data-analysis techniques are used to find themes in their contributions. Results/discussion: People who are central to the structure of online interaction are important figures in the distribution of the technical communication effort. They engage users in reciprocal exchanges of information and they influence user practices. They are also important as brokers who link users and developers. Broadly, their conversational exchanges are a kind of distributed technical communication. Implications for practice: We learn what the practice of technical communication looks like in an online user network. By observing the work of participants, technical communicators can understand what it means to do technical communication and make user networks a more integral part of a broader documentation strategy. We see promising ways in which technical experts (e.g., software developers) can engage with users as well.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2018-12-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2018.2870631
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication book reviews
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Citation Context

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