Welcome to the Observable Forum!

This is a place for everyone to meet, discuss and share their work, while helping one another. You’ll find answers to common questions, examples of techniques, and general discussion about data science, visualization, programming, plus more.

See our welcome announcement for helpful resources and guidelines for getting started with Observable & the forum.

Code of Conduct

By participating in this forum you are agreeing to comply with the Observable Code of Conduct (CoC), stated here for convenience; please refer to https://observablehq.com/@observablehq/code-of-conduct for the up-to-date official document.

Pledge

In the interest of fostering an open, welcoming and inclusive environment the Observable team and its moderators pledge that participation in our platform and our community is a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

We pledge to prioritize marginalized people’s safety over privileged people’s comfort. We will not act on complaints regarding reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone”, “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you” and other criticisms.

Observable pledges to uphold the standard of this Code of Conduct.

Standards

Examples of behavior that contributes to creating a positive environment include:

  • Using welcoming and inclusive language
  • Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
  • Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
  • Focusing on what is best for the community
  • Showing empathy towards other community members

Examples of unacceptable behavior by participants include:

  • The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
  • Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
  • Racism of any kind
  • Public or private harassment
  • Publishing others’ private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
  • Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting
  • Dismissing or attacking inclusion-oriented requests

Our Responsibility

Observable is responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behavior as stated in this code of conduct and the terms of service. We take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any instances of unacceptable behavior.

Observable and its moderators have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject any form of contributions or communications that are not aligned to this Code of Conduct, or to ban temporarily or permanently anyone for other behaviors that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies to all Observable platform spaces and communication channels - including this forum - as well as public spaces when an individual is representing Observable and/or our community. This means that outside of the Observable platform, if there is a reasonable belief that an individual’s behavior may have a negative impact on Observable and/or its community, Observable and its moderators are within their rights to uphold the Code of Conduct as they see fit.

Reporting Process & Enforcement

Code of Conduct violations may be reported by flagging the post in question or by sending an email to conduct@observablehq.com. We investigate every complaint, but may not send a direct response to each complaint. We use discretion in determining when and how to follow up on reported incidents. In potentially harmful situations, such as ongoing harassment or threats to anyone’s safety, we may take action without notice.

As stated above, Observable and its moderators have the right and responsibility to remove comments or other contributions and/ or to suspend (temporarily or permanently) anyone for other behaviors that violate this Code of Conduct.

Forum Dos & Don’ts

See the Discourse New User Guide for guidance on forum terminology & features.

Do…

  • Do always follow the Code of Conduct (CoC) and Terms of Service.
  • Do report anything you see violating the CoC by flagging the post or contacting conduct@observablehq.com.
  • Do post in the appropriate category for your topic.
  • Do use the “Like” button to show agreement, rather than posting “+1” or “Agreed”.
  • Do use “Reply as a Linked Topic”, rather than taking an existing topic in a radically different direction.

Don’t…

  • Don’t cross-post the same thing in multiple topics.
  • Don’t post no-content replies.
  • Don’t divert a topic by changing it midstream.
  • Don’t sign your posts — every post has your profile information attached to it.

Questions & concerns

If you have questions or concerns about conduct on this forum, reach out to Observable staff and moderators or contact conduct@observablehq.com.

If you have questions or concerns about the Observable product or platform, use the forum to ask for help or report an issue, or reach out to support@observablehq.com.