Protocols
Org Member Responsibilities
- Voting is done by anyone eligible. All voters are expected to independently research the situation. IWF policies and guidelines should be considered in decision-making of all votes.
- Organization members welcome new members on their branded social media.
- Respectful and Professional conduct on branded social media and wikis is expected.
Events
This allows verified members to request an event coordinator role and coordinate an alliance approved event proposal.
- Cross-Wiki participation
- Holiday Events with special roles as prizes
- Proposals for organization events
IWF Authority
At the IWF, we value the well-being and reputation of our organization and strive to maintain a positive and supportive environment for all members. To achieve this, we have established guidelines for our staff and members to ensure that everyone is held accountable for their actions.
- Staff Moderation: Our staff has the authority to moderate and defend the organization’s well-being and reputation. This includes removing any content or members from our discord server that violate our rules or pose a threat to the community.
- Removal of Disruptive Members: Any Discord server member whose behavior becomes disruptive is subject to staff removal. We strive to maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members and will not tolerate disruptive behavior.
- Collusion: Community members or mods of an organization member suspected of colluding or proven to collude are subject to staff removal. Collusion goes against the principles of collaboration and transparency that we value in our community.
- Hostile Takeover: Attempting a hostile takeover of IWF, any organization members, partners, or allies results in a ban.
Staff Moderation
- An external attack on any IWF staff member, Advisory Council member, or organization member is considered an attack on the IWF alliance. IWF will defend our community accordingly.
- An internal attack on any IWF staff member, Advisory Council member, or organization member will be handled in-house.
- Depending on severity, a heated argument that triggers a full blown public fight will result in membership suspension or expulsion process.
- Member staff or their personnel who commit “conduct unbecoming behavior” and damage the expected role model behavior will be subject to a 3 stage process.
- The relevant Wiki Representative will be informed of the situation to allow the community to resolve the matter internally. Accused users will be muted for a set time.
- Founding member staff or personnel will immediately lose access to the founding-members channel.
- If Wiki Representative refuses to deal with disruptive users, the user will be subject to server removal.
- Wiki Representative will be informed of organization membership suspension. Further irresponsible behavior will trigger the expulsion process.
Membership Status
- Organization members who have been removed for “inactivity” may be reconsidered for membership once they resume activity and maintain it for at least two (2) months before submitting reapplication.
- If an organization member’s wiki is at risk of collapse, the organization will notify the member and provide a maximum of two (2) months to address the issue.
- If an organization member’s wiki community has collapsed or is beyond repair, the expulsion process will be triggered.
- Selling or Transferring membership to a for-profit corporation will result in instant forfeiture of membership. Non-profit foundations acting as the legal entity are exempt.
Membership Suspension
Membership in the IWF organization is a privilege that comes with responsibilities and expectations. In order to maintain a positive and productive community of practice, we have established guidelines for membership suspension. In using the term “personnel”, we refer to community members of an organization member.
- Any organization member or personnel who displays aggressive, arrogant, bossy, or tyrannical behavior towards others will be subject to a one-month suspension.
- Organization members or personnel who encourage or create a negative environment will not be tolerated.
- Voting powers and access to participate will be revoked from all personnel of the suspended organization member. Personnel that are verified for multiple organization members will be handled on a case by case basis.
- Picking fights with IWF organization staff, founding organization members, Advisory Council, organization members, or community members is not acceptable.
- IWF Staff, Founding organization members, and Advisory Council members are expected to not instigate or pick fights with our community.
- Repeated violations may result in expulsion by a formal vote or by IWF staff.
- Conduct unbecoming behavior by a members staff during interactions with IWF organization’s branded social areas, at the members wiki or at a member wikis branded social areas will result in membership suspension.
- Conduct unbecoming behavior by an organization member’s Wiki Rep will result in their removal.
- The organization Member will be advised to choose a replacement within 96 hours. Failure to do so may result in the temporary revocation of voting powers of relevant personnel and may trigger the expulsion procedures.
- Repeated removals of selected wiki representatives by an organization member or uncivil DM dispute over selecting a wiki representative with IWF organization staff will result in suspension procedures.
We encourage all members to act with civility, respect, and professionalism, and to support our mission and collaborative endeavors.
Expulsion Criteria
Should suspension of personnel from an organization member not be an adequate reaction to this member’s actions, expulsion of that member is considered in order to protect IWF’s integrity. In such a case, the following guidelines are applied:
- Intentionally violating IWF values results in the expulsion procedure being triggered.
- If the majority of verified community members in regards to a single organization member are caught colluding, then the organization member is subject to staff removal or a formal expulsion vote.
- This vote ensures that the actions of a few do not harm the community as a whole, and that all members are held accountable for their actions. Our staff will review the situation and make a recommendation to the community on whether the organization member should be expelled. The final decision is then made by a secret ballot community vote, which allows for transparency and a fair decision-making process.
- Any organization member attempting a hostile takeover of IWF itself, IWF members, or non IWF member wikis will immediately trigger expulsion. Partnerships and affiliations will be immediately terminated should a partner or affiliate participate in such an action. Mergers or acquisitions on bilateral approval are exempt.
- Manipulating voting intentionally to gain an advantage of any kind or to harm an IWF member or the IWF itself will immediately trigger the expulsion procedure.
- Actions that “ruin the fun” for organization members, such as attempting a forceful cultural shift, consistent unreasonable overruling or shouting down proposals are not acceptable. We encourage healthy and respectful debate and value the input of all members. Not adhering to this code of conduct may, depending on the severity, result in expulsion.
- Hijacking or taking advantage of the organization for selfish reasons is not allowed and may trigger the expulsion procedure. We believe in collaboration and mutual support and will not tolerate actions that harm the community.
- All kinds of frustration tactics intended to frustrate organization members into quitting are not acceptable and may result in expulsion. We encourage all members to participate in community decisions and value diverse perspectives.
- Inactivity removal will be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account extenuating circumstances and the overall health of the wiki community. Inactive organization members may have their membership formally changed to “Memorial membership”.
- Organization members who have been long-term suspended or repeatedly suspended may be expelled. Showing disrespect of IWFs values by repeatedly violating policies is not tolerated.
Should a single editor of a member wiki be responsible for actions that could trigger expulsion, the wiki upon notice will be expected to deal with the situation internally. Further violations will be at the discretion of remaining IWF members.
By upholding these guidelines, we aim to maintain a positive and supportive environment for all members and foster collaboration and growth within our community.