SmashWiki:What SmashWiki is not
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This page documents an official SmashWiki policy, a widely accepted standard that all users should follow. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. If in doubt, consider discussing changes on the talk page. |
SmashWiki is an online Super Smash Bros. encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, an online community of people interested in building a high-quality encyclopedia in a spirit of mutual respect. Therefore, there are certain things that SmashWiki is not.
SmashWiki is not official
We are not required to abide by official terms or stances. Unofficial vocabulary will always be a large part of the Smash Bros. series; using an uncommon official term over a well-known unofficial term is generally frowned upon, and claiming a specific term is the right term because it's official is usually an invalid argument in a debate. Likewise, pushing for the removal of information with the argument that it's not approved/endorsed by Nintendo (such as the Brawl mod Project M) will not be acceptable.
SmashWiki is not Wikipedia
As SmashWiki is an online encyclopedia in the same vein as Wikipedia (even using the same software), it makes sense that information is covered in a similar way. With that said, however, SmashWiki and Wikipedia are not to be treated as the same. While Wikipedia may cover information in one way, that does not mean that we at SmashWiki need to emulate how it is displayed on Wikipedia. The same rule applies to policies; while many of Smashwiki's policies were influenced by Wikipedia's policies, SmashWiki has its own distinct policies that must be adhered to here (for example, Wikipedia strictly requires citations for most content in its articles and strongly discourages the use of primary sources, while SmashWiki is more lax on what content requires citation and strongly prefers direct primary sources over secondary sources). Additionally, SmashWiki is not affiliated with Wikipedia's parent organisation, the Wikimedia Foundation.
This extends to other NIWA wikis, as one wiki covering information a certain way or having a particular policy does not mean that SmashWiki should cover information that same way nor follow that particular policy, and vice versa (for example, several other NIWA wikis have a policy of strictly prioritizing official terminology, while SmashWiki, as covered in the prior section, has an explicit policy of not doing so).
SmashWiki is not an all-purpose Nintendo wiki
The Super Smash Bros. series consists of content representing a vast array of different Nintendo and non-Nintendo franchises, and naturally, SmashWiki will have coverage of that content. However, this does not mean SmashWiki should act as a general pseudo-Nintendo wiki, with articles about every single character and thing that makes any sort of appearance in Smash, nor should articles about more major characters become full-on biographies explaining everything about them within their home series. SmashWiki has a concise scope of specifically covering content that is relevant to Smash, so we do not want to bog down our wiki with coverage of content that has no relevance to Smash. As such, the following restrictions to content apply:
- Characters or other subjects with minor roles in Smash (such as appearing only as a trophy, spirit, sticker, and/or non-interactive stage element) should not have their own article at all, except for strictly a disambiguation page if the character/subject appears in multiple minor roles and/or across multiple Smash games.
- Video game consoles that do not have a Smash game in their library should not have an article.
- Non-Smash video games should not have articles, except for those that appeared in Smash as Masterpieces. However, articles about the video games that are Masterpieces should strictly only cover content from them that is in Smash, and should not delve into any plot breakdown nor development information that has no relevance to Smash.
- Characters and subjects with more major roles in Smash can have their own individual articles, but these articles should remain focused on their appearances within Smash. It is customary for these articles to include an "origin" section explaining the origins of a character/subject in their home series and to explain why they are represented the way they are in Smash, but these origin sections should only cover what is relevant to Smash. This means origin sections should not devolve into full synopses of their roles in their home games, nor should they delve into appearances in other games with no relevance to Smash (such as those that were released after the character's latest Smash appearance).
If a reader does want to learn more indepth about a character or subject within their home series, they should instead visit a wiki centered around covering that series. SmashWiki will generally include a direct link to an article about the character/subject on another wiki in the article's infobox or in a template box at the top of the page, to ease navigation to these articles.
SmashWiki is not fanon
SmashWiki covers the canon Smash series, not fanon or invented additions. While the existence of things such as fan fiction, machinima, and fan games should not be ignored, and the concepts alone may deserve pages, articles on specific creations do not have a place here.
There is currently one exception to this: Project M is a mod that has attained an unprecedented level of notability among the community and even outside it. As a result, it has been decided by the wiki community that Project M should be allowed to have pages about its characters, in addition to a page about itself.
In addition, while the making and sharing of personally made content is not discouraged, and many users have their own collections of fanmade content within their user pages, this too is not the main focus of the wiki, and should be kept within the user pages, with standard probation rules applying in regards to editing such.
SmashWiki is not speculative
SmashWiki is an encyclopedia covering factual information in the Smash series. As a result, speculation does not belong in mainspace articles. While there is a certain amount of tolerance for reporting speculation that is widespread throughout the Smash Bros. community (such as documenting the most well-known rumors), or in cases where a sound theory backed up by those knowledgeable can be given for something whose factual explanation is unknown or unknowable (such as causes of certain glitches), if something "may be" or "possibly is", it does not belong.
In cases of acceptable speculation that the wiki reports, the information should be written in a way that it's clear it's speculation and not entirely factual. Do not, however, misinterpret the theory clause as a go ahead to add personal speculation about the origins of things in Smash and the like; such speculation lacks a factual basis, and is likely to be highly contended.
This policy stringently applies to articles about content from unreleased games. It doesn't matter how certain you are that the grassy stage shown in one screenshot is a Donkey Kong stage, or how likely you think that the new legendary Pokémon shown in a screenshot will be summoned from Poké Balls; the wiki will not report unknown elements as being factual until they are confirmed by Masahiro Sakurai or another official source, or otherwise hard evidence is seen that definitively proves the information as factual (such as a confirmed leak). Articles about unreleased content will only contain information that is known to be definitively factual, and will not be filled up with speculative fluff. Articles about unreleased content (such as character articles) may be semi-protected until release to prevent speculation if they attract a high amount of speculation from IPs and non-autoconfirmed users.
SmashWiki is not spoiler-safe
Some wikis provide spoiler warnings for articles or sections should users wish to avoid accidental learning of plot details or unlockable content. SmashWiki is not one of them - spoilers are unmarked and used liberally without regard to spoiler safety. We believe that the spoiler content of the Smash Bros. series is universally known (thus doing things like trying to avoid spoiling the unlockable characters would be a benefit to an extremely insignificant amount of people), and unification of information is more important than partitioning to cater to a minority. As such, spoiler-conscious users should be very careful as to how they navigate the wiki, and should be warned that it is not our job to hide anything.
As a consequence of the above, note a few words of warning:
- This policy applies equally regardless of how long ago a game was released - indeed, if a leak occurs prior to a game's release, it will be documented and possibly publicized whether it includes unlockable content or not. Users who wish to remain unspoiled about upcoming or recently released games should refrain from browsing the wiki.
- The Smash games themselves care little for concealing spoilers relating to their represented series. A major example is Sheik's true identity, which is a major plot point in Ocarina of Time, but treated as common knowledge by all the Smash Bros. games in gameplay and supplemental material (such as trophy descriptions). As a result, users should be aware of the possibility of cross-series spoilers, and browse accordingly.
With that said, this policy does not mean that articles should flagrantly spoil content for non-Smash games, such as describing important plot points in a character's home game within an origin section on their article, when it is not necessary to explain something within Smash. Ideally, editors should avoid writing spoilers into articles that are of no relevance to Smash.
SmashWiki is not a strategy guide
SmashWiki is an encyclopedia of facts, not a repository for various strategies to accomplish things. Strategies are invariably opinion-based and lead to articles becoming stuffed full of them. While the wiki may document common and widespread strategies that have gained sufficient notability within the community, users' personal strategies and guides will not be allowed in the mainspace.
SmashWiki is not censored
Certain crews, smashers, and techniques may have names or contain information that some may find offensive. Because SmashWiki tries to be a complete encyclopedia, information should not be excluded merely because some find it offensive. This rule also applies to talk page discussions; while personal attacks are to be avoided, SmashWiki has no policies that prohibit profanity or language that some people may find vulgar. Attempts to prohibit other users from using such language (such as through self-user talk page rules) is frowned upon, and will not be enforced by the administration if the language is not abusive.
However, there may be times when something is too offensive to be left alone, such as a smasher choosing to tag themselves as a racial slur. In such cases, some form of alternate title or name will be used, decided on a case-by-case basis.
Note that this does not mean that vulgarity should be used in articles simply because it can - it should only be used if no reasonable option is available. Similarly, it does not mean that offensive or otherwise derogatory usernames on this wiki will be allowed, as per our username policy.
SmashWiki is not a tabloid
SmashWiki documents controversial incidents that have occurred in the Smash community on their relevant articles, and even has entire articles devoted to such topics, as we believe it's necessary to explaining the story of competitive Smash and properly documenting the Smash careers of all individuals involved. That said, such coverage should be restricted to only incidents that are too significant for the wiki to ignore, such as when it impacted players' involvement in Smash or otherwise threatened to, as SmashWiki is not a place to sensationalize the regular drama that occurs in any fan community. Editors should not be treating the wiki as a sort of tabloid by inserting petty drivel into articles like unsubstantiated rumors, a whole section about how a player got criticized on social media for being a jerk once, or multiple paragraphs about whatever big argument of no consequence that two smashers got into. SmashWiki will also strongly enforce a neutral point of view when it documents these sort of incidents, editors should not be inserting their own opinions on these controversies nor writing coverage with a clear biased slant.
SmashWiki is not an assortment of miscellaneous information
Just because you find a piece of information that isn't in an article does not mean it should be immediately inserted wherever you feel like it. This is an encyclopedia, and as such, should be carefully organized and well-written. Check around similar articles to see if your fact is already listed "nearby". In the case of lists, pay attention to how it is ordered, and add your piece of information where it fits within the order, instead of just adding it wherever on the list.
SmashWiki is not a personal profile
The existence of the Smasher namespace and the ability to create a user page do not make SmashWiki a place for one to create a personal profile. Smash-related sites of this type exist elsewhere on the Internet; do not use this site as one of them. Users who focus excessively on their userspace while neglecting constructive work on the wiki risk being put on probation.
SmashWiki is not an image hosting service
This site is an encyclopedia, not an image hosting service. While personal images are allowed to be uploaded for use in one's user space, do not upload an excessive amount, and instead take such business to a dedicated image hosting site. You should typically only upload images that are relevant to the encyclopedic content of the wiki. If you have an idea for a user page that requires an extreme amount of images or just otherwise really want that many images in your user space, use external images via the external image template instead of uploading them to the wiki.
SmashWiki is not a resource repository
SmashWiki uploads a few sets of assets for use on our wiki (such as head icons, alternate costume images, victory themes, etc.), as well as oddities or interesting sprites and sound clips (such as unused content), but it is not to contain every asset in the game. There are sites whose purpose is specifically that; we are not one of them. New sets of assets are allowed to be uploaded provided a consensus is reached first.
SmashWiki is not a forum hosting site
While SmashWiki has forums, it should not be used only for the creation of forums, which primarily exist to discuss wiki-wide matters in a centralized place. Casual forums are not related to improvement of the wiki and excessive discussion on them will flood the recent changes with nonconstructive edits, as well as being prone to causing disruptive arguments. It's acceptable to create casual/fun forums to discuss things not relevant to the improvement of the wiki with fellow users, but users who focus excessively on nonconstructive forums will be reprimanded. If the forums are your primary focus, please take such business to SmashBoards or the like, and if you wish to casually discuss Smash or any other topic with wiki users, our Discord server is a much better place for such discussion.
SmashWiki is not an instant messaging service
SmashWiki is not to be used primarily to communicate with other users. Conversations on a wiki take up much time and space that can be better spent elsewhere; the wiki concept is simply not designed to handle it. Again, there are better places for this sort of thing.
SmashWiki is not for off-wiki business
Do not drag offsite conflicts onto the wiki. Not only are such conflicts completely irrelevant to the wiki, they'll only serve to be disruptive here. Harassing users over offsite conflicts will not be tolerated, and attempts to propagate off-wiki drama here will be quelled immediately.
This also applies to discussing off-wiki matters in general; while it may not necessarily be disruptive, they're still irrelevant to the wiki and have no constructive value here, while ultimately such matters can be discussed more effectively elsewhere. While it may be acceptable to briefly inform a user on their talk page about an off-wiki matter that requires them or is otherwise relevant to them, extensive conversation on it will be expected to be moved elsewhere.
SmashWiki is not a matchmaking service
SmashWiki does not exist to help people find others to play against. As per the above, many other sites exist to do exactly that. Please use them. While it is acceptable (and encouraged to a degree) to play against other users on the wiki, the wiki should not be used solely for this purpose.
SmashWiki is not tech support
SmashWiki is not a tech support service. While certain users may be willing to help in some situations, there are better sites to ask questions such as "Why isn't my Wii reading my disc?" or "Why is hack X not working?", and main talk pages should never be used to ask for help on something.
SmashWiki is not complete
SmashWiki, like most wiki-encyclopedias, is not complete. There are still stubs to be expanded, articles to be cleaned up and images to be uploaded. Outside these categories, there are almost surely a few articles with faulty grammar, outdated information, or deprecated content. As such, "There's nothing to contribute/I can't contribute" will never be an acceptable excuse for not contributing constructively to the wiki. Don't ever think there's nothing left to contribute.
