Book Group (Part 1, essay 1)

My book group was the Robber Queen group. We decided to conduct our conversations over a Facebook thread. It was really interesting and different from class and blogs for a few reasons. I really liked that it was on Facebook because of how often I am on it. Every time I got on Facebook there was more discussion that I could be a part of. I liked reading and adding anecdotes about the novel. It also really helped me understand what was happening as I read. There was also a downside. Part of a discussion is listening. In person or group discussions, it is easy to tell that someone is actively listening. This would show their involvement in the conversation. Facebook doesn’t allow this. For those who just wanted to “listen” by reading other’s messages, appeared as though they weren’t part of the conversation or didn’t care. This was the biggest difference between a verbal conversation and a Facebook thread discussion. There were many other differences also. The fact that in a message one can go back, edit or reread comments is an amazing addition to a conversation. It is not as spontaneous yet it allows for thorough investigation and critical thinking. It is an interesting way to discuss a novel. It also makes it much more linear. With a verbal discussion or Plurk, there are many more tangents and distractions. The thread is very linear. There is much less opportunity for tangents or distractions because the messages are very straightforward.

Blogs would have been a very interesting way to do a conversation. The problem would have been the fact that whatever blog we did it on, that person would inherently have dominance in the conversation. Although we would all have the chance to speak and add our input, whoever’s blog it is would have a slight influence over the rest of us. It would be like a party in someone’s house. The owner of the house would inherently have the last word over what happens at the party. The Facebook thread eliminated the dominance aspect. No one person had a dominant say because all of us were in the thread equally. It was also a conversation that could take place on our own time. We can read at our own pace with very little pressure to finish by a certain date. As long as you can contribute to the conversation, you were reading perfectly. Because it was on Facebook, it was in a very accessible spot for the majority of our group. Most of us are on Facebook every day. This helped with keeping up with the conversation.

The Facebook thread allowed for many types of conversations. We could ask questions, explore concepts further and talk about whatever we pleased. There were not too many exceptions to the direction the conversation was allowed to go. There are few limits to the Facebook thread. The limits we encountered include adding files or pictures we wanted to show the group. We couldn’t write something outside the thread then attach it for all to see. This hindered our creative endeavors. The other hindrance, that was most important to me, was the fact that we didn’t have the personal connection. I knew the names of my group, but I probably wouldn’t recognize them on campus if I saw them. We talked entirely through this thread. It didn’t allow us to make the personal connections that a book group usually allows.