Gswiki:Policy

General

1. Simutronics has the right to revert or delete any edit it deems objectionable or that is not in Simutronics' best interest. Please see Content, Article, and Image Removals for more information.
2. Editors agree that their edits and articles may become the property of Simutronics and GemStone IV, as outlined in Copyrights.
3. Edit respectfully and civilly. It is recommended that editors be familiar with and follow the Style Guide. All edits should be focused on content and/or format of the page and not directed at any editor(s). Any edits which are deemed abusive and made in bad faith will be deleted.
4. Articles may be created or edited freely with the exception of:
   1. Announcements, Official Documentation, and Official Vignettes - Created by GameMasters only, handled by GameMasters and Moderators only.
   2. Player character and User Pages (excluding TALK pages)- These should only be edited by the account holder.
      1. Exceptions may be accepted if noted on the TALK pages of these articles that permission to create or edit these articles was granted by the account holder.
      2. In the situation where the player of a character has passed away, the character page(s), user account page(s), and associated subpages created by the player will be locked to any edits, and a memorial page will be created to allow other players to contribute to the player/character's memory. Additional details can be found in the character pages style guide.
5. Any edits which falsely present the words or actions of a staff member or wiki moderator are expressly prohibited.
6. No advertisements. This includes notices that you are selling any type of item for real money, or characters for any type of currency (real or game currency).
7. All answers to in-game puzzles must be accompanied by a spoiler banner at the top of the relevant page or section or that answer will be deleted.
8. Consider good grammar and punctuation. One purpose of the wiki is to be a useful source for information and poorly written edits can stand in the way of others understanding.
9. No "spamming." "Spamming" is the term used to describe posting the same message or substantially the same message in several places at the same time time. Bots, if used, must be monitored to ensure no intentional or accidental spamming of inappropriate pages or messaging. If you are unsure what the proper page would be to add the information you want to contribute, post on the forums or contact a fellow editor.
10. No vulgarity or obscenity in edits. This includes "masked" vulgarity where you substitute symbols for letters (such as $ for S); however, if the word you intended to use is still obvious to all, it is a violation. Sometimes it's hard to determine which words are considered "vulgar." If you wouldn't say it to your grandmother or in a job interview, don't say it here.
11. Outgoing links to third party pages may be allowed provided they follow the below expectations:
    1. Links must lead to pages that maintain relevance to Gemstone IV and/or Simutronics, and that do not misrepresent Simutronics or Gemstone IV world material.
    2. Editors who have commissioned artwork of their Gemstone IV characters from artists unaffiliated with Simutronics may provide a link to the artist's portfolio in case other players or editors wish to commission the artist.
    3. Outgoing links should otherwise not be used to point to pages such as Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, Patreon, or other sites that are associated with revenue generation or sales. (See #6)
12. No third-party informational articles, as Simutronics does not support third party programs. There are very specific exceptions related to User Pages and Lich script pages which are detailed here.
13. Please keep the Simutronics Terms of Service in mind when adding or editing information.
14. Please keep GemStone IV's policies (which you can read by typing POLICY while logged into GemStone IV) in mind when adding or editing information, or when communicating via the wiki. In particular, please note POLICY 3, which covers abusive and disruptive behaviors.

The above policies apply to all pages on the GemStone IV Wiki (GSWiki), including User pages.

Copyrights

The GSWiki is a product of Simutronics meant to support and supplement the game Gemstone IV. Content, including official documentation, images, worldbuilding terms, etc., on gswiki.play.net is subject to copyright by Simutronics, unless otherwise indicated on particular articles.

The GemStone Wiki derives its content through the contribution of many members. By contributing to the GemStone Wiki, you are agreeing that all of your submitted information will be made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 or later version. If any submitted content is covered by an alternate license, the article(s) must contain proper indication of the correct license information at the bottom of the page.

The GemStone Wiki's mission is to index and archive as much information about GemStone IV as possible, but while doing this we must respect the copyrights of others. Please do not submit content in violation of the Terms of Use or the spirit of respecting the property of others. If another website has valuable content then link to the content and/or give attribution for that work here. Do NOT submit any copyrighted work without explicit permission or attribution as covered in the original owner's copyright license.

The below subsections cover copyrights regarding uploaded files.

Maps

1. Maps should only be uploaded by the original creator or, in certain circumstances, the editor who updated the map to account for new areas.
2. Maps should retain the original creator's name, and if the upload is an update to the map, note in the image itself who updated it and when: Updated by (name) on (date). This information should additionally be noted in the caption of the image on the page it is used. If the image is added to a page by an editor who is not the uploader of the image, the editor must note that the image was used with permission in the caption of the image.
3. Updated maps should be uploaded under a different image file name than the original map file.
4. Maps that have been fully recreated may be treated as an original map file.

Commissioned Artwork

Commissioned artwork is artwork specifically commissioned by a player for their character.

1. Uploaded artwork that has been commissioned should notate on the file page if the image uploader is copyright holder, and if not, it should note the copyright holder and that permission was granted to upload. This information should additionally be noted in the caption of the image on the page it is used. If the image is added to a page by an editor who is not the uploader of the image, the editor must note that the image was used with permission in the caption of the image.
2. While not a requirement, attribution to artists who were commissioned is highly recommended. This may be done by notating the artist name, and providing an outgoing link to their portfolio. This may be noted in the caption of the image on the page it is used.

Non-Commissioned Artwork

Non-commissioned artwork is any artwork and/or photography that was not specifically commissioned by a player for their character.

1. In most cases, non-commissioned artwork is not allowed unless it specifically falls under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike. Exceptions may be considered if the artist whose artwork is uploaded has provided explicit permission for their artwork to be published to the GSWiki.
2. In all cases, attribution must be provided, including links to where the image was originally posted. This information should additionally be noted in the caption of the image on the page it is used. If the image is added to a page by an editor who is not the uploader of the image, the editor must note that the image was used with permission in the caption of the image.

AI-Generated Artwork

AI-generated artwork is any artwork that has been created utilizing prompts into an AI software program.

1. AI artwork cannot be noted as copyrighted.
2. When uploading, the file page should note that the artwork was AI-generated and which AI program was used. Attribution must also include credit to the person/user who prompted the image creation. This information should additionally be noted in the caption of the image on the page it is used. If the image is added to a page by an editor who is not the uploader of the image, the editor must note that the image was used with permission in the caption of the image.
3. If the image was generated by the prompts of a person who is not the uploader, that information must be included, along with permission to upload the image.
4. In cases where the prompts for image generation are not automatically entered into the image's metadata, it is recommended to enter them on the file page.
5. All AI artwork is required to have the [[Category:AI artwork]] added to the image file page.

Logo/Header Images

Logo or header images are images meant to elevate the contents of an article.

1. Logo/header images should retain the copyright and/or attribution on the image file page, however that is not necessary on any pages where the image is used.

Removals

Please see Content, Article, and Image Removals.

Lich script pages

Lich pages are allowed publication to the GSWiki and should follow the below policy to ensure clear dissemination of information.

1. All Lich article titles require the use of the namespace Lich: to denote it is an article pertaining to the third party software.
2. The {{3rd-party}} banner template is required on all Lich article pages. This will automatically categorize the article into the third-party software category, so the addition of the category at the bottom of the page will not be necessary.
3. Moderators will moderate articles for vulgarity, harassment, and Terms of Service and policy violations as Simutronics sees fit, but will not monitor for content or content accuracy. Policy violations include items like spamming the creation of multiple unnecessary pages and/or redirects.
4. If violations are found for any of the items specifically listed in #3, the Talk/discussion pages will be used to document the violation, and there will be a 7-day grace period to amend those violations. Failure to do so within the 7 days will result in removal of the violating pages. Repeated violations on one or across multiple pages can result in punitive action for the editor(s), up to and including revocation of editing privileges. (see Content, Article, and Image Removals)

Content, Article, and Image Removals

In the case that content, articles, or images may be deemed against policy, the following steps will be taken:

1. Moderators will reach out to the editor utilizing either the page's TALK (discussion) page, the editor's user page, or both, noting the policy violation in question and extending a 7-day probationary period for fixing or removing the violation.
2. If the violation is fixed during the 7-day probationary period, no further action will be taken.
3. If violations are not addressed by the editor within the 7-day probationary period, GSWiki moderators are authorized to remove the offending material, which may include article or image deletion or content reversion.
4. Egregious violations, which may include but are not limited to: harassment, vulgarity (masked or otherwise), or impersonating a GM, may result in immediate action by moderators and/or administration, with punitive action for the editor(s), up to and including revocation of editing privileges.

Appeals Process

In the case that a moderator reached out to an editor regarding a policy violation and the potential for content reversion or article or image deletions, an editor may reach out to GSWiki administration via email at gs4-wiki@play.net. Please note:

1. Submission of appeal for policy violation does not constitute a pause, or stay of execution, for policy violations, and content will still be removed after the probationary period outlined in Content, Article, and Image Removals.
2. Initial response time will vary, however please allow for 7-10 days.
3. In most cases, a resolution may be reached within 21 days, with communication to both the editor and moderator regarding the resolution. However, some cases may be complicated and require additional research and time.
4. The appeals process does not apply to egregious violations, which may include but are not limited to: harassment, vulgarity (masked or otherwise), or impersonating a GM.