Technical Communication Sample - Essay Example

Technical Communication There are certain essential features that distinguish academic writing from technical writing. While the purposes of academic writing are to present ones knowledge to others, to present the result of ones research, or simply to present ones point of view, the main purposes of technical writing can be to teach someone how to use a particular product or service, or to detail the procedures to be followed to do certain tasks in a company. Though both academic and technical writing have jargons in them, both are used for different purposes.

The technical writing under scrutiny here is a White Paper, ‘Building a World Class Online Storage Infrastructure’ (July 13, 2000) from Driveway Corporation, pioneers in the field of online file storage service. The document details how Driveway Corporation developed an efficient 24X7 online storage service. There are certain essential features that are usually present in technical writing. Some of them are title page, disclaimer, abstract, acknowledgement, contents page, introduction, main sections and sub-sections, conclusions, references, and appendices.

Now, a look into the Driveway Corporation White Paper proves that it contains many of these essential features that make it a perfect example of technical writing. It starts with a title page, followed by a disclaimer page. As in a technical writing, there is a fully developed table of contents and an executive summary. Thereafter, there are various subsections and finally a conclusion. Evidently, the White Paper epitomizes the concept of technical communication. There are some other features too that keep it different from the ordinary academic writing.

This technical communication gives no chance for entertainment. In other words, the style of writing is simple, concise and ‘to the fact’. The second point is the total absence of emotive language in this piece of work. As the intention is only to convey information, the language used is as highly objective as possible. Yet another feature is that this work tries to be as concise as possible by avoiding sentences with so many clauses which are confusing to read. The last feature to be mentioned is the clarity presented throughout the work.

In technical writing, the presentation should not be ambiguous. The Driveway Corporation White Paper intends to explain the various factors that made the company start its online storage service. It details how its online storage infrastructure works, its design goals, storage capacity, and security. It also explains how the storage works, and the various components used in the storage, and the expenditure involved. The work evidently addresses those who are interested in online storage. In addition, the work will be able to inform those who want to know how the company operates.

This work clearly comes up when the company starts its storage service, and the work is intended to educate and attract prospective customers. It details the context that necessitates online storage, its function, and benefits involved. The factor that necessitates this text is probably the absence of knowledge and fear about storage services in potential customers. One can undoubtedly say that the work is well-arranged in nature. It starts from the context that necessitates online storage, and then mitigates all concerns regarding efficiency, security, and cost.

However, the absence of a list of symbols and definitions makes it beyond the reach of general users. Works Cited‘Building a World Class Online Storage Infrastructure’. A Driveway White Paper, July 13, 2000.