User:Angel Emfrbl/Talk Page Guidelines

What are talk pages?
Talk pages are attached to every article and user page within the wikia. They are design to discuss the pages on the wikia and resolve issues such as edit wars, Vandalism and facts held on the page. They are free to be edited by anyone, and like any page on the wikia are not excluded from the normal wikia rules. However there are some additional things that any editor needs to know.

Article Discussions
The first type is Article page, these are easy enough to find. Type in anything One Piece related into the wikia search engine and you'll find a page (so long as you've typed in a name that exists) and there on the article at the top right hand side will be "Discussion". This will led you to the pages discussion. These type of discussion pages are used for discussing the contents and other related issues. They are controlled by the community and as such free for anyone to edit.

When someone thing has been resolved on a important issue a section may be subjected to Documentation. This is easily noted by the blue background. These are the only exceptions to the normal editing rules where no one is allowed to edit, as these are proof that a issue that went to vote as been resolved.

Forum
Aside from these pages, there is also the forum. The forum is a collection of pages that are designed to hold discussions redeemed inappropriate for the other talk pages. This includes off topic subjects such as Speculations. The site itself is also discussed here. The Forums are open for all editors to edit.

User Talk Pages
Unlike Article Discussion pages, Talk Pages are control completely by the user. When you leave a message on this area, that user will be notified their talk page has been altered so they can see what messages have been left. Anyone can edit them, however take note the user has control to not only remove discussions, but revert discussions where felt needed. This however does not mean they are entitled to abuse this power, but it does mean other editors should remember a User Talk Page is a very personnel area.

Some editors will archive their messages to keep a record of what has been previously said to them. The typical amount is every 20 messages but a user is under full control to decide if they can archive to begin with. Archives are extension pages of the editors talk page and are such still part of the talk page and follow their control. You should not edit these pages as they are considered documentations, if you however find an old issue on them, you are entitled to make a new message on the current part on the User's Talk Page to reopen the discussion.

Unlike Article Discussion pages, talk pages are not restricted and as such you can hold any type of discussion here.

Blogs
A recent addition to the wikia system are Blogs. The wikias Blogs are the same as any typical Blog found on the web and once again are controlled by the user. They however have a comments section where others' can respond to the blog entry.

So You Want to Talk?
There are some basic things you need to consider.

Respect
Better put as "Treat others how you wish to be treated".

First and most important, reframe from name calling and keep good manners! This is a golden rule and can make all the difference between you getting a good and bad response from other editors. Veterans in particular maybe inclined to accept even the smallest amount as they've been editing for a while and have already settled into wikia routines. For a new editor, being rude straight off the mark may have long lasting effects, so before you begin, consider restraining yourself as best as possible.

Which brings us to insults. Insults achieve nothing on the wikia and are a definite sign of anti-social behavior and/or bullying. We will not tell you to be friends with every editor on here, but calling them "idiot" will be taken upon. Again as with swearing, a slight joke is acceptable, however not everyone may see your sense of humor, so for everyone's sakes, especially if your a new editor getting to know the ins and outs of editing, avoid any form of insults. Bullying especially will be frowned upon and attempts to bully another editor are liable to led to a ban without further notice. If you have issues with an editor, you must resolve the issue yourself.

Most importantly, NEVER use racial (Coon, Paki, etc), mental/disability descriptive (retarded, spastic, etc) and sex orientation based words (gay, queer,etc), even as a joke as these can easily be taken as an insult by others, even those who have nothing to do with the wikia or your discussion, as these are political sensitive words!

Editors have the right to edit in a clean, safe wikia and trolls, vandals, spammers and flamers will not be accepted.

Language
Avoid use of anything but the English language, as the users here are expected to only be English speakers. Thats not to say you can't talk in a non-english language to another, but take note you will isolate other editors by doing so and you must also keep this on your User Talk Page only and just because you can talk the language doesn't mean there isn't another editor who knows the language also. Elsewhere on the wikia will be considered unacceptable.

We will not pick up on spellings and gramma mistakes so much on talk pages, in fact the only time editors are allowed to even correct you is on Article Discussion pages. If you do not like other editors correcting you, you may undo their editing but only on your own comments. Correcting the spelling of others may be done in good faith, but some editors find it insulting when you correct them for various reasons, so reframe from correcting spelling and gramma in the forums, blogs and User Talk Pages. Obviously, avoid l337 talk as this makes your comments hard to read for even experienced users.

Some editors may use short hand to avoid words they can't spell or write, sometimes it will take a little getting used to to know what that editor is saying, if you don't understand what a user is saying, it is considered more polite to just ask them to reexplain themselves. Other times, problems with writing like Dyslexia my simply be the cause of the users spelling. Sometimes users may shorten the editors User Name for equally various reasons such as difficult selling, where the users don't wish to be insulting by misspelling another's User Name. Don't be insulted by this, this is likened to a "nickname" amongst friends. So users like Joekido, Angel Emfrbl and Mugiwara Franky might end up being written as Joe, Angel and MF respectively between editors. It takes some getting used to but other editors won't usually mind you if you use this system as well.

We're not going to ask you reframe from swearing completely, if kept at an acceptable level words like Fuck, Shit and Bastard will go unnoticed if used only once in a while. We're not here to nanny you and tell you can't use these words. However using these words in every sentence will be considered quite rude and anti-social to the other editors. And most importantly, never used these words in an offensive manner; theres a difference between saying "The internet is doing shit all for me today" and saying "your editing skills are shit!" and its up to you to know when and when not to use this language. In fact the most common reason an editor may use curse words is simply as a joke. As previously stated however, not everyone will share your sense of humor, so always keep this in mind.

If English isn't your first language, or you have learning, reading and writing difficulties, it is advised you note this on your User Page. This lets other Editors know you have problems, but also allows other editors to related and understand you better.

Drama
Keep your emotions under control may sound heartless, but its for a reason. So you've opened a discussion and its not gone your way. Whether you are right or wrong, try to keep your emotions to yourself, as sometimes they can cloud judgments. Even experienced Veterans will fall prey to this.

If a discussion doesn't go your way, don't rant and rave about every little thing because you didn't get your own way. A better method would be to pull up issues and find evidence to counter the statements and turn the discussion in your favor. Getting angry will only make things worst. On the other side of the coin, the "guilt trip routine" will also make others' annoyed.

No one likes a sore loser and at the end of the day, its better to turn the other eye then to take a loss seriously. And who knows, perhaps one day this issue will crop up again and in which case there may be a opening for you to reopen the discussion.

Keep on Topic...
...and on the right page!

Speculations, spoilers and comments like "I love Ace!" belong on the Forum not the Article Discussion pages. Don't start a discussion on the fact it showed in the Sahara Desert or the fact aliens have been found on Mars halfway through a discussion on the name of Zoro's swords. This is likened to changing the subject of discussion you have with a person in real life and likewise considered very rude. But if you really wish to discuss these topics, there are other places you can discuss them freely, without stepping on the discussion of others.

Your Comments Aren't Invisible!
Anyone who goes to "Recent Changes" or "User contributions" can see when you've edited a page, and "History" will log every edit made to a page. Therefore, don't pretend or forget that other editors can read what you've written. So a discussion that is getting out of hand, may see another editor enter the discussion to call for order.

So How Do I start?
Okay so you've got a matter to discuss but have never done so before, how do you begin? Well they take a little getting used to, but talking on Talk Pages is actually pretty simple, sometimes more then normal article editing depending on the type of edit.

Title Everything!
Add a title to every new discussion to separate each topic.

Example Title: ==Title Name goes here==

In short, this Article Pages use titles to separate all its important points, likewise so do titles do the same for Talk Pages.

Writing a Message
Like Article Pages, you can click "Edit" and edit a discussion already on the talk page or "Leave Message" is there is a page and leave a brand new message entirely.

When adding a new message, you can separate your comments from the comments of others by inserting " : " at the start every paragraph of the message.
 * This also allows others to respond to old messages easier.
 * Adding another :s to the beginning of the paragraph will push the text indent further in.
 * And adding more will push it further
 * You can respond still to the original message and not have the new message interfer with other responses by putting a little less.

Or not use any to indicate your starting a new line of talk still related to the topic, but not to the previous discussions.

This can also aid in helping identify who is saying what and prevent discussions blurring together as one, as well as make for easier reading.

Signing
Sign all you messages with four "~" together like this: ~. This is actually considered polite manners as you are identifying your messages from the messages of others. This stops a discussions becoming a mess of peoples' comments, with no idea of who had said what. If you don't sign your messages, other editors will usually remind you anyway, and you can always sign afterwards.

And most Importantly
Don't be Shy!

We may tell you if you've done wrong, but most editors will not bite you. If there is anything you wish to talk about, confidence in talking will only be gained from breaking the ice. That means you edit a page and start a discussion. If you've done a simple newbie error, we'll be here to help. Editors are more likely to accept and happy with shy new editors who haven't gotten the hang of wiki editing then they are with rude experienced editors who can't keep their manners under control, remember this! Even if you don't actually edit the wikia normally, no one will mind you talking, this is not an exclusive club where only the veteran editors will be allowed to Discuss things. In fact some Editors on the wikia love discussions and even if your discussion goes unnoticed, it may simply be down to either your wording, they simply missed the discussion or that the editors are busy. A little "Bump" of the message may be the answer, however don't do this too often or its considered spam. Also, give them time to respond, you can't leave a message and expect an answer in 5 mins time.

In actual fact, Talk Pages are a great place for new editors to start learning the basics outside of Sandbox conditions.