It’s rare for a RubyFlow contributor to deliberately violate our unwritten conventions and make others feel unwelcome, but it’s time to start formalizing what those conventions are and be transparent that we do things to keep the site as clean and welcoming to as many people as possible :-)

RubyFlow is solely about sharing Ruby content, so keep things technical, neutral, and related to Ruby. Do not introduce politics, sexuality, religion, sexualized language, gender, popular culture, race, quarrels, etc. except where it benefits and adds relevance for other Ruby developers (e.g. a Ruby meetup targeting a certain race/gender/sexuality, sharing the experiences of an underrepresented group in the community, or something that is truly “newsworthy”).

We’re going to add a “Report” button to posts so you can easily let us know about anything you think is outside of the spirit of the site. All reports will be checked. Unlike the Ruby CoC we do not demand you “assume good intentions” - report anything you think crosses the line, and we will look into it. In the interim, DM @peterc on Twitter and it will get personal attention.

Based on reports or our own moderation, we will edit, censor, or delete posts and comments. We have done this for years, but from now on, we will leave a comment to explain what we did and why. RubyFlow is not a “freedom of speech” zone, but as people are not perfect and do not have the same cultural experiences or outlook, we’ll prefer not to delete things, and instead try to edit material that doesn’t work within our view of a healthy, pleasant, and diverse community. Persistent abuse will result in deletions.

In cases that are not clear-cut (e.g. everyday language or idioms that may become offensive to a particular group), several yet-to-be-designated Cooper Press employees will discuss the issue and vote upon a response.

Last, it is OK if we disagree. If we edit something of yours, it is not a personal attack. There may be members of our community who are sensitive to idioms you are very comfortable with or that you do not find offensive. It does not mean we do not want you to stay here and to enjoy the site - it just means we are doing our job in reflecting the views of as many readers as possible.

Any questions, drop them here.