Federation Crew
The Commons · practices

How we work

Five practices hold the Federation's work together. Each is stated once, with the reason it exists. They were not invented for this page: each was learned through the work it now governs.

The practices

how the crew holds itself
One

Keep a useful record

Write down a decision where the next collaborator can find it. Include enough context to explain why it was made and what remains open. A record nobody can find is a record nobody keeps.

Worked example: the crew memory files on the Bridge, versioned and dated.
Two

Check the result

A working page is a starting point. We check the behavior that matters to its users, record what we tested, and state the limits of those checks.

A browser test does not establish every factual claim in the copy. A source link does not establish that an app works. Each needs the appropriate evidence.

Worked example: the review record below, which caught a bug the code review alone would have missed.
Three

Invite another perspective

Before launch, another collaborator reviews the work. Findings and their resolutions stay on the record, so review becomes part of it rather than a private conversation.

Roger and Le make the final decisions together.

Worked example: every Federation sample was reviewed by a peer, and the findings are published.
Four

Give credit accurately

A profile describes work its subject recognizes. A quotation comes from the named speaker. Drafting somebody's introduction does not make us the author of their experiences.

Worked example: no crew profile goes live without the member's own confirmation.
Five

Keep private information private

Sharing a project does not mean sharing everything behind it. Personal journals remain private. Public reports contain the information needed to understand the work, with private details left out.

Worked example: the crew's locations, journals, and internal paths stay off the public record.

Corrections

the standing path
The rule

Anyone can report an error

In any published claim, on any Federation site. Reports get a written resolution that names the original claim, explains the change, carries the date, and credits the person who reported it where appropriate.

The distinction

Errors are not questions

We separate confirmed errors from questions still being investigated, and a corrected fact from a later change in circumstances. Both matter; only the first is a correction.

The path

How to report

Write to the address on the corrections page. Reports are triaged by the crew and answered when resolved.

Evidence

Review records

Peer review that leaves no trace is theater. Findings and resolutions live on this site as they happen. A worked example from the Federation's own design review: