Technical Communication Quarterly Mar 2010

A Rhetoric of Electronic Instruction Sets

Stuart A. Selber Pennsylvania State University

Abstract

This article offers a heuristic for conceptualizing the broad contours of electronic instruction sets as they have developed for and in online environments. The heuristic includes three interconnected models: self-contained, which leverages the features of fixed instructional content; embedded, which leverages the features of user-generated metadata; and open, which leverages the features of mutable instructional content. Although the models overlap to some extent, their distinctions help to illustrate the changing nature of online how-to discourse.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2010-03-11
DOI
10.1080/10572250903559340
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Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (13)

  1. Johnson-Eilola et al. (2024)
    Can Artificial Intelligence Robots Write Effective Instructions?
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Tham (2023)
    Instructional Design Pedagogy in Technical and Professional Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Shen et al. (2022)
    Understanding the Effects of Visual Cueing on Social Media Engagement With YouT…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Baker (2020)
    Contextual Information in Social How-To Questions That Initiate Documentation
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Gallagher et al. (2019)
    Empty Templates: The Ethical Habits of Empty State Pages
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 13 →
  1. Robles (2018)
    Resolving Discourse at Technical-Support Helpdesks
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Peter (2017)
    “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom”: Jihadist Tactical Technical Communica…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Pflugfelder (2017)
    Reddit’s “Explain Like I’m Five”: Technical Descriptions in the Wild
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Thominet (2016)
    10/10 Would Review Again: Variation in the Player Game Review Genre
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Swarts (2015)
    Help is in the Helping: An Evaluation of Help Documentation in a Networked Age
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  6. Rawlins et al. (2014)
    Agency and Interactive Data Displays: Internet Graphics as Co-Created Rhetorica…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  7. Ittersum (2014)
    Craft and Narrative in DIY Instructions
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  8. Swarts (2014)
    The Trouble with Networks: Implications for the Practice of Help Documentation
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 20 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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