History Main / OurSuperStrictLanguagePolicy

[[redirect:FamilyFriendly]]
What sort of language is appropriate in an article? Can you swear to your heart's content? Or should there be a level of decorum on this wiki? Once upon a time, there were few hard and fast rules. Following TheGoogleIncident, things have changed a bit.
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[[AC:The Policy]]

"We ask you to respect our need to keep the wiki family friendly. We don't really need lewd pictures or tons of cuss words to have the fun we're having. Anyway, clever is always funnier than obscene. Shocking stuff just gets old."

The rule was once "Keep it sort of PG-13." That meant that "ass" and "wanker" were probably fine, "fuck" and "cunt" not (especially in multiple). Nowadays, since [=AdSense=], our most lucrative advertiser, has rules about adult content, it's closer to "Keep it PG-13 if at all possible."

With Google monitoring to make sure that pages are in compliance, it's important not to add swear words to an article where its not really necessary. Think for a moment, and if you can say it without swearing, then do it. Pages that are moderated must go behind a "wall," which means that those pages don't display Google advertising and make less money for TV Tropes. For example, if your article is about a children's film or a network sitcom, then the word "fuck" really doesn't need to be anywhere on it, so don't put it there. Something like ''Film/TheDeparted'' would be a good example of something where profanity might be considered an integral part of the article. If the show itself makes regular use of profanity, then the page is likely going to be behind the wall anyway. If there's something from the show that has profanity that you want to quote, go ahead. When it comes to adding general examples, there's probably little need for you to be using profanity yourself, if it isn't in relation to the content of the media, especially on a page that's otherwise clean.

That said, don't butcher a quote just to take out a dirty word or two. If you believe that an article is in need of attention due to mature content, "flag" it using the menu option on the left, or consider alluding to it rather than quoting directly. Whether you really need the quote from the movie ''Narc'' with [[ClusterFBomb 9 uses of the word "fuck" out of a total of 11 words]] on a page about kittens is something to take into consideration.

Yes, it's true that this site isn't just about documenting entertainment, it's also about ''providing'' it. You're allowed and expected to be funny, but there are plenty of ways to be funny. If your imagination is failing you to the extent that you need to curse, you should just back off for a while and let your brain come back on line. We'd actually be a better source of humor with one cuss word per ''hundred'' pages.

Don't [[ThisTropeIsBleep c-ns-r]] w* rds w* th d!sh!s, $ste#r&sk, %r @ny th^ng m()r() ¿¶⇔‡ø√ℵ¤. Face it, you're not fooling anyone, and it's just annoying. Unless it's funny, of course, which it can be, rarely. If you're quoting a print source or "[[ThisTropeIsBleep bleeped]]" show that had the dashes in it originally, whatever, but you may want to make that clear. Don't just [[spoiler: spoiler font]] a swear word. It's even more annoying, and doesn't actually change the content level. If a particular swear word is actually a spoiler, we'll see it when we believe it. Swears should be on the page or they shouldn't; having them there but neutered doesn't work either way, because no matter how you slice it, they're still swear words.

Don't be a BluenoseBowdlerizer. Serial Bowdlerizers will get themselves banned. Again, if you believe the language in an article is a cause for concern, flag it, if it isn't already marked as being for "mature audiences." If you're a younger Troper stuck behind some sort of net nanny software, be careful: there are cases where it's been said to mess up articles by replacing bad words, and you can still be banned even if you didn't do it on purpose. If you're a younger {{Troper}} and can reach such a page (assuming you're a good, honest {{Troper}} who wouldn't lie about his or her age), you may want to flag it, depending on severity.

Remember... even the language used on the [[ClusterFBomb most obscene page]] of this wiki probably compares favorably to fifteen minutes in any Junior High Lunchroom. MST3KMantra, people. But we are trying to keep the general pages family friendly, so try to respect that. Additionally, keep in mind that these rules are about language, not politeness. Cussing out other ''[[{{Troper}} Tropers]]'' will get you thwacked, regardless of anything in relation to what you add to pages or which pages you add it to.
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That's [[AC:our policy]]. You agreed to the terms of service, so please stick with them.
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<<|{{Administrivia}}|>>

With Google monitoring to make sure that pages are in compliance, it's important not to add swear words to an article where its not really necessary. Think for a moment, and if you can say it without swearing, then do it. Pages that are moderated must go behind a "wall," which means that those pages don't display Google advertising and make less money for TV Tropes. For example, if your article is about a children's film or a network sitcom, then the word "fuck" really doesn't need to be anywhere on it, so don't put it there. Something like ''TheDeparted'' would be a good example of something where profanity might be considered an integral part of the article. If the show itself makes regular use of profanity, then the page is likely going to be behind the wall anyway. If there's something from the show that has profanity that you want to quote, go ahead. When it comes to adding general examples, there's probably little need for you to be using profanity yourself, if it isn't in relation to the content of the media, especially on a page that's otherwise clean.

<<|{{Administrivia}}|>>

[[redirect:FamilyFriendly]

[[redirect:FamilyFriendly]]

Don't [[ThisTropeIsBleep c-ns-r]] w* rds w* th d!sh!s, $ste#r&sk, %r @ny th^ng m()r() ¿¶⇔‡ø√ℵ¤. Face it, you're not fooling anyone, and it's just annoying. Unless it's funny, of course, which it can be, rarely. If you're quoting a print source or "[[ThisTropeIsBleep bleeped" show that had the dashes in it originally, whatever, but you may want to make that clear. Don't just [[spoiler: spoiler font]] a swear word. It's even more annoying, and doesn't actually change the content level. If a particular swear word is actually a spoiler, we'll see it when we believe it. Swears should be on the page or they shouldn't; having them there but neutered doesn't work either way, because no matter how you slice it, they're still swear words.

Yes, it's true that this site isn't just about documenting entertainment, it's also about ''providing'' it. You're allowed and expected expected to be funny, but there are plenty of ways to be funny. If your imagination is failing you to the extent that you need to curse, you should just back off for a while and let your brain come back on line. We'd actually be a better source of humor with one cuss word per ''hundred'' pages.

The rule was once "Keep it Sort of PG-13." That meant that "ass" and "wanker" are probably fine, "fuck" and "cunt" are probably not (especially in multiple), "shit" could probably go either way. If it helps, keep in mind the list of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_dirty_words seven dirty words]] when it comes to considering what is most likely to be problematic.

With Google monitoring to make sure that pages are in compliance, it's important not to add swear words to an article where its not really necessary. Think for a moment, and if you can say it without swearing, then do it. Pages that are moderated must go behind a "wall," which means that those pages don't display Google advertising and make less money for TV Tropes. For example, if your article is about a children's film, then the word "shit" really doesn't need to be anywhere on it, so don't put it there. Otherwise, something like two or three dirty words probably won't get an article on something like ''{{Friends}}'' thumped behind the wall, but it's probably best to avoid going any further than that. Something like ''HellsKitchen'' would be a good example of something where profanity would be considered an integral part of the article. If the show itself makes regular use of profanity, then the page is likely going to be behind the wall anyway. If there's something from the show that has profanity that you want to quote, go ahead. Of course, when it comes to adding general examples, there's probably still little need for you to be using profanity yourself, if it isn't in relation to the content of the media.

That said, don't butcher a quote just to take out a dirty word or two. If you believe that an article is in need of attention due to mature content, "flag" it using the menu option on the left. Whether you really need the quote from the movie ''Narc'' with [[ClusterFBomb 9 uses of the word "fuck" out of a total of 11 words]] is a matter left up to the discussion page of that article about kittens you put it on.

[[RuleOfFunny Funny is allowed.]] because you would have gone to {{Wikipedia}} if you wanted something serious. This site isn't just about documenting entertainment, it's also about ''providing'' it. But there are plenty of ways to be funny. Keep in mind that "If your imagination is failing you to the extent that need more than one cuss word on a page, you should just back off for a while and let your brain come back on line. We'd actually be a better source of humor with one cuss word per ''hundred'' pages."

Don't [[ThisTropeIsBleep c-ns-r]] w* rds w* th d!sh!s, $ste#r&sk, %r @ny th^ng m()r() ¿¶⇔‡ø√ℵ¤. Face it, you're not fooling anyone, and it's just annoying. Unless it's funny, of course, which it can be, rarely. If you're quoting a print source that had the dashes in it originally, whatever. But you may want to make that clear.

Don't just [[spoiler: spoiler font]] a swear word. It's even more annoying. If a particular swear word is actually a spoiler, we'll see it when we believe it. In fact, don't [[BluenoseBowdlerizer censor]] swear words at all. They should be on the page or they shouldn't; having them there but neutered doesn't work either way, because no matter how you slice it, they're still swear words.

Don't be a BluenoseBowdlerizer. Serial Bowdlerizers will get themselves banned. Again, if you believe the language in an article is a cause for concern, flag it, if it isn't already marked as being for "mature audiences." If you're a younger Troper stuck behind some sort of net nanny software, be careful: there are cases where it's been said to mess up articles by replacing bad words, and you can still be banned even if you didn't do it on purpose.

Remember... even the language used on the [[ClusterFBomb most obscene page]] of this wiki probably compares favorably to fifteen minutes in any Junior High Lunchroom. MST3KMantra, people. But we are trying to keep the general pages family friendly, so try to respect that. Additionally, keep in mind that these rules apply only to articles. Cussing out other ''[[{{Troper}} Tropers]]'' will get you thwacked, regardless of anything in relation to what you add to pages.

That's [[AC:our Policy]]. You agreed to the terms of service, so please stick with them.

With Google monitoring to make sure that pages are in compliance, it's important not to add swear words to an article where its not really necessary. Think for a moment, and if you can say it without swearing, then do it. Pages that are moderated must go behind a "wall," which means that those pages don't display Google advertising and make less money for TV Tropes. For example, if your article is about a children's film, then the word "shit" really doesn't need to be anywhere on it, so don't put it there. Otherwise, something like two or three dirty words probably won't get an article on something like ''{{Friends}}'' thumped behind the wall, but it's probably best to avoid going any further than that.

Remember... even the language used on the [[ClusterFBomb most obscene page]] of this wiki probably compares favorably to fifteen minutes in any Junior High Lunchroom. MST3KMantra, people. But we are trying to keep the general pages family friendly, so try to respect that. Additionally, keep in mind that these rules apply only to articles. Cussing out other ''{{Tropers}}'' will get you thwacked, regardless of anything in relation to what you add to pages.

The rule was once "Keep it Sort of PG-13." That meant that "ass" and "wanker" are probably fine, "fuck" and "cunt" are probably not (especially in multiple), "shit" could probably go either way.

With Google monitoring to make sure that pages are in compliance, it's important not to add swear words to an article where its not really necessary. Think for a moment, and if you can say it without swearing, then do it. Pages that are moderated must go behind a "wall," which means that those pages don't display Google advertising and make less money for TV Tropes. For example, if your article is about a children's film, then the word "shit" really doesn't need to be anywhere on it, so don't put it there.

[[RuleOfFunny Funny is allowed.]]. Let's be fair, you would have gone to {{Wikipedia}} if you wanted something serious. This site isn't just about documenting entertainment, it's also about ''providing'' it; so if your article uses "fuck" 71 times, "cunt" 41 times, "faggot" 14 times, and "nigger" 452 times ''and it makes it funny'', go nuts. [[RefugeInVulgarity It usually doesn't]] and will almost certainly put it behind the wall, so think about that before deciding to do something like that.

Remember... even the language used on the [[ClusterFBomb most obscene page]] of this wiki probably compares favorably to fifteen minutes in any Junior High Lunchroom. MST3KMantra, people. But we are trying to keep the general pages family friendly, so try to respect that.

What sort of language is appropriate in an article? Can you swear to your heart's content? Or should there be a level of decorum on this wiki? We have recognized these problems and come up with a set of unambiguous, hard, and long rules to help you with these questions.

Keep it sorta PG-13.

If you're an American you know what that means; if you're not, the gist of it is: "ass" and "wanker" are probably fine, "fuck" and "cunt" are probably not (especially in multiple), "shit" could probably go either way.

Don't butcher a quote just to take out a dirty word or two. Whether you really need the quote from the movie ''Narc'' with [[ClusterFBomb 9 uses of the word "fuck" out of a total of 11 words]] is a matter left up to the discussion page of that article about kittens you put it on.

[[RuleOfFunny Funny is allowed.]]. Let's be fair, you would have gone to {{Wikipedia}} if you wanted something serious. This site isn't just about documenting entertainment, it's also about ''providing'' it; so if your article uses "fuck" 71 times, "cunt" 41 times, "faggot" 14 times, and "nigger" 452 times ''and it makes it funny'', go nuts. [[RefugeInVulgarity It usually doesn't.]]

Don't just [[spoiler: spoiler font]] a swear word. It's even more annoying. If a particular swear word is actually a spoiler, we'll see it when we believe it. In fact, don't [[BluenoseBowdlerizer censor]] swear words at all. They should be on the page or they shouldn't; having them there but neutered doesn't work either way.

Don't be a BluenoseBowdlerizer. Serial Bowdlerizers will get themselves banned. If you're a younger Troper stuck behind some sort of net nanny software, be careful: there are cases where it's been said to mess up articles by replacing bad words, and you can still be banned even if you didn't do it on purpose.

Remember... even the language used on the [[ClusterFBomb most obscene page]] of this wiki probably compares favorably to fifteen minutes in any Junior High Lunchroom. MST3KMantra, people.

That's [[AC:The Policy]], the hard and fast [[AC:Policy]] and nothing but the [[AC:Policy]]. If you [[HypocriticalHumor fuck]] up on any of the rules we'll hunt you down and [[spoiler:probably not do anything, [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean it's more of a guideline, really]].]]

Don't [[ThisTropeIsBleep c-ns-r]] w*rds w*th d!sh!s, $ste#r&sk, %r @ny th^ng m()r() ¿¶⇔‡ø√ℵ¤. Face it, you're not fooling anyone, and it's just annoying. Unless it's funny, of course, which can be, rarely. If you're quoting a print source that had the dashes in it originally, whatever. But you may want to make that clear.