EvaWiki:Rules and Regulations: Difference between revisions

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This page serves as the central hub for the internal policies and rules of conduct for editors on ''EvaWiki''. 


Rules used in writing articles dealing with matters specific to ''Evangelion'', can be found at [[EvaWiki:Standards and Conventions]].


==General==
Rules used in writing articles dealing with matters specific to ''Evangelion'', can be found at [[FGP:Standards and Conventions]].


''EvaWiki'' is not Wikipedia.org. ''EvaWiki'' uses MediaWiki software, but none of the rules or regulations which Wikipedia functions under hold sway here.
==Copyright: Who owns EvaWiki?==


''EvaWiki'' operates under the Pirate's Code, as set down by the 18th century pirates Henry Morgan and Bartholomew Roberts:
The content of the ''EvaWiki'' is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. By adding information into the ''EvaWiki'', your contributions will also be copyright under this license. There are special cases where a contributor may not want something to be public domain but wants, like an essay for example, they must therefore note that the copyright is that of the contributor. Such pages should not be modified by others.


#'''The Right of Parley''' -- Editors on ''EvaWiki'' are always encouraged to, in a respectful manner, question the logic or veracity of anything on ''EvaWiki''. If you're unconvinced a particular point or decision is correct, please bring it up for discussion on an article's Discussion page or in the forums.  No subject will ever be taboo.
You must '''never submit copyrighted material to the site''' unless it falls under fair use or you have permission by the copyright holder.  You CANNOT simply copy-paste a large section of material from another site, like wikipedia.  You CAN cite it, and at the end provide a link to the web page you got it from and clearly label "source:Wikipedia" (or a news site or whatever).  As explained above, image files can be used under fair use but please do not blatantly use a super-high definition image file.  We're really just using the images in a promotional context, etc.
#'''Mutiny''' -- against the Grand Mistress of ''EvaWiki'', [[User:Reichu|Reichu]], and her subordinate Administrators, is unthinkable:  the deepest circle of hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers.
#'''He who falls behind is left behind''' -- If you stop editing ''completely'' on ''EvaWiki'' for an extended period of time (think a full year), and you have not contacted the site explaining that you are on a leave of absence, your inactive account will be eventually removed (if a piano fell on your head and you were in a coma for three years, if you were in prison, etc. e-mail the site explaining why you were gone and you will immediately be given a new account.  However, Administrator privileges will be lost if you are gone from the site for so long a time without explanation.  "Explanation" could literally amount to writing on top of your account "I might be gone for a little while" then showing up again a year later, without penalty).


==This isn't Wikipedia==
Additional information about copyrights can be found in the [[The NGE Fan-Geeks Project:Copyrights|Project Copyrights]] page.


''EvaWiki'' does not believe in the restrictive rules of Wikipedia.  In order to prevent "wikiholics" who ''do'' ardently believe in the rules of Wikipedia from overwhelming the site, several rules of behavior will be observed:
==Edit Conflict and Revert Wars==


#'''Every editor on ''EvaWiki'' has to have and regularly use an account on an Evangelion messageboard''' -- "Wikiholics" tend not to use messageboards. However, the ''EvaWiki'' is meant to be a reference tool used to aid fan communities specifically like messageboard groups.  ''EvaWiki'' should not become isolated from the messageboards.  Thus, everyone on ''EvaWiki'' has to have a messageboard account, and they have to "regularly" use it (the Admins will judge if you obviously just registered an account for the sake of saying you have one, then never really use it).  You have to at least register an account on the EvaCommentary Forum, which is home of the "EvaWiki Discussion" sub-forum.  If your "home board" is somewhere else (i.e. you posted daily on ''AnimeNation Forum'' before it went defunct) that's not really a problem, so long as you regularly post ''somewhere'' and you have an account on the EvaCommentary Forum to directly discuss EvaCommentary/EvaWiki matters.
As on any other wiki, two people may not have the same opinion about what an article says or should say. The disagreement may be over facts, over theories, or simply over the wording of a statement.  If the disagreement is purely on facts, you can resolve this with providing evidence.  Edit something back if you want and don't let people just walk over you.  However, after about three rounds of Person A changing it back, then Person B counter-changing it back, then Person A changing it back again, etc. etc. it becomes a "Revert War":  all logical discussion has stopped and the two people are just seeing who can hold out longer.  Please don't do this.  Once you realize this is a problem that isn't going away and "Person B" is determined to make their change stick, move discussion about the point you disagree on into the "Talk" page for the article.  If the matter cannot be easily and quickly resolved there, and it's actually a matter of some great debate, the discussion will eventually have to move to the forums, where it will be hashed out.  If the Admins haven't intervened already, you should bring up the situation with the Admins if the forum discussion is going nowhere.
#'''Major discussions about content on ''EvaWiki'' should take place in the "Wiki Discussion" subforum of the EvaCommentary Forums.  Only use "Talk" pages sparingly.''' -- As a corollary to the above, major, that is, long-running discussions about contentious or unresolved matters on ''EvaWiki'' should take place in the EvaCommentary Forum's Wiki subforum.  The "Talk" pages on the wiki are a vital tool; they're like stick-it notes attached to each article for quick and easy reference, i.e. "I cannot find a reference for this statement in the "notes" section, can someone find it?" or to point out "this image isn't displaying properly".  However, long-running discussions should really be done on the messageboards.  A key part of this is that '''there is no "Administrators' Noticeboard" on ''EvaWiki'' itself''':  instead of bringing up something on an "Administrators' Noticeboard", as some other wikis do, or if you wish to "register a complaint" about a dead Norwegian Blue, you have to do it in the wiki subforum.  '''The ''EvaWiki'' is only a part of the larger "EvaCommentary" site''' and these rules requiring the use of the messageboards for several functions will help weld them together, instead of EvaWiki becoming isolated.  That doesn't mean you should be discouraged from using "Talk" pages, just remember that they're for bringing up things specifically relevant to that article, and you shouldn't just start a whole conversation on them.  The discussion might grow to be fairly long, and if there is still a great deal of confusion and more discussion to be had, just start a new thread in the messageboard to settle it.  Meanwhile, you really shouldn't start up entire conversations on another Editor's talk page purely for socialization or something, use the messageboards for that (you should write on their Talk page, if you're asking them something specific, etc.)  This won't be enforced ''too'' vigorously, but please be mindful of it. 
 
#'''Anyone who uses a wiki-tool to count the exact number of edits they have made on ''EvaWiki'' will be instantly and unconditionally banned without any possible hope for appeal''' -- MediaWiki software has certain program tools which allow a wiki editor to count find out what their exact "Edit Count" is.  On Wikipedia.org, many people actually have developed badges on their userpages listing "I made 10,000 edits!", pointing to this as something that makes them an above-average contributor.  However, the reality of "Edit Counts" is ridiculous:  an ''entire'' episode article can be written by one editor in ''one'' "Edit" (the number of times you click "Save Page"), while another editor could run around making 1,000 single-letter spelling corrections, and then claim to have done "equal work" to the other editor.  By all means, you are supposed to contribute as much as possible to ''EvaWiki''.  but the "Edit Count" feature is a peculiarity of MediaWiki's setup, and not an accurate gauge of physically how much material someone is contributing to the site.  It is a tool which "wikiholics" tend to abuse, at the expense of other contributors. Thus, anyone who uses an Edit Count tool to find their exact edit count, then states it on ''EvaWiki'' or in the forums, even in a seemingly non-confrontational manner, will unconditionally be subjected to an immediate and permanent ban from ''EvaWiki''.  You will note that while ''EvaWiki'' runs on MediaWiki software (and thus you could conceivably use the "Edit Count" feature) there is no button to click on in ''EvaWiki'' that will quickly or easily take you to one:  to find your Edit Count on ''EvaWiki'', after having read this warning, you'd actually have to go out *of your way* to Wikipedia.org to find a program for finding your Edit Count.  Thus it is impossible to "accidentally" find out your Edit Count, thus you cannot claim you were banned for "accidentally" stumbling onto it.
==Username and Vandalism==
 
Vandalism will not be tolerated in the least. Vandalism is grounds for expulsion and banning from the wiki.  As for usernames, it is not allowed to pick a username of an offensive (racist, sexist, etc.) nature, and it is not allowed to use the same name as titles of articles in this site (You can't name yourself "Shinji Ikari" or "Progressive Knife").
 
Any attempts by a deemed vandal to cause drama against a staff member on the forum will not be tolerated.  


==What to do if you get into conflict with another editor on EvaWiki==
==What to do if you get into conflict with another editor on EvaWiki==
===Revert Wars===
===Personal Harrassment===


==Guide for writing Episode guide articles==
You can and probably will get into arguments with other people on here from time to time.  But there is a clear difference between "spirited difference of opinion about some Evangelion-related matter" and "you're just hurling childish namecalling at each other".  '''If you think someone is harassing you, please contact the Admins.


==Guide for writing Character articles==
==Non-Point of View: Remain Objective==
 
Things you write on here must always be Non-Point of View (NPOV):  you have to remain objective when writing an article.  Basically, its the difference between "facts" and "opinions".  "Evangelions look cool" is an ''opinion''.  "Shinji pilots an Evangelion" is a ''fact''.
 
Wikipedia tends to gut articles of a lot of content, however, for "original research".  Admittedly, there is a point where "fact" and "opinion" begin to blur as we make ''educated guesses'' and analysis ''based on evidence''.  On this site, we actually encourage you to write as much as possible, and there are several "Theory and Analysis" pages, properly segregated away from the main articles.
 
In short, "EvaWiki" is an online encyclopedia, meant to establish objective *Facts* about the series.  It will also try to analyze them somewhat (analysis mostly happens in episode guide pages).
 
==Translations: Stick to known sources==
 
Japanese is a highly context-dependent language and translations from Japanese to English can sometimes be more of an art than an exact science. This is especially true since Evangelion is a franchise where the dialogue is ambiguous and often highly context-dependent - the enormous and ongoing controversy over whether Kaworu tells Shinji "I ''like'' you" or "I ''love'' you" is a perfect example.
 
That isn't to say that all translations are equal; there are good translations and bad translations, with the ''really'' good translations preserving the nuances of the original language and the ''really'' bad ones causing things to be "lost in translation", or even worse, adding in complete misconceptions or nonsense! This sometimes happens even with professional translators caught with an unfamiliar word or phrase or misinterpreting the context.
 
So how do you keep translations accurate? The guideline here is to '''stick to a named translator who is known to be very good, or in case of anonymous translations, to have them verified by known translators.''' In case the translator is relying on a transcribed interview, the transcript needs to be ''available in text form and verified to be accurate by a named, reliable source''.
 
Unverified anonymous translations are among the biggest sources of misinformation on the wiki and are ''verboten'', and may be subject to deletion or reversion.
 
==Weasel Words==
 
It is easy to use phrases such as, "People believe that" or, "It has been stated that" in an attempt to remain objective. While it works, these are phrases that are known as '''Weasel Words.''' This is different from using Passive Voice, which is actually a good thing and should be encouraged. Weasel words can easily mess up the flow of an article or make a point hard to communicate. They can't always be avoided, and if you feel that the use of one is necessary, by all means please do so. However, don't make them your go-to for trying to stay objective. Try to find a shorter way.


==Guide for writing Theory and Analysis pages==
==Guide for writing Theory and Analysis pages==
In the words of Aristotle, "Frame an issue, defining its key terms, acknowledge other views and describe them fairly; then present your own ideas, showing they are logically coherent and consistent with the available evidence".
==No Shipping on Relationship Pages==
While Theory and Analysis pages do tend to take on a point of view, the current (2021) state of online affairs and attempts at blatant bad-faith editing on the wiki have led us to institute a strict "No Shipping" rule for pages examining relationships between characters. Bad faith attempts at editing relationship articles will result in punishment decided by the wiki administration, even a permanent ban from the wiki. 
Any attempts at shipping-related drama will result in an immediate permanent ban.
==Standards and Conventions==


[[Category:EvaWiki Policies]]
[[Category:EvaWiki Policies]]
[[Category:Site Policies]]

Latest revision as of 12:28, 23 August 2021


Rules used in writing articles dealing with matters specific to Evangelion, can be found at FGP:Standards and Conventions.

Copyright: Who owns EvaWiki?

The content of the EvaWiki is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. By adding information into the EvaWiki, your contributions will also be copyright under this license. There are special cases where a contributor may not want something to be public domain but wants, like an essay for example, they must therefore note that the copyright is that of the contributor. Such pages should not be modified by others.

You must never submit copyrighted material to the site unless it falls under fair use or you have permission by the copyright holder. You CANNOT simply copy-paste a large section of material from another site, like wikipedia. You CAN cite it, and at the end provide a link to the web page you got it from and clearly label "source:Wikipedia" (or a news site or whatever). As explained above, image files can be used under fair use but please do not blatantly use a super-high definition image file. We're really just using the images in a promotional context, etc.

Additional information about copyrights can be found in the Project Copyrights page.

Edit Conflict and Revert Wars

As on any other wiki, two people may not have the same opinion about what an article says or should say. The disagreement may be over facts, over theories, or simply over the wording of a statement. If the disagreement is purely on facts, you can resolve this with providing evidence. Edit something back if you want and don't let people just walk over you. However, after about three rounds of Person A changing it back, then Person B counter-changing it back, then Person A changing it back again, etc. etc. it becomes a "Revert War": all logical discussion has stopped and the two people are just seeing who can hold out longer. Please don't do this. Once you realize this is a problem that isn't going away and "Person B" is determined to make their change stick, move discussion about the point you disagree on into the "Talk" page for the article. If the matter cannot be easily and quickly resolved there, and it's actually a matter of some great debate, the discussion will eventually have to move to the forums, where it will be hashed out. If the Admins haven't intervened already, you should bring up the situation with the Admins if the forum discussion is going nowhere.

Username and Vandalism

Vandalism will not be tolerated in the least. Vandalism is grounds for expulsion and banning from the wiki. As for usernames, it is not allowed to pick a username of an offensive (racist, sexist, etc.) nature, and it is not allowed to use the same name as titles of articles in this site (You can't name yourself "Shinji Ikari" or "Progressive Knife").

Any attempts by a deemed vandal to cause drama against a staff member on the forum will not be tolerated.

What to do if you get into conflict with another editor on EvaWiki

You can and probably will get into arguments with other people on here from time to time. But there is a clear difference between "spirited difference of opinion about some Evangelion-related matter" and "you're just hurling childish namecalling at each other". If you think someone is harassing you, please contact the Admins.

Non-Point of View: Remain Objective

Things you write on here must always be Non-Point of View (NPOV): you have to remain objective when writing an article. Basically, its the difference between "facts" and "opinions". "Evangelions look cool" is an opinion. "Shinji pilots an Evangelion" is a fact.

Wikipedia tends to gut articles of a lot of content, however, for "original research". Admittedly, there is a point where "fact" and "opinion" begin to blur as we make educated guesses and analysis based on evidence. On this site, we actually encourage you to write as much as possible, and there are several "Theory and Analysis" pages, properly segregated away from the main articles.

In short, "EvaWiki" is an online encyclopedia, meant to establish objective *Facts* about the series. It will also try to analyze them somewhat (analysis mostly happens in episode guide pages).

Translations: Stick to known sources

Japanese is a highly context-dependent language and translations from Japanese to English can sometimes be more of an art than an exact science. This is especially true since Evangelion is a franchise where the dialogue is ambiguous and often highly context-dependent - the enormous and ongoing controversy over whether Kaworu tells Shinji "I like you" or "I love you" is a perfect example.

That isn't to say that all translations are equal; there are good translations and bad translations, with the really good translations preserving the nuances of the original language and the really bad ones causing things to be "lost in translation", or even worse, adding in complete misconceptions or nonsense! This sometimes happens even with professional translators caught with an unfamiliar word or phrase or misinterpreting the context.

So how do you keep translations accurate? The guideline here is to stick to a named translator who is known to be very good, or in case of anonymous translations, to have them verified by known translators. In case the translator is relying on a transcribed interview, the transcript needs to be available in text form and verified to be accurate by a named, reliable source.

Unverified anonymous translations are among the biggest sources of misinformation on the wiki and are verboten, and may be subject to deletion or reversion.

Weasel Words

It is easy to use phrases such as, "People believe that" or, "It has been stated that" in an attempt to remain objective. While it works, these are phrases that are known as Weasel Words. This is different from using Passive Voice, which is actually a good thing and should be encouraged. Weasel words can easily mess up the flow of an article or make a point hard to communicate. They can't always be avoided, and if you feel that the use of one is necessary, by all means please do so. However, don't make them your go-to for trying to stay objective. Try to find a shorter way.

Guide for writing Theory and Analysis pages

In the words of Aristotle, "Frame an issue, defining its key terms, acknowledge other views and describe them fairly; then present your own ideas, showing they are logically coherent and consistent with the available evidence".

No Shipping on Relationship Pages

While Theory and Analysis pages do tend to take on a point of view, the current (2021) state of online affairs and attempts at blatant bad-faith editing on the wiki have led us to institute a strict "No Shipping" rule for pages examining relationships between characters. Bad faith attempts at editing relationship articles will result in punishment decided by the wiki administration, even a permanent ban from the wiki.

Any attempts at shipping-related drama will result in an immediate permanent ban.

Standards and Conventions

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