Sara Cazares

Writing 2
Wilson
7 March 2016
WP1 Revision
Whether one may be in touch with todays modern technology or is more old fashion,
there is a genre made for them. A genre like blogs are meant to connect people through things
such as events and interests, they are meant to establish a community in an informal way that is
still informational and interactive. Another genre, newspaper stories, are written in clear and
direct writing, making it easy to digest but still having an element that makes it formal. While
blogs include conventions geared toward entertainment and newspaper stories are more
informational, the difference in formality is what sets them apart and highlights the different
conventions that each use.
Blogs are accessible by all and are also free for anyone to create. It is the audience
expectations of what should be included in a blog that makes it a blog. As Kerry Dirk stated in
Navigating Genres, genres often have formulaic features, but these features can change even
as the nature of the genre remains. The genre of blogs, though the topic may vary, have specific
conventions that they share when identifying as a blog. The blogs informality creates a more
open environment for the community that participates in it. Because there are conventions like
comments and quizzes, the reader is allowed to enjoy partaking in the blog through ways that are
interactive as well as casual, appealing to an audience that seeks those conventions.
Blogs are becoming widely popular for the variety and how they are tailored to one
subject. Typically, blogs are geared toward younger generations, allowing them to quickly gather

information and quick facts from short blog stories and quizzes. But, as Mike Bunn addressed in
How to Read Like a Writer it is the decisions by the author that make it a certain genre.
Because the conventions for each genre can be very different, techniques that are effective for
one genre may not work well in another. The informal tone and appeal that is significant in
blogs may not be effective in other pieces of writing such as newspaper story. It is effective in
blogs because the audience expects the informality that helps the blog create an element of a
community that brings the readers together through the interest of a shared topic.
A different genres, newspaper stories can include any type of information about a variety
of places, events, people, and companies. A convention of sharing on social media broadens the
readership and is away to get the story read, informing more people on the news. According to
Laura Collins in Steps Toward Rhetorical Analysis there are different factors such as exigency,
audience and constraints that influence how a genre is written. The writer has constrained
decisions and actions needed to modify the exigence for the audience. Depending on how the
writer has set up its genre through its constraints effects the exigence that the audience perceives.
In a genre like newspaper stories, the constraints guide how the story should be written, which is
through correct grammar and punctuations and a formal tone.
Newspaper stories are written by a variety of authors, underneath the title one can find
their name and the date that it was published. Because the newspaper stories are written by a
variety of authors, there needs to be consistency to the stories. The newspaper story degree of
formality is an important convention in keeping them uniform. Upon looking at the title and the
brief introduction paragraph, the reader will be able to identify what the point of the writing is
about. Formal stories that are clear and direct are important conventions for newspapers, they are

universally recognized in newspaper stories, with little variation between how the stories are
written.
Newspapers do not just focus on one subject of interest such as blogs do. In a more
formal way, the newspaper connects the reader to the world, creating a readership in a way that is
specific to the way newspapers are written. The formality of the story also helps to include
audience members of any type of age, background, etc. to various communities. When looking at
the variety of stories made accessible when looking at the other stories, the reader becomes more
conscious of the events and news in the world, allowing them to become more connected with
the world and various subjects on a whole, an important aspect for newspapers.
Blogs and Newspapers are both genres meant to spread information to its readers,
however, both genres possess various conventions that make them different from the other. This
allows one to have the opportunity to choose where to get their information from, conventions
can lead to one looking at sites with informal pieces such as a blog, or a more formal and
straightforward way such as in a newspaper story. Boyd, in Murder! Rhetorically Speaking
points out the differences. When the traits or attributes considered normal to or typical of a
particular kind of creative piece, such as in literature, film, or music, make it that kind and not
another. It is the audiences decision with what formality and other elements they are
comfortable with when deciding what genre and community to join, the various aspects and the
degree of formality in each allows the reader to make that decision.