NPOWiki:Policies

This is a living draft of policies that apply to the wiki as a whole. Please post suggestions on the talk page or in Discord.

Definitions

• "Article" refers to a page in the main namespace (aka mainspace) - the primary information content of the wiki.
• "Page" refers to any page on the wiki in any namespace.
• A "namespace" is a type of page, usually indicated in the URL with a prefix (e.g. "User:"). There is no prefix for the main namespace.
• "Subpage" refers to a page that is a child of another page, denoted by one or more / in the page name. Using a / that does not denote a subpage can be tricky with MediaWiki.
• "Redlink" refers to a link to a page that does not exist (typically displayed in a red font color).

Content

Do not create "stub" pages with very little content.

Articles should only include facts and avoid speculation. Any statements that are not easily verifiable can be cited using <ref></ref> tags, accompanied by a References section at the bottom of the page containing the <references /> tag.

Any text or code that is heavily copied or used around the wiki can be made a template for consistency and easier editing. Styling that is widely used or complex should be added to the site CSS.

General

All pages should be in English by default. Any formal spelling convention can be used, so long as it is consistent within the page. For example, if a player is from the UK, it may make sense to use British English on that page.

Page names should consist of standard, natural phrases rather than using subpages or parenthetical classifications, whenever possible and practical (typically shortcut templates will have an abbreviated name).

Page names (primarily categories) should eliminate any unnecessary redundancy. For example, this is the NPO Wiki, so categories don't need to be named "NPO Wiki pages", just "Pages". (Contrarily, not all files are NPO files, so these can often contain "NPO".)

Efforts should be made to preserve legitimate page history whenever it might be affected. For example, if a page needs to renamed, the rename feature should be used rather than creating a new page at the correct title. (See also reuploading files.)

Formatting

All quotes and apostrophes should be standard "straight quotes". If you need to use a symbol that can't be typed on a keyboard (e.g. an em dash), other than accented alphabetical characters, use the HTML character encoding (e.g. —).

When a multi-line template is used, such as an infobox, the closing }} should be on its own line, with no empty lines surrounding it.

Headings should have exactly one empty line above them and no empty lines below them, and no spaces surrounding the = signs.

Categories should be placed at the end of a page on a new line, optionally preceded by a blank line.

Articles

The "lead section" of an article, the first section before any headings, should be a maximum of one paragraph giving an overview of the subject.

Sensible use of redlinks is encouraged. This helps editors see what pages are highly linked to and create them as necessary.

Spelling and formatting of names of games, players, groups, etc. should follow what is used by the entity itself. For example, "Cyber Nations" and "NationStates".

Files

Files must be given a descriptive (though not verbose), accurate name in proper English. The {{file info}} template which appears in the upload form should be filled out as completely as possible - the "summary" field becomes the code of the file page. Files which you do not have permission to share should not be uploaded. The maximum allowable resolution should be used (up to 1920x1080); vector files (e.g. SVG) are preferred when available. Otherwise, avoid lossy/compressed formats such as jpeg when possible.

When a file needs to be replaced, it is highly preferable to upload a new version of the file instead of an entirely new file. To do this, go to the file's page (usually any appearance of a file is also a link to its file page) and click "Upload a new version of this file" below the file history. However, this will not be possible if the file has a different type.

File extensions should always be lowercase. ".jpg" is preferred over ".jpeg". To change the file name before uploading, simply change the "destination filename" field.

Categories

Every page should have at least one category, except for the top-level category. A page should only be in the most specific category in each branch of the category tree to which it belongs, starting from the primary category (e.g. Articles or Files). The category tree should never contain a loop.

Category pages should describe what should be contained in the category to make it easier to find appropriate categories for a page.

Templates

Every template should use {{documentation}} along with a /doc subpage (using {{documentation subpage}}) to display information about its purpose and usage. Template categories should be placed on the /doc page using includeonly.

User pages

Anything that does not belong in the main content namespace, template space, etc. can be placed in the user namespace to be worked on. You can find your own user page here and may create any number of subpages. However, these pages must be related to the wiki and remain subject to its guidelines. Users are encouraged to personalize their user page and use it to introduce themselves.

Talk pages

Your talk page can be found here. Any user may leave a message there. Every page on the wiki also has an associated talk page, which is where discussion about the content specific to that page should be discussed. For multi-page or wiki-wide issues, please use NPOWiki:Forum.

Messages on talk pages should be organized under headings giving a brief description of what is being discussed. When you follow the "new section" link on a talk page, you can put the topic in the edit summary field and it will automatically be made a heading. To reply to a message, precede your message with a colon : to indent it. (Multiple colons can be used to continue a thread of direct replies.)

Talk page messages must be signed by typing four tildes (if a user neglects to sign, anyone can place {{unsigned}} with the username, date, and time, which can be found in the page history). Messages may only be removed from a talk page if they are vandalism, contain sensitive personal information, or are being moved to a designated archive page. If a message is posted in the wrong location, it can also be moved in that case, unless the message created the page, in which case the page can be renamed. You should never edit other users' messages, except to fix broken links or formatting, in which case the displayed content should remain the same.

Editing

Please make good use of the "Show preview" and "Show changes" buttons below the editing area. This allows you to see if the page looks as you intended. Do not make multiple quick edits in a short time.

Use the edit summary field to briefly describe the changes you have made to make it easier for editors to review the page history and recent changes. Edit summaries are public and always visible, so the behavior guidelines also apply to them. Use of the "minor edit" flag is up to individual decision.

If an edit you made is undone or partially changed, and you feel it should not have been, refrain from changing it back (unless the change breaks the guidelines). Instead, discuss the change with the user who made it or on the page's talk page. "Edit warring" is not allowed, and an administrator's decision on a dispute is final. Disputes and discussions involving multiple users or pages should be decided based on consensus after the discussion has concluded (allowing time for additional messages).

Edits should not be made using automated software except by authorized bot users.

Behavior

Be sure to assume good faith from editors and not bite the newcomers. Be respectful and polite to other users and their work.

Hate speech, harassment, "doxxing", and other intimidating behavior will not be tolerated. "Sockpuppetry", especially to evade a block, is not allowed and those accounts will receive an instant permanent ban.

Administration

Enforcement and interpretation of the wiki's rules is at the discretion of the administrators. The punishment for rule infraction is described below. Breaking of clearly distinct rules will follow the schedule independently. For severe behavior, steps after the first may be skipped one at a time and not consecutively. For minor issues, especially in good faith edits, undoing the edit with a descriptive edit summary can precede the "first offense".

• First offense: talk page warning.
• Second offense: one day block.
• Third offense: seven day block.
• Fourth offense: one month block.
• Fifth offense: one year block.
• Sixth offense: permanent block.

Administrators are not superior to regular users. However, non-administrators should not undertake tasks reserved for administrators, such as issuing warnings.