Add three laws & empathy

docs/best-practices.md

@@ -1,4 +1,35 @@
-# Best practices for plugins
+# Best practices for Probot plugins
+
+First and foremost, your plugin must obey the [The Three Laws of Robotics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics):
+
+> 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
+> 2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
+> 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
+
+Now that we agree that nobody will get hurt, here are some tips to make your plugin more effective.
+
+**Contents:**
+
+- [Empathy](#empathy)
+- [Autonomy](#autonomy)
+- [Configuration](#configuration)
+
+## Empathy
+
+Understanding and being aware of the what another person is thinking or feeling is critical to healthy relationships. This is true for interactions with humans as well as bots, and it works both ways. Empathy enhances our [ability to receive and process information](http://5a5f89b8e10a225a44ac-ccbed124c38c4f7a3066210c073e7d55.r9.cf1.rackcdn.com/files/pdfs/news/Empathy_on_the_Edge.pdf), and it helps us communicate more effectively.
+
+Think about how how people will experience the interactions with your plugin.
+
+### Avoid the uncanny valley
+
+The [uncanny valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley) is the hypothesis that our emotional response to a robot becomes increasingly positive as it appears to be more human, until it becomes eerie and empathy quickly turns to revulsion. This area between a "barely human" and "fully human" is the uncanny valley.
+
+![uncanny valley](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Mori_Uncanny_Valley.svg)
+
+Your bot should be empathetic, but it shouldn't pretend to be human. It is a bot and everyone that interacts with it knows that.
+
+> - :smile: "Latest build failures: _{listing of build failures}_…"
+> - :cry: "Hey there! You asked for the build failures, so I went and dug them up for you:  _{listing of build failures}_ … Have a fantastic day!"
 
 ## Autonomy