Forum Policy on GitHub Comment Management

[Ben Wilson]

Hi Dean,

As a follow-up to conversations we've had in the IPR and Infrastructure subcommittees, I would like for us to discuss at our upcoming F2F Meeting in Poland the Forum's policy on GitHub use (i.e. how we should handle public comments on GitHub).  One idea has been to use a Contributor License Agreement (CLA), but that doesn't need to be the only solution, and the Forum needs to decide what our policy should be.  Here are some thoughts for discussion. 

A CLA could serve not only to address our IPR Policy, but also our Code of Conduct, so that GitHub contributions align with our approaches on other communication platforms. The key question for Forum members is: How should GitHub be treated within the Forum’s processes? Should it remain open for broader feedback, or should participation be more tightly controlled? To ensure clarity and consistency, the Forum should adopt a policy on GitHub comment management.

Key Issues

1. Consistency Across Platforms – Historically, discussions were limited to mailing lists. GitHub introduces more open and visible commenting, and the Forum needs to decide the role that GitHub plays as a communications channel.

2. Quality and Tone of Contributions – While some GitHub comments have provided useful technical input, others have been unproductive and sometimes caustic.

3. IPR and Code of Conduct Concerns – Restrictions on GitHub commenting and/or a CLA could help ensure contributors agree to the Forum’s IPR terms and Code of Conduct, while mitigating risks from unsolicited contributions.

4. Administrative and Moderation Burden – Moderating GitHub threads, closing or redirecting heated discussions, and managing access will require ongoing effort. Clear guidelines are needed on who applies moderation actions and under what criteria.

Some Options to Consider

1. Limit Interactions to Members and Authorized Contributors – Restrict commenting to Forum members (and possibly interested parties), with controls managed through collaborator access. Interested parties could be read-only contributors with limited ability to comment.

2. Prohibit or Lock Commenting –  Keep GitHub comments open by default, but use temporary interaction limits, conversation locks, etc. as needed if discussions become unproductive. (Trigger a GitHub option to disable comments partially or entirely.)  Then, redirect discussion to questions list, other mailing lists, or potentially GitHub Discussions.

Could you please see if there is a slot where this topic can be discussed?

Thanks,

Ben