Rules of Engagement - (or how to behave on SCN)

The Rules can be divided into a number of segments:

• How to behave when initiating a post (asking a question, posting a blog, creating a document, starting a wiki page) - not the mechanics but how to behave when doing those actions

• How to behave when contributing to an existing post (answering a question, commenting to a blog, adding to a document or wiki page) - again not the mechanics but how to comport oneself

• How to behave in a community in general (netiquette and good community behavior, language, identity, images, avatars)
• Behaviors that may result in removal from the community or rejection of posts: point-cheating, defaming another, sexually explicit content, and copyright infringement.

How to Initiate a Post 

1. Search before you post to be sure that your question, comment, blog, document and/or wiki page is unique and hasn’t already been asked, answered or covered in some way
2. Choose The Correct Space for Your Post.  Examples:
   • Post your discussion questions in the correct forum space
   • Post your blogs in the appropriate topic area
   • Avoid starting a discussion or posting a question as an unrelated comment to a blog or document but rather post your questions as separate discussion
3. Create a Clear Title for Your Posting – make sure the subject line is clear, unique, topic related.
4. Do Not Cross-Post.  If a question, blog or document is relevant to multiple topics, post it in the most relevant area and use tags to connect it to other areas.  Identical questions that are asked in multiple forums will be deleted.  The same goes for redundant announcements, blogs or documents.

How to Contribute to an Existing Post

1. Read the post - (blog, query, question, document) carefully before responding and make sure that your response is not redundant (is unique) and adds value to the conversation or post. Post with intent to help versus intent to show that you know more.

2. Make every effort to ensure your own post is correctly written - (spell-check is now available) but understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be tolerant of others’ lapses in spelling and grammar

3. Ask for clarification, respectfully - if you believe a question or post you wish to respond to is poorly phrased

4. Create Context – a simple link is not enough to answer a forum post, there should be an explanation why this link will be helpful. Similarly in a blog post there should be more than just a link to another blog post or web site.   

Good Community Netiquette and Behavior

1. Identify Yourself Properly – use your real identity and humanize your own personal brand

2. Use Your Own Photos – please use a real headshot, without sunglasses, full face to represent yourself to the community, for copyright reasons no Logos or other graphic content that isn't your own intellectual property.  Use those graphics judiciously in blogs, documents and postings

3. Avoid Slang – understand that there are many languages and cultures represented in the community. The primary language of most spaces is English. Non-English content should be posted in the fitting language space (see the Site Index). Please avoid slang and SMS Text Speak.

4. Share Your Expertise Transparently and Publicly - SCN is a community site which encourages public knowledge share

5. No Solicitations – avoid marketing your company’s products and services.  If you wish for people to know your affiliation with your company, put those details in your profile and make those attributes accessible and visible to the community.  Do not embed links to ads in blogs, documents, and forum discussions.  The same goes for email solicitations and advertising.  If you want someone to trust you enough to buy what you offer, share your expertise transparently and publicly. Use that to build a reputation and relationships. Do not attempt to artificially boost your visibility. This includes solicitations for points and acknowledgement.

6. Be Professional and Courteous - No need to SHOUT (use unnecessary capitalization) or use words in title like URGENT. Most folks participate here because they enjoy helping others, not because it's their job to do so.

7. Be Responsive - If your question or problem was answered then please mark the helpful and correct answers as such.  Mark the discussion as “Answered” so that other members can find their answers more easily

8. Click the abuse button - if you believe the poster hasn't searched, the post is inappropriate, offensive or defamatory, and clearly state what fault you found with the posting

Grounds for Rejections of Posts or Removal from the Community

1. Point-cheating – Creating, rating, responding to any content for the purpose of increasing one’s own or another’s points.  This includes collaboration with other users to rate content highly, creating “fake” users to rate one’s content highly, or any other points motivated activity that does not benefit the community at large
2. Defaming another – Posting content that discriminates based on any perceived differences, including but not limited to differences in culture, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and physical ability. For more information on SAP’s diversity values, see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/our-company/people/diversity/index.epx
3. Infringement on copyright – If after reviewing a submission to the SAP Community Network, we find that some of the material in the document appears to contain inappropriate content, it will be removed on those grounds.  As a reminder, the SAP Community Network Terms of Use, found at http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/policy, require that all content submitted to SAP Community Network must be original content created by the author or reproduced with the permission of the content copyright owner. If you want to post on SCN previously published quotations or passages (from print or web sources), illustrations, photographs, or graphics, you must have written permission or license from the content owner.

What to Expect From Moderators

In accordance with the SAP Community Network Terms of Use, we may take some or all of the following actions:

1. Reject your past, current and/or all future submissions
2. Revoke your SAP Community Network membership
3. Delete all of your accumulated points