Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy
Online discussion forums allow everyone to have a say and provide a platform for many different ideas and viewpoints to be made. All contributions are valued for their content.
Discussion forums and other tools requesting comments that are publicly displayed are moderated on behalf of Landcom.
Forums are moderated in accordance with this Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy. Comments that do not adhere will be removed and the person who posted the comment will be notified by email.
Etiquette Guide
- In order to play a positive part in the discussion we encourage you to follow the Etiquette Guide below.
- Please read the information available on our website prior to participating in forums.
- Read other comments made by participants before commenting to avoid repeating what has already been covered.
- Please respect the views of others even if they are different from your own.
- Forums are a place to discuss and debate topics and points of interest to you and others in the community. If you disagree with someone’s comments that’s ok but we encourage positive and constructive responses.
- Think before you post, if you’re not going to participate constructively or add value to the discussion then don’t hit the post button, keep it to yourself.
- Discussion questions and topics have been specifically developed to reflect the purpose of consultation, please stay on topic and focus on the logic of your argument not on individual people.
- Avoid using CAPITAL LETTERS as they may come across as shouting and can cause offence.
- The aim of forums is for everyone to have their say. Get your point across by using clear and plain English and avoid acronyms and overly technical language.
- Once you've made a contribution we recommend you keep an eye on the discussion forum to see what others have to say.
- Trolls and bullies who intentionally annoy, offend, harass or threaten other participants or the organisers of forums will not be tolerated.
- If you feel that you have been insulted or a comment goes against the forum etiquette you can report it to the moderator by emailing enquiry@landcom.nsw.gov.au. Please include the comment, screen name and date of the post.
- If you want to say something but feel the forums aren’t the right place for you, you can always email our project team on enquiry@landcom.nsw.gov.au.
We moderate forums so they remain a safe place for people to have their say. Complaints about moderation should be directed to enquiry@landcom.nsw.gov.au.
Moderation Policy
Comments that do not adhere to our Moderation Policy will be removed and the person who posted the comment will be notified by email. We will remove and not accept:
- comments that harm the reputation of any person or any organisation
- real names, contact details or personal information about anyone including Landcom staff, consulting organisations, other participants, community members and publicly elected representatives or candidates
- content that is offensive to a person's race, culture, appearance, gender, sexual preference, religion or age
- posts or links to any inappropriate, offensive, illegal or irrelevant material
- insults, harassment or impersonation of other participants or staff
- offensive language and swearing. This includes words which have purposefully been misspelt with the intention to insult.
- content without the necessary rights, licenses and consents
- advertisements or sales content about any products or services
Complaints about moderation should be directed to enquiry@landcom.nsw.gov.au. We will deal with breaches of the Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy as follows:
- Automatic comment blocking – our website and social media pages use an automatic detection software. Any users who post comments or links to inappropriate, offensive or illegal material will be immediately blocked from the Landcom website or social media pages.
- Removal of comments– the first thing we will do is remove any comment that does not align with this Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy. We will also report the comment to relevant authorities if required. If another user reports a comment we will review it in line with the Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy and we reserve the right to remove and report the comment, and suspend or permanently block the user. When a comment is removed from the website a message remains in its place stating that the comment has been removed.
- Temporary user suspension – any users who repeatedly breach the Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy will be temporarily suspended from the Landcom website and social media sites for a minimum of one week. The suspension will reflect the severity and repeated nature of the breach of the Moderation Policy. Users who are suspended will be notified via email.
- Permanent user blocking – should a user repeatedly violate the Etiquette Guide and Moderation Policy after being temporarily suspended they may have their access to the Landcom website and social media pages permanently blocked. Users who are permanently blocked will be notified via email.
