In this scientific work, an analysis of online resources aimed at the topic of technical objects will be carried out. However, one of them will be aimed at a non-technical audience and the second at a specialized one. Next, each website’s persuasive strategies to serve its primary audience’s needs will be explored. These actions will help people gain the most in-depth knowledge about audience differences and how this affects the formation of the data necessary for them.
The studied sites were “SAP PM – Technical objects”
When viewing and reading the information on both sites, it can be concluded that the primary audience of the first site is a specialized one. The language used in this source is characterized by the presence of complex terms and abbreviations, such as “maintenance plant” and “SAP system” (“SAP PM – Technical objects,” n.d.). Hence, it is impossible to say precisely about the occupation of these people since, in the modern world, both men and women are involved in the technological sphere. In addition, the audience of this site has knowledge in programming and working with computers, has a higher and college education, works for a specialized organization, and maybe is older. In this case, it is impossible to say that the cultural background has a particularly practical value.
The second site, called “Technical object,” has a more straightforward language of narration about the chosen topic. It is probably intended for an audience that does not have complete knowledge about technological objects and rarely interacts with them. The age of the category of people can be from teenage to senior and any gender. The level of education can vary from high school to college and higher education, where this area is not a central priority. Occupation can also be something close to technology, but not to be the main one, and cultural background does not have a significant role.
The secondary audience of both web pages can be people who are not directly related to technological objects. Managers, employees, or educators can use them to gain a better understanding of the topic. Claims are not as widespread on these sources as statements of actual knowledge. This is due to the fact that the sites are aimed at technical knowledge and are characterized by the neutrality of the language being expounded. We can say that, given this feature, both sites used the consistency and commitment strategy. The proposed instructions follow an understandable and reasonable sequence, and each sub-topic is separated by a special heading, facilitating information assimilation. Therefore, it is impossible to say for sure that both sources are trying hard to create a connection with the audience, but it is worth noting that the second source is more pleasant for the layman since it is more understandable.
As already mentioned, the first source, “SAP PM – Technical objects,” more often uses a technological language, as it is a direct instruction to perform specific actions. The second site, “Technical object,” provides more general data about the phenomenon of a technological object. However, it also has some definitions of a more complex language, but they are all followed by decoding the concept. No slang expressions were found on any of the examples of online resources.
The first source has relatively short paragraphs, about two or three sentences, and rather long sentences with an average length of eighteen or twenty words. This is typical for a technical audience that is used to block the expression of thoughts. Despite this, the sentences are long enough for this style. The second source also has short paragraphs, which further improves the process of understanding information, and sentences are much shorter than in the first, with an average of twelve to fifteen words. Thus, despite its slightly larger size, the first website may take less time to read and is intended for a non-technological audience.
The style of presentation in both sources is characterized by formality, without the presence of informal expressions and words. This is inherent in the technical style of communication, in which there is no excessive emotional coloring of the text. At the end of the first source, links to video sources are provided for further deepening of knowledge, which can be counted as advertisements. However, they are instrumental, and it can be said that the audience of this source has an inquisitive mind that is constantly striving to obtain new information. There is absolutely no advertising on the second source, which characterizes the audience as not wanting to be distracted. That is, people come there for new specific knowledge.
The main difference between the “Technical objects” source is the absence of a visual element. This slightly worsens its impression and may alienate the reader since visualization is a valuable tool when studying such complex information. Another website, “SAP PM – Technical objects,” has a step-by-step explanation of the technical object and how to work with it and supports all the data with illustrations. This is a critical aspect, as it also makes familiarizing the data and their application much more manageable.
This scientific paper was engaged in the analysis of two web sources to determine the difference in their audience and how this fact influenced the way and strategy of providing information. Hence, it was concluded that the primary target audience of the site could greatly influence its presentation, language, and visual component. This aspect is of particular value since the study and correct identification of people for whom a source of knowledge, speech, or task is being created is necessary to achieve the best results.
References
SAP PM – Technical objects. (n.d.). Tutorials Point. Web.
Technical object. (n.d.). SapHelp. Web.