Code of Conduct

IndieWebClub Bangalore (IWCB) is committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of level of expertise, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, or other similar characteristic.

This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

Expected Behavior

The following behaviors are expected and requested of all community members:

• Please be kind and courteous. There's no need to be mean or rude.
• Attempt collaboration before conflict.
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
• Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential.
• Remember that community event venues may be shared with members of the public; please be respectful to all patrons of these locations.
• Respect that people have differences of opinion and that every individual has a different skill level, personal preferences, and interests.
• Community members are also expected to respect the property of other members.

Unacceptable Behavior

The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community:

• On WhatsApp, Telegram, Reddit, Facebook, or any other online group with IWCB, please avoid using overtly sexual nicknames or other nicknames that might detract from a friendly, safe, and welcoming environment for all.
• It is unacceptable to insult, demean, or harass anyone. That is not welcome behaviour. We interpret the term "harassment" as including the definition in the Citizen Code of Conduct; if you have any lack of clarity about what might be included in that concept, please read their definition.
• Private harassment is also unacceptable. No matter who you are, if you feel you have been or are being harassed or made uncomfortable by a community member, please contact one of the organizers/moderators immediately. Whether you're a regular member or a newcomer, we care about making this community a safe place for you and we've got your back.
• Violence, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person.
• Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, race, age, regional discrimination, political, or religious affiliation.
• Unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment.
• 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 and stop after a request to stop.
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments or jokes, inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcome sexual advances.
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following (online or in person).
• Likewise, any spamming, trolling, flaming, baiting, or other attention-stealing behaviour is not welcome.
• Advocating for or encouraging any of the above behavior.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including moderators and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, the moderators may take action. Responses may include:

• Doing nothing if we determine no violation has occurred.
• A private or public reprimand / warning of violating the code of conduct.
• A request for an apology, private or public.
• A temporary or permanent ban from our community events (and without refund in the case of a paid event).
• A temporary or permanent ban from the location/venue.
• Reporting to law enforcement or other appropriate authority.

Reporting Guidelines

These are the policies for upholding our community's standards of conduct.

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify a moderator as soon as possible. You can report inappropriate behavior you witnessed or experienced to the concerned organizer (in case of a physical event) or the moderator (in case of an online forum). You can also contact Ankur or Tanvi. All reports will be handled with discretion.

1. Remarks that violate the IWCB's standards of conduct, including hateful, hurtful, oppressive, or exclusionary remarks, are not allowed. (Cursing is okay, but never targeting another member, and never in a hateful manner.)
2. Remarks that moderators find inappropriate, whether listed in the code of conduct or not, are also not allowed.
3. Moderators will first respond to such remarks with a warning.
4. If the warning is unheeded, the user will be "kicked," i.e., removed temporarily from communication channels.
5. If the member comes back and continues to make trouble, they will be banned, i.e., indefinitely excluded from all IWCB channels, both online and offline.
6. Moderators may choose at their discretion to unban the member if it was a first offense and they offer the offended party a genuine apology.
7. If a moderator bans someone and you think it was unjustified, please take it up with that moderator, or with a different moderator, in private. Complaints about bans in-channel are not allowed.
8. Moderators are held to a higher standard than other community members. If a moderator creates an inappropriate situation, they should expect less leeway than others.

And if someone takes issue with something you said or did, resist the urge to be defensive. Just stop doing what it was they complained about and apologize. Even if you feel you were misinterpreted or unfairly accused, chances are good there was something you could've communicated better — remember that it's your responsibility to make your fellow members comfortable. Everyone wants to get along and we are all here because of our common interests in Indieweb. You will find that people will be eager to assume good intent and forgive as long as you earn their trust.

The enforcement policies listed above apply to all IWCB channels, both online and offline; including our WhatsApp Group, Discourse forum and all physical events bearing our name; If you wish to use this code of conduct for your own group, consider explicitly mentioning your moderation policy or making a copy with your own moderation policy so as to avoid confusion.

Adapted from the Underline Center's Code of Conduct. This Code of Conduct is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

You can suggest edits to this document on GitHub.