ABSTRACT
Closing the topic at the end of Timeline conversations exhibits distinctive features. It does not share the characteristics of topic closure in dialogic face-to-face or telephone conversations. Pre-closure and terminal exchanges are not applied in closing the topic at the end of a Timeline conversation because the closure occurs abruptly. Topic closure can occur through avoiding contribution strategies, whereby teachers simply stop leaving Comments. A topic might be closed by the topic introducer, even though other Friends still show interest in the topic, which reflects the topic introducer’s power to control the conversation. Not having a marked closure might enable the conversation to be reinitiated again in future, which provides an opportunity for teachers to discuss an old topic from new perspectives.
