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Code of Conduct

All interactions in the Linked Art community are covered by the following Code of Conduct. It is borrows extensively from existing community codes of conduct and norms.

Community Norms and Expectations

The Linked Art Code of Conduct covers our behavior as members of the community in any forum, including the email list, Slack channels, GitHub, and any remote and in-person meetings. Linked Art is an inclusive, friendly and safe community, committed to openness and transparency in all interactions and activities. To reflect these commitments, we agree to operate under the following community norms:

  • We are considerate. We are all in this together. As an open, community-driven initiative, our work includes software developers, managers, domain experts, researchers, administrators, vendors, commercial firms, and other stakeholders from multiple sectors across the globe. We value the diverse perspectives and expertise of all stakeholders and strive to keep all in mind when making decisions.
  • We are respectful. Everyone can make a valuable contribution, and contributions are welcome. When we see an opportunity for improvement or encounter a misunderstanding, we ask for clarification when appropriate rather than making assumptions, and offer constructive solutions. Participants are expected to help create safe, respectful environments where thoughtful, engaged discussion and problem-solving can take place. If disagreements arise, we proceed in a polite and professional manner, identifying shared goals, previous decisions and common ground for moving forward. When frustrated, we step back and look for good intentions, not reasons to be more frustrated.
  • We are inclusive. As an international community, we are sensitive to many different social and cultural norms around language and behavior, and we strive to conduct ourselves, online and in person, in ways that are unlikely to cause offense. Discussion takes place primarily in English, and we recognize that English is not the native language for many. We therefore strive to express ourselves clearly, remembering that unnecessary use of jargon or slang will be a barrier to understanding.
  • We are collaborative. Collaboration is vital to the community. We work with our own institutional teams, with other teams in the community, and with collaborators outside of our community on related projects. We collaborate to reduce redundancy, to share knowledge, to improve our products, and to perfect our processes. We strive to do our work as transparently as possible and we welcome new collaborators with enthusiasm. We also follow community guidelines for how to collaborate, with documented practices for contributing. We say thank you and let people know when they have done good work. It is a small thing, but it means a lot. When someone makes a contribution, helps us with a problem, or otherwise goes out of their way to make our work easier, we thank them individually and provide opportunities for recognition and thanks.
  • We are respectful of each other’s time. Much of the work done in this community is by volunteers. The depth of experience in the community is a great resource, but not an infinite one. We make an effort to look for existing resources and work through issues on our own before we take them to the community for help, and when we get help, we try to give back as well. We also recognize that additional time and attention is required to address behavior that does not adhere to our code of conduct.
  • When we are unsure, we ask for help. Nobody knows everything, and nobody is expected to be perfect. Questions are highly encouraged via any of the communication channels. Questions add to the community’s base of knowledge and ability to communicate effectively. Questions will always be treated respectfully.
  • When we disagree, we consult others and explore perspectives through discussion and healthy debate. Disagreements, both social and technical, happen all the time and the Linked Art community is no exception. Conversations are often information-dense and intended to generate discussion and debate. We discuss ideas from a standpoint of mutual respect and reasoned argument. It is important that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively and with the help of the community and community processes. We acknowledge there are different approaches to implementation in specific contexts and the community relies on principles of openness, sharing, and collaboration above specific implementation decisions.
  • We notice, call attention to, and help resolve potential problems. Community members should feel empowered to be active bystanders to call out bad behavior and step in to help resolve issues should they occur.

Anti-Harassment

We are a community of professionals, and we conduct ourselves professionally. The Linked Art community is dedicated to providing a harassment-free collaboration experience for everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, faith, or anything else. We do not tolerate harassment of community participants in any form. Discriminatory language and imagery is not appropriate for any venue, including event presentations, email lists, teleconferences, and in-person gatherings. Overtly sexual content is also not appropriate, with exceptions made for discussions of acknoweldged artworks containing nudity where other artwork would not suffice. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled at the discretion of the event of community coordinators, and their details provided to partner institutions.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

  • Offensive verbal comments, insults, or jokes related to physical or intellectual ability, gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, etc.
  • Discriminatory images in public spaces, including but not limited to sexually explicit or violent material
  • Deliberate intimidation, violent threats or language directed against another person
  • Stalking, or unwanted following
  • Harassing photography or recording
  • Sustained disruption of talks or other communication
  • Inappropriate or unwanted physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention
  • Posting (or threatening to post) other people's personally identifying information
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
  • Repeated harassment of others. In general, if someone asks you to stop, then stop immediately

Participants in the community seek to foster a positive and supportive environment. We pride ourselves on building a productive, happy, and flexible community that can welcome new ideas in a complex field and foster collaboration between groups that ultimately share the same needs, interests, and goals.

Individuals who violate these guidelines will be notified and asked to change their behavior. Repeated violations will result in loss of membership in any groups, revocation of special access to project resources, and/or loss of access to project communication channels. Repeat offenders may be asked to stop participating in the project or directed to filter their participation through another member of their institution (if applicable).

If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the community organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, or immediate expulsion from the event or communication channel. Participants asked, by anyone, to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Thank you for helping make the Linked Art community a safe and welcoming space.