Muppet Wiki:FAQ

When you first see a wiki, it doesn't seem like it could possibly work. If anybody can come along and change things, then how can the information be trusted? Doesn't it just get vandalized, or fall into chaos?

Once you start participating, you see that that "weakness" is actually a wiki's greatest strength. Sure, anybody can add anything — and then everybody else gets to proofread it, and fix mistakes. Information that looks suspicious can be verified. Vandalism is almost always fixed within minutes. It's possible for someone to post errors, or nonsense — but over time, the best wins out.

If you're reading these words, then you're a Muppet Wiki editor. If you see a problem on one of the pages, don't roll your eyes and complain about it. Just fix it!

Create a user name

Anyone visiting Muppet Wiki can read any one of the 44,519 articles. But adding information to the wiki requires that you register a username. This helps you (and everybody) keep track of your contributions, and it makes it possible to communicate with other contributors.

You're also invited to post your name on your user page — either your full name, or just a first name and an initial. It's not required, but it helps everyone get to know you and trust you.

Neutral Point of View

Articles on Muppet Wiki should be written from a neutral point of view (NPOV), representing all views fairly and without bias. Post facts, not opinions. If you write about an issue that fans disagree about, describe the debate without taking sides. Avoid "weasel words" like "Many fans think x," which is usually just a way of attributing your own opinions to other people. For more discussion, see Wikipedia's article on NPOV.

Show your sources

Other readers should be able to verify the information that you post. Cite episode numbers wherever possible, and give sources for quotes. If you find information in a book or on a website, tell us the title or the URL. If it's clumsy to put that information in the article, then add a "Sources" heading at the bottom of the page. It's especially important to source behind the scenes information; we don't want to spread unfounded rumors.

In the event questionable information appears in a particular article, place the {{cite}} tag after the appropriate text in such a way that the notation's inclusion is clear as to what needs to be cited. This will automatically place the article in the Citations needed category.

Link sanity

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Don't bother linking multiple articles if they're close together on a page. Allow for a paragraph or two before linking the same article again. Please don't link every single capitalized word — it makes the page confusing and messy.

The exception is on lists — if some of the items in a list are linked, then go ahead and link all of them, even if they're repeated elsewhere in the article.

How to add category tags

You can put an article into a category by adding this code: [[Category:YourCategory]] . You can change the way the article is alphabetized within the category like this: [[Category:Fraggle Rock Books|Great Radish Race, The]].

The creation of new categories must first be discussed with the community at Special:Forum. Before considering a new category, check the Category list to see if there's a similar category that already exists.

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No shopping links

Please don't add links to Amazon or other commercial sites. It's nice to help other Muppet fans find the cool products that are available, but we don't want to look like we're trying to sell things. We also don't want to open the possibility to people posting sponsored Amazon links, or links to their own Ebay store. If a product is currently in print and available, you can note that in the article. If that inspires readers to buy the product, then they can find it online themselves. Only link to a commercial site as a means of citing a source.

History tab

Nothing is ever lost on a wiki! You can see all of the changes that have been made to a page — and who made them — by clicking on the "History" item on the Edit button's drop-down menu at the top of any page.

Setting your preferences

There's a lot of useful stuff on your Preferences page.

You can change your preferred editing method (we strongly recommend the Source Editor which uses wikicode). You can also change your time zone, and the number of items you see on the Recent Changes page or the Category list.

Dealing with vandalism

Vandalism isn't much of a problem on a wiki, because everybody has the power to fix it when they see it. See the Vandalism help page for instructions on how to fix vandalized pages, and how to discourage the vandals.

Contact administrators

If you have questions or comments about the wiki, you can leave a message on an admin's talk page.

Further information

• For a more in-depth look at our Policies and Guidelines, see Muppet Wiki:Policies and Guidelines.

• For general wiki help, see Wikia's globally managed Help pages at Help:Contents.