SoulFriends Netiquette

Suggested Practices for a Fulfilling Online Experience

What is Netiquette? An ontologist would say ... Netiquette is "the way we be online with others".

When responding to someone online, we ask that you remember they are a spiritual being having a human experience, not a faceless object you can project all your aggressions onto.

At SoulFriends … we behold each other's light. (see Anam Cara.) It is a desire to build up (empower) rather than break down (destroy). That does not mean we engage in spiritual by-pass or avoid the shadow. Shadow work is important for growth and spiritual actualization.

Beholding each other's light is being consciously aware that rarely do others mean intentional harm. Too often we take offense when someone unintentionally touches any of our open emotional wounds. We easily make assumptions and ascribe intent to people and situations we know absolutely nothing about.

At SoulFriends we ask that you keep an open mind and an open heart, as the growth opportunity may be your own.

All members of our community must:

… be respectful of others. We all have beliefs, thoughts, ideas, rituals, experiences, etc. that we cherish. Remember this is a portal for human development and spiritual actualization.

…  not evangelize. This is a community that welcomes multiple traditions and faiths and lack thereof. If you are uncomfortable in a diverse spiritual environment, we encourage you to find a website that better supports your faith or tradition or expression.

…  be mindful of judging others. When expressing your opinion, please use "I" statements, not "you" statements when possible. We often go around "shoulding" on each other without even being conciously aware we are not seeing the light of others.

…  engage with emotional intelligence. Be aware of your emotional state as you write things. Take a walk around the block if you need to.

…  endeavor to create a safe container. All members need to feel they can express themselves without fear of ridicule or undue emotional pain.

…  use language appropriate for the situation. Written language does not always express tone or emotional resonance. Be mindful of the words you use and how they might be perceived. When writing on topics with emotional content, or when trying to express a particular emotion, it can help to use Emoticons. A picture (or smiley face) can be worth a 1000 words.

…  double check content before clicking the post button. There is no undo button in many sections of SoulFriends. Rereading and editing up front can save pain and/or embarrassment later.

…  respect intellectual property and copyright laws. It is ok to link to content and we strongly encourage it. However, if reproducing it here, even if appropriately crediting the source, remember to get the owner's permission. (For a complete exploration of copyrights and limits to rights, we suggest you visit the World Intellectual Property Organization.)

We strongly believe that the members of our community are some of the best Netizens on the planet when it comes to Netiquette. Every now and then though one of our members may have a question as to what we consider good form for SoulFriends, so we posted this brief set of suggested practices to follow. You have our permission to copy and paste our Netiquette guidelines on your website, as long as you credit us as the source. May we all have a better online experience as a result of being better Netizens.

Respectfully,
SoulFriends Staff

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