| >This page describes one of The Vampire Chronicles' policies and guidelines. All users are expected to follow policy, except where it would damage the wiki. If you have any questions, suggestions, or complaints, please post them on the talk page. |
Talk pages on The Vampire Chronicles are there for a reason. They are a place to discuss edits and changes, and to ensure any information on the wiki conforms to a consensus amongst its users. Remember that you should never delete discussions, even after they are concluded, as they are an important record of what has been said.
How to Post
Messages you post to a talk pages should always be signed, either by typing four tildes (~~~~) at the end, or by using the signature button (File:SigButton.png) in the toolbar at the top of the editing window. This is very important, as it immediately shows the reader who left the message.
A new message should be given a title (just like a section in an article) that briefly summarizes the content. When replying to an existing message, it is common practice to indent the reply by typing a colon (:) at the beginning. Each subsequent reply in the discussion should then add an additional colon, indenting the replies further each time a new post is made. For example:
Message
:Reply
::Second reply
Which gives:
Message
- Reply
- Second reply
This makes it easier for readers to determine where messages and responses begin and end. Note that if your message consists of more than one paragraph, you will have to post the correct number of colons at the start of each paragraph.
What to Put on Talk Pages
Talk pages are primarily there for the discussion of changes to the associated article. Vampire Chronicles is edited and visited by many different users, each of whom may have a different opinion on any one subject. As a result, reaching an accepted consensus on any changes is key. If you discuss edits on an article's talk page, you should reach that consensus faster and happier. For particularly significant alterations, it might be a good idea to start a discussion on the talk page before making the changes, so that the details can be clarified and the edits, when they are made, will be to everyone's liking.
User talk pages are also a good way to communicate with other users. Generally speaking, you may post anything you like on a user's talk page, so long as it abides by Vampire Chronicles' behavior policy and is not offensive. Also please ensure to respect the user's wishes — if he/she does not wish to have such content posted on their talk page, you must accept their decision.
What Not to Put on Talk Pages
Article talk pages are not there for you to discuss your opinions on the article's subject. For example, posting a personal review of a particular film on that film's talk page is inappropriate. Talk pages should be reserved for discussion on the improvement of the related article. If you wish to discuss your personal opinions on anything covered by an article on Vampire Chronicles, consider your user page, or even make a blog post on the subject so that others can see it and comment.
As previously noted, the above does not apply to user talk pages, although any edits must abide by behavior policy.
When in Doubt...
When in doubt, take it to a talk page. Mutual respect is the guiding behavioural principle of wikias and, although everyone knows that their writing may be edited by others, it is easier to accept those changes if the reasons for them are understood.