Chat Code of Conduct

Belfast Design Community is a professional and welcoming space for designers, founders, developers, researchers and other members of the community.

1. Respect others. Treat every member with respect, even when you strongly disagree.

2. No abuse or harassment. Personal attacks, insults, intimidation, bullying, discriminatory comments, aggressive behaviour or repeated targeting of another member are not acceptable.

3. Challenge ideas, not people. Debate and disagreement are welcome, but discussion should focus on the topic rather than the person.

4. Respect boundaries. Members are not required to respond to messages, defend their opinions, continue discussions or engage with suggestions.

5. Keep discussions constructive. Repeatedly provoking conflict, disrupting conversations or creating an uncomfortable environment for other members may result in moderation.

6. Complaints are treated confidentially. Members can raise concerns directly with the community organiser. The identity of a person making a complaint will not normally be shared with other members.

7. Five person rule. If complaints about a member’s behaviour are received independently from five different community members, the organisers may remove that person from the community chat. The organisers are not required to publicly disclose the complainants or reproduce private complaints.

8. Serious incidents do not require five complaints. Threats, severe harassment, discrimination, spam, illegal content or other serious misconduct may result in immediate removal.

9. Moderation decisions are made to protect the community as a whole. Participation in Belfast Design Community and its chats is a privilege, not an entitlement.

The goal is simple: disagree freely, challenge ideas respectfully, and treat people well.