I just started teaching my regular summer literature class IRL, and I noticed that many of the rules are tweaked and fine tuned based on my experiences here in the Wizard101 forums.
My students have a weekly blog and discussion requirement that counts for 1/3 of their course grade. We keep our busy forums organized and productive by following these rules, which I have fine tuned since I began posting in these wizarding forums:
Think before you post. Any time we are communicating in print, there is a greater risk of misunderstandings occurring because we do not communicate our ‘tone' when we write. Read your message thoroughly before you post it. Include friendly comments or emoticons to make sure your message is taken as you intend it.
Write in complete sentences and paragraphs. Do your best to communicate clearly in standard English.
Pay attention to your grammar and mechanics. Look up words. Take your time to communicate clearly. Yes, proper grammar and mechanics count—even online.
Use lower and upper case appropriately. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS! It appears as if you are shouting at people.
Keep the focus on the topic at hand.
Focus your comments on the message, not the messenger. Debating ideas is encouraged, but make sure you do not attack another for his or her ideas.
Avoid posting “me too” or “I agree” posts. If you agree with a post, take the time to articulate why you agree, and then your reply will be worthy of reading.
Keep your replies brief. Replies should be no longer than three paragraphs.
Avoid the use of foul language or insults. Remember that there are real people out there who may be offended by something that you find humorous. Be overly cautious about posting anything that is even slightly off-color.
Keep discussion threads pure. Just as you don't want to create a new thread for a topic already in progress, don't muddy a given thread by adding something else to it. It will make it more difficult to follow the discussion.
Check the active forums frequently. You will enjoy and get more out of the discussions of you visit the forums regularly and keep atop the current trends in conversation.
One thing I notice about our forums here in the Great Spiral is that we are so very good at managing ourselves in this huge community :) Thanks so much for helping me to learn good online communication skills. In a large way, you are also helping my college students learn how to communicate in cyberspace :)
