Please do:

1. Remember that the Internet is a public forum. Keep your communication appropriate.
2. Discuss ideas and issues that concern you and your fellow students, especially as they connect to learning about the Book Trail community.
3. Back up your statements with examples, reasons, or other supportive evidence.
4. Read through all the posts in a discussion thread before you respond to one (so you are not asking a question that has already been asked or repeating something that someone else has already posted).
5. Follow the guidelines given on the Permission to Blog form and the Blog Etiquette handout which were provided in class.

Please do not:

1. Post your full name or others’ last names, phone numbers, home addresses, or other personal information.

2. Attack others. Agree or disagree with others’ ideas using reasons and examples to support your view.

3. Use language that may be offensive to other users.

4. Change font sizes and/or colors unless you are trying to emphasize a point. It’s the content of your message that counts, not the style.

Comments:

Here are some suggestions on for creating good comments for each other. The richer the comments, the more likely it is that someone will answer you back. You can begin your comment by writing and explaining:

• This made me think about…….
• I wonder why…….
• Your writing made me form an opinion about…….
• This post is relevant because…….
• Your writing made me think that we should…….
• I wish I understood why…….
• This is important because…….
• Another thing to consider is…….
• I can relate to this…….
• This makes me think of…….
• I discovered…….
• I don’t understand…….
• I was reminded that…….
• I found myself wondering…….

(adapted from Excellence and Imagination)