4 Making forums into a playful space

Forums as a space may not necessarily make you feel playful – a point you will pick up again in Session 4. Generally, they are fairly plainly designed, with blank spaces that create a container which you may find difficult to write in. The tools you have to express yourself with – such as the basic text formats and use of punctuation – may also feel limiting. But think a little more creatively and there are many ways in which you can make the forum space more playful and, in turn, make forum learning much richer.

In this section, you will consider the materials you have to play with on a forum and the ways in which you can playfully combine them to explore different possibilities. These materials include individual words, sections of text, images and your own experiences.