Policies for OETN

[Abby Kelton]

I'd like to lay out some guidelines regarding commercial solicitation to prevent this from becoming an issue. OETN was created as an opportunity for people interested in education technology to share ideas with one another and to expand our personal learning networks through online collaboration. Anyone who shares these interests is fully welcome to participate.

However, this network is not a space for commercial solicitation. We are using as our guidelines the policies set forth by Classroom 2.0 - credit to Steve Hargadon for articulating these policies here.

Please read the full text of this policy, and the excerpt below.

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The second type of commercial solicitation requires a more nuanced, but no less definitive policy. These are individuals or companies who have created products or services which are in fact related to our discussions here. We need to have room for these folks to be active participants in the network--not to "pitch" their services, but because they have an interest in helping education and are often former educators who have seen a need that they are trying to fill. We want to encourage their participation because they can both add to regular discussions and can answer questions about their products or services better than anyone else.

If you are representing a commercial product or service that falls in this category, we ask first that you use your real name, and that you join as an individual and not as the "company." We also ask you not to post descriptions or pricing of your services in regular forum discussions or blogs... However, if you post this material in the regular public areas, after a warning, I will remove your account. In no circumstance should a commercial entity or ever "friend" someone they are not already in contact with.

At the same time, please remember that we do want to encourage you to bring your experience, expertise, and thoughtful contributions to the rich array of discussions here.

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If you have any suggestions on how we should modify this policy, please add your comments to this forum and we can make adjustments as needed. Thanks you for your cooperation.

[Abby Kelton]

We're hoping that during the upcoming education technology conference in February OETN can grow as a venue for further connecting Ohio educators and extending discussion about conference topics. With that in mind, are there any guidelines or policies relative to the blogs, groups, or discussions on OETN that you suggest we should adhere to, beyond those outlined in the Ning Terms of Service?

Click here if you want to read the details - skip to #14 for the Acceptable Use and Conduct guidelines. In my opinion most Acceptable Use Policies pretty much come down to 1) use common sense and 2) treat others as you'd want to be treated. I think Ning sums this up when they state "like with any web-based interaction, we suggest that you use caution and good judgment."

What else should we consider?