User:Blacxthorne/Sandbox
From ResourceWiki
These are some guidelines for editing ResourceWiki.
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Usernames
There are a number of rules regarding usernames on ResourceWiki:
- Offensive usernames, such as containing swear words or sexist/racist epithets are not allowed, and may result in banning of that name.
- Usernames that portray a false level of importance, such as "System Operator" or "Admin", are not allowed. For this reason, regardless of intent, any username containing the word "ResourceWiki" is included in this category. Doing this will result in banning of the name, but these users are encouraged to create a new account if they made the previous one in good faith, and out of ignorance of this rule.
- A username that is very similar to an existing one is discouraged. We appreciate that two users may want the same name, and usually there is never an issue. However, user creations where the name is a blatant copy of another user's, or done with an imposter/vandalism perspective will not be tolerated.
Making new articles
- It's a good idea to check if the information already exists in an article, or considering if it's better added to an existing article. There's no need for separate articles like Dwarf's appearance or Elf's lifespan.
- This wiki is dedicated to the Dungeons & Dragons game. An article can be created only if it is related to Dungeons & Dragons. There may be articles about Gary Gygax, Wizards of the Coast, TSR et al; but these are here because of their association with Dungeons & Dragons. In other words, although Wizards of the Coast also publish the Transformers 3D Battle-Card Game, that may only warrant a small credit on the Wizards of the Coast entry; the game and its content, and the franchise itself has no place in ResourceWiki.
- Remember that this is ResourceWiki, not Wikipedia. Keep it D&D-oriented. A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore, but the main focus should be how it is applied to Dungeons & Dragons. The real-world myths should be only briefly mentioned, if at all, and further detail should not be included, but linked to external sources instead, like Wikipedia.
- The content of ResourceWiki should not be too specific: Users should be able to use it as a source. Make sure that any page you want to create has a potential to be useful in games of other people.
- If anything you want to add is specific to a campaign setting, add that information into the parenthetical classification (see Manual of Style).
- If something is too specific for anyone to adopt and/or you want to add it to work on it, add it as a subpage of your own userpage (see personal workspaces below).
See also: Help:Starting a new page
Editing articles
- Always try to keep things organized and easy to read.
- Whenever possible, use a standard of organization; for example, by alphabetical order.
- Add subheadings if necessary to split the article into sections. If you want to write something new, edit the subheading instead of the whole article if you can (this can help to avoid edit conflicts). If you want to add a new subheading, think about where it should go in the article--you should not simply add it to the end of the page.
- Edit the whole article if that is what you want to do, as this allows you to edit different sections of a page at once.
- Tick 'This is a minor edit' when appropriate.
- If you're correcting grammar, a typo, adding a category or a template, or rearranging paragraphs, it's a minor edit. Everything that has got to do more with the appearance of the article rather than the content is minor.
- Do not mark your edits as minor if they include content.
- Use the summary box. When you are done editing, add something descriptive in the summary box. It is quicker to check that than the difference and is more informative when users browse page archives and recent changes.
- Do not add misleading information about your edit in the summary box.
- Use the Show preview button before you save. Preview what you've done before you save it to proofread, check for formatting and detect proper links.
- Do not feel ownership of your edits--if your edit is removed or changed, that is the nature of wikis. Once you add to main articles, the content is not "your addition" anymore; it belongs to the site as a whole and can be edited by any member.
- Never engage in an edit war with someone about a comment or edit you've made. If you feel strongly about keeping/removing a certain bit of information, discuss it in the talk page, or leave a polite message for the user involved on their user talk page. If you do not want your work to be edited, do not post it at all.
See also: ResourceWiki:Manual of Style
ResourceWiki:No possession of edits
ResourceWiki:No edit wars
Help:Editing
Citing sources
Remember that ResourceWiki is not Wikipedia. It serves as a resource and a workspace for its users, so it allows original research, and citing sources is not required to add content.
- This policy does not, however, supersede any license of content. If the content you add is protected by a Creative Commons-Attribution license, for example, you have to attribute the content to its owner.
See also: ResourceWiki:Original content
Personal workspaces
Although ResourceWiki is written collaboratively, there is an exception to this: Your personal workspace. Personal workspaces can include pages that you do not want others to edit. They may include, but are not limited to:
- Personal campaigns and campaign settings
- Personal game elements that are too specific for players to adopt
- Your original copyrighted material
- Drafts of new pages or major edits
- Sandboxes
Your personal workspace is your userpage and its subpages. To create a subpage of your userpage, add a slash (/) and the name of the page to the end of your userpage title: User:Username/Subpage
Since these pages are personal, they are regarded as exceptions for the consensus policy and the Manual of Style. But they must conform to all other policies, including copyright policy, no edit wars, and no possession of edits; however, the original content on your workspace is protected by the original content policy.
Discussion
There is a "Discussion" or "Talk" page for every article on ResourceWiki. They are designed for the discussion of issues that may arise or as a place where one can voice an opinion about content in the main corresponding article. For instance, one might take issue with the layout of the page, or be involved in an editing conflict. In such cases, one can initiate discussion about this and try to compromise. Also, users can sometimes vote on article proposals in talk pages to help reach a consensus. Userpages also have talk pages, which is mainly the appropriate way for users to communicate with one another.
- Always try to keep things organized and easy to read, as in the main article.
- Add sections if needed. Sections and subsections make it easier to follow comments regarding different issues.
- Indent your replies. When you are replying to comments, indent your Talk by adding a colon (":") before your comment.
- 'Maintain the order of discussion. Do not add sections or comments at the top, or in between other comments, even your own. It is easier to read all the comments in the chronological order.
- This applies to sections and discussions, but not always the whole page. For example, if two comments are written by different users, you can add an indented or bulleted paragraph under the first one to reply. But make sure that you always add your comment at the end of the discussion.
- Always sign your edits on talk pages' with four tildes (~~~~) or by clicking the signature button on the edit toolbar.
- Do not edit anything signed by another user. Do not add or remove anything once something is signed by someone else on a talk page. This includes grammar and spelling errors. Once it is signed by someone else, do not edit it.
Article talk pages
- Stay on topic. Talk pages should only be used to discuss the corresponding articles. Completely irrelevant comments may be removed.