Today is the 10th national Safer Internet Day. Celebrated in more than 90 countries worldwide, the day promotes safe, responsible use of Internet by children and young people. This year the theme of the day is online rights and responsibilities with the slogan “Connect with respect”.

That is a good rule to remember for adults too, especially in online communities such as WOT, where people of different age, background and cultures meet. To make it pleasant for all to work together for safer Internet, treating others with respect is very important.

What could “Connect with respect” mean in the context of WOT? Here are some ideas:

When rating sites

• Your ratings help other users stay safe on the web. Rate all sites that you use and know well, especially if the site does not have a reputation yet, or if the confidence of its reputation is low.
• Keep in mind that a poor rating can be very damaging to the site owner. Stand behind your ratings, and do not give them on a light basis.
• If you have the mass rating tool in your use, make sure to use it with careful consideration, and verify the sites you rate.
• Take part in discussions on the Site evaluations forum to help site owners solve problems with their sites’ reputations.

When taking part in the forum discussions and leaving comments

• Use polite language and maintain a friendly tone, even when disagreeing with someone.
• If you have a question, please respect others time by looking for the answer in the WOT Wiki or in the Support section before posting on the forum.
• Do not spam. Spamming is simply annoying.

Check the forum guidelines for more useful advises.

If you are a site owner and post a site evaluation request

• When you post the request, be polite and stay on topic, even if you are upset about your site’s reputation. If you have recently made improvements to your site, make sure to let the community know about them and why you think your site now deserves a better reputation.
• The WOT community is volunteering their time and effort to respond to you request and giving you valuable feedback. Appreciate it by taking part in the discussion and answering questions they might have.

Do you have other suggestions on what “Connect with respect” could mean in the context of WOT? Please share them on the comments!




Happy Safer Internet Day to all!




“Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, you've got to give it.”
― R. G. Risch