Idea: how to ensure awareness of Codes of Conduct

[major_clanger]

Loncon 3 seemed to do quite well with its Code of Conduct; it was available on the website and reprinted in the front of the convention pocket guide. As far as I'm aware, there were only a handful of incidents reported to the convention staff that required it to be applied.

However, I've seen discussion about the convention that suggests that some attendees still did not understand what the CoC was meant to set out in terms of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. I've been giving some thought to how we might ensure that everyone at a convention is clearly and unambiguously aware of the CoC, and more importantly, can be proven to be aware of it.

At Loncon 3, registration involved being handed your badge. How about if instead we handed over a sealed envelope containing the badge, printed up as below. (The box with my name in is an indication that there would be a sticker identifying whose badge was inside).



For this to work, you have to plan this from the outset, and ensure that:

- for online memberships, anyone joining has to click on a 'I agree with the Code of Conduct' tick-box in order to join;

- for direct sales, there is a 'sign to agree our Code of Conduct' box on the membership form.

This makes it absolutely clear both when you join the convention and when you pick up your badge that the Code of Conduct applies to you.

I've put in the refund option because I think this strengthens the convention's position: it allows someone a final chance to say 'no, I don't want to be bound by this'. Of course, as it excludes what we lawyers call consequential expenses (e.g. travel and hotel) I doubt that many people will exercise it, but the fact that it's there helps avoid arguments about the validity of the 'open the envelope and you're agreeing' notice.

(For those interested in the legality: this isn't a shrink-wrap licence situation, as the notice on the envelope is just confirming what members have expressly signed up to when they joined. Rather, it's actually adding an exit clause to the membership contract.)

Comments

[vicarage.livejournal.com]

And we don't have a Highway Code warning plastered to the centre of our steering wheels.

Perhaps you should require people to do a little test, like you do to show you understand corporate security rules.

Your aims are laudable, but your methods too heavy handed.

[t--m--i.livejournal.com]

My gut reaction was the same (though it's not like I have the magic solution, and batting round thoughts is a good thing).

I couldn't help thinking of pubs which have the "drug dealing is not tolerated on these premises" signs,... A fine indicator of where drug dealing might be found!

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

I'd hope more that it would be along the lines of the 'please be considerate of our neighbours' signs you get in pubs in residential areas - suggesting that it's easy to be inconsiderate, rather than that it's likely someone is going to do something very wrong.