What is Genre?

Genre had a very limited definition to me before reading through the document posted on Back Board. I merely saw it as the filter I put on when I shift through Netflix or OnDemand while looking for movies, or the paper signs above tall book shelfs in the local Barnes and Noble. Through reading these articles I've realized that genre has a broader definition that is determined by things like purpose, situations, or who the piece/media is for. As I read while reading Understanding Genre I began to further understand that sometimes the genre of your media will change based on the purpose for your media, for a non-smoking campaign you'd probably be better off with informative nonfiction written as an article. I drew a parallel to the reference in Rhetorical Situation when it explained that rhetoric may be present due to its ability to be in a given situation. Their example explained the severity and quick release of the news and documentation of the Kennedy assassination yet how it changed to a more eulogy style as time went on and the information had been released. The essay regarding Navigating Genre described that based on the audience the style of the media would change. A letter to a friend would be very different than a speech given to Congress. Formality, style, jargon, word choice, and how much personality a piece has (and more) will all change based on who the audience is. Any and all of these scenarios influence genre in a way I had never known, so I suppose it is now a description including time and feelings during publication of the piece. The last genre I composed was a series of shakespearean style love poems written casually and lovingly to my girlfriend.