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Changes
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Any major change More communication is usually better than less. Some examples of changes you might make to an article that should be explained on the talk pageare:* Any controversial change, even if very small. See [[Talk:Queer Bash]] for an example of a one-word change that the editor thought merited an explanation.* When you remove a large block of text, consider placing it on the talk page for with an explanation, so other editors may easily decide if some of it should be restored.* When you find yourself changing something back to something that was there before -- in other words, overruling another editor's decision. This is fine, but explain it so there can be debate and resolution, or an "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Edit_war edit war]" may arise.* Any edit with explanation too long to be comfortably put in the "Edit Summary" box. === 3. Protecting an Article (admins only) === Certain "metapages" -- pages that discuss or perform official functions on Willipedia itself -- are permanently locked from edit by non-admin users. This Policies page is one, because its content is meant to reflect Willipedia board consensus. Though it has not been done yet, the board may protect any article, preventing edit for a length of time. This could be used if a page was receiving frequent editing abuse, such as [[#Advertising|Advertising]] for an upcoming event, for which a temporary protect until after the event date might solve the problem.
To date, this This option has only been done to used almost exclusively for spammers, -- IPs that used to delete content and flood articles with links to ad and porn sites. It, however, is a recourse available to be used against any repeatedly hostile editor. We cannot imagine any situation in which an editor making contributions in good faith would be banned.
→Article Titles are a Promise . . .: added link to naming conv
This page contains an overview of the policies by which Willipedia is guided. These policies have evolved out of necessity, and are revised and administered by the [[wiki Willipedia board|Wiki Board]], which also arose out of necessity.
== Why there are Policies ==
. . . ''and the content of an article should fulfill that promise.''
This is a central principle of Willipedia. While its pages will receive to all can hold anything that Williams students dream of, they must stay organized to some degree, so as to allow readers to search and learn from them, and to allow editors to find and work effectively on content that they have knowledge about, and work effectively on it.
Please keep the following in mind as you choose a title for a new article:
* '''Seeing a title generates an expectation.''' When you see a link to [[Currier]], you have specific expectations to hear about the building, its history, etc. A title like [[My Dad]] declares the fact that it is not an article about something classically Williams, and so its parodic content is alright where it is , whereas if it were under the title [[Morty Schapiro]] it would have to be moved from [[Morty Shapiro]] (however amusingit would be).
* '''More general titles should name more general content.''' Thus [[Students with Skills]] is a page that covers general skills, as well as pointing to categories of skills, such as [[Students with Automotive Skills|automotive]] and [[Students with Body Skills|body]]. [[Pranks]] is and should always be an article about many pranks, not just one recent event.
* '''A title is the main idea of an article.''' Thus, an article simply titled [[Amherst]] should not go directly into a story about our rivalry, though it is likely to have a prominent section on it. If the rivalry topic became big enough, it could even become its own article, [[Rivalry with Amherst]].*'''Willipedia has conventions for titling articles.''' Because it is so important to have a common system for choosing intuitive titles, Willipedia titles try to conform to [[Project:Naming conventions|a set of rules]].
=== Content of Enduring Interest ===
Willipedia is, in many senses, a reflection of a Williams consciousness. It is best when it captures things that makes make Williams special, and does so in our own unique style. But unlike a consciousness, Willipedia is open to the world, and its pages endure longer than a fleeting thought does.
When you start or edit a page, aim for it to be something that others in the present and future will want to read and add to. Think about:
Imagine the world, and all there is to know about it. Some subset of all that is Williams-special: all there is to know about Williams, and all that is special to the Williams community. This subset is where Willipedia really thrives: it contains the topics we will write on best, the topics that an encyclopedia of ''Williams'' cries out to have (such as [[Trivia]] or [[Winter Study]]) and those that the readership that arrives here will be seeking.
Willipedia isn't ''really'' the place for an article on U.S. foreign policy, or similar topics that are of a general interest, but are not are a general ''Williams ''interest.'' Perhaps one of us can write an excellent article on such a topic, but
* Is there a reason it belongs on Williams' encyclopedia, Willipedia, and not the world's encyclopedia, [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]?
* Will Willipedia be the forum in which the editors best able to contribute to that article will find it?
== What makes Willipedia Sick ==
There are some paths that simply lead to no good for Willipedia. We've discovered them by stumbling a ways down them in the past; we hope to stay clear in the future. Below are prohibitions that the [[Wiki Willipedia board|Willipedia Board]] deems necessary to make for Willipedia's content. The board will take steps to guide articles away from this content, and occassionally we may delete it.
=== Advertising ===
'''Willipedia is not a billboard.''' We know how tempting it is to use space on the [http://wso.williams.edu WSO mainpage ] for advertising, and we know how important advertising is to life at Williams. But , but we have to keep it out of Willipedia. Advertising is a real and serious threat to the Willipedia project. Numerous times in the WSO's past, services created for other purposes have completely fallen to hoards of advertisements.
''Do'' create and link to articles about the things you love -- teams, clubs, traditions -- and through that, spread awareness of them.
''Do not'' generate an article with the intention of using its appearance on the WSO mainpage for publicity. Do not edit an article so that it acts as an ad, such as by adding at the top '''Next Meeting Tomorrow.''' Do not repeatedly edit an article just so it stays on the "[[Special:Recentchanges|Recently Edited]]" list. It is easy to identify articles intended solely for advertising; they are the ones that start with time-sensitive notices, instead of the general information heading most good articles.
=== Criticism of Professors ===
This is a unique policy. Opinions on professors is are very much of general interest, and is certainly a part of the Williams consciousnes. It is in all ways They would be fair game for Willipedia, but for a few reasons we make a special exception.
[http://wso.williams.edu/factrak Factrak] is a WSO service that is specially dedicated to researching and reviewing professors. It is older than Willipedia, and has gone through a history of revisions to be useful to students, fair to professors, and allowed by the administration. We must ask that you comment there on Williams professors, and not on Willipedia -- though you may certainly write here about [[departments]] and [[classes]] at Williams.
=== Naming Names ===
If you think that someone involved in the topic you're writing about would prefer to go unnamed, grant them that [[common courtesy|courtesy]]. Mindfulness of others' identities is necessary for Willipedia to have a strong base of contributors, and we must respect this both in how we write and in what we choose to write about.
The great majority of Willipedia topics are innocuous, and writers may cover these to the fullest extent of their knowledge. Other topics, that concern individuals of the Williams community who are likely not to want to be named in them (''eg.'' some [[Pranks]] and [[campus controversies|Campus Controversies]]), must either be written without naming the names or left to media other than Willipedia.
If you, with permission, include another person's name in a way that other editors may find questionable, note that you had the person's permission in your edit summary or on the talk page.
=== Things That Will Get Us Sued or Shut Down ===
Anyone writing and editing in good faith, especially after you've read this document, will naturally bring Willipedia to a healthier, better state. Below are suggestions on how you can go forth and do good.
The Wiki Board will also take steps , when it deems it them necessary, to bring content in line with these policies. The vast majority of the time, we will act as normal editors to get the job done. We hope you'll never notice us. Occassionally, however, we will use our superhuman powers to alter the wiki.
=== 1. Redirecting a Young Article ===
# '''Culling truth from opinion.''' You'll find that most of the things that people take the time to write on Willipedia have at least some grains of usefulness in them. Seek these, preserve, and enhance them with your additions.
# '''Moving less pertinent,content''' either lower on a page, into a subsection, or into another (perhaps new) page. This is very frequently needed, as people often start a page on, say, [[Mills]] out of the desire to write about their own suite. Such information may belong in the article, and should not be deleted, but it does not belong not at the top.
# '''Deleting useless or offending content.''' This will come naturally and is often the best course, but remember to always look for the above alternatives first.
# '''Choosing a new title for an article.''' This is a major upset when it happens to a large article, but a great thing when it happens early. To do this, use the "Move this page" link at the bottom of the page. Before you do this, skim the first part of the check out our [http[Project://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Naming_conventions Wikipedia Naming conventions|naming conventions]].
=== 2. Discussing an Article ===
Every article has a Talk Page, accessible through the "Discuss this page" link at the bottom. Currently, these spaces are underutilized. They are meant for all "meta-discussions": discussions about controversial edits to the article, explanations to future editors of decisions, debates over content, and the like. On this page, you should sign your edits (by appending --<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to your typing) and you may address other people.
=== 34. Deleting an Article (admins only) ===
Members of the Wiki Board are empowered to delete an article. This is distinct from simply deleting all of the text on a page, which still leaves behind a record (and is pretty much never the best way to make an edit). Only articles with no potential at all should be deleted, so it is a rare event.
If you believe an article should be deleted, contact the Wiki Board at <email>[mailto:wiki@wso.williams.edu contact]</email> the Wiki Board.
=== 45. Banning a User (admin admins only) ===
