Featured Wikia/FAQ
Wikia - creating communities
Over time some norms have developed around the Featured Wikia activities. And some questions have come up multiple times. This page attempts to address some of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Many of these norms are also used by the Collaboration of the month
Questions and Responses
This page is just getting started. More to come soon.
Which Wikia
What is a featured Wikia?
A featured Wikia is one with at least one element that is especially well done and worth sharing with the rest of the community as a good example.
Why is a Wikia featured?
A wikia could be featured for being good at encouraging new users (even if it is ugly). Or it could be features for a wonderful main page (even though there aren't a lot of pages yet). Proposed reasons should be given on the Featured Wikia page.
Originally a wikia could be featured as a way to help get them started. A wikia can still be nominated for this reason, but with low participation, it is unlikely to win the vote. Consider using the Spotlight or Collaboration of the month.
What are the requirements?
- The Wikia has not been featured within the past year.
- The Wikia must have a prepared blurb.
- Note: The blurb is not required for nomination, but it is required before a wikia can win.
- It must have been active in the past 30 days.
- It must have at least 10 articles.
How big does a wikia need to be?
It must have at least 10 articles. At this point there aren't any other size requirements. Those 10 articles could be stubs (but it wouldn't be likely to win that way). There is no minimum number of active contributors, but sites with only a few users are unlikely to win.
Valid Votes
Can the founder vote for the wikia he or she founded?
Sure. Founders can vote. Admins and Staff can vote too. Everyone only gets one vote.
Why was that vote crossed out?
Because it was invalid. Common reasons for a vote to be invalid are:
- The link on the vote does not match the ID of the logged in voter.
- The voter has voted more than one vote.
Why do I need an ID to vote?
It's one way to try to keep the vote fairer -- only one vote per person. Yes, there are many ways around it, but it allows for some basic checking.
Why can people split their votes?
There is some research that if people are allowed to split or weight their votes across options, the result will better reflect the community's wishes. It also makes it easier for some people who can't decide between their favorites.
If a half vote counts, why doesn't my negative or irrational number count?
Because of the logistics. This process is run by volunteer effort. If we make it too difficult, the process breaks down. You are allowed to vote weird fractions if you want, but please be courteous and stick to relatively easy fractions like 1/2.
A negative vote in effect allows you to vote more than once. If I vote negative 999 for another wikia and 1,000 for the one I want to win, my vote total would be 1, but I would have really voted more than once for my wikia choice, since I just raised its vote count by 1,999 against the other wikia. We could make a bunch of other rules to deal with that (e.g., absolute value less than or equal to 1), but again, it's a matter of keeping it simple for volunteers.
Do I have to vote again next month? When do votes time out?
Your vote is valid until you choose to change it or the wikia you voted for wins. (When a wikia is featured, the nomination, supporting comments, votes and featured template are all archived off to a separate page. Example: Featured Wikia/Yu-Gi-Oh!) So, you can leave your vote in support of one wikia until it wins. Votes for a wikia can accumulate over time.
Process
It won, so why isn't my Wikia on the Main Page?
If it won, and it's time to change it... this is a wiki, go ahead. See the process below.
Most of the people working on this activity are volunteers.
How does a Wikia get added to the nominations?
Someone adds it to the list on the Featured Wikia page. It stands a better chance of winning, if someone adds good supporting comments.
How does a nominated Wikia get added to the vote page?
This is a wiki. Go ahead and add it. There is no approval process required before it gets added to the vote.
How can I suggest a change to the process?
Use the talk pages or Forum:Featured Wikia -- proposed changes and Featured Wikia change-over process (User:CocoaZen/fw).
References or Related Pages
Thanks Everyone
