Title: Proposal Update: Decision making checklist for safe, in-person meetups
Author: Angela Jin
Published: January 26, 2021
Last modified: February 18, 2021

---

 [  ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/) [Angela Jin](https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/)
10:25 am _on_ January 26, 2021     
Tags: [#meetups ( 52 )](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetups/),
[community-events ( 69 )](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/community-events/)

# Proposal Update: Decision making checklist for safe, in-person meetups

Feb 4, 2021 Update: The date to give feedback on this post has been extended by 
one week! Please share your feedback by February 12.

Following the [proposal earlier this month around a decision making checklist for safe, in-person meetups](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2021/01/07/proposal-decision-making-checklist-for-safe-in-person-meetups/),
there was additional conversation and questions about how an organizer would use
the checklist. To help everyone better understand the process as currently envisioned,
I’ve done my best to describe it below, incorporating some additional, excellent
ideas that were shared. Before moving forward on this, I invite everyone to read
through this process, and to share your feedback. 

_A quick note: until this process is implemented, all WordCamps and MeetupsMeetup
Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events
on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
are expected to be held online.The Community team knows that it is still very unsafe
to meet in person in many areas. The goal of this process is to help meetupMeetup
Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events
on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
organizers assess the risk of hosting an in-person event, in the hopes that some
areas that have more effectively contained COVID (like New Zealand and Taiwan) can
be supported in hosting in-person meetups._

The process as currently envisioned would look like this for a meetup organizer:

 1. **Review the resources. **Meetup organizers would reference some new (to be created)
    handbook pages in the Meetup Organizer Handbook. These new pages will include: 
 2.  * The checklist to determine whether organizers can proceed, with caution, in 
       organizing an in-person event.
     * Links to frequently referenced health authority data, to help organizers determine
       positivity rates, basic reproduction number, etc. 
     * Templates to help meetup organizers, such as language for requesting info for
       contract tracing, expected behavior and safety protocols, etc. 
     * Reporting mechanism that allows organizers and community members to report to
       Community deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies)
       are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, 
       interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find 
       more about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
       if they need support or see any safety concerns or broken protocols. 
 3. **Use the checklist. **The Meetup organizer uses the checklist (put together based
    off of feedback from the [previous proposal](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2021/01/07/proposal-decision-making-checklist-for-safe-in-person-meetups/)),
    which is a CrowdSignal form embedded in the handbook page. The form will only recommend
    moving forward with an in-person meetup if organizers are able to answer yes to
    all questions. Organizers can use the handbook page with links to health authority
    data, or use local resources, to help fill in the checklist.
 4.  * **The checklist recommends “no”. **If the checklist says “no”, organizers are
       expected to follow this recommendation. At this point, they can close out the
       survey without submitting. If they would like to provide the Community team 
       with feedback on the form, or share what health authority references they used,
       they do have that option.
     * **The checklist recommends “yes, proceed with caution”. **If the organizer gets
       the recommendation that they can proceed with an in-person meetup, they will
       be required to submit the form, which also asks for: 
        - Agreement to the recommendations and guidelines provided.
        - Organizer name, Meetup URLURL A specific web address of a website or web 
          page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org, health authority
          references

**Although organizers do not need to wait for further approval from the Community
team, submitting the form is mandatory for organizers who want to organize in-person
meetups. **

 3. **Organize the in-person meetup. **If the organizers proceed with an in person 
    event, they can use templates in the meetup description to explain safety protocols
    or measures to their meetup participants. Some examples might include expected 
    behaviors (wearing a mask, agreeing to share contact information for contact tracing,
    etc), or that the meetup may move online or be cancelled if local situations change.
 4. **Reporting back to Community Deputies. **If something unexpected happens, the 
    Community team would like to know immediately. Organizers and meetup attendees 
    can reach us in a number of ways: by pinging deputiesProgram Supporter Community
    Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review
    WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving
    at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
    in the [#community-events](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/community-events/)
    channel, or emailing [support@wordcamp.org](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2021/01/26/proposal-update-decision-making-checklist-for-safe-in-person-meetups/support@wordcamp.org?output_format=md).
    Community members can report concerns or ask questions, specifically around in-
    person meetups, using a new, dedicated handbook page. 

Community Team deputies will be responsible for directing meetup organizers to these
resources, answering questions as they come up, and broadly, to help all meetups
follow these guidelines. 

## Feedback requested

Please share your thoughts on this proposal update by Friday, February 12, 2021.
Specifically, it would be helpful to hear:

 * Are the steps or checks missing in this process? 
 * Do you have any questions about the process?
 * What happens if organizers or attendees don’t follow these guidelines?

Thank you all for your patience and thoughtful feedback in creating this process.
This is a hard, hard topic with no precedent we can refer to, so I am grateful that
this considerate community is tackling this together. 

_Kudos to [@sippis](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/), [@andreamiddleton](https://profiles.wordpress.org/andreamiddleton/),
[@evarlese](https://profiles.wordpress.org/evarlese/), [@jenniferswisher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jenniferswisher/)
for helping to write this post! _

[#meetups](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/meetups/)

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 1.  ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1fca83ee8490ae9ab4b26cd13bf41002d74e69f2ba77d2762632308a26ad2bfc?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 2.   [Angela Jin](https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/)  10:29 am _on_ January
     26, 2021
 3.  Work has begun on these handbook pages and the form. **These are not complete 
     just yet**, and will be updated based on the feedback on this post, but if you
     would like to preview or help me write these pages, you can do so here!
 4.   * [Draft (emphasis on the word draft!) handbook pages](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-gdD4Hzsuft51UoP3d2kJdGt7reYGHmLbDm0vvxFS8o/edit?usp=sharing).
      * [Checklist form](http://wordcampcentral.survey.fm/host-in-person-meetup-checklist)–
        this will be embedded in the handbook page, but please feel free to click through
        and experiment with this survey, and let me know if something doesn’t work 
        properly. I will erase all responses before we go live with the handbook pages.
 5.  If an organizer doesn’t follow these guidelines, I think they should receive a
     warning first. If they continue to ignore the guidelines, they should be asked
     to step away from the leadership role for a period of time. As for attendees, 
     if they do not follow the safety measures outlined by the organizers, I think 
     organizers are in full right to ask them to leave, and to report those attendees
     to Community deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly 
     Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications,
     interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more
     about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/)..
 6.   * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/15c1992340b393e287c6050901b6c4a5a10204d854c84ee8be6be84aca77de95?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Timi Wahalahti](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/)  10:47 am _on_ January
        27, 2021
      * > If an organizer doesn’t follow these guidelines, I think they should receive
        > a warning first. If they continue to ignore the guidelines, they should be
        > asked to step away from the leadership role for a period of time.
      * +1
      * > report those attendees to Community deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program
        > Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review 
        > WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things
        > moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
      * Not sure which, deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly
        Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications,
        interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find
        more about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
        or Incident response team is better for these reports. Yes, deputies oversee
        the event series, but attendees not following set guidelines are in a way breaking
        the CoCCode of Conduct “A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms,
        rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party.” - 
        [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct) which belongs a 
        bit more for the incident response team.
         - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8e997e7b6570ba04b872e29f736ce77a396a6b024e434de7c82530456a253e65?
           s=32&d=mm&r=g)
         -  [Courtney P.K.](https://profiles.wordpress.org/courtneypk/)  12:49 am _on_
           January 28, 2021
         - I see that in the drafted handbook pages, that there’s an “In-person MeetupMeetup
           Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-
           face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about
           Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
           Report form”. I think this is a good idea to separate these reports from
           the regular incident report form!
 7.  ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ab5fa5deb26fe8a730d11dc716d440a67fb5c48c3b74f731c505b6748a58fd7d?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 8.   [Cami Kaos](https://profiles.wordpress.org/camikaos/)  4:23 pm _on_ January 26,
     2021
 9.  The missing piece for me is something that I know we discussed at some point but
     I don’t feel it is reflected here. There should be a reassessment shortly before
     the event is hosted to make sure all guidelines are still met. Things change quickly
     in these times. I don’t want someone to feel like they have to go ahead with an
     event they planned a month ago if elements of safety have changed in their area.
 10.  * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c3f5115b3078fa80d851de49b7a342a1609717d5ae48141d3756408ff8eb66dc?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [JenniferSwisher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jenniferswisher/)  11:55 
        pm _on_ January 27, 2021
      * > The missing piece for me is something that I know we discussed at some point
        > but I don’t feel it is reflected here. There should be a reassessment shortly
        > before the event is hosted to make sure all guidelines are still met.
      * I recall something along these lines as well. From the [original proposal](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2021/01/07/proposal-decision-making-checklist-for-safe-in-person-meetups/):
      * > As such, it may be prudent for organizers to review the checklist up to three
        > times: once before planning the event, before announcing the event, and once
        > again the day before or day of the event. In addition to this system of double
        > checking, all planned in-person events should have a simple backup plan should
        > they need to pivot to an online event at the last minute.
      * It’s not stated as an explicit requirement, but it does seem like it should
        be part of the process. I realize this adds an additional step for the organizer,
        but a final sanity check before the meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-
        organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis(
        commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
        seems like a wise choice.
      * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1fca83ee8490ae9ab4b26cd13bf41002d74e69f2ba77d2762632308a26ad2bfc?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Angela Jin](https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/)  11:13 am _on_ January
        28, 2021
      * Thanks for pointing this out! Right now, as part of the organizer agreeing 
        to the checklist, they are also asked to keep an eye on the local situation
        in case things change and to use the checklist as a guide. Any thoughts on 
        how that could be better implemented?
 11. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/17e3cbd63c4ddcf873d1848277de062a48239d962359ecaf1978e966429f5b6f?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 12.  [Rocio Valdivia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/_dorsvenabili/)  12:44 pm _on_
     January 27, 2021
 13. +1 to the process you’ve described, Angela. Thanks for putting all this together!
 14. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c3f5115b3078fa80d851de49b7a342a1609717d5ae48141d3756408ff8eb66dc?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 15.  [JenniferSwisher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jenniferswisher/)  12:20 am 
     _on_ January 28, 2021
 16. > Reporting back to Community DeputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters(
     > formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup
     > applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp 
     > Central. Find more about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/)..
     > If something unexpected happens, the Community team would like to know immediately.
 17. Is there any reason we can’t proactively follow up with the meetupMeetup Meetup
     groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events 
     on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
     organizer? We could send a short survey with questions such as:
 18.  * What went well?
      * Did you have any unexpected challenges?
      * Is there any kind of support that would have been helpful from the community
        team?
 19. If we don’t want to send a survey, even an email that lets them know again how
     to contact us if issues arise or if they have feedback.
 20. I see a couple of benefits to this:
 21.  a. We’re trying this process out. It would be nice to have feedback from organizers
         about how the meetup and planning process went for them. That way we can continuously
         improve it for when more areas of the world are able to meet in person as well.
      b. We’ve started a dialogue. There’s a possibility they may not respond. But we’ve
         opened the door ahead of time so that if something does go wrong, they have a
         conversation they can go back to and get in touch.
 22.  * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/15c1992340b393e287c6050901b6c4a5a10204d854c84ee8be6be84aca77de95?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Timi Wahalahti](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/)  2:37 pm _on_ February
        4, 2021
      * +1
      * Up to a certain point, proactive follow-ups do work and I think are a great
        idea. Feedback and answers to questions Jennifer listed do help us iterate 
        the process.
      * Thought, at some point there starts to be so many in-person meetupsMeetup Meetup
        groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events
        on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our
        [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
        again that we just don’t have the capacity to contact every organiser. In that
        point, we hopefully have iterated the process if needed and have a much better
        understanding of returning to in-person meetups.
 23. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/256e919d15a299d7da5ec9868517f1392b2e508e74124bb18d622d94feb77846?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 24.  [Sam Suresh](https://profiles.wordpress.org/samsuresh/)  12:03 am _on_ February
     2, 2021
 25. I understand the form will provide instant feedback based on their answers. Will
     the form also send a copy of the submission to [support@wordcamp.org](https://make.wordpress.org/community/2021/01/26/proposal-update-decision-making-checklist-for-safe-in-person-meetups/support@wordcamp.org?output_format=md)?
     
     Since the community team is comprised of global members, at least we can have 
     a look at the situation based on geographical area.
 26. Perhaps it’s a good idea to mention this form must be submitted** 7 days** before
     the actual event?
      This will give us time to assess the situation. Of course, 
     Im not talking about approval but acknowledgement.
 27. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/2fbfa48c6179f7752bdc4d94db341ad207d81b20dffdbd1208b6445a9ea18118?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 28.  [jominney](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jominney/)  5:08 am _on_ February 4,
     2021
 29. My only feedback about the checklist would be to include something about a ‘backup
     plan’ if situations change unexpectedly – maybe something like “do you have a 
     communication plan and strategy for converting the meetupMeetup Meetup groups 
     are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular
     basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
     to online if your situation changes before your meetup date?”
 30. Perhaps below where it asks if the venue allows for rescheduling/refund if required?
 31.  * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/15c1992340b393e287c6050901b6c4a5a10204d854c84ee8be6be84aca77de95?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Timi Wahalahti](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/)  2:32 pm _on_ February
        4, 2021
      * +1
 32. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/17e3cbd63c4ddcf873d1848277de062a48239d962359ecaf1978e966429f5b6f?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 33.  [Rocio Valdivia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/_dorsvenabili/)  12:44 pm _on_
     February 4, 2021
 34. > Although organizers do not need to wait for further approval from the Community
     > team, submitting the form is mandatory for organizers who want to organize in-
     > person meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together
     > for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more
     > about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/)..
 35. After the discussion in the Community Team bi-weekly chat today, I wonder if it’s
     necessary for the form to be mandatorily submitted.
 36. But what if they forget to do it? or if they don’t know about the form? What would
     we do if they don’t submit it?
 37. Just sharing these ideas here in case I’m not the only one with these doubts 🙂
 38.  * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1fca83ee8490ae9ab4b26cd13bf41002d74e69f2ba77d2762632308a26ad2bfc?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Angela Jin](https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/)  2:26 pm _on_ February
        4, 2021
      * I think we do need the form to be submitted as we are asking organizers to 
        agree to following the checklist/new guidelines.
      * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/15c1992340b393e287c6050901b6c4a5a10204d854c84ee8be6be84aca77de95?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Timi Wahalahti](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/)  2:31 pm _on_ February
        4, 2021
      * > After the discussion in the Community Team bi-weekly chat today, I wonder
        > if it’s necessary for the form to be mandatorily submitted.
      * I agree with Angela here. We ask organisers to follow new guidelines so it’s
        important for us to know that the organisers have acknowledged those guidelines.
        Submission of the form should be in my opinion considered as an acknowledgement.
      * It’s also important to know which organiser from the group acknowledged the
        guidelines. What if some group has multiple organisers but only a few of them
        are willing to organise in-person events? If we don’t know who completed the
        form, we can end up in a situation where something happens and we’re not sure
        who of the organisers agreed to follow guidelines and are in a way somewhat
        responsible.
      * > if they don’t know about the form?
      * I’d assume that if they don’t know about the form, they don’t know about the
        possibility about having in-person events again neither. We just need to be
        very VERY clear on all communications about the form and that it’s mandatory
        to complete it.
      * > What if they forget to do it? What would we do if they don’t submit it?
      * If we spot that before the event, ask them to complete the form. If it’s noticed
        after the meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get 
        together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month).
        Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).,
        then I guess we would need to assess the situation. I’d say in that case we
        ask organisers to complete the form nevertheless – if the result is a go for
        the in-person meetup, then just strongly remind that they need to complete 
        the form before next meetup. If it’s a negative result, we’d be discussing 
        possible consequences for the organiser.
         - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6174abecbcdfdc31a9791784bbc10b7a9ea1bdb2e46b5fd3cf3805abc92dcc3?
           s=32&d=mm&r=g)
         -  [Taco Verdonschot](https://profiles.wordpress.org/tacoverdo/)  8:27 pm 
           _on_ February 4, 2021
         - I’m not so sure we do need the name of the person submitting the form.
         - In the end, a few people are ‘in charge’ of a meetupMeetup Meetup groups
           are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on
           a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our
           [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
           group. They’re not too hard to find, because either they’ve have a leadership
           role on meetup.com, or they are assigned host for that specific meetup. 
           And given that all the official chapters are under our umbrella, it shouldn’t
           be too hard to check who is/was responsible for a specific meetup without
           that person submitting their name, right?
         - The benefit of not asking for personal information is that we then don’t
           have to have a well-documented, clear GDPR-compliant way of handling that
           information.
 39. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1fca83ee8490ae9ab4b26cd13bf41002d74e69f2ba77d2762632308a26ad2bfc?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 40.  [Angela Jin](https://profiles.wordpress.org/angelasjin/)  2:40 pm _on_ February
     4, 2021
 41. Following lively conversation in our [#community-team](https://make.wordpress.org/community/tag/community-team/)
     channel, I am going to extend the deadline for feedback on this post by another
     week 🙂
 42. I’d also like to suggest the following.
 43. Before meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together
     for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more
     about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
     can move forward with meeting in person, I do think it is very important that 
     the Community team have some baseline process in place, as this supports deputiesProgram
     Supporter Community Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people
     worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers,
     and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters
     in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
     better support organizers. And, this also helps to set up some precedent for the
     future, as hopefully more areas become safer to meet in person. This checklist
     is just a starting point for the Community team.
 44. It seems like deputies have reached consensus on having a checklist, but we have
     outstanding questions to discuss, such as:
 45.  * Where we need more touch points with organizers
      * How we can spread the word about this new process
      * What happens if an organizer doesn’t follow the process
 46. In the interest of helping Meetups in areas that have more effectively contained
     COVID, such as New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, I think deputies can continue discussing
     these questions, but also focus on writing out the handbook pages and iterating
     through feedback from those meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups
     that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a 
     month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
     organizers.
 47. What do people think about this suggestion? If I proposed some Handbook writing
     sprints, would you join me in that?
 48.  * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c3f5115b3078fa80d851de49b7a342a1609717d5ae48141d3756408ff8eb66dc?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [JenniferSwisher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jenniferswisher/)  2:45 pm
        _on_ February 4, 2021
      * So this doesn’t get lost to the backscroll in slackSlack Slack is a Collaborative
        Group Chat Platform [https://slack.com/](https://slack.com/). The WordPress
        community has its own Slack Channel at [https://make.wordpress.org/chat/](https://make.wordpress.org/chat/),
        porting my thoughts over here:
      * > Where we need more touch points with organizers
      * I really think the follow up is key here. Both for iterating on the process
        and ensuring that we’re providing support in the event something does go wrong.
        We want our meetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get
        together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month).
        Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
        to have autonomy, but also know that if the process is broken or something 
        does go wrong that we have their back. Follow up should happen when:
         - We receive a survey submission
         - A week or so after the meetupMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized 
           groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly
           once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
      * > How we can spread the word about this new process
      * Let’s work with marketing to come up with a communication plan! Thinking about
        some places where this info might get some good visibility:
         - Social media
         - WP-related media sources
         - Monthly meetup org newsletter
      * > What consequences happen if an organizer doesn’t follow the process
      * I think we need to be careful with the term “consequences.” We expect our meetup
        organizers to be adults and comport themselves in that way. However, putting
        the health/safety of members of our community at risk isn’t acceptable either.
      * I think the best way forward is to assume positive intent until we know otherwise.
        If we find out a community that doesn’t meet the standards to hold a meetup
        has one, we contact the organizer to have a conversation. If during the course
        of that conversation we find out that they knew about the standards and proceeded
        anyway, then we handle this the same way we handle other CoCCode of Conduct“
        A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities
        or proper practices of an individual party.” - [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct)
        violations.
         - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6174abecbcdfdc31a9791784bbc10b7a9ea1bdb2e46b5fd3cf3805abc92dcc3?
           s=32&d=mm&r=g)
         -  [Taco Verdonschot](https://profiles.wordpress.org/tacoverdo/)  9:27 pm 
           _on_ February 4, 2021
         - > > How we can spread the word about this new process
           > Let’s work with marketing to come up with a communication plan! Thinking
           > about some places where this info might get some good visibility:
           > Social media
           >  WP-related media sources Monthly meetupMeetup Meetup groups
           > are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events
           > on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in
           > our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
           > org newsletter
         - Meetup.com uses a checkbox to indicate an event is an online event, and 
           it’s checked by default. Can we easily see which scheduled meetupsMeetup
           Meetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-
           face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about
           Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
           have unchecked that box, so that we can directly reach out to those organizers/
           hosts? And if so, does meetup.com allow us to automate that process for 
           our meetups?
         - > > What consequences happen if an organizer doesn’t follow the process
           > I think we need to be careful with the term “consequences.” We expect 
           > our meetup organizers to be adults and comport themselves in that way.
           > However, putting the health/safety of members of our community at risk
           > isn’t acceptable either.
         - The first of our Five Good Faith Rules is “[…] All actions taken as an event
           organizer are with the best interest of the community in mind.”
         - So what do we do when an organizer doesn’t follow the Five Good Faith Rules?
           Why would we treat this any different?
      * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/17e3cbd63c4ddcf873d1848277de062a48239d962359ecaf1978e966429f5b6f?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Rocio Valdivia](https://profiles.wordpress.org/_dorsvenabili/)  2:50 pm _on_
        February 4, 2021
      * +1 to start working on the handbook pages and doing a couple of sprints for
        that! 🙂
      * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/dc299e7661427be01b68a46d2ebb55bdd5635e548b6f9ea12dec2930c5d4a858?
        s=32&d=mm&r=g)
      *  [Hari Shanker R](https://profiles.wordpress.org/harishanker/)  2:54 pm _on_
        February 4, 2021
      * > In the interest of helping MeetupsMeetup Meetup groups are locally-organized
        > groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly
        > once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
        > in areas that have more effectively contained COVID, such as New Zealand,
        > Australia, Taiwan, I think deputiesProgram Supporter Community Program Supporters(
        > formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and
        > Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at
        > WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
        > can continue discussing these questions, but also focus on writing out the
        > handbook pages and iterating through feedback from those meetupMeetup Meetup
        > groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events
        > on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our
        > [Meetup Organizer Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/).
        > organizers. Nice work wrangling this proposal, @angelasjin!
      * Completely agree with this approach. 💯 I think that’s the best way forward
        for now, and will help us come up with a successful path to in-person events
        in future.
      * ---
      * Just a quick suggestion on this point:
      * > What consequences happen if an organizer doesn’t follow the process
      * As [@jenniferswisher](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jenniferswisher/) and 
        [@sippis](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/) have stated – I too agree
        that we can handle these situations the same way CoCCode of Conduct “A code
        of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities
        or proper practices of an individual party.” - [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct)
        violations are handled.
      * Currently, CoC violations have a process that is lengthy; perhaps we could 
        all brainstorm and come up with action items to follow in such situations. 
        In any case, they should be treated with the same magnitude as CoC violations(
        as, such actions put community members at risk).
      * In short, we can assume the positive intent of our organizers, and hold events,
        but we must mandatorily follow-up with attendees (either manually or through
        some sort of automated process requesting attendees to fill up a post event
        survey) and monitor for any violations of safety practices. Communicating these
        things with organizers in advance – I think, will help us all realize the magnitude
        of what we are doing, and will help us get back to safe, in-person experiences,
        with very little-to-low risk, I feel.
         - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/15c1992340b393e287c6050901b6c4a5a10204d854c84ee8be6be84aca77de95?
           s=32&d=mm&r=g)
         -  [Timi Wahalahti](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/)  3:01 pm _on_ 
           February 4, 2021
         - > Currently, CoCCode of Conduct “A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining
           > the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual
           > party.” - [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_conduct) violations
           > have a process that is lengthy; perhaps we could all brainstorm and come
           > up with action items to follow in such situations. In any case, they should
           > be treated with the same magnitude as CoC violations (as, such actions
           > put community members at risk).
         - +1
         - To some extent handling like normal CoC violation is possible, but playing
           the devils advocate here – what if multiple organisers do not follow the
           guidelines? Like Hari said, current CoC violation handling process is labour
           intensive and there are not too many deputiesProgram Supporter Community
           Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who
           review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and 
           keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters
           in our [Program Supporter Handbook](https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/community-deputy/).
           at the moment that can wrangle such process.
         - If we decide to handle the situations where organisers do not follow guidelines
           like other CoC violations, we don’t need to worry about the consequences
           right now and keeping that preventing some communities organising events.
           We would still have the process already outlined in case someone does not
           follow the guidelines. First cases would take longer to be handled. Later
           on, we can just use consequences from previous similar CoC processes to 
           ease the workload.
         - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/15c1992340b393e287c6050901b6c4a5a10204d854c84ee8be6be84aca77de95?
           s=32&d=mm&r=g)
         -  [Timi Wahalahti](https://profiles.wordpress.org/sippis/)  3:05 pm _on_ 
           February 4, 2021
         - > What consequences happen if an organizer doesn’t follow the process
         - Honestly, we’ve always discussed consequences _after_ something has happened
           not _before_. I don’t see why this should be necessarily treated in some
           other way.
            * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d5c3f2d93d1a7622578bf02f19b91bce32e642cf2962e04ab559fbc0ae333359?
              s=32&d=mm&r=g)
            *  [Andrea Middleton](https://profiles.wordpress.org/andreamiddleton/)  
              11:13 pm _on_ February 11, 2021
            * I agree. If we know of a plan that doesn’t match expectations, we should
              try to intervene. If we learn that something happened in the past, we
              call the organizer in and ask them not to do it again, with a clear warning
              of what will happen if the process is ignored again. We’ll have unexpected
              edge cases, of course, but I think this is a workable plan.
 49. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d5c3f2d93d1a7622578bf02f19b91bce32e642cf2962e04ab559fbc0ae333359?
     s=32&d=mm&r=g)
 50.  [Andrea Middleton](https://profiles.wordpress.org/andreamiddleton/)  11:15 pm
     _on_ February 11, 2021
 51. Just noting for the record that I think the process is solid, and I agree with
     Angela’s comment about what to do if an organizer or attendee doesn’t follow it:
 52. > If an organizer doesn’t follow these guidelines, I think they should receive
     > a warning first. If they continue to ignore the guidelines, they should be asked
     > to step away from the leadership role for a period of time.
 53. If an organizer has trouble setting expectations with local attendees, we’ll be
     there to help!

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