Members of the NCSU LUG and its community need to work together effectively, and this code of conduct lays down the "ground rules" for our cooperation.
Be considerate. Not all members of the NCSU LUG community are as knowledgeable as you may be. When answering questions, be polite, helpful and honest.
Be respectful. Everyone can make a valuable contribution to NCSU LUG. We may not always agree, 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 NCSU LUG community to be respectful when dealing with others as well as with people outside NCSU LUG when representing the NCSU LUG.
Be collaborative. Linux, Open Source, and Free Software are about collaboration and working together. Collaboration reduces redundancy of work done and improves the quality of our results. You should aim to collaborate with other members of the NCSU LUG community, as well as members of other organizations within the user group community. Your work should be done transparently and ideas from NCSU LUG projects should be given back to the community when they are made, not just when your project is completed. If you wish to work on new initiatives or projects for NCSU LUG, don't feel obliged to have LUG-wide agreement before you begin. Simply keep the NCSU LUG community informed of your work, and publish your work in a way that allows outsiders to test, discuss and contribute to your efforts.
When you disagree, consult others. Disagreements, both political and technical, happen all the time and the NCSU LUG community is no exception. The important goal is not to avoid disagreements or differing views but to resolve them constructively.
When you are unsure, ask for help. Nobody knows everything, and nobody is expected to be perfect in the NCSU LUG community. Asking questions avoids many problems down the road, and so questions are encouraged. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful.
Step down considerately. People come and go from any collaborative group. When you leave or disengage from NCSU LUG, in whole or in part, we ask that you do so in a way that minimizes disruption to the LUG. This means you should tell people you are leaving and take the proper steps to ensure that others can pick up where you leave off. This is mainly important for those providing volunteer services that others have come to depend on.
Mailing lists and IRC
Mailing lists and IRC are important parts of the NCSU LUG community platform. This code of conduct applies very much to your behavior in those forums too. Please follow these guidelines.
- Please use a valid email address to which direct responses can be made.
- Please avoid flamewars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive arguments.
License
The NCSU LUG Code of Conduct is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license and is based on the TriLUG Code of Conduct (http://trilug.org/codeofconduct). You may re-use it for your own project, and modify it as you wish, just please allow others to use your modifications and give credit to the Triangle Linux Users Group.