You decide to join a gym and consult with a personal trainer who uses specialized vocabulary to describe different types of exercise: aerobic, anaerobic, reps, plyometrics, and isometrics. You discover other gym members who share that same goal of becoming healthier, more flexible, and stronger. You become versed in a new language of fitness. The figure down below illustrates a fitness discourse community and the roll of an active member of that community.

The discussion board is a public forum, so you might have a broad audience. Create a post according to the recipient(s). It is nice to address a classmate by name if you are responding to a specific person in a discussion forum. Online classes can be a solitary experience, so it can be nice when a classmate is actually responding to you, personally. It is also advisable to use a greeting such as “Classmates” if you are addressing a discussion post to everyone in the class. Most of the time, discussions tend to be public, so you can make sure of the assignment’s settings before you post.