This is the new Code of Conduct for GrangerHub that dGr8LookinSparky and myself are drafting, which will S00N™ be part of the guidelines for the entire community and operations of GrangerHub. Overall, the document is intended to encourage cooperation, suggest best practices for behavior and getting your ideas out and voice heard. Please review what has been written and think of any other topics we need to add or things to expand on. Thanks!
#GrangerHub Code of Conduct
#####Revised 2015-09-22
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The principles presented here apply to all GrangerHub services, for site administrators/moderators to uphold, and for group moderators and administrators to consider. Game servers may consider requiring their game server admins to follow these principles or a variation of it. The SITE RULES, the TERMS OF SERVICE, and the PRIVACY POLICY are for all GrangerHub members to obey.
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- Maintain a safe, friendly, productive and fun environment.
- Lead by example & respect all players.
- Use admin powers responsibly and maturely.
- Drive community and game development by engaging others and encouraging participation.
- Have a “Yes, AND…” attitude.
- Have high expectations of others and for yourself.
- Help improve the site and increase the quality of the community environment.
- Your participation counts.
- Powered by you, and you are not alone.
- Be helpful to others, especially new users.
- Acknowledge and encourage good and desirable behavior.
###Maintain a safe, friendly, productive and fun environment.
That’s the primary purpose of the admins and moderators. This applies to all site services and game servers. Make GrangerHub a safe place to work by using best practices to have a non-toxic workplace. Safe would include not having to worry about being hacked, nor being stalked, nor being defrauded, nor having your privacy violated, nor admin abuse, nor some other danger that could cause in real life damage and/or damage to the community. Safe on the website would also include not having to worry about personal attacks (in-game there is /ignore). Welcome all community members, and be courteous and helpful with a friendly disposition. Increase productivity by providing game development resources and communication tools to the community. Have fun doing it! Make us laugh, be silly, lovingly tease, wittingly prank, and hilariously humor the people around you. We are a community for a fun game, don’t take things so seriously!
###Lead by example & respect all players.
As an admin or moderator you are a leader and representative of the community. Respect, honor, and good behavior starts with good leaders, treat others right without waiting for them to treat you right. Do not respond to violations of the rules or direct confrontation with disrespect (like using harsh words), rather make use of your admin powers only when needed to correct violations (warn, mute, ban, etc…). Be discreet. Don’t bully or humiliate people if administrative action is taken against them. The best way to inspire others to be respectful, to be honorable, and to behave well is by practicing such traits yourself. Give real-time feedback in private messages. Work with respect, to yourself and to others.
###Use admin powers responsibly and maturely.
Do not abuse others with your powers or capabilities. Do not give yourself an unfair advantage neither in games nor in discussions. Don’t ruin games with things like changing the map (without a vote) nor spamming votes because you don’t like the current map. Don’t only think of yourself; think about everyone else before you act. The player and member rules apply to ALL members of GrangerHub. Being an admin or moderator is a responsibility to the community, not a right. Don’t be heavy-handed with your powers, use a minimalist approach wherever possible.
Your admin/moderator powers are tools, which are neither good nor evil in themselves, and how they are used and what results those actions achieve is all that matters. Use your admin/moderator powers only if they are necessary to achieve the primary purpose of the admins and the moderators: “maintain a safe, friendly, productive and fun environment.” As the saying in computer science goes: “Garbage in, garbage out.” This applies to your actions as an administrator or moderator; “garbage administration” (inappropriate action) can worsen any situation. You should first attempt to resolve situations in other ways, without using administrator powers at all.
###Drive community and game development by engaging others and encouraging participation.
Help provide a positive tone to the community, and increase the pace of development. Resolve issues when necessary, and encourage others to be self-sufficient at problem resolution. Attempt to get players to work things out between themselves before escalating an issue. Remove quiet politeness. Go into the conflict zone, respectfully, then actively resolve conflicts. Don’t assume the intent of others. Be honest, and give constructive criticism. Promote diversity, It takes all kinds. Exemplify collaboration software use for furthering development (forums, etherpad, slack, etc).
###Have high expectations of others and for yourself.
Expect the best out of people but be willing to forgive the worst. Remember that you forgive others for your own sake, as much as theirs. Hold others accountable. Be honest about mistakes, everyone makes them. Be flexible in your ways and be open to change. Give other people ‘the benefit of the doubt’ and don’t take everything at face-value or personally. Don’t hold a grudge. Let it go. Have compassion, everyone is dealing with their own stuff.
###Have a “Yes, AND…” attitude.
Having the right mindset and maintaining a positive tone is crucial when cooperating with others and resolving issues. When looking for solutions to difficult problems, avoid ‘no’ thoughts that disrupt collaboration by shifting the focus of the conversation from creative to analytical. For discussions that require any kind of creativity, this switch happens just once, where it effectively kills the creative flow. Having a “Yes, AND…” attitude will help drive conversations and interactions with others in a positive way. It is okay for people to be wrong, without making it personal.
###Help improve the site and increase the quality of the community environment.
Help us make this a great place by having good interaction with players in-game and seeking to improve the development of hosted projects. The projects and groups discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the projects, groups, and the people within them, even if you disagree with some of what they do. Publicize site news where appropriate to help keep the community informed of important developments and events.
###Your participation counts.
The projects here and conversations we have about them set the tone for everyone. Help us influence the future of this community by helping to promote hosted projects, and to engage in discussions that make the site an interesting place to be — and avoiding those that do not. We provide tools that enable the community to collectively identify the best (and worst) contributions: favorites, bookmarks, likes, flags, replies, edits, and so forth. Use these tools to improve your own experience, and everyone else’s, too. Let’s try to leave our park better than we found it.
###Powered by you, and you are not alone.
This site is operated by your friendly local staff and you, the community. Admins need to communicate with each other on important issues and for making announcements. You don’t need to work alone and it’s better when you don’t. If you have any further questions about how things should work here, open a new topic in the meta category and let’s discuss! If there’s a critical or urgent issue that can’t be handled by a meta topic or flag, contact a fellow administrator for help.
###Be helpful to others, especially new users.
If a player or member needs help either help them where you can, or point them in the direction where they can find help. A negative experience with a new player is likely to turn them away forever. If a player or member is doing something wrong, don’t just say that they are wrong, give advice on how they can improve. Constructive criticism is always helpful. And, you don’t have to agree with others to treat them well.
###Acknowledge and encourage good and desirable behavior.
Praise and congratulate people on their successes. You don’t have to be a cheerleader, but set a positive tone that keeps people motivated, focused and productive, and coming back to play the game for years to come.
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