Envisioning an alternative world


AltSalt Community Guidelines


Last updated: August 12, 2020

AltSalt is a catalog and community of alternative voices that aims to allow readers to easily discover new creators, as well as provide a space where diverse groups can learn and draw inspiration from one another.

We are committed to being a safe, respectful, healthy, positive, enriching resource that can hold the complexity of our creators’ experiences and diversity of our viewpoints, with a principal goal of creating a more understanding and reciprocal world.

In order to create that space, we’ve set forth the following guidelines. Note that this is a living document, and we expect these guidelines to evolve as we grow as a resource and community.



Guidelines for Content

AltSalt promotes content by its community members via submissions, user profiles, listings, and articles, as well as through additional features we may introduce in the future. The following content guidelines apply to this and other user-created content on AltSalt.


We Encourage the Following

DO submit content that you believe in, regardless of its perceived commercial value.

DO draw on the unique experiences from your culture, community, or background.

DO experiment and try new things.

DO make best efforts regarding grammar, spelling, and punctuation.


Problematic and Questionable Content

• Pornography. Content whose purpose is to stimulate erotic rather than emotional or aesthetic feelings is not allowed.

• Hate Speech. While we aim to be a space where the effects of hate speech may be discussed when appropriate, hate speech itself or content that glorifies hate groups will not be tolerated.

• Illegal Material. Do not submit illegal material, including child pornography or bestiality.

• Harm to Minors. Content featuring the abuse of a minor is not allowed. Notable exceptions include instances for where there is strong justification for its inclusion, such as educational discussion regarding one’s own childhood trauma.

• Copyright and Trademark Infringement. Content containing unlawful use of copyrighted or trademarked material that does not fall under “fair use” is prohibited.

• Spam. Promotional content and other items with little or no aesthetic value are prohibited and will be removed or rejected.



Code of Conduct

AltSalt may provide community members the opportunity to meet in online spaces or in-person meetups. By participating in these spaces, members pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, and healthy community. Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our community include:

• Demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people

• Being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints, and experiences

• When appropriate, giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback

• Accepting responsibility and apologizing to those affected by our mistakes, and learning from the experience

• Focusing on what is best not just for us as individuals, but for the overall community


We all have a hand in creating a safe and respectful community, and we encourage members to look out for each other. If you see any behavior that you find questionable, or you are the target of any harmful behavior, please let an AltSalt staff member or volunteer know.

In addition, individuals who have engaged in harmful behaviours outside of AltSalt can be held accountable within its online and in-person spaces. Anyone with a history of conducting sexual assault, abuse, or other harmful behaviours may be banned or otherwise not permitted to enter.

Any AltSalt staff or volunteer may ban you or ask you to leave a space if your behaviour makes others uncomfortable. Bans may be temporary or permanent depending on the offense. AltSalt staff and volunteers are also expected to adhere to this code of conduct.


Contact Information

Instances of unacceptable behavior may be reported to Artemio Morales at artemio [at] altsalt.com, or any moderators or volunteers staffing the space in question.



References

• Introduction and examples of healthy behaviour in this Code of Conduct are adapted from the Contributor Covenant 2.0, with the addition of 'when appropriate' to the clause regarding feedback.

• The rest of this policy is inspired by and adapted from the Babycastles Art Gallery community policy.