The Digital representation of an industrial cluster through its corporate website image: online discourse and genre analysis

The Tex u e o In e ne : Ne linguis ics in P og ess, edi ed by San iago Pos eguillo, Ma ía José Es e e, M. Lluisa Gea-Valo Tl is book us published 2007 by Camb idge Schola s Publishing 15 Ange on Ga dens, Newcas le, NE5 2JA, UK B i ish Lib a y Ca aloguing in Publica ion Da a Aca alogue eco d o l is book is a ailable om he B i ish Lib a y Copy igh ©2007 by San iago Pos eguillo, Ma ía José Es e e, M. Lluisa Gea-Valo and con íbu o s AH igh s o his book ese ed. No pa o l is book may be ep oduced, s o ed in a e ie al sys em, o ansmi ed, in any o o o by any means, elec onic, mechanical, pho ocopying, eco ding o oilie wise, wi hou he p io pe mission o ilie copy igh owne . ISBN 1-84718-173-2; ISBN 13: 9781847181732 sp ead and e ec i eness. Hence, cybe gen es connec wi h he globalising mood o con empo a y socie ies and g ound, wi h he help o an adequa e online discou se and awa eness o co nmuni y implica ions, mode n, up- o-da e co po a e websi e images cha ac e ised by ase ies o ecu si e ea u es o be ound in each indi idual company websi e. Thus, he co po a e (websi e) image o e ed by indus ial clus e s in gene al and by he Spanish ce amic indus ial clus e in pa icula is enhanced by he use o gen es ha i and o11ow he logic o he imes in e ns o e olu ion (cybe gen es). These digi al gen es ex end he po en ial o adi ional ones in e ms o mee ing he expec a ions and e lec ing he co nmunica i e p ac ices o discou se communi ies, allowing he c ea ion o acohe en , e ec i e and easily iden i iable co po a e websi e image. CHAPTERTHREE THE DIGITAL REPRESENTATION OF AN INDUSTRIAL CLUSTER THROUGH ITS CORPORATE WEBSITE IMAGE: ONLINEDISCOURSE AND GENRE ANAL YSIS The Digi al Rep esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough i s Co po a e Websi e I nage 47 NURIA EDO MARZÁ In he high- ech wo ld, i you' e no on he ne , you' e no in he know -The Economis o. Abs ae Gen e analys s, especia11y in he a ea o academic ?is~ou se, h;:~ em hasised he idea o change in gen es. Gen es a e. dynaIDlc .ms ances. a e ~ e as socie y changes (Swales, 1990; De i , 1993 m Pos egu~ll~, 20~. 31~ due o hei ole as communica i e ac ions o know~edge. ans ilSSlOn. ?~ o socie y, indus ial clus e s and hei co espond1D:g dlsco~se co~un.l leS also adap hei communica i e p ac ices and he COgDl lO~ m.ec am~ms . l· Adingly he commu uca l e ac lons (gene ic con en ions) o his e o u lon. cco , 1 ) h d·mmuni ies (o which indus ial clus e s a e an examp ea e olscou se co i d b hnologies The ol ed o i and bene i om he ad ances o e e ynew e~ . h :~ap a ion o hese mechanisms o cogni ion o h~ dem~ds :upose~ bYsuc: imes has hus necessa ily implied he e olu lon an c ~nge mechanisms: gen es. As a esul , he concep o gen e has gl en way o a ela i el new concep , ha o digi al gen e o cybe gen ~. .. The Yinc easing use ha indus ial clus e s and he ~spec l e discou se . . ak "new" digi al gen es obeys he po en lal hey p esen o communl les m e o . ·bl ind assembling in asingle gen e ( he websi e) ase ies o ea u es l DpOS~l e. o in mo e adi ional ones, and o con aining sma11e cyb gen es Wl h di e~~~ de ees o e olu ion compa ed wi h adi ional gen es .. Among he ~ha ac ens ~c e~es o cybe gen es we md in e ac i i y, a p e-emme~ ole o l D~ge, a~~~~ and ideo, quick and easy in o ma ion access, wo ldwlde scope, n ne 1. In oduc ion Gen es a e o ganlzmg s uc u es ha shape and ep esen he communica i e ac ions and p ac ices o discou se co nmuni ies h ough hei use. The impo ance o gen e as a"shape " and "communica o " o knowledge is la en in any discou se co nmuni y in e ac ion. Al hough gen e and indus ial clus e s may a s sigh seem o be wo concep s wi h e y li le in common, he concep s o co nmunica ion and discou se co nmuni y do no seem so a apa o In ac , co nmunica ion is undamen al in almos e e y aspec o li e and i is he p esence o gen e in e e y single communica i e si ua ion ha makes hese concep pai ela ionships possible and easily unde s andable. Ce ain gen es end o occu ecu si ely in ce ain communi ies becoming cogni i e mechanisms ha help o s eng hen he ne cons i u ed by he co nmuni y. The e o e, gen e and indus ial clus e s -unde s ood as ins ances o discou se communi ies- go hand in hand. As agene al ule, he membe s o adiscou se co nmuni y necessa ily sha e ase ies o ea u es in common (see sec ion 1). This is he key issue o he c ea ion o he co po a e (websi e) image o an indus ial clus e . In spi e o he in insically au onomous, compe i i e na u e o he companies o ming pa o any indus ial clus e , all he i ns in i sha e ase ies o ea u es which a110w hem o be g ouped unde asingle en i y o denomina ion. Fo ins ance, he goals pu sued by an indus ial clus e -unde s ood again as adiscou se communi y- a e common, in gene al, o a11 he companies o he clus e , as a e he gen es used o achie ing such pu poses. This allows he c ea ion o a co po a e (websi e) image alid o he clus e as awhole since he di e en companies o ming pa o i aim a maximising bene i s as amajo co nmon goal and also sha e, in gene al e ns, he echniques used o such apu pose. These echniques include agood use o gene ic con en ions and online discou se. As ama e o ac , one o he mos e ec i e ways o os e ing indus ial ac i i y and posi i e esul s is by being widely known ( he powe o in o ma ion in gene al and ICTs1 in pa icula is i nmense nowadays) and new digi al gen es allow he "he e-and-now" e ec ha mo e adi ional gen es canno so easily achie e. Following Be kenko e and Huckin (1995: 3) "gen es a e inhe en ly dynamic he o ical s uc u es ha can be manipula ed acco ding o he condi ions o use, and [...]gen e knowledge is he e o e bes concep ualised as a o m o si ua ed cogni ion embedded in disciplina y ac i i ies". Indus ial clus e s can be conside ed disciplina y ac i i ies in which gen e is embedded as ameans o cogni ion and communica ion. This ac may also con ibu e o unde s anding he inc easing use ha hese clus e s and hei espec i e discou se communi ies make o new digi al gen es in an a emp o adap o and p o i om he possibili ies o e ed by online discou se. The e o e, since gen e is he way in which cogni ion is gi en ( he means o ans ni ing and communica ing knowledge) and knowledge changes and e ol es, gen es also necessa ily change and adap o his e olu ion. Cybe gen es a e basically he esul o he necessa y e olu ion expe imen ed by gen es in esponse o he demands o discou se communi ies and an inc easingly echnological wo ld. Howe e , in spi e o he mul iple ad an ages his si ua ion ep esen s, achie ing he expec ed esul s en ails aco ec unde s anding o he ne cul u e. In connec ion wi h echnological ad ances, Fe a a e al. (1991) con end ha echnology al e s gen es, gene a ing wha hey de ined as blu ed gen es. This si ua ion, which may be ound mainly on he Ne , is de ined by Pos eguillo (2003: 31) as he exis ence o "a subs an ial numbe o di e en blu ed gen es ha o e lap and which a e in pe manen change". In Ya es and O likowski's (1992) iews communica ions in anew medium, such as he Wo ld-Wide Web, will show bo h ep oduc ion o adap a ion o exis ing communica i e gen es and he eme gence o new gen es. Following hese au ho s, many gen es a e being o ha e al eady been adap ed o ake ad an age o he linking and in e ac i i y ea u es o he new medium, and indus ial clus e s a e no excep ion. The dyna nic na u e o gen es is con mned by ou daily ou ine in which cybe gen es ha e success ully become pa o mos discou se communi ies and indi iduals' li es. Nowadays, i is inc easingly common and ad isable o companies o p esen hemsel es on he Ne . By means o websi es companies in oduce hemsel es, ad e ise hei p oduc s and se ices, show hei ca alogues, es ablish and main ain con ac (in e ac ) and ha e he possibili y o becoming Fig. 3-1: S uc u e o ilie chap e . Inius i.al clus ezs DiscoulSe C '00' . ( .. oo" __ __ og u nE oluhan 10 ce amIC lzuUS i.al clus e )-- comnuni ies-- hlou _1. +.,,¡., &" gen e c J' e gen es o digi al gemes 49 Co po a e websi e __ ...¡ ..... i nage (o he ce a.mic i dus i.al clus e ) Analysis o cmline dis cou se 2. Indus ial c1us e s and discou se co n nuni ies T~e di e en . indus~al clus e s exis ing nowadays in he business wo ld can be sald o ~ons l u e dlscou se co nmuni ies. Howe e , discou se co nmuni ies may some lmes seem blu ed, o e lapping and e en inde mi e. This is so because .wh~ ~o many people may cons i u e asingle, well-de med unique ~omm~l y ml sel .( ~ e ~ll iew), o o he people may be ag oup o; smalle n eg a mg comn:unl leS (m eg a ing iew) o ning all oge he amuch bi e ?ne co~p ehendm~ he. es . ~o ins ance, in he speci ic case o he ce ~c ndus nal co nmuDl y, l he m eg a ing iew is conside ed he co nmuni y could. b.e unde s ood o be he bigge , gene al "en i y" e~ul in om he aSSOCla lon o smalle co nmuni ies. In his case, hese smalle c~ nmuni ies ~oU!d be hose made up o che nis s, whi e-colla wo ke s, blue-colla wo ke s eSl~e s, membe s o he boa d, dis ibu o s and salespeople and he~ ~oupm~ o~e he would esul in he ce a nic indus ial co~uni y This n eg a ng Vlew o he clus e could also be ackled om amo e bu~iness- The Digi al Re~ esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough I s Co po a e Websi e Image kn~wn wo l~wide. These possibili ies, combined wi h he a o emen ioned no lO~s o dlscou se communi y, (cybe )gen e and online discou se analysis con~ l u e ~he key ac o s o h.e c ea ion o an adequa e digi al ep esen a ion oí an mdus nal clus e h ough l S co po a e websi e image. Indus ial clus e s wha e e hey. a ~, s udy an~ analyse hese aspec s when designing he~ co po a e websl~e lIDages, WhlCh mus be easily iden i iable ep esen a i e o he whol~ and al h ul o he "poli ics" o he clus e . ' .In hlS chap ~ , he. di e en aspec s men ioned in his in oduc o y sec ion wIll be p og essl ely m oduced and deal wi h o comple e he diag a n n i ( low) ep esen a ion indica ed in igu e l. The Spanish ce a nic indus~ia~ clus e has been he one chosen o illus a e his opic. Chap e Th ee 48 1In o ma ion and Co n nunica ion Technologies. o ien ed bu equally alid and cohe en pe spec i e. This pe spec i e would be o conside he ce amic clus e as made up o smalle communi ies which would co espond o he di e en mns specialised in he di e en s ages in ol ed in he ce amic p oduc ion p ocess (so ne o hem a e adjacen indus ies bu necessa y in he p ocess). These smalle communi ies would be he mns in cha ge o ex ac ing and supplying aw ma e ials, he mns o i s, glazes a~d colou s, hose o machine y p oduc ion and p emises main enance, hose m cha ge o ile p oduc ion ( iles as a mished p oduc ) and he ins i u ions o o ganis ns ela ed o he clus e . In o de o shed so ne ligh on his issue, a se ies o ea u es whose accomplishmen de mes, acco ding o Swales (1990), a discou se communi y, a e p esen ed in he ollowing pa ag aphs. Mos p obably, hese pa ag aphs lead o he conclusion ha bo h iews o adiscou se communi y ( he o e all and in eg a ing ones) a e alid and may e en be gi en simul aneously. Howe e , in o de o make he chap e easie o oHow, he indus ial clus e o he ce amic indus y (and i s co esponding discou se communi y) is conside ed he e om he o e all iew, ha is o say, as awhole, wi hou making any e e ence o smalle "in eg a ing" communi ies. As commen ed a he beginning o his sec ion, al hough discou se communi ies may some imes be di icul o delimi , hey a e no some hing abs ac o aguely de med. In he speci ic case o he Spanish ce amic indus ial clus e , he main eason o being conside ed acommuni y in spi e o he di e en mns o ming pa o i is, basically, ha aH hese mns sha e common objec i es. In o de o enhance he accomplishmen o hese objec i es, he clus e /communi y possesses ase ies o pa icipa o y mechanisms a icula ed by he concep gen e. Discou se communi ies a e hus ne wo ks cha ac e ised by edundan and equen ela ionships gi en h ough gen e and by common alues and no ms esul ing in compe i ion le e aging, high quali y in o ma ion and aci knowledge ans nission. A he same ime, his is ansla ed in o a"compe i i e ad an age" o mns based on solida i y and common alues bu also cha ac e ised, in he speci ic case o he ce a nic indus ial communi y, by an in insic i a1 y be ween mns imposed by he e y na u e o any business-o ien ed communi y. Any discou se communi y we may hink o p esen s ase ies o ea u es ha cha ac e ise i as such. In Swales' (1990) iews, he concep ualiza ion o discou se communi ies can be summa ised in he iden i ica ion o six de ining cha ac e is ics, which a e necessa y and su icien o iden i y ag oup o indi iduals as adiscou se communi y (as happens he e wi h he ce amic indus ial clus e ): 1) "A discou se communi y has ab oadly ag eed se o common public goals" (Swales, 1990: 24-25). 50 Chap e Th ee The Digi al Re~ esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough 51 I S Co po a e Websi e Image These. public goals.a e, ~ he c~se o he ce amic indus ial communi y, a h~ acI because, as many mdus nal, business- ela ed ac i i y, he objec i es a e, ~n .gene al: o bec~~e .leade s in he sec o , ex end ma ke s, a ac clien s, maXI iIse bene i s, mmnlllse losses, e ec i ely igh agains compe i ion and be a he ~ e on o inno a ion, in as uc u es and echnology. Howe e;, he ac o sha mg co~?n, public goals like he aboye does no p e en indi idual ~s om ~l~o aI img a hese goals. Compe i ion is always la en in any busmess .aC IVI y bu , al hough he mns o ning pa o he ce amic indus ial communI y igh o hei success a an indi idual le el, hey a e awa e o he ac ha~ he su~cess o he clus e as awhole is always posi i e o he compallles onnmg pa o i . Thus, he discou se communi y ( he "clus e - ea u e") makes he indi idual s onge . 2) "A discou se communi y has mechanis ns o in e communica ion among i s membe s" (Swales, 1990: 25). These mechanis~ ~a y de?ending on he communi y and in he speci ic case o he ce a mc mdus Ial communi y hese a e: in ema ional ai s (Ce isama, Ce saie ... ), joumals and pe iodicals (Ti e and B ick In e na ional Ziegeli~dus ie ~n e na io~al, Técnica Ce ámica, Ce amica Injo mazine: Indus Ial Ce amlcs, Bole m de la Sociedad Española de Ce ámica yVid io e c.), con e sa ions, e-mails, axes, co espondence, e c. ' ~) "J:- disco~se communi y uses i s pa icipa o y mechanisms p ima ily o p o Ide m~o ma lOn and eedback" (Swales, 1990: 26). . Acco~dmg o Swales (1990: 26) "membe ship implies up ake o he ~ o ma lOnal. 0ppo uni ies:'. In ~ way, his is he esul o ha ing m e commU~Ica Ion mechamsms WhICh a e mainly used o accomplish public goals bu which can also be used o mo e p i a e ones. In ~e Spanish ce a nic indus ial communi y, o ins ance, he mos p o o~pIcal exam?le o apa icipa o y mechanism is ASCER (Asociación ~span?la de. ~~bncan es .de Azulejos yPa imen os Ce ámicos), akind o mee m~ ~om ~o he dI e en mns in he clus ei. In he same way, o he co~panIes websI es can be eso ed o in o de o become awa e o hei philosophy, p oduc s, inno a ions, ends, echniques, p ocedu es weaknesses e c. Conseq~en~ly,. in o ma ional ~ppo uni ies. can be used ei he ' o s eng he~ he commulll y s Ies and bene i I s common m e es s o o ob ain in o ma ion abou membe companies wi h mo e p i a e objec i es. .4) "A disc~u s~ communi y u ilizes and hence possesses one o mo e gen es ID he commulllca I e u he ance o i s aims" (Swales, 1990: 26). ~I This i~ he eason why AS~E~'s websi e could be conside ed agood, simple way o 1lus a mg he co po a e websl e Image o he ce amic indus ial clus e . Depa ing om he ac ha "gen es a e how hings ge done, when l~guage is used o accomplish hem" (Ma in, 1985: 250 in Swales, 1990: 2~) dlscou se expec a ions a e c ea ed by he gen es ha adi ionally ha e a lcula ed he ope a ions o he discou se communi y (Swales, 1990: 26). Consequen ly, each kind o discou se communi y a ou s ce ain gen es mo e han o he s because i s goals a e be e accomplished h ough hem and he communi y as such is be e ep esen ed by hem. .' . In he case o he ce amic indus ial commum y new dlgi al gen es such as web pages i pe ec ly well in o he "philosophy" o ~e communi y. This is ~o because, apa om me ely linguis ic conside a lOns, hey allow apld communica ion, isual po en ial, amuch wide each o scope and powe ul ad e ising - ac o s which always bene i any business ac~ i y. . 5) "In addi ion o owning gen es, adiscou se commum y has acqu ed so ne speci ic lexis" (Swales, 1990: 26-27). . . The use o higWy echnical ocabula y is a cha ac ens~c. e~ u e o an!, indus ial ield and ce amics is no an excep ion. The speclahsa lOn ha hlS indus ial ield implies as ap o essional and higWy echnolo~ical b anch ~ knowledge is cohe en ly exp essed by i s e mino~o~. Communl y membe sh.lp is highly de e mined by he e icien commu nca lOn exchange. be:wee~ l S membe s (expe s), and p ope communica ion wi hin acommu n y . nphes a co ec knowledge and use o he e minology speci ic o ha comm~m y . 6) "A discou se communi y has a h eshold le el o membe s wi h asUl able deg ee o ele an con en and discou sal expe ise" (S .: ales ,. 19?~: 27). "Discou se communi ies ha e changing membe ships; mdi lduals en e as app en ices and lea e by dea h o in o he less in olun~ ways. How~ e , he su i al o he communi y depends on a easonable a io be ween no l~es ~nd expe s" (Swales, 1990: 27). Usually, amembe .belonging o ~ communl y like he one unde analysis has adeg ee o expe lse on he subJec (p ocedu es, ma e ials, ans o ma ion, mal p oduc , e c.) ha he layman.does no possess. Wi h hese conside a ions, he obse a ion and analysls o gen e can be conside ed one o he i s and main s eps o co ec ly unde s anding and analysing adiscou se communi y and hence o desig ¡ing an adequa e co po ~ e websi e image. This necessa ily implies agood knowledge o commulllca~ e p ac ices wi hin he discou se communi y as well as agood kno~ledge o onlme discou se and i s implica ions, as is explained in subsequen sec lOns. . Howe e he e is a ac closely ela ed o Swales' (1990) poin numbe SlX ha canno be ig ¡o ed in any business ac i i y, no ma e which discou se communi y we a e aiking abou . I is some hing ob ious ha he ~embe s. o~ a communi y, ha is o say, expe s and p o essionals playa c uclal ole m 11. Howe e abusiness would be no hing wi hou clien s. Clien s do no necessa iíyneed o belong o he discou se communi y bu a e undamen al o 53 52 Chap e Th ee The Digi al Rep esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough i s Co po a e Websi e Image success ully achie ing he se o common public goals communi ies/indus ial clus e .s ha e (poin 1 in Swales' ea u es). In addi ion o his, he public, easily- accesslble na u e o digi al gen es makes i possible o p ospec i e clien s no belonging o. he. communi y o .use he pa icipa o y mechanisms employed by he commu n y m he commu uca i e u he ance o i s ai os. The e o e, i is ad isab~e o he co po a e websi e image o he clus e o con empla e and ha mom~e bo h pe spec i .es. This will be ansla ed in o accomplishing he expec a lOns no only o dlscou se communi y membe s -ei he unde s ood as pa icula companies o indi iduals- bu also o p ospec i e cus ome s. New digi al gen es allow his kind o conside a ions by p ese ing, o ins ance he possibili y o choosing he use p o ile. ' 3. Gen e, eogni ion and eo n nuniea ion Be o e del ing any u he in o ou opic, s a ing wi h ade ni ion o gen e can hel~ o cla ~ y one o he "pilla concep s" o his chap e . Following Swales (1990, mBa hia, 1993: 13), gen e "is a ecognizable communica i e e en cha ac e ized by ase o communica i e pu pose(s) iden i ied and mu ually unde s ood by he membe s o he p o essional o academic communi y in which i egula ly occu s". Cogni ion and communica ion a e always gi en h ough gen e. Me apho ically speaking, gen e on he one hand and cogni ion and communica ion on he o he a e he ecep acle and he wa e . Gen e is a ecep acle used o ca ying and con aining wa e (cogni ion and communica ion). Wa e is cons an ly needed, in he same way as knowledge and communica ion a e, bu wi hou a ecep acle i is impossible o ca y any wa e om X o Y. This is he unc ion o gen e, i allows us o "ca y wa e " (communica ion) and o "d. ink wa e " (cogni ion). This is he main pu pose o gen e and he main ea u e o be conside ed in he cons uc ion o gen e: he communica i e mission i is in ended o ul il. Co~unica ion .is equen and necessa y among he membe s o any c~mmu u y. Followmg Ag e (1997) and in acco dance wi h Swales' (1990) Vlews, al hough acommuni y migh ha e as onge o weake sense o i sel as such, communi ies ha e ace ain deg ee o collec i e cog ¡i ion and his cog ¡i ion needs o be communica ed o he communi y o become s onge , e ol e a?d de ~lop. In he speci ic case o he ce amic indus ial communi y, h ough m e ac lOn, he di e en companies o ning pa o i lea n om o he s' expe~ence, es ablish common s a egies, de elop asha ed, speci ic ocabula y ( e~ology) and ollow adis inc i e and cha ac e is ic way o hinking and ac. mg. All hese ac ions a e ca ied ou and codi ied h ough gen e so ha i is Wl hOU adoub akey issue o ake in o accoun h oughou his chap e . Any 54 Chap e Th ee The Digi al Rep esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough l s Co po a e Websi e I nage 55 discou se co nmuni y mus be pe ec ly awa e o ag eed gene ic con en ions when c ea ing aco po a e websi e image since i needs o mee ce ain goals and expec a ions. Ag ea deal o li e a u e has been w i en on he opic o gen e and many p oposals o i s de ini ion and classi ica ion ha e been pu o wa d. Howe e , gen es do ha e a a he slippe y na u e which does no make hem easy o deli ni and classi y. Going back o he wa e me apho , he ue na u e o gen e is as icky o de me as i is o s op wa e slipping h ough you mge s. ~ille 's (1994: 23) iews on he opic p o ide a heo e ically sound unde s andmg o gen es acco ding o which hese mus ocus no so much on he sub.s ance o ~e o m o discou se bu on he ac ion hey a e in ended o accomphsh. Gen e lS always de e mined by hose who a e he p o o ypical owne s o he knowledge i ans ni s. These p o o ypical cogni ion owne s, whose knowledge and co nmunica i e ou ines shape gen e and pe pe ua e i wi hin aco nmuni y, a e he membe s o such co nmuni ies. Th ough gen e "we lea n o unde s and be e he si ua ions in which we md ou sel es and we leam how o pa icipa e in he ac ions o aco nmuni y" (F eed nan and Medway, 1994: 2). As Mille s a es (1994) he numbe o exis ing gen es in any socie y ~s inde e~ina~e, as happens wi h co nmuni ies, and depends upon he complexl y and dl e sl y o he socie y (and, Iwould add, upon he subjec i e iew o eali y we as human beings ha e). Ano he ac o o be highligh ed be o e going any u he is he ac ha gen e mus always be unde s ood as social ac ion. Gen es a e meaning ul only when gi en in asocial con ex : "gen e, in his way b~comes mo e ~an a o mal en i y; i becomes p agma ic, ully he o ical, apom o connec lOn be ween in en ion and e ec , an aspec o social ac ion" (Mille , 1994: 25). To sum up, he success o he digi al co po a e ep esen a ion o an indus~al clus e depends on a ecognisable se o co nmunica i e pu poses cohe en Wl h hose p e iously assigned o mo e adi ional gen es bu aking ad an ~ge. o new possibili ies and making agood use o online discou se. When desl~g he co po a e websi e image o adiscou se co nmuni y, he la e mus ecognlse i sel in he cybe gen e. Acco dingly, he in e play be ween he concep s o gen e and discou se co nmuni y de e mines he c ea ion o any co po a e websi e image in ended o accu a ely- e lec he eali y o an indus ial clus e . This in e play allows (Ba hia, 1993) cogni i e s uc u ing (in he o m o ge~~) o show he accumula ed and con en ionalised social knowledge cha ac ens Ic o adiscou se co nmuni y. I is his cha ac e is ic es sence ha mus be main ained in he ''jump'' om adi ional o digi al gen es and hus one o he main ea u es o de e mine an adequa e, cohe en co po a e websi e image. 4. Digi al gen es o cybe gen es The concep o gen e has adap ed o new echnologies de eloping in o new concep s suc~ as ~?s.e ~ digi al gen e o cybe gen e. In Wa e s and Shephe d's wo ds (1~97. 54) ~lgl al gen es ex end he concep o ali e a y o he o ical gen e ?y mco po~a mg ~he no ion~ o use in e ac ions and p ocessing". In he ollowmg subsec lOns his g adualmco po a ion is desc ibed. 4.1. Keeping bings clea : In e ne - ela ed concep s Be o e p oceeding an~ u he , he cla i ica ion o ou ecu en concep s and ~e way o app oachmg hem h oughou his chap e becomes essen ial: websI e, w~b page, homepage and co po a e websi e image. AwebsI e ~an be de ined .as acollec ion o one o mo e web pages sha ing a c? nmo~ d~mam o o subdomam name on he In e ne . Aweb page is adocumen dlsplaymg .m ~ ma lOn which can be accessed h ough aweb b owse and which allows na lga Ion o o he web pages ia hype ex links. In his esea ch we~si es. ha~e been conside ed as amac ocybe gen e, a global ge.n ~ capable o housmg many o he smalle gen es inside, agen e o gen es wl hin he ~e . Websi es a~e made up o one o mo e web pages so, in a way, he concep lOn o gen es m a websi e con ex can be me apho ically il.lus a ed by Russian Ma yoshka dolls. These a e wooden dolls o di e en Slzes so ha each one nes s inside asligh ly la ge one. Hence, one o hese dolls can be opened o e eal ano he and so o h un il he smalles one is eached. In he same way, ~e?si es can also be unde s ood as p o o ypical, "mo he ,,3 cybe gen es con ammg o he smalle cybe gen es inside. The wo d homepage admi s wo possible senses. On he one hand i may make e e ence o a pe~sonal web~i e made up o one o mo e web p;ges and us~ally c ea ed o :ons I u e a. an sl e, ape sonal dia y, apho o album o simply a I ual place o gl~e exp eSSlOn o emo ions, opinions o in e es s. On he o he hand, a homepa~e lS he us page o any websi e, ha is o say, i s on page, s a. page o mam web p~ge. Homepages unde s ood in such away o e ~Uldance_ h ough he.websl e and p esen al e na i e names: home, de aul and mdex. Th oughou hlS chap e , when no explici e e ence is made o indica e he con a y, ~e s~cond sense has been he one adop ed. A co po ~ ~on lS .a la ge en i y o i m which g oups oge he o he smalle i ms o en I Ies Wl~ co nmon .in e es s. The adjec i e "co po a e" makes e e ence o he quah y o belongmg o acollec ion o indi idual en i ies wi h common ea u es and hence g ouped unde awide , co nmon denomina ion ( he 3 The name Ma yoshka de i es om "ma yona", a Russian wo d o "mo he ". Fig. 3-2: Shephe d and Wa e s' (1998) c1assi ica ion o cybe gen es 4.2 Tbe e olu ion om adi ional o digi al gen es Shephe d and Wa e s (1998) coined he e m cybe gen e o deno e he new digi al gen es ha appea ed wi h he inc easingly dominan posi ion he In e ne has acqui ed, especially in he las decade. These au ho s conside cybe gen es o be in eg a ed by wo main kinds o "subcybe gen es", ex an and no el, which illus a e he e olu ion om adi ional o digi al gen es (see igu e 3-2). The Digi al Re~ esen a ioo o an Indus ial Clus e h ough 57 l s Co po a e Websi e Image 1. ~x an cybe ~en es a e hose based on al eady exis ing gen es o be ound m o~e ~~dla (pape and ideo), wi h he pa icula i y o ha ing beeo cas o mdigi al o mo When an al eady exis ing gen e ( adi iooal ge.n e) mlg a ~s o a ~ompu e en i onmen , i is, ini ially a leas , al h ully epbca ed. This means ha con en and o m a e p ese ed in a way ha ~~~e ex an eplica ed cybe gen es do no ake ull ad an age o he capablh les o he new medium. Typical examples o his ini ial s age o e olu ion a e digi alised documen s such as PDF ones. A asubsequen s~ge, ex an a ian cybe gen es a e c ea ed, ap ocess o igina ed and d i en by he echnical capabili ies o e ed by he new medium. The basic ea u e o hese ex an a ian cybe gen es is he addi ion o mul imedia ea u es and ~ ~ ac i i y. The e olu ion om me ely digi alised newspape s o digI al o elec onic news is an example o his e olu ion om eplica ed o ex an a ian cybe gen es, c ea ed o i he new medium. 2. No el cybe gen es a e ully dependen on he new medium and a e c ea ed. o~ he basis o he echnical capabili ies o digi al media. They may ongma e om ex an gen es h ough eplica ion and a ian s gi ing way o no el eme gen cybe gen es, he hi d s age o e olu ion. P o iding news h ough agen s and pe sonalised in e aces is an example o his kind o c~be gen es. In a mal deg ee o e olu ion (al hough no de i ed om p e lOus s ages), no el spon aneous cybe gen es a e hose which may no ha e any coun e pa in o he media, as occu s wi h home pages, ho lis s andFAQ. This .chap e is ocused on he s udy o amac ocybe gen e, he a o emenhoned. websi e, wi hin .which one may md smalle "in eg a ing" cybe ge~es w~lch ~ay p esen di e en deg ees o e olu ion in Shephe d and Wa ~ s .classl icaho.n .(1998). Acco ding o his dynamic classi ica ion, websl es m he ce anuc mdus ial communi y (and he web pages i is made up oi) would cons i u e, as a w~ole, no el spon aneous cybe gen es. They a e ully dependen on he new medlum and a e c ea ed on he basis o he echnical capabili ies i o e s bu ha e no coun e pa as such in o he media. In Ya es and O likowski's (1992, 1?9~) iews ~any ~di ional gen es ha e been adap ed o ake ad an age o he hnking and m e ac I i y o he digi al medium bu in he case ~ web~i~es, e e y hing s a ed om sc a ch because no coun e~a can be ound m adl Ional media. Howe e , web~i es a e ~lso designed bea ing in mind he expec a ions c ea ed by he ~enenc con en lOns o he communi y. Ob iously, i analysed as a ,whole, websl e~ a e no exac eplicas o any gen e adi ionally associa ed W1 ~ he clus e like ca alogues o o de o ms, bu hese websi es may con ain o mclude, as in ac hey do, ins ances o smalle cybe gen es mo e easily JI~'s~" .. ljz~ I 1J~"" Chap e Th ee 2. No el -< ( .... ··, .. ·· E " Repllca d • • 1. Ex an L Vañan U• • T Eme gen cyb e g e n e s co po a ion). This conglome a ion o indi idual companies unde awide , common denomina ion is explained by he exis ence o common p ac ices, objec i es and ules, ha is, by he exis ence o adiscou se communi y. As such hese common ea u es cons i u e and de me he co po a e image o he clus ~ (used he e as anea synonym o discou se communi y and co po a ion). Consequen ly, his co po a e image mus be main ained as acons an in digi al ep esen a ions beyond he pa icula in e es o indi idual companies o he bene i o he collec i e goals and he easy iden i ica ion o he co po a ion's policy o ac ion. Thus, he co po a e websi e image ~ an indus ial .cl~s e makes e e ence o he common, ep esen a i e al s sha ed by dlgl ally ep esen ing companies o ming pa o awide en i y ( he indus ial clus e o communi y i sel ) ha , he e o e, iden i y and con ibu e o i s goals. 56 4.3 Main ea u es o digi al gen es iden i iable wi h gen es adi ionally associa ed wi h he ce amic clus e . Ac ually, i is acons an in any indus ial ce amics websi e o md, o ins ance, asec ion en i led "ca alogue" o "p oduc s" which accomplishes he same unc ion as he adi ional pape ca alogue -sizes, ma e ials, models and pic u es (images) a e p o ided as in a adi ional ca alogue- aking ad an age, howe e , o he possibili ies o e ed by he new medium. These smalle cybe gen es usually belong o he ca ego ies o ex an a ian cybe gen es o no el eme gen cybe gen es bu e en ex an eplica ed cybe gen es may also be ound in he o m o , o ins ance, newspape news o jou nal a icles ai h ully eplica ed in adigi al o mo Thus, websi es a e conside ed he e as p o o ypical cybe gen es which may con ain o he smalle cyb gen es wi h di e en deg ees o e olu ion in Shephe d and Wa e s's (1998) classi ica ion and wi h di e en deg ees o a achmen o he expec a ions gene a ed by adi ional gen es. 59 58 Chap e Th ee The Digi al Re~ esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough I s Co po a e Websi e Image Digi al gen es4 ake ad an age o h h he new medium which b i e ug~ numbe o possibili ies o e ed by ,may ene 1 he publIc CO po a . ac i i y in gene al. Websi es as p o o yp' 1 1 eunage oany business , lCa examp es o cybe gen es: •A e in. e ac i e and p esen adynamic beha iou . •Con am ep oduced o e-s uc u ed (usually su nm . d scanned) in o ma h' h . anse o • H . Ion w IC IS hus, mo e easily assi nila ed u::ee :,~¿ Isual, in ui ! e na u e wi h ap edominan ~le o • g . makes hem, ID gene al, appealing and eye-ca chin Allow l inkaPId access o o he opic- ela ed web pages h ough ~~ use o s The linking na u h N . ex (h .. e o e e IS no only p esen in .ype ex ), unages can also be o con ain links o min h lS co nmonly known as hype media. g w a •Allow he i nmedia e sp ead o in o ma ion. •P esen a c.ha ac~e is ic layou and isual he o ics. •Allow he mcluslOn o audio and ideo. Gi en he ac ha gen e epe oi e is bo h ap oduc and ashape o he co nmunica i e p ac ices o aco nmuni y (O likowski and Ya es, 1994) i seems logical ha new digi al gen es a e c ea ed acco ding o he demands and expec a ions o such co nmuni y. In o he wo ds, i is cohe en and necessa y o new gen es o i , in away, in o he ype o co nmunica ion expec ed. Consequen ly, gen e has clea and impo an implica ions in websi e designo Following Ag e (1997), an ad an age ha new digi al gen es p esen is he possibili y o pick aco nmuni y, explo e how al eady exis ing o adi ional gen es i in o he ac i i ies and ela ionships o his co nmuni y, and hen conside how hese new gen es migh su pass he possibili ies o adi ional ones. In his way, he co nmunica i e p ac ices o he co nmuni y migh be enhanced and imp o ed, ha is o say, cybe gen es migh "do mo e" o a co nmuni y. Digi al gen es a e usually designed o acili a e ce ain unc ions and o ex end he op ions and possibili ies o e ed by adi ional gen es enabling, o ins ance, much quicke sea ching, so ing o compa ing. Wa e s and Shephe d (1998) also emphasised he ole o gen e in he e olu ion o use in e ace on he In e ne , hus shi ing he a en ion o he echnical unc ionali y o elec onic documen s. While gen es in non-digi al media a e de e mined by con en and o m, cybe gen es a e de e mined by con en and o m bu also by unc ionali y. The ac ha billions and billions o doc '. ne based on in e ac i i y and in e c .umen s a e m e linked o ming a mos powe ul "in o ma ion weapons~nn ec!Ion. makes he In e ne one o he oou unes. The use may . one page o ano he wi h asimple "click" I dd" Jump om ames - he pa s in which he web .. ~;.. I!IOn, web pages can con ain han smalle web pages onnm'g a b~age IS su IVIded- which a e no hing mo e .19ge one con aining h Th ~llow, o: ms ance, ou pieces o in o ma io' e. es . ese ames I ~ de~cnp ion, he gene al index o odn(le ssay ~e I~age. ~ ap oduc , Isuahzed a once o o selec / iew jus/ h ~~s an~ clIen s .0pIDlOns) o be in. e m o ma lOn we ugh be in e es ed 4.4 Typology o digi al gen es In gene al e ms, i is ad isable o de si be awa e o he use 's expec a ions d' gne s o d aw on accep ed gen e and ee o ejec old o os ha do n i ega mghngen e. Al hough hey should eel o 1 new ec ology h 1 ha new gen es a e o ien mi . ' ey mus aso be.awa e 1999) h h sunde s ood o esIs ed (C ows on & Wil . w en ey do no i use s' expec a ions h' Iams, m oduc ion is conside ed oo blun . o wen hel appea ance o 4W· . .I h he excep ion o ex an eplica edc be en ' . digi al onu o be mo e adi ional y g. es smce bey al b ully ep oduce in a new me<lium. gen es no akmg ad an age o he possibili ies o be I 60 Chap e Th ee The Digi al Rep esen a ion o an Indus ial Clus e h ough i s Co po a e Websi e Image 61 C ows on and Williams (1997) we e among he us o ealise he impo ance o gen e o analyzing co nmunica ion on he In e ne also. They no ed, ha he Web was an excellen place o s udy he .de elo~men o gen es, because o i s easy access and i s po en ial o expe ~en ahon, eedom o s uc u a ion, and in e ac ions be ween many co nmum les. They ~o~umen ed he ange o gen es in use on he Web by sampling and c1assi ymg 1000 ando nly selec ed web pages5•Dis inc ion was based on pu pose, a he han on physical o mo They iden i ied 48 di e en web gen es ( able 3-1). A chi e i em Filmog aphy P oblem se A icle Genealogy P oduc in o ma ion Book Go e nmen p og a n desc ip ion P oduc e iews Box sco e Guide Publica ion lis Ch onicle Home page Ra ings Colu nn Ho lis Rel ula ion o ule Compu e documen a ion Index Reoo Conce e iew Lib a aCQuisi ion lis Sc io Demog aphic da a Lis o esea ch p oiec s Se e s a is ics Di ec o y Mee ing minu es Sou ce code Discog aph Memo ial Submission ins uc ion E-mail di ec o lis ing Newsle e Table o con en s Essa News wi e a icle Tes imonial Facul in o ma ion O de o o Uni . cou se lis ing FAQ Pa nohle Use s' manual File di ec o lis ing Poli ical pa y pla o m Vi ae Table 3-1: Web gen es (N =48) o cybe gen es iden i ied by C ows on and Williams (1997); sample size: 1000. F om hese digi al gen es he ones mos equen ly used by he ce a nic indus ial co nmuni y a e he ones indica ed in able 3-2, al hough many o he c1assi ica ions and denomina ions a e also possible. O de o m A o m o eco ding in o ma ion needed o o de a p oduc o E-mail di ec o y Alis o e-mail add esses. FAQ Edi ed collec ion o ques ions and answe s on a opic; o ien labelled as such. Use s' manual Ins uc ions on he use o ap oduc o Ho lis Alis o Web si es no con olled by he au ho o he lis , o ien o ganized by opic. Home page Ap esen a ion o pe sonal in o ma ion, o ien wi h links oo he in o ma ion o aho lis . Repo A o mal s a emen o he esul s o an in es iga ion o o any ma e on which de mi e in o ma ion is equi ed, made by so ne pe son o body ins uc ed o equi ed o do so (OED). A iele Ali e a y composi ion o ming ma e ially pa o a joumal, magazine, encyclopaedia, o o he collec ion, bu ea ing aspeci ic opic dis inc ly and independen ly (OED). Ra ings Nume ic e alua ions o p oduc s o se ices. Regula ion o ule A ule p esc ibed o he managemen o so ne ma e , o o he egula ing o conduc ; ago e ning p ecep o di ec ion; as anding ule (OED). Table 3-2: Main gen es used by he ce a nic indus ial co nmuni y acco ding o C ows on and Williams' classi ica ion (1997). P oduc e iews P oduc in o ma ion Desc ip ion and e alua ion o p oduc s o ad ise o en ial cus ome s. Adesc ip ion o he ea u es andlo bene i s o ~ p oduc , w i en by he manu ac u e o po enhal cus ome s. As may be obse ed in able 3-2, ce ain cybe gen es cha ac e is ic o he ce a nic indus ial co nmuni y cons i u e an adap a ion o e olu ion om adi ional gen es ypically associa ed wi h he clus e : p oduc in o ma ion, epo s, a ieles, egula ions o ules and o de o ms among o he s. So ne o he s, howe e , a e no el cybe gen es such as FAQ, ho lis s o home pages, no iden i iable wi h adi ional gen es bu which main ain he essence and os e he ac ions o he discou se co nmuni y. 5 In his way, hey also conside ed he web page (which can be a synony n o websi e) as amac ocybe gen e con aining o he smalle ''web gen es". 74 Chap e Th ee Fe a a, Ka hleen, B unne , Hans and Whi emo e. "In e ac i e w i en discou se as an eme gen egis e ." In W i en Communica ion, 8(1), 8-34, 1991. Fo d, And ew. Spinning he Web: How o P o ide In o ma ion on he In e ne . In ema ional Thomson Compu e P ess, 1995. Foucha d, Gilles. Cómo ende más en su web. Ba celona: Ges ión 2000, 2002. F eedman, A i a and Medway. Gen e and he new he o ic. London: Taylo and F ancis, 1994. Janal Daniel. Ma ke ing en In e ne : cómo log a que la gen e isi e, comp e y eg esea su si io web. Mexico DF: P en ice Hall, 2000. Mille , Ca olyn. "Gen e as social ac ion." In Qua e ly Joumal o Speech, 70, 151-167,1984. Nielsen, Jakob. "Di e ences Be ween P in Design and Web Design" published on he au ho 's Web si e, Usei .com, Jan. 24, 1999. O likowski, Wanda and Ya es. "Gen e epe oi e: he s uc u ing o co nmunica i e p ac ices in o ganiza ions." In Adminis a i e Science Qua e ly. 39:4, 542-574, 1994. O likowski, Wanda and Ya es. Gen e sys ems: s uc u ing in e ac ion h ough communica i e no m. Camb idge, MA: MIT, 1998. Pa é, An hony and Sma . "Obse ing gen es in ac ion: Towa ds a esea ch me hodology." In Gen e and he New Rhe o ic, edi ed by A i a F eedman and Pe e Medway. London: Taylo and F ancis, 1994. Pos eguillo, San iago. Ne linguis ics: Language, Discou se and Ideology in In e ne . Cas elló de la Plana: Publicacions de la Uni e si a Jaume 1, 2003. Shephe d, Michael and Wa e s, C.R. "The e olu ion o cybe gen es." In P oceedings o he 30 hAnnual Hawaii In e na ional Con e ence on Sys em Sciences (HICSS '98) edi ed by Sp ague, 97-109, olume 2. Los Alami os, CA: IEEE- Compu e Socie y, 1998. A ai1able on line: h p://www.cs.uu.nl/people/leenlGen eDe /Gen eDe elopmen .h m. Sho is, Tim. The Language o ICT In o ma ion and Communica ion Technology. London: Rou ledge, 200 l. Swales, John. Gen e analysis. English in academic and esea ch se ings, Camb idge: Camb idge Uni e si y P ess, 1990. Ya es, JoAnne and O likowski. "Gen es o o ganiza ional co nmunica ion: A s uc u a ional app oach o s udying co nmunica ions and media." In Academy o Managemen Re iew, 17,2,299-326, 1992. Ya es, JoAnne and O likowski. "Gen e epe o ie :Examining he S uc u ing o Co nmunica i e P ac ices in O ganiza ions." In Adminis a i e Science Qua e ly, 33, 541-574, 1994.