Debs Article

After reading the Debs article the first question that came to mind was, 'Why is defining collaborative writing so difficult?' Simply stated, to collaborate means to work together. While reading the article, I had the impression that the researchers tried to imply this basic definition with some adding their own twist to it. What surprised me the most is the various interpretations individuals and businesses have of collaborative writing. I related most to, "collaborative writing means two or more people writing (drafting) a document together." This simple, broad definition can work in any environment and is a good base to build upon. Take into consideration the different venues collaborative writing supports: corporations/business, the fields of medicine, science and technology, etc. Each of these areas will use collaborative writing differently and have to adjust it to their needs.

I find the real challenge with collaborative writing is not in the definition but in the overall process. For many, it's challenging to take a step back and look at the big picture to determine the audience, purpose document fills and how to make it usable. I work for a corporation and collaborating is a daily function. Working with a diverse group of individuals on a project is difficult. Some team members more than others have a hard time understanding and grasping the concept of audience and problems exist many times because there a lack of leadership in project groups. I'm currently working on a project and has provided employees with 2 documents to resource for information, 1) a records management procedures manual and 2) a records management policy. I read both documents completely and was left wondering did an individual or team put them together, did anyone edit them and did they understand who their audience was. The 2 documents overlapped significantly and some information within was contradictory. I'm confused as to the documents purpose and I'm on the project implementation team and wonder how effective will they be for our employees.

I liked the article and found it provided good background on collaborative writing and the problems associated with it.