Help:Community guidelines

It's good for each community to work out and set general guidelines for how they work together. This gives a base-line for expected behavior in that community. There are some common guidelines, such as being polite or not vandalizing articles, that are standard on most sites, but a community may want to add in specific points that fit their project and its contributors.

Many of the common guidelines are similar to those found in any community, whether it's offline or online, a social club, gaming guild, or sports team. They are often not all meant to be hard and fast rules, but provide guiding principles for community growth and sustainability.

We strongly encourage communities to create their own specific guidelines and rules that fit their community and topic, but you're welcome to copy the examples below, or link to the Community Central Guidelines as a starting point for your community.

Example Guidelines
Jump right in! Don't be afraid to get started. Anyone is free to edit here, so simply click edit and get started!

Collaboration is key. Wikis are based on the idea that the crowd, collectively, has a greater sum of knowledge than just one individual. That means collaborating with others is the key to creating a successful community. Collaboration means you work together to build, design and make decisions. No one person owns or rules a community site. Rather, it is built, supported and owned by all participating community members.

Practice open-mindedness & assume good faith. Since sites are open to edit by anyone, users of all skill levels and opinions are welcome to participate. We assume that most people who work on a wiki are trying to help it, not hurt it. If this weren't true, a project would be doomed from the beginning. If you think there is a problem, it's best to ask the user about the issue first, then take any additional steps if need be.

Be nice. Being friendly and nice goes a long way, no matter where you are. Say hello to others, provide help where you can, and ask others if you need assistance. Simply being nice can greatly impact the growth and success of a community.

Welcome new users. Everyone has to start somewhere, so if you meet a new user who by accident made an improper edit, be nice! It's better to help explain what they did wrong, so they can learn from you, than to leave them a mean message. Remember back to when you were new, and how far friendly advice can go.

Spread the word! A community is only as strong as all of its members. The more it has, the stronger (and more successful), it will become. So invite your friends, family, schoolmates, and others who may be interested. Spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, forums, blogs on the same topic, or any place where people who are interested may hang out.

Ask for help. If you are confused or need help, just ask! There is a lot of help all around you on Wikia, including our help pages, Central forums, local admins and staff. No question is too small!

Don't plagiarize content. If you are bringing content to Wikia or taking it from here (or to another site), please remember to cite the authors properly. Don't assume that everything on the Internet is open for the taking. Make sure you have permission to use something before you copy it, and follow the rules for attribution when you do reuse. Everyone likes credit for their hard work!

Don't use the wiki to spam your own links. Wikis are a great place to build content on a specific topic, not a place to spam links to your latest product or to post non-relevant material. Spam will be removed, so please don't add it to begin with.

Don't feed the trolls. This means that every time you respond to those who try to ruin your work, you are giving them what they want. The more you do that, the more they will be back for more. It's best to be calm, and limit contact with vandals. The less attention they get, the more likely they are to move on. Don't play games with the vandals as this makes it more fun for them.

Don't make personal attacks. Don't make it personal, or post personal information. Wikis are meant to be a place to collaborate with others on topics that excite you. Pages meant just as an attack on someone will be removed. This includes content posted in articles and messages to other users.

Always remember online communities still involve real people. Even though you are online, this is still a community made up of real people. Mean comments, aggressive behavior, and vandalism all affect real people. If you wouldn't say it in person, don't say it here. If it breaks the, please don't say it at all.

Never forget to have fun! Our community sites are places to have fun, meet new people, and learn more about your favorite topics. There is serious work to be done, but you should always remember to enjoy what you are doing!

Further Help and Feedback
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