Over the last five years Joomla has seen exponential growth.  We see this happening in not only the market share of sites that use Joomla, but also in the community that supports it.  Having a common goal of making Joomla better and a community structure that encourages each individual's creative spirit to be free has brought our CMS to places that were once only dreamed of.

During the joint summit in San Jose the growth and empowerment of the community was discussed.  Part of that discussion included the inherent need to document the structure and shared values for all people participating in the community.  The result of that documentation is below in the Community Code of Conduct.  Being part of a community like Joomla comes with great rewards - the largest of which is the satisfaction of knowing that you have done something positive to help society.  Anne Frank said, "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."  Each member of the community has this opportunity with Joomla.  To help bring the best positive methods of this to the forefront, this document was drafted.

Prior to this, only a Volunteer Code of Conduct existed.  What you see below has been taken from the Volunteer Code of Conduct and applied community-wide.  A seperate Volunteer Guidelines will be published at a later date for feedback and comments.  For now, however, please provide feedback and comments on this draft version of the Community Code of Conduct.  The goal is for this Community Code of Conduct to apply to all members of the community and all volunteers.

Community Code of Conduct

This document outlines the code of conduct for everyone interacting with other people on any of the official Joomla community resources. By participating, you agree to the following principles:

Be Considerate

You are interacting with people in the community, so be considerate of how your words and  actions affect others in the community.

Be Respectful

A community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. All members of Joomla community should be respectful when dealing with others in the community as well as with people from outside projects and initiatives.

Everyone can make a valuable contribution to Joomla.  We might all experience some frustration from time to time, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack; disagreement is not an excuse for poor behavior or poor manners.

Avoid becoming involved in flame wars, trolling, personal attacks, and repetitive arguments that are not respectful of others’ time. Take these matters "outside" (off-list, etc) if it helps resolve the situation. Do not use community resources for personal or business arguments or agendas.

Be Straightforward

In the Joomla community it is important that you speak for yourself in discussions.  Quoting other community members is often necessary, but be considerate of the fact that context is a very important part of the meaning of what others say. Avoid quoting if it creates a different meaning than what was originally said.

Be Collaborative

Joomla is free software and about collaboration and working together. Collaboration reduces redundancy of work done. It improves the quality of the software produced regardless of whether you are writing code or performing some other task.

When you disagree, consult others. Disagreements happen all the time, and Joomla is no exception. Disagreement, debate and constructive criticism is often how progress is made and is a necessary part of doing complex work in a team. The important goal is not to avoid disagreements or differing views, but to resolve them constructively.

Above all, don't make conflicts personal. Debate should never include reference to a person’s nationality, gender, orientation, beliefs, religion or other personal characteristics.

When you are unsure, ask for help. Nobody knows everything. Nobody is expected to be perfect. Asking questions avoids many problems down the road. Questions are encouraged. Those who are asked should be responsive and helpful. Working Group Coordinators and Team Leaders may be able to help you to decide which direction will be most acceptable. However, when asking a question do it in an appropriate forum. Off-topic questions, such as requests for help on a development mailing list, detract from productive discussion.