on tone

Tempers are running high, and it's sometimes easy to let personal frustration with a particular turn in the discussion devolve into statements that could be read as insulting or threatening by others.  Neither is appropriate.

In Aleecia's words from a little more than a month ago:

> We could -- and should -- do a better job on civility, please. I now understand that what I think is acceptable in a workplace is more traditional than where some of us work, so ideas like "professionalism" are not connecting. We span many cultures. Let me try a different set of suggestions to see if this helps. See what you think. 
> 	Before you send a message, please re-read it for tone. Imagine you are sending it to someone a generation older than you are, and you respect that person very much. If you see something in your message that would be harsh or jarring to send to someone you highly respect, that is a hint to reword your text.
> 	On the flip side, I see people protesting great offense over text that may not have been meant to be offensive. When reading text, it may help to read it as if it is from a playful friend, and try not to read venom into every line when the author may simply have been pressed for time. 
> 	Finally, when you find yourself complaining about the tone of someone else's text, imagine someone reading the words you write just after inhaling helium in a high, squeaky voice. If you might sound like you are whining, you might find a way to re-write. 


If anybody has concerns with specific communications from other participants in the group, please bring those concerns to my attention off-list.

Thanks,
-- 
Thomas Roessler, W3C <tlr@w3.org> (@roessler)

Received on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 14:45:21 UTC