IELTS MOOC Study Group – Code of conduct

● Please don’t make any offensive comments on topics that people may feel sensitive about
such as: religion, sex and politics etc. The group administrators will remove posts that have a
clearly unacceptable sexual nature or ones that provoke racial, sexual or religious hatred.
● Although it can sometimes difficult to know when you are infringing copyright rules, please
try to ensure that you don’t share any copyright books or materials. In general, whole
textbooks available free online are almost always illegal, so think twice before sharing.
● Please don’t spam the group! It’s not a place for promoting or advertising commercial
products.
● Be sensitive about the issue of child protection and abide by the policy the British Council has
on this – see https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/transparency/policies/child-
protection. So, please don’t publish photos of children.
● Similarly, we should protect each other’s personal privacy. So don’t publish your telephone
number, email address or Skype id. If you want to contact another member of the group,
please write a Facebook message instead.

Guide to netiquette
The word netiquette is a combination of ’net’ (from internet) and ’etiquette’. It means respecting
other users’ views and remaining polite and considerate when posting your views to online
discussions. Online communication can be difficult – you may intend your comment to be polite, or
you may be making a joke etc. but other people may understand things differently. It’s always a
good idea to think carefully about how you express yourself, especially if you are disagreeing with
someone, making any critical comments or asking for help.

 Try to be polite at all times in terms of tone and language. It’s fine to disagree, but avoid
being too critical, using terms like ‘stupid’, ‘ridiculous’, telling other users they don’t know
what they’re talking about etc. Also if you are asking for help avoid demands and the use of
the imperative. Don’t say ‘tell me’, ‘give me’ etc. Say ‘Can/could you please…’ and of course
thank people if they offer you help.
 Do not use all CAPITAL LETTERS as this can offend and seem like shouting online.
 Refrain from personal abuse. You may express robust disagreement with what someone
says, but don't call them names or threaten them with personal violence.
 Write clearly and concisely. On a site that has many non-native English speakers, avoid using
slang they may not understand and try to avoid sarcasm or irony as this can often be
misunderstood.
 Try to keep comments relatively short – especially on mobile phones people do not want to
scroll through several screens of comment to get to the next one.
 Try to stay on-topic. In a discussion of one topic don’t start a discussion of a completely
different one. That doesn’t mean you can’t mention any other points, but don’t hijack the
discussion to try to make it about what you want when other people are talking about
something else. If you want to discuss a completely new topic, start another conversation.
 Don't expect other people to do all your work for you. Don't ask questions you could easily
answer yourself by reading an online dictionary or doing a quick Google search. If you have
tried these and have not found what you need, or don’t understand what you have found,
mention it in your post. It will save time and also show people that you are making an effort
to help yourself.
 The site's owner, assisted by the moderators, has the final say in enforcing the rules.