Netiquette at OVB

What is a netiquette?

Netiquette is a combination of net and etiquette. It refers to socially accepted rules of behaviour in digital communication.


It includes recommendations on public image, standards of behaviour, and acceptable forms of expression. A netiquette is designed to promote respectful interaction and to prevent verbal abuse or hate speech.

Why is a netiquette important?

The understanding of cultural norms is ordinarily taken for granted in our real, physical environment. On the internet, it is often the case that people violate these norms because they feel anonymous.


Writing can‘t convey non-verbal signals. This can lead to misunderstandings more quickly in written communication than in direct face-to-face communication.

Where does the netiquette apply?

In addition to our social media behaviour guidelines, the netiquette is important when interacting with followers on social networks.

More importantly, it sets rules for the people commenting. It helps them understand why and when we report, hide, and/or delete comments.


The netiquette underpins the values that we as OVB and our advisors stand for. It creates a safe and respectful space on our digital channels.


For these reasons, this is our netiquette:

 
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We are all human.

Always remember that a real person reads your texts on the other side. Even in the digital world, you are communicating with real people who have feelings and opinions. So only write things you would say to someone‘s face in real life.

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Be respectful and polite.

We value respectful and polite behaviour. Any form of offensive, derogatory, or discriminatory language will not be tolerated. This includes comments containing hate speech, racism, sexism, ableism, or other types of discrimination. We have the right to report, hide, and / or remove such posts and comments.

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Have factual discussions.

We welcome constructive criticism and different opinions as long as they are presented fairly. Explain your opinion, especially if it is different from others. Stay on topic. Make sure your posts help create a constructive and factual discussion..

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Don’t spread misinformation.

Make sure your posts come from reliable sources. Spreading false or misleading information is not allowed on our channels. Posts that contain fake news will be reported and / or removed.

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Protect the rights of third parties.

Respect the privacy of other people. Do not mention real names, addresses, phone numbers, or other personal data of others. We will hide or delete posts with this information to protect privacy.


If you quote something, name the author and give credit. Copyright law protects content like texts, images, videos, and music from being used or shared without permission. This law also applies online.

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Refrain from advertising or spam.

Do not post ads, spam, irrelevant links, or other commercial content on our channels. Spam also includes repeated comments and / or comments with the same content by one or more users.


We want to encourage meaningful and relevant discussions. Advertising and spam interrupt this exchange and will be removed.

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Use first names and real names.

Using first names has become common on the Internet, especially on social media. We follow this practice on our channels. In German, you can address us as “du”.


As a company, we and our advisors always use our real names and do not act anonymously.

 
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Keep in mind that our channels are moderated.

Our editorial team moderates our social media channels. This ensures that everyone follows the guidelines. We delete posts that break these rules. We also block users if they repeatedly violate the rules.

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Use alternative communication channels.

If you have questions or complaints you don‘t want to share publicly, you can email us. Use our complaints email address socialmedia@ovb.eu. We will respond to your request as quickly as possible.

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If you have questions about our netiquette or want to report an offence, please contact us directly at:

socialmedia@ovb.eu