Setting ground rules for a discussion forum encourages open dialogue and develops a safe environment to express differing opinion.
All conversation must be respectful, first and foremost. Moderators for each category reserve the right to remove an offensive or disrespectful post.
Read the whole thread before posting. Read all the posts in a thread before responding so you don’t repeat what others have already said. Try to contribute clarifying information or a new idea to a discussion. Participate. Do not hide in the background; it is not fair to lurk and let others do all the work. Contribute to discussions to get as much as possible from the conversation. Be concise. A post should be 100 words or less. Do not post basic, repetitive information. Make your point clearly and quickly. Reread and check your posts. Practice professionalism. Be mindful of how you look online; others will likely judge the tone and quality of your writing. Reread your posts and edit for clarity and mechanics. Do not dominate a discussion. Share your knowledge, but not to the point of excluding others. If you have something to offer, please share it, but allow everyone to contribute equally to a discussion. Do not correct others' "mistakes." Just because you do not agree does not mean that they are wrong. Instead, offer a different perspective to encourage further discussion. Ask questions. If you find something confusing or want to know more, do not hesitate to ask questions. Be tactful. Be critical of ideas, but remember there are other people involved. Be tactful and kind. You can hurt the feelings of a person reading your post. Maintain confidentiality. Report technical problems. If the platform is not working properly, please advise the facilitators as soon as possible.
These are some good rules that ought apply in other areas of social media.