Data Behind the Scenes is the tech conference centered on the real stories of data work from the folks in the trenches. This is a place to share the messy, honest experiences that happen when the demo ends and actual work begins. In order to achieve this, we need to set mutual expectations among conference attendees, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, media, and the broader community.

Community

The heart of Data Behind the Scenes is its community, and what is a community without a gathering place? This year, that gathering place is the Data Behind the Scenes community Discord. During the event the Data Behind the Scenes Discord will be available as part of the conference to the tech community to facilitate dialogue and engage with like-minded individuals.

What Data Behind the Scenes Should Be:

A casual, positive, collaborative space for people who work with data to engage in the content being shared by our speakers and to engage with each other.

What Data Behind the Scenes Shouldn’t Be:

Unprofessional, exclusionary, or hostile.

The Rules: Language, Behavior, and Communication

Data Behind the Scenes attendees come from all over the globe. We believe that the diversity of place and persons will only serve to enhance the experience of the conference. There is therefore no one correct way to communicate at Data Behind the Scenes. There are, however, just a few ways not to communicate in any Data Behind the Scenes-affiliated spaces. (The affiliated spaces include session livestreams, Discord channels, Zoom chat, conference Twitter or Bluesky threads, and other spaces created by the conference organizers for conference use.) Here are a few of them:

• No use of discriminatory language.
• No use of sexualized language.
• No spamming, trolling, or otherwise disruptive behavior.
• No @ -mentioning everyone in a Discord channel or abuse of the community technology.
• No threatening or harassing behavior or communication. This includes but is not limited to: repeatedly contacting individuals who have said to stop; releasing sensitive information about individuals (also known as “doxxing”); any form of direct or indirect bullying of any other conference attendee.

If evidence is reported of an extreme violation of the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct outside Data Behind the Scenes-affiliated spaces during the conference which has had an adverse impact upon attendees, admins reserve the right to review these violations and moderate accordingly.

Enforcement

Enforcement of the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct will be performed by conference operators, official volunteers, and moderators (jointly referred to as Conference “Admins”). Any decisions by an admin or admins to warn, mute, or eject conference-goers for the breaking of the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct rules in spirit or fact is non-negotiable and not subject to appeal.

The Role of Moderators (Mods)

Each channel within the community will serve the purpose of facilitating specific types of conversations. To ensure this, Data Behind the Scenes organizers and volunteers will be assigned specific channels to monitor as “Mods”.

Mods have the primary role of ensuring that the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct is being followed in spirit and in fact. Mods will monitor channels for toxic behavior that would adversely disrupt the experience of other attendees. If they deem certain behavior to break the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct, they will either issue warnings or expulsion from Data Behind the Scenes.

Warnings: When a mod issues a warning, they will address a user through a DM. Warnings are provided in the following manner:

1). Mods will be explicit that a warning has been issued to said user.

2). Mods will be specific, with screenshots or other evidence, and indicate what the warning is for.

3). Mods will inform the user as to what action should be taken to avoid escalation of any issues, such as to stop using certain language.

4). Mods will communicate the consequence of not following this warning in an expeditious manner.

Expulsion from Data Behind the Scenes: If a user does not abide by the warnings of mods, or if the words or actions of a user are deemed egregious enough, mods will expel attendees from the Data Behind the Scenes Discord community. Such instances will manifest in the following way:

1). Mods will be explicit that a user has egregiously broken the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct in spirit or in fact, and that they are being expelled.

2). Mods will be specific, and indicate what the expulsion is for.

3). Mods will then expel the user from the Data Behind the Scenes Discord.

Any decisions by an admin or admins to warn, mute, or eject conference-goers for the breaking of the Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct rules in spirit or fact is non-negotiable and not subject to appeal.

Reporting

The safety and comfort of Data Behind the Scenes attendees is of utmost concern to Data Behind the Scenes Admins. If you wish to report a possible violation of any Data Behind the Scenes Code of Conduct rules, please reach out to any conference admins by email at databsconf@gmail.com with the subject line “Reporting” and an admin will get back to you as soon as possible. All instances of reporting will be treated with respect and anonymity.