You already open three or four apps before school. Each one is a platform: a place built so people can talk, share, watch or work together.
Today you will build a Platform Comparison Grid covering at least six platforms. You will compare purpose, typical user, format and business model, and notice how each one shapes what you can say and how you say it.
Every platform you add to the grid gets the same four questions.
| Term | What it means for you | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose: what the platform is mainly for | Why people open that app | WhatsApp for private and group chat; YouTube for longer video |
| Typical user: who mostly uses it | The audience you are writing to | LinkedIn for job-seekers and workplaces; TikTok for a younger everyday audience |
| Format: the shape the message must take | Short video, chat, long post, live stream | An Instagram Reel versus a long YouTube video |
| Business model: how the company makes money | Ads, subscriptions, or fees change what you see | Free TikTok feed funded by ads; YouTube free tier plus paid subscriptions |
Six platforms to start from (add more if you use them):
Other names you may add: X, Facebook, Reddit, Telegram, Snapchat. Use what you actually know.
Pick at least six platforms you actually use or know. Sort them into the buckets if it helps, or just gather six names you can fill honestly.
The four grid columns stay on the board for everyone: Purpose, Typical user, Format, Business model. They are not part of this shortlist tool. If the class wants clearer wording for one heading, agree it once on the board and stick to it.
Weigh these platforms against four communication jobs. TikTok has a model column so you can see the shape of a cell.
These are working notes that feed your grid, not the portfolio piece.
This is the piece that goes in your Communication Portfolio. Write your Platform Comparison Grid for at least six platforms. In the first draft box, type one line per platform: its name, then a few words for each of the four columns on the board (Purpose, Typical user, Format, Business model). End with two sentences on how format and business model change the way people communicate on two platforms you know well.
Use the mark tags as a quick self-check on this one draft and fix thin rows in place. If time is short, finish the six-row grid in class and polish the two closing sentences before next lesson. Still file under the same filename.
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