Best Practice or Best Practices is a management idea which asserts that there is a technique, method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a project can be rolled out and completed with fewer problems and unforeseen complications.
Please follow best practices when updating and adding pages to the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki.
Always write in complete sentences when adding or updating non-list, descriptive information. Refer to established pages for a visual guide to adding new information.
Page Layout[]
Use the following page layouts as a guide when creating new pages on the wiki. One easy way to acccomplish this is to click in the edit tab of the following person or movie template links and then copy and paste the template information.
- Person Template
- Title Template
Duplicate Titles[]
In the event that there is already a person or title in the wiki different from a new person or title with the same name, the newly added title should use a roman numeral in parentheses, and then employ the "pipe" feature in order to direct users to the correct page.
For example, if a second movie called The Intruder is added to the wiki and a page with that name is in use for a different movie, the new page should be added as The Intruder (II) and all interlink coding related to it would look like this: The Intruder (II)|The Intruder. Note the "pipe" in between the two parts of the title.
Fundamental Philosophies[]
Neutrality of Information[]
Just like all articled contributed to Wikipedia, content included in the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Project must be written from a neutral point of view, representing fairly and without bias factual and reliable content. For example, a description such as "Movie X, which played at the Fargo Film Festival, is a work of unparalleled genius, easily rivaling Orson Welles' Citizen Kane as a masterful debut feature," would be edited to read "Movie X played at the Fargo Film Festival." In other words, critical analysis, florid description, and personal hyperbole should be absent in favor of basic factual informaton. Neutral point of view is a fundamental Wikipedia principle.
Assuming Good Faith[]
To assume good faith is a fundamental principle on Wikipedia as well as the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Project. In allowing anyone to edit, an assumption is made that most people who work on the project are trying to help it, not hurt it. If this weren't true, a project like Wikipedia would be doomed from the beginning. When you can reasonably assume that a mistake someone made was a well-intentioned attempt to further the goals of the project, correct it without criticizing. When you disagree with someone, remember that they probably believe that they are helping the project.
Be patient with newcomers. Newcomers unaware of wiki culture and the mechanics of Wikipedia editing often make mistakes or fail to respect community norms. It is not uncommon for a newcomer to believe that an unfamiliar policy should be changed to match their experience elsewhere. Similarly, many newcomers bring with them experience or expertise for which they expect immediate respect. Behaviors arising from these perspectives are not malicious.
Assuming good faith is about intentions, not actions. Well-meaning people make mistakes, and you should correct them when they do. You should not act like their mistake was deliberate. Correct, but don't scold. There will be people on the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Project with whom you might disagree. Even if they're wrong, that doesn't mean they're trying to wreck the project. There will be some people with whom you find it hard to work. That doesn't mean they're trying to wreck the project either. It is never necessary that we attribute an editor's actions to bad faith, even if bad faith seems obvious, as all our countermeasures (i.e. reverting, blocking) can be performed on the basis of behavior rather than intent.
Images[]
Because moviemaking is a visual medium, the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki Project strongly encourages the use of representative images for every article in the wiki. Whenever possible, a 400 pixel wide image should be included at the top of every article page. If you cannot size an image to 400 pixels wide, you can still upload it for inclusion in an image gallery near the bottom of the page.
Animated GIFs[]
The use of animated GIFs is strongly discouraged by the Fargo Filmmaking Wiki. If animated GIFs are used at all, they should be included under photo gallery subheadings. They should never be used as primary images on any page.
Maximum Page Length[]
Individual pages should be no longer than 32kb, as some browsers may have problems editing pages approaching or longer than 32kb. Pages approaching this length should be divided into smaller sections.