Don't be a contemptible fellow (be excellent to each other)

This is a combination of he guiding principle of Noisebridge (simply to "be excellent to each other")and Wikimedia's "Don't be a dick" rule.

The Noisebridge version

"Be excellent to each other is the guiding principle of Noisebridge .. Unlike Wikipedia, Noisebridge takes a positive approach, and avoids the practice of officially enumerating the myriad potential special cases; 'be excellent' is enough. " -- from Noisebridge

Wikimedia's version

"Don't be a dick [an abrasive and inconsiderate person]. If people abided by this, we wouldn't need any other policies about behaviour .. and most behavioural rules are special cases of this one. Implicitly or explicitly calling people dicks is a dick-move: don't use this .. as a justification to do so." -- from Wikimedia

The future of Rule 8

The further explanation and direction for Rule 8 is currently tied up in a discussion on our Google Groups mailing list about a harassment policy. Once we come to a conclusion it will most likely be incorporated into Rule 8, and the rules as a whole.