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Bulbapedia:Protection: Difference between revisions

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Below are the guidelines that should be used when there is debate on whether or not to '''protect''' a page.  Only Administrators have the power to protect a page; the uses of protection, how to do it (for the Admins), and when to do it are outlined below.
{{Policy|policy|official}}


==How to use protection!==
As part of the MediaWiki software, pages on Bulbapedia can be '''protected''' from editing by users below a certain rank for reasons described below. In some cases, also detailed below, the entire wiki can be '''locked''' to editing.


Protection is something that can and should be utilized by the Bulbapedia staff for numerous reaosns, which will be defined in detail below. However, it's important to understand the simple nature of protecting a page before instructions are laid out regarding when to protect a page.
Some page protections apply to non-autoconfirmed users; other page protections apply to anyone who is not staff.  Protection can be done on a limited-duration or indefinite/infinite timeframe, depending on the reason and rationale. This policy outlines the various instances where protection may be applied to a page.  


A protected page is, essentially, a page which regular users (the public) cannot touch. Administrators of all types may edit the page, but no other Bulbapedia users can. Uses of protection should include, most notably:
==Types of protection==
The Mediawiki software allows {{bp|Staff|Bulbapedia staff}} to apply the following variations of protection to a page:
* '''Edit protection''' protects the page from being edited or altered.
* '''Move protection''' protects the page from being moved or renamed.
* '''Creation protection''' protects the page or specific page title from being created


*Protecting high visibility pages such as the [[Main Page]] from vandalism.
Additionally, protection may be set at two levels:
*Preventing change to the Bulbpedia logo, along with all other site logos.
* '''Full protection''' protects the page from editing by users below the {{bp|Junior Administrator}} level.  
*Maintaining copyright and licence pages from modification.
* '''Semi protection''' protects the page from editing by newer users who are not {{bp|Autoconfirmed}}.  
*Protecting certain ''"system administration"'' pages from modification.  Only the Administrators should be able to edit the rules.
*User pages and their subpages that are subject to repeated vandalism.


Temporary protection can be enacted for the following circumstances:
==Reasons for protection==
''Please note that this is not a comprehensive list and that administrators can use their discretion with regards to protecting a page.''
Pages may be protected for multiple reasons, described in detail below.


*Protecting a page so that editing or reverting wars may not take place, allowing for a "cooldown" period.
===Vandalism or spamming===
*Protecting a page or image that has been a target of repeated and persistant vandalism.
Pages experiencing regular vandalism or spamming may be protected to prevent defacement from outside actors/groups.  This may occur, for instance, if a character becomes the subject of a popular meme, or if there are other external events which dramatically increase the attention paid to a single page. This protection may occur for as long as needed to keep the page vandalism-free, but should typically not be indefinite.
*Preventing changes to a page while investigating a possible bug in the [[MediaWiki]] software, which would be rare.


Protecting a page in the event of an edit war or revert war is not a support of the page in whatever state it may be in; it simply means that the war must be put to a stop.
===Edit warring===
Pages that are the subject of an edit war may be temporarily protected to stop the edit war and reduce the number of edits occurring.  This protection should last long enough for the edit war to subside. Pages that cover heavily debated topics within the fandom may also be protected indefinitely in order to prevent disagreements or recurring edit war. An example of a page of this nature would be [[pseudo-legendary Pokémon]].


==What to and what NOT to do==
===High traffic page===
Pages that are very high-traffic may be protected (either from edits or moves) to proactively reduce the impact of vandalism, or prevent disruptive changes which would affect users' experience on the wiki.  This may occur, for instance, for notable Pokémon or for pages like the Main Page.  This protection is typically indefinite.


#Do not protect a page if you are the administrator involved in an edit dispute over that page.  Powers that are given should not be abused in those circumstances; contact another administrator to gauge the situation and make judgement.
===Major revamp===
#Add the <nowiki>{{protected}}</nowiki> note at the top of the page for pages that are temporarily protected.  Permanantly protected pages do not need this markup displayed.
Pages experiencing a major revamp by staff can be protected for the duration of the editing to prevent confusion or edit conflicts.  This may also be used during bot operations to prevent the bot from encountering an issue with a page.  This protection should be lifted after the revamp is complete.
#Do not edit or revert a protected page involved in any form of dispute. A moderation committee will be called in to issue a decision; no single Administrator shall be the sole maker of that sort of decision.
#Remember to remove the "Protected" label once the page is unprotected.


Admins shouldn't use their power to protect a page if they are involved with the page in terms of contribution or any discussion in the talk page.  Remember that ultimately the administrators of Bulbapedia are not the primary editors of Bulbapedia, and it is not the administrator's job to solve disputes solely via their power.  In addition, Administrators should not show preference to one version of an article over another except in cases of vandalism.  Legitimate, non-vandalism disputes should if at all possible be solved by moderation of one or more administrators and avoid using page protections and [[Bulbapedia:Blocking policy|blocks]].
===Policy===
Policy and other pages in the <code>Bulbapedia:</code> namespace are protected indefinitely; only staff can modify wiki policy.  For discussion of policy or to propose changes, please use the talk page.


==Editing Protected Pages==
===Speculation prevention===
Pages may be protected to prevent speculation, either proactively or in response to edits from users.  This most commonly occurs near or after a major announcement about a new Pokémon release of some type, but can be implemented at any time.  This protection should be lifted after more information becomes available.


Admins should refrain from editing temporarily protected pages except to revert to a version prior to an occurance of vandalism. Once again, administrators are supposed to be nonpartisan in page-accuracy disputes and revert/edit wars.
===Templates===
High-use templates may be protected to prevent an edit to the template breaking many pages across Bulbapedia.  This type of protection is typically indefinite. For discussion of templates or to propose changes, please use the talk page or make a draft template in your userspace for discussion.


If a page is permanantly protected and a major edit is proposed either by a member of the community or by one of the Administrators, it should be first discussed in that page's [[Bulbapedia:Talk page|talk page]].  If it is approved by a majority of the users who comment or is seen as necessary by the staff, the edit may be made.  Minor edits should also be made cautiously; any content change may be ill-recieved by some members.  If at all possible it's best to run any changes by the community via talk pages before actually making the changes.
==Locking Bulbapedia==
In certain circumstances, Bulbapedia may be locked by the staff and prevent all editing - by staff and users alike.  Reasons for locking the entire wiki may include, but are not limited to:


==Administrator notes==
* A major game release is imminent and protecting individual pages is not feasible
* A major software or hardware upgrade is being performed to Bulbapedia or Bulbagarden
* A significant bot-based template update which creates significant load on the server
* Another significant or high-impact changes are being made to the wiki manually


Administrators, when protecting a page, please remember to add a description (short, if possible), of why the page was protected for the record.  This option is provided to you upon clicking the "protect" link on the taskbar at the top of your MediaWiki interface.  Giving a note on why the page was protected makes it easier for a moderation committee to work without having to contact the original protecting admin.  If the reason for protection is lengthly (20+ words) and requires explanation, you can e-mail it to any or all other administrators.
When the entire wiki is locked, the top bar may be used to announce the lock, or {{bp|Messages from the Editor}} can be posted to announce the planned lock and estimated duration to users if scheduled far in advance.  When the wiki is re-opened, a message will be shared with that information.  If possible,    [https://twitter.com/Bulbapedia Bulbapedia's Twitter account] and other social media may be used for communication about the expected duration of any lock or other downtime.


Please be intelligent in decisions to protect pages, as sometimes the act of protecting can be worse than the fight that started it.  Be mature, be responsible, and be sensible. Admins are not judge, jury, and executioner; however, at the same time, they are responsible for sound judgement and a weighing of the options. Strike the balance.
==Impact on users==
Protected pages ''cannot'' be edited by normal users; however, the source wikicode of the page can be viewed.  This allows users to learn about template design and other wikicode features. If you are unsure why a page is protected, please use the talk page or ask an active {{bp|staff}} member.
 
Until users reach autoconfirmed status, the userpage and uploads are (functionally) protected; users cannot edit them.  Users achieve autoconfirmed status after making a sufficient number of mainspace edits.
 
If there is something on a protected page that should be added or changed, leave a message on the talk page. If nobody has replied to the message or made the change after several days, ask an active admin on their talk page.
 
==Administrator guidelines==
Pages protected with an expiration time are preferred in most instances, such as the case of edit warring or vandalism.  Indefinite protection is appropriate for high-use templates that appear on many pages, and on pages which should only be edited by administrators, such as pages on policy. Administrators can protect for any of the default times, or for arbitrary amounts of time; best judgement should be used when setting a protection duration.
 
Pages can be separately protected from moving as well as from editing. All Pokémon species pages and episode pages should be protected from moving.
 
Always explain why the page has been protected in the [[Special:Log/protect|protection log]]. It is important for users to see a clear and concise explanation for why a page is protected.
 
{{Bulbapedia guidelines}}

Latest revision as of 11:22, 6 August 2024

Bulbapedia logo.png
 This article is an official policy on Bulbapedia.

Its contents are strongly binding and can be considered law on Bulbapedia.

As part of the MediaWiki software, pages on Bulbapedia can be protected from editing by users below a certain rank for reasons described below. In some cases, also detailed below, the entire wiki can be locked to editing.

Some page protections apply to non-autoconfirmed users; other page protections apply to anyone who is not staff. Protection can be done on a limited-duration or indefinite/infinite timeframe, depending on the reason and rationale. This policy outlines the various instances where protection may be applied to a page.

Types of protection

The Mediawiki software allows Bulbapedia staff to apply the following variations of protection to a page:

  • Edit protection protects the page from being edited or altered.
  • Move protection protects the page from being moved or renamed.
  • Creation protection protects the page or specific page title from being created

Additionally, protection may be set at two levels:

  • Full protection protects the page from editing by users below the Junior Administrator level.
  • Semi protection protects the page from editing by newer users who are not Autoconfirmed.

Reasons for protection

Pages may be protected for multiple reasons, described in detail below.

Vandalism or spamming

Pages experiencing regular vandalism or spamming may be protected to prevent defacement from outside actors/groups. This may occur, for instance, if a character becomes the subject of a popular meme, or if there are other external events which dramatically increase the attention paid to a single page. This protection may occur for as long as needed to keep the page vandalism-free, but should typically not be indefinite.

Edit warring

Pages that are the subject of an edit war may be temporarily protected to stop the edit war and reduce the number of edits occurring. This protection should last long enough for the edit war to subside. Pages that cover heavily debated topics within the fandom may also be protected indefinitely in order to prevent disagreements or recurring edit war. An example of a page of this nature would be pseudo-legendary Pokémon.

High traffic page

Pages that are very high-traffic may be protected (either from edits or moves) to proactively reduce the impact of vandalism, or prevent disruptive changes which would affect users' experience on the wiki. This may occur, for instance, for notable Pokémon or for pages like the Main Page. This protection is typically indefinite.

Major revamp

Pages experiencing a major revamp by staff can be protected for the duration of the editing to prevent confusion or edit conflicts. This may also be used during bot operations to prevent the bot from encountering an issue with a page. This protection should be lifted after the revamp is complete.

Policy

Policy and other pages in the Bulbapedia: namespace are protected indefinitely; only staff can modify wiki policy. For discussion of policy or to propose changes, please use the talk page.

Speculation prevention

Pages may be protected to prevent speculation, either proactively or in response to edits from users. This most commonly occurs near or after a major announcement about a new Pokémon release of some type, but can be implemented at any time. This protection should be lifted after more information becomes available.

Templates

High-use templates may be protected to prevent an edit to the template breaking many pages across Bulbapedia. This type of protection is typically indefinite. For discussion of templates or to propose changes, please use the talk page or make a draft template in your userspace for discussion.

Locking Bulbapedia

In certain circumstances, Bulbapedia may be locked by the staff and prevent all editing - by staff and users alike. Reasons for locking the entire wiki may include, but are not limited to:

  • A major game release is imminent and protecting individual pages is not feasible
  • A major software or hardware upgrade is being performed to Bulbapedia or Bulbagarden
  • A significant bot-based template update which creates significant load on the server
  • Another significant or high-impact changes are being made to the wiki manually

When the entire wiki is locked, the top bar may be used to announce the lock, or Messages from the Editor can be posted to announce the planned lock and estimated duration to users if scheduled far in advance. When the wiki is re-opened, a message will be shared with that information. If possible, Bulbapedia's Twitter account and other social media may be used for communication about the expected duration of any lock or other downtime.

Impact on users

Protected pages cannot be edited by normal users; however, the source wikicode of the page can be viewed. This allows users to learn about template design and other wikicode features. If you are unsure why a page is protected, please use the talk page or ask an active staff member.

Until users reach autoconfirmed status, the userpage and uploads are (functionally) protected; users cannot edit them. Users achieve autoconfirmed status after making a sufficient number of mainspace edits.

If there is something on a protected page that should be added or changed, leave a message on the talk page. If nobody has replied to the message or made the change after several days, ask an active admin on their talk page.

Administrator guidelines

Pages protected with an expiration time are preferred in most instances, such as the case of edit warring or vandalism. Indefinite protection is appropriate for high-use templates that appear on many pages, and on pages which should only be edited by administrators, such as pages on policy. Administrators can protect for any of the default times, or for arbitrary amounts of time; best judgement should be used when setting a protection duration.

Pages can be separately protected from moving as well as from editing. All Pokémon species pages and episode pages should be protected from moving.

Always explain why the page has been protected in the protection log. It is important for users to see a clear and concise explanation for why a page is protected.

Bulbapedia policies and guidelines
Manual of style Anime • Games • Manga • Sidegames • TCG
Help pages Dispute resolution • FAQ • List of link templates • Wikicode • Values
Articles Manual of style • Notability requirements • Speculation policy • Unreleased materials • Protection • Vandalism
Talk pages Code of conduct • Signature policy • Talk page policy
Templates Link templates • List of link templates • Template policy • Usertag policy
Userspace Username policy • Userspace policy • Usertag policy
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