Muppet Wiki:Transcripts

DRAFT

Transcripts on Muppet Wiki are research tools that help editors to write better articles. Transcripts provide quotes and detailed information that might otherwise be difficult for the average contributor to access. Transcripts are supplementary material, and not an end in themselves. These guidelines are meant to clarify the proper use of transcripts on the wiki.

What to transcribe
Material that is currently commercially available should not be transcribed. Reading the wiki is not an alternative to buying a DVD or an album. Commercially available material can be described and quoted where appropriate, but not transcribed in full.

It's appropriate to transcribe appearances, commercials, variety show sketches and other difficult to find material. Individual Sesame Street sketches are appropriate if they illustrate a particular point and haven't been released on DVD. Material that was commercially available and is now out-of-print is okay. If a piece transcribed on the wiki is later released on DVD, the transcript will be removed.

Statement of purpose
Every transcript should have a statement of purpose at the top of the page -- a brief explanation of what the transcript is, and what's interesting or notable about it. Relevant articles should link to the transcript.

Format
Transcripts must use the Muppet Wiki transcript format, with the dialogue in table form. The format is easy to cut and paste. Please use that format -- it's impolite to type out a long scene and then expect other editors to reformat it for you.

Accuracy
Transcripts are research tools, and must be absolutely accurate. Don't make a transcript quickly, or from memory. Once you've finished, listen carefully to the audio again to make sure that the words are exactly right. Every word matters. A hurried, inaccurate transcript is not very useful.

Violating these guidelines
If a user posts a transcript that doesn't have a statement of purpose, doesn't use the transcript format, or isn't accurate, then a message will be posted on the article's discussion page and on the user's talk page, asking for the problems to be corrected. If the contributor doesn't bring the transcript up to the wiki standard within a reasonable time, and other contributors haven't volunteered to help, then the transcript will be deleted.

Transcripts of commercially available material will automatically be deleted.

Please post transcripts!
Contributors are strongly encouraged to post transcripts of rare material. These transcripts provide a searchable database of material that editors can use to expand existing articles. If you're able to make transcripts according to these guidelines, that would be very helpful. Thank you!

If you have any questions about this policy, please ask an administrator -- Andrew, Danny, Peter or Scott.