Blogging Rules & Guidelines

By posting to this Blog you are agreeing to the following rules:

Posts:

• Double check all your posts for good grammar and spelling.
• All posts must follow the assignment directions and meet all the criteria of that assignment. No random posting.
• Any information and statements you post must also include links to the source.
• Post on time

Comments:

• Write meaningful comments that add to the conversation. If the comment is not applicable you will not receive credit.
• Respond to others thoughtfully and respectfully.
• Use your comment to show why you think the topic is important/interesting/controversial.
• Read the comments posted after yours.
• Be respectful of other people and their opinions.
• Constructive criticism only, no derogatory or inflammatory remarks, critique the idea, not the person.
• Support your comments with evidence.

Blog Guidelines:
1. Treat this blog as if it were in the classroom — use appropriate language and be sure that anything you write you are proud of and are prepared to take responsibility for. Your blog exists as a public space on the Internet. When you put something on the Internet, odds are really good that it will ALWAYS stay on the Internet. If you are not careful about what you write, what you write now could come back to haunt you in the future.

2. Never give out or record personal information on your blog. Please DO NOT post...

• last names,
• phone numbers
• home addresses
• IM screen names etc.
• personal email

Remember, a blog is a public space on the Internet. So….don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know.

3. Never disrespect anyone or anything in your blog posts. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a person, an organization, or just a general idea. When you write your opinion on a topic, you don’t want someone making a stab at what you are passionate about. So, don’t do it to someone else. Try your best to make sure you’re not going to offend anyone in your posts.

4. Don’t write about other people without permission; if you can’t get their permission, use initials only. Never share someone else's last name.

5. Make sure things you write about are factual. Link to your sources. But never link to something you haven’t read and understood completely. When you link to something, make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be in poor taste or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably warn readers by using a parenthetical note or some other word of caution.

6. Be aware of copyright — especially with sounds and images. Make sure what you use is copyright free !! (Just because you find it on the internet does not mean you are free to use it without permission !!) Please review Copyright Issues on the Web and be sure to see Copyright 1” and “Copyright 2” for more information.

7. Keep it education-oriented. Stick to tasks set in class. Unless it pertains to the assignment, stay away from discussing plans for the weekend, general rambling, or diary entries about nothing. Chances are your responses to class tasks will usually be far more interesting!!