Introducing Forum Community Guidelines

[diegop]

Ahoy ICP folks!

Whilst the forum has in the main so far conducted itself in a constructive and polite manner (I am actually quite proud of how productive and healthy the developer forum is in general), we’re seeing in the wider community some less collaborative approaches to communication, with some members of the community expressing concerns about a toxic culture forming…

Now, I will be honest: I have long had in my TODO list to present a draft list of “community guidelines” to the developer forum as we have on the r/dfinity subreddit. This seems like the perfect opportunity to just get this finally shipped. These rules will not be surprising to folks because they have been pretty much how I and others in the developer forum already behave, a sort of “unwritten constitution” if you will.

Below is a draft proposal, we welcome feedback, with a view to arriving at a community consensus for our “Community Guidelines.

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Goals

1. Make the community forum a great place for discussion about improving the Internet Computer.
2. Grow the community by making the forum a welcoming place for new members.
3. Foster a culture of collaboration and consensus.

Core Guidelines [adapted from Reddit]

1. Be Kind. When you engage in conversations on the DFINITY subreddit, you are agreeing to abide by the rules of our community Code of Conduct. Refrain from posting any content that denigrates or diminishes individuals or other projects. Such posts will be locked or deleted.
2. Share Knowledge. Let’s learn together in the early days of the Internet Computer. Take a moment to assist each other and share knowledge when possible
3. Support Builders. We welcome discussion around the projects and applications being built with the Internet Computer. Let’s support builders as a community by testing applications and products.
4. Give Feedback. Share feedback and constructive criticism that helps to improve experiences for developers, users, and our community.
5. Don’t spam. Please refrain from creating repetitive posts. Posts with inflammatory or sensational headlines may also be locked or deleted.
6. No price discussion. For conversations relating to token price, market performance, distribution, and exchanges, feel free to use the reddit forum r/icptrader

Additional Style Guidance

1. Focus the conversation on debating facts & logic.

2. Criticize ideas, not people. Ad hominem or belittling attacks have no place on the forum.

3. Avoid responding to a post’s tone instead of actual content.

4. Avoid knee-jerk reactions. Take a moment to re-read and consider how others may interpret what you’ve written.

5. Try to make your points clearly and concisely. Recognise that members may be from all over the world and English may not be their first language.

6. Avoid using self aggrandizing statements & implied status to win arguments. Exercise patience & be respectful that others may be at a different point in their journey of understanding the IC.

7. When making a new proposal, clearly articulate the problem which needs to be solved before jumping into proposing solutions. Be specific & avoid sweeping generalizations as problem statements.

8. Be human, make the forum a place which is enjoyable for everyone to be part of.

[paulyoung]

There seems to be some version of something similar to this on the FAQ page of this forum.

I’m not sure if the content there is the default for Discourse or if someone customized it, but perhaps the new guidelines could replace what’s there.

[diegop]

Yes you are right. I can post the new ones on there. Good call