my connected community (mc2)

Netiquette

The rules of politeness & acceptable behaviour on the Internet...

Internet chat and online communication via email, Forums etc. is mostly a very enjoyable experience. It allows you to meet many people from all countries around the world. This is a place to make new friends or simply talk on subjects which interest you. You are expected to follow simple guidelines as to how you present your views appropriately. Respecting others, and becoming familiar with the set conventions, will make your online experience a lot easier and more enjoyable.

Talking in a chat room is like walking into a room full of strangers, so the normal social conventions apply. You wouldn't normally run in shouting, swearing and being abusive, so make sure you don't here either.

Be polite, welcome people entering the chat room or introduce yourself to those already in there. You can also tell others a little about yourself via a Guestbook entry or your personal webpage. You don't necessarily need to use proper punctuation or capital letters in a chat room, but be aware that typing everything in CAPITAL LETTERS means SHOUTING. Be careful you don't accidentally hit the Caps Lock key.

Differences of opinion are normal, and vibrant, robust discussion can be stimulating, but don't descend to personal attacks or react in an angry or impulsive manner. The key to good Netiquette is respect:

Respect the right of others to have different opinions
Respect their rights of privacy and confidentiality
Respect people's time and bandwidth - do you have a valuable contribution to make, or are you just wasting people's time? Does your comment further the discussion in a positive way?
Be aware that comments made in the Forum will go out by email to everyone on the mailing list for that group. Whilst it is possible for a group owner or moderator to delete the Forum message from the webpage, the original email messages cannot be recalled
Be forgiving of other people's mistakes
Don't start or contribute to electronic flame wars (flaming is making personal attacks, using threatening or emotive language, or making inflammatory remarks)

If anyone gets carried away and breaks any of the rules, it is the responsibility of the Community Owner to eject them from the chat room or even ban them from that community. mc² and Vicnet also reserve the right to ban or suspend anyone from using mc² for inappropriate or offensive behaviour, or anyone in breach of the Code of Conduct.

You must not use mc² for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by this Code of Conduct. All users of mc² must not use mc² or Vicnet services, directly or indirectly, to:

Organise or engage in any illegal activities whatsoever
Defame, abuse, harass, stalk or threaten others
Propagate hatred &/or racial vilification
Knowingly cause harm or distress to others
Breach any copyright or other laws or regulations

I.e., in addition to upholding this Code of Conduct, you are responsible for adhering to all local and national laws that pertain to your location.

Regarding Online Safety e.g. for Kids in Chat Rooms, see:

See also:

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