.. _communication:

****************************************
Communicating with the Ansible community
****************************************

.. contents::
   :local:

Code of Conduct
===============

All interactions within the Ansible Community are governed by our :ref:`code_of_conduct`. Please read and understand it before participating.

.. _ansible_forum:

Forum
=====

The `Ansible Forum <https://forum.ansible.com>`_ is the **default and recommended** starting point for most community interactions. It's ideal for:

* Asking questions and seeking help.
* Participating in development discussions.
* Learning about events and news.

To get started:

* **Register:** `Sign up <https://forum.ansible.com/signup?>`_ to create an account and join the community.
* **Explore topics:** Browse by `categories <https://forum.ansible.com/categories>`_ and `tags <https://forum.ansible.com/tags>`_ to discover discussions, or simply start a new topic of your own.
* **Stay updated:** Subscribe to specific categories or tags that interest you. Just click the ``bell`` icon in the top-right corner of the relevant category or tag page and select your notification preference.

Explore `forum groups <https://forum.ansible.com/g>`_ that match your interests. Joining a group often automatically subscribes you to related posts.

.. _bullhorn:

The Bullhorn
------------

**The Bullhorn** is our community's weekly newsletter, published directly in the Forum:

* **Subscribe:** Click the ``bell`` button under the `Bullhorn category <https://forum.ansible.com/c/news/bullhorn/17>`_ description, then select ``Watching``.
* **Submit News:** See the `About the Newsletter category post <https://forum.ansible.com/t/about-the-newsletter-category/166>`_ for submission guidelines.
* **Questions about the newsletter:** Ask us in the `Ansible Social room on Matrix <https://matrix.to/#/#social:ansible.com>`_.

Regional and Language-specific channels
---------------------------------------

Communicate in your preferred language by visiting the `International Communities forum category <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/10>`_. Current subcategories include:

* `Deutsche (German) <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/deutsche-german/33>`_
* `Español (Spanish) <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/espanol/11>`_
* `Français (French) <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/french/32>`_
* `Italiano (Italian) <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/italiano-italian/34>`_
* `Norsk (Norwegian) <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/norsk/21>`_
* `Português (Portuguese) <https://forum.ansible.com/c/other-languages/portuguese/12>`_

Join an `Ansible Meetup <https://www.meetup.com/pro/ansible/>`_ near you.


For details on requesting a new language subcategory, see the `About the International Communities category post <https://forum.ansible.com/t/about-the-international-communities-category/48>`_.

.. _communication_irc:

Real-time chat
==============

For real-time interactions, the Ansible community uses the **Matrix protocol**.

.. note::

  The :ref:`ansible_forum` is our default communication platform. We recommend engaging there before considering other options like Matrix.

To join the community on Matrix:

1. **Get a Matrix account:** From `Matrix.org <https://app.element.io/#/register>`_ or any other Matrix homeserver.
2. **Choose a Matrix client:** We recommend `Element Webchat <https://app.element.com>`_.
3. **Join rooms:** Use the links in the :ref:`general_channels` or :ref:`working_group_list` to join specific rooms.

For more information, see the community-hosted `Matrix FAQ <https://hackmd.io/@ansible-community/community-matrix-faq>`_.

You can add Matrix shields to your repository's ``README.md`` using the shield in the `community-topics <https://github.com/ansible-community/community-topics#community-topics>`_ repository as a template.

.. note::

  IRC channels are no longer official communication channels. Use the Forum and Matrix instead.

.. _general_channels:

General channels
----------------

The clickable links below take you directly to the Matrix room in your browser. Room/channel information is also given for use in other clients:

- `Community social room & posting news for the Bullhorn newsletter <https://matrix.to:/#/#social:ansible.com>`_
- `General usage & support questions <https://matrix.to:/#/#users:ansible.com>`_
- `Developer & code-related topics <https://matrix.to/#/#devel:ansible.com>`_
- `Community & collections related topics <https://matrix.to:/#/#community:ansible.com>`_

Working group-specific channels
-------------------------------

Many working groups have dedicated chat channels. See the :ref:`working_group_list` for details.

Meetings on Matrix
------------------

The Ansible community holds regular meetings on Matrix. All interested individuals are invited to participate.
Check the `meeting schedule and agenda page <https://github.com/ansible-community/meetings/blob/main/README.md>`_ for more information.

.. _working_group_list:

Working groups
==============

Working Groups enable Ansible community members to self-organize around specific interests.

Find a complete list of groups and their communication channels within the `Forum groups <https://forum.ansible.com/g>`_.

.. _requesting_forum_group:

Requesting a forum group
------------------------

To request a new working group:

1. First, check if there is no appropriate `Forum group <https://forum.ansible.com/g>`_ you can join instead of starting a new one.
2. Review the `things you can ask for post <https://forum.ansible.com/t/working-groups-things-you-can-ask-for/175>`_ regarding working groups.
3. Submit your request in the `forum topic <https://forum.ansible.com/t/requesting-a-forum-group/503>`_.
4. If a Matrix chat channel is also needed, consult the `Ansible Community Matrix FAQ <https://hackmd.io/@ansible-community/community-matrix-faq#How-do-I-create-a-public-community-room>`_.

.. _request_coll_repo:

Requesting a community collection repository
--------------------------------------------

Working groups are often built around Ansible community collections. You can use a repository under your organization or request one under `ansible-collections <https://github.com/ansible-collections>`_ on the forum. Create a topic in the `Project Discussions category and the 'coll-repo-request' tag <https://forum.ansible.com/new-topic?category=project&tags=coll-repo-request>`_.

.. _community_topics:

Ansible Community Topics
========================

The :ref:`Ansible Community Steering Committee<steering_responsibilities>` uses the :ref:`ansible_forum` for asynchronous discussions and voting on community topics.

For more information, see:

* :ref:`creating_community_topic`
* :ref:`community_topics_workflow`
* `Community topics on the Forum <https://forum.ansible.com/tags/c/project/7/community-wg>`_

Ansible Automation Platform support questions
=============================================

Red Hat Ansible `Automation Platform <https://www.ansible.com/products/automation-platform>`_ is a subscription service providing support, certified content, and tooling for Ansible, including content management, a controller, UI and REST API.

For questions related to Ansible Automation Platform, visit `Red Hat support <https://access.redhat.com/products/red-hat-ansible-automation-platform/>`_ instead of community communication platforms.
