Code of Conduct

The heart of Flux is you, our community. We put people first and do our best to recognize, appreciate and respect the diversity of our contributors. Flux welcomes contributions from everyone who shares our goals and wants to contribute in a healthy and constructive manner within our community. As such, we have adopted this code of conduct and require all those who participate to agree and adhere to these Community Participation Guidelines in order to help us create a safe and positive community experience for all.

These guidelines aim to support a community where all people should feel safe to participate, introduce new ideas and inspire others, regardless of:

  • Background
  • Family status
  • Gender
  • Gender identity or expression
  • Marital status
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation
  • Native language
  • Age
  • Ability
  • Race and/or ethnicity
  • National origin
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Religion
  • Geographic location
  • Any other dimension of diversity

Openness, collaboration, and participation are core aspects of our community. We gain strength from diversity and actively seek participation from those who enhance it. These guidelines exist to enable diverse individuals and groups to interact and collaborate to mutual advantage. This document outlines both expected and prohibited behavior.

When and How to Use These Guidelines

These guidelines outline our behavior expectations as members of the Flux community in all Flux activities and spaces. Your participation is contingent upon following these guidelines in all Flux activities, including but not limited to:

  • Commenting on articles you read on Flux
  • Interacting with the comments of other Flux users
  • Direct messaging other Flux users
  • Participating in Flux’s instant messaging discussions

While these guidelines / code of conduct are specifically aimed at the Flux community, we recognize that it is possible for actions taken outside of Flux spaces to have a deep impact on community health. If this ever comes up, please trust that we will address it, enact new rules if necessary, and be completely transparent with you about the process.

Expected Behavior

The following behaviors are expected of all Fluxers:

Be Respectful

Value each other’s ideas, styles and viewpoints. We may not always agree, but disagreement is no excuse for poor manners. Be open to different possibilities and to being wrong. Be respectful in all interactions and communications, especially when debating the merits of different options. Be aware of your impact and how intense interactions may be affecting people. Be direct, constructive and positive. Take responsibility for your impact and your mistakes – if someone says they have been harmed through your words or actions, listen carefully, apologize sincerely, and correct the behavior going forward.

Be Direct But Kind

We are likely to have some discussions about if and when criticism is respectful and when it’s not. We must be able to speak directly when we disagree and when we think we need to improve. We cannot withhold hard truths. Doing so respectfully is hard, doing so when others don’t seem to be listening is harder, and hearing such comments when one is the recipient can be even harder still. We need to be honest and direct, as well as respectful.

Be Inclusive

Seek diverse perspectives. Diversity of views makes all of us better people, even if it is not always comfortable. Encourage all voices. Help new perspectives be heard and listen actively. If you find yourself dominating a discussion, it is especially important to step back and encourage other voices to join in. Be aware of how much time is taken up by dominant members of the group. Provide alternative ways to contribute or participate when possible.

Be inclusive of everyone in an interaction, respecting and facilitating people’s participation whether they are:

  • Remote (on video or phone)
  • Not native language speakers
  • Coming from a different culture
  • Using pronouns other than “he” or “she”
  • Living in a different time zone
  • Facing other challenges to participate

Think about how you might facilitate alternative ways to contribute or participate. If you find yourself dominating a discussion, step back. Make way for other voices and listen actively to them.

Understand Different Perspectives

Our goal should not be to “win” every disagreement or argument. A more productive goal is to be open to ideas that make our own ideas better. Strive to be an example for inclusive thinking. “Winning” is when different perspectives make our community richer and stronger.

Disagreement is a natural part of group interactions. Differences of opinion can and will arise between Fluxers. Understanding that it’s fine to disagree sometimes is important. Oftentimes, many paths lead to the same destination, even if they may not be the one you prefer. As we work toward our larger community goals of encouraging critical thinking and building a more just society, we will strive not to become divided over small disagreements, even as we ensure everyone is treated with dignity.

Online communication can also be more fraught because it can be easy to misinterpret others’ intentions or words without verbal or visual cues. If you feel someone has written or said something inappropriate, ask them to clarify first. Doing so can prevent misunderstandings from becoming confrontations.

Appreciate and Accommodate Our Similarities and Differences

Fluxers come from many cultures and backgrounds. Cultural differences can encompass everything from official religious observances to personal habits to clothing. Be respectful of people with different cultural practices, attitudes, and beliefs. Work to eliminate your own biases, prejudices, and discriminatory practices. Think of others’ needs from their point of view. Use preferred titles (including pronouns) and the appropriate tone of voice. Respect people’s right to privacy and confidentiality. Be open to learning from and educating others as well as educating yourself; it is unrealistic to expect Fluxers to know the cultural practices of every ethnic and cultural group, but everyone needs to recognize one’s native culture is only part of positive interactions.

Lead by Example

By matching your actions with your words, you become a person others want to follow. Your actions influence others to behave and respond in ways that are valuable and appropriate for the health and vibrancy of our community. Hold yourself and others accountable for inclusive behaviors. Make decisions based on the highest good.

Behavior That Will Not Be Tolerated

The following behaviors are considered to be unacceptable under these guidelines.

Violence and Threats of Violence

Violence and threats of violence are not acceptable – online or offline. This includes incitement of violence toward any individual, including encouraging a person to commit self-harm. This also includes posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxxing”) online.

Personal Attacks

Conflicts will inevitably arise, but frustration should never turn into a personal attack. It is not okay to insult, demean or belittle others. Attacking someone for their opinions, beliefs and ideas is not acceptable. It is important to speak directly when we disagree and when we think we need to improve, but such discussions must be conducted respectfully and with kindness, remaining focused on the issue at hand.

Derogatory Language

Hurtful or harmful language related to:

  • Background
  • Family status
  • Gender
  • Gender identity or expression
  • Marital status
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation
  • Native language
  • Age
  • Ability
  • Race and/or ethnicity
  • National origin
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Religion
  • Geographic location
  • Other attributes

is not acceptable. This includes deliberately referring to someone by a gender that they do not identify with, and/or questioning the legitimacy of an individual’s gender identity. If you’re unsure if a word is derogatory, don’t use it. This also includes repeated subtle and/or indirect discrimination; when asked to stop, stop the behavior in question.

Unwelcome Sexual Attention or Physical Contact

Unwelcome sexual attention is not acceptable. This includes sexualized comments, jokes or imagery in interactions or any other communications. The sharing or distribution of sexualized images or text is unacceptable.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Bad behavior from any Fluxer, including those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated. Intentional efforts to exclude people (except as part of a consequence of the guidelines or other official action) from Flux activities are not acceptable and will be dealt with appropriately.

Reports of harassment/discrimination will be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the people responsible for the safety of the space, event or activity. Appropriate measures will be taken to address the situation.

Anyone being asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. Violation of these guidelines can result in anyone being asked to leave an event or online space, either temporarily or for the duration of the event, or being banned from participation in spaces, or future events and activities in perpetuity.

In addition, any participants who abuse the reporting process will be considered to be in violation of these guidelines and subject to the same consequences. False reporting, especially to retaliate or exclude, will not be accepted or tolerated.

Reporting

If you believe you’re experiencing unacceptable behavior that will not be tolerated as outlined above, please visit the Flux contact page and choose the “community moderation request” option as the subject of your message. . Reports are triaged by the Community Participation Guidelines Response Lead.

After receiving a concise description of your situation, they will review and determine the next steps. In addition to conducting any investigation, they can provide a range of resources, from a private consultation to other community resources. They will involve other colleagues or outside specialists (such as legal counsel), as needed to appropriately address each situation.

Please also report to us if you observe a potentially dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of these guidelines, even if the situation is not happening to you.

If you feel you have been unfairly accused of violating these guidelines, please follow the same reporting process.

 

FLUX | About | Podcasts | Contact | Donate | Privacy Policy | Code of Conduct | RSS
Sections: Politics | Religion | Technology | Policy | Philosophy | Media | Science | Personal Essays