Etiquette
[Originally posted on May 1, 2008, I'm asked about this series of posts enough that I thought it would make for a decent page. Remember, I'm definitely not the guru on this stuff, but we are.]
When a student or teacher decides to join a new school community, it can be difficult for them to immediately grasp the often-unspoken but understood rules of the new school’s culture. Traditions have been established, customs drive practice, and formal and informal rules often govern participation within the school community. Being an online community, blogging is no different.
Because the online world is still a very formative culture in and of itself, it’s important for newcomers to know what rules of etiquette and protocol have been established: not only to keep from appearing like a neophyte, but to keep from offending others while learning to make positive contributions to online discussions. In fact, understanding and abiding by current “rules” (and knowing when they might appropriately be broken) are the hallmark of responsible digital citizenship.
Any posts I identify as being connected with this topic will be aggregated here:
Citations- Is linking to a photo an adequate way to cite the author?
- Is it necessary to use extensive citations in our blog posts?
- How do I cite screenshots of photos?
- What about Kwout? Are the citations that it creates for screenshots adequate?
- Is deep-linking to photos, icons, or other content appropriate?
- If a video is on YouTube, does that mean that it is now fair game for posting on a blog?
- Does it matter if the content of your post is educational?
- Does it matter if the original video doesn't specify copyright restrictions?
- Are there rules of etiquette that intrinsically govern the way bloggers should respond to comments?
- Is there a time when a blogger might be exempt from responding to the comments of his/her readers?
- How does one identify the line between a healthy debate and a downright ugly brawl?
- What rules are inherent to such discussions?
- When does a discussion of a product turn into an unacceptable advertisement?
- As the creator of a blog, what should one do to discourage such behavior?
- How is an online reputation any different than a person's reputation in the physical world?
- How might actions taken online affect a person?
- How does one improve their online reputation?
- What kinds of behaviors taint an online reputation?
- What is an appropriate "rule of thumb" when posting in a non-school-affiliated space that is nonetheless open to the public?
- Must precautions be taken when posting student information to blogs (and/or other websites)?
- Is there a set of rules that one could follow that would ensure that proper publishing protocol is followed, independent of the blogger's national, state, district, or school restrictions?
- What are your rules for publishing information related to children that you know?
- If a blog is publicly and globally accessible, should its author consider the background and cultural diversity of its readers?
- What steps can and should be taken in connection with addressing a diverse readership?
- If the blogosphere is "to maintain a set of communal standards" regarding etiquette, what mechanism of enforcement can be implemented?
- What are some ways that etiquette is currently enforced throughout the blogosphere?
- What are some steps that could be taken to ensure a more consistent mechanism of enforcement?
