E. Staff Code of Conduct
Just as the all members of LUGNET are expected to comport themselves in
accordance with the Terms of Use agreement, LUGNET staff members must be
held accountable to a code of conduct. The following are basic rules of how
staff members are expected to interact with members in general, and with
each other. Consequences of repeatedly failing to follow these guidelines
are detailed at the end of this section.
- All members are expected to follow the ToU. Staff members are not exempt from needing to follow the same rules as all other LUGNET members. Their actions are subject to the same scrutiny and procedures as everyone else, whether or not they are posting as an official LUGNET representative.
- Staff members, by virtue of representing LUGNET in particular and the overall LEGO community in general, should always be cognizant of the extra attention being in that position brings. Consistently poor actions of a LUGNET staff member, regardless of whether or not those actions occurred while the staff member was representing LUGNET officially, reflect poorly not only on that person, but on LUGNET and the entire LEGO community.
- Being a LUGNET staff member does not, in itself, confer automatic respect. It is the actions of the staff member that earn respect.
- Staff members are human beings, just line everyone else, and are not expected to be perfect, any more than any other LUGNET member. These guidelines are a code and not a set of absolute rules. They are as open to interpretation as the ToU is.
- When posting in an official capacity, administrators should always use their @lugnet.com email address. They should also put their full name and the words “LUGNET Administrator” at the bottom of any official posts.
- LUGNET admins are not required to use their “official” personae in all instances, like when making recommendations or reminding members of specific ToU requirements. However, those messages are not binding and are not considered official statements by LUGNET staff.
- When at all possible, a reasonable escalation of warnings should be used in dealing with ToU violations. For example, an unofficial post is not necessarily adequate warning before recommending a timeout. If, in the opinion of an administrator, a situation may warrant an eventual timeout, then a message should be official.
- Except in extreme circumstances, communication or issues outside the scope of LUGNET.com should not be invoked or considered when posting an official LUGNET message, or in recommending or considering timeout requests.
- Messages should be murfled only when they appear to violate the letter or spirit of the ToU, and NOT because the staff member disagrees with the content or argument of the message.
- When composing official LUGNET messages, every effort should be made to avoid personal judgments; value judgments between those in dispute; reprimands; and other statements that may appear biased one way or another.
- Official statements should be as neutral as possible in phrasing.
- Official LUGNET messages should be polite to anyone referenced.
- Personal opinions should not be expressed in official LUGNET messages.
- Personal agendas should not be expressed in official LUGNET messages.
- Any perception of favoritism should be absent in official LUGNET messages.
- Staff members should not feel that they are obligated to answer questions or provide detailed rationale for decisions made in an official capacity.
- On the other hand, valid concerns expressed by members should be passed to the entire admin team for discussion, as appropriate.
- Official LUGNET messages should be as concise as possible, and deal with specific issues rather than vague generalities. Examples and links should be provided whenever they would be helpful.
- Staff members should not feel that they cannot express themselves as freely as any other member when they post non-official messages.
- Except in unavoidable circumstances, messages authored by LUGNET staff members but posted under their personal email addresses should not be construed as being reflective of official LUGNET policy. In the case of a non-LUGNET address being used for technical reasons, there should still be a very clear statement that this post DOES reflect official policy, with the pro forma signature, and the post should be cancelled and replaced with one with the same content but from the official posting identity as soon as practicable.
- Tone and content of unofficial messages authored by LUGNET staff members can and should be quite different from official LUGNET messages they may author. One should not be compared against the other.
- Administrators should always be aware that their interpretations of given issues can and will be reconciled with the ToU. Interpretations of the ToU should be based on prior interpretations when possible, and in no cases should an interpretation directly conflict with the ToU or an earlier interpretation.
- If the issue is important enough, and has not been detailed in an earlier interpretation, a message succinctly describing the issue and outcome should be posted to lugnet.admin.announce where it can be used in the future.
- Admin rulings/interpretations posted within lugnet.admin.announce are subject to review by the entire administrative team. Until and if a given message within lugnet.admin.announce is rescinded by the majority of the administration team, it will carry the same weight as the ToU and all LUGNET members are expected to abide by it.
- Official LUGNET messages are announcements and not invitations for debate. Feedback is always welcome, of course, but it will not necessarily have any effect on an official message.
- Administrators should not engage in debates stemming from an official message post, or debate LUGNET policy in general. Unsolicited suggestions, criticism, demands of explanation, and so on should all be answered briefly and courteously.
- Staff members who, in the view of the rest of the admin staff, do not or cannot abide by the staff code of conduct will be asked to either step down as a staff member, or cease executing the functions that are in question.
- Administrators are appointed by the site owners and are not subject to a vote of recall by LUGNET members.
- All LUGNET members should understand that staff positions are all completely voluntary, and there is no tangible reward for volunteering. These members have chosen to help the community and LUGNET.
Review and Removal of Staff Members
Staff members are appointed by Site Owners and the admin team, and as such,
can only be dismissed by those groups.
A person may leave the LUGNET staff in one of four ways:
- Resignation
- Request (and grant) a leave of absence
- Dismissal by unanimous vote of the admin team (minus the staff member in question)
- Dismissal by one or both of the Site Owners
Action will be taken, at the discretion of the admin team and/or site
owners, on one or more of the following conditions:
- Repeated noncompliance with the LUGNET staff code of conduct
- Chronic or severe breaches of the ToU
- Failing to perform routine duties over an extended period of time
- Conduct on or off LUGNET which places LUGNET in a poor or unfavorable light
- Conducting or allowing illegal activities to occur on LUGNET
|
