# Operation Principles

## **Collaboration**

Collaboration is at the heart of metadata development, and therefore, contributions should be made with an **`open`**, **`respectful`**, and mutually beneficial mindset. This entails sharing ideas, knowledge, and constructive feedback in a respectful manner that promotes open dialogue and constructive debate.

## **Consistency**

Conforming to established guidelines and best practices is essential for ensuring consistency in metadata. As such, contributors should strive to align their contributions with existing **`standards`** and **`conventions`**, to maintain coherence and facilitate interoperability with other systems and tools.

## **Quality**

The open metadata community prioritizes contributions of the highest quality. To maintain consistency with existing standards and conventions, contributors should adhere to established guidelines and best practices. It is crucial that metadata is accurate and reliable in order to be valuable, therefore, contributors must ensure that their contributions are both **`correct`** and **`up-to-date`**.

## **Community**

The open metadata community is built on the principle of openness. This means that contributions should be **`transparent`**, **`accessible`**, and **`available`** for reuse by others. The community also welcomes contributions from all individuals regardless of their background, experience, or skill level. Everyone has something valuable to contribute.

## **Privacy**

Metadata privacy is a critical consideration in contributing to open metadata. To safeguard against the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) and individual notations, contributors should **`prioritize public entities`** and refrain from providing sensitive or private information in their contributions.