Bulbapedia:Code of conduct

	This is an official Bulbapedia policy. In a nutshell:
	Be nice.

Shortcuts COC BP:COC

Bulbapedia's code of conduct outlines acceptable behavior between users on Bulbapedia. The code of conduct applies to all interactions between users across all of Bulbapedia, including the main space and user space. It incorporates Bulbagarden's values into the policies of Bulbapedia.

The code of conduct governs behavior, not the wiki's content; for content, please see the manual of style.

In this policy, unless indicated otherwise, staff means any staff member on Bulbapedia, including those with higher roles (e.g. individuals on the Leadership Board).

Main space interaction

Given the hundreds of daily edits made on Bulbapedia, conflict about what is “correct” is inevitable. When addressing disagreements about edits, do try to talk it out politely on the talk pages. You can discuss why you think another user's edit is incorrect, and if needed, contact a staff member to provide arbitration. You can also disagree about stylistic choices, including someone's use of a template or picture which you feel does not capture the spirit of the article. Do not insult, demean, bash, or otherwise harass other users in order to prove your point. This goes against Bulbagarden's value of providing a safe and inclusive community for Pokémon fans.

Be patient, understanding, and kind when dealing with another user. It may slow down the pace of change on the wiki, but the changes agreed upon will be more pleasant to everyone. Do not participate in edit wars, and do not edit other users' contributions out of spite.

Userspace and talkspace interaction

A five word guide to talkspace interaction

Be nice to each other.

What that means

Assume other users are acting in good faith when they ask questions or make edits. Be friendly when interacting with other users in talk pages, edit summaries, and in other discussion venues. Bulbapedia is open to everyone who registers with an email address and is willing to make contributions. Bulbapedia should be a welcoming and open environment.

Do not use insults, demanding language, or harassment to make a point or advance an argument. Do not tease or mock other users for warnings or blocks that they have received.

Refrain from using profanity; Bulbapedia will not tolerate profanity used in a matter that is derogatory, offensive, or designed to provoke other users.

Lists of your "favorite" users or "least favorite" users are not allowed on Bulbapedia, because they can create an environment where some users feel unwelcome.

If you would like to use another user's custom code or template in your own userspace, it is polite to ask permission beforehand.

Examples of good conduct

Examples cannot be exhaustive; while it sounds simple, making an effort to be nice really helps. Giving others space to talk and explain their ideas, and responding with kindness and an open mind, is the best conduct we can ask for.

If someone is doing something that you perceive as mistaken, you can write on their talk page describing the incorrect action/behavior and provide encouragement and advice on how to make it better. People are not born with an intuitive understanding of wikicode, or even the English language. Positive reinforcement goes a long way to making the community stronger and new users better contributors—because even bad contributions are additions.

If someone makes an incorrect edit, you can revert it and explain why without insulting them. New users aren't made better if they feel like outsiders to a private club.

If someone is insulting or using aggressive language on talk pages, do not respond in kind. If appropriate, you can explain why you made a specific edit and seek to de-escalate the situation. Of course, you can always ignore this, too. If someone's behavior is abusive, harmful, or makes you feel unsafe, contact a staff member for help.

Enforcement

Enforcement of these rules is the responsibility of the staff. However, they do not see all interactions; please contact a staff member if you see something going on that you think may violate the code of conduct.

If you don't feel comfortable talking to the Bulbapedia staff, you may contact webmasters, who serve in site-wide leadership roles.

Violations may draw responses from a warning to a block, depending on the severity of the infraction and the number of offenses. Typical first-time infractions will receive a warning. Second-time infractions may draw a warning or a short block. Third-time infractions and beyond are likely to result in a block.

Unless infractions are especially egregious, the block length may not exceed one month. All code of conduct blocks of duration greater than one month must be approved by Bulbagarden site leadership, the Editor-in-Chief, or a representative designated by the Editor-in-Chief.

This does not, in any way, limit staff from blocking spammers, vandals, or trolls (whose accounts are solely used for harassment) according to Bulbapedia's blocking policy.