All GopherSource projects follow a common code of conduct. In addition we’d like to suggest other ways to make GopherSource projects welcoming spaces.
Be Kind to Each Other
We firmly believe that a kind, welcoming and constructive community comes first, then code and technology second. If the folks in the community around this project aren’t kind to each other, it doesn’t matter how cool our technology is.
- Make newcomers feel welcome.
- Keep debates in Github issues, and be civil and constructive in them.
- Listen more than you talk.
- Respect that everyone is in different time-zones, don’t exclude people outside of the majority time-zone.
- Be kind to yourself, step back from the project when you need to take care of you and your life, and avoid burnout.
Most importantly, be inclusive. Not everyone will share your opionions, communication style, and many other things. Consider their point of view and treat everyone with respect.
Make Development and Testing Easy
Cognitive load is bad when you’re writing code, so let’s minimize it.
- Getting started should be a one-liner.
- Make the hard things easier.
- Docs are good, keep them up-to-date in the same PR when the change is made.
- Our code is collectively owned and accessible to everyone.
Focus on Our Community
There’s an African proverb that goes like this:
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
We want to apply that wisdom to our community.
- It’s easy and sometimes tempting to do everything yourself.
- But if we want to keep the project growing, it’s hard to have just a few people doing everything.
- Related: the bus factor.
- So let’s focus on bringing new people into the community, and getting them started (see: Be Kind to Each Other, above).
Ask Questions
Questions are a great way for us to share ideas and make the project and community better.
- If you don’t know something, try not to be afraid to ask.
- If you think your question is stupid, ask it anyway.
- … And if you’re still uncomfortable asking in public, ask a maintainer in private.
- If someone asks you a question, it’s ok to answer it later.
- Put answers on paper where everyone can read them, if you can.
- … And FAQs are great to have - let’s do them!
- Newcomers have the best perspectives, so listen well to their questions.