🫶 Code of Conduct
Update February 2026 - improved English translation, updated rules for promotion Update June 2025 - Blog Post
The Uplink community aims to be a safe, inclusive, helpful, and harassment-free place for everyone. All members are asked to adhere to this Code of Conduct, both online and at events hosted by or associated with Uplink.
The Uplink team and the Guides are responsible for clarifying and enforcing the standards of acceptable behavior and have the right to exclude members from the community in case of violations.
The short version
- Be nice to each other! Treat others the way you want to be treated.
- Respect differing viewpoints and opinions. When in doubt: agree to disagree.
- Everyone started out as a beginner, so please be extra patient and helpful with newcomers.
The slightly longer version
Be friendly and helpful
The #1 goal for everyone in our community should be to be helpful and support each other, whether that's answering questions, sharing your own experiences, or encouraging others to join discussions.
Keep in mind that written communication can easily be misunderstood, especially when people don't know each other personally. "Overcommunication" is often a good idea — explain your viewpoint in more detail than you would in a face-to-face conversation, and use emojis generously to convey your tone. 😀
Please be especially patient and helpful with new members! They often don't know the dos and don'ts of the community yet, or ask questions that have already been answered. In that case, please don't just tell them to use the search — try to briefly answer their question and mention that searching Slack or our Community Wiki might turn up more helpful answers.
Stay professional
Stay professional and avoid verbally attacking individuals or groups. For example, when talking about recruiters, it's perfectly fine to criticize them or share examples of inappropriate messages, but please don't use real names and avoid insults and hurtful language.
Try to avoid or de-escalate heated debates. Often it's best to accept that members have different views on a topic and wrap things up with a "Let's agree to disagree!"
Promote in moderation
Promoting your own projects, products, or services is generally allowed, as long as it
- isn't too aggressive (avoid posting multiple times in quick succession or pushy sales tactics) and
- goes in the right channel: #events for webinars, meetups, conferences etc., #business for products and services directly related to freelancing, #lounge for everything else.
Avoid "agenda pushing"
Everyone has their favorite topics, and it's absolutely fine to be passionate about certain subjects and voice your opinion in related discussions.
It becomes a problem, however, when members repeatedly beat the same drum and steer conversations toward a particular topic just to express the same opinions over and over again.
Please avoid this behavior and give the community room to discuss a wide range of topics and perspectives.
Avoid political discussions
Please avoid posting political news or content that has no direct connection to freelancing. This includes praising or criticizing specific political parties, politicians, or political decisions.
Behavior at our events
When you attend one of our meetups or other Uplink events, the same rules apply as in our online community: be friendly and helpful, respect different opinions, and be patient with newcomers.
If alcohol is served at the event, please drink responsibly and know your limit!
Communication with clients and recruiters
When you get in touch with clients or recruiters through Uplink, please be professional and respectful in your interactions.
If any issues come up, please reach out to the Uplink team directly! As a neutral party, we can often help resolve misunderstandings and problems quickly.
Unacceptable behavior
Both in the online community and at our events, certain behaviors will not be tolerated and may lead to immediate exclusion from the community:
- The use of sexualized language or imagery, and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
- Sexist, racist, extremist, or dehumanizing content, including content that demeans people based on their religion
- Trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, personal or political attacks, and any other form of discrimination
- Public or private harassment
- Publishing other people's private information, such as physical or email addresses, without their explicit permission
Relativization and normalization
Discussion is welcome, even when opinions differ. What has no place in our community, however, are attitudes that deny scientific consensus, promote exclusion, demean people, or trivialize, relativize, or normalize far-right ideologies (a form of "false balance").
In particular, deliberately shifting the boundaries of acceptable discourse must be avoided. Anyone who tries to make parties, movements, or positions that attack or undermine our democratic foundations appear mainstream is acting against the core values of our community.
It's simple: far-right extremism is not an opinion. The equal worth of all people, democratic principles, and protection from exclusion are non-negotiable. Anyone who tries to introduce such content through reframing or a veneer of neutrality is going against everything this community stands for.
Reporting & Feedback
If you believe someone in the community has violated the Code of Conduct, please reach out via email or contact one of the Guides on Slack.