Code of conduct

v1.0 – September 2022

As a community, we welcome everyone and encourage an open and positive environment. Collaboration and networking are highly encouraged – in fact, they’re part of what make The Portfolio Collective so unique. Not only is this a space where you can further your career, it’s a place where intimate friendships are born and mentors are found. It’s a place of innovation, creativity and above all else, support.

In order to ensure that a positive atmosphere is maintained, we pledge to do everything we can to make our community a safe space. The below code of conduct outlines our expectations for members and highlights what could happen if any of these rules are broken.

If you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the team directly. As always, we’re here to help.

Table of contents

Community code of conduct

 

  • Be welcoming. We want our community to grow and the more welcoming we are, the more safe this space will feel for newcomers. We encourage you to reply to posts, say hello to new members and get involved in any and all events.

     

  • Be respectful. We do not discriminate against anyone, ever. That means that people from all backgrounds and identities are welcome and encouraged to take part in our community. Not all of us will agree with each other, but we should always be respectful and courteous. Remember, a community where people feel threatened or belittled is not a productive one.

     

  • Be kind. A little bit of kindness can go a long way. You never know what someone else is going through or what kind of a day they’re having. That’s why it’s important to be careful choosing your words. Always try to promote positivity where you can. Don’t put others down or use insulting language.

     

  • Be constructive. Feedback is always welcome, both positive and negative, but it’s important to make sure that any negative feedback is provided respectfully and with professional tact. Disagreements are bound to happen and it’s important that we approach differing views constructively. Don’t forget that we’re all human.

     

  • Engage and collaborate. We’re here to help each other learn and grow and often this means business opportunities arise. If you see an opportunity to work with someone in the community, then by all means do so! However, remember that we’re all professionals and most people will want to get paid for the work they provide.

     

  • Be patient. Everyone works to a different schedule, so remember it may take someone a few hours or even days to get back to you. That doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in what you have to say.

     

  • Create a safe space. Make sure to take conversations to private messaging if the topic seems personal or the participant doesn’t want their thoughts to be showcased publicly. Never share something that someone expressly asked you not to.

     

  • Celebrate milestones. The best part of being in a community is celebrating our accomplishments. Don’t forget to share your wins and support other people’s professional development.

     

  • Promote yourself and others. People often come to our community looking to land work or find someone who can help with a project. Self-promotion is absolutely welcome here. Don’t be afraid to put yourself forward if you think your services can help someone else out.

     

  • Mentor others. Wisdom and experience can go a long way. If you’ve got some knowledge to share, by all means do so! We highly encourage mentorships and constant relationship building.

  • Don’t hijack the conversation. Going off on a bit of a tangent is fine, but try not to change the topic completely on someone else’s post. Everyone has a platform to speak and be heard. If we see anyone spamming posts or taking over someone else’s conversation, we’ll make sure to step in.

Events & Courses Code of Conduct

Our code of conduct goes beyond our platform and applies to our events and courses as well.  

  • Be respectful. We do not discriminate against anyone, ever. That means that people from all backgrounds and identities are welcome and encouraged to take part in our events and courses. Not all of us will agree with each other, but we should always be respectful and courteous. Remember, a community where people feel threatened or belittled is not a productive one.

  • Sell, softly. Whilst we encourage self-promotion on the platform, because people often come to our community looking to land work or find someone who can help with a project, other than our community networking events we suggest approaching our events and courses with learning in mind. Taking part in these events and courses, we’re all learning from one another. Bring your experience and expertise but leave promotion until the conversation continues on the platform.

  • Create a safe space. Feedback is always welcome, both positive and negative, but it’s important to make sure that any negative feedback is provided respectfully and with professional tact. Don’t forget that we’re all human and especially in live discussions during our courses we need to ensure the space remains safe.

  • Be kind. A little bit of kindness can go a long way. You never know what someone else is going through or what kind of a day they’re having. That’s why it’s important to be careful choosing your words. Always try to promote positivity where you can. Don’t put others down or use insulting language.

  • Celebrate milestones. The best part of being in a community is celebrating our accomplishments. Don’t forget to share your wins and support other people’s professional development.

  • Mentor others. Wisdom and experience can go a long way. If you’ve got some knowledge to share, by all means do so! We highly encourage mentorships and constant relationship building and most of our courses provide some opportunities to mentor others as you learn too.

  • Don’t hijack the conversation. Going off on a bit of a tangent is fine, but try not to change the topic completely with an event. Everyone has a platform to speak and be heard, put we must remain respectful to the speakers who are giving their time and expertise.

Diversity Statement

One of the things that makes our community so rich is it’s diversity. The Portfolio Collective is composed of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds with a myriad of viewpoints and experiences. We encourage everyone to participate and are committed to keeping this space open to everyone. We seek to treat everyone as fairly and equally as possible. If we fail in that pursuit, you can be certain that we will acknowledge our shortcomings and strive to do better.

If a community member makes a mistake, we expect them to take responsibility for it in much the same fashion. If someone has been harmed or offended by something that took place in our community, we will listen and investigate thoroughly, doing our best to right whatever wrong has occurred.

We hope to create a safe space that honors age, gender, gender identity or expression, professional experience, sexual orientation, religion, culture, language, ethnicity, race, political belief, socioeconomic status, or technical fluency. Of course, that is by no means an exhaustive list. Be assured that discrimination based on any protected characteristics like disability is in breech of our code of conduct.

Community rules

  • Don’t spam the platform. We encourage users to promote their services and products where relevant. However, please be careful of posting links to spammy third-party websites or sharing links that are not relevant to the conversation.

  • Don’t impersonate others. This pertains to both community members and the TPC team. Impersonation is considered a form of harassment.

  • Don’t break the law. You should never advocate any illegal activities through the forum. Any posts or comments that do so will be removed.

  • Respect each other’s privacy. Don’t share personal information publicly within the community. If you wish to give your personal details to another member, please do so via the private messaging function. Never share anyone else’s personal information without their permission.

  • Don’t discrimination. Sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia or any other kind of discriminatory behaviour is not welcome in our community. If you feel you have been a victim of such behaviour, please contact a member of our team who will investigate.

  • Keep it clean. Do not post content that contains nudity or may be deemed as pornographic or sexually explicit.

  • Don’t threaten violence. Think carefully about the words you use. Even something that may have been intended as a joke may be perceived differently by someone else. If we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or a threat to public safety, we will take the necessary measures to report it to the proper authorities.

  • Don’t bully or harass. Bullying is any sort of habitual pestering or intimidation targeted at a specific person or group. If someone doesn’t want you to do or say something and you continue to do so, then we will have to step in.

  • Don’t claim ownership of someone else’s work. If you share something you yourself didn’t create, you must have the permission to do so.

How we enforce the rules

If you see something that doesn’t look right or if you feel you are experiencing harassment or bullying within the community, please flag it up directly with The Portfolio Collective Team via direct messaging. We aim to respond to any messages within 48 hours of the issue being raised. Anything you say to us will be kept confidential until further action needs to be taken.

We promise to investigate any reports made of inappropriate or offensive behaviour. Please be aware that each case may require a different approach, and we will try to tailor our response accordingly. Depending on the situation, we may decide to:

  • Remove or block the content
  • Issue a warning
  • Suspend the offending party’s account
  • Block the offending party’s account

We expect all community members who are contacted by staff to listen to the feedback provided.

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