Exploring Facebook: Fostering strong connections, knowledge sharing and cultivating belonging within a school setting – a case study

Posted on

18/04/2024

dale_b

Abstract

This paper explores the development of an online community centred around a common interest: a school. This online community is hosted by a Facebook page that was established for marketing purposes but transformed into much more; an active online space for people to interact and connect, share relevant knowledge, and an opportunity to belong to a community. Through emotional attachment and authentic interactions, the real-life close-knit culture has been extended online. Oldenburg’s (Soukup, 2006) “third place” concept and Delanty’s (2018) “thick communities” contribute to the success of the page in terms of fostering relationships, being inclusive and encouraging interactions in a supportive environment. Practical benefits, challenges and risks are discussed in relation to knowledge sharing in this contemporary setting. The Facebook page has been valuable for fostering a sense of community and enhancing the real-life social experience of the school.

Keywords: Facebook, belonging, connection, knowledge sharing, online communities

Introduction

A small independent school in Noosa (Queensland) set up a Facebook page in 2014 originally for marketing and boosting of advertisements to the wider community, however, the Facebook page evolved into a vibrant and busy, close-knit online community.

The Facebook platform facilitated easier collaboration with a large school community that traditionally was difficult (Bohn, 2021 para. 12) and the platform’s structure along with persistent posting by the school facilitated the basis of an online space where Facebook users were given the opportunity to engage and interact in this “virtual gathering place.” (Gruss et al., 2020, p. 204). Although this school’s Facebook page is just one of many social media communities that users engage with, it fosters strong connections among its members and cultivates a deep sense of belonging along with being a knowledge sharing facility, centred around one shared interest: the school.

Strong Connections

The real life close and supportive school culture extends to the online community with teachers, staff, students (past and present), relatives of students, local businesses and local Noosa community members all contributing to the page via comments, shares, likes, and tagging. People who are involved in the school have access to this additional social environment where they can interact. This ‘third place’ as described by Oldenburg (Soukup, 2006) brings people together which has proved beneficial especially for those who are not in close proximity geographically (e.g., relatives of students and staff, past students and families). This is a place away from the pressures of work and home offering a sense of belonging and inclusion. It enhances relationships and bonds with community members as it facilitates social interaction, engagement and discussion. (Soukup, 2006, p. 423).

Noosa Christian College’s Facebook community has strong ties due to authentic interactions by the school and members having an emotional attachment. The sharing of, for example, personal stories and announcements, school and staff insights and student experiences, demonstrates a human approach. The attentive and immediate response to comments and questions indicates that community members’ input is valued. This coupled with encouraging conversations and asking for opinions assists in the formation of strong connections.

Hampton and Wellman (2018) argued that advancements in technology have caused community structure to not be diminished, but rather to be reformed. Social media was highlighted as a facilitator of expanding interactions in communities, “fostering networked, supportive, persistent and pervasive community relationships.” (p.649). Even though this may present challenges such as to authenticity and privacy, opportunities to form relationships and engage in group activities are available in ways that were not previously due to not having the technological means.

The type of online public that Noosa Christian College’s Facebook community can be best described, is a “thick community”. This is different to the thin online communities that Delanty (2018) discussed that comprise of strangers from all over the globe, consisting of passing exchanges, resulting in weaker social ties.

This difference with the school’s Facebook community is also contributed to the fact that most members know and see each other regularly and share similar life and family experiences each day due to being part of the same close-knit ‘actual’ community. While participating in the virtual community together, the members share the same values, rituals, and enthusiastically contribute to the conversations.

This everyday community is expected to engage in regular school activities, and do so with their children, which differs from Wellman’s (2005) computer-mediated communities that “fight against face-to-face contact.” (p. 54). Wellman suggests that in modern society, community ties have become more specialised, whereas traditionally we relied on a single source or small group of people for support and belonging, such as the school’s real-life community. In contemporary society people tend to turn to social media platforms, especially Facebook and ask members for advice. Group participants offer information, emotional and other types of support. Whilst the school community offers its members face-to-face support, the Facebook communal space is valuable for those who cannot physically participate face-to-face. Boyd and Ellison (2007) reiterated that users are mainly connecting with people they already know and are often not focused on seeking new connections or networking.

Facebook’s affordance of profile visibility aids users in seeing who has commented. If a member tags or mentions another person on the page they have as a Facebook friend, this appears in bold font. This network connection is visible to others and can be utilized by those who would like to network with friends of members.

User-generated content also appears on the page and shared with members and contributes to relationship building. This could be for outside opportunities or events that students or school families may be interested in attending; or for congratulating external successes of teachers, family members or students. This inclusive environment welcomes and supports all members regardless of their opinions, race or background, and contributes to the page possessing strong connections in this digital space.

Knowledge Sharing

Mobile technology advancements have made social media a daily practice. Smartphones are carried by people wherever they go, and social media use is high in society with Facebook alone having 2.9 billion monthly users and being the most popular social media platform worldwide (Dixon, 2024).

For this reason, Facebook is a great choice for knowledge sharing. Noosa Christian College has used this space to inform members of important announcements that may affect their children or families; a space where they may see images of their children engaged in school activities, and a place where parents can view live updates of their children on excursions, camps and participating in other activities.

Members of the Noosa school’s Facebook page adjust their phone app settings to receive a notification whenever a post is made so they can be immediately informed.

Whilst this knowledge sharing is practical, important and sometimes vital, it competes against “hyper-competitive attention economies where a variety of content strands are vying for viewer attention and constantly overshadowing each other.” (Abidin, 2021, p. 4). Knowledge and content sharing on Facebook as Boyd (2010) points out, is perpetual, continuous and saturated, preventing purposeful consumption, and can certainly be overwhelming.

The school’s Facebook audience receives content that is tailored to meet the members’ interests and needs. This can be in the form of text, videos, images, slideshows, polls, links to other websites and platforms, school and important advertisements, and expert articles such as child psychologist blogs (Refer Figure 1). Collaboration with other individuals and organisations can be seen in tagging these external parties on posts, (refer Figure 2). These collaborative posts can include local or parent businesses, educational institutions such as University of the Sunshine Coast advertising their information evenings and programs for secondary students, government departments, e.g., thanking them for school equipment purchased via a government grant, or promoting local council school holiday or sport activities. Individuals can also be tagged, for example, authors that will visit the school during Book Week.

Figure 1

Sharing and Tagging Informative Posts – Dr Justin Coulson, Child Psychologist

Figure 2

Tagged Informative Posts – Collaboration with the University of the Sunshine Coast and Noosa Council

Knowledge sharing can also attract fake news, clickbait and misinformation which can create distrust and waver confidence. Due to Noosa Christian College being a private school and essentially a business, the organisation does not share or engage in any misleading content such as clickbait. Abidin (2021) described the purpose of these actions as persuading and tricking users with attention grabbing messages that lure them to their webpages. (p. 9). Whatever the school posts in this public forum can be shared to a seemingly endless amount of people, so information must be credible. The page’s members trust that the posts will not be clickbait, whereas with many other Facebook pages it may be hard to interpret what is true and what is not. Kim et al. (2021) researched and made recommendations on fake news and reported that because Facebook allows users to “freely produce and distribute content” (which has been done to earn an income from advertising fees), this practice has accelerated significantly. (p. 7). School community members would not want to belong to an online community that published misinformation.

A Sense of Belonging

Social media has fundamentally redesigned ‘belonging’. Social media platforms have for a number of reasons promoted inclusion; they have broken down geographical barriers and allowed users world-wide to connect in real-time; provided a space for marginalised groups to share perspectives to a wider audience; and platforms can facilitate online support networks where users can communicate with others who face or have faced similar challenges.

Delanty (2018) debated that place, location and symbolic relationships are losing their meaning. More transient forms of social relations, maintained by communication processes have taken their place and these relationships are devoid of substance.

The Noosa Christian College Facebook community does not consist of transient social relationships. Solid relationships exist between most members which results in a feeling of belonging. The desire to belong publicly as described by Büttner and Rudert (2022) is expressed to others via social media, for example, in describing activities with others in text or image posts and tagging those in the post. (p. 139). Refer Figure 3 which presents a post showing members of the Noosa Christian College Facebook page having tagged other Facebook users.

Figure 3

Noosa Christian College’s Posts with Page Members Tagging Other Facebook Users

Baylor Scott and White Health (2017) published a blog about research studies which confirmed that people who use social media platforms frequently were at least twice as likely to experience social isolation due to social media replacing authentic social experiences. (para. 5). Horan (2024) detailed this further in his research and discovered that social networks caused people to sense social isolation and this increased for every extra hour spent on these networks. This did decrease for those living in suburbia, however increased for individuals who resided in urban areas. (p.1). The Facebook community of Noosa Christian College does not replace face-to-face social experiences but acts as a medium that complements these connections. Most members socialise in person and this online involvement adds to the overall social experience and sense of belonging.

In a Social Influence Journal (2015), Tobin et al. compared their Facebook study findings with those of Baumeister and Leary’s claim back in 1995 that people need to belong. However, not everyone on Facebook feels that they belong. These studies indicated that participants’ sense of belonging was lowered when regular positive interactions with other Facebook users, and the development of enduring online connections over time were affected. “Participants who did not receive feedback on their updates had lower levels of belonging, self-esteem, control and meaningful existence and a lack of information sharing and feedback can threaten belonging needs.” (p. 31).

Cyberbullying also threatens belonging and platforms can be used to discriminate and harass. ‘Hate speech’ can hurt individuals both mentally and socially and they can feel alienated from a group. Hate speech also undermines free expression, inhibiting open dialogue. Udanor and Anyanwu (2019) studied hate speech on social media and found that it is spreading on social media platforms and those that are responsible show no remorse. Due to the ease of being anonymous online (refer Figure 4 post on a Facebook community noticeboard), it makes it easier for users to be unaccountable for what they write.

Figure 4

Anonymous Post on Facebook

Note. Adapted from Cooroy Community Noticeboard’s Facebook Page, by Cooroy Community Noticeboard, 2024 (https://www.facebook.com/groups/228255257919298). Copyright 2024 by Cooroy Community Noticeboard/Facebook.

Conclusion

This study delved into the Noosa Christian College Facebook page’s functions, dynamics, related research and concepts such as Oldenburg’s (Soukup, 2006) “third place” and Delanty’s (2018) “thick communities”, and identified how social media, and in this case, Facebook, has supported the creation of this online community. Evidence presented is significant in substantiating the argument that the school’s Facebook page fosters strong connections, knowledge sharing and belonging, with members having one common interest, a school.

The analysis highlights the importance of the role social media plays in community building and the ability to be able to create supportive and inclusive online environments. Facebook in this case facilitated active engagement and interaction which has created a positive experience for individuals in this community.

However, this case study only examined the use of one Facebook page as an online community. Broader research could be done to consider other social media options this school could use for community engagement such as setting up a Facebook group or using another social media platform. Research into how other schools run their online communities would also be beneficial.

Presently this Facebook page is serving as a valuable resource for Noosa Christian College in an ever-changing digital landscape.

References

Abidin, C. (2021). From “networked publics” to “refracted publics”: A companion framework for researching “below the radar” studies. Social Media and Society, 7(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120984458

Baumeister, R.F., & Leary, M.R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497

Baylor Scott & White Health. (2017, June 2). Why social media is making me anti-social. Scrubbing In, Family & Relationships. https://www.bswhealth.com/blog/social-media-making-anti-social#

Bohn, K. (2021). How social media is changing the way people get to know one another. Penn State University. https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/how-social-media-changing-way-people-get-know-one-another/.

Boyd, D.M., & Ellison, N.B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x

Boyd. D.M. (2010). Streams of content, limited attention: The flow of information through social media. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2010/10/streams-of-content-limited-attention-the-flow-of-information-through-social-media

Büttner, C.M., Lalot, F., & Rudert, S. (2022). Showing with whom I belong: The desire to belong publicly on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107535

Delanty, G. (2018). Community (3^rd ed.). Routledge.

Dixon, S.J. (2024). Leading countries based on Facebook audience size as of January 2024. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/268136/top-15-countries-based-on-number-of-facebook-users/#:~:text=With%20around%202.9%20billion%20monthly,revenue%20is%20generated%20through%20advertising

Gruss, R., Kim, E., & Abrahams, A. (2020). Engaging restaurant customers on Facebook: The power of belongingness appeals on social media. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(2), 201-228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348019892071

Hampton, K.N., & Wellman, B. (2018). Lost and Saved … Again: The moral panic about the loss of community takes hold of social media. American Sociological Association, 47(6), 643-651. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26585966

Horan, T. (2024). The effects of urbanization and social media use on individual’s perceived social isolation. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 14(1), e202411. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/14171

Kim, B., Xiong, A., Lee, D., & Han, K. (2021). A systematic review of fake news research through the lens of news creation and consumption: Research efforts, challenges, and future directions. PloS ONE, 16(2), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260080

Soukup, C. (2006). Computer-mediated communication as a virtual third place: building Oldenburg’s great good places on the world wide web. New Media & Society, 8(3), 421-440. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444806061953

Tobin, S.J., Vanman, E.J., Verreynne, M., & Saeri, A. (2015). Threats to belonging on Facebook: Lurking and Ostracism. Journal of Social Influence, 10(1), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/15534510.2014.893924

Udanor, C., & Anyanwu, C.C. (2019). Combating the challenges of social media hate speech in a polarized society: A Twitter ego lexalytics approach. Data Technologies and Applications, 53(4), 501-527. https://www.doi.org/10.1108/DTA-01-2019-0007

Wellman, B. (2005). Community: From neighborhood to network. Communication of the Association for Computing Machinery, 48(10), 53-55. https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/1089107.1089137

Figures

Figure 1

Facebook. (2024). Sharing and tagging informative posts – Dr Justin Coulson, Child Psychologist. Noosa Christian College. https://facebook.com/NoosaChristianCollege

Figure 2

Facebook. (2024). Tagged informative posts – Collaboration with the University of the Sunshine Coast and Noosa Council. Noosa Christian College. https://facebook.com/NoosaChristianCollege

Figure 3

Facebook. (2024). Noosa Christian College’s posts with page members tagging other Facebook users. Noosa Christian College. https://facebook.com/NoosaChristianCollege

Figure 4

Facebook. (2024). Anonymous post on Facebook. Cooroy Community Noticeboard. https://www.facebook.com/groups/228255257919298

Header Image by Author (with paid subscription to RIPL)

RIPL. (2024). RIPL Header Image. RIPL. https://ripl.com

To download a PDF copy, click on the link below –

EXPLORING FACEBOOK: FOSTERING STRONG CONNECTIONS, KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND CULTIVATING BELONGING WITHIN A SCHOOL SETTING – A CASE STUDY

Communities and Social Media

#belonging, #connection, #knowledge-sharing, #OnlineCommunities, Facebook

Comments

21 responses to “Exploring Facebook: Fostering strong connections, knowledge sharing and cultivating belonging within a school setting – a case study”

katelyn.rolfe

23/04/2024

Hi Dale,

This Facebook page seems like such a lovely community space!

Do you think this ‘thick’ school community on Facebook would be as thick if the participants/followers didn’t also know each other face-to-face?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Katelyn

P.S. I’d love it if you could take some time to check out my paper and write a short comment 🙂 The Negatives of Social Media Communities: How the Pro-Ana Community Circumvents TikTok’s Algorithm with Refracted Publics at: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/3609/the-negatives-of-social-media-communities-how-the-pro-ana-community-circumvents-tiktoks-algorithm-with-refracted-publics/

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dale_b

24/04/2024

Hi Katelyn,

Thank you so much for your response. I very much appreciate it.

You have made a very valid point and I think that the school Facebook community would not be as thick if they did not see each other face-to-face. I think in knowing each other, they need to be accountable for what they say online, unlike anonymous users or users that hide behind a fake name.

The thickness of the community is also due to trust. The private school close-knit ‘real-life’ environment is one where community members can trust others, especially as children are involved. This has extended to the online community where they actively engage with each other on Facebook. In many social media communities, there is a lack of trust, misinformation, scammers etc. and these experiences can be a part of thin online communities.

The posts are important and meaningful to all community members, unlike random posts of someone’s dinner or a selfie.

I would very much love to read your paper. I will be travelling on the road over the next two days, but when I reach my destination, I will definitely read your paper and comment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read mine.

Kind Regards,

Dale.

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katelyn.rolfe

24/04/2024

Hi Dale!

Yes, I must say I agree – the accountability that comes from knowing each other face-to-face would certainly keep people respectful towards each other and probably generally more caring!

That’s a great point – the trust of the face-to-face community has extended to the online community.

I completely agree. And the meaningful interactions would give community members a sense of purpose and belonging, which will keep members engaged and foster loyalty.

Would you argue that if a community is solely virtual and made up of strangers who will never see each other face-to-face, it will always remain a ‘thin community’? – As argued by Professor Delanty in his 2018 ‘Virtual Communities’ chapter in ‘Community’, “Because of the strong emphasis on the self in computer-mediated communication, there is a weakening of a commitment to others. Such communities can only be thin…” (page 220-221)

No worries, no need to stress about reading mine so soon. We’ve still got two and a half weeks left to the conference anyway! I hope your travels go well!

Katelyn

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Scarlett Grimwood

27/04/2024

o/ Hello!

I enjoyed reading your paper! There’s certainly been a lot of schools and communities I’ve been a part of that had a Facebook page. It’s an easy place to dispense information and share photos and memories amongst the community. I do wonder, did you look into how the covid-19 lockdowns affected Noosa Christian College’s Facebook page and community? I wonder if how that community operated changed during those years, and if it eventually returned to how it operated pre-pandemic or stayed different?

I’ve also always wondered how this move to online communities has affected those who aren’t as technologically minded or interested in creating an account. Could a Facebook page alienate some parts of the physical community who aren’t willing to move online?

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1. dale_b
  
  30/04/2024
  
  Hi Scarlett,
  
  Thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate it!
  
  I will give you my best answers to your questions:
  
  “I wonder if how that community operated changed during those years, and if it eventually returned to how it operated pre-pandemic or stayed different?”
  
  During COVID-19, the Facebook page was a vital tool for communication.
  
  Background: As the school still operated normally and the roll was marked for each lesson, all students were able to keep up with the curriculum and assessments required, except they were at home instead of in the classroom. Each student already had a laptop from Year 1 to Year 12, and the Prep students used their parents’ computers. Students could chat to each other online as if it were in a classroom, so the social aspect was catered for as well. If a student was not online for a lesson, their parent/s were called or messaged.
  
  Parents sent in photos and videos with the children participating in online schooling and fitness to be published on Facebook. The school even had online morning fitness classes for the whole family, a virtual cross country, quite a number of different challenges. Food Technologies was interesting as the whole family could follow along and cook with the student! And I remember some hilarious photos, especially one photo I recall of a student in a Physical Education class. He was on a fitness mat in his yard with his two dogs, one either side, also on fitness mats, and all of them had their legs and arms in the air. The College Chaplains had two different sessions and I remember one was “Chappy Chats” so students could still have that connection to the Chaplains if they needed someone to talk to, especially if they were missing their friends or had other issues. The other was “Chappy Challenges”. These weekly “Chappy Challenge” videos were put on Facebook and the students had to make videos with their responses to the challenges. Parents and staff became creative and the whole community loved it!
  
  The school community during COVID-19 was, in my opinion, more connected than today even though they are still a close-knit online community. This was due to people turning to online options as a way to stay connected with people during lockdowns.
  
  “I’ve also always wondered how this move to online communities has affected those who aren’t as technologically minded or interested in creating an account. Could a Facebook page alienate some parts of the physical community who aren’t willing to move online?”
  
  I do know a couple of Mums that don’t have Facebook accounts and are not technologically minded. They do miss out on some very special moments and seeing their children participating in activities. The school ensures those children are published in the school newsletter from time to time and emails are sent via the private parent portal although this option does not cater for group interaction or have the same connection as the online social media community. I believe it is more beneficial to have the Facebook page, than not have it. The school has offline communication with these people and this ensures inclusivity.
  
  Scarlett, could you give me the link so I can read your paper and respond?
  
  Once again, thank you so much for reading and replying to my paper.
  
  Kind Regards,
  
  Dale.
  
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  1. Scarlett Grimwood
    
    30/04/2024
    
    Wow! That’s a huge reply, thank you!
    
    That honestly sounds fantastic, like such a positive and cohesive community. It’s amazing the ability social media has to give and take happiness. In cases like the school you studied, that’s a huge amount of good that it’s doing, but then there’s a lot of studies showing how devastating it can be for mental health. Just comparing between this paper and others, I’d imagine the community has a lot to do with it. Most of the harm seems to be coming from algorithmic content feeds and influencers, which a small community like this completely avoids.
    
    I’m also glad to hear that there’s still something for the people who don’t have Facebook. The community has its benefits, but not everyone wants to give their private information to a company.
    
    Here’s my paper, I’d really appreciate the read:
    https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/3587/fandoms-and-social-media-harm-artist-growth/
    Thank you! Have a nice day.
    
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    1. dale_b
      
      01/05/2024
      
      Thanks so much Scarlett. I will read tonight when I get home from work. I will be in touch!
      
      Kind Regards, Dale.
      
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20801979

02/05/2024

Wow, what an insightful article! I really love the way you wrote this and how you specifically chose a facebook group to base the article around. It definitely made the article easy to understand and read, and it even felt quite newsy!

I want to highlight a sentence in this paper that I really loved: “The Facebook community of Noosa Christian College does not replace face-to-face social experiences but acts as a medium that complements these connections.” I think that is a great point and I like how you provided many counter findings and opinions on your points as well to strengthen the validity of the argument.

I’d love to know from you, as this community is a page that’s accessible for any members of the public to join, does this create any safety risks and do you think the school needs to be more precautious when posting content of children as well as detailing events and things going on at the school? Considering there are children involved, it makes this community slightly at risk of inviting bad people in, in my opinion.

Very interesting paper! Well done!

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dale_b

04/05/2024

Hi 20801979,

Thank you so much. I appreciate you responding.

You have a very good point in consideration to children. The page is monitored heavily and last names of children other than the school leaders (which are in the news and on the website) are not divulged. The “Following Me” function to block unwanted people is done each month, as well as members are listed by Facebook, and these are regularly checked. Any certificates, names on desks or badges are Photoshopped so names are blurred. There is also a Consent2Go program where parents can update social media permissions daily if they want to. This is checked before any photos are published.

Some parents actually get upset if they don’t see their children on social media or in the newsletter! They love to see what their kids are up to while they are at work, especially if they are away at camp.

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Kind Regards,

Dale.

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Kim Cousins

07/05/2024

Great paper Dale. This Facebook group is such a good example of a strong online community. Having different communication options within the wider school community is a way of encouraging interaction.

The structure of this community is an interesting one and I imagine there are rules and governance set by the school, as well as clear roles and smaller sub communities. Can you identify some of these?

Can you see any similarities between the structure and behaviours of this community and the online conference community?

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dale_b

07/05/2024

Hi Kim,

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, comment and ask questions regarding the paper.

To answer your question – “The structure of this community is an interesting one and I imagine there are rules and governance set by the school, as well as clear roles and smaller sub communities. Can you identify some of these?”

Moderation Policies: The school’s marketing department administers social media pages. Additionally, the Principal holds administrative access as a precautionary measure in case the primary administrator becomes locked out or in the event of unavailability of that staff member. While only the school is permitted to make posts, anyone is welcome to leave comments. Being a Christian independent school, occasionally comments from individuals with religious beliefs or bots containing clickable links may appear, prompting almost immediate removal (even at night and on weekends) and the users are blocked and any other associated Facebook accounts.

Community Guidelines: Unlike Facebook groups, where community guidelines are displayed at the top or require agreement before joining, this is not a characteristic of the Noosa Christian College Facebook community due to it being a page. Instances of unacceptable behaviour from page members consisting mainly of parents and staff, are non-existent, e.g. offensive language, disrespectful communication etc., however, there was an incident where a student commented during class time, violating the school’s mobile phone policy.

Roles and Responsibilities: While there are no formal sub-committees, teachers play a role in taking photos of events, excursions, and other activities and submitting them to the marketing department with accompanying descriptions. They are responsible for verifying photo publishing permissions and are to only forward images with students that can be published on social media. If submitted photos contain a name badge or a student’s name on a desk, these are blurred before being posted by the marketing department. Two examples included on the social media publishing policy include; students must be in correct uniform unless it is a free dress or themed day, camp, or sport carnival; and all external event advertisements submitted must be deemed appropriate by the content administrator before being published.

Your second question – “Can you see any similarities between the structure and behaviours of this community and the online conference community?”

Two similarities immediately stand out; both are respectful and interactive online environments and individuals in both examples share a common interest.

Since the beginning, the conference website has offered an engaging and courteous environment, similar to that of the Noosa Christian College Facebook community. I attribute this to our initial connections made on Discord with fellow students, where we collaborated toward a shared objective: organising and promoting the conference. Our collective interest in studying social media communities and networks, coupled with our affiliation with Curtin University has united us in our endeavours and has established the start of a “thick community” (Delanty, 2018).

Delanty, G. (2018). Community (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Kind Regards,

Dale.

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Suhayl Judoo

08/05/2024

Hi Dale,

This was a really informative paper and an enjoyable read. It seems that Facebook has benefited the school massively in creating a strong online community. I’m curious whether the Covid pandemic has helped elevate the group on the platform since education in general went online during that time. Do you think that now its the right time to maybe expand to an another social media platform like YouTube where the school will have the liberty to post interesting contents on education itself or extra curricular activities?

Overall this was a well written paper. Great work!

I would also love to hear your thoughts on my paper. Here’s the link: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/csm/3742/racism-towards-black-football-athletes-has-become-a-norm-on-twitter/

Thanks,
Suhayl

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1. dale_b
  
  08/05/2024
  
  Hi Suhayl,
  
  Thank you so much for reading and commenting on my paper. I really appreciate it!
  
  I have read your paper and commented as well, so go take a look! 🙂
  
  In response to your question about COVID-19: The Facebook page was busy, vibrant and interactive before COVID-19. This is due to the close-knit ‘real life’ community. What did happen during COVID-19 is that people in southern States got online and looked up the school’s website and social media pages as they had decided to make the move to the Noosa area and they needed to find a school to enrol their children into. The school then did acquire new followers on the Facebook page from potential new parents who wanted to see what went on at the school.
  
  In response to your question about the use of another social media platform: Expanding on the existing YouTube social media account would be great, however, due to increased workload (due to so many people moving to the area since COVID-19), currently it would be hard to have someone capturing video content, editing and posting regularly. This is definitely a great suggestion. Currently teachers have to take the photos for social media as there is no longer the time for marketing to do this.
  
  Thank you so much for your interest and best of luck with your studies.
  
  Kind Regards,
  
  Dale.
  
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  1. Suhayl Judoo
    
    09/05/2024
    
    Hi Dale,
    
    Thank you for your comprehensive answer. I look forward to replying your comments on my paper.
    
    Regards,
    Suhayl.
    
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Jamie Waddell

09/05/2024

Congratulations on an excellent paper! The writing was flawless, and it’s evident that you put a lot of time into developing the narrative. I particularly appreciated the addition of the images to illustrate your discussion – it was a nice touch.

I read the previous comment by ‘20801979’ and was glad to see you respond with the measures the school takes to protect children from undesirable characters using the page to their advantage. However, I can’t help but wonder if a school Facebook Group might be more appropriate for sharing images of children and their school experiences in a more private forum while still cultivating a sense of belonging and knowledge sharing. Keeping the Facebook page for marketing purposes makes sense, but in today’s age, it’s hard to trust that these images won’t potentially end up in the darker corners of the internet. Maybe I’m just a paranoid dad thinking about these things—what are your thoughts?

Additionally, I was surprised to learn that people could comment as ‘anonymous’ users on Facebook. Is this a setting that the school page could change, or is it something available for users across Facebook itself?

I also wonder if the concept of a ‘thick community’ would apply to a public school page. Are parents as involved with these pages as they are with private school pages, considering they pay for the privilege of private education? Is this a networking opportunity for parents as much as it is a means to provide a good education for their children?

By the way, I also wrote a paper about Facebook communities and groups, specifically focusing on Facebook Marketplace and its benefits for exchanging second-hand goods. Feel free to check it out if you have a moment!
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2024/onsc/3798/exploring-the-social-fabric-of-facebook-marketplace/

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1. dale_b
  
  09/05/2024
  
  Hi Jamie,
  
  Thank you so much for reading my paper and the kind comments. I really appreciate it.
  
  To answer your questions the best I can –
  
  “I also wonder if the concept of a ‘thick community’ would apply to a public school page. Are parents as involved with these pages as they are with private school pages, considering they pay for the privilege of private education?”
  
  I follow other schools pages in the area, both public and private and there are a couple of public schools that come to mind that have a very active Facebook page that includes images every day of students participating in activities, school events etc. Parents of these schools comment frequently on these pages. In my opinion, it comes down to the persistent and consistent posting and the effort put into the social media page. I also know of local private schools that don’t “tend or look after” their social media pages, like Noosa Christian College, and the result is that parents aren’t really interested in following or interacting.
  
  “Is this a networking opportunity for parents as much as it is a means to provide a good education for their children?”
  The parents are more supportive than “networkers”. The school community really love the school and I remember once a call was put out on Facebook around lunchtime one day seeking donations of jigsaw puzzles for a project and by that afternoon there was about 40 puzzles dropped into reception! Whilst some parents may see it as a networking opportunity, the majority want to see updates of their children (especially when they are away on camp to see what they are up to) and to find out events and what is happening, so they remember to organise their children for those days.
  
  “Additionally, I was surprised to learn that people could comment as ‘anonymous’ users on Facebook. Is this a setting that the school page could change, or is it something available for users across Facebook itself?”
  
  The ‘anonymous’ setting I have only seen on groups, not pages. As this is a Facebook page it doesn’t apply, however, our local “community noticeboard groups” on Facebook have a lot of anonymous posts.
  
  “Keeping the Facebook page for marketing purposes makes sense, but in today’s age, it’s hard to trust that these images won’t potentially end up in the darker corners of the internet. Maybe I’m just a paranoid dad thinking about these things—what are your thoughts?”
  
  I understand the paranoid parent, especially after studying in this area and learning about digital footprints of individuals. The parents get a choice to not have their children on social media. They must sign a photo publishing permission form and indicate yes or no. The school had a community group and only those approved could join (so only current parents) but the school community gravitated to the Facebook page and not the group, so when an announcement went out, only a small percentage saw these. This group was marketed for a long time. It was also hard to keep up posting on multiple platforms as there was other Facebook pages for events the school held (Parents & Friends Association decision!). Very wrong decision and just a nightmare!.
  
  I will take a look at your paper now and will reply.
  
  Thank you so much and best of luck with assignment 2.
  
  Kind Regards,
  
  Dale.
  
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Syifa Isnaini

09/05/2024

Hi Dale,

I love your positive view regarding the Facebook group. Your paper is also very well-written and insightful. It gives us information on how social media plays a role as a third place without replacing real-life interaction.

However, as far as I know, and as you also stated in your paper, many Facebook groups are being misused. Instead of fostering a sense of unity, they grow into a space for online debate or a medium of false information. Do you have a hypothesis on the factors that make the other Facebook groups not work the way The Noosa Christian College Facebook community works? Or, simply put, what factors usually make a Facebook group an unsafe place for social interaction?

Regards,

Syifa Isnaini

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1. dale_b
  
  09/05/2024
  
  Hi Syifa,
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I really appreciate it.
  
  To answer your questions in the best way I can:
  
  Do you have a hypothesis on the factors that make the other Facebook groups not work the way The Noosa Christian College Facebook community works? Or, simply put, what factors usually make a Facebook group an unsafe place for social interaction?
  
  My belief is that if a group does not have active moderation, it can become a breeding ground for inappropriate behaviour. Without moderators enforcing community guidelines and addressing any harmful content, members may feel unsafe to participate. Also the fact that as a private school, if a parent was inappropriate on the school’s Facebook page it might jeopardise the enrolment status of their children, so they just don’t do it.
  
  To ensure safety of members of Facebook groups does require proactive moderation, clear community guidelines, and consistent enforcement of policies. Hopefully this will assist in promotingrespectful and inclusive interactions among members.
  
  Thank you so much for your interest and best of luck with your last two assignments.
  
  Kind Regards,
  
  Dale.
  
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20668255

10/05/2024

Hi Dale,

I enjoyed your insightful and well structured paper!

Similarly, to my paper I truly enjoyed how you explored the concept of “thick communities” as you mentioned this on your comment on my paper. Its interesting to see a different perspective on their role in fostering strong connections and a sense of belonging. The example of Noosa Christian College Facebook Communities authentic interacted and quick responses, shows the depth of these connections.

How do you envision seeing the concept of ‘thick communities’ evolving while digital communities rise?

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dale_b

10/05/2024

Hi 20668255,

Thank you so much for reading and commenting on my paper. I appreciate you taking the time.

I think we will see communities online still gravitating to specific interests, however, I firmly believe individuals will tighten privacy settings and not share as much personally as time goes on. The reason for this is because scams and identity theft cases are getting more elaborate.

As for the school, they are dedicated to keeping the close culture of its community whether or not it’s on Facebook, another existing platform or even a platform that hasn’t been invented yet.

Sorry for the quick response, but I’m out to dinner and the conference closes before I get home.

Best wishes for your future studies.

Kind Regards,

Dale.

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Sarikane

10/05/2024

Hi Dale,

Great paper, beautifully structured and well thought out!

Do you think creating communities on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok aids those who may experience social isolation? As you stated, “opportunities to form relationships and engage in group activities are available in ways that were not previously due to not having the technological means.” However, this slightly contradicts the statement ”people who use social media platforms frequently were at least twice as likely to experience social isolation due to social media replacing authentic social experiences.” Baylor Scott and White Health (2017), why does a community page like Noosa Christian College create more personal engagement rather than replace it?

Thanks so much 🙂

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