Closer to a defined goal

Worked some more on my diss proposal this week. I'm still struggling with defining what I'm looking for and how to justify that. It's a long, uphill battle, but it's getting more and more fun. When I initially began the proposal process, I really didn't enjoy writing it. I felt I needed to write in an academic tone and with academic pretense.

I've given that up. Instead, I'm writing in my own voice and having a blast. Now when I open up my document and begin working I feel like I'm putting together the pieces of a puzzle. And not only am I enjoying it more, but I'm writing more accurately: my definitions are more tightly couched within a context of use. That's satisfying.

I'm wondering now if I can define software into "production" software, such as Word, FrontPage or InDesign, and "communication" software such as email and IM. The exciting part is that IM is such an important part of my own scholarly pursuits that I'm tempted to define it as both communication AND production software.