We want everyone to have a good time at the TechLady Hackathon. To that end, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the TechLady teammates (or post questions on the FAQs). We're also adopting the following Guidelines for Awesomeness for all participants.
Because there are already excellent codes of conduct for existing events that bring people together to learn and foster community, we'd like to underline their work.
The creators of the 2014 Lean Startup Conference "do not tolerate harassment based on race, gender, religion, age, color, national origin, physical appearance, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity." They go on to give a thorough definition of harassment:
"When we say 'harassment,' we’re talking about unwelcome or hostile behavior, including speech that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with a person’s participation in the conference (speaker presentations fall under this category and should not use images or examples that would violate the code of conduct); unwelcome physical contact; unwelcome sexual attention; deliberate intimidation; and stalking. Sponsors should not use sexualized images or activities, and sponsor representatives (including volunteers) should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes."
The TechLady team reserves the right to expel from the hackathon anyone who displays such behavior.
The Hackbright Academy's code chimes in with four simple main guidelines: Be respectful. Be thoughtful. Be open. Be awesome.
The Allied Media Conference spells out excellent principles for their community. One that feels applicable to the TechLady Hackathon:
"The strongest solutions happen through the process, not in a moment at the end of the process."
In other words, use this time and space to enjoy the process of hacking! Whether it's your first time at a hackathon or your 50th, it's always good to remember not to focus so heavily on the end result that you don't enjoy the process of making it happen. And bear in mind that the process of getting productive at a hackathon can be a bit messy and slow to start.
The "short version" of PyCon's Code of Conduct for 2013 echoes a lot of the same feelings, but it boils down to this:
"Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Behave professionally."
All of this to say: we want this hackathon to be a safe place to create, learn, and build up a supportive community. Thank you for being a part of it!
P.S. If you're interested in more, the Ada Initiative has a thorough list of conferences with anti-harassment policies.