Getting acquainted in Skypecasts: Aspects of social organization in online chat rooms

This paper has two intersecting themes: computer-mediated communication (CMC) and English as a lingua franca (ELF) interaction. Although the underlying objective is to introduce Skypecasts, a new voice-based CMC tool, what will be examined is how this medium is being used by participants from all over the world as a forum to learn and use English. Despite their similarities with classrooms, where learning and using English are clear objectives, what is deemed an 'appropriate' or 'normal' contribution in Skypecasts is neither fixed nor predetermined, but an organic collaborative agreement. By focusing on the social-interactional practice of getting acquainted, this paper will offer some insight on how speakers of English as an additional language communicate outside of classrooms.