Samvera Community Guidelines

The Samvera Code of Conduct applies within all community spaces, but Samvera also operates within a set of community guidelines that are different from our Code of Conduct. Community guidelines embrace the everyday activities of the Samvera community and serve as the principles in which our members act and collaborate. 

Open & Welcoming 

Samvera strives to be an open and welcoming place for our community. We prioritize people over products. We seek to maintain space and opportunities for everyone to participate. We welcome the free exchange of ideas by creating space for people to contribute without worrying that they will be dehumanized. When perspectives differ, we welcome them because we know that the community benefits from diversity of people, skills, opinions, and ideas.

We seek to be open and welcoming by: 

• Using clear, simple language, avoiding jargon wherever possible

• Striving to be accessible to all members, lower barriers to information and idea-sharing

  • Provide speaker notes and alt tags in presentation slides

  • Use microphones and repeat questions so all in audience can hear

• Not tolerating bad actors 

Participation & Collaboration

The Samvera Community centers on participatory collaboration. We seek inclusiveness for contributors at different levels of experience and for different types of contributions that don't only relate to coding. Technical contributions are of course critical to the growth and sustainability of the Samvera codebases, however our community thrives because of the entirety/full spectrum of contributions made by its members. We strive to maintain an environment where people feel welcome to contribute, and supported all along the way.

How we can positively encourage participation: 

• Recognizing that each one of us helps set the tone for how we work and have fun together 

• Understanding that participation from any individual or partner’s part inevitably ebbs and flows

• Acknowledging that contributions can take many forms and at several levels 

• Know that documentation can be the difference between a casual contributor and an active member of the community 

Decisions & Communication 

We know if people want to contribute to the Samvera Community, transparency and openness are vital. This includes making sure that you have open and transparent governance with a documented process for who makes the decisions along with how and where decisions are made. Community members want to be able to have input and influence decisions. 

• We strive to make decisions in the best interest of the community as a whole

• We will communicate and seek a collaborative process on decisions - from pull requests to event planning to election of new board members

• The governance model put into place in 2018 provides structure for informed and open decision making process

Where do I go? 

We know that sometimes it can be difficult to know where to go or who to approach if you feel the community is not living up to these guidelines. We encourage you to engage with the Community Helpers, talk to the Community Manager, or email the Samvera Board if you have any questions, concerns, or challenges with the Community Guidelines. 

Related Resources: 

Samvera Code of Conduct and Anti-Harassment Policy

Glossary for Samvera Community Safety Policies