An Official Website for Global Educational and Literary Support Association (GELSA)
A Proposal
Submitted to
Jan Holmevik
Supervisor
By
Hem Paudel
Advanced Business and Technical Writing
MA in Professional Communication
Clemson University
September 24, 2009
An Official Website for Global Educational and Literary Support Association (GELSA)
Executive Summary
This project will help GELSA to disseminate information about its programs and activities to its intended audience. I propose to make a simple and attractive website that will allow this organization to provide information and convince donors and local NGOs to join hands with it to promote its goal of helping impoverished kids.
The website I am proposing will have these features, among others:
§ Easy to navigate
§ Use of simple design
§ Proper use of graphic elements
§ Adequate use of chunking
§ An attractive logo and a memorable slogan
§ Use of simple, clear, and precise language
The benefits of my plan are:
§ I have a unique experience/familiarity with both Eastern and Western cultures. So, the website I create will try to avoid any cultural bias
§ As a graduate in MA in English and currently a student of MA in Professional Communication, I am in a position to effectively handle both content and design of the website
§ The client will have to bear no cost
Introduction
Global Educational and Literary Support Association (GELSA) is a non-profit organization still in the process of being formally registered. Some Nepalese social workers living in Nepal and the US and some US citizens are collaborating to establish and run it. It is primarily intended towards improvement of educational situation of impoverished kids from all around the world. However, GELSA still does not have its own website to inform the public about its projects and to attract more people towards the holy goal of helping the kids in dire need of education. In this holy mission, as a student of technical communication, I think I can contribute to their mission by building an official website for them to effectively communicate their information.
Current Situation:
§ Organization still in the initial phase
§ Programs and policies not yet finalized
§ No promotional documents like brochure and manuals to provide some initial idea about the structure of the website
§ No logo and slogan
The organization is still not registered. They still have not decided about the specific and detailed programs and projects, ways of raising funds, and reaching out to the public. They have recently finalized their constitution, vision and mission statements, goals, and some future programs. However, from technical point of view, these documents need to be squeezed and brushed up to make them clear and precise. They don’t yet have any brochure, manual, or leaflets to advertise their mission. So, the content they will provide needs to be rigorously edited for precision and clarity. And, since they don’t have any formal promotional documents to guide or provide a rough structure for the website, I will have to begin from the scratch.
This clearly shows that everything is in a completely initial phase and the organization is to think through various issues. So, I will have some constraints to overcome or deal with. First, time is a great constraint. I have only two and a half months to finish this project. Besides this, as a graduate student, I will also have to look after various other stuffs. So, the question is how I can utilize the limited time to give them my best. But I believe I can refine and polish it even after my project formally ends. Next, as I am not a seasoned web designer, I will have to learn and apply my knowledge very carefully to get it well done on time. However, I will have fresh eyes to look into it and see what others may fail to see due to their repeated habit. Similarly, my knowledge and familiarity of both the Nepali culture and the Western culture will make it easier to make several decisions about both content and design.
Project Plan and Schedule
Plan
The audience for this website will be very diverse: those who are in desperate need for education and those who want to help them or can be persuaded to help them. Therefore, I will have to make it very user-friendly and simple to navigate. I will try to avoid any culture-specific symbols and references not to confuse the audience of different cultures. At the end, I will produce a website that has following characteristics:
§ Easy to navigate: A website is good if it is easy to navigate so that the audience can find necessary information without any difficulty. For this purpose, I will use proper buttons and hyperlinks to lead them to specific information.
§ Use of simple design: The purpose of a website is to provide information. Fancy websites may look good but they are very difficult to use. The readers may be enticed but won’t find it easy to use. Second, the nature of the institution also dictates the design of a website. As the purpose of this website is not to enchant audience, simple design will be more effective for providing information.
§ Proper use of graphic elements: The use of graphic elements not only makes a website attractive, it also reduces text heaviness and helps avoiding monotony of reading long prose. So, I will use photos, and slide shows. They will also be used as evidence to show the activities of the organization.
§ Adequate use of chunking: I will use white space, bullet-based format rather than lengthy paragraphs, also reduce repetitive text, and reduce scrolling pages to a maximum of one to two scrolls per page.
§ Design a logo and slogan: The logo will be attractive and indicative of the scope and mission of the institution and the slogan will be concise, relevant and memorable. But most importantly the slogan should also be informative.
§ Links: I will have several links to other external sites like a blog for the organization itself and some other educational websites.
§ Use of simple, clear, and precise language: We have a tendency to write long and complex sentences. This is more so in case of writings of non-native speakers l. Being an international student of technical communication, I have some knowledge of both the kinds of writings common among Nepalese writers and the language of technical writing in the US. I think simple, clear, and precise language will be useful for both the audience: from Nepal and outside Nepal.
Schedule:
I am planning to finish this project and offer the deliverable in two and a half months. I will begin my work from the last week of September and finish it by December 1. The timetable for different stages of it is as follows:
§ Proposal -- Sep 25, 2009
I will provide my proposal to my client on Sep 25, 2009. This is subject to change as per the needs of the client. However, the basic principles that I want to stick to will remain the same.
§ Basic format of website – October 13
I will develop a basic format for the website by October 13. It will include Header, positioning of the logo, menu, columns, and general outlook. This will make a skeleton for the website. I will share this with my client and accommodate his suggestions.
§ First draft of the website for review –November 10
I will finish a rough draft of my website by November 10. I will share it with my client and some other people to get feedback to improve its design and content. This will give a sense of how will its audience perceive it.
§ Final deliverable –December 1
After receiving feedbacks from the client and some other people, I will make necessary changes and prepare the final deliverable.
Qualifications
§ MA in English
§ MA in Professional Communication
§ Experience of editing
§ Experience of making website
§ Knowledge of technical writing theories
I have already completed MA in English and now studying MA in Professional Communication. This is a very good combination for performing works of a technical communicator. I have an extensive experience of editing college journals, brochures, and project reports. I have also already made a website with slideshows and other graphic elements as a part of semester-long project for Visual Communication. Similarly, I also edited web content and brochure of Student Disability Services, Clemson University last year. As a student of technical and business writing, I have a sound knowledge of the theories of technical writing and ethics which I will need to consider while building this website. Similarly, my unique position as an Easterner in the West will make it easier for me to avoid any element of cultural bias that may unknowingly appear in case of the Western or Eastern web designer.
Conclusion:
So, I will make an easily navigable and attractive website for GELSA within two and a half months. My knowledge of technical writing, experience of editing, and some, even if short, experience of making a website will help me accomplish this job well. If I had some longer and less busier time, I would be able to make it even better by adding different other features like “sending emails from the website,” and “chat.”
The purpose is stated very clearly. I can pick up on even in the subject line. The context is also well covered. I feel there is enough information about the organization and their needs. Similarly, the plan is well laid out. I like the inclusion of a defined schedule. It will probably help you keep on task. The area that seemed to be lacking was the conclusion. It starts with a somewhat awkward and maybe unnecessary transition. The final statement is "If I had more time" which is a weak selling point.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem is that it is written in third person and not directly to your client. However, this may be because it was written for the professor and you are planning to alter anyway. Just don't forget.
Other than that there were just a few unclear pronoun references, transition, and grammar mistakes.
Overall, it was very clear.