‘A little story, for food for thought.......’

The use of narrative in advice discourse has been primarily discussed as an advice-seeking strategy related to the statement of a problem. This paper focuses on the functions of narrative in advice-giving messages in the context of computer-mediated discourse. Drawing on data from asynchronous peer-to-peer discussions, the analysis shows that advice-givers employ narratives for argumentative purposes, such as supporting assessments and advice, or for relational work. The paper also reports on instances of tellings found in the data that fall under the scope of non-canonical narrative activities which recent research has brought into focus (Georgakopoulou 2004, 2006).