Author Archives: shu jie yu

One of the most important things I have learned from this class is how to create an online presence. It has been ten years since I have graduated university. Though I have had a LinkedIn Profile, I have never treated it as an online resume.

Web Presence

Categories

Know the Audience

One of the first lessons I have learned in this course is to write to a specific audience in mind. This helps to narrow down the technicalities of the writing. Knowing the audience will help to shape the details and the descriptions used in writing as well.

Editing Technics

Chapter 11 of the textbook has been a useful chapter for me. When drafting any documents, I often write with hesitations and unsureness.  This habit makes my writing wordy, and trite. Going through each of the sections in Chapter 11 of the textbook, I have learned to look for specific edits for professionalism. Going forward, I would like to make a cheat sheet to remind myself of these avoidable habits.

Re-edit

Unit 4 of this course involves many re-edits of the previous works. Revisiting work with a few specific problems in mind is satisfying. I have written many of the earlier assignments at night after work. I have found the ambiguous uses of stacked nouns in my work. It is much easier to edit and re-edit during the day when I am less exhausted, where my thoughts are more precise and less passive, and less repetitive.

Edit and More Edit

To have a good writing style, the key really lies in practice. Coming out of each unit, I wished I could commit more time to write and edit my work. Unfortunately, time is always hard secure. Going forward, I believe what’s more important is to write with professional editing styles in mind. I need to write my sentences with particular rules in mind. Looking for an excellent person to peer review is another key.

It’s hard to imagine that we have gone through 3 quarters of this course already. Unit 3 has been the most challenging unit so far but I learned a lot going through it.

Survey

When I was drafting my final report, I realized that the survey I constructed should have incorporated more questions. There are some unanswered questions and pieces of information which will be useful in bridging sections of my report. For example, I plan to email a parking company in downtown Vancouver to see if they are willing to set up a particular case of granting 24/7 access to one of their parkade nearby.  If the entry to parking can be controlled by remote, there doesn’t need to be a physical parking attendant to meet our need. If the parkade is within a block radius, it can also be considered a safer parking option.

You-attitude

The evaluation of my you-attitude memo indicated a few imperatives which I have used. I need to read through the handout again. I remember reading not using imperatives in the body of my memo, but mistakenly assumed that imperatives were acceptable in introduction and summary.

Peer Review

Peer reviewing Bradley Jeffery’s final report draft was rewarding. It’s always tough to analyse other’s logistics then come up with recommendations that are in fact useful addition to his work instead of just another opinion. These suggestions have to follow his logic and flow, but also help to make up insufficiencies.  I hope my peer review was indeed useful.

 Enclosure: Final Report Draft

The most important thing I have learned in Unit 2 is time planning. A project such as the final report needs to be carried out in multiple stages. The formal report outline and progress report helped me to organize my time. I had limited time again to spend on constructing my work in this unit. I look forward to coming weeks to commit more time to edit my writing.

Peer Review

I have missed a few sections in my peer review of Louisa Morett’s writing. I need to revisit the instructor’s blog in coming weeks. I have followed the template in my previous peer review, but have forgotten in this unit. It is an improvement I need to work on for the upcoming peer reviews. I had the great opportunity to have Bradley Jeffery review my work for this unit. He was very thorough. His recommendations were detailed, and I was able to edit my work easily following his review. An updated final report proposal is attached in enclosures.

Formal Report

Determining a topic for my formal report was challenging. The proposal has to be achievable within three months; therefore the scope can’t be extensive. My sources of data come from different government departments. The response time can be unpredictable. In my formal report proposal, I planned to conduct the staff survey first before contacting other government departments. With slow response time, I have revised the plan and approached several departments before composing the survey.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn was the most exciting assignment for me in this unit.  As a government employee, I infrequently used LinkedIn for networking purposes. I have used LinkedIn as a place to store my work experience. Though I have had a profile created in the past, I spent very little time editing the content. Through research of best practices, I was able to focus on my LinkedIn again. Cherie Johnson reviewed my profile, and she has provided a few valuable comments. I have reworked my summary section to add a little more personality to my writing. I have also included some digital content in my experience section.

I continue to have trouble uploading .docx documents to UBC Blogs. The word document of my revised Formal Report Proposal is linked below.

Revised Formal Report Proposal

Peer Review of Formal Report Proposal

For Unit 1 assignments, I have chosen to define the word “nimbostratus.” Here are a few things I have learned defining this word as well as peer reviewing Cherie Johnson’s definitions.

Organization and Proofreading
With busy schedules, I run short of time frequently. Many of my writing mistakes come from a lack of planning and proofreading. I have learned creating a storyboard is very useful. It gives me a visual diagram to organize my thoughts. When I turn these ideas into writing, they give me different perspectives. With proofreading, allowing time away from my drafts helps me to catch some obtrusive mistakes. Peer review is another important step of proofreading. Cherie Johnson, my reviewer, was able to spot a spelling error for me.

Jargons
Having a peer review is crucial. You can find Cherie’s peer review here. The intended audience of my definitions is the general public. Cherie posed questions like a real layperson. At work, I have my colleagues peer-review my writing. What is the problem with that? Among peers of the same profession, we sometimes forget certain words are jargon. I have learned to put more descriptions, and definitions into my writing to help explaining technical terms when these words are unavoidable.

Writing Technics
I find writing about the etymology, history, and negation necessary when defining a term. These are the writing technics I don’t use enough. These technics set the background, and they bridge the definition into core information precisely.

Complimentary Information
While reviewing Cherie’s work, which is a definition of a medical disease, I have realized the importance of supplementary information. As the reader and a none medical professional, I find risk factors, prevention and treatment options relevant. I can relate the information to my daily life. These additional parts of information also help me to remember this definition.

Finally, the editing process can be challenging. I try to add explanations and descriptions to answer Cherie’s questions. It will be helpful to hear back whether I have answered all the questions or not.

Enclosures:

Cherie Johnson’s Peer Review

Edited Definitions Word Document Cindy Yu

Memorandum

To: Erika Paterson (Erika.Paterson@ubc.ca)| Instructor of English 301
From: Cindy Yu (cindysjyu@gmail.com) | Student of English 301
Date: September 14, 2017
Subject: 301 Cindy Yu Letter of Application

I have completed a letter of application for seeking membership of a professional writing team for the semester. I have posted my application letter here. You can also find a word document in the enclosure.

Here are what I have highlighted in my letter of application:

1. I am currently working as a full-time meteorologist.
2. I produce technical documents regularly.
3. My background is in Science; therefore I seek improvement with my writing and editing skills.
4. I can meet deadlines under pressure.
5. I am a good team player.

Please take a look at my letter of application.  I appreciate any comments or questions. Thank you for your time. I look forward to collaborating with other students in our English 301 class.

Enclosure: 301 Cindy Yu Application Letter

Cindy Yu
1234 First Ave,
Vancouver,
BC, V1B 2C3

English 301 99A
2329 West Mall,
Vancouver,
BC, V6T 1Z4

September 13th, 2017

Dear English 301 99A,

Re: Application for Member of Writing Team

I would like to express my interest in becoming a member of your writing team. I graduated from UBC in 2007 with a degree in Atmospheric Science. I have been working as a meteorologist for the last 10 years.

I am currently working as a meteorologist for Meteorological Service of Canada under Environment and Climate Change Canada. My work duties include weather analysis and prognosis, preparing and delivering scientific presentations to various partners and stakeholders, and collaborating with other regional and national working groups to develop and deliver recommendations. I also provide weather support to emergency management and media.

I produce technical documentation such as reports, emails, memos and briefing notes on a regular basis. In my line of work, it is important to deliver scientific data in clear, concise and understandable formats to clients, partners, and stakeholders. However, my background is in science, and writing is not my strong suit. I hope this team and this course will help to improve my writing and editing skills. Weather forecasts are produced in a timely manner around the clock. Therefore I understand the importance of deadlines. I work with 35 other meteorologists in my office, and I manage the social committee there. I am confident that I will also be a good team player.

I believe I will be a good addition to your team. If you have any questions, or if you would like to work with me, please contact me at cindysjyu@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Cindy Yu

Enclosures: Word Document 301 Cindy Yu Application Letter

Hello there!

This is my first post and it will be a short one.

You can learn more about me here.