Merge pull request #543 from github/automated-sync-1983562562

Sync Community Forum CoC with Community Guidelines + add Appeal and Reinstatement doc

Author: vollmera

Policies/github-appeal-and-reinstatement.md

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+---
+title: GitHub Appeal and Reinstatement
+versions:
+  fpt: '*'
+topics:
+  - Policy
+  - Legal
+---
+## Appeal and Reinstatement
+
+While the majority of interactions between individuals in GitHub’s community fall within our Acceptable Use Policies and Community Guidelines, violations of those policies do occur at times. When they do, GitHub staff may need to take enforcement action to address the violations. However, in some cases there may be a basis to reverse a moderation action taken by GitHub Staff.
+
+## What are appeals and reinstatements?
+
+Both appeals and reinstatements arise in relation to disabling of content or restrictions to access an account.
+
+**Reinstatement**: The user wishes to regain access to their account or content and is willing to make any necessary changes to address the violation and must agree not to violate our terms going forward.
+
+**Appeal**: The user disputes that a violation occurred and can provide additional information to show that a different decision should have been reached.
+
+## How this works
+
+If you seek reinstatement or wish to appeal an enforcement action, please fill out our [Appeal and Reinstatement form](https://support.github.com/contact/reinstatement).
+
+GitHub staff will review the information provided in the form to determine whether there is sufficient information to warrant reinstatement or granting of an appeal.
+
+* **Reinstatement**: Where a user can agree to abide by our Acceptable Use Policies moving forward and has made the changes necessary to address the violation(s), we may choose to reinstate their account or content depending on the circumstances and severity of the initial violation.
+
+All legitimate reinstatement requests will be reviewed initially by GitHub staff and will be answered with a decision.
+
+* **Appeal**: Where a user seeks to dispute a decision, they can use the form to explain their basis for disputing the decision and to provide any additional information regarding the alleged violation that they believe should have led to a different decision. If the information provided demonstrates that a different conclusion should have been reached, we may be able to grant an appeal.
+
+If the GitHub staff reviewer is the same person who made the initial determination and that staff member believes their initial conclusion was correct (and thus would be inclined to deny the appeal), a different member of GitHub’s staff will independently review the appeal. All legitimate appeals will be answered with a final decision.
+
+## Transparency
+
+We track appeals and reinstatements in our [transparency reports](https://github.blog/2022-01-27-2021-transparency-report/#Appeals_and_other_reinstatements).

Policies/github-community-forum-code-of-conduct.md

@@ -11,13 +11,13 @@ topics:
 
 ## Overview and Purpose
 
-Millions of developers host millions of projects on GitHub — both open and closed source — and we're honored to play a part in enabling collaboration across the developer community every day. Together, we all have an exciting opportunity and responsibility to make this a community we can be proud of.
+Millions of developers across the world host millions of projects—both open and closed source—on GitHub. We're fortunate to be able to play a part in enabling collaboration across the developer community every day, which is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. Together, we all have the exciting opportunity to make this a community we can be proud of.
 
 The GitHub Community Forum is intended to be a place for further collaboration, support, and brainstorming. This is a civilized place for connecting with other users, learning new skills, sharing feedback and ideas, and finding all the support you need for your GitHub projects. By participating in this Community, you are agreeing to the same [Terms of Service](/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service/) and [GitHub Acceptable Use Policies](/github/site-policy/github-acceptable-use-policies) that apply to GitHub.com, as well as this Community-specific Code of Conduct.
 
 With this Code of Conduct, we hope to help you understand how best to collaborate in the GitHub Community Forum, what you can expect from moderators, and what type of actions or content may result in temporary or permanent suspension from Community participation. We will investigate any abuse reports and may moderate public content within the Community that we determine to be in violation of either the GitHub Terms of Service or this Code of Conduct.
 
-GitHub users worldwide bring wildly different perspectives, ideas, and experiences, and range from people who created their first "Hello World" project last week to the most well-known software developers in the world. We are committed to making GitHub and the GitHub Community Forum a welcoming environment for all the different voices and perspectives here, while maintaining a space where people are free to express themselves.
+Our diverse user base brings different perspectives, ideas, and experiences, and ranges from people who created their first "Hello World" project last week to the most well-known software developers in the world. We are committed to making GitHub an environment that welcomes all the different voices and perspectives our community has to offer, while maintaining a safe place for developers to do their best work.
 
 ## Pledge
 
@@ -29,23 +29,26 @@ Treat the GitHub Community Forum with respect. We are a shared resource — a pl
 
 The following are not hard and fast rules, merely aids to the human judgment of our Community. Use these guidelines to keep this a clean, well-lighted place for civilized public discourse.
 
-### *Best Practices for Building a Strong Community*
+### *Best Practices for Maintaining a Strong Community*
 
-- Be respectful and considerate.
-  - **Be welcoming and open-minded.** Other Community members may not have the same experience level or background as you, but that doesn't mean they don't have good ideas to contribute. We encourage you to be welcoming to new members and those just getting started.
-  - **Respect each other.**  Nothing sabotages healthy conversation like rudeness. Be civil and professional, and don’t post anything that a reasonable person would consider offensive, abusive, or hate speech. Don’t harass or grief anyone. Treat each other with dignity and consideration in all interactions.
+The primary purpose of the GitHub community is to collaborate on software projects. We are committed to maintaining a community where users are free to express themselves and challenge one another's ideas, both technical and otherwise. At the same time, it's important that users remain respectful and allow space for others to contribute openly. In order to foster both a safe and productive environment, we encourage our community members to look to these guidelines to inform how they interact on our platform. Below, you’ll find some suggestions for how to have successful interactions as a valued member of the GitHub community.
+
+- Engage with consideration and respect.
+
+     - **Be welcoming and open-minded** - New users join our community each day. Some are well-established developers, while others are just beginning. Be open to other ideas and experience levels. Make room for opinions other than your own and be welcoming to new collaborators and those just getting started.
+
+     - **Be respectful** - Working in a collaborative environment means disagreements may happen. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Share thoughtful, constructive criticism and be courteous to those you interact with. If you’re unable to engage respectfully, consider taking a step back or using some of our moderation tools to deescalate a tense situation. 
+
+     - **Be empathetic** - GitHub is a global community with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives, many of which may not be your own. Try to put yourself in others’ shoes and understand their feelings before you address them. Do your best to help make GitHub a community where others feel safe to make contributions, participate in discussions, and share different ideas.  
 
-    You may wish to respond to something by disagreeing with it. That’s fine. But remember to criticize ideas, not people. Avoid name-calling, ad hominem attacks, responding to a post’s tone instead of its actual content, and knee-jerk contradiction. Instead, provide reasoned counter-arguments that improve the conversation.
-  - **Communicate with empathy.** Disagreements or differences of opinion are a fact of life. Being part of a community means interacting with people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, many of which may not be your own. If you disagree with someone, try to understand and share their feelings before you address them. This will promote a respectful and friendly atmosphere where people feel comfortable asking questions, participating in discussions, and making contributions.
 - Contribute in a positive and constructive way.
   - **Improve the discussion.** Help us make this a great place for discussion by always working to improve the discussion in some way, however small. If you are not sure your post adds to the conversation, think over what you want to say and try again later.
 
     The topics discussed here matter to us, and we want you to act as if they matter to you, too. Be respectful of the topics and the people discussing them, even if you disagree with some of what is being said.
-  - **Be clear and stay on topic.** Communicating with strangers on the Internet can be awkward. It's hard to convey or read tone, and sarcasm is frequently misunderstood. Try to use clear language, and think about how it will be received by the other person.
+  - **Be clear and stay on topic.** The GitHub Community Forum is for collaboration, sharing ideas, and helping each other get stuff done. Off-topic comments are a distraction (sometimes welcome, but usually not) from getting work done and being productive. Staying on topic helps produce positive and productive discussions.
 
     This applies to sharing links, as well. Any links shared in the Community Forum should be shared with the intent of providing relevant and appropriate information. Links should not be posted to simply drive traffic or attention to a site. Links should always be accompanied by a full explanation of the content and purpose of the link. Posting links, especially unsolicited ones, without relevant and valuable context can come across as advertising or serving even more malicious purposes.
-
-    Additionally, the GitHub Community Forum is for collaboration, sharing ideas, and helping each other get stuff done. Off-topic comments are a distraction (sometimes welcome, but usually not) from getting work done and being productive. Staying on topic helps produce positive and productive discussions.
+    
   - **Share mindfully.** When asking others to give you feedback or collaborate on a project, only share valuable and relevant resources to provide context. Don't post links that don't add value to the Topic, and don't post unsolicited links to your own projects or sites on other user's threads.
 
     Additionally, don't share sensitive information. This includes your own email address. We don't allow the sharing of such information in this Community Forum, as it can create security and privacy risks for the poster, as well as other users. If you'd like to invite other Forum members to collaborate on a project or work with you, share a link to the repository in which the project you are working on exists. By sharing the link to your project repo - with some information on what your project is and what kind of help or feedback you're looking for - you can invite others to collaborate with you via issues or pull requests without having to share your private information. You can also add others as outside collaborators on your project repo to give them special permissions to help you develop your project.