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CONTEXT:

Contemporary professional communications often adapt traditional written/print genres into digital forms. For example, a common professional print genre may be a project announcement or press release. These genres typically outline the purpose of a client's initiative or project for a public audience as well as an audience of professional stakeholders. While the announcement and press release genres certainly are still popular genres that have been digitized, professional communicators increasingly take the goals of these informative (and persuasive) genres and adapt them for a more personal and interactive experience. Writing about a client's initiative now needs to meet readers where they are by using a more personable approach while sharing exciting information.

Online blogs, for the last two decades, have increasingly blurred the lines between the personal and professional. Recently, the growth of the social publishing (blogging) platform Medium has been used by professional communicators to reach various stakeholders in more engaging but no less persuasive ways. Our client, Cossitt Library, through the Reimagining the Civic Commons Initiative,  has a presence on Medium (Links to an external site.) , and we will produce short, persuasive articles outlining the outcomes of the Cossitt Library project.

PROMPT:

In a short Medium-style article, you will professionally (but engagingly) communicate your chosen Cossitt Library/RCC outcome to a public audience. Specifically, you will use your research to inform your various audiences and stakeholders about the important and ongoing work Cossitt Library is undertaking to "reimagine" itself via the outcomes: Civic Engagement, Socioeconomic Mixing/Equity, Sustainability, and Value Creation.

NOTE: Your are not offering ideas for future reimagining but reporting on the work Cossitt has already done.

Your article should meet the following genre expectations:

1. Be concise, readable, and engaging. Based on similar posts by RCC, your Medium article should range from 700-1,000 words. 

2. Use stories alongside research to communicate your context, purpose, and message to readers. Shamichael Hallman's article,  "Bridging Divides," (Links to an external site.)  is an excellent example of mixing personal stories and professional research to connect with your readers as you outline the goals and outcomes of the Cossitt Library reimagining.

3. Incorporate additional media. Medium allows you to add a range of media (images, videos, gifs, etc.) to supplement your written message.

4. Maintain the genre conventions. While there aren't many rules to blogging, Medium, as a professional writing space, does have a number of conventions your will want to follow -- catching headlines, using subheadings, telling a story, etc.  Siobhan O'Connor (Links to an external site.)  and  Erik Devaney (Links to an external site.)  offer some excellent advise for writing for Medium.

RESEARCH & WRITING PROCESS:

· Use resources, such as the  Reimagining the Civic Commons Medium articles (Links to an external site.)  and  RCC Resources (Links to an external site.) , to research, understand, and communicate the purpose of the project outcomes.

· TIP: While only a handful of articles have been written about the Cossitt Library and Memphis projects, other cities and RCC projects have explained how they accomplished their outcomes.  Those kinds of resources might provide background research and context for your readers. (Links to an external site.)

· Learn about the history of Cossitt Library. Consider your own experiences with Memphis Public Libraries, or other libraries.

· Think critically about your assigned outcome. What does it mean? Why does it impact? How can you communicate it professionally?

· Analyze your audience and use language that will appeal to them.

· Dedicate time to draft and revise your article. 

· Work collaboratively, and write in a singular voice!

· Ask questions!

· Aim for concise, informative writing that is engaging to your audience but still meets the professional needs of the client.

SUBMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS:

· A Medium-style article of 700-1,000 words that informs your primary audience about a specific outcome of Cossitt Library's reimagining/the Reimagining the Civic Commons Initiative.

· You will need to submit BOTH a link to a full Medium article and a word document of the article

· An explanatory memo explaining the context, audience, research process, and general rationale for the Medium article.  Click here for the explanatory memo template

RHETORICAL GUIDELINES:

As you compose this project and an explanatory memo, you should consider the following.

1. Who are the target audiences for this project? Will it meet the needs and expectations of those audiences?

2. What is the primary purpose of this project (e.g. to inform, educate, persuade, report, etc.)? In other words, what do you expect the article to accomplish? What do you acknowledge it will not accomplish?

3. In what context(s) will this project exist?

More specifically, the following criteria will be used when Dr. Johnson offers feedback on your drafts (see rubric below):

1. Is it appropriate for the target audience? Is the tone professional but inviting? Does it match the communicative style of other RCC blog posts? Does the piece appeal to the local audience (Cossitt patrons & Memphis citizens) but also other stakeholders (RCC, potential tourists, etc.)? 

2. Is the purpose clear? Is it informative? Does it include all necessary information (the story; the context; the outcome; the approach; etc.)?

3. Is it concise and cohesive? Is there too much or too little text? Do all elements work together as a whole? Or is one element competing with another in ways that are not productive? Does the visual design reflect the document’s purpose?

4. Is it aesthetically appealing? Does it have a “wow” factor? Is it visually suasive? That is, does it invite a person’s attention? Are font choices and colors chosen purposefully and thoughtfully?  Is white space used appropriately? Does it feel visually overwhelming?

5. Is it designed for the appropriate contexts and delivery platforms? Does the submission include a Medium link? Does the Medium version make use of the platform affordances, i.e. hyperlinks and multimedia.

Rubric

371 Rhetorical Guidelines Rubric

371 Rhetorical Guidelines Rubric
Criteria	Ratings
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIs it informative? Does it include all necessary information (the story; the context; the outcome; the approach; etc.)?
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIs it concise? Is there too much or too little text? Is white space used appropriately? Does it feel visually overwhelming? Is the biggest thing on the page the main thing?
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIs it cohesive? Do all elements work together as a whole? Or is one element competing with another in ways that are not productive? Does the visual design reflect the document’s purpose?
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIs it aesthetically appealing? Does it have a “wow” factor? Is it visually suasive? That is, does it invite a person’s attention? Are font choices and colors chosen purposefully and thoughtfully?