Moodle.org forums Code of Conduct

Moodle.org aims to be a friendly place where people can get help with and learn about Moodle, and contribute to making Moodle even better. Therefore, in the interests of maintaining a productive learning environment, we request that all participants follow this code of conduct. If you do not wish to do so, you have the right not to participate.

Before posting

• Check Moodle documentation with a search and look at the frequently asked questions list of topics.
• Try a Using Moodle advanced forum search or a Google search of moodle.org to see if you can find another discussion about your topic

The basics

Choose the most appropriate forum to post in

• For technical help in English, choose an appropriate forum in Using Moodle
• For socialising with other Moodlers in English, visit the Lounge
• For posting in a language other the English, see the list of community discussion courses in other languages

Any posts deemed to be in the wrong forum will be moved. As Moodle does not yet include functionality for informing posters when a thread is moved, if you think your post might have been moved, please try a Google search of moodle.org to locate it.

Moodle has a friendly and helpful community where you can ask questions. We ask that you first try to solve any problems by reading the forum and then by posting your question before messaging anyone. For those who don't want messages you have the ability to block new messages from unknown users. Please try to return to the forum to finish solving your issue so that all can benefit or at least post any successes you experience.

Choose an informative subject line

Subject lines are like advertisements. You want helpful Moodlers with solutions to your specific problem to find and read more about your issue.

• Instead of using a subject line like "Urgent help needed!!!" use a subject line which is specific, such as, "Restore stops with error message 'xyz'".

Present facts and background in your post

Helpful Moodlers like posts that tell a short story that includes basic facts.

• Provide as much relevant background information as you can in your post
• If your question relates to a page on your site which is publicly available, you may post a link to it; however please note that out-of-context links (such as in a signature) will be removed
• Remember to state the version of Moodle you are using

For further advice on how to ensure your question is answered, see Moodle.org forums help.

Provide feedback for others

• Rate forum posts - In order to help others that may encounter the same problem as you did and encourage people who posted helpful replies, rate forum posts as useful using the dropdown menu below each post (only available when logged in).
• Once your problem is solved, mark the discussion as [Solved] - Reply to the thread, providing links to the documentation, discussion or tracker issue that helped you. Add [Solved] to the subject line of your post. This ensures that people don't continue trying to answer question unnecessarily, and others who may have the same problem can find the answer quickly.

Good conduct

Here are some best practices that can be enforced by moderators.

Post your question in one forum only

Posting the same question in multiple forums is of no benefit. It only fragments the support you receive and makes it more difficult for other users to find the correct information in the future when they do a search.

If you really feel your topic falls in two forums (e.g. a major development in the Quiz module that may impact other parts of Moodle), pick the most specific (e.g. Quiz forum) and post a small pointer to the other discussion in the second forum (e.g. General developer forum).

Respect other forum users

Show respect and consideration to others at all times. Flaming and personal attacks will be deleted.

Please respect the decisions of forum moderators and course facilitators.

Spam and unsolicited advertisements are not allowed

Our Policy on Advertising explains the contexts in which advertising is permitted. In addition, Moodle-related jobs offered may be advertised in the Moodle Jobs database. All other advertising and spam will be deleted. Posts with no substantial content (e.g. "Hi") will also be deleted.

Signatures in forum posts will be removed as they cause clutter and distract from the information and help provided.

Code of conduct violations

If you come across any spam, unsolicited adverts or any other post that you feel is inappropriate, please report it to a forum moderator (listed in the forum introduction) or course facilitator or email helen@moodle.org.

Posts which violate our code of conduct may be edited, moved to a closed discussions forum or deleted at the discretion of moderators. Moderators and course facilitators are encouraged to discuss issues in the Facilitators Corner.

Spammers or anyone else who persists in violating our code of conduct will have their account blocked.

Disclaimer

Whilst moodle.org moderators and course facilitators will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every post. All posts made on moodle.org express the views and opinions of the author and not the moderators or course facilitators (except for posts by these people) and they cannot be held liable.

If you have any comments on our code of conduct please use the talk page or post in the Moodle.org design forum.

See also

• Moodle.org forums help
• Policy on Advertising
• There is a really unfriendly, but classic article about how to effectively ask questions online. We all strive to make the Moodle forums a friendlier place than describe there. With that warning, you might want to read the advice in http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html