Forum:Blog policies

Read about the new blog feature here. It's been received here with mixed opinions, but there are suggestions of ways this could be useful. Obviously we can't keep this feature unregulated, or Star Wars Fanon would quickly stray from its purpose, so here's my proposal for the formation of a policy.

I'm going to do this in an unorthodox way. Instead of writing up a complete policy all by myself and having everyone vote on it, I think we should try to let the contents of the policy be formed by community consensus before voting on the whole policy. Therefore, here are the guidelines:


 * 1) To add an idea to the policy, place a new level 3 header naming the point, and below it, write your idea.
 * 2) Discuss the idea under the proposal, keep it in one header. No "Support" or "Oppose" or "Discussion" sections are needed for individual points to be added to the policy.
 * 3) After a certain amount of discussion, any user may draft full policies that incorporate ONLY certain points that have been suggested so far under it's own heading. This way, we can let every proposal for this very new function present itself to the community for review before we rush into adding too many (or too few) rules.
 * 4) Users eligible for voting will then vote on the full proposal drafts or suggest changes.
 * 5) If a proposal is changed, then SUBMIT A NEW one; do NOT tamper with the existing one. This way users who voted before the change are not said to have voted for whatever new content may be in there.
 * 6) *Let me try to clarify this with an illustration: Policy A has points 1, 2, and 3, and is supported by user X. A suggestion is made by user Y to add point 4 to the policy. If point 4 were added to Policy A, it would seem as though user X voted for point 4 as well, though it is not the case. Therefore, user Y would instead make a new policy, Policy C, with points 1, 2, 3, and 4. If user X decides he likes point 4 as well, he can change his vote to Policy B.
 * 7) *By the way, since we might well be having many proposals, I'd say we should use the "One vote per user" method instead of the "Support, Oppose, Neutral" system, but either could work. If anyone else has an opinion on voting methods, please voice it.
 * 8) The proposal with the most support votes (or net votes, depending on the voting method we ultimately use) will be adopted as official policy.

I, C3PO the Dragon Slayer, and anyone else willing, will try to moderate and participate in the discussion, organizing things if this gets a bit messy, that sort of thing. I would like to take this opportunity to try a fair system at finding consensus, especially since blogs are a completely new and unexpected feature. And quite honestly, I'm a bit tired of the precedent where one person starts a policy proposal and makes it just a "Support all my policy" or "Oppose all my policy" kind of vote. I'd like to try a way to effectively and fairly create a whole policy from scratch where the entire community has a part in juggling and adding ideas.

What seems clear is that blogs are a feature that Wikia expect to add universally. Therefore, we will probably retain this feature in the technical realm, but this policy proposal is to answer the question "How is this feature to be used on Star Wars Fanon?" And yes, Darth Tom, a possible answer is "Never use the feature, period."

This should probably continue for a few weeks to make sure we have everything we can think of. I'm hoping we can use the blog feature for things like CUSWFN or the Critic's Lounge and still maintain a well-regulated website. Remember we should include points on blog posts, comments, avatars, and more.

Respectufully,
 * --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Point proposals
If you have your own ideas, add them below. You need not like a point to add it here; this is mostly a discussion section to toss around ideas.

Image, Editing, and Civility policies apply
Proposal: All images (including avatars), blog posts, and comments are subject to SWF:POINT, SWF:NPA, SWF:AGF, SWF:NOT, and other content policies. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Duh, yes. Support, if we decide to allow blogs for anything. This would automatically forbid excessive content and personal attacks and much more. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

(Under this line, place point proposals for preambles to a Blog policy considering what should, by default, be allowed or disallowed.)

All-out ban
Proposal: All use of blogs is prohibited. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * This seems to be leaning where Darth Tom would like it, but I think there are possible uses for blogs on Star Wars Fanon, as long as they're well-regulated. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Default no use
Proposal: Do not use blogs unless... (name exceptions in additional points) --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I think this is the best regulation preamble; it lets us name specific things blogs CAN be used for, and automatically prohibits anything else. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

No default
Proposal: (Policy should name every use and every non-use for blogs) --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * This is the second-best regulatory method. I'm skeptical, however, on whether we can really hit all possible uses for blogs in this discussion. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Default use
Proposal: You may use blogs for any purpose except... (name exceptions, where blogs should NOT be used, in additional points) --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * While inherently, this could have the same substance as Default no use, it might be harder to outline every single thing we shouldn't use blogs for. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

All-out permit
Proposal: You may use blogs whenever you want. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Strong oppose. That would be ridiculous. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

(Under this line, place point proposals about what blog posts are acceptable or unacceptable.)

Allow blog posts for Behind the Scenes for works
Proposal: You may post a new blog entry for a work such as a fanfiction, fanfilm, fan-made video game, or series of articles in a continuity, describing "behind the scenes" progress and inspiration with your work. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Support. Blogs would be a better way to do what I've already been doing in Portal:Avian Hunt/news, and conceivably for Brandon Rheas self-absorbed coverage of the Chosen One progress. It allows for more user feedback. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Allow blog posts describing a user's real life
Proposal: In the manner of a "Biography" section on a user page, one may submit blog posts that outline some aspects of his real-life experiences related to Star Wars Fanon. (For example, something at work or in school that inspired a plot point in a fanfiction) --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Neutral. It might get chaotic to let this through, but on the other hand, the "related to Star Wars Fanon" clause gives us a much smaller chance of becoming MySpace. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Allow blog posts reviewing Star Wars canon products
Proposal: Users may submit blog posts that critique a Star Wars product or story. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Weak support. It's not too dissimilar to CUSWFN Media, and the blog feature could be a better place for such things anyway. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Allow blog posts reviewing others' Star Wars fanon works
Proposal: Users may submit blog posts that critique a Star Wars Fanon article or work, keeping to the civility guidelines in the Critic's Lounge. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Support. This would be a good application. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

(Underneath this line, place point proposals concerning user comments)

(Underneath this line, place point proposals concerning ratings of blog posts or comments)

(Underneath this line, place point proposals concerning avatars)

(Underneath this line, place point proposals concerning enforcement. Note: If there are specific offenses related to one specific portion of the blog feature, it should be placed in the same point proposal as the rule that defines it.)

Vote blog posts for deletion
Proposal: If a user thinks a blog post violates any of these guidelines, he may create an entry for that blog on the Votes for Deletion page, under the same rules that apply to regular articles.
 * Possible support, depending on what else goes. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Administrators decide deletion
Proposal: If an administrator thinks a blog post violates any of these guidelines, he may delete the blog post. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * This can be included with the previous point, so weak support. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Ban offenses 1
Proposal: Users are given a warning on their first offense, and on each consequent offense they are given a progressively longer ban, from 2 days, to one week, to two weeks, to one month, to indefinite. Administrator discretion can change these values in individual cases. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Oppose, because I think the other point does it better. Just a note, if you like the basic idea, but want to change the values, add a new point proposal below. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Ban offenses 2
Proposal: Users are given a warning on their first offense. Afterwards, the blocking policy and related content and civility policies apply to the ban. Administrator discretion will decide the duration of any ban. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 * I'd rather defer to existing policies than create too many new ones. I'd say support. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication[[Image:Sabersmilyc3po.jpg|25px]] 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

General discussion
This should be enough to get started with. I'm not really sure we should reject blogs altogether (they could be useful for CUSWFN, Behind the Scenes stuff, and the Critic's Lounge). I am confident we can reach a very fair consensus with this method. By the way, you are permitted to try to reorganize the point proposals to a better format, if you think you can make one. And please add as many point proposals as possible, even if you oppose the points you're proposing. --C3PO the Dragon Slayer 6,000,000 forms of communication 22:23, 3 December 2008 (UTC)