Descibing Facebook Context

Specific Circumstances

Facebook Content of 6 Individuals

A. Time

The amount of time these 6 subjects have spent on Facebook is closely examined by all the elements. Time: Time is a concept easily recognized because facebook keeps displays a record of it on each profile.

Mini-Feed

    - Time noted and recent activity is tracked

Posts

    - Most recent
    - Most Non-recent
    - Latest Time
    - Earliest Time

B. Place

Context can be delivered and found in a number of places. Anyone, except the subject, is excluded from viewing personal messages sent one on one. However, everyone has access to seeing the messages posted on the wall with these individuals. There are settings on Facebook that would prevent certain people or anyone at all from posting messages, but these six all chose to keep that option open.

Posts

    - All listed on The Wall
    - No public access to private messages

Also, a place to view messages by the subject can be found on their profile. Below, there are options Facebook has provided for the individual to write about themselves.

General Info. -Excluded or Included Options

   - Religious Views
   - Current Residence
   - Political Views
   - Birthday
   - Hometown
   - Looking For
   - Sex
   - Relationship Status

Contact Information -Excluded or Included Options

   - Mobile Phone
   - Land Phone
   - School Mailbox
   - Address
   - Website
   - Email address
   - AIM Screenname

Personal Information -Excluded or Included Options

   - Activities
   - Interests
   - Favorite Music
   - Favorite TV Shows
   - Favorite Movies
   - Favorite Books
   - Favorite Quotes
   - About Me

Education -Excluded or Included Options

   - College
     - Where
     - Year Graduating
     - Attending For
   - High School
     - Where
     - Year Graduated  

All of the above leaves others able to interpret context that the subject may write if they choose or not to expand on those details about themselves.

C.Venue

Facebook can only be accessible to networked college students, until recently. The Facebook age demographic targets 18-23 year-old college students. Facebook can only be accessed by a computer, it cannot serve its full potential on paper or through a typewriter or word processor. Facebook is free. Facebook is not a sellable software people can install on their computer. It only works with computers that have the internet. The format is the same for everyone, and background and layout cannot be changed.

The Venue For Messages: Messages are delivered through the below properties and subheads in Facebook's format.

Posts - All are written on The Wall

Profile Info

- Catagorized into subheadings

     - Bemidji State Friends
     - Friends In Other Networks
     - Subject Overview
     - Mini-Feed
     - Information
         - Contact Info
         - Personal Info
     - Education
         - College
         - High School
     - The Wall

D.Events

The subjects events are kept out of the public eye. However, they can be picked up through posts on the comment wall.

Examples:

- JW Jessica Affeldt, 9/19/06 at 7:04pm wrote, "I was wondering if I could come up and stay with you guys for Steph's B-day?"

- TS Tyler Derosier, 9/24/06 at 8:25pm wrote, "I don't know if I'm going to the concert yet"

- K VDM Shayla Schaefer, 9/22/06 at 9:17pm wrote, "I'm getting ready for my recital in December"

E.Issues & Previous Messages

A large commonality all six individuals share are the number of hints towards previous messages and conversations with thier commentors. Most of them refer to a previous night or event, greetings, catching up, and opening the post with a specific subject that as an outsider could very well know nothing about.

Issues is a very broad term, and I think that the groups section leaves many different varities of issues open to response by the group members. I also think that the subject gives attention to certain issues by defining or not defining religious & political views, and some drawing on their personalities in the "About Me" column.

F.Values

Their values are noted in a number of ways

    - Wall Comments
    - Information Section

Only some are not directly implied. The outsider can pick up on those values throughout the description of the individual profiles, but very few are spelled out in such a way.

For example, LVB didn't note her religious view, while noting her political views. What I found interesting is the fact that her value of religion was apparent through her interests, music, books, and quotes.

Another example, Under JW's favorite quotes, she listed 7 uncited, but 6 implicate that she values ambition because of the pattern of succeeding through life.

Also, values are defined in groups, especially with those that repeat the same subject matter.

Similar Circumstances and Messages

There are many different forums a person can deliver a message in through context. This is where narrowing down the forums that resemble Facebook and those that don't help to identify the average Facebook user's familitarity with context.

Facebook's Comparable References

Similar References

Oral/Speaking

-Questions

   -TS= "What about something for the stairwells/entry ways, kind of like a 'this way to Gallery X' thing?
   -JW= "What about you?", "How are you doing?", "how do you feel today?"
   -K VDM= "are you with me?", "How are you?", "Why didn't you answer?"

-Statements

   -TS="at least try and make it to the concert", "I think that would be a good start",
 "I think you should go with your design."
   -JW="It was awesome to see you last night",
 "We'll have to get together sometime"
   -K VDM= "just kidding", "let's talk soon", "call me sometime"

-Intro To Posts

    -TS=No specific address to the subject
    -JW= "Hey!", "Jacks,", "Jackie!", "Happy B-day!"
    -K VDM= "yo girl", "Katie!!!", "Hey Katie", "Hi Katie"

Graffitti

-One-Word Statements

     -TS= "peace whodi"
     -JW= "SOOOO", "FOREVER!!!"
     -K VDM= "Yikes!", "Chode", "aunti"

-Illustrations & Symbols

     -TS= "!","??"
     -JW= "!:, ":)"
     -K VDM= "--", "@", "!!!!!!!!!!", ":)", ":-)", "??"

Different References

Resume's, Interviews, & Court Depositions

-Language

      -K VDM- on one of her posts, her commentor literally

went into grave detail defining the word "chode", therefore I can recognize her notation of the word "penis" as something you would not say in one of the above settings.

      -AG- throughout her description of herself and included

in her quotes are foul language that would be unacceptable to mention in an job interview or when writing a resume for a prospected employer.

Dirty Magazines

     -There aren't any conotations of any of the six going into

grave sexual scenes with their personal information or their posts, therefore that reference wouldn't apply to Facebook

Formal Letters/Essays

     -The symbols mentioned about wouldn't be commonly drawn in a letter.

Also, with overpunctuation, lack of punctuation, and common grammatical errors weaving through posts and personal information, it would not be proper to turn in a paper written in such a way.

Rhetor & Audience

A. Limited Audience

  The limited audience depends on what settings each individual

for their facebook profile. They can choose to view it to only their added friends or all networks. Up until the Mini-Feed, the audience was limited on seeing what events any given person confirmed attending, and now it's announced. Really, the limited audience depends on how limited each person wants to limit them with settings and block actions.

B. Relationship of Audience & Rhetor

  Facebook's intentions with networking people through college 

and giving each individual user the option to add someone as "a friend" is the main relationship implied. No posts on of the six individuals included teachers or employers.

C. States of Mind

   There are many states of mind implied through posts between audience and rhetor. 

From the six individual profiles, there have been posts written for an answer, for a date, time, and place, for an event confirmation, for ideas. Then, there are some that have absolutely no purpose, as I noted with many one-line phrases and fragmented sentences. Also, a commonality seemed to be the expression of caring--two of the six had posts bring birthday wishes, while 3 others had expressions revealing missing their company and just for the sake of asking how the individual was doing.

D. Unwritten Rules

   I think that one of the biggest unwritten rule is not to outwordly 

pick a fight with another on Facebook. There are reasons why such as; judgement, more fights, and reputations will be set. Facebook is not intended for individuals to get into eachother's faces and fight. Also, content being reportable. Every profile has the option for any viewer to report that person for any offensive material, which furthers leading me to believe that Facebook is mean't to be peaceful. Also, people don't openly post behind other indviduals backs on Facebook, probably even more so since the Mini-Feed.

E. Stated & Unstated Values

   As mentioned before, values can be directly stated, but most are not. 

Unstated values can be depicted from the information an individual chooses to fill out or write about on their profile page. Values can be depicted from the commentors who post about something that is directed toward the individual, i.e. K VDM- had a comment on becoming an aunt. Groups, what kind of groups people are apart of also state values on life, politics, religion, pop-culture, drinking, sports, music, and much more.