A communication genre is a communication form that is adopted by a formal or informal community that use the communication medium in a similar way for a similar purpose. A new genre is generally based on one or more existing genres that are modified, repurposed, and/or remediated, often from the adoption of a new medium.
Crowston, Kevin, and Marie Williams. “Reproduced and Emergent Genres of Communication on the World Wide Web.” Information Society 16 3 (2000): 201-15.
Given its attention to the definition and consideration of the communication genre, I am drawing on this article to help support my suggestion of the Online Video Conversation (OVC) as a new communication genre.
In this 2000 article, Crowston and Williams look to how genres are formed on the Web. They define communicative genre as “an accepted type of communication sharing common form, content, or purpose, such as an inquiry, letter, memo, or meeting.” (pg. 202). Read the rest of this entry »