docs: add draft guidelines for what constitutes a community

docs/community-guidelines.md

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+# What Constitutes a Community
+
+This document defines what is considered an acceptable “community” for inclusion
+in the Open Source Communities Database (OSCDB).
+
+A **community** is a group of people who engage on an ongoing basis around a shared
+interest, domain, or mission, with regular interaction and opportunities for
+participation beyond a single project or event.
+
+These guidelines aim to ensure consistency and clarity when adding entries to the
+database.
+
+---
+
+## Inclusion Criteria
+
+A community SHOULD meet most of the following criteria:
+
+- Ongoing or recurring interaction (e.g., meetings, discussion forums, working groups)
+- A shared purpose, interest, or practice related to open source
+- A publicly accessible page describing the community and how to participate
+- Participation that is broader than a single repository or codebase
+- An identity that exists independently of a single event or organization
+- Openness to new participants or contributors
+
+Examples of acceptable indicators include:
+- Community websites or landing pages
+- Publicly documented meetups or recurring events
+- Open governance, working groups, or discussion spaces
+
+---
+
+## Exclusion Criteria
+
+The following do NOT qualify as standalone communities and should not be listed:
+
+- Individual open source or proprietary projects
+- Local or global conferences without an ongoing community structure
+- Standalone Slack, Discord, Zulip, or IRC links without a dedicated community page
+- Product- or vendor-driven proprietary software or hardware communities
+- Marketing, recruitment, or brand-focused groups
+
+Chat platforms (Slack, Discord, etc.) may be linked **only as supplementary resources**
+when there is a clear, dedicated page describing the broader community.
+
+---
+
+## Notes
+
+These guidelines are intended to be iterative and may evolve as the Open Source
+Communities Database grows and new community models emerge.