Gurus' Home Page | Why be a Guru? | What do the Gurus do? | Gurus' Code of Conduct | Volunteer to be a Guru

This document contains some common-sense guidelines to being a Guru. By joining the scheme you accept this code of conduct; if you do not want to accept this code, then please let us know as soon as possible. This document is not supposed to be heavy-handed: it's just a sensible guide to being a good Guru.

The Gurus' Code

Gurus are under no obligation to answer a specific number of queries in any specific period of time. All we ask is that you are committed to the project and that you let us know if you want to take a break.

If at some point in the future you decide that you no longer wish to be a part of the project, please let us know.

Gurus have a responsibility to be as honest when answering questions as possible. No one person is expected to know all the answers to Researchers' questions, and it is important that Gurus do not try to answer questions without knowing the real answer; as the Gurus are an official body, they must be careful not to confuse Researchers.

Non-disclosure

One of the cool things about being an h2g2 volunteer is that we let you see new versions of the site before they go live - in fact, your comments are vital in enabling us to get new versions of the site just right.

To enable us to let you see everything, we ask that you do not talk about what you see with anyone who is not bound by this code. We will be explicit about things you should keep to yourself and will let you know if and when you may talk about those things on site - we will communicate this information via the mailing list. Anyone who leaks confidential information will obviously be asked to leave the scheme.

The main reason we need to keep a lid on confidential information is to prevent disappointment in the Community. If we show you a cool new feature and the rest of the site finds out about it, then if we decide to drop that feature (for whatever reason) then we will doubtless annoy considerable numbers of Researchers. It's just common sense, really.

Basic Terms and Conditions of h2g2

This section is just a reminder of the terms you have already agreed to on h2g2, and points out that the same terms apply to the mailing lists and email associated with the volunteer schemes. We're not asking you to agree to anything new.

Everyone who participates in h2g2 is bound by the House Rules of the site. The same rules apply to volunteers' participation in the volunteer mailing lists. It is very easy for messages to be misinterpreted, so it is important that everyone participating in the scheme takes great care not to offend or annoy other members. Anyone being deliberately offensive will be warned and, if necessary, will be removed from the scheme.