The concept of genre has changed considerably over the last several decades. Computer-mediated communication (CMC) refers to any form of communication enabled through the use of computers. It includes not only person-to-person and person-to-group communication, but also person-to-remotecomputer contacts, as when individuals read or download documents on the World Wide Web. The following essay is looking at on-line discourse through the frame of genre suggests a focus on:he regularities of form and content of the communication;the nature of the discourse community;the underlying expectations and conventions. From the view of situated genre theory, CMC has many defining characteristics distinguishing it from any other offline genre.
