tcl_community_communication - Tcl Community - Kind Communication
The Tcl Community encourages contributions from anyone who wishes to advance the development of:
The Tcl Language
Tcl derived languages
Tcl related libraries
Tcl extensions
External Projects that Integrate Tcl
We welcome those contributions from anyone. We are blind to gender, race, religion, cultural background, cybernetic nature, and any other demographic characteristics, as well as personal political views.
A community lives and dies by communications. And occasionally our communications are peppered with patterns that are harsh, unfriendly, unwelcoming and/or otherwise unkind. As a volunteer community, we need all of the help we can get. Therefore, we ask all contributors to make a conscious effort, in Tcl Community discussions, to communicate in ways that are welcoming. Ways that are friendly. Ways that are, in a word: kind.
These guidelines suggest specific ways to accomplish that goal.
Please note: for the balance of this document any reference to "People", "Persons", "anybody" or "somebody" can refer to any sentient being, not merely corporeal members of the species Homo Sapien.
The Tcl Community is a collective of amateurs and professionals who code, test, and use tools. Our community is open to all. There is no velvet rope. There is no bouncer at the door. There are no secret handshakes. Any sentient being who enters our midst is welcome. If someone is ever asked to leave, it is only because they are being disruptive to the functioning of the community.
A good idea can come from anyone, regardless of how little time they have been with us. A bad idea can come from anyone, regardless of how much time or how little time they have been with us. We judge a concept by how it stands up to scrutiny of logic, implementation, and regression testing. We don’t judge ideas based on who had the idea first, who agrees with the idea, or who disagrees with it.
Everyone is deserving of respect and courtesy at all times.
If grammar requires you to state a gender for a person, honor their preferences about their gender identity. If you are unsure as to the gender of an individual, ask. If someone had to guess about your gender and got it wrong, please correct them and do not take it personally.
Do not make personal attacks against anyone (participant or not.)
Criticize statements and actions, never people.
When in doubt, assume the best in people. A criticism of your statements is not a personal attack on you.
Stereotypes are an unhelpful tool on many accounts. They are generally oversimplified. They are usually flat out wrong. And even if "right" they are of absolutely no utility in determining the capabilities, motivations, or fitness of an individual.
Don’t use them in Tcl Community communications.
The human condition is a series of trials and errors. Progress is when we get one more trial than error. Being wrong or making a mistake is the default state of humanity. Accept the errors of your fellow sentient beings, and be aware that you are also fallible.
Please respond to what people actually say. We are all amazing individuals, but none among us are mind readers. If you find yourself responding to what you imagine someone is thinking, odds are you are going to be wrong.
If you must criticize someone, stick to things they have actually done. Never criticize for something you speculate they have done. Or imagine they have done. Or something someone who shares some attribute with them has done in the past.
Keep discussions about any non-Tcl subjects to what can be stated factually and without emotion or judgement.
If you feel you are being personally attacked or offended, take the high road. Punching back in a public forum will only makes things worse. Address the matter in a private correspondence. Be polite. Express your feelings, but note that you are expressing your feelings. When writing, look for a way to calm matters down. And when in doubt, sleep on your letter before pressing send. And when not in doubt, sleep on it for another day after that.
If you are a spectator to a fight in progress, politely request the two parties take the matter to a more private forum.
If an personal argument does arise, be the first to apologize. An apology does not concede a logical point. It merely acknowledges that at some point the discussion left either logic, community decency, or both. Return to the topic when cooler heads can prevail.
There is no prize for being right. There is no cost for being wrong. A hard sell is not going to advance your idea along any more than a logical argument. You aren’t running for office. This isn’t debate club. If you find yourself continuing a discussion beyond where a topic can be logically discussed, stop.
The Tcl Community is not the place to promote your chosen operating system, political outlook, religion, marketing scheme, or economic model. Period.
(And if you do bring it up, be prepared to have your chosen topic discussed logically. And odds are, not favorably.)
If the Community has come to a decision on a course of action, please stop arguing.
If someone complains about how you are expressing your ideas, listen.
If your words are hurting people, stop. There is no amount of being "right" that makes up for someone leaving our midst because they felt insulted, threatened, or ignored.
By following these guidelines, we will build our community, encourage more contribution to our projects, and our discussions will be friendlier and reach conclusions more easily.
Thank You.
Sean "the Hypnotoad" Woods
Andreas Kupries
Sean "the Hypnotoad" Woods
Andreas Kupries