Contributors are of course welcome to add new pages to the Visionary Universe Wiki, that is after all, part of the purpose of the project, to allow contributors to expand the depth of the Visionary Universe. However, when adding new pages of content we ask that contributors consider the following information and also respect the following guidelines before, while, and after adding such pages.
If you would like some guidance as to where to begin in terms of adding pages, please go to Contributors Central for a listing of special content drives, requested articles and resources.
Before Adding[]
Considerations[]
Always give serious thought to an entry before creating it. The preference is to avoid stub articles, or placeholder articles that are not at least fleshed out with some weight and substance.
In addition, please give some serious thought to how the new entry relates to the larger whole of the Visionary Universe and its established Canon. The purpose of the Visionary Universe Wiki is to primarily flesh out and enrich the Visionary Universe as it exists and develops by referencing stories directly and by creating original supplementary material that expands the depth of those stories. The purpose here is not to create randomly generated concepts, characters, events or other material. The less related a new page or entry is to some established concept within the Visionary Universe the less chance that page will truly be able to be considered as canon as new material is published. While apocryphal entries can be added, and apocryphal material can be added under that heading for any major entry, anyone so contributing should do so with the prior held understanding that such entries may be deleted if and when canon firmly contradicts those entries.
Things to Do[]
When adding a page, make sure it is a topic or article you feel confident and comfortable writing, make sure you've reviewed the Policies and Guidelines, and are familiar with the Manual of Style generally used in the project. Finally, please check our list of Templates to see if one has been designed for the type of entry you're wanting to do. This will help ensure you're crafting an article which will stand up to the standards of the project.
Likewise, make sure you research the project's content for anything that could be related to the entry you're making. This could be as obvious as an article which already covers the topic you planned, simply under a different name, to more subtle things, such as the topic you plan to do an entry on being mentioned and somewhat developed under other articles. For example, if you're going to add an entry on a particular species, several of whom have appeared as characters, make sure you review those character entries, search for cultural related entries or terms, language, or the stories in which members of that species appear. This will help prevent redundant, or initially contradictory articles from being created.
Discuss[]
Finally, before beginning the actual work, mention your intention on the Discussion page for this article. Let others know your intent, a quick overview of what you intend to do and how it will fit. This helps in two ways. First, it may alert someone else who was considering doing something similar and would like to help. Second, it also alerts the moderators. Mods will monitor the Discussion page for such proposals and respond promptly.
This is important, again, for the simple fact that much of the VU has already been planned in development. While there is still plenty of room for creative contributions, there are also definitive concepts, plans and developments in place. If you propose adding a new page, moderators will then be able to give you some guidance as to what has already been planned, what hasn't and how things can mesh. This will help prevent contributors from working hard on a long entry, only to then find out that 90% of it conflicts with pre-planned continuity.
While Adding[]
Considerations[]
Again, please try and flesh out the article with some level of depth and substance in order for it to better inter-relate with the rest of the project. Stub articles or placeholder articles are discouraged.
Think about ways to interlink your content with other content as much as possible. The more it ties into established canon and content and the more it reflects supplementary material, the more likely it will reflect the direction of the Visionary Universe and be more canon and less apocrypha.
Things to Do[]
First and foremost, please edit yourself while writing and before leaving the article as finished. Typos, bad grammer etc. will be swiftly edited and flushed out. Those who continue posting without any kind of self-editing will most likely be banned from future contributions. Yes, mistakes happen, but please, try to screen out most.
When writing, be sure you're adding as much link based material as possible. Ensure the inter-wiki links are worded right, capitalized correctly and actually work. For outside links please make sure these are appropriate and information based.
Please incorporate as much visual content as possible. Many pictures in our database will link to multiple articles, so, if nothing else, at the least place any wiki images into the entry if appropriate.
Also please double check all categories to ensure you've linked the article to all the applicable ones. This makes life easier for all of us, encourages more exploration in the project, and helps others who contribute in the future.
After Adding[]
Always do a final edit and 'cleanup' if you will. Also, once the article is complete, please add the article under the Article Review List at Contributors Central so that others will be alerted to the addition and can review it. Then enjoy and be ready to be edited! This is a wiki after all!