Welcome to the NEAR Governance Forum!
At NEAR, we’re dedicated to open-source innovation, and that starts with an open-source community filled with positivity, active engagement, and respect.
NEAR Community Culture
The NEAR Governance Forum (“the Forum”), and the wider community, serve to nurture the development of the NEAR ecosystem, the community, and the incredible innovation stemming from it.
The culture of the NEAR Community is one of openness , inclusiveness , and positivity .
Oh, and don’t get us wrong - we bet you’re already awesome and reflect that ethos entirely. But, just in case, the community has put together some guidelines to keep us all on track.
Values
The rules and guidelines of this forum have been sculpted to reflect the five core values of the NEAR Foundation.
Ecosystem First
Always put the health and success of the ecosystem above any individual’s interest.
The focus of all members on the forum should be the growth and development of the NEAR Ecosystem. We will not tolerate intentional disruption, subterfuge, or any act which amounts to ‘trolling’.
Openness
Operate transparently and consistently share knowledge to build open communities
The forum, by its very nature, is open, accessible, and transparent. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on anything and everything NEAR.
Pragmatism Over Perfection
Find the right solution not the ideal solution and beat dogmatism by openly considering all ideas.
The NF doesn’t play favorites and is ultimately here to make everyone successful, regardless of where they come from. We are here to BUIDL, and this forum is another tool in the arsenal of the NEAR Ecosystem which will allow us to achieve success. All ideas, regardless of what they are and who they’re from, are welcome in the NEAR Forum.
Make It Feel Simple
Strive to make the complex feel simple so the technology, platform and ecosystem are accessible to all.
The NEAR Ecosystem is global and, naturally, not everyone speaks English as their first language. Let’s keep our discussion as accessible as possible, but don’t shy away from the complex when necessary.
Grow Constantly
Learn, improve and fail productively so the ecosystem and the community are always becoming more effective.
We’re not just here to BUIDL awesome dApps and NEAR fuelled solutions, we’re here to BUIDL ourselves and each other too! There is a tonne of amazing people here (including you) who we can all learn from and teach.
Ultimately , if you’re ever asking yourself ‘should I post this on the forum’ ask yourself if it aligns with the 5 values above. If it does, and it doesn’t violate any other guidelines, fire away 
Guidelines
Much like the blockchain itself, the NEAR Community does not discriminate against participants based on their color, creed, sex, or background. In this respect, we will not tolerate derogatory comments within the Forum whatsoever.
This amounts to comments on another user’s:
- Race
- Nationality
- Gender
- Sexuality
- Age
- Programming skills
That list isn’t exhaustive, and you should keep in mind the below guidelines when posting anything in the Forum or in the wider NEAR community.
When on the Forum, you should:
- Treat others online as you would treat them in real life;
- Be tolerant towards other’s viewpoints; respectfully disagree when opinions do not align;
- Respect the privacy and personal information of other contributors;
- Communicate with courtesy and respect;
- Provide accurate information, if you are not sure, please cross-check or contact someone from the NEAR Core team for support;
You should not:
- Make personal attacks on other community members;
- Use defamatory remarks or make false statements against others;
- Post prejudiced comments or profanity;
- Post sexually explicit content;
- Post discriminating content, this includes content around religion and politics;
- Bully or make inflammatory remarks to other community members;
- Post spam;
- Use inappropriate, threatening, or derogatory usernames
Failing to adhere to these rules may result in a permanent ban from the NEAR Governance Forum without warning.
It is up to the discretion of administrators (staff) on the forum as to what terms violate a rule.
Providing Constructive Feedback & Criticism
When you wish to share criticism or feedback around a proposal, thread, or comment on the forum, it’s essential you do so constructively.
This resource contains some wonderful tips on how best to do it.
We can boil that down into a handful of top tips for providing feedback:
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Be specific with your feedback
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Avoid making assumptions
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Refrain from criticising the individual rather than the substance of the topic at hand
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Provide recommendations for ways to improve
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Deliver a feedback sandwich
If you’re ever in doubt about whether a comment is appropriate for the forum, you can reach out to moderators and the @community-team at any time.
Always remember we’re looking to nurture a positive environment in which people can grow, collaborate, and work together toward a larger goal. Providing unconstructive feedback or, at worst, baseless accusations and ad-hominem attacks on any individual will not be tolerated.
Note: Do be aware that there is an extent to which the goal of openness and transparency reaches on an individual basis. You cannot, and should not, expect to receive in-depth answers to every question particularly when the questions are deemed excessive, inappropriate, or off-topic.
If you’d like to provide feedback regarding the Community Guidelines, please reach out to a member of the Community Team (@community-team) on the forum.
What Should I Do if I’m Feeling Attacked or Uncomfortable?
If you or someone you know is feeling attacked or uncomfortable on the NEAR Governance Forum, or you have identified posts that are in violation of the above guidelines, then please report the offending posts using the report system.
How Do I Report a Post?
- Hit the flag icon beneath the offending post
- Select a category and hit 'Flag Post’
- All done
Your post has been sent to the admins for review
On that note, a huge welcome to the NEAR Community , we’re excited to BUIDL with you!