Forum:Revote/RulesInfo

Rules

• THE VOTING WILL CLOSE AT WIKI-MIDNIGHT ON Sunday, January 23 2011.
• Everyone gets to vote. However, if you are discovered to have sockpuppeted, canvassed for votes, harassed other voters, or otherwise tampered with the voting process, the tainted votes will be removed, and you will be immediately blocked for a month. ALL VOTES MUST BE SIGNED WITH FOUR ~ (ex. ~~~~, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ACCOUNT)
• Because this is a tricky vote, each vote should give a rank to the choices from 0 - 10 (0: least favorite/ignored, 10: most favorite). You do not have to list a point total for options you do not care for, and you don't have to give a 10 to any of them if you don't think the option deserves it. For example:

Choices

• Apple
• Banana
• Orange
• Grapes

and Mary votes "Grapes (5), Banana (5), Orange (9)". This gives 5 points to Grapes, 5 points to Banana, 9 points to Orange, and 0 points to Apple.

• The option with the highest point total wins.
• You may make a short comment with your vote, but the voting section is not for speech-making. If you have a point that needs to be made, please leave it in the Questions section.
• You may modify your vote at any time.

Option Information

IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE OPTIONS THAT IS NOT ANSWERED BELOW, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR QUERY HERE.

ShoutWiki

• One server, may not be accepting moves currently
• Ad-supported
• Several noted problems with speed reported from already moved-from-Wikia wikis.
• Monaco is already installed but will become a paid feature in July 2011.
• According to Dantman, the group who runs this is quite shady.

Wikkii

• Requires small google text ad somewhere on page; location is at community's discretion.
• If one goes for the advanced hosting. offers the following benefits.
  • full ftp & cpanel access (we can install any extensions or programming we want and are physically able to)
  • freedom to install extensions and to add skins (Monaco included)
• Knowledge about server side control required.
• Backups are not provided by the host, backups are webmaster's responsibility.
• Reported speed problems on Friday evenings (European time), otherwise good uptime.
• Free domain for popular wikis.

SEIWA

THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE SEIWA CONCEPT. THE SEIWA OPTIONS ARE "KINGDOM HEARTS DB" AND "OTHER INDEPENDENT SITES".

SEIWA (Square Enix Independent Wiki Alliance) is essentially an enhanced form of affiliation, where we have a central site that serves as a directory to the other independent wikis for SE publications that choose to join. It would not be a central host, like Central Wikia, but would serve the same basic function as a wiki directory. The proposal is based on NIWA (Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance), which includes wikis like Bulbapedia. SEIWA could include wikis on any game, manga, anime, or other production that Square Enix has released, from Final Fantasy Wiki and Chronopedia to Tomb Raider Wiki. It would be possible to set up cross-wiki user accounts, like wikia has, so that you can use a single account across multiple SEIWA wikis. Being independent also means that, while we would not have a wiki farm to advertise us to the rest of its readers, and may run into situations where we have to talk about funding, we would always have control over our own wiki.

• Chronopedia has expressed desire to join
• FFXIV Wiki has expressed desire to join
• Final Fantasy Wiki will start earnest discussion on whether to join if we go forward with this.
• Sardapedia has said they will probably go if FFWiki does.
• See here for more.

If Disney Wikis decide to leave Wikia as well, or if there are already independent Disney wikis interested in the idea, it may be possible to make a DIWA portal as well. However, there have not been any indications of interest from other wikis.

seiwaportal.org is available. We could also ask if the SE wiki wants to join, and see if they could be expanded into the central portal. For example, we could put in a link that says "For more in-depth information, see ________ Wiki"

Alliance-wide forums could also be added. The tradition at NIWA is that a member wiki's staff is automatically -IWA staff as well. -IWA staff can access the vote on whether to accept a potential member Wiki.

Steps:

1. start building an infastructure and one by one wikia's are brought to an independent server and asked on the SEIWA forums for help
   1. I think the FFXI wiki users can help here
   2. Example: we go out once a month (let's say) grab a wiki, get it independent, put it on the forums and try and attract contribtors
2. once the former Wikia or new wiki is ready, it is brought in as a member
3. 1 and 2 are repeated for each SE-related wiki on Wikia or started up by it's members

Kingdom Hearts DB

• This will become a SEIWA site if chosen; the difference between this and the "other independent sites" option is that this one is already set up.
• Created by porplemontage, who has final say on all software and hosting. He is one of the main staff of NIWA, specifically owning SMW and SSB wikis. His online reputation is basically based on never doing the kind of stuff wikia has done to us.
• Independence from a wiki-host, allowing us freedom to code our wiki and stylize it more freely than ever before, as well assurance we won't have another "Wikia's Oasis."
• Already exists (edit counts, user accounts, articles, images, every single page; everything has been transferred), but needs to be updated
• Monaco can be installed when we give them the usable code (tfwiki.net has a version called "Monacobook"), already has monobook and vector installed
• The url needs to be moved to khwiki.net, but this can be done easily.
• One person (porplemontage, see above) is in charge of all software issues, so it is possible we would not have as much freedom as with wikkii. However, so long as they don't compromise security, the owner will install extensions and add skins as requested.
• Joins us with other large wikis, including the ever-expanding Final Fantasy Wiki, as well as SquareWiki (parent of FFWiki and KHWiki, though relatively unused now), Chronopedia, and more, to benefit from our common focus on Square Enix subjects. (See Forum:Square Enix Portal for more comprehensive information please.)
  • Also interested is the FFXIV wiki, which is likely more comprehensive on the online game than FFWiki. The wiki's founder, Zyeriis, has shown an extreme interest in joining SEIWA if we found it.
• Knowledge about server side control not required.
• No ads are necessary right now (he is hosting us for free), but we can ask about adding direct Kingdom Hearts ads if we wish, or about implementing a fundraising drive
• Choosing this or Misc means pioneering a Square Enix Independent Wiki Alliance in the same vein as NIWA. Basically, this means we would create a central SEIWA page, and invite other Square Enix-related wikis to become independent, free from Wikia and other wiki farms.
  • If they do not already have hosts, this means we may be responsible for assisting them in acquiring it.

Other independent sites (founded by us)

• MediaWiki is a must.
• We could implement targeted ads or a fundraising drive if we wish.
• Dantman mentioned that Narutopedia might possibly move, and that there is a small chance they could help with the hosting infrastructure.
• Choosing this or porple's KHDB means pioneering a Square Enix Independent Wiki Alliance in the same vein as NIWA. Basically, this means we would create a central SEIWA page, and invite other Square Enix-related wikis to become independent, free from Wikia and other wiki farms.
  • If they do not already have hosts, this means we may be responsible for assisting them in acquiring it.
• Moving to a non-farm wiki, including the db, allows us to keep our current accounts, including edit counts.

General info

• A general summary of issues we could expect to deal with during the move.
• Monaco can be installed wherever we go, provided we are given freedom to install skins. tfwiki.net has an interesting version called "Monacobook", and Wikia's last version of Monaco can be found here.
• All wikia-specific info and links will be purged after the move is completed.
• The wikia wiki will remain at the top of the search engines for a while - we must work continuously at the new address for it to replace it.
• The transfer will transfer everything, at its current place. For best results, we would ask for people to stop editing while the dump is being made. Even the user accounts can be transferred, so all you need to do is update your bookmarks.
• We could implement direct ads through Project Wonderful (ex. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep or webcomic ads, but they'd have to find us) or a fundraising drive (possibly with a raffle) if we wish.
  • Some of Dantman's ad ideas:
    • "a small block of Project Wonderful ads below the navigation box in the sidebar (2-3 ads high, 2 ads wide, small banners, maybe one wider banner at higher price), as well as a 300px ad in a right sidebar above an infobox area, if there is no right sidebar on the page then instead either a banner ad above the page title header, or perhaps in an island above the whole content area. I might consider making those banner or box ads project wonderful ads with a minimum price which fallback to advertising networks when there is no advertisement, which should allow a fair box with revenue coming from advertising networks but which allows direct advertisers who are willing to pay about as much as we get from the broad ad networks from an ad area to place their advertisement inside a page instead."
    • "I've also tossed around the idea of a separate instance for pages in certain categories, like "Video Games", allowing for a directly targeted ad on video game articles, which could be an enticing space for a store that sells those games to want to take over."
    • "A lot of different ideas have been tossed around on the Narutopedia and elsewhere and gone through my head; Play-Asia affiliation. Hulu videos (while I hate hulu, 3rd party sites that embed videos get 10% of Hulu's cut of the advertising profits from videos which are watched on the 3rd party site), various ad networks, Project Wonderful, bg takeover ads (not favored), partnerships with relevant companies, donations, etc..."
• Wherever we move, we need several editors to keep monthly updates of the database.
• We should take the opportunity to install bots, for gnoming and other menial tasks.
• We might look into installing a "User template" space.
• We might eliminate "my home" and replace it with a user-spaces oriented RC and a main-spaces oriented RC.
• We need to contact our current affiliates, and try to transfer as many as possible.
• All editors who are moving permanently to the new address should probably leave messages to that effect on their user and user talk pages.

This Wiki

• The Wikia wiki will no longer need to have such strict standards, and no longer needs to be a rigorous treatment.
  • The image policy would be relaxed to something like "no porn, no viruses", etc.
• Fan material could be added, such as information on conventions, prominent cosplay merchandise such as large Keyblades and black coats, or fanon like Dead Fantasy.
  • This wiki will NOT merge with the fanon wiki. It will not be a place to create fanon, merely a place to report on prominent fanon. I.e., it needs to have gained something like the notoriety that Dead Fantasy or Dion Roger's Rinoa did. This could also include KH coverage in prominent places, such as Penny Arcade or Awkward Zombie, as well as coverage of major fansites, like kh2.co.uk or heartstation. These could be placed in a "Fanon:" or "Fan:" space to separate them from the official content, if desired.
  • There has been a suggestion for a "Theory:" namespace, like the Lost and Heroes wikis. These could be essay-form or otherwise. However, it has been suggested that these be maintained to be somewhat clean--not the degree of professionalism the current wiki upholds, but essays and proofs would be excellent. Basically, something cleaner than walls of unsigned text that looks like spam.
• Stat-only article, like Diamond Ring, could be deleted as unnecessary.
• There could be a news section more like what the fansites have.
• Essentially, this could become a "user-written fansite".
• OR, if everyone decides to move to the new wiki and leave this one permanently, then this wiki will be overtaken by vandals, and quickly drop in the google rankings anyway. However, if someone wants to stay here and keep back the vandal, they should not just sync this site with the new wiki, because that will hurt the new wiki.
  • Ultimately, we cannot just delete everything and leave this wiki as a shell--Wikia would notice and revert it as accused vandalism.
• The goal of the remaining wiki will not be to act as a competing encyclopedia to the moving wiki. This harms the moving wiki, what we are currently, and that is not part of the goal of the "fansite."
• Any admins who stay behind would remain as admins, and more elections could be held if the community desires it.
• The IRC channel "wikia-kingdomhearts" would remain linked to this wiki; a new channel would be set up for the new wiki. DTN is currently looking at name options, make sure to bother him about it. Bother bother.
• In the event Wikia ever returns the Monaco option to wikis, it would not be a wise decision to return to them, due to their proven unreliability, risk of another issue like this one, the "fansiteness" of the Wikia wiki, and progress of the off-Wikia site.