Netiquette

Inroduction

The following basic rules regulate the behavior of users in forums at the BibelCenter. They serve as recommendations for decent and orderly conduct, so that the forums can be a blessing to all. They provide a frame so that fights and dissent will be avoided and participation in forums can be an edifying experience.

Esteem the other higher than yourself

Philippians 2:3-4
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

we should consider to deal with others as one would like others to deal with us. What has been typed and sent, one can perhaps edit later in certain circumstances, but if it has been read, one cannot take it back. It is the same as with words, once they have left our lips, we cannot take them back.

Practical advice

The following practical tipps and advice should be acknowledged:

1. Our posts speak for us - as we write, others get to know us.
2. Humor and sarcasm are not to everybody's liking - please be careful and only use when it does not hurt someone but all can be edified by it.
3. Think first, then write - and, even better, read again before sending it!
4. Express yourself clearly and with precision in order to avoid misunderstandings.
5. If one is emotionally disturbed, it is a good idea to wait a day and sleep a night before replying. One will most likely convey much better thoughts the next day after the wrath has disappeared.
6. It is not important WHO is right; all participants should instead strive together to help so that all can find WHAT is right.
7. Short messages are easier to read than long ones. Long dissertations are often not helpful in an exchange in a forum ... but depending on the topic, they may be sometimes necessary.
8. One's own thoughts are what we should write. Participants exchange their OWN ideas, knowledge, etc. with each other. Therefore one should not just copy articles from commentaries, studies by other authors, etc. and post them in a forum. Questions by other participants should be answered from one's own perspective and in detail.
9. When replying to a forum post, only quote those parts that are relevant and necessary for the reply. There is no need to quote the whole message.
10. If something has already been discussed, it may be better to post a link to the topic and post, where an answer can be found, instead of re-posting large amounts of text again to the forum.
11. The subject line should be refelcting the content or topic about which one is writing. If a thread is developing and a side-topic is developing, it may be good to start up a new topic with an appropriate subject line.
12. Messages should be kept in plain text as much as possible, CAPITALIZATION is to be used carefully, seeing that it is mostly regarded as "screaming" and offensive in forums.
13. Single words could be emphasized by CAPITALIZATION, or by using the various codes available for bold, italic, etc.
14. When using a signature, one should be careful that it does not contain any advertisement that is inappropriate for the forum. It is sufficient to have regular name, e-mail address, one's website URL, etc.
15. If one uses text portions from other sources, it is required that one provide the source, so that others are aware from where the article or text originally comes. Please observe any copyright restrictions when quoting other sources.
16. Each participant has their own opinion, own understanding, own background, etc. and will contribute accordingly. It is therefore likely that there will be differences and even contrary thoughts expressed, but that should not be reason to defame another or "strike a war" on someone in a forum.
17. Every participant may and hsould write their insights with conviction and provide objective and biblical arguments for their thoughts and viewpoints. It is ok, if users "get involved and are enthusiastic", but please do not accuse others or offend them with undue comments or remarks.
18. Each user is fully reponsible for their contributions. One should consider that there are users of different levels of Bible knowledge, and different backgrounds, etc. so that it is important that one should write in a simple, logical and reasonable manner, in a way which others can follow so that they are able to understand what has been written
19. Defamations, discrimination, encouragement for criminal acts, etc are not permitted. The same goes for third party advertisement. In such cases, the moderator will step in and possibly unsubscribe a user from the BibelCenter forums.
20. In case of problems between users, the moderator can step in to mediate and find agreeable solutions.
21. The forums are generally "unmoderated", that is, posts from registered users go generally directly to the forum without being checked and needing approval by a moderator.

As we each esteem the other higher than ourselves, and as we endeavour to edify one another and help one another, the forums should prove to be a wonderful and effective means toward learning together.