SEED Etiquette

The purpose of the SEED Community Web site is to foster communication and share ideas between SEED volunteers, teachers, students, and friends. SEED wants to create a welcoming and comfortable environment for all participants. Here is a list of Internet do’s and don’ts to promote courteous behavior and safety for everyone within the SEED Community. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in the closing of your membership.

• Do not write in ALL CAPITAL letters. This is like shouting at someone.
• Always read your postings and messages in full before you send them. This is to make sure they say what you want to say.
• If you write in anger, it’s a good idea to delay sending the message or posting for a while. When you have had time to think, take another look and see whether you still feel the same way.
• Don’t get involved in flaming. This is the term for hostile and insulting exchanges in social contexts such as chat rooms and forums. SEED will not tolerate any flaming activity and your comments and account will be removed from the community.
• In chat rooms and forums, be patient with the missteps of newcomers who don’t know the ropes.
• Keep in mind that the SEED Web site attracts users from all around the world. Be accepting of people from other countries, and be tolerant of their language skills.
• Remember, you are communicating with someone who may not know you and who cannot see your face. Some types of humor, such as sarcasm, are hard to understand without seeing someone in person. In addition, someone who is not a native speaker of the language you are using may not understand your country’s slang. So think before you comment or write.
• Attachments can include statements or images that are offensive to some people, so look at them carefully before sending them on. Any inappropriate images will be removed.
• When you forward an e-mail message that contains a string of earlier messages, make sure that there is nothing in the earlier parts of the string that would offend a new recipient.
• When you reply to a message that has been forwarded to you, make sure that it goes to the person intended and not the forwarder (unless that person is the intended recipient). If you are replying to the sender of a group message, please remember to reply only to that person, not the entire group.
• SEED requests that you not forward or post chain letters.
• Sometimes you may be sending a group e-mail. If the people on the recipient list know each other only slightly or not at all, showing all the e-mail addresses is an invasion of privacy. You can hide them by sending the message to yourself and blind-copying (bcc’ing) it to all the recipients.
• Do not forward e-mail addresses or contact information or provide the personal data of any users of this system to third parties, or use such information for commercial purposes.
• Familiarize yourself with Schlumberger’s privacy statement, on rules about the use of other people’s personal information.
• Forum or chat room participants should not take on false identities for the purpose of making outrageous statements, inciting the anger of other participants, or for their own personal amusement.
• Remember that all photos that you post in a community are truly public and can be seen by anyone who visits that Web site. Photos that show reckless behavior or inappropriate dress or conduct will remain on the Internet indefinitely, available to anyone who searches on your name. You may not want family members or future employers to see such photos, so don’t post them.
• Inappropriate photos sent to friends by e-mail can be forwarded to many other people. Don’t risk that kind of exposure.
• Be careful about what information you include in your online profile. A photo is good, because most people like to know what the person they are corresponding with looks like. However, you should not provide your address, telephone number, or other identifying information, other than the name of your school, employer, or affiliated group.
• Use the privacy settings provided by the network; this is the best way of protecting yourself on a networking site. Your profile provides you with the option to have your information visible to others within the community so that they may contact you. If you do not want to be contacted, you have the option to exclude yourself from such communications.
• Do not give away passwords, credit-card or banking details, or other personal data, and halt any communication with someone asking for this information. You can notify SEED (seed@planetseed.com) of any inappropriate questions asked of you.
• Cyberbullying - the persecution of an individual by sending hurtful messages of one kind or another to them or posting unkind messages about them in forums or blogs on the Web - will not be tolerated. Anyone indulging in this kind of behavior will not be permitted to use the SEED forums. Cyberbullying should be immediately reported to the community moderator (seed@planetseed.com).
• If you receive any messages that make you feel uncomfortable because they seem improper, indecent, or threatening, do not answer. Forward these messages to the community moderator (seed@slb.com).
• Do not arrange to meet anyone you've met on the Internet without informing a friend or relative. Be aware that a lot of people lie about themselves - about who they are, how old they are, and why they want to meet you. If you want to meet an online friend, choose a public place to get together, and meet that person there. If something makes you uncomfortable, make sure you can easily leave. Students or anyone under the age of 18 should not meet in person with online friends unless accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.
• Solicitation of any sort is not allowed. Do not use the SEED Communities to look for investors or customers for a business venture, to promote political or religious views, or to seek personal relationships.
• You can notify SEED of any inappropriate conversations, posts, photos, or submissions at any time. E-mail us at seed@planetseed.com and include the name of the offending user, a short description of the offense, the name of the page on which it is posted, and a link to that page. SEED does not tolerate offensive or inappropriate behaviors.
• SEED does not support any political position, and its blogs and forums are not the proper venue for promoting political commentary.
• The blogs, postings, and e-mails on the SEED Web site represent the individual views and opinions of the community members expressing them, not SEED.

Please also view our user-generated content moderation policy. Contact the SEED team at seed@planetseed.com if you have further questions or concerns.