Introduction and Purpose
The purpose of our Stardog Community Code of Conduct (SC3) is to ensure that all participants in the Stardog community have the best possible experience. We are all here to help each other learn, to grow professionally, and to have fun.
SC3 covers our behavior as members of the Stardog Community, in any forum, mailing list, wiki, web site, code repository, IRC channel, private correspondence, or public meetings. You should interpret "Stardog Community" widely when thinking about whether SC3 applies. We do.
As a global community, diversity is one of our strengths, but it can also lead to communication issues and unhappiness. To that end, we have a few ground rules that we ask people to adhere to: they are meant to guide our behavior and to lead to happiness and flourishing.
Guidelines
This isn't an exhaustive list of things that you can't do. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it's intended, that is, a guide to civility and courtesy. When in doubt, ask someone if your behavior seems civil and courteous to everyone. If you find yourself asking "should I say this...", the safest answer is "no".
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Courtesy and consideration. Your work will be used by other people, and you in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision you take will affect users and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions.
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Patience and charity. This mostly applies to forums, mailing lists, and code contributions (i.e. asynchronous forms of communication). Communities are often built on volunteer time both from participants and organizers. It is possible that your question or code contribution or suggestion might not receive an immediate response. Be patient and consider the norms of the community. One reminder ping is welcome, many reminder pings in rapid succession are neither patient nwor charitable. Similarly, posting the same question in multiple threads is frowned upon and should not be done. The principle of charity requires us to interpret ambiguity or uncertainty of communication or expression in the other person's favor, that is, as charitably as is consistent with the facts.
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Mutual respect. We will not all agree always. That is neither realistic nor the goal of our community. Disagreement is healthy and welcome. But disagreement must always be respectful. Disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. There is no excuse for incivility or discourtesy in this community. We all experience frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into personal attack. It's important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive community. It does not lead to human flourishing or happiness. We expect members of the community to be respectful when communicating with everyone.
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Inclusivity. Everyone in the Stardog community should feel welcome, regardless of their background. Please be courteous, respectful, and polite to fellow community members. Offensive comments or other modes of expression are unacceptable. Some patterns of offensive conduct that are notably unwelcome here include those related to gender, gender identity or expression; sexual orientation; disability; physical appearance or body size; race, religion. We also do not accept sexual images in public spaces, real or implied violence, intimidation, oppression, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, or unwelcome sexual attention.
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Communicate effectively. We don't all speak the same language at the same skill level. Clear communication can help to avoid misunderstandings, as can remembering that our interpretations of words can be different depending on our backgrounds. Having context is important. Reading and interpreting others charitably is not only decent, it's key to how language functions best among humans. It's better to ask for clarification than to make assumptions. Disagreements, social and technical, are normal, but we expect people to resolve disagreements constructively. Avoid flamewars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive arguments.
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Ask for help when unsure. Nobody is expected to be perfect in this community. Asking questions early avoids many problems later, so questions are encouraged, though they may be directed to the appropriate forum. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.
Event Policies
For real world events, the following policies will be enforced.
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Sponsors are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, sponsors should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Organizing staff and other volunteer organizers should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes or otherwise create a sexualized environment.
If a participant engages in harassing behavior, event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please follow the directions in the "If You Need Help" section below.
Organizers will be happy to help participants contact security or local law enforcement, provide escorts to an alternate location, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.
We expect participants to follow these rules at our all of our event venues and event-related social events.
If You Need Help
Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported by contacting inquiries@stardog.com, to any moderator in this forum, or to the local organizers of an event. As a company, we take our community's health seriously and want to ensure everyone has a good experience, so please contact us at inquiries@stardog.com if there is an issue so we can help address it.
(Adapted from Elastic's CoC according to Creative Commons terms.)