BLOG 28 evaluation

I. Evaluating your final draft: Use the rubric below (150)
Focus (45): clear statement of the research question(s) + the importance of the research and what it shows yes
direct statements of what the data shows yes
set up any background information necessary for the reader to understand the focus yes
appropriate choice of research essays yes
data is connected to the focus/makes points with respect to the focus yes the data shows how its a discourse community

Audience/genre (40)
uses the correct forms for research essays i used swales essay on dicrouse communities and i tried to incorporate his terms to make it more or a research essayuses language the ways it is used in the sample research essays again as stated above i tried using the jargon used in his essay
draws authority from other research and the logic of the argument yes

Organization (30)
data is presented in the right place yes i use the data as support for how im saying its a discourse community
one idea leads logically to the next yes they flowdefinitions/data/categories are presented and explained before they are "used" or referred to
uses headings + paragrphing in ways suitable for the material yes i have headings!
each section develops the focus in a different way  i seperated my sections by the parts of the definition of a dc by swales i thought that was definitely a useful way to organize

Development (30)
detailed examples from the data to support the points my data is realy my point of view and how its a discourse community but i also use what dan says to back what i say and add flare to the essay
says what the examples show yes
connects to the discussion of the research
develops an in-depth (not obvious) discussion of what the data show

Correctness (5)
writing sufficiently clear so as not to confuse the meaning
not so many errors as to distract from the meaning of the text


I feel I designed my essay to fit the bullet points above I went through reading each and made sure my projet was close to what was asked. i feel like i did something different from others so its hard to have the same exact format since i did a certain type of research essay.
If I were to grade myself on the entire essay i would give myself a 140/150 because i think i did a very good job breaking down this discourse community which i found to be very complex. i suppose in some spots it might be un focused and i wasnt sure if the reason why it linked to writing studies was clear but i tried to explain in both my intro and conclusion why its important to realize there is more to communicating than speaking a language or writing one.

 

evaluate your data+ Analysis:

 

the blogs with my data have been re posted as blog 23 1/2 and blog 22 1/2 i tried grouping it all together since my data from before wasnt posting for some reason and it was scattered anyway so now its all in one place.

I answered the interview questions myself twice and asked another person to answer them to the best of his abilities i feel that the questions deifnitely reflected what i was trying to accomplish which was showing how its a community and in what ways its a community.

 

i think that what i was trying to prove was completely new so it was difficult to break down all of the data into the groups that define a dc  I will also be emailing you a couple shots of my analysis of the interviews showing how i break down the different aspects of a dc by high lighting and taking notes then i grouped them into the categories on the back.

I think for the data part I think I should earn at least a 150/200 simply because I know many others had a lot more data than me to go through.

III. Criteria for the Writing process were listed on the assignment sheet as follows (150 points):

List the blog posts that demonstrate your writing process:
my draft grew in a series or processes throughout the semester I started off as an idea and then developed into data which developed a draft i think i did great with the writing process of this assignment.

every time i made a draft it was stronger and more complete than the last one. i did no serious changes i just built upon it.

the posts that show my writing process are : thurs april 25 and thurs may 2nd

I think I shoud earn 150 out of 150 points because i very obviously show my writing process and it changes and grows as time goes on and as i was working it out

 

all in all i think i deserve about a 450/500 because i worked very hard to develope this idea and i did a good job of showing how it fits the definition of a discourse community.

BLOG 29 FINAL DRAFT

Sarah Brittain

The Science of Visual Communication

Intro to “Discourse Community”

There are many ways to communicate, and communication, along with technology, continues to change and expand in ways that are hard to imagine. New ways of communicating are always coming out and it’s often hard to keep up. In his book Genre Analysis, English in academic and research setting, John Swales discuses many topics in literature and communication. One aspect he touches on is the discourse community. This is a kind of group that can be many things, but one thing it is not is simple. There is a vast array of aspects that qualify a certain group as a discourse community; swales describes his personal definition of a discourse community which is a group which shares similar terms, values and also that share means of communication.

In this new day and age where people are increasingly becoming more reliant on visual based things the communication has changed drastically, it’s important to keep up to date on the ways of communicating in those visual settings. Pictures have always been a great way to communicate, as it’s often said a picture is worth a thousand words. With so much riding on that, in a way pictures are more important for communicating than even speaking a language because the message is all based on personal interpretation. In the community of Instagram, which is an app based around socializing through images, communication is centralized around images and symbols. An image posted from every person will appear on a central feed, the user can also have their own profile where they display pictures they have taken. These pictures range from friends, to family, dogs, to nature. Instagram is a worldwide community with numbers reaching the millions and yet every member can be in touch with the press of a few buttons.

The sub community, the Royal Snapping Artists is a group of photographers who gather to not only better themselves and gain acceptance and fame but to spread the love of nature and photography far and wide. The Royal Snapping Artists gets its name from a concept of snapping a picture and being an artist. The group is often referred to in its abbreviated acronym, “RSA”. The Royal Snapping Artists is a sub community of this large photography community Instagram, is has thousands of members from around the world. According to Daniel Richter a member of the group for a year, the RSA “is a close community, which supports and promotes its members”. I too have been a member of this group for a year and find it fits the description of a discourse community perfectly. The RSA has its own unique set of terminology, goals, and has established many ways of communicating.

Methods

In this essay I will be analyzing a “sub community”, which is a community within the larger community of Instagram. I will be showing it as a complex discourse community with its own unique set of terminology, goals and ways of communicating; giving feedback is also a part of the communicating process. To conduct research, apart from being a member of the group (and therefore being privy to knowledge someone outside the group may not have) I interviewed another member of the group Mr. Daniel Richter. I chatted with Richter online about the community and instagram as a whole playing the part of a discourse community. I then took from that interview the ways that this group fits the description of a discourse community, as well as the ways in which people of the RSA community communicate.

Establishing the Lexis

Many writing pieces have their own way of speaking, jargon that is particularly accepted within that genre of literature, lexis is one of those terms used when discussing discourse communities, strangely enough it is a term coined to describe terms. As stated by Swales lexis is terminology which is unique to the group. It’s important to first discuss the lexis of this group because without knowing the terminology of the community there’s no way to understand how we communicate. In the group of Instagram there are many different terms, but the most important one is the “feed” this is the “main page” of the instagram app, its where all the pictures can be seen. The images show up in one long bar running up and down. In order to view pictures you just scroll down, the most recent pictures posted will be at the top and they are always dated to the second.

Another very important term is hash tag, a hash tag is a very complicated term which can be symbolized with a pound sign (#). It is a way of categorizing, as described by Richter, “I like to use the hash tag railfan so I can find other people who enjoy rail lines and they can also find me” using this hash tag symbol before a phrase or word creates a hash tag and puts the picture into that group. It’s also, as shown by Richter, a way for people to stay connected. All through instagram these different hash tags are used from #cute, #nature or #fun to more complex has tags like #whatiateforbreakfast.

In the RSA we have many unique tags(shortened term for hashtag) that all begin with #RSA_ . As stated previously R.S.A. is an acronym which stands for Royal Snapping Artists the name of the sub community. For instance just recently we had a challenge which was called #RSA_livestock everyone posted different pictures of livestock and the best pictures were able to be “featured” on the site. When you use these hash tags you are able to be “featured” which would allow you to be posted on the main page that thousands of RSA members see hourly, these tags and features get you “likes” and “follows”.

Another important term is following which is done by followers. These are people who “follow” you which means your pictures show up in their feed. For instance I follow “taureen_chris” a friend from Easton who is a member of the RSA. Her pictures show up in my feed, I also follow RSA so when they feature a member that picture shows up in my feed along with that person’s name.

Within the community of RSA we also have various challenges. These according to Richter are ways to gain followers likes and features. All you have to do is hash tag your picture for the themed contest. These challenges take place daily and are one of the many perks to being a part of the community.

Community Goals

My Own personal goals when joining RSA was to promote my own photos, but I also enjoy seeing the beauty of other places that I might not get to visit myself. We have a variety of members from around the world to represent their own area, I along with a couple other people represent New Jersey. When Richter originally joined this community he says it was to become a better photographer, then once he had accomplished an experienced level of picture taking he now promotes himself more. The group itself has thousands of members and every week they feature a new member, someone who takes great pictures of rural landscapes. We also have contests and challenges where everyone takes pictures of similar things like the “windmill challenge” and then the best picture is featured. As stated in the lexis section challenges and features are ways to gain acceptance and fame among the RSA members because it allows a lot of other people to see your picture and view your profile.

Originally my goal wasn’t to promote myself or even gain followers it was just about seeing the world and seeing other pictures. But now it has become so much more than that. Even Richter discussed how RSA has opened his eyes to a hidden talent, taking pictures, not many people can line up an single just right or capture a scene so magnificently. The other members of RSA are so supportive and helpful that it’s hard not to think about trying to do this as a career. Of course no one gets paid in the RSA but in the instagram community there is definitely money to be made. According to Richter just being able to get professional opinions and be accepted is enough reason to post pictures daily and continue supporting his other members, who always return the love.

Ways of Communication

There are many ways to communicate within the app instagram and we use all of these mechanisms in the royal snapping family. One simple way of communicating is in the caption that you post with your picture, the caption appears under the picture. This is a way to communicate something to the people who follow you or to whatever hashtag you decide to put on the picture. It will appear under the picture in any feed, and can be viewed by anyone who can see the picture. the caption gives information to the audience or followers of the particular person posting it, there are many things that can go in the caption like the hashtags or quotes some people put entire stories of the photo and background information which is very nice when viewing the photo to know under what circumstances it was taken. The caption is very important because it is always at the top of the comment box and therefore will remain visible even if there are hundreds of comments.

Commenting is also a form of communication, commenting can be done under the caption of any picture. usually people will comment commending words on a shot they enjoyed, they’ll point out what they enjoy for instance if they like the particular subject matter or the angle its shot in. commenting is also a way to give and receive feedback, the comments people leave are a way to see how people are responding to your photo. People can post comments on a picture about why they liked it or what the person is doing right, the members of RSA use these comments to support, always support never ridicule or say anything negative.

Liking is also a way of communicating. It’s a way of showing how many people enjoy yuour photo. Liking is a way of liking a photo you literally click the like button and your name is added to a list of people who liked the picture. this list is viewable by anyone. Its aa way of reciveing feedback as well, according to richter because you can see how many people like your picture as well as what kinds ofpicture they take, if theyre more professional than you.

According to richter another way of communicating as well as giving feedback is following. If you follow someone you automatically let them know you like the pictures they take. Usually the person returns the follow or a few "likes". When someone has been followed all of their pictures show up in the main feed, along with many others depending on how many people a particular person is following. For instance I follow close to 1000 people, my feed refreshes every couple second with new images from around the world. There are many ways to give and recieve feedback on instagram these are commenting, liking, and following. commenting as explained above, can be done by anyone on instagram not just followers.

Swales discusses another important aspect of communicating in a discourse community which is genres. “Genre”  is fancy literate jargon for a “text that helps facilitate communication between people” (Wardle 559). These also include ways of communicating which further the aims of the community. Instagram has many different genres. For instance there are many magazines that started on instagram which now fuel the desire to take photos and learn how to become a professional. One magazine is called Shooter I personally watched this instagram group emerge and become a published magazine, no longer bound to the internet but able to be seen by many other people. It includes photos and tips as well as many full length articles from professionals. These types of genres help facilitate our goal of creating beauty in photographs everywhere.

Conclusion

The community of Royal Snapping Artists can be distinguished as a discourse community because it fits the definition of one provided by literary expert Swales. RSA has a wide range of terminology, also known as lexis. This helps establish it as its own unique group. The group also has its own set of goals which range from becoming a better photographer to promoting pictures and gaining recognition in the professional world. The RSA also has many communicating mechanisms as well these mechanisms further the aims of the community as well as allow members to give and receive feedback through a series of liking, following, or commenting. You can communicate a lot through a picture, but the age old saying of “a picture is worth a thousand words” remains a motto with a thousand meanings. Pictures can communicate in many different ways, and in the 21^st century where people want instant gratification and everyone is a visual learner it’s important to be able to express and communicate through images. Instagram has changed my life, it’s drastic but true.  If everyone could pick up a camera, and start to appreciate the beauty around them the world would be a better place.

 

 

Works Cited

 

·         Wardle, Elizabeth, and Doug Downs. Writing about Writing: A College Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011.

·         "First Interview with Daniel Richter." Chat interview. 15 April. 2013.

 

BLOG 23 1/2 DATA ANALYSIS

Paper will be an ethnography focusing on Instagram. Chose to focus on a subcommunity of Instagram called the RSA. (royal snapping artists)

The RSA is a group on Instagram which posts and discusses photos of a country setting. Rural background.

The question will be this subgroup of Instagram (or any subgroup) can be considered a discourse community. Calls it a literary community, does it meet the standards of the DCs we considered in class. Does it have the goals and features.

Common goals- to become a better photographer
Learn new tricks of the trade
Promote own pictures

Mechanisms for communication
Likes comments follows are all ways to communicate with other members of the groups.

These mechanisms also provide feedback as well as ways to continuously communicate and assist the goals of its members

Genres comments profiles features

Lexis terminology hash tag instameet handle

Ethonography, subcommunity of instagram

s- a smaller group within a larger... RSA Royal Snapping . Rural, country setting

Question of if it’s a discourse community, goals, features, . a literary community

Swales’ 6 points of a discourse community. May focus on particular features.

introduction to discourse communities

the discussion of swales(lit )

Introduce larger group

Subcommunity

state research Question

My methods

The goals, terminology

present data: interviews from various members including myself about how instagram is a community

discuss findings: swales defines a dc very distinctly and the rsa does match all of them. she will list the 7 features and use her interview answers as support

conclusion: instagram is a dc and why

BLOG 22 1/2 Data blog post

This interview is me answering my own questions. Kind of like a set up for my investigation into how instagram might fit the description of an instagram as well as, how they communicate in a world of pictures. In this day and age there are a lot of visual learners, so it only makes sense that we have developed a way of communicating without actually having to speak. We can just see a picture and make our own judgement of whats going on or what it means.

 

If any, What other social networking sites do you belong to?

Twitter, I use instagram the most. I feel like they are “my people” we speak the same language even though we never converse and they’ve never met me or seen my face. And they are practically strangers to me that’s what makes it so interesting.

How many followers do you have/how many follow you?

I follow about 900 people and I have about 700 followers

Could you describe a picture that you have posted.

My most recent picrure is of a hot air balloon taking off at the Solberg airport in brachburg. And before that it was a picture of a beautiful foot bridge that I had passed over. I love nature and love sharing it with people I know appreciate it. I post pictures of things that I see that are beautiful, I want people tobe able to appreciate the beauty ardoun them and the comments they leave tell me its true, they do enjoy it. A lot of them live in the city or different countries around the world, desserts and cities. I have a lot of local followers too.

Could you describe the types of pictures that you might “like”
well I like any picture that I think is beautiful, which is most of them. People take some beautiful pictures. Pictures that I think are beautiful would include anything with nature as I said but also buildings and differnet archetectures. Animals really anything. Sometimes I like pictures just to show support to my fellow instagramers. I leave comments here and there to show them I like what theyre doing and I support them.

How would you describe instagram to someone who had no idea what it was?

I would tell them it’s sort of like an online community, where we can post pictures. I feel very close to the people in my community and I know they feel the same way because they communicate with me in this world on a daily basis. It’s a very special place where it doesn’t matter what ou look like or what language you speak all that matters is how you see the world and the pictuers ou take indicate who ou are and how you see things. It’s a beautiful place and a beautiful idea.

 

What was your original goal when joining the instagram community?

My original goal was to have a look through the eyes of others, to see the way they lead their lives in other countries around the world, I get to see what they see and what they think is beautiful. Usually I thnk its beautiful too, and I like it. I usually follow people who post similar picutres to mine. But also I wanted to learn things, I can see how other phjotographers are shooting their pictures, there are amny examples of tricks ive learned through instagram. Framing for instance, and contrast.

 

What are some of the values that you feel you share with other members of the group?

I know that the people who I follow and who follow me enjoy nature, and animals. Many of us enjoy phtography and playing with certain angles and frmaing techniques.

 

How do you communicate with members of the group?

Through comments and captions. I write a caption for a picture I post and people can comment underneath it, I email some of them as penpals. But mostly I communicate through comments and likes. I also follow people which is a form of communicating because it draws their attention to my account usually people return likes or even comments. They’ll check out your pictures and if they like what they see they follow you and its cool. Its like being accepted.

In what ways do you give or receive feedback from instagram

In the comment section people are able to give and receive feedback and also like I said following and liking are a form of feedback because once someone likesyour picture you can tell they are enjoying your feed and therefore make the speculation that youre pictures are nice and youre doing something right.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’m wondering what other questions I should ask or what else I can say about how isntagram is a community. Well I have already talked about the feedback. As for genres I can only say that there are many magazines both online and in print that are based around the app and community of RSA Sso that definitely counts as a form of communication as well as a text that facilitates the goals and ideals of the group.

how long have you been a member of the social app instagram?

Ive been a meber of rsa for a year and a member of instagram for three years

would you call instagram a community?

Of course we are a family not only a community. I know other poepl think this too because when I was made a member they said welcome to the family!

Describes the sorts of things you post: mostly pictures of nature, landscapes, or beautiful architecture. A lot of rural scapes. I enjoy mixing industrial with nature, so a picture of a river framed by a bridge. A view of a field framed by a fence.

Describe some of the pictures you like: I like picturs of nature, or artistic shots of various kinds.

How would you describe instagram to someone who had no idea what it was? I would tell them it’s a community where people can share pictures and comment and like them.

how would you describe the royal snapping artists family to an outsider ? it’s a sub community of instagram where we all can  share our picutres and receive feedback and give dfeedback to toher members opf the community. We all follow eachother and therefore can give each other support.

What was your original goal when joining the instagram community? I wanted to see the world

What are some of the values that you feel you share with other members of the group? I value nature and I know a lot of the people I follow feel the same way.

How do you communicate with members of the group? The captions and comments of the pictures

In what ways do you give or receive feedback from instagram the comments are a way to give and receive feedback as I said before.

How would you define this community?
RSA is an acronym for "rural snapping artists" it is a community which promotes and supports members who all enjoy taking pictures of rural america, and sharing those pictures with other people who love nature.
How do you feel about being in the community?
I have loved being apart of instagram since the first time a follower told me I inspire them. he lives in the city and usually posts pictures of archetecture and buildings though had never sat to watch the sun rise, but now he posts pictures of the beautiful skies all the time. another person i know lives int he dessert he was amazed at the lkush forrests and wildlife that we have.
How does being a member of this community affect your personal life?
if it wasnt for instagram I wouldnt have a social life. my boyfriend and I spend most of our time taking pictures and posting them, doing challenges.
what are some difficulties/struggles you face within the community?
theres spam
How do you and other members of the community solve the problems you face?
we often rally against the makers of instagram to do more about the spam but really it doesnt bother me. spam is a fake computer liking people pictures and commenting things like go to this website and pay money for followers, so advertistments on your pictures.
How do you communicate with the members of your community?
through following, liking, commeting, i also communicate with the captoin i write for my picture. most people write different captions some quote some tell elaborate stories. i like to write nothing, or make up my own unique hashtag, i feel the picture says 1000 words
What are the pros and cons of being a member of this community?
well like i said before theres a lot of spam. but as always theres also a lot of hate and people trying to start drama with strangers. but i love instagram, i met a girl form philly who sends me letters all the time and emails just to say hi. i met her through instagram. she cant walk because she has something wrong with both her feet and she enjoys my beautiflu pictures of nature. she says shes my number one fan and thinks im a great person because i appreactie the beauty around me. i was so happy to know there are so many people out there appreciating and sharing beauty on instagram.
In what ways do members of the community judge each other?
we dont, we are a family we only siupport one another. no one starts ddrama in the group RSA
How has the community/communication within the community changed over the years?
instagram is only about two or three years old. RSA is less than a year so communication hasnt changed yet. but we are starting to get together and have meetings face to facce so that we may communciate better
Which of the ways your community uses to communicate works best?
i really think the best way to communciate is to like a photo or follow someone because then your not speaking to them directly but instead telling them though indirectly that you enojy their gallery that you want to see more. you like what they like essentially usually the person will return the like and follow
What do you see in the future for the community?
the community of rsa will grow without ever stopping, the people will continue to grow and support one another sharing seecrets and comepeting in challenges
Terminology used in your field what role do you play in the community?
hashtag- a way to categorize photos for instance #nature#insta_sunsets#RSA_rural is a group of tags for a photo.
instameet- an instagram group meeting in public
theres so much
What rules and regulations are enforced in the community?
there is no nudity or violence, no cussing, we are all adults mostly

How does your community differ from similar social networking apps?
I believe all social networking sties allow you to grow and communicate with individuals but none better explify the discourse community than the RSA of instagram. we are rtuely a family that thrive on knowledge and empowerment through our photos. we support one another as well as learn something and communicate our knowledge

This next interview is with Daniel Richter a member of the RSA team. He has been a member longer than me so I thought it would be good to get his insight.

Okay so I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding instagram, more specifically the royal snapping artists. First I would like to explain a discourse community with you because thatts what im trying to prove the community is. A discourse community is any that communicates and uses lamguage various different ways for feedback and propelling goals of the community. So I’ll start off simple

how long have you been a member of the social app instagram?

Since I got my iphone 4 years ago, originally it was only for iphones now they have the app for android too.

What other social networking sites do you belong to? Which do you use most often?

Twitter

How many followers do you have

Probably about 500 I tag a lot of my pictures

How many people do you follow? About 300 I don’t like to clog up my feed

Describe the sorts of pictures you post

A lot of Landscape shots, nature and rural landscapes. I love posting traintracks im a part of the rail fan club which is another hashtag sunest airplanes really anything I see that looks cool

What kinds of pictures do you “like”

Pretty similar to what I post, Rural/ Urban/Country Landscapes. A lot of train pictures and sick shots

How would you describe instagram to someone who had no idea what it was?

A database compiled of pictures from all over the world

how would you describe the royal snapping artists family to an outsider ?

A community that supports and promotes its own members through features and challenges.

What kinds of challnenges do they often have?

Well the most recent was an rsa fencepost tag which I had a lot of fun with, I didn’t win but the pictures that did win were outstanding its really great to be part of something like this. It helps me get insight into what other photographers are doing and its made me think about doing it professionally.

Have you ever won a challenge

I get featured all the time but I haven’t won an rsa challaneg there are thousands of memebrs and they live in really gorgeous places. A couple weeks ago I posted for the windmill challenge but one of those huge windmills from Holland or Denmark won no contest it would a wonderful shot.

What was your original goal when joining the instagram community?

Become a better photographer, I didn’t really take many pictures but now I take them every chance I get.

What are some of the values that you feel you share with other members of the group?

We all know the value of a photograph, a moment frozen in time it’s a special thing and to be able to share those pictures with people who appreciate them is great. It makes me feel cool that they like what I like and they appreciate what I appreciate.

How do you communicate with members of the group?

Through likes and supportive comments on one anothers photos I don’t get too many comments but I get a lot on my features and those people always follow me.

In what ways do you give or receive feedback from instagram

Giving and receiving likes to friends, followers, and even non-followers

I enjoy instagram because it allows me to be everywhere at once. I can be sitting in my bed and seeing pictures fom china or three towns away. I can feel like I’m everywhere

draft

Sarah Brittain

 

In his book Genre Analysis, English in academic and research setting, John Swales discuses many topics in literature and communication. One aspect he touches on is the discourse community. This is a kind of group that can be many things, but one thing it is not is simple. There is a vast array of aspects that qualify a certain group as a discourse community; swales descirbes his personal definition of a discourse community which is a group which shares similar values, but also that share means of communication and its own terminology.

In the community of Instagram, which is an app based around socializing through images, communication is centralized around images and symbols. An image posted from every person will appear on a central feed, the user can also have their own profile where they display pictures they have taken. These pictures range from friends, to family, dogs, to nature. Instagram is a worldwide community with numbers reaching the millions and yet every member can be in touch with the press of a few buttons. In the sub community, Royal Snapping artists a group of photographers gather to not only better themselves but to spread the love of nature and photography far and wide. The Royal Snapping Artists is a sub community of this large photography community Instagram, is has thousands of members from around the world. According to Richter, the RSA “is a community which supports and promotes its members”.

In this essay I will be analyzing a “sub community”, which is a community within the larger community of Instagram. I will be showing it as a complex discourse community with its own goals and ways of communicating, giving feedback as well as its own set of terminology. To conduct research, apart from being a member of the group (and therefore being privy to knowledge someone outside the group may not have) I interviewed another member of the group Mr. Daniel Richter.

My Own personal goals when joining RSA was to promote my own photos, but I also enjoy seeing the beauty of other places that I might not get to visit myself. We have a variety of members from around the world to represent their own area, I along with a couple other people represent New Jersey. When Dan originally joined this community he says it was to become a better photographer, then once he had accomplished an experienced level of picture taking he now promotes himself more. The group itself has thousands of members and every week they feature a new member, someone who takes great pictures of rural landscapes. We also have contests and challenges where everyone takes pictures of similar things like the “windmill challenge” and then the best picture is featured

As defined by swales lexis is terminology which is unique to the group. Its important to first discuss the terminology because without knowing what the terminology of the community there’s no way to understand how we communicate. In the group of Instagram there are many different terms, but the most important one is hashtag, a hashtag is a very complicated term which can be symbolized with a pound sign (#). It is a way of categorizing, as described by Richter, “I like to use the hastah railfan so I can find other people who enjoy rail lines and they can also find me” using this hashtag symbol before a phrase or word creates a hashtag and puts the picture into that group. Its also, as shown by Richter, a way for people to stay connected. All through instagram these different hashtags are used from #cute, #nature or #fun to more complex hastags like #whatiateforbreakfast.

In the RSA we have many unique tags that all begin with #RSA_ . For instance just recently we had a challenge which was called #RSA_livestock everyone posted different pictures of livestock and the best pictures were able to be featured on the site.

Another important term is followers, these are people who “follow” you which means your pictures show up in their feed. For instance I follow “taureen_chris” a friend from Easton who is a member of the RSA

There are many ways to communicate within the app instagram and we use all of these mechanisms in the royal snapping family. One way and popular way of communicating is in the caption that you post with your picture. This is a way to communicate something to the people who follow you or to whatever hashtag you decide to put on the picture.
commenting is also a form of communication. this is when people can leave a comment under someones picture or caption, very often they are positive and commending the photographer on their photo or the beauty in it.
liking is a way of liking a photo you literally click the like button and your name is added to a list of people who liked the picture. this list is viewable by anyone.
following is also a form of communication. if you follow someone you automatically let them know you like the pictures they take. usually the person returns the follow or a few "likes"
there are many ways to give and recieve feedback on instagram these are commenting, liking,  and following. commenting as explained above, can be done by anyone on instagram not just followers.

The community of Royal Snapping artists have a wide range of communicating mechanisms as well as terminoglogy unique to the group, these as well as many others deem it a discourse community. You can communicate a lot through a picture, but the age old saying of “a picture is worth a thousand words” remains a motto with a thousand meanings. Pictures can communicate in many different ways, and in the 21^st century where people want instant gratification and everyone is a visual learner it’s important to be able to express and communicate through images.

 

 

 

blog 25

I have started to draft my essay, I posted my data a couple days ago though my data is still a work in progress i wish to get at least one more interview. this is the outline/draft for my ethnogrpahical study on the sub community royal snapping artists.   

         the age old saying a picture is worth a thousand words remains a motto with a thousand meanings. Pictures can communicate in many different ways, they are also a way to communicate without using words. in this new age where people want instant gratification and everyone is a visual learner its important to be able to express and communicate through images.

In his book Genre Analysis, English in academic and research setting, John Swales discuses many topics in literature and communication. One aspect he touches on is the discourse community. This kind of group can be may things, but one thing it is not is simple. There is a vast array of aspects that qualify a certain group as a discourse community, these are means of communication as well as its own terminology.

swales quotes plus brannick

methods To conduct research, apart from being a member of the group (and therefore being privy to knowledge someone outside the group may not have) I interviewed two members of the group(hopefully will get that second one in)

how to get into the group? should I include this

instagram is a worldwide community with numbers reaching the millions.

the Royal Snapping, according to Richter, “is a community which supports and promotes its members”.

goals- My Own personal goals when joining RSA was to promote my own photos, but I also enjoy seeing the beauty of other places. We have a variety of members from around the world to represent their own area, I along with a couple other people represent New Jersey. When Dan originally joined this community he says it was to become a better photographer, then once he had accomplished an experienced level of picture taking he now promotes himself more.

mechanisms for communication- liking following and comments

communication feedback

genres Sean Branick describes genres as text that helps facilitate communication between people (Wardle 559). these also include ways of communicating which further the aims of the community.

lexis- terminology according to swales: hashtag instameet handle  define plus give examples

conclude findings

conclusion

answered questions

How would you define this community?
RSA is an acronym for "rural snapping artists" it is a community which promotes and supports members who all enjoy taking pictures of rural america, and sharing those pictures with other people who love nature.
How do you feel about being in the community?
I have loved being apart of instagram since the first time a follower told me I inspire them. he lives in the city and usually posts pictures of archetecture and buildings though had never sat to watch the sun rise, but now he posts pictures of the beautiful skies all the time. another person i know lives int he dessert he was amazed at the lkush forrests and wildlife that we have.
How does being a member of this community affect your personal life?
if it wasnt for instagram I wouldnt have a social life. my boyfriend and I spend most of our time taking pictures and posting them, doing challenges.
what are some difficulties/struggles you face within the community?
theres spam
How do you and other members of the community solve the problems you face?
we often rally against the makers of instagram to do more about the spam but really it doesnt bother me. spam is a fake computer liking people pictures and commenting things like go to this website and pay money for followers, so advertistments on your pictures.
How do you communicate with the members of your community?
through following, liking, commeting, i also communicate with the captoin i write for my picture. most people write different captions some quote some tell elaborate stories. i like to write nothing, or make up my own unique hashtag, i feel the picture says 1000 words
 What are the pros and cons of being a member of this community?
well like i said before theres a lot of spam. but as always theres also a lot of hate and people trying to start drama with strangers. but i love instagram, i met a girl form philly who sends me letters all the time and emails just to say hi. i met her through instagram. she cant walk because she has something wrong with both her feet and she enjoys my beautiflu pictures of nature. she says shes my number one fan and thinks im a great person because i appreactie the beauty around me. i was so happy to know there are so many people out there appreciating and sharing beauty on instagram.
In what ways do members of the community judge each other?
we dont, we are a family we only siupport one another. no one starts ddrama in the group RSA
How has the community/communication within the community changed over the years?
instagram is only about two or three years old. RSA is less than a year so communication hasnt changed yet. but we are starting to get together and have meetings face to facce so that we may communciate better
Which of the ways your community uses to communicate works best?
i really think the best way to communciate is to like a photo or follow someone because then your not speaking to them directly but instead telling them though indirectly that you enojy their gallery that you want to see more. you like what they like essentially usually the person will return the like and follow
What do you see in the future for the community?
the community of rsa will grow without ever stopping, the people will continue to grow and support one another sharing seecrets and comepeting in challenges
Terminology used in your field what role do you play in the community?
hashtag- a way to categorize photos for instance #nature#insta_sunsets#RSA_rural is a group of tags for a photo.
instameet- an instagram group meeting in public
theres so much
What rules and regulations are enforced in the community?
there is no nudity or violence, no cussing, we are all adults mostly

How does your community differ from similar social networking apps?
I believe all social networking sties allow you to grow and communicate with individuals but none better explify the discourse community than the RSA of instagram. we are rtuely a family that thrive on knowledge and empowerment through our photos. we support one another as well as learn something and communicate our knowledge,