Policy Guidelines
By Robert Fitzmorgan, Ansteorran Kingdom Historian, 2009.
Purpose of Site
The Ansteorra we live in today was not created according to any one plan or under any single authority. It was created over many years by many different people doing what they thought best at the time. Ansteorra today is the product of decades of success, failure, joy, sorrow, laughter, tears, friendship, love and loss.
This site was created to save and share the stories of how we came to be who we are today, in the same way that those stories were lived, by each person contributing what they can, when they can, and in their own way. Over the years many people have tried many many things, some of the things they tried worked and some didn't. The things that we as a people liked were kept, and the things that we didn't like were left behind. Many things will be written here. Some of them will work and some of them will not. Those things that work will be kept and those that don't will be left behind.
The purpose of this site is not to create an "official" history of Ansteorra. There is no "official" history, nor should there be. Ansteorra's history does not belong to the Kingdom Historian, the Crown or the SCA, Inc., It belongs to the people of Ansteorra, past and present.
Standards of Behavior
People in Ansteorra are expected to practice chivalry and courtesy and to behave with honor. We choose to hold ourselves and one another to a higher standard of behavior than is common in 21st Century America. Those same standards apply here. Treat others with courtesy. Behave honorably.
Though Ansteorra was created by individuals doing what they thought best for their own individual reasons, that has never meant that anyone could do anything they wished without regard to the opinions and feelings of others. When, from time to time, someone's words and deeds have outraged the community, it has sometimes been necessary for the community to take action to correct the offender or even remove them from our community and repair the damage. The same principle applies here on this site. Anyone abusing this site can and will be banned. You might get a warning first or you might not depending on the severity of the offense.
The following is a list of things which are not appropriate for this site. It is not an exhaustive list. Commercial advertising of any kind (spam), personal attacks, mundane politics, mundane issues in general unless they are significantly relevant to the development of Ansteorra.
As a community develops here this list may be altered to reflect the community standards.
SCA politics may be appropriate, but need to be handled with discretion, consideration for the feelings of those involved, and with a neutral point of view.
Controversial Topics
It would be easiest and safest to simply skip over and ignore the unpleasant areas of our history. In my personal opinion it would also be dishonest and render some areas of our history difficult or imposable to understand. I also believe that it would be a disservice to those who stepped into the breach and brought about peace and cleaned up the mess. It is often the hard times that bring out the best in people. However I understand, and share the reluctance to bring up old hurts and air our dirty laundry.
I am asking that we not post on emotionally charged topics that are likely to lead to conflict until we have developed an active community of posters here, and we have discussed this as a community and decided how to proceed.
Copyright
Don't post copyrighted material unless you have permission. The poster is responsible for any copyright violations they create. In accordance with SCA Web Minister policies, all content requires that the poster complete an SCA content waiver and submit that to the Historian Web Minister or Kingdom Historian. In order to insure that this process is followed we are requiring that a valid waiver be on file before editing privileges are granted.
Images
To use an image, click the 'upload file' link on the right and select your image and upload it. Please fill out the summary with a description of your image. Select a simple and descriptive name for your image. Images larger than about 800 x 600 do not display correctly so edit your images to keep them smaller than that.
DO NOT upload images that you do not have permission to publish. If you are not releasing the image to public domain, say so in the description. You are responsible for any images you upload.
We *MUST* have permission forms (model & photographer) for all images posted to the wiki. Forms should be scanned and sent in to the wiki administrator.
Authority
At this time the Kingdom Historian and the Kingdom Web Minister are the final word on what is or is not acceptable on this site.
A Wiki works best as a community with several people dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity. The goal for this wiki is for community policing, however this site is hosted on an official SCA web site and must be ran in accordance with SCA Web Minister policies.
Addendums:
by Zubeydah, Wiki Administrator, 2012 - Present
Photos
One of the biggest topics that raises questions for the wiki is the use of photographs. The Society document that governs usage of photographs on this wiki is found here Society FAQ. To sum it up:
- Model release forms are needed for individuals appearing in a photo.
- Photographer release forms are needed from the individual who took the photo.
Pages for the Deceased
In the outpouring of grief at a recent loss, or the wish to keep memories alive, contributors might think to create memorial pages for Fallen Stars of Ansteorra. This is a lovely and laudable impulse, however: We must have documented, written authorization from the heirs of the deceased to create pages about them on the wiki, if those pages include photographs. If the pages consist solely of stories, this is allowed, but will be patrolled heavily, and may be removed at the family's request.
Listing of Awards on People Pages
To prevent the wiki from becoming a place that is filled with outdated information, we ONLY list Non-Armigerous awards (that are not already in the OP) on the wiki page. The People template has a spot to link to their OP entry. Please make sure you're linking to their OP, rather than listing all awards. Categories for grant level awards and above are permitted.
Patrolling of Pages
Please note that all pages are subject to editing and patrolling.
Deletion of Pages
As consent is required for any publication on the wiki, consent can be withdrawn at any time. Pages should only be deleted under three circumstances:
- The page was initially created without the consent of the subject.
- The page was created as a stub, and efforts to amend and update the page have gone unresolved.
- The subject of the page requests deletion.
Templates Available
For consistency and compliance with these guidelines, the following templates should be used when building pages:
- Template for People Pages: This template can be used to build People pages, and provides instructions on what sorts of information are applicable for each section.
- People Page Blank Template: This template can be used to build People pages, and only contains the base template and section blocks, without instructions
- Household Page Template: This template can be used for building pages for Households. It only contains the base template and section blocks, without instructions.
- Event Page Template: This template can be used for building pages about events, whether ongoing Perpetual Calendared events for groups or for Crown activities such as Coronation or Queen's Champion. It only contains the base template and section blocks, without specific instruction.
- Event Site Page Template: This template should be used for documenting information about various sites utilized for SCA events.
As a reminder, all page edits are patrolled, and formats significantly outside the above will be reverted to baseline.
