The Owlfred Chronicles

Our Mission, one we have accepted: Learning for All.  And we have a new Code of Conduct to prove it.

First of all, OpenStudy  provides an open, friendly, and helpful learning environment for students around the world. That has not changed. You want to learn, join us. Want to understand, yes! Connect with others. You are a passionate physicist wanting to turn on the light for someone, YES! Join us.

But, are you just looking for an answer on a multiple choice?  Are you a “Give me an answer and I’ll go away?” sort of person?  Well, here is where we are taking our stand.  We are not here to just give you the fish, we are the environment that wants to teach you how to fish! OpenStudy has amazing people who can teach and who you can learn with or learn from! So come and ask for help, wait for an explanation, understand the concepts, discuss, engage and enjoy the unique learning experience. Want just an answer, hey, there are other sites out there that do that!

We have built a unique and truly awesome community on OpenStudy. We have people who freely spend their time and energy to walk students through complex conceptual processes ranging from basic algebra to advanced calculus – and everything in between. They do this because they love helping people (we know, we asked) to learn and expand their knowledge. They come to learn and to help. For this community, folks who do not have the patience to learn and understand, take away from everyone’s experience. It also makes it hard for our great helpers to find those people who really want to learn.

So, what are we doing about it? Lots! read the Code of Conduct (here). Our community is playing an active role in guiding new users, and will be letting people know when they stray – up to and including warnings, suspensions, and even bans in certain cases. So as an OpenStudy user, keep this in mind.

1. No ‘Sniping’
In order to provide a great environment for learners, answerers need to work together. Mainly, we will now be enforcing a ‘no-sniping’ policy. What do we mean by sniping? Ever been working on a question with someone, going through some steps, and someone jumps in and provides the answer? It’s frustrating, it hurts both the asker and the answerer, and from now on, you’ll receive warnings for it. So remember, no sniping!

2. No ‘Answer-Only’ Attitude
If you’re here to ask a question, just remember that the people you are asking are here to help get you that answer – but they want to show you how to do it first. Respect their time and effort, and be willing to engage and participate in your own learning (we’ve found it’s the best way to learn). Though it may take more time, we feel that this will serve you the best in the long-term.

So, if you’re at OpenStudy to learn and get help – these changes won’t affect you. If you’ve come for answers only before, we feel that these changes in policy will actually enhance and expand your OpenStudy experience. After all, the biggest reason most people give for staying on OpenStudy is the level of help they receive. Now, we hope to give that opportunity to even more people. So, welcome to OpenStudy – the best place to learn and give study help on the interwebs…

Sincerely,
The OpenStudy Team.