Introductory Memo
From:
To:
Date:
Re:
Who You Are
Here, give me 2 or 3 sentences describing yourself, your major, your current status at MSU, etc. Also, give me your contact info where I can reach you this semester (e.g. e-mail, website, etc.).
How You Ended Up Here: Describe Your Work and Academic Experience Here, you give rationales for the features you have created for your site the people who you think will use it the most and the purposes for which they will visit the site. Be sure to give well-thought out reasons for things like your navigation scheme, your graphics and layout, your selection of content, etc.
Where You Are Going: Discussion of Career Goals
Here, explain in some detail the goals you have for your career and how technical writing fits into them.
Forecast: What Specific Goals, Hopes Do You Have for This Course?
You may or may not have given this much thought until today, but I would like to hear what you hope to learn and achieve this semester in Technical Writing. I will take your comments seriously and, where I can, make adjustments to ensure that we address your goals for the course.
Questions, Worries? What Can I Tell You About TC?
I will do my best to address your questions an concerns in class…and I will do so without revealing who asked me what! So feel free to include any question you might have. None are too basic or too complicated. Common questions from past semesters have included: “What is technical writing anyway?” “How did you get interested in Technical Writing?” “Do I have to have perfect grammar to do well in this class?” …just to name a few.
Note: This template is a guide. You should modify it extensively as you prepare your own memo. Change the content, of course. Change the headings too so that they describe your paragraphs (not mine). And if you feel inclined, change the font, type size, etc.
I will not grade your intro memo, but I will use it to get a feel for your ability to write clearly and concisely. So do your best work. Show the draft to a trusted friend for feedback, and improve on it by revising.
To turn it in, upload it to your AFS web folder and link to it from your project page. Then, send me an e-mail to let me know you posted it.