On Community Code of Conducts  ## Metadata - Author: [[angelasjin.com]] - Full Title: On Community Code of Conducts - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #WordPress - #CommunityGuidelines - #CodeOfConduct Author: Angela Jin Source: [Angela Jin Blog](https://angelasjin.com) Reference: [https://angelasjin.com/2024/10/21/on-community-code-of-conducts/] date created: 2024-10-21 15:00 --- # Title: On Community Code of Conducts ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ## 📝 Summary: Angela Jin discusses the significance of implementing community codes of conduct within open-source projects, particularly WordPress. She emphasizes that such guidelines not only foster a respectful, inclusive environment but also ensure accountability and transparency, helping communities navigate conflicts and challenging situations. ## 📖 Main Content: Angela outlines how community guidelines serve as a foundation for behavior expectations. She explores both the benefits and challenges of enforcing codes of conduct, emphasizing their role in inclusivity, conflict resolution, and creating safe spaces. She also touches on the importance of community input in the creation and revision of such guidelines, stressing that they should evolve alongside the community they serve. ### 🗒️ Notes - **Purpose of Codes of Conduct**: Define acceptable behavior and foster inclusivity. - Encourage accountability, transparency, and conflict resolution. - **Challenges**: Enforcement and ensuring guidelines are adaptable to changing community needs. - **Community Involvement**: Codes of conduct should be living documents, reflecting input from diverse community members. ## 📖 References: - [Angela Jin Blog](https://angelasjin.com/2024/10/21/on-community-code-of-conducts/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase:  1. Community codes of conduct play a vital role in establishing behavioral norms and maintaining a respectful, safe environment. By setting clear expectations, communities can better navigate conflicts and foster inclusivity. 2. Creating and enforcing a code of conduct is not without its challenges, but it is essential for ensuring transparency and accountability. The document must be dynamic, adjusting as the community evolves and grows. ## 📰 Newsletter: In our latest issue, we explore an essential topic for WordPress communities—**Community Codes of Conduct**. Angela Jin shares her insights on how these guidelines foster inclusivity, accountability, and safe spaces for contributors. Learn how your community can implement or revise its code to ensure transparency and positive collaboration. Read more at [Angela Jin Blog](https://angelasjin.com/2024/10/21/on-community-code-of-conducts/)! ## ✅ Action Items: - **Advocacy**: Promote discussions within your community about creating or revising codes of conduct. - **Education**: Offer training or resources on conflict resolution and community building aligned with your guidelines. - **Community Engagement**: Involve diverse members in the process of drafting and updating the code of conduct. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - Communities with clear codes of conduct will have fewer conflicts and a higher sense of inclusivity. - Regular updates to codes of conduct, reflecting community feedback, will increase community engagement and trust. ### 📊 Methodology: Track the number of conflicts or moderation issues in communities before and after the implementation or revision of a code of conduct. Conduct surveys assessing community members' feelings of safety and inclusivity. ### ❓ Questions: - How often should codes of conduct be reviewed or revised to stay relevant? - What are the best practices for enforcing these codes consistently across diverse communities? ### 🔮 Future Research: - Investigate the long-term impacts of a well-enforced code of conduct on community growth and member retention. - Explore how different communities adapt codes of conduct to reflect their unique cultures and challenges. ### 💡 Implications:  A well-crafted code of conduct can enhance community trust, inclusivity, and retention, making it a crucial tool for managing large, diverse open-source communities. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: - **Visual Learners**: Adding flowcharts showing the enforcement process or conflict resolution steps could be beneficial. - **Verbal Learners**: Include more case studies or real-world examples of codes of conduct in action. - **Social Learners**: Encourage discussions or group reflections on the effectiveness of the guidelines. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment: - **Screen Reader Compatibility**: The blog uses accessible text, but ensuring all related guidelines are equally accessible with alt-text and headings is key. - **Keyboard Navigation**: The site appears keyboard navigable, but additional checks for any interactive content should be made. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment: - **Cultural Relevance**: The blog addresses inclusivity broadly but could benefit from more specific examples reflecting diverse cultural perspectives. - **Inclusive Language**: The language is neutral and avoids exclusionary terms. - **Neurodiversity Support**: The post is concise and uses simple language, which aids accessibility for neurodiverse readers. Breaking up larger sections could improve clarity. ### ✅ Logical Validity:  - **Strong Deductive Reasoning**: The argument that codes of conduct foster inclusivity and safety is well-supported with examples of potential challenges and solutions. - **Potential Weakness**: More examples of successful enforcement could strengthen the practical application of the argument. ### 🔍 SEO Evaluation: - **Keywords**: Ensure phrases like "community code of conduct," "WordPress inclusivity," and "open-source guidelines" are effectively used. - **Meta Description**: A clear meta description summarizing the importance of community guidelines would enhance search engine visibility. ## 🎯 Conclusion:  Angela Jin’s article emphasizes the importance of community codes of conduct in maintaining safe, inclusive spaces for collaboration. It highlights the need for continuous updates and community involvement to ensure these guidelines remain relevant and effective in open-source projects. - Document Tags: [[code of conduct]] [[Matt Mullenweg]] [[wpdrama]] - Summary: At the beginning of September, I left my role as Head of Programs & Contributor Experience at Automattic and stepped away from the WordPress project. - URL: https://angelasjin.com/2024/10/21/on-community-code-of-conducts/  At the beginning of September, I left my role as Head of Programs & Contributor Experience at Automattic and stepped away from the WordPress project. It has been An Adjustment, leaving such an invigorating role that, for a long time, I truly loved. In truth, I’m still processing my choice to leave a company and community I had been embedded in for six years. After WordCamp US 2024, it has been impossible to look away for all the unexpected reasons. It is heartbreaking to see people dear to me suffer in a community they previously upheld. Seeing programs we worked so hard for negatively impacted is devastating. It’s uncomfortably unfamiliar to be watching this latest [WordPress kerfuffle](https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/4/24262410/wordpress-fight-trademarks-open-source-mullenweg) from the outside. I’ve been deep in my thoughts and reflecting. On how much energy it takes to build programs well, and how easy they are to tear down. Does the good we generate along the way matter? Did it make a meaningful difference for people? I still believe so. I’ve been thinking about how difficult it is to gather and point people in the same direction. It’s invisible work that unaware leaders readily discount. #### Recent reflections My latest reflections are around [this curious change to the WordPress project Code of Conduct](https://wordpress.org/news/2024/10/protect-private-conversations/). Listed alongside other unacceptable behaviors, a fresh undesirable: publishing private messages without consent. Changes like this are always intriguing because I want to know what made them necessary. I’ve long known that **a community code of conduct is not a magical balm. It can be weaponized to subvert its original intention.** For caring community members, the tasks ahead are complex. How can you identify when that happens? What can you do about it? #### Weaponizing a code of conduct We’ve all seen a code of conduct, policy, etc., weaponized before in a community, government, or other regulating body. The result is horrible: it hurts the very people the code of conduct intended to serve. The weaponization of a code of conduct can come in many forms, so here is a non-exhaustive list of examples I’ve observed across various communities. Community members weaponize a code of conduct when: * They feel they’ve “won” their code of conduct report and publicly announce just enough detail to diminish other community members or to raise their credibility. * They claim code of conduct violations intending to suppress opposing voices, even if the criticism is fair. Administers of the code of conduct weaponize it when: * They inequitably apply the code of conduct, perhaps in reaction to specific situations or by issuing a more severe response only in particular situations. * They adjust the code of conduct to benefit a particular group or individual. * They adjust the code of conduct intending to restrict contrary but valid viewpoints or to suppress dissent. There is absolutely nuance to all of this, especially when considering the impact of [power dynamics](https://afropunk.com/2017/06/stop-attacking-call-out-culture-just-because-it-hurts-your-feelings-some-people-need-to-be-called-out/), additional context, etc. But it is a fact that when community property is so offensively wielded, it hurts the community itself, often underrepresented individuals. It also makes the work of any response team intensely far more complex. And to be clear, [every community should have a code of conduct](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCjCX0lkOTc). At its core, a code of conduct describes the behaviors expected when engaging in a shared space and what might happen if unacceptable behaviors occur. The best code of conducts are up-to-date, clear, to the point, and provide information on where to go for help or questions. The worst are vague, an exhaustive list of don’t do-s, and provide no recourse for follow-up. When properly created, a code of conduct exists to serve the community and offers current and new members a concept of community culture. Focusing on the WordPress Code of Conduct, this latest change is something that most people under regular circumstances, will likely readily agree to. However, it contradicts my experience with the Community and Incident Response Teams. We generally tried to avoid making very specific “don’t do this” type rules, opting instead for behaviors we wanted to encourage. Changes to the Code of Conduct usually follow some discussion (an [example](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2023/02/27/suggested-update-to-events-code-of-conduct/)). The WordPress Incident Response Team is a close-knit group, and I have difficulty believing they would make such a change without public discussion. To my alarm, team members also seem to be voluntarily resigning. And never before, were changes (or anything about Code of Conduct, really) published on /News. The timing is also suspect, or right, given everything happening in WordPress at the moment. It depends on how you prefer to view it. As I shared, I’ve left WordPress and Automattic, and in keeping with standard practices, was removed from the Incident Response Team spaces on my last day. I don’t have insight into what happened. However, to my earlier question of how one can identify if a code of conduct is being weaponized, these observations sprang to mind. #### What can we do? Which brings us to our next question. What do you do if a community code of conduct is being weaponized? Well, there are several restorative steps to take. Some steps I’d recommend include: * **Regular review of the code of conduct and response team practices.** This allows for outdated or confusing language or practices to be updated, and the opportunity to incorporate new best practices. * **Transparent processes.** While the nature of incident response requires confidentiality, communities can absolutely be transparent about common steps taken. This can come in the form of making training publicly available, answering questions, or holding discussions about the code of conduct and response team. * **Ethical escalation measures.** Especially for a volunteer response team, having appropriate points of contact to handle the most difficult or controversial incidents is a necessity. And, in the case where reports involve community leaders, it makes sense to bring in a neutral mediator. * **Ensure a well-staffed response team.** Responding to incident reports is tough work, but a diverse response team with enough time and training can more effectively respond to community challenges. In essence, the goal is to revive healthy, community-based practices. If your final decision maker is resistant, well, that certainly makes it more complicated. However, my experience in an open source community has led me to believe in the scrappiness and resilience of community members, especially once they gather and move in the same direction together. ###### *Side note* As Head of Programs and Contributor Experience at Automattic, I worked closely with contributors to guide and launch programs. In six years, I saw the events program through the pandemic, encouraged experimentation and modernization of events, launched Learn WordPress and the Contributor Mentor Program, and mentored diversity initiatives, among other rewarding activities. And to be extra transparent, anything related to the WordPress Code of Conduct and Incident Response Team is likely to attract my attention. During my time with WordPress and Automattic, I oversaw incident response and mediation work in the WordPress community. I advocated for a project-wide Code of Conduct, [authored the first drafts](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2021/07/19/announcement-incident-response-training/) of the Incident Response Team Training, [created the Incident Response Team](https://make.wordpress.org/updates/2022/05/26/announcement-incident-response-training/), and onboarded and trained its [first team members](https://make.wordpress.org/project/2022/12/21/announcement-new-wordpress-incident-response-team/). I was fortunate to have substantive community input and support at every step, and yes, I even enjoyed spirited conversations with those who disagreed with the work itself. In case you can’t tell, I am proud of my work here. #### Comments ##### One response to “On Community Code of Conducts” 1. Yes, it’s likely that this change could have been done differently, in a more positive mod, something like “in the WordPress community we respect privacy and that’s why we prefer private conversations to be just that, private”. The truth is that until now, I had never seen anything related to this. In any case, there is also the “general interest” and in general, what I have observed that has been published so far have been conversations in public channels, or conversations that have general interest in the whole situation that is happening and in the management of the community. Obvious that private elements (telephones, personal data…) should never be published and should be punished in some way if they occur, but in conversations in which one participates and have information on general interest (as I said, the current situation I think it fits quite well at this time) has its point. Another thing is the way in which changes are being made: without warning. We all know that most of the time, when something is published in the Make, it is very likely that this will take place, but after a few days / weeks, when at least people are given the possibility to leave a comment. This entire process has been done in a completely opaque way. ##### Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked \* Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment., On Community Code of Conducts, angelasjin.com, 01jaqcvnzymp4v871zrp8kv5z6.