Length : 1000 words, minimum
Format: single-spaced (should look similar to a trade publication), APA style for citations and bibliography
Topic: social media influencer marketing
*need at least 10 realiable sources and in-text citations.
Assignment Instructions
Professionals constantly explain technical information, like terminology and processes, to various audiences: (1) non-expert clients, (2) peers who share similar training, and (3) managers whose skill sets may or may not overlap with the professionals working on a project. For this paper, you will choose an innovation from the last 15 years in your field and explain how it came about and what it is in a short “white paper”.
“White paper” has a varied definition that has changed over time and place and discipline (just google “white papers” and read all the various explanations), but for our purposes, we’re going with a very general definition. (I encourage you to research and read white papers in your own field to become familiar with the conventions and expectations you might need to know in the future.) White papers can be used within an organization for the purpose of informing peers as well as externally to educate clients or the public. Our version of a white paper will be an objective explanation of an innovation in your field—its history, its current state, and a current detailed example of it. Technical language is usually defined within the context of the paper, with key terms getting longer explanation.
Goals
The goals of this assignment are to (1) communicate effectively to a mixed audience, (2) use credible sources to support your work (3) explain how the innovation relates to contemporary issues related to your field, (4) create figures appropriate to a communication task.
Structure of the Innovation White Paper
The Innovation White Paper will have three sections, each designated by an appropriate subheading. You may use second-level subheadings as needed.
- Section 1: History of the Innovation
- In this section, the writer will explain why the innovation was developed— what problem or situation did the innovation solve?
- This section will succeed by being specific – claims such as “society needed” or “manufacturers wanted” are too general.
- For example, what specific computing situation drove the development of Web 2.0? (if you’re interested, check out http://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html for an answer)
- Section 2: The Current State of the Innovation
- In this section, the writer will explain how the innovation works as currently practiced. This is a general explanation of the process, emphasizing principles of operation.
- For example, how does Web 2.0 work in general? (if you’re still interested in an answer, read the article linked above)
- Section 3: Detailed Example of the Innovation
- In this section, the writer will show how the innovation is applied by carefully explaining an example of it in action.
- For example, how is Web 2.0 explained in a specific example? (To see an example, click on the link above and read the section “Netscape vs. Google”)
