Lubbock LUG Code of Conduct

All users of this site, as well as persons who join any Lubbock LUG Meeting, wither in person, or online in the form of chat, publish / subscribe / reply, audio, video, or otherwise agree to abide by the following code of conduct.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

As a part of the Lubbock LUG i fully understand that all persons are welcome to join regardless of age, race, ethnicity, ability, gender, religious, or political affiliation. No person shall be treated differently based on any difference from any other person attending any meeting or gathering as part of the Lubbock LUG.

OS (Operating System) and SS (Source Status) Preference

The Lubbock LUG is an organization that is focused on the Linux / *nix based Operating Systems. This does not preclude, in any way, discussions about systems using non-open source bases as their core systems and services (e.g. Windows, MacOS, etc). It is only through open discussion that we can grow as a community.

Additionally, the Lubbock LUG is focused on Open Source software options, but will not preclude discussions about closed source software in which a comparison to open source offerings makes sense, or the desire to find an open source option may exist.

Behavior

Any and all persons taking part in the Lubbock LUG should behave in a manner that is inclusive of everyone. Knowledge should be shared freely, and discussion should occur in a civilized, polite, and respectful manner. We all have knowledge and opinions to share. We should do so in a manner which enriches the discussion.

Meeting Information

Meeting dates and times will be posted prior to the monthly meeting. The meeting is generally held on a Tuesday or Thursday evening once per month. The meeting duration is generally 1.5 hours, but may be longer or shorter based on topics to cover and discussion.

Meetings are held online using Jitsi Meet. You can join the meetings using a modern web browser, or using the applications built for Android or iOS / iPadOS. It is no required for any person to speak, or share the camera (video) during a meeting. Jitsi Meet offers an in meeting chat option. Moderators will do their best to monitor the chat during the meeting for any questions to the presenter, and will attempt to either answer them in chat, or allow the presenter to answer them using the audio of the meeting.

  • If you wish to speak during a meeting, you will need to allow audio / microphone permissions on your platform.
  • If you wish to be seen during a meeting, you will need to allow video / camera permissions on your device of choice.

Meeting Etiquette

Each meeting topic will be given a predetermined estimate of time in the Meeting Agenda, as well as the presenter for that topic.

Presenters and their topics will be introduced by the meeting moderators. Presenters will then be given time to present their topic.

Presenters may share their screens, audio and optionally video while presenting.

Meeting attendees should place themselves on ‘mute’ (mute your microphone) during the meeting unless they are presenting, or have been called on to ask a question (see below), or are taking part in an active discussion time.

Meeting attendees may use the tools provided by Jitsi Meet in order to ask questions during a presentation.

  1. Ask via chat, and allow the presenter to continue uninterrupted.
  2. Raise your hand (a button option in the Jitsi Meet controls), and wait for a moderator to call on you, or for the presenter to call on you to ask your question.

Appropriate Discussion

As the Lubbock LUG does not set an age limit (either upper or lower) for attending any meeting, it is important that all attendees keep language as polite as possible. Cursing (cussing / use of inappropriate, foul, bad language) is not acceptable during Lubbock LUG meetings.

Discussions should revolve around the topic being presented / set for discussion. Moderators will politely ask attendees to return to the topic if they feel a discussion is moving to far from the intended discussion / presentation topic.

Continuing Topics of Interest

If a moderator asks attendees to bring it back to the topic at hand, an attendee may politely request that any topic of interest spawned from the previously held discussion be marked as a topic of interest for either the Open Discussion session of that meeting, or as a topic of presentation and discussion in a future meeting.

Attendees should feel free to:

  • share their ideas and thoughts on a presenter’s topic.
  • share their own knowledge of a presenter’s topic.
  • ask questions to help clarify any unclear areas of a topic.
  • ask for follow up presentations on tangential topics, or more specific areas of a broader topic.

Accepting Feedback

Presenters should accept feedback graciously. Know that when people want to jump in and give their thoughts and opinions, even if they differ from your own, it’s because you, and your topic have piqued their interest. Interaction is the goal.

Presenters should be open to opposing opinions, and consider them seriously. Feel free to correct someone if they are simply incorrect, so as not to leave others confused or wondering, but always be polite about it.

Correcting the behavior of other attendees

Moderators and attendees alike should always feel empowered to ensure that meetings are enjoyable for everyone. Correcting a person’s behavior or etiquette can be done tactfully. Feel free to send the person a message about what they are doing. Include this code of conduct, or snippets that will help the person to understand what they’ve done.

Always make someone feel welcome, and let them know that we all mess up, and we all have chances to get better.

Moderators

Moderators will be deined as the group grows. No one is required to be a moderator. Moderation is a privilege, and shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of the meetings, presentations, and discussions. If you are asked to be a moderator, you should feel free to accept or decline. We may ask again in the future, and each time you’ll have the same options.

Moderators should edit their name during the meeting by adding <Mod> after the name they wish to be called during meetings.

In my case I would edit my name in the Jitsi Meet settings to be Brian <Mod>.

Meeting Actions

Moderators should be the only attendees at a meeting who mute others. No one, even if the capability is present, should mute another participant.

It is okay to tag a moderator in the chat, and ask them to please mute an attendee. We all make mistakes, and forget to mute ourselves, or accidentally un-mute ourselves on occasion. We will take it for granted that any unmuted attendees simply didn’t realize they were not muted.

Appropriate Video Attire

While we are not here to police your clothing, we do ask that if you are going to be sharing your video, please be fully clothed. Additionally, please ensure graphics on clothing are appropriate for all ages (just in case).

Amendments to the Code of Conduct

This code of conduct is far from complete, and may be amended at any time.

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