Code of Conduct
Our Pledge
In the interest of fostering an open and welcoming environment, we as contributors and maintainers pledge to make participation in our project and our community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.
Our Standards
Examples of behavior that contributes to creating a positive environment include:
Using welcoming and inclusive language.
Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences.
Gracefully accepting constructive criticism.
Focusing on what is best for the community.
Showing empathy towards other community members.
Demonstrating transparency and honesty in all interactions.
Taking responsibility for mistakes, apologizing, and learning from the experience.
Examples of unacceptable behavior by participants include:
The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances.
Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks.
Public or private harassment (including but not limited to continuous messaging when explicitly asked to stop).
Publishing others' private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission.
Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting.
Insults, racism, harassment, or threats of violence against members, even as a joke.
Posting unsolicited referral links or Discord invitations.
Posting NSFW content and using offensive language.
Sharing API or secret keys.
Asking for money, especially impersonating a moderation team member.
Impersonating members of the moderation team.
Discussing illegal activities, including tax evasion and market manipulation.
Posting off-topic discussions outside of designated threads.
Our Responsibilities
Project maintainers are responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behavior and are expected to take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any instances of unacceptable behavior. Maintainers have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct or to ban temporarily or permanently any contributor for behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.
Scope
This Code of Conduct applies within all project spaces, and it also applies when an individual is representing the project or its community in public spaces (Discord, Telegram, Twitter, Farcaster, etc). Examples include using an official project e-mail address or handle, posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed representative at an online or offline event. Representation of a project may be further defined and clarified by project maintainers.
Enforcement
Instances of abusive, harassing, fraudulent, or otherwise unacceptable behavior should be reported by contacting the Gitcoin team at code@gitcoin.co. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated, resulting in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. The project team is obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident. Further details of specific enforcement policies may be posted separately. Project maintainers who do not follow or enforce the Code of Conduct in good faith may face temporary or permanent repercussions as determined by other members of the project's leadership.
Escalation and Appeal
Initial Report:
Instances of unacceptable behavior should be reported by contacting the Gitcoin team at code@gitcoin.co with the offense, time and location of the offense and any supporting documentation.
Review and Investigation:
All complaints will be reviewed and investigated. The project team will maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident.
Response:
Gitcoin will respond with necessary and appropriate actions based on the investigation’s findings and based on the escalation, and the Three Strikes rule outlined below.
Escalation:
If the initial response is deemed insufficient, the issue can be escalated to a higher authority within the project's leadership or bringing forth the inquiry to the forum. The escalation process involves a review by the Grants Council to ensure impartiality.
Appeal:
Individuals subject to enforcement actions may appeal the decision by providing additional context or evidence to Gitcoin. Appeals must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the enforcement action.
Consequences for Ongoing and Future Participation
Live Round Violation:
If a participant is found to violate the Code of Conduct during a live round on Gitcoin, they may face immediate suspension or removal from the round. This includes forfeiture of any matching funds or rewards. This will be put to a vote within the community once a third strike has occurred.
Future Participation:
Violations of the Code of Conduct may result in a ban from participating in future Gitcoin rounds or activities. The duration and conditions of the ban will be determined based on the severity of the violation. Violators may make an appeal to the Community Council ahead of any upcoming rounds and after 6 months.
Additional Community Guidelines
Be respectful of each other’s thoughts and opinions. Insults, racism, harassment, or threats of violence against members will not be tolerated.
This is a community space free from advertising. Do not post unsolicited referral links or Discord invitations unless specifically asked for by another user.
Do not post any NSFW content and limit the use of offensive language across all channels and nicknames.
Never share API or secret keys, whether they are free or worthless. Those are for your use only.
No user should ever ask you to send them money, especially not members of the moderation team. Report such incidents to any available @admins immediately.
Impersonating members of the moderation team is an offense. Anyone caught doing this will be instantly banned and reported.
Be conscious that text communications in this server may be monitored by law enforcement. Refrain from discussing anything illegal, including tax evasion and market manipulation.
Keep discussions organized by posting in their respective threads. Moderators may reassign discussions to the appropriate thread to maintain order and relevance.
Three Strikes Rule
To maintain a fair and consistent approach to enforcement, we will adopt a three strikes rule:
First Strike: Warning
A private, written warning, providing clarity around the nature of the violation and an explanation of why the behavior was inappropriate.
Second Strike: Formal Notice
A formal notice will be issued, and the violator will be required to acknowledge the violation and commit to adhering to the Code of Conduct, this includes temporary suspension from community activities (Twitter Spaces, Discord, Forum Posting, etc)
Third Strike: Official Forum Post with Vote
The violation will be escalated to an official forum post, where the community can vote on the appropriate action, which may include a permanent ban or relegation to a different application process in the future.
By adopting these comprehensive guidelines, Gitcoin aims to ensure a respectful, inclusive, and professional environment for all community members.
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