ZineWiki:Content guidelines

The following is a proposed ZineWiki policy or guideline. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption.

Overview

ZineWiki is an encyclopedia of zines. Just as zines have distinct differences from other print media, ZineWiki differs from other online encyclopedias. Articles may be written in a somewhat looser and less formal style than other wikis. Individuals can write or edit articles about themselves or their zines. However, Zinewiki should remain encyclopedic in nature:

• Articles should be written from a neutral point of view. See Wikipedia's Neutral Point of View policy for more information.
• Articles should be factually accurate and verifiable. All quotations and content making claims or assertions or content likely to be challenged must be attributed to a published source (Zines are considered an acceptable published source.)

Anyone who has published or contributed to a zine, is part of a zine distro, has been influential to zine publishing, or has a legitimate connection to zine culture is noteworthy enough for inclusion. Any published zine (or self-published magazine) that has been made available in some form of distribution, no matter how small the print run, is noteworthy enough for inclusion. Mainstream magazines or books are not suitable for inclusion unless their content is about zines, they started publishing as a zine, or they were written or produced by a zine publisher. There must be some tie in with zines for something to be included.

Privacy

Editors must be sensitive to the fact that most articles about zine publishers are about living people. While documenting zine history, we also attempt to respect privacy. Please only use names as they are presented in a publisher's zine. Do not include a person's last name unless it has been published in a zine or other source. Avoid revealing the real name of someone who writes under a pseudonym unless that information is common knowledge or published in another source.

Pictures of zinesters should be originally taken by you, uploaded with the zinester's permission, or be a press photo. Photos that violate copyright or that are objected to by the zinester featured in them will be removed. We encourage anyone to upload cover images of any zine, especially for articles that currently do not include an image. Cover scans comply with fair use under copyright laws and ideally every zine featured in the wiki should have a cover scan. However, if an image has been posted from your zine and you do not want it published on the site, please contact an administrator with a request for removal.

Please be sensitive to issues of gender. Zinesters include people who are transsexual and transgendered; don't assume a person is male or female and avoid identifying gender unless a person has clearly identified as that gender.

Article Standards

ZineWiki is an encyclopedia; it is intended to be a nonbiased reference source documenting zines, zine history, and zine culture. ZineWiki should not be used as an advertising opportunity.

Zine Listings

ZineWiki is a place to document your zine and its history, rather than to market or sell it. A link to your zine's website is appropriate for an article, as is a description of the contents of published issues. Avoid ordering information, prices, mailing addresses, upcoming issue information and similar promotional tactics. Feel free to include your contact or ordering information in your User Page, but not in an actual ZineWiki article.

Zine Distro Listings

Zine distro articles should include either a category of [[Category:Active_distros]] or [[Category:Closed_distros]]. Active distros are any distro updated, accepting orders or submissions within the last six months.

Disambiguation

If your zine or a zine you are listing has the same name as a zine already on ZineWiki please create a Disambiguation page (search for this term to copy a code template). To distinguish pages please use the country of origin in brackets as part of both names. e.g. Chainsaw (USA) and Chainsaw (UK). If country is not known or same country, use decade started.