User:Raidarr/Workspace/Content Policy

Notations[edit | edit source]

The main actual changes here were defining what WO actually is and removing the bit on scope changes. Imo these should not be policed but if what is written is violated then wikis do it at their own peril. The aim here is to avoid interventionist moderation as far as possible.

Needs a cleanup review

Page[edit | edit source]

Template:Executivepolicy Last modified on 12/08/2024

The WikiOasis Content Policy applies to all wikis hosted on the WikiOasis platform. It sets the expectations for what WikiOasis is willing to approve and host, and therefore is strongly recommended for any founder to review.

By adhering to the WikiOasis Content Policy, all users can help maintain a high standard of content and foster a positive community focused on collaboration and knowledge sharing. Thank you for contributing to the integrity of WikiOasis!

Scope of WikiOasis[edit | edit source]

WikiOasis is a public, free service supported by donations in order to host communities about a very wide range of topics, from personal worldbuilding to wikis about game franchises to wikis about hobbies and many things around or in between.

Prohibited Content[edit | edit source]

General scopes: one-page self promotion wikis/biographies, projects that emulate the full scope of content from Wikipedia, "everything" wikis, private wikis that do not have a clear function.

Sexually Explicit Content: We are not a platform for hosting pornography and are unlikely to approve wikis for strongly NSFW subjects (for example, explicit NSFW games). Material with educational value related to a non-NSFW scope is permissible.

Hate Speech and Violence: Any promotion of hate speech, terrorism, illegal activities, or any form of violence and harassment is forbidden and will be assessed at WikiOasis's sole discretion. This includes any material that incites harm against individuals or groups based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Illegal Content: obviously, we will not host things against the law as applicable in the United States of America and relevant international treaties. You're expected to accommodate copyright law and consider libel when writing about people for example. Plotting of illegal activity will be reported to law enforcement as appropriate.

Commercial Promotion: Content or wikis that exist solely to promote a business, sell products, or manipulate search engine rankings are not permitted. WikiOasis is intended for non-commercial wikis only.

Lack of Structure: Wikis must have clear leadership at least, and are expected to come up with and maintain rules to keep their wikis in order and any other structure needed to do this. We don't host wikis run by anarchy or without supervision.

Duplicate Content: Creation of wikis that duplicate existing content on WikiOasis is not allowed. Users are encouraged to contribute to existing wikis rather than creating redundant ones. Contact the Stewards for any exceptional case. We usually will not consider other platforms in this unless the wiki is a lower-standards fork of something existing or was kicked off by another platform for issues that overlap with our concerns in this policy.

Toxic or Unsuitable Content: Any content deemed toxic, harmful, or unsuitable at the discretion of Stewards or general community taste will not be tolerated. Satire is okay, satire built on deliberate offense and pushing people's buttons is unwelcome.

Topic Prohibitions[edit | edit source]

When WikiOasis encounters or is made aware of certain 'genres' or styles of wiki that the platform does not wish to host, they will be listed here. This is not exhaustive and a wiki may be rejected as unsuitable despite not being explicitly mentioned here or not in your view fitting the standards above. If you have any questions or concerns about the suitability of a wiki, please reach out to us.

Wiki Reviewing & Approval[edit | edit source]

Wiki review is not an instant process. Requests are reviewed by WikiOasis Staff who will decide if the wiki is appropriate. We ask for patience during this, and may request more details or look into the subject to get a better understanding.

If you have any questions or concerns you are encouraged to reach out to us; we may even reach out to you for this process. We'd rather get it right the first time than approve something hastily that becomes unacceptable down the road.

In general, the more detail you can offer about what the topic is and what the wiki will do to cover it, the smoother the review will be. Links to the covered material (if it's a game, its wikipedia page is an idea) or the old community (if migrating somewhere else or has a public discord server) may help in this.

WikiOasis Staff may visit your wiki after approval to say hello. They won't necessarily set up the wiki for you but are available if you have questions how to do it, have any concern or wish to share any thoughts.

When requesting the creation of a new wiki, users must provide a clear explanation of the wiki's purpose and scope. Proposals should be well-thought-out and align with our content policies. Our staff will review all requests to determine their appropriateness and compliance before granting or denying approval.

If you wish to move somewhere else, we're sorry to see you go and ask that you let us know so we can remove the wiki from our system, assuming there is no community willing to inherit the old project if it is public and general purpose.

Wiki Governance[edit | edit source]

Wikis are encouraged to set up their own rules and guidelines.

We classify governance into these categories. Please let us know which one applies upon request, or we will assume based on the subject matter. This affects how we step in to resolve disputes, should it ever be necessary.

Private & Personal: it's your wiki, you have exclusive rights to run it as you see fit (note that WO has the fundamental right to host and display based on how the wiki is configured, per the Terms of Service), no community is expected. Doesn't necessarily have to be set to private.
Small group wiki: A private (or public but personal), small community doing its thing, not expecting to have outsiders but some ebb and flow.
Open community wiki: founders are there to foster a community and will run it & try to grow it in their interest. Community consultations for major decisions are expected.
Organizational/off platform management: the wiki is run by a group that's not necessarily based in WikiOasis. A discord server, a network with its own guidelines, that sort of thing.

The governance style must fit the nature of the wiki - a general wiki about the Total War video game franchise should not be run as private & personal for example. Changes in style should be communicated to us or we will make a best-guess assumption at Steward discretion.

Changes in Scope[edit | edit source]

WikiOasis does not wish to police minor changes in scope as long as you are confident the change complies with the word and spirit of this policy. A total scope change should pass through Stewards to ensure the wiki is still compliant (this is for you as much as it is for us). If you do not take these steps and change the wiki to something unacceptable, you risk the wiki's termination. If a community exists, you are strongly encouraged to consult them before making the change. In a dispute we tend to side with the community over rogue administrator action.

Violations of This Policy[edit | edit source]

Violations of the Content Policy typically fall in these categories and are handled accordingly:

Individual Violations: Single pages or a handful of them that do not meet the policy. These should be addressed by local administrators, but may be struck by Stewards or Trust and Safety if necessary. Responsible users will be sanctioned, and the wiki itself only approached if it was wiki management who posted infringing material.

Full Violations: A very large portion of or the entire wiki violates the policy. Stewards will review the wiki and as far as reasonably possible work with the administration to deal with the concern(s). If the concerns cannot be resolved (typically after a month's time) the wiki may be terminated. If a wiki cannot be hosted but does not contain extreme or illegal material, the chance to gather a dump will be offered before this outcome.

Deceptive wiki creation or modification: If a wiki lies during the approval process or changes its scope to something unacceptable without Steward approval, it is subject to instant termination without notice or backups, and the operating users may be sanctioned as well.

Major revisions[edit | edit source]

date of ratification: misattributed to privacy policy inspiration, oops