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diff --git a/content/conduct-2018.article b/content/conduct-2018.article new file mode 100644 index 0000000..64edcf2 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/conduct-2018.article @@ -0,0 +1,95 @@ +Updating the Go Code of Conduct +23 May 2018 +Tags: conduct + +Steve Francia + +* Introduction + +In November 2015, we introduced the Go Code of Conduct. +It was developed in a collaboration between +the Go team members at Google and the Go community. +I was fortunate to be one of the community members +invited to participate in both drafting and then enforcing +the Go Code of Conduct. +Since then, we have learned two lessons about +limitations in our code of conduct that restricted us from +being able to cultivate the safe culture +essential to Go’s success. + +The first lesson we learned is that toxic behaviors by +project participants in non-project spaces can have a +negative impact on the project affecting the security and safety of +community members. There were a few reported +incidents where actions took place outside of project spaces +but the impact was felt inside our community. The specific +language in our code of conduct restricted our ability to +respond only to actions happening “in the official +forums operated by the Go project”. We needed a way +to protect our community members wherever they are. + +The second lesson we learned is that the demands required +to enforce the code +of conduct place too heavy of a burden on volunteers. +The initial version of the code of conduct presented the +working group as disciplinarians. It was soon clear +that this was too much, so in early 2017 [[https://golang.org/cl/37014][we changed the group’s role]] +to that of advisors and mediators. +Still, working group community members +reported feeling overwhelmed, untrained, and vulnerable. +This well-intentioned shift left us without an enforcement mechanism +without solving the issue with overburdened volunteers. + +In mid-2017, I represented the Go project in a meeting with +Google’s Open Source Programs Office and Open Source Strategy Team +to address the shortcomings in our respective +codes of conduct, particularly in their enforcement. +It quickly became clear that our problems had a lot in common, +and that working together on a single code of conduct for all +of Google’s open source projects made sense. +We started with the text from the +Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct v1.4 +and then made changes, influenced by +our experiences in Go community and our collective experiences in open source. +This resulted in the Google [[https://opensource.google.com/docs/releasing/template/CODE_OF_CONDUCT/][code of conduct template]]. + +Today the Go project is adopting this new code of conduct, +and we’ve updated [[https://golang.org/conduct][golang.org/conduct]]. +This revised code of conduct retains much of the intent, structure and +language of the original Go code of conduct while making two critical +changes that address the shortcomings identified above. + +First, [[https://golang.org/conduct/#scope][the new code of conduct makes clear]] that people who +participate in any kind of harassment or inappropriate behavior, +even outside our project spaces, are not welcome in our project spaces. +This means that the Code of Conduct applies outside +the project spaces when there is a reasonable belief that +an individual’s behavior may have a negative +impact on the project or its community. + +Second, in the place of the working group, +[[https://golang.org/conduct/#reporting][the new code of conduct introduces a single Project Steward]] +who will have explicit training and support for this role. +The Project Steward will receive reported violations +and then work with a committee, +consisting of representatives from the Open Source Programs Office +and the Google Open Source Strategy team, +to find a resolution. + +Our first Project Steward will be [[https://twitter.com/cassandraoid][Cassandra Salisbury]]. +She is well known to the Go community as a member of Go Bridge, +an organizer of many Go meetups and conferences, +and as a lead of the Go community outreach working group. +Cassandra now works on the Go team at Google +with a focus on advocating for and supporting the Go community. + +We are grateful to everyone who served on the original Code of +Conduct Working Group. Your efforts were essential in creating an +inclusive and safe community. + +We believe the code of conduct has contributed to the +Go project becoming more welcoming now than it was in 2015, +and we should all be proud of that. + +We hope that the new code of conduct will help protect our community +members even more effectively. |