Moderation and appropriate use of discussion forums
All members of the Rehabilitation Community should strive to:
- Be patient. Be friendly
- Be active.
- Be honest. Don’t be afraid to express your own opinions
- Always be inclusive with your communications
- Be a learner and a teacher
- Keep an open mind. Avoid judging others
- Discuss and respect different ideas and points of view. Don’t make it personal
- Harassment and threats are unacceptable
The main thing to remember is to remain professional and courteous at all times when contributing to the discussions. Keep in mind that many of the Community members do not speak English as their first language, so we must be respectful of the challenge this presents when communicating their thoughts as well as additional time and effort to contribute to the discussion.
Use of Language
The use of language is key to creating an environment of trust and participation in the Rehabilitation Community. We encourage members to engage in insightful, non-threatening discussions of ideas and experiences by keeping in mind the following points:
- The common language used in the Rehabilitation Community is English but languages other than English are welcome depending on the group preference. Check with your group organiser whether Languages other than English are OK to use.
- Use short clear sentences and commonly used words. Avoid any jargon, acronyms or local slang. Any expressions without a specific definition or explanation should also be avoided.
- Keep it friendly and be respectful of other members by using appropriate language.
- Read the posts and comments carefully and respond with an open and constructive mind.
- Speak from your own experiences rather than generalizing i.e. using “I” instead of “they / we / you”.
Keep a global mindset and be respectful of other members’ personal, cultural and professional differences. Don’t be afraid to respectfully challenge members by asking questions but refrain from personal attacks. Mature, polite debate with a focus on the ideas that are being presented is encouraged.
Unacceptable use and inappropriate posts
The Rehabilitation Community is intended to encourage participation, facilitate connections and generate fruitful discussion.
We ask all members to be honest when sharing information. False, inaccurate, or otherwise misleading information is not helpful and does not align with the purpose of the Rehabilitation Community. Please be sincere in your participation by only sharing information and content that you know is true.
The following are examples of unacceptable posts of use of the Rehabilitation Communities:
- Contradictory opinions are welcome in the discussion, but should always be said in a thoughtful and respectful manner rather than emotional, impulsive and anger-driven. If there is a comment that you find particularly upsetting, contact the Group Organizer or log off and consider an appropriate response for the next time you log on so as not to create conflict in the group.
- Copyrighted materials should not be shared without permission from the publication or author. Links to original materials may be shared when attributed to the owner. Link to the primary source (original material) whenever possible.
- Be respectful of the “Private” groups and refrain from sharing posts with non-members.
- Refrain from posting commercial messages. If you have a product of service which would be beneficial to a member, please contact the member directly. At the same time, spamming and inundating members with personal messages is unacceptable.
- Posts should not contain promotional material, special offers, job postings, product announcements or solicitation for services.
- All defamatory, derogatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited on the Rehabilitation Community and will be removed.
- Remember that other members have the right to forward and reproduce posts, including those of other members.
- The group Organizers and Moderators have the right to delete any posting for a legitimate reason.
- If sharing a story about a patient or client, be respectful of their privacy and confidentiality by not sharing information or photographs that could identify them.
Any posts that are found to be Inappropriate will be deleted. Members repeatedly engaging in unacceptable use as stated above will receive a warning and may be blocked from the Rehabilitation Community.
Moderating discussions and unacceptable posts
Although group Organizers and Moderators are primarily responsible for moderating group discussions, all group members are encouraged to share the leadership responsibilities and collectively manage as well as generate the group discussions in alignment with the groups purpose and objectives.
If posts or personal messages received from other members are deemed to be inappropriate, members are encouraged to inform the group Organizer or Moderator to investigate the issue further. Inappropriate posts will be deleted. Repeated violations of the Terms and Conditions will lead to a written warning and, if further violations are made, removal from the Rehabilitation Community.
For more information about getting involved in discussions and encouraging member engagement, check out the Discussion Guide for all members
You may also like to view the Rehabilitation Community
References
ISPE (2022) Communities of Practice Rules and Etiquette. Retrieved 18th September 2022 from: https://ispe.org/membership/communities-practice/rules-etiquette