Reference no: EM133382400

One way to understand a community it to study the written communication within it. How do members of the community discuss its work, or communicate common goals, or share information. If we look at the writing of a community, we can see through its communication the core that represents it -- after all, communities are made up of humans and humans thrive by communicating. What is communicated between members in your community? Is there a particular type of discourse that is specific to the community (jargon or slang, perhaps)? Are there different mediums and genres -- visual or digital mediums, and print mediums might have a variety of genres or pieces of communication to explore. What can you find that helps you understand this community?

The following questions help us better understand how members communicate and interact. For this assignment, select one of the groups from your proposal. This is the community you'll be writing about for the rest of the project. You'll answer the questions below to help you explore and explain your chosen community.

IDEAS
What are the explicitly shared goals, values, or interests of the community? You may not need to look further than the name of the community for this information. Some communities also provide a formal description of their shared goals and values in a mission statement or similar piece.
What are the unspoken rules or expectations of this community? Every community has assumptions, practices, customs, or expectations that its members take for granted -- what does your community expect or assume?
How are event, ideas, milestones, needs and more communicated within this community and/or outside the community? How a group generates and shares knowledge can be formal and informal. How does the group find out about important events, news, or ideas? When there is a solution to a problem or interesting new information, how do members share this information? Are there particular news sites or Twitter profiles that the members of this community follow to find out about new things? Or to communicate about things they want others to know?

PEOPLE
Who are the important people, prominent voices, or authority figures in this community? How is their authority or expertise established in this community? Who are they and how did they become important figures in the community? Why do people look to and listen to them? How is their authority or expertise established in this community?
Who is allowed to speak and participate? And, conversely, who is not allowed to speak or participate?
How does one become accepted as a member of this community? Some are members of a community just by existing; others work at becoming a member of a community. Acceptance varies across communities. What does your chosen community involve?

PRACTICES AND CONCEPTS
How do members communicate and participate, and which technologies do they employ and rely on? Some communities might have regular meetings where members communicate verbally and rely on texting and email only to coordinate those activities. Other communities rarely meet. Still others limit themselves to exclusive practices. What are its practices of communication?
What genres do they use to communicate, and how has this community shaped these genres or how do they understand these genres to be working for them? Whether it's a post on social media, meeting agendas, or peer-reviewed journal articles, every community communicates in certain ways. Often these develop from the specific needs of the community, but they may be tied to industry standards or other outside requirements or circumstances.
To Which Audiences are their Communications Targeted? Who are the regular communications aimed at and are there specific genres targeted to specific audiences?

PURPOSE AND CONTEXT
Where (physical or digital) do members of the community interact? If digital, think about specific sites on the internet or specific hashtags on Twitter or Instagram, not the internet or the social media platform itself. If physical, don't just identify a location, but also try to describe the features of that location that might explain why the community chose it. What is the surrounding context?
What is the purpose of the community's communication overall? Internally and externally, what are they attempting to achieve in communicating.

Assignment
Consider and write an analysis of your community by using the questions as your guide. Your response should be 250-500 words.