Ecology, genre
An interacting, interdependent system or network of genres, as distinct from a series of genres with a specifically sequential series of uptake
s (see genre chain) (Erickson, 2000).
Erickson, T. (2000). Making sense of computer-mediated communication (CMC): Conversations as genres, CMC systems as genre ecologies. In 33rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, ed. R. H. Sprague, Jr. Maui: IEEE Computer Society Press.
The various types of documents used in an office space, both official and unofficial constitute a genre ecology. There may be an official manual for protocol, which directs the completion of fax cover sheets or call-logs, which can be supplemented by memos, and sometimes modified unofficially with Post-It notes (Zachry, 1999). See also Spinuzzi's (2004) description of "Ralph" whose cubicle's "heterogeneous assemblage of genres" enables his work as a collections worker.
Zachry, M. (1999). Constructing usable documentation: A study of communicative practices and the early uses of mainframe computing in industry. ACM SIGDOC 1999: Proceedings of the 17th Annual International Conference on Computer Documentation. New York: ACM, 22-25.
Spinuzzi, C. (1999). Grappling with distributed usability: A cultural-historical examination of documentation genres over four decades. ACM SIGDOC 1999: Proceedings of the 17th Annual International Conference on Computer Documentation. New York: ACM, 16-21.
Carolyn R. Miller
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