“Good” Writing Is Dependent on Writers, Readers,Situation, Technology, and Use
What are threshold concepts?
Threshold concepts are philosophies that are so important within a particular subject that the learner cannot move forward in the subject without grasping them. However, understanding threshold concepts can be difficult because they are based in the research of the subject, which often conflicts with common ideas held by those who have not studied the subject. An example from the business world would be opportunity costs in economics. At first it might seem as though the “cost” indicates monetary costs, when in reality an opportunity cost is sort of the opposite; it is the cost of what you would be giving up to choose one option over the other that does not result in a loss of money. So, the opportunity cost of going to the movies with friends Monday night would be the loss in points from your homework assignment that you did not submit on time. In order to grasp higher level concepts in economics, one must understand that opportunity costs are not monetary costs.
In business it is important to understand the many threshold concepts associated with each field. It is equally important to understand the threshold concepts in any nonbusiness fields that pertain to your business as well. I hope to one day work for a company that helps small businesses with their marketing, advertisement, website design, content creation, etc. One of the areas of content creation I am skilled at and enjoy is content writing, such as blog posting, infographics, and social media posts. So, along with grasping the threshold concepts of marketing, I also should understand the ones of writing.
One of the major threshold concepts of writing is: “Good” Writing Is Dependent on Writers, Readers, Situation, Technology, and Use. This means that there is not a set-in-stone definition of what should be considered good writing. For example, if a small business owner was not good at doing research papers in school, but can create rich, engaging content for a blog about their product that reaches their potential customers, then it does not matter that they suck at research writing. Similarly, it is not important for a creative writer to be good at writing medical journals. Every genre of writing has different standards and techniques, so it cannot be held to the same ones when decided if it is “good”. A good writer is someone who knows who their audience is, what they want to read, and how they want to receive it. Just like a business owner has to know what their customers want and find a way to get it to them.
Technology
Aside from knowing who is reading it and what they are expecting, how the writer gets their writing to them is another aspect of whether or not it is considered good. Going back to the small business owner who isn’t good at doing research. Say she creates the greatest blog post ever written, which highlights her products and influences her buyers (mostly millennials) to rush out and get them while they still can. But the only place that she shares the blog to is her store’s Facebook account. Without the best understanding of technology, her blog post won’t be seen by the right people, so no one reads it. Is it really “good” then? It’s like the famous philosophical thought, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The answer: No one really cares.
However, if the small business owner grasps the understanding that technology can have an impact on how good a piece of writing is, she may have the blog on her website, which she can then share to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This way she can easily reach all of her customers, not just the ones that still use Facebook. The blog on her website then becomes searchable, where someone on the other side of the world can stumble across it, and in turn the company, instead of just the people who follow her Facebook page.
Use
How the author uses the writing is also important to consider when deciding if something is good. It would not be beneficial to the business if the owner posted her personal blog about her family and life to the store’s website. While it may be interesting if the reader knows the owner, it does not promote sales, which should be the main purpose of a company blog. If the business owner is extremely passionate about writing about her personal life, she can start a dedicated blog website. This way, customers can subscribe to the content that is relevant to the store, and friends and family can keep up with her life, with no one getting the content they don't want to see. Knowing how and when to use your writing is just as important as knowing how to write. One of the aspects of good writing is that it fulfills its purpose, which an improper use of writing cannot do.
Situation
The situation is just as important on the quality of the writing. If the business owner decides to hire someone to write a blog post for her annual winter 50% off sale, and she hires a student with medical writing background, it is unlikely that the blog will serve its purpose. Similarly, if she were to have the person write this blog in July and post it immediately – verses waiting until November which is a lot closer to when the sale would start – it doesn’t matter how good the writing is, because not many people are going to remember about it by the time the sale starts. The context of the situation is extremely important to consider when writing about anything, but especially important in persuasive marketing writing.
It is important for anyone who is creating content to understand who they are, who the readers are, what the situation is, how and where to use their writing, and what form of technology can accommodate all of the needs. This will produce writing that better serves its purpose, which benefits the reader and the writer. In business, the goal of content writing should be to benefit the business in one form or another. If someone can accomplish this with the threshold concept in mind, they will see a significant improvement in their writing capabilities.
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