Discourse Community: Facebook (rough draft) teacher comments

Brianna Lamz
Lizabeth Gijon

What exactly is a discourse community? A discourse community is

Comment [W1]: Wheres your title?

constructed by a group of people with the same interest and goals. Some examples
of a discourse community could be a sports team, or people getting together to
accomplish the same thing. The discourse community my partner and I choose to

Comment [W2]: This is not really an example.

inform our readers about social media. We decided to focus on the social media

Comment [W3]: http://www.gingersoftware.c

om/english-online/spelling-book/confusingwords/choose-chose

group known as Facebook. Facebook is a website created by Mark Zuckerberg and

fellow Harvard alumni; Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and
Chris Hughes. When Facebook was first created it was only meant for the Ivy League
colleges in the Boston area. People from the public decided to hop on the Facebook
bandwagon and Facebook blew up.
To join the Facebook community you first have to sign up for an account with

Comment [W4]: Avoid 2nd person:

http://english.tjc.edu/jbru/grammar/second.htm

your personal basic information, such as your first and last name, your birthday,
age, gender, hobbies, and any other information you want displayed. After setting up
profile you have to confirm it through your email account. Once you have completed
that, you are ready to use Facebook. Other aspects that are required to be an
efficient user of Facebook would be technology skills. Currently you can connect to
Facebook through your computer, cell phone, and even some television sets.
Facebook users also need to be able to read and write. When using Facebook users
are able to read their friends thoughts that have expressed and are able to comment

Comment [W5]: Look at #3:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/com
mas.htm

back to them. Facebook has features that can show the user who else shares similar
interest and background information, such as the high school they attended and
their graduation year. Facebook also is able to show mutual friends that the user
and someone else shares.
The overall reason Facebook was created was so that users can communicate
with others. Facebook users can communicate in many different ways and for
different reasons. Facebook is a good way to meet others and build relationships.
This social website is also a great way to stay in touch with distant friends and
family members, or even reconnect with someone. Facebook allows users to stay up
to date on their friends lives. Users are able to know when their friends birthdays
are and important milestones in their lives. Facebook is also used by companies to
communicate big events they are having to advertise their brand or product. Users
are able to join communities to support causes/raise awareness for organizations.
Facebook users are also able to create events, such as a birthday parties or get-

Comment [W6]: Misuse of quotation marks:

Look about way down under the blue box.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/mar
ks/quotation.htm

togethers. When users create an event they are allowed to invite their friends to join
their event. Facebook currently has a new feature that allows users to send and
receive gifts, such as Starbucks gift cards or visa gift cards.
Even though Facebook users are able to express their ideas and thoughts
with the public there are certain restrictions that are recommended to follow.

Comment [W7]: See comment W5.

Facebook offers the feature of being able to give insight on your personal daily life. A

Comment [W8]: Wordy:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/gr
ammar/wordiness-and-idioms

lot of users post repeatedly throughout the day, and sometimes giving out too much

Comment [W9]: The rest of this paragraph

seems about tips rather than restrictions.

information. Users are capable of sharing their exact location with their friends and
followers. People usually drop their location when they are at events, places they

are trying to bring attention to, or even simply just to update their followers.
Dropping your exact location for the public eye to view could be risky. Users should
not always trust their followers. There have been many cases where people have
been stalked, which has been facilitated by the constant update of the users
whereabouts. Users should also be aware of fake profiles. It is easy to be fooled by
other users because information given out on profiles does not have to be accurate.
There have also been many situations where people have been catfished, which is
when you are lied to about who really is behind the computer screen
communicating with you. Users should also be aware that not everyone has the
same opinion as you do. It is easy to misunderstand someones tone or intentions
over the Internet. Not only can words be offensive to others, but also pictures have
the same ability of affecting others. Pictures can be too explicit, or can portray
certain views that everyone does not agree with. Even though users have the right
to say and post whatever they are feeling, people should really take others views
and beliefs into consideration. Another significant issue that the nation is having
currently is cyber bullying. People feel more confident when they are behind a
screen, so they feel it is easier to express their emotions weather they are good or
bad. Users take advantage of not being face to face with whom ever they are talking
to, and it can easily get out of hand. People who get bullied online are more
susceptible to experiencing depression, increase in insecurities, and could
potentially lead to abuse of drugs and alcohol or thoughts of suicide. Cyber bullying
is fairly common, especially in the younger age groups. The majority of younger kids
do not know exactly how to handle their emotions when getting bullied, or do not

Comment [W10]: Possessive:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/gr
ammar/possessives

know how to handle the bully appropriately. A lot of victims who get bullied do not
share with someone that they are experiencing, forcing them to keep bottled up
emotions that then leads to more extreme outcomes.
In conclusion to the Facebook discourse community there is a lot more to this
social media website than just meets the eye. You all as users should now be more

Comment [W11]: This paragraph is way too

long. Consider breaking it up. Also, Im not sure
how all of this related to the discourse
community.
Formatted: Highlight

aware of the benefits and disadvantages of being apart of such a large community.
We were hopefully successful that we were able to educate you on the social media
group known as Facebook. And we also hope that you all as users will take others

Comment [W12]: awkward

feelings and emotions into consideration. Facebook is meant for you to be able to
communicate not be able to harm others with words.

Comment [W13]: Off topic. You didnt address

the 6 characteristics of discourse communities:
http://eng1020jankensfall2012.wordpress.com/
2012/09/05/swales-6-characteristics-ofdiscourse-communities/