When I am bullied, I step up and speak out. This is a nice posting. I let you know that it is basically invisible. I've been more than once downvoted on HN, but I speak out in an educative way and turn the situation around. It's hard to know what to do, isn't it? Nobody wants to control the way a person responds, even if they respond in a bullying manner. That would ruin the site. Still, I can remember being much more shy than I am now. I think it is more than gender, more than ego, more than ignorance. Whatever it is that makes a conduct policy even be necessary, I don't think we have the tiger by the tail on this. More needs to be done. Much more. Conduct starts in the heart of our thought/impulses. Acting out in comment or in action (at a conference) is a demonstration of how we feel and think. I wish we could reach that part of ourselves and that a "conduct code" wouldn't be necessary.
Thank you Heroku for your commitment to making our community a better place.