This page is a guideline for wiki staff to follow when they are doing their duties. In a general sense, the same guidelines apply to the Wiki's Discord server, as well.
Basic etiquette
All staff should follow these principles at all times.
- Don't be disrespectful. This should be self-evident.
- Do not use harsher punishments than necessary.
- Please set a good example by abiding to the Wiki Style Guide, the FAQ, and the Planned Features.
Chat moderation
The duty of a chat moderator is to moderate the wiki's chat. As all other staff are also chat moderators, they should know about chat moderation, too.
Chat rules
The wiki's chatroom has no ruleset as such. The rules of the chatroom are determined by whichever chat mod or group of chat mods is currently in the chat, but common rules include the following:
- Be respectful.
- Don't spam the chat.
Kicking users
Chat mods are able to kick users out of the wiki's chat. Examples when this should be done is if somebody spams the chat with nonsense, or if somebody breaks one of the rules that the chat mods agreed upon. However, don't kick a user without telling them which rule they broke, and notifying them that they will be kicked out of the chat if they repeat the offense. If they continue to break the rule even after being kicked out of chat once, a chat ban may be necessary.
Chat banning
Banning users from chat should only be done if kicking the user doesn't work. Because chatroom rules are set by the group of chat mods that happen to be in chat at the time, ban duration will vary depending on the mod and the agreed upon ruleset, but in general, if kicking a user doesn't work, ban them from chat for 24 hours. If they continue to break chatroom rules, ban them from chat for a week. If a user keeps disobeying the rules of the chat, ban times up to one year may be necessary.
Forum posts and page comments
Discussions and content moderators, along with admins, have the ability to edit forum posts and page comments, and to delete them if needed.
Moving forum threads
If a forum thread is placed in the wrong board, please move it to the appropriate board. Proving an explanation isn't necessary in this case, because a thread will display "Thread moved by [Moderator]" if a moderator has moved it to another board.
Editing page comments/forum posts
If a user has made a coding error, i.e. a poll not working properly, a link directing to the wrong page, or a misplaced signature, please fix that. Renaming poorly named forum threads is also good. However, don't fix spelling errors in most cases, as that can sometimes lead to content being mis-interpreted. In all cases, moderators must write "EDIT: [the changes you made]. ~[Username]" at the bottom of the forum post.
Closing forum threads
Closing forum threads may be necessary in some cases to stop arguments (see below). If this is done, please specify why the thread was closed.
Deleting forum threads
If a forum thread breaks the Forum Rules & Code of Conduct, it should be deleted, and specified why it was deleted. During suggestion forum cleanout, however, a reason does not need to be given for the deletion of a thread.
Deleting page comments
Comments that obviously don't belong on wiki, i.e. spam, gibberish, or vulgar, should be deleted. Please specify why the comment was deleted.
Deleting, renaming, and protecting pages
Both content moderators and admins can delete and rename pages. They can also protect and unprotect pages as required.
Renaming pages
If a page has been mis-named, please re-name it. Make sure to use descriptive titles when re-naming pages/images. If an image has been mis-named (i.e. left in the default date format), notify whoever uploaded that image that they should, in future, name images properly.
NOTE: All users can rename up to three pages per day, but content moderators can rename as many pages per day as needed. They can also re-name images.
Deleting pages
Duplicate or otherwise unneeded pages should be deleted. However, if some of the information on that page might be relevant on another wiki page, it should be put on the appropriate page.
Protecting pages
While most pages on this wiki are to be left open to editing by anyone (that's the point of the wiki, right), there are some pages that may require protection. Generally, a page should be protected if it's:
- A rules page (i.e. the FAQ, Forum Rules & Code of Conduct, etc)
- A main page (for example the mainpage templates)
- Subjected to repeated vandalism
The pages in the first two categories should generally be protected so that only admins and content moderators can edit them. If a page is subjected to repeated vandalism, then you might wish to protect the page so that new and unregistered users can't edit it.
Protecting userpages
A user may ask to have their user page protected. If you are a content moderator or admin, you can protect your own userpage so that only admins and content mods can edit it. If a regular user wishes to protect their userpage, you can protect it from new and unregistered users.
Banning users
Only admins are able to ban users from the wiki.
To see a list of all the people that are currently banned, see here.
The Purpose of Banning
To get the best out of a ban, we must first understand what the purpose of a ban is.
Banning has two important purposes:
- Warn users that misbehave
- Prevent trolls and griefers from doing damage to the page
For the first group of users, no long banning duration is neccessary. These users are also likely willing contributors and a ban longer than a few days might make them leave the wiki forever. After all, we don't want to lose contributors, do we?
The second group of users should be banned for a much longer time. A troll or someone who did the same misbehavior over and over again has lost the last chance to show that he regrets what he has done. Show no mercy with them.
Banning Process
When banning, a few things should be checked.
- Make sure the user can post on their own message wall.
- Make sure you have followed their message wall.
- Make sure that account prevention is checked.
When dealing with staff
If a staff member breaks a minor rule, they shouldn't be banned right away. After a warning, they should lose their staff powers for the same number of days that a normal user would be banned. If issues continue, then a staff member should be banned for the same amount of time as a normal user, as well as face a permanent loss of staff responsibilities. Continued violations will result in a permanent ban.
List of common Misbehaviours and action
Weak misbehaviors
FAQ ignorance
Examples:
- Asking for Gandalf
- Suggesting better hired unit AI
Action: Warn the user. If this doesn't work, ban the user for at most 1 month.
Wiki Guideline ignorance
Examples:
- Adding images without a name
Action: First give a warning. If this doesn't work, ban for at most 1 week (generally 1-3 days is enough).
Being disrespectful
Examples:
- Arguing on the forums
- Writing an angry rant on the wiki
- Insulting another user
Action: For arguments, warn the arguing users first, then lock/remove the thread. If the argument restarts on a new thread or in the chat, ban all arguing users for one to three days.
For an angry rant, remove the rant as soon as you see it and warn the user. If the rant gets reposted, either by the same user or another user, ban everybody involved for one to three days.
For insults, this depends on the severity of the insult. A minor insult should result in a warning, but a major one should result in a ban for a week.
Adding wrong/unconfirmed information or unneeded pages
Examples:
- Adding detailed information about upcoming features that are not officially confirmed
Action: First warn the user. If this does not work, ban for at most 1 week, though a 1-3 day ban is often sufficient.
Minor spam
Examples:
- Writing many small comments on pages, such as "First" "Hi" and the like
- Writing "cool" "yes" "me too" "awesome" on the forums instead of using the "Kudos" button.
Action: If a user has written a few small page/blog comments, warn them, but if they have written more than five, ban them for a week.
If a user writes "yes" "agreed" "awesome", etc. on forum posts instead of using the Kudos button, tell them that they should use the Kudos button in future. If this does not work, a ban for one to three days may result.
Heavy misbehaviors
Griefing
Examples:
- Deleting the content of a whole page
Action: Ban the user for 3 - 6 months
Trolling
Examples:
- Adding nonsense content
- Repeatedly doing other misbehaviors
- Repeatedly disrespecting wiki admins, moderators, or the mod team
Action: Ban the user for 1 year
Vandalization of user profiles
Malicious additions/removals of content on a user's personal profile
Action: Determined by the user vandalized.
Abusing alternate accounts
Examples:
- Misbehaving with an alternate account
- Impersonation of a staff member
Action: If you suspect that a user is abusing alternate accounts, first warn them on one of their accounts. If that does not work, do an IP ban on any of their accounts for 1-3 days. If contributions from two or more accounts stop at the exact same time, it's highly likely that the user has multiple accounts. If a final warning has no effect, ban all accounts for one year.