LSA Standards for Posting of Online Comments via linguisticsociety.org

(Adapted from standards developed by the New York Times, the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, and the Institute for Teaching and Learning of Colorado State University.)

1)      The LSA’s standards for comments are reflected in the content we publish in our publications and online; we expect your comments to follow that example.

2)       A few things we won't tolerate: obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), impersonations, incoherence and SHOUTING.

3)      Personal attacks on people inside or outside of the discussion are not acceptable.

4)      Do not use the comment forum to sell your products and services.

5)      While most comments will remain posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, decisions to remove comments are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can.

6)      If you are writing a comment, please be thoughtful, civil and articulate.

7)      We only accept comments written in English; foreign language comments will be removed.

Tips for contributing to a fruitful online discussion:

·         Limit your comments to the topics under discussion.

·         Make sure your messages contribute a unique point or perspective – read others’ comments before you write new ones.

·         Messages that are short and to the point get read by more people. (It may be easier to draft your message offline.)

·         If you know of relevant online references, please include them in your postings; be sure to provide the complete Web site address (URL) and explain why the material is valuable.

·         Be Patient: Read everything in the discussion thread before replying. This will help you avoid repeating something someone else has already contributed.

·         The best comments discuss not only what you agreed or disagreed with, but why.

·         Criticism must be constructive, well-­‐meaning, and well-­‐articulated. Rants directed at any other contributor will be removed.

Approved by the LSA Committee on Member Services and Information Technology (COMSIT), October 2012.