Transcript Chapter Eight: Advocacy, Marketing, and Propaganda on the Web

Adapted by Dr. Mike Downing from
Crawford Killian’s book:
Writing for the Web
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Information is providing facts and details
about , for example, the local zoo;
Advocacy is attempting to convince people
that the zoo is an important part of the local
economy.
Register involves how you choose words based upon
your understanding of the social context.
 For example, when addressing your professors in an
email, you should open with “Dear Dr. Smith,”
rather than “Hey.”
 The basic rule is: the more formal the client, the
more formal the tone. If you are building a website
for a bank, use very formal tone. If you are building
an informal blog, informal tone is acceptable.
 ALWAYS ERR ON THE SIDE OF FORMAL TONE!
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As professional writing majors, you know by
now that you can create different meanings
by using different words.
According to Killian, Web writers can use Purr
Words or Snarl Words
Purr Words have positive connotations
Snarl Words have negative connotations
Examples: “tree hugger” or “naturalist”
“accountant” or “bean counter”
1) Logical Argument: Appeals to reason…state
thesis and provide data to support your thesis.
 For example, you might argue that there are too
many people on the planet, and, as a result, birth
control needs to be taught and provided in high
schools across the country.
 Your evidence would include population
projections for the upcoming decades.
 You might also want to include the number of
abortions that could be avoided if people used
birth control on a regular basis.
2) Emotional Appeal: Appeals to
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emotion…promote change based on feelings
rather than rationale.
This approach is considered valid if you
appeal to positive emotions such as love,
trust, friendship, rather than negative
emotions, such as fear, hatred, or contempt.
3) Establish Credibility: Enabling your readers
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to believe your words and opinions
Goals include: Demonstrate a shared interest
between yourself and your readers
Allow yourself to maintain an open mind,
rather than simply offering a “knee-jerk”
response
Listening carefully and honestly evaluating
the ideas of others
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Recognized authorities
Scientific observation and studies
Logical deduction based on facts
Reader’s opinions, when combined with
existing facts
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Anecdotal evidence (“My cousin saw a UFO”)
Celebrity (“Tom Cruise says…”)
Logical fallacies (“All liberals are _____” or
“All conservatives are ______”)
Wishful thinking (“I’m sure the people who
want to build the tire-burning plant have
carefully considered the environmental
impact”)
Readers prejudices (“I’m sick and tired of
these corrupt politicians…”)
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Social/Political: Develops or strengthens attitudes and
beliefs over the long term, such as a newspaper that
consistently attacks a particular administration.
Shock: Encourages immediate action on a subject.
Political campaigns often use this strategy.
Black: Information that is supposedly a message from
one side, but is in fact originating from the opposing
side.
Silent: Suppresses or ignores inconvenient or
damaging information (“WMD’s don’t matter any
more”)
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Progress: Everything is getting better all the
time. “Yesterday was awful, but tomorrow will
be better…” Not always the case.
The Final Judgment: You had better behave as
well tell you because you will be judged on the
last day, and if you don’t listen to us, you will
suffer.
Scapegoat: Our problems can be attributed to
one group or another: illegal immigrants,
terrorists, unions, corporations.
See pages 147-148 for additional propaganda
myths
Questions?