1: What purpose does this genre usually serve?
The Quick Reference Guide is the SparkNotes of human events. More than a summary, less than a primary source, the Quick Reference Guide is one of the quickest and effective ways of understanding an idea of past, current, or possible human events.
From the examples presented on D2L, it seems as though the Quick Reference Guide is meant to inform the reader about the facts and events of a certain topic in an organized fashion (usually in chronological order). Furthermore, the Quick Reference Guide is supposed to be unbiased, hence 'reference'. Compare it to the reference section of a library. The books in the reference section are meant to inform, such as the dictionary. Such is the same for the Quick Reference Guide.
2: Where, how, or in what context do readers usually find this genre?
These guides are actually some of the most common forms of content available. Newspaper columns, science magazine articles, even graphs and pictures that show information clearly. There is a myriad of content spanning the electrical ocean of information known as the internet.
3: Who is the typical audience for this genre?
The "typical audience" does not exist for something like the Quick Reference Guide, since it can cover a theoretical infinite number of topics. The audience is all based on what is being said in each article. People interested in the sciences will read posts about space travel and advances in medical achievements, while people interested in video games will read about the statistics of the latest consoles, and histories of cultures of certain games. This comparison can be applied to the endless sea of topics that the Quick Reference Guide can cover.
4: What are some of the key features or characteristics that are unique to this genre, distinguishing it from other texts?
The most important thing about the Quick Reference Guide is that is remains unbiased. As stated before, the key word in its title is "reference", meaning that it should stay as a source of information, rather than an opinion. If opinion is mistaken as fact, the conjectures taken away by the audience will not be the standalone facts and statistics typical of the Quick reference Guide.
5: Based on your answers to the questions above, come up with a definition in your own words for this genre.
The Quick Reference Guide is meant to inform the audience with the bare bones required information in order to understand the thin veneer that covers the entirety of a certain topic.
Reflection
I read Ben's and Ryan's posts.
The main thing that I saw between what my classmates have written and my style of writing is curious to say the least. Every student had the same topic of discussion, but each one seemed to have their own way or style of presenting it, just by a style of writing or perspective on the topic at hand. I guess such a thing is similar to how people have different personalities, traits, and character.
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