Why we are publishing The Ethical Move Pledge on GitHub.

We’ve published our pledge on GitHub under a Creative Commons license. From small grammatical or spelling changes to grammar to deeper terminology transformations: all association members can now suggest changes and submit translations.

Hosting our pledge on GitHub helps us keep everything organized, transparent, and open to contributions from the members of our movement. It’s the perfect way to ensure our mission grows and evolves in a way that everyone can see and be a part of.

Here’s what you’ll find in this article:

More than a tool for software developers
Organized, transparent, and open to member contributions
Once you know the terminology, it’s easy to use
How to propose a change to Our Ethical Marketing Pledge on GitHub

More than a tool for software developers

GitHub is well known as a tool for software developers, but it’s more than just that. While it’s great for code, it’s also a powerful tool for for any collaborative work, including written documents like our pledge.

Organized, transparent, and open to member contributions

Here’s why we are publishing The Ethical Move Pledge on GitHub:

GitHub makes collaboration easy

GitHub lets many people work on the same document at the same time, from anywhere. It’s like a group project where everyone can see and engage with each other’s work.

It automatically keeps track of changes

Every tweak and change to the document is saved on GitHub. If something goes wrong or we want to see earlier versions, we can easily go back in time and check.

It’s open + transparent

Everything we do on GitHub is out in the open. This means you can see how our pledge evolves, who contributed what, and join in the discussions.

There’s space for discussions + feedback

GitHub has built-in ways to talk about the document. We can comment, suggest changes, and ask questions right where everyone can see them.

It works from anywhere

All you need is internet access to join in.

Once you know the terminology, it’s easy to use

If you’re not a developer, some of the lingo on GitHub may feel complicated at first. So here’s a little dictionary to help you find your way around the platform.

Repositories are like folders

A repository, or “repo”, is where our project lives. It’s like a folder on a computer but hosted on GitHub’s servers. This folder can contain various subfolders and files — documents, images, spreadsheets — and it tracks every change made to these files.

Forks are personal copies

A fork is a personal copy of someone else’s project. It’s as if you copied a folder from someone else’s computer to your own, allowing you to make changes without affecting the original. This way, you can experiment and modify freely without affecting the original project.

Branches are work-in-progress versions of projects

Branches are like working on a different version of a file within the same folder. If you want to make changes or try something new without altering the main content, you create a branch. It’s a safe space to work until you’re ready to integrate these changes back into the main folder. By default, every repository has one branch named main that is considered to be the definitive branch.

Commits are saved versions of the project

Committing is similar to saving a file. Each commit is a snapshot of your changes at a particular point in time. Imagine you’re working on a document and save different versions (commits) after each significant update. This way, you can always see what changes were made and revert back if necessary.

Pull Requests ask others to review + accept your changes

When you think your changes in a branch are good to go, you can initiate a pull request. This is your way of telling others, “I’ve updated these files, please review them and if everything looks good, let’s update the main folder.” It’s a formal request to review and accept your changes.

Merging integrates changes into other branches

Merging is how we integrate the changes from one branch into another—usually from your branch back into the main folder’s files. If your pull request is approved, your changes are officially added to the main project, updating the main folder with your new content.

How to propose a change to Our Ethical Marketing Pledge on GitHub

1. Create your GitHub account

Visit GitHub and select “Sign up”.
Follow the instructions to set up your account, verify your email, and log in.

2. Fork the Repository

Navigate to the original Our Ethical Marketing Pledge repository.
Select “Fork” (in the top-right corner) to create a copy of the repository in your account.

Screenshot of the ethical move GithHub respository with a tooltip over the fork button indicating where to create the fork.

3. Create a Branch

Go to your forked version of the repository.
In the “Branch” dropdown menu, enter a name for your new branch, like suggested-changes.
Select “Create Branch” based on the main branch.

A screenshot of the fork on Maria's account where they are creating a new branch called suggested-changes

4. Make and Commit changes

Select the file you want to edit.
Select the pencil icon to start editing.
Make your changes in the editor.
Scroll down and enter a description of your changes in the “Commit changes” box.
Select “Commit directly to the <main> branch” and then confirm by selecting “Commit changes”.

A screenshot of the edit screen in Maria's fork, where they aer editing a file and can commit the changes.

5. Open a Pull Request

Return to the original Our Ethical Marketing Pledge repository.
Select “Pull requests” and then “New pull request”.
Select your fork and branch using the dropdown menus.
Select “Create pull request”, add a title and description, and then submit the pull request.

A screenshot of the original repo by The Ethical Move, where Maria is creating a pull request to merge their changes with the main repository

6. Respond and follow up

Monitor your pull request for any feedback.
Make further edits if requested. Updates in the same branch will automatically be added to the pull request.