Editing Battlestar Wiki:Vandalism

{{Policy|16 October 2005|shortcut=BW:VANDL}}
{{Battlestar Wiki List of Policies}}
== What '''is''' vandalism? ==

Vandalism is the willful destruction of a page, which can occur in the following ways:

* '''Spam linking''': The act of adding inappropriate links to websites containing content completely unrelated to an article in question. This including adding this type of information on your own user and user talk pages.
* '''Blanking''': Deliberately "erasing" a page, so that the common viewer will see nothing. This is a form of "[[Wikipedia:whitewash|whitewash]]" vandalism. 
* '''Creating Worthless Articles''': The act of creating pages with content that is [[BW:NOT|not germane on Battlestar Wiki]].
* '''Uploading Obscene Content''': While ''Battlestar Galactica'' covers topics of a controversial nature, the uploading of pornographic or vulgar media is not permitted.  While this act is, in itself, not vandalism by any means, inserting these images or files into other pages indiscriminately or randomly for adverse effect ''is'' vandalism.
* '''Hack-and-Slash Editing''': Basically, this is an act of randomly removing sentences or words, and inserting obscenities and nonsense to affect the quality of an article.

There are also lesser attempts at vandalism, which are a bit more controversial:

* '''Consistent Reverting of Content''': While Battlestar Wiki has not instituted a [[Wikipedia:3RR|"three revert rule"]], reverting content ''ad absurdum'' is highly frowned upon.  Someone who consistently reverts content may be attempting to disrupt the Wiki by reverting a page to a previous edit, which may or may not have housed vandalized content.
* '''Moving Articles''': Moving articles to another place is '''not''' considered vandalism by itself.  However, moving an article to a namespace which has little or no encyclopedic value may be considered vandalism. (For instance, moving [[Ronald D. Moore]] to "shaggy-haired Caucasian toasterfrakker" would be obscene, unencyclopedic and inappropriate -- thus an act of vandalism.) As [[BW:MOVE|page move privileges]] are restricted on Battlestar Wiki, such vandalism is not possible thorugh a new user account.

== What ''isn't'' vandalism? ==

Most edits made in good faith are ''not'' considered vandalism.  These include:

* '''Rewrites''': This is the act of rephrasing a paragraph, portion or entire work. As mentioned on the edit page, while you are free to add content, please remember that it may be edited mercilessly and reworked as your fellow Galacticipedians and readers see fit.
* '''[[BW:SILLY|Silly Pages]]''': Some pages are made for fun.  At present, [[Numerology]] and [[Toaster]] both have a serious and humorous intent. (Extremely irrelevant and/or irreverent articles should be posted on the "anti-Battlestar Wiki", called [[frakr:Main Page|Wiki Frakr]].)
* '''Most "Newbie" Edits''': Edits from newcomers to the wiki may affect the content of the page; however, mostly they are made in good faith and thus demonstrate that the user needs both guidance and assistance. Commonly, such posts involve [[fan fiction]] or an article that already exists on the wiki.

== Dealing with Vandalism ==

* For established articles:
*# Revert the article to a previous, encyclopedic version.
* For new articles created by a vandal:
*# Blank the contents of the page, then add {{tl|deletebecause}}.
* For new images uploaded as an act of vandalism:
*# Ensure that the image is an orphan -- that it is not linked to any page.
*# Edit the image description page and add {{tl|deletebecause}}.
* For existing images overwritten by a vandal:
*# Revert the image to a previous, encyclopedic version.
*# [[BW:AN|Notify an administrator]].  The picture will have to be deleted, but ''do '''not''''' add a tag to the image description page.

== Dealing with a Vandal ==

Remember, treat every case of suspected vandalism on a case-by-case basis: a "vandal" may be nothing more than a new user trying to see how a wiki works (And, in the process, learning how one ''shouldn't'' work on a wiki). Always assume good faith unless proven guilty of bad faith.

Deal with the vandal in the following order:

# Notify an admin of the suspected vandal.  Provide evidence to support your claim.  
# Notify the vandal that their edit has been identified and will be dealt with accordingly.
#* Do not be combatative; assume good faith.  
#* Kindly, but ''firmly'' notify them that their test worked and direct them to the [[Battlestar Wiki:Sandbox|sandbox]].
#* Let them know that further acts of vandalism will be dealt with at the administrator's discretion.

Should the suspected vandal be an actual, bona-fide vandal, the administrator then shall take action.

== How big is the problem? ==

On [[Wikipedia:Main Page|Wikipedia]], vandalism rears its head on a daily basis, where both numerous admins and bots attend to the issue. Battlestar Wiki has the good fortune where vandalism is infrequent, and is usually corrected and dealt with efficiently and quickly. 

The reason that this page exists is to prevent vandalism becoming a problem by letting the "honest contributor" know how to identify it and what to do in the event that vandalism does occur. 

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