Technical Communication Quarterly Jan 2014

Technical Communication Unbound: Knowledge Work, Social Media, and Emergent Communicative Practices

Toni Ferro University of Washington ; Mark Zachry University of Washington

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the boundaries of technical communication as knowledge work in the emerging era of social media. Analyzing the results of an annual survey offered each year from 2008 until 2011, the study reports on how knowledge workers use publicly available online services to support their work. The study proposes a distinction between sites and services when studying social media in knowledge work and concludes with an exploration of implications for technical communication pedagogy. Keywords: genreknowledge workonline servicessocial media Notes Note. Data from Divine, Ferro, and Zachry (Citation2011). Note. Empty cells represent questions not asked in the indicated year. Note. Bold values represent the highest percentage of participants reporting a single site in a given year. Note. Bold represents sites that were reported by 15% or more of all participants in 2011. Note. Data from Ferro and Zachry (p. 949). Additional informationNotes on contributorsToni Ferro Toni Ferro is a PhD candidate in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. She received her MS in human-centered design engineering at the University of Washington and her BS in general engineering at the University of Redlands. Mark Zachry Mark Zachry is a professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. His research areas include the communicative practices of organizations and the design of systems to support collaboration.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2014-01-01
DOI
10.1080/10572252.2014.850843
Open Access
Closed
Topics
social media technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (13)

  1. Agbozo et al. (2025)
    Archives, AI, and Technical and Professional Communication
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  2. Ghimire (2024)
    Understanding Transnational Technical Communication in Technical and Profession…
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  3. Tham (2021)
    Engaging Design Thinking and Making in Technical and Professional Communication…
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  4. McMullin et al. (2021)
    Constructive Distributed Work: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Collaborat…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Vie (2021)
    Afterword: The more things change, the more we need new tactics for resistance,…
    Computers and Composition
Show all 13 →
  1. Baker (2020)
    Contextual Information in Social How-To Questions That Initiate Documentation
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Spinuzzi et al. (2019)
    “Coworking Is About Community”: But What Is “Community” in Coworking?
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Friess et al. (2018)
    Cultivating a Sense of Belonging: Using Twitter to Establish a Community in an …
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  4. Melton et al. (2018)
    University Student Use of Twitter and Facebook: A Study of Posting in Three Countries
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Vie (2017)
    Training Online Technical Communication Educators to Teach with Social Media: B…
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  6. Goulet et al. (2017)
    Contents and Approaches to Technology in Digital Writing Instruction: Evidence …
    Computers and Composition
  7. Pflugfelder (2017)
    Reddit’s “Explain Like I’m Five”: Technical Descriptions in the Wild
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  8. Read et al. (2015)
    Visualizing and Tracing: Research Methodologies for the Study of Networked, Soc…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (6)

  1. Maranto et al. (2010)
    Paradox and Promise: MySpace, Facebook, and the Sociopolitics of Social Network…
    Computers and Composition
  2. Panke et al. (2009)
    ``With My Head Up in the Clouds''
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Spinuzzi (2009)
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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Stolley (2009)
    Integrating Social Media Into Existing Work Environments
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Vie (2008)
    Digital Divide 2.0: “Generation M” and Online Social Networking Sites in the Co…
    Computers and Composition
Show all 6 →
  1. Johnson-Eilola (1996)
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    Technical Communication Quarterly
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CrossRef global citation count: 30 View in citation network →

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