This document describes the guidelines for the Istio community chat platform.
- Getting started
- Creating channels
- Escalating and/or reporting a problem
- Admin moderation guidelines
- Deactivating accounts
- Specific channel rules
- Direct message conversations
Mailing lists (istio-users@ or istio-dev@ are the primary communication channel for the Istio project. All design discussions and decisions take place there. The Istio community has requested a chat communication platform to supplement the mailing lists. Chat can be useful as a tool for getting unstuck, to share ideas, and to build camaraderie.
Istio uses Rocket.Chat as our official community chat platform. All are welcome to join the community and get involved. It is important that conversations stay on topic in each channel, and that we all abide by the Code of Conduct. Chat is searchable and public. Do not make comments that you would not say on a video recording or in another public space. Be courteous to others so all have a positive experience.
Istio chat discussions are not staffed or continuously monitored. You should not expect to receive an immediate reply. Chat is not an official support forum; rather it is a tool for community members to collaborate, learn from, and help each other. DO bring your questions but DON’T be upset if you do not get a timely response; or even a response at all. Remember that if you have a question it’s very likely someone else has had that same question before and will later - the mailing lists are ideal for this type of communication.
Please reach out to the #rocket-admins group with your request to create a new channel.
Channels are dedicated to working groups, community topics, and platforms.
Channels are not:
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Company-specific; cloud providers are ok with product names as the channel. Discourse will be about Istio-related topics and not proprietary information of the provider.
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Private unless there is an exception: code of conduct matters, mentoring, security/vulnerabilities, or steering committee.
Typical naming conventions: #wg-foo #meetup-foo #location-users #projectname
All channels need a documented purpose. Use this space to welcome the targeted community: promote your meetings, post agendas, etc.
We may make special accommodations where necessary.
Join the #admins channel or contact one of the admins in the closest timezone via DM directly and describe the situation. If the issue can be documented, please take a screenshot to include in your message.
What if you have a problem with an admin? Send a DM to another listed admin and describe the situation or if it’s a code of conduct issue, please send an email to istio-steering@ and describe the situation.
Be mindful of how you handle communication during stressful interactions. Administrators act as direct representatives of the community, and need to maintain a very high level of professionalism at all times. If you feel too involved in the situation to maintain impartiality or professionalism, that’s a great time to enlist the help of another admin.
Try to take any situations that involve upset or angry members to DM or video chat. Please document these interactions for other admins to review.
Content will be automatically removed if it violates code of conduct or is a sales pitch. Admins will take a screenshot of such behavior in order to document the situation. The community takes such violations extremely seriously, and they will be handled swiftly.
For reasons listed below, admins may deactivate/remove individual Rocket.Chat accounts:
- Spreading spam content in DMs and/or channels
- Not adhering to the code of conduct in DMs and/or channels
- Overtly selling products, whether related or unrelated to Istio
In the case that certain channels have rules or guidelines, they will be listed in the purpose or pinned docs of that channel.
Please do not engage in proprietary company specific conversations in the Istio Rocket.Chat instance. This is meant for conversations around related Istio open source topics and community. Proprietary conversations should occur in your company communication platforms. As with all communication, please be mindful of appropriateness, professionalism, and applicability to the Istio community.