Better Messengers Community Code of Conduct

Last updated 2020-04-08

Summary

The Better Messengers community is made up of members from around the world, and diversity is one of our strengths! We’ve set up this Code of Conduct to help guide all Better Messenger community members in how to compassionately communicate, even when our backgrounds or identities differ. We are all here to help each other learn, grow our skill sets, and send better messages.

At the foundation of our commitment to sending a better message, we first must send a better message to our colleagues and peers. We will do this by ensuring everyone feels welcome and safe in the Better Messengers community regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political stance, or technology choices.

Accordingly, we will not tolerate harassment of our members in any form; not on Slack, not on other online channels, and not in person at industry events or otherwise. All incidents should be immediately reported by sending an email to admins@bettermessengers.com.

Scope

The Better Messengers Community Code of Conduct applies to any Better Messengers online forum. This includes spaces like mailing lists, websites, and Slack communities. The Better Messengers Code of Conduct may also apply to private correspondence between Better Messengers community members, if the communication includes stalking, harassment, discrimination, threats of violence, or other behavior that impacts the physical safety or mental health of Better Messengers community members.

The Better Messengers Community Code of Conduct also applies to all Better Messengers events. This includes events such as meetups, trainings, workshops, and unofficial events. The Code of Conduct applies at all our event venues and event-related social events. All event attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers, including the event organizing team, are required to follow the Code of Conduct. Organizers are expected to enforce the Better Messengers Community Code of Conduct throughout the event.

While enforced by our community admins, we believe a great community is built on trust and accountability between peers and colleagues. We hope all participants in the Better Messengers online and event spaces will help us to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

Community guidelines

We have a few community guidelines that we ask people to adhere to. Being explicit about our community norms will ensure that the Better Messengers community continues to be an excellent space in which to communicate, collaborate, and contribute. When the guidelines are unclear, we expect the spirit of the guidelines to be followed.
    • Be thoughtful. Sharing work in large communities and soliciting feedback or ideas may be intimidating for some members. When providing feedback, or responding to ideas, please keep the end recipients objectives and feelings in mind. If you don’t have anything nice to say, consider not saying anything at all.
    • Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It’s important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We expect members of the Better Messengers community to be respectful when communicating with other community members, as well as with people outside the Better Messengers community.
    • Be nice. Please be courteous, respectful and polite to fellow community members. While we all strive to send better messages, there is no one singular best message. We can learn, grow, and iterate together, continually striving to send one better than the last.
    • Communicate effectively. Clear communication can help to avoid misunderstandings. Remember that words and phrases can be interpreted differently depending on people’s backgrounds. It’s better to ask for clarification than to make assumptions. Disagreements, social and technical, are normal, but we expect participants in the project to resolve disagreements constructively. Please avoid flame wars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive arguments. 
    • 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 channels. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.
    • Follow the Chatham House Rule: All members must adhere to the Chatham House Rule:
      What this means in practice is that no identifying personal or company information leaves the Slack group — not for an article, not for sales, nor any other reason. (The sole exception is if you ask for and receive explicit permission from each person involved.) While our community is semi-public, this rule allows our members to share a little more freely and openly.
      • When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
    • Have fun! We created this community to bring together professionals who are obsessed about sending a better message, and having a heck of a lot of fun with it along the way. We encourage members to build relationships with each other not only in channels but directly as well.
The Better Messengers Community Code of Conduct also applies to all Better Messengers events. This includes events such as meetups, trainings, workshops, and unofficial events. The Code of Conduct applies at all our event venues and event-related social events. All event attendees, speakers, sponsors and volunteers, including the event organizing team, are required to follow the Code of Conduct. Organizers are expected to enforce the Better Messengers Community Code of Conduct throughout the event. While enforced by our community admins, we believe a great community is built on trust and accountability between peers and colleagues. We hope all participants in the Better Messengers online and event spaces will help us to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.

A guide to our Slack channels:

  • #general: Introduce yourself, get to know other members, share relevant information. Not sure where to start? Post in general and an admin or founding member can help guide you to the right channel. If one doesn’t exist, we can explore creating one.
  • #better-messages: Share great messages, sent or received, from any channel. This is not a space to share messages that didn’t get it quite right and how they could do better.
  • #covid-chatter: Relevant conversations related to COVID-19, including insights, learnings and questions for how members are handling the pandemic. It’s also in an effort to isolate COVID-19 chatter from the other channels for those who are inundated. 
  • #events: If you’re hosting a conference (virtual or IRL) or webinar or similar, you’re welcome to post once per event about it in #events, but please refrain from repeated posts about the same event unless asked specific follow-up questions. Consider sharing events you’re attending and interested in that you’re not promoting, too!
  • #jobs: Share job postings, descriptions, get feedback on candidate profiles, launch inquiries if you’re looking.
  • #show-your-work: A safe space for members to promote the work they are doing to the broader community. Other members are encouraged to share relevant promotions and information to their networks outside of the Better Messengers community.
  • #technology: Discuss how technology is helping you send better messages, share insights, learnings, favorites, meet vendors and so on. Unsolicited selling will be removed, and all company affiliations must be disclosed prior to posting.
  • #water-cooler: Random chatter. Keep it light and fun.

Unacceptable behavior

In an effort to protect our community members, any Better Messenger community member who exhibits any of the behavior(s) below will be removed from the Better Messengers community by the admins.

  • The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:
    • Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
    • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
    • Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material.
    • Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”).
    • Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
    • Inappropriate photography or recording.
    • Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s consent before touching them.
    • Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcomed sexual advances.
    • Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
    • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
    • Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations.
  • Sending unsolicited direct messages with an intent to sell or market your products or services, conduct research or other business purposes. Treat your fellow members as you’d like to be treated.
  • Posting about a company, product or service without disclosing your professional affiliation or established relationship.
  • Sharing undisclosed referral links. If you’re actively supporting a business with your referrals, you can share with disclosure in the #show-your-work channel
  • Spamming the community with links or content
    • Share to be helpful, not promotional. Your shares, comments, likes and conversation starters should be equal in volume.
    • If you feel the need to ask a question or share content multiple times, please keep it in one channel to encourage a holistic discussion.
  • Sharing unconstructive or harmful criticism
  • Impersonating someone else when communicating in the Better Messengers community
    • Ill-intended or not, changing your name and/or photo to replicate someone else’s likeness can be confusing for others
  • Gathering member email addresses or contact information for any purpose without the members explicit consent. 

If you see something, say something

Our community will thrive when members hold each other accountable to this code of conduct. If you feel that someone has violated this code of conduct or has otherwise acted inappropriately, please send a slack direct message to a member of the admin team, or email admins@bettermessangers.com as soon as possible. The admin team currently consists of Abby Borden and Jeni Bishop.

All messages and conversations are assumed to be sent in confidence unless otherwise agreed, though they can and will be discussed privately by the admin team. If an incident warrants transparency in public community channels, the reporting member has a right to anonymity unless waived.

If a participant engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, the admin team may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or removing them from the group.

Contact Us

admins@bettermessengers.com 

License and attribution

Portions of text in this Code of Conduct have been derived from member feedback, a Citizen Code of Conduct, Django Code of Conduct and the Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy.