Background

dialogin The Delta Intercultural Academy is a global knowledge and learning community on culture, communication and management in international business. Discussing problems, talking about current issues and asking questions contribute greatly to the knowledge and skills of all community members. An ideal opportunity for people to communicate directly with peers all over the world are our asynchronous discussion forums.

dialogin offers a number of forums that deal with various topics for all its members to discuss current developments in the field, ask questions, get into contact with colleagues, share best practice and a lot more.

Members can post in all forums and may also propose a new forum in order to discuss a very specific topic which is not yet covered by an existing forum. A facilitator / moderator is responsible for an individual forum and will give advice concerning its use, try to keep the discussion going and answer general questions.

The yearly e-conferences that take place in the forums’ area have proved very successful and were particularly appreciated by a large number of members for the opportunity they offer to discuss the conference topic with experts and non-experts alike. Participating in the e-conferences is also free of charge, and a great opportunity to discuss intercultural issues with some of the prime figures in the field such as Fons Trompenaars.

Some forums deal with quite specific topics such as culture and humour, whereas others provide an opportunity to discuss a wide variety of all things intercultural.

Please feel free to browse the forums and don’t hesitate to ask questions or approach others – we’re all here to learn in an open, relaxed and non-threatening atmosphere.

What the forums offer

The forums offer a place for discussion, asking questions, sharing best practice, and interaction for a lot of topics. Currently, there are more than a dozen forums in dialogin.

Netiquette

The term ‘netiquette’ is a pun involving the words “etiquette” and “(Inter)net”. It’s a set of basic rules on how to interact with others on the Internet. The most important thing is not to forget that there is another human being at the other side of the computer. Being respectful and considerate is essential.

• Catch up on previous postings in a thread before you post
• Read first, then think, then post
• Keep your postings relevant to the topic of the thread and keep it concise
• Try to use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation
• Don’t write in CAPITAL LETTERS, since this symbolizes screaming on the Internet
• Don’t be rude or impolite
• Don’t insult people
• Everyone is entitled to an opinion of his / her own, but messages which contain intolerance and / or hatred will not be allowed
• Be careful with humour and sarcasm. People from other cultures might understand it differently and would feel insulted
• If you want to quote parts of what other members posted before, do only quote what you think is absolutely necessary. To do this, use the Quote button