The following is a list of policies that are meant to ensure everyone can enjoy this wiki and the information/community it offers. By implementing these policies and guidelines, administrators expect users to adhere to them, and all contributors will be held accountable by administrators; if you have any questions, please ask them.
Current Active Administrators:
Behavior Policies
As long as you are polite and respectful of others, there will be no problems with what you are doing. More specific guidelines follow.
- Do not bully or post other negative or potentially hurtful comments. These are not tolerated under any circumstances and will be deleted. If you notice a problem with bullying that has not been resolved, please inform one of the active administrators.
- Be kind to everyone. Be inclusive and polite towards others; any rude comments will be deleted.
- Make sure all content is suitable for everyone. Any inappropriate or mature content will either be edited out or the comment/page will be deleted.
- Do not mention any violence, threats, or killing that is unrelated to the series. Please try and keep all content suitable for everyone.
- Be respectful of administrators' requests and the things they do. Administrators ensure the community is friendly and the pages informational; any requests are expected to be followed. If you disagree with anything, you may send a polite message that explains ways for them to improve or suggests a solution.
- Do not ship bash. Please consider others' opinions, and keep ship-related arguments civil. This includes comments such as: "This ship is stupid." "Down with this ship." "All ships except [insert ship] are dumb."
Commenting Policies
- Make sure your comments are posted on the pages they relate to. Do not post a comment that is unrelated to the topic of the page. Conversations unrelated to Keeper of the Lost Cities may be had on live chat, the forum, and message walls.
- Do not swear. Any form of cursing will be edited out or the comment/page will be deleted. Even minor swear words can potentially make others feel hurt, offended, or uncomfortable.
- If debating, arguments are expected to be polite, civil, and inoffensive.
- Do not direct any arguments towards users. You are arguing against the user's comment, not the users themselves.
- Do not spam. Spamming is unnecessary and will be deleted, whether it be on pages or threads.
- Long comments, such as fanfiction, should be posted on the forum or a blog post instead of article comment sections.
Editing Guidelines
- All wiki pages are to be factual and contain only information directly acquired from the books or Shannon Messenger's official social media sites. Do not add in any second-hand information. Do not edit pages to include opinions or theories unless a section for theories is available. If one is not, you can request an administrator add one.
- All edits to wiki pages are expected to be informative with canon information and helpful for growing the page. Removing content, inserting false or unrelated content, and any other vandalizations are prohibited.
- American grammar and spelling is preferred to other forms of English since the books originated in America. (For example, use "color" instead of "colour.")
- Categories are to be necessary and helpful. Ensure that it has the correct meaning for the respective page. Do not create any extra or spam categories. If you are unsure about adding a category, ask. A category is typically helpful if five or more pages fit into it.
Page Guidelines
- Before creating a page, ensure that the page has not already been created so we don't end up with duplicates. Duplicates will be deleted.
- Instead of making a non-factual page (as seen in "Editing Guidelines"), make a blog post or forum post. All non-factual pages will be deleted. Examples of non-factual pages are fanfiction, fanart, and pages unrelated to the series.
- Do not add any fanart to pages unless you have explicit administrative permission. Fanart is not generally added to pages, but in some cases, an administrator may approve fanart to go on a page. You can request administrative consent if wanting to add fanart.
- Only administrators can make disambiguation pages.
- If something you want to make a page for doesn't have a name and not much is known about it, you shouldn't make it. For example, "Marella's Friend" should not be made if Marella mentioned she asked her friend about something; however, if friend's name was mentioned, you could.
- A page should not be made that is not exclusive to the elves. It does not need its own page; information important to the series can be added to other pages. For example, a page about a human city that elves visited should not be made.
Warnings and Blocking
Only administrators are able to block users. The following are warnings and responses that administrators may use against users who break the rules and policies that are stated on this page.
1. A First warning appears on a message wall like this:
2. Additional warnings may result in blocking. (See numbers 3-6.) They appear on a message wall like this:
3. Blockings of 1 to 7 days are typically done for minor, repeated violations. The notice appears on a message wall like this:
4. Blockings of 1 to 4 weeks are typically done for more serious violations or repeated minor violations. The notice appears on a message wall like this:
5. Blockings of 1 or more months are typically done for major violations or even continually repeated violations. The notice appears on a message wall like this:
6. Permanent blockings are usually done against only these users:
- Bullies.
- Users that are seriously rude or offensive, especially continuously or if the account is used only for this purpose.
- Users that post inappropriate things, especially continuously or if the account is used only for this purpose.
- Users that seriously vandalize pages, especially continuously or if the account is used only for this purpose.
Notices appear on the message wall like this:
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I noticed that someone broke a policy/guideline?
Tell an active administrator. Users' reports are invaluable when it comes to keeping the wiki a friendly, safe place, and we greatly appreciate it. If you're concerned about saying it where anyone can see, you could privately message an administrator on Discord or ask one to live chat with you.
Why have I been blocked?
When a blocking has taken place, you should receive a message from an administrator stating why you were blocked and for how long. If you are still confused, or have not received a message, don't panic. Unless there's a very good reason, administrators will leave blocked users with the ability to post on their own message walls. If you don't understand your blocking, or want to appeal it, post a message on your wall explaining.
Am I allowed to put fanart on a page?
No. Fanart is generally kept off of the wiki because the wiki is for canon information. Some pages do have fanart on them; administrators have given special permission because the art is especially useful to the page. You may ask an administrator about adding fanart to a page, but you will not necessarily receive a positive answer because, again, fanart is generally kept off the wiki. You are, however, allowed to post fanart on the Fan Art board on the forum, and you can put the page name in the Topic section. The discussion will then appear at the bottom of the page.
I don't think a page should have been deleted. What should I do?
First of all, please trust that the administrator had a good reason for deleting it. That said, pages can be restored, and aren't gone forever if they're deleted. You may send the administrator that deleted it a message asking why they deleted it. In addition, you may start a petition for undeletion. That means to write out the reasons you think it would be a useful page for the wiki, and get one or two other users to agree with you. Please respect their decision if they still don't think it's a good page for the wiki, however.
Is character bashing allowed?
While I have no issue with fans expressing their opinions, I do request that they express them in a way that is courteous to other users. Commenting simply "I HATE HIM!" isn't as acceptable as commenting "I hate this character because _____," or "I think Shannon Messenger did a good job making this character dislikable because I hate him." The first example is unnecessary and just adds negativity; the other examples are more polite comments expressing opinions.
How do I become an administrator?
Whenever a new administrator is wanted on the wiki, the current active administrators will discuss and choose a user to become an administrator. The user chosen is not necessarily one of our top contributors. Potential administrators must:
- Have an account.
- Have at least 500 contributions.
- Have been on the wiki at least three months.
- Have not been blocked before. (Exceptions may be made.)
- Log on/be willing to log on at least once a week.
- Be friendly and kind.
What are the templates on people's profiles?
Some users make "badges" to put on their profiles. They're listed in Category:Badges. Feel free to add one to your profile as long as the badge doesn't say that you have to have permission from someone, or that it's "rewarded" for something. They typically share something about a user or a club they're in. To see what users have a badge, go to Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:INSERTNAMEHERE.