History Administrivia / WelcomeToTVTropes

The super-quick, can't be bothered to read anything else version:
* Everything you contribute to the site belongs to us, unless it wasn't yours to begin with.
* Except for Fair Use, you can't copy any of the site's content unless you obey [[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ the Creative Commons license]] or get special permission.

The slightly longer, still not lawyer-speak version:

By contributing content to this site (including but not limited to the wiki, forums, reviews, liveblog, and YKTTW areas), whether text or images, you grant TV Tropes irrevocable ownership of said content, with all rights surrendered, except:

* Where third-party content (in particular, images) is contributed that is governed by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use Fair Use]]. For more information, see Administrivia/AboutImagesAndCopyright.
* Where we display published, copyrighted content in compliance with its license, and/or enter into a specific, written agreement with the licensor. Example: the EvilOverlordList, ''WebVideo/EchoChamber''. Users of our site must get permission from the staff to do this.
* Where a person contributes content that they do not have the rights to -- most often, copy-pasting from Wikipedia or other third party. If we are notified that an article contains plagiarized or copyrighted content that is not governed by Fair Use, we will remove that content and potentially take action against the user who added it.

We are not required to attribute content you contribute to you, nor do you retain ownership of anything you contribute. Anything you contribute may be deleted, modified, or used commercially by us without notification or consent, to the extent permitted by applicable laws. For that reason, we strongly recommend that you do not post material on our site, whether in text or image form, that you wish to receive publication credit for in the future.

For more details about the Creative Commons license, which controls what you may do with the content that's already on the site, see the link earlier in this section or at the bottom of every wiki article.

The standard TVTropes layout has a toolbar at the top of each page and an expanding menu on the left side. The toolbar at the top is for most common wiki activities. It changes depending on what kind of page you are viewing and is split according to general and page-specific functions. It has the Google Custom Search, the log in/logout button, the Edit Page button, and the Watchlist.

Depending on the type of article you're viewing, there may be one or more Administrivia/{{namespace}} icons/tabs below the toolbar. These allow you to navigate to an article's subpages, including articles with the same title but in a different medium ({{Film}}, {{Literature}}, etc.).

[[folder:The Main Toolbar]]
* Google Custom Search is at the top. You can search for anything in the wiki by using this feature.
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/changes.php "New edits"]] is a list of recently edited pages. The default is the last 100 edits; you can change this number at the bottom of the list. We move along at a pretty good clip, so if it's been more than about two hours since you've checked Recent Changes it's likely that the list has completely rolled over. A red dot indicates a page that has been edited since you last looked at Recent Changes.
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/workshops.php "Workshops"]] takes you to the workshop subsection of our [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/topics.php forums]]. This is where a lot of the behind-the-scenes activity takes place as well as all kinds of conversations on a variety of topics. Stop by and chat!
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/review_activity.php "Reviews"]] is where you can view or add opinions on any piece of media we have an article for. If you want to tell us if you liked or hated something, this is the place.
* "YKTTW" is "You Know, That Thing Where ...", where we go to discuss potential new tropes.
* [[http://twitter.com/tvtropesnews "Tweets"]] lets you view the site's Website/{{Twitter}} feed.

* "To do" lets you add the current page to your personal [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/to_do_list.php to-do list]]. Good if you don't have time to make the change you wanted but don't want to forget, either.
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/wiki_pm.php "PM"]] lets you send a private message to another {{troper}}. If you have a new PM, you'll see a big green notification bar on most pages you visit. To see your [=PMs=], go to your [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pm.php mailbox]]. Also, please remember that private messages are ''private'' for a reason. Disseminating the contents of a PM without permission from the other party is grounds for loss of PM privileges.
* "Add watch" lets you add the current page to your [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/awl.php watchlist]]. Any edits to those pages or their discussion pages will appear on your watchlist. Note: If the article you're viewing has multiple subpages, like [[YMMV.HomePage YMMV]], {{Headscratchers}}, etc., you have to watch each separately.
* "Drop watch" removes the current page from your watchlist.
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/awl.php "Watchlist"]] takes you to the aforementioned list of articles you're watching. It's very handy for tracking the articles you have a particular interest in rather than sifting through Recent Changes all day.
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/profile.php "Profile"]] takes you to your wiki/forum profile page.
* The Subpages list lets you see all articles that share a base URL (everything except the Administrivia/{{namespace}}) with the one you're looking at.
* "Source" lets you see the page's wiki code. Helpful for some advanced techniques like moving pages.

* "History" is a list of recent edits for the page you're currently viewing. You can see who made the edits, the reason, and communicate with them via PM if desired.

* Beneath the buttons is a tabular list of subpages that may be related to this article. Some subpages will always be shown even if they do not exist, and not all namespaces will display as tabs. The list depends on the page type (see below under Adding New Media Articles).

* To log out, visit the Get Known page and click the link to the Unknower. This will delete your cookie, so remember your password!
* To log in, enter your handle and password and click the "Already known. Just bake a new cookie" button, not the "Create Knowage" button.

To choose whether you want to browse the wiki with spoilers on or off, with folders open or closed by default, and with links normal or highlighted, go to [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/profile.php your profile page]]. This is accessible only if you're [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerForm.php a known troper]]. The profile also controls your preferences for our fora.

To view hidden spoilers, highlight the text with your mouse cursor. [[spoiler:This is a spoiler.]]

If you're on a tablet or other mobile device, you may not be able to highlight spoilers. If this is the case, you'll need to Get Known and turn off spoiler font in your profile.

This site requires that you create a login (aka, a {{troper}} handle) to be allowed to edit articles, write a review, create a YKTTW, post in Discussions, post in the forums, or perform any other activity other than viewing. You create a handle by '''[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerform.php Getting Known]]'''. Your login information will be stored in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie cookie]] on your computer. If you don't have cookies enabled, then some site features may not work for you.

This site requires that you create a login (aka, a {{troper}} handle) to be allowed to edit articles, write a review, create a YKTTW, post in Discussions, post in the forums, or perform any other activity other than viewing. You create a handle by '''[[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/knowerForm.php Getting Known]]'''. Your login information will be stored in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie cookie]] on your computer. If you don't have cookies enabled, then some site features may not work for you.

* For security purposes, we do not permit disposable email addresses to be used for account registration.

* Links to other pages are easy. If it is two or more words, use {{Wiki Word}}s. If it is one word, use double curly brackets: [={{Jeopardy}}=]. If the page is in a namespace other than Main, put that first, followed by a forward slash. Examples: [=Literature/LordOfTheRings=], [=VideoGame/HalfLife=]

* Before cutlisting a trope, take it to the TropeRepairShop to see if it can be fixed and to establish consensus.

* If you forget your password, and you do not have an associated email address, we may not be able to recover your account. You may make a new handle and post [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=5ld7gdqsyx49ikjep2qpdqem here]], [[note]]Please note that new accounts must wait 24 hours to post on the forums.[[/note]] but there is no guarantee that we can help.

* If you forget your password, and you do not have an associated email address, we may not be able to recover your account. You may make a new handle and post [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=5ld7gdqsyx49ikjep2qpdqem here]], [[note]](Please note that new accounts must wait 24 hours to post on the forums.)[[/note]] but there is no guarantee that we can help.

* If you forget your password, and you do not have an associated email address, we may not be able to recover your account. You may make a new handle and post [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=5ld7gdqsyx49ikjep2qpdqem here]], but there is no guarantee that we can help.

This wiki is [[Tropers/TheAdvertisementServer ad-supported]]. You can donate to turn off ads in the forums, but not in the main wiki. To report an ad that violates our rules, post in [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13223684920A10189100 this forum thread]] and we'll see what we can do about it. We don't have any direct control over the ads; they are generated by our provider based on page content, your cookies, and the demographics gleaned from your browser and IP address. FYI, Flash-based ads are essential to our revenue stream. We need to keep them.

* Ads that contain autoplaying video or audio. By autoplaying, we mean that they run without you clicking on them.
* Ads that contain malware or malfunction in such a way as to crash or hang your browser. Before reporting these, make sure to check for malware on your own computer; often that is the source, not our ads.
* Ads that create pop-ups, pop-unders, "float" text or images across your screen, or otherwise mess with your browsing.

* You can't copy any of the site's content unless you obey [[http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ the Creative Commons license]], or get special permission.

By contributing content to this site, whether text or images, you grant TV Tropes irrevocable ownership of said content, with all rights surrendered, except:

* Where third-party content (in particular, images) is contributed that is governed by Fair Use. For more information, see Administrivia/AboutImagesAndCopyright.

We are not required to attribute content you contribute to you, nor do you retain ownership of anything you contribute. Anything you contribute may be deleted, modified, or used commercially by us without notification or consent, to the extent permitted by applicable laws. For that reason, we strongly recommend that you do not post material on our site, whether in text or image form, that you wish to receive commercial benefit from in the future.

* Our [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=365rl6gt9w6vijv1envyi76j forum rules]] about importing drama apply to the wiki as well. This means that you may not use our site to carry out an argument that is going on somewhere else. If the Internet is in an uproar about something, we need to tell everyone about it. We most certainly don't want to appear to take someone's side of an argument, because someone else will come and put in their point of view and before you know it we're a party to the whole thing and people are getting banned. Just follow the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement and let other sites worry about it.

* Our [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=365rl6gt9w6vijv1envyi76j forum rules]] about importing drama apply to the wiki as well. This means that you may not use our site to carry out an argument that is going on somewhere else. If the Internet is in an uproar about something, we don't want to hear about it. We most certainly don't want to someone's side of an argument, because someone else will come and put in their point of view and before you know it we're a party to the whole thing and people are getting banned. Just follow the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement and let other sites worry about it.

* Our [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=365rl6gt9w6vijv1envyi76j forum rules]] about importing drama applies to the wiki as well. This means that you may not use our site to carry out an argument that is going on somewhere else. If the Internet is in an uproar about something, we don't want to hear about it. We most certainly don't want to someone's side of an argument, because someone else will come and put in their point of view and before you know it we're a party to the whole thing and people are getting banned. Just follow the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement and let other sites worry about it.

* You '''should''' cutlist a subpage if the deletion of examples leaves it empty. In the meantime, the blanking of such an article is not considered vandalism if the removal of examples was itself valid.

* Articles about pornographic, pedophilic, or purely fetishistic works (or tropes) that have little value beyond their prurient content are subject to review under Administrivia/TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit. Only after consensus is reached through that process will the article be removed (or rendered example-less, in the case of certain tropes).
* You '''may never''' blank or cutlist an article solely because you believe it to be inappropriate. Send it to the P5 team instead.

* You '''should''' delete an example that is: (a) factually inaccurate; (b) [[SquarePegRoundTrope using a trope incorrectly]]; (c) a duplicate; (d) in violation of a rule. Of course, fixing it is preferable, if that can be done.

* You '''should''' delete (or correct, if possible) an example that is: (a) factually inaccurate; (b) [[SquarePegRoundTrope using a trope incorrectly]]; (c) a duplicate; (d) in violation of a rule.

* You '''should''' delete an example that is: (a) factually inaccurate; (b) [[SquarePegRoundTrope using a trope incorrectly]]; (c) a duplicate; (d) in violation of a rule.

* You '''may never''' delete an example solely because you disagree with it or dislike it.

* You '''should not''' delete an example that is [[Administrivia/WhatGoesWhereOnTheWiki in the wrong place]], e.g. {{Trivia}} or {{YMMV}} in a main article. Instead, move it to the correct place.

!!Articles in General

* Subpages may be cut if the deletion of examples would leave them empty. This is not required and the blanking of such an article is not considered vandalism if the removal of examples was itself valid.