Welcome to Indy! We’re thrilled to have you as a part of our community.
This community space is for Indy users to meet like-minded people, connect, collaborate, ask questions, share experiences, offer ideas and professional feedback - but most importantly, to grow personally and professionally as independent workers, freelancers and micro-businesses.
We want to ensure that this community embodies the values that Indy shares with its community; values that ensure a positive place to share thoughts and express opinions. A place where people are able to learn and grow. A place where success is a shared celebration. A place where we can connect with others and feel safe doing so.
Our community is made up of a diverse group of people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds and professions. People who share different ideas and approaches to everyday life. These differences add to our core strength as we build this community together. It’s important that we are aware and conscious of how we communicate with each other. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn from one another.
Indy’s Commitment
We are committed to making this community space a respectful, harassment-free and inclusive experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sex, sexual orientation, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, disability, race, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, age, political affiliation or religion.
Our Community Values:
- Positivity - We choose to nurture and champion positivity in our interactions with others in the community. We choose to create a space where people feel inspired, uplifted and listened to.
- Respect - We choose to be kind and polite to each other. We don’t have to agree on everything - in fact, we believe that a growing community requires a bit of everyone’s perspectives. Everyone deserves to be heard as long as they are respectful towards others and open to dialog that may come from both people who agree and people who have a different view.
- Thoughtfulness - We choose to be aware and mindful of how our words, tones and actions might be understood by our diverse community. Since most of the communication that happens on Indy is electronic/written it has the potential to be misunderstood, misinterpreted and processed differently by others from different cultures and backgrounds. Sometimes a light-hearted comment, or sarcastic remark may be interpreted as something offensive or alienating to others. We choose to be open to feedback that might help us better word, or phrase a comment to make sure that our language is universally inclusive and widely understood.
What We Encourage:
- Connecting with Other Indies
Feel free to connect to any public profile for professional networking purposes. Feel free to reach out to anyone who might be interested in working on a project with you. We want you to break through your comfort zone and immediate network to immerse yourself in a world full of Indies who’s shared passion for independent work is ice-breaker enough.
- Sharing Your Work
This is a space for you to shine and self-promote your skills and business to the world. Your success is our success! Share samples of your work using Profiles, or drop a link to your website in a group Chat. Share away!
- Start and Join Discussions
Feel free to kick off a general discussion about any topic that is pertinent to the group that you’re posting in. You can talk about general social media and marketing trends you’re exploring, see what fellow members think about changes to graphic design software, ask a thought-provoking question about building a cabinet, etc. If you start a discussion, make sure you stick around to continue the conversation!
- Share Opportunities
If you find yourself in a position to share work that is too much for you to do, share it! If you hear of an interesting opportunity through your network that doesn’t quite fit in your area of skill, share it with someone who might be perfect for it!
- Share Resources & Helpful Tips
Maybe you’ve perfected a method for more accurate time keeping, or maybe you created an amazingly successful proposal template - share it with others who might find it helpful!
- Refer Connections
Part of building a successful network is making sure that network can grow. Introduce and refere connections to others in your network, or maybe a past client who you’ve outgrown but still needs some work done - refer someone in your network.
What We Do Not Allow:
- Using fake, misleading, or inaccurate information in your profile
We want to make sure that the people contributing to the community are real people sharing real information and stories that other people can genuinely connect with.
- Impersonating other people or entities
Simply, be yourself.
- Falsely attributing someone’s work
People work hard to turn their ideas into reality. Stealing, or otherwise representing work that isn’t your own is not only unethical, but illegal as Copyright Infringement.
- Spam
No one likes a spammer. If your thought of a good time is sharing the same content over and over again, or sending someone message after message without a response or encouragement - you might be a spammer.
- Being rude, hateful or insulting
This one doesn’t require much explanation - if you think someone might be offended by your words or actions - take a minute to ask yourself why. This includes controversial political, social and religious opinions that may alienate a person or a group of people.
- Harassing other members. This includes:
- Offensive comments or jokes related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
- Unwelcome sexual attention - Indy isn’t a dating site.
- Trolling (you know, saying hurtful things just for a reaction)
- Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease
- Non-consensual publication of private correspondence
Personal attacks on others, especially other Indy users, are prohibited on our platform. This prohibition includes content designed to intimidate, shame, degrade, sexually harass, or otherwise harm, as well as content that has the effect of suppressing discussion or driving users away from our platforms (e.g., using language to bully people with whom you disagree through repetitive or off-topic posts). We recognize that bullying directed at minors can be particularly harmful and apply heightened scrutiny to disparaging content directed to those under the age of 18.
- Threats of Violence
Threats of violence directed at individuals or groups, including public figures, are prohibited and, when warranted, will be reported to law enforcement. Content that promotes, incites or supports violent or otherwise criminal behavior is also prohibited (e.g. encouraging others to commit violence against an individual or group, or expressing support for acts of violence).
- Breaching State and/or Federal Privacy Laws
This includes things like sharing someone’s private information publicly; including phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses and other private information that does not belong to you.
- Terrorism or threats of Terrorism
Content that promotes, encourages, or incites acts of international or domestic terrorism is prohibited. This prohibition includes content that supports or celebrates terrorist organizations, their leaders, or associated violent activities as well as content designed to recruit individuals to join terrorist organizations.
- Child Exploitation
Do not post, send, or solicit content that sexualizes minors or facilitates or promotes child sexual abuse. This includes digitally-manipulated and cartoon content. The possession, distribution, and solicitation of child sexual abuse material is a serious crime that we report to law enforcement authorities across the world via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- Hate Speech and Activity
We prohibit content of any type that incites hatred or advocates violence against a person or group based on their actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, disability, health condition, disease, or political views or affiliation. We also prohibit the use of our services by groups and organizations that advocate or engage in violence and hatred against others based on the characteristics described above (e.g. using our services to promote an event or gathering for a hate group). Read these tips for confronting hate speech from the Anti-Defamation League.
- Suicide and Self-Harm
Do not post content that promotes or glorifies suicide or self-harm. This includes content that encourages others to harm themselves (e.g. posting content that promotes an eating disorder). If you or anyone you know is experiencing or sharing thoughts of self-harm or suicide please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or Chat if calling isn’t an option.
- Gore and Mutilation
Content that depicts or promotes severe bodily injury, torture or mutilation of humans or animals is prohibited.
- Adult Content
Do not post content that features nudity, including male or female genitals or the exposed female breast including the nipple. We recognize exceptions to this rule for posts with artistic, educational, political, or scientific value, and in other cases where the content was not intended to trigger sexual arousal (e.g, breastfeeding, childbirth, and protest nudity). Content that depicts sexual acts, or bodily fluids or functions for the purpose of sexual arousal, is not allowed.
- Human Trafficking and Prostitution
The use of Indy’s services to facilitate sex trafficking, other forms of human trafficking, or commercial sexual activity is prohibited. If you see human trafficking on Indy’s services, report it, and encourage victims to contact law enforcement.
- Illegal Drugs
Depictions of illegal drug use and descriptions of how to manufacture or procure illegal drugs are prohibited. The purchase and sale of drugs of any type on our platforms is also prohibited.
- Illegal Activity
Content that promotes or facilitates illegal activity is prohibited. This includes the distribution, purchase and sale of illegal items.
Responses to any behavior that violates this Code of Conduct:
If you are being harassed, or if you notice that someone else in the Indy community is being harassed, please contact a Indy team member via email (all reports are confidential):
Customer Service: community@weareindy.com
If a member engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, they may be given a warning or they may be asked to leave the community, depending on the severity of the behavior. If a member is asked to stop any harassing behavior, they are expected to comply immediately.
We reserve the right to block an account, an email address, an IP address or a block of IP addresses that may be abusing our platform or using it for harm or that are in violation of the law.
We won’t typically remove comments, posts, or content that openly express a healthy understanding of the responsibility of the Freedom of Speech as it is described in the US Bill of Rights, but we are within our rights as a private business to do so at any time, without warning or reason adhering to U.S. Code Section 230 - Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material.
If you, or anyone in the Indy community is a victim of violence, or may be a threat to themselves or others, you should call local law enforcement or social services to help with the situation.
Indy and its employees will cooperate with law enforcement in the case one of our users is a victim of or involved in a crime, adhering to local, state and federal laws regarding privacy and the access of information on our platform, its services, and its digital and physical data storage properties.
At the end of the day, we encourage you to bring a positive attitude and a brain full of helpful ideas to this community that you’re helping to build!
Thank you all for being part of Indy!
Warmly,
Team Indy