Generally I think that the CiviCRM community works together in a very positive way. Whether on the forums, IRC or during the precious (but a bit too rare) occasions that we gather in the flesh - folks seem to treat each other with respect and patience.
However, as the community grows - it seems like it would be useful to follow the lead of several other successful open source communities and adopt a "Code of Conduct" which we can refer to and use to help maintain a supportive and collaborative atmosphere.
The development team has reviewed a number of existing "codes" - and we're most attracted to these:
We're not yet sure whether we want to simply adopt one of the existing documents - or craft a new one that includes elements from these along with community inputs. We'd love to get feedback on this from both newer members of the community as well as "old hands"!
Comments
One way a code of conduct is useful is to give an idea to newcomers about the community and how people in it work together.
In this regard, I prefer the Ubuntu code because it is specific to the project, e.g. "Be considerate ... please don't upload dramatically new versions of critical system software, as other people will be testing the frozen system and not be expecting big changes". and "When you are unsure, ask for help. Nobody knows everything, and nobody is expected to be perfect in the Ubuntu community (except of course the SABDFL)". The Dojo code contains lots of good advice, but I think it looses something by being more generally applicable.
So as well as laying the ground rules, it would be great if the code of conduct also gave an introduction to the community.
Personally, I've been really impressed by the responsiveness and trust here - people are generous with time and resources - setting up a new forum page, allowing me to post on the blog, and to add new pages to the Wiki, etc. maybe that is something to highlight in a code of conduct? ...