Code of Conduct

SoundBoard helps business owners and marketing professionals of all skill levels learn how to improve their online marketing campaigns and boost their bottom line. As a live event in Athens, GA, it’s an opportunity for attendees covering a wide spectrum of professions and interests to connect, learn, and share in one of America’s most fun and culturally rich cities. The team at Perfect Pitch Concepts has spent years helping businesses think cross-functionally in their approach to marketing, to break down silos and connect the dots between everything from content and SEO to business planning and social media. We created SoundBoard to expand this conversation, share our values, and learn from each other, all while fostering opportunities for our attendees. We believe an explicit code of conduct will help us stay true to this mission and core values as we continue to grow. We value the participation of each member of the online marketing community and want all attendees to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. Accordingly, all attendees are expected to show respect and courtesy to other attendees throughout SoundBoard and at all SoundBoard surrounding events, such as networking sessions and parties. To make clear what is expected, all delegates/attendees, speakers, exhibitors, organizers and volunteers at any SoundBoard event are required to conform to the following Code of Conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event. We want you to be happy at our event. People like you make our event a better place!

The Short Version

SoundBoard is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks. As we serve a tech savvy audience, communication does include social media postings by attendees concerning SoundBoard. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees. Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate for SoundBoard. Attendees violating these rules may be asked to leave the conference without a refund at the sole discretion of the conference organizers. Thank you for helping make this a welcoming, friendly event for all.

The Longer Version

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Activities related to or associated with SoundBoard are also subject to the anti-harassment policy. In particular, attendees should not use sexualized images, activities, or other material. Staff, including volunteers, should not use sexualized clothing/uniforms/costumes, or otherwise create a sexualized environment. Be careful in the words that you choose. Remember that sexist, racist, and other exclusionary jokes can be offensive to those around you. Excessive swearing and offensive jokes are not appropriate for SoundBoard. If a participant engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the conference with no refund.

Contact Information

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a SoundBoard organizer, who can either directly help or contact another SoundBoard organizer who can. If the matter is especially urgent, please contact any of these individuals: Michael Hamrick, SoundBoard Director Stephen Rosenberg, SoundBoard Director SoundBoard organizers and volunteers will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.

Procedure for Handling Harassment

Attendee Procedure for Incident Handling

1. Keep in mind that all SoundBoard staff will be wearing a name badge with the words "SoundBoard Staff" on it, and all SoundBoard staff members will be prepared to handle the incident. All of our staff are informed of the code of conduct policy and guide for handling harassment at the conference. There has already been and will be an additional pre-SoundBoard meeting where SoundBoard staffers will receive information about working at SoundBoard, including reiteration of the code of conduct.

2. Report the harassment incident, preferably in writing, to a conference staff member. All reports are confidential.

When reporting the event to staff, try to gather as much information as available, but do not interview people about the incident. Staff will assist you in writing the report and collecting information. The important information consists of:

• Identifying information (name/company) of the participant doing the harassing
• The behavior that was in violation
• The approximate time of the behavior (if different than the time the report was made)
• The circumstances surrounding the incident
• Other people involved in the incident

SoundBoard staff are well-informed on how to deal with an incident and how to further proceed with the situation. If everyone is presently physically safe, involve law enforcement or security only at a victim's request. While at the event venue, if you do feel your safety is in jeopardy, please do not hesitate to find a SoundBoard staff member or if more convenient visit the event venue office.. Security Control will then contact 911 and alert event managers and SoundBoard staff. If a medically-related emergency, please follow the same procedure. While at other venues, if you do feel your safety is in jeopardy, please do not hesitate to contact local law enforcement by dialing 911. If you do not have a cell phone, you can use any venue phone or simply ask a staff member. A listing of SoundBoard staff is located here. If at all possible, all reports should be made directly to Michael Hamrick and/or Stephen Rosenberg.

SoundBoard Staff Procedure for Incident Handling

Be sure to have a good understanding of our Code of Conduct policy above. Also have a good understanding of what is expected from an attendee that wants to report a harassment incident, also above. Try to get as much of the incident in written form by the reporter. If you cannot, transcribe it yourself as it was told to you. The important information to gather includes the following:

• Identifying information (name/company) of the participant doing the harassing
• The behavior that was in violation
• The approximate time of the behavior (if different than the time the report was made)
• The circumstances surrounding the incident
• Other people involved in the incident

Prepare an initial response to the incident. This initial response is very important and will set the tone for SoundBoard. Depending on the severity/details of the incident, please follow these guidelines:

• Take them seriously. Always bias toward empathizing with a victim/reporter and be supportive, not skeptical.
• If there is any general threat to attendees or the safety of anyone, including conference staff, is in doubt, summon security or police.
• Offer the victim a private place to sit.
• Ask "is there a friend or trusted person who you would like to be with you?" (If so, arrange for someone to fetch this person.)
• Ask them "how can I help?"
• Provide them with your list of emergency contacts if they need help later.
• If everyone is presently physically safe, involve law enforcement or security only at a victim's request.

There are also some guidelines as to what not to do as an initial response: Do not overtly invite them to withdraw the complaint or mention that withdrawal is okay. This suggests that you want them to do so and is therefore coercive. "If you're okay with [pursuing the complaint]" suggests that you are by default pursuing it and is not coercive. Do not ask for their advice on how to deal with the complaint. This is a SoundBoard staff responsibility. Do not offer them input into penalties. This is also the responsibility of SoundBoard staff.. Once something is reported to a SoundBoard staff member, immediately meet with Michael Hamrick, and/or Stephen Rosenberg. The main objectives of this meeting is to find out the following:

• What happened?
• Are we doing anything about it?
• Who is doing those things?
• When are they doing them?

After the staff meeting and discussion, have a SoundBoard staffer (preferably Michael or Stephen if available) communicate with the alleged harasser. Make sure to inform them of what has been reported about them. Allow the alleged harasser to give their side of the story to the staff. After this point, if report stands, let the alleged harasser know what actions will be taken against them. Some things for SoundBoard staffers to consider when dealing with Code of Conduct offenders:

• Warning the harasser to cease their behavior and that any further reports will result in sanctions.
• Requiring that the harasser avoid any interaction with, and physical proximity to, their victim for the remainder of the event.
• Ending a talk that violates the policy early.
• Not publishing the video or slides of a talk that violated the policy.
• Not allowing a speaker who violated the policy to give (further) talks at the event now or in the future.
• Immediately ending any event responsibilities and privileges the harasser holds.
• Requiring that the harasser not volunteer for future events your organization runs, either indefinitely or for a certain time period.
• Requiring that the harasser immediately leave the event and not return.
• Banning the harasser from future events, either indefinitely or for a certain time period.
• Removing a harasser from membership of relevant organizations, such as banning them from SoundBoard online community assets.
• Publishing an account of the harassment and calling for the resignation of the harasser from their responsibilities. (Usually pursued by people without formal authority: may be called for if the harasser is the event leader, or refuses to stand aside from the conflict of interest, or similar, typically event staff have sufficient governing rights over their space that this isn't as useful.)
• Give accused attendees a place to appeal to if there is one, but in the meantime the report stands. Keep in mind that it is not a good idea to encourage an apology from the harasser.

It is very important how we deal with the incident publicly. Our policy is to make sure that everyone aware of the initial incident is also made aware that it is not according to policy and that official action has been taken - while still respecting the privacy of individual attendees. When speaking to individuals (those who are aware of the incident, but were not involved with the incident) about the incident it is a good idea to keep the details out. Depending on the incident, SoundBoard may decide to make one or more public announcements. If necessary, this will be done with a short announcement either during the event and/or through other channels. No one other than designated SoundBoard staff should make any announcements. If some attendees were angered by the incident, it is best to apologize to them that the incident occurred to begin with. If there are residual hard feelings, suggest to them to write an email to Michael Hamrick or Stephen Rosenberg. It will be dealt with accordingly. A listing of SoundBoard staff is located here. If at all possible, all reports should be made directly to Michael Hamrick and/or Stephen Rosenberg.

License

This Code of Conduct was adopted from the example policy from the Geek Feminism Wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers, which is under a Creative Commons Zero license.