User blog:LiveLoveDance/Declaration of Wikipendence

Don't let my punny title fool you. This is an extremely serious blog. And before I begin, let me just say I am going to be bluntly honest here. So if you respectfully disagree with any of the contents of this blog, please let me know in the comments. I won't take offense if you don't.

I - Maturity Issue
My first Roman numeral has to do with a very popular issue. Lately a lot of users have felt that on this wiki, we should be able to curse and mention things of mature content while roleplaying. I'd just like to say I couldn't agree more. Why?

Because we are roleplaying with the students of Hollywood Arts High School.

We are roleplaying with the students of Hollywood Arts High School.

The students of Hollywood Arts High School.

Hollywood Arts High School.

HIGH SCHOOL.

Are you getting my drift?

Let's be honest here. It's safe to say that nearly ALL teenagers (and even some preteens) swear, mention drugs or alcohol, and reference sexual innuendos at some point during an everyday conversation. So why should our fictional teenage characters act like they are above that? I understand that words like b*stard, f*ck, or d*ckhead are going to need some censoring, but "damn" and "hell?" I don't understand the harm if softer curse words are thrown into a roleplay every once in a while. And if the mature content is getting too strong on a certain page, we can always mark it with a template that reads something like this:

WARNING: Swear words, references to drugs, sex, and alcohol, and other mature themes are featured in this section of WHATEVER PAGE IT IS with only moderate censoring. If you are unfamiliar with/dislike content of this nature, feel free to skip over this section of the page.

Bottom line: I feel that if we maintain a PG-13 atmosphere, the roleplay will relate more to the lives of real teenagers growing up in California today. Roleplay might actually occur more on character pages if users feel less bound to a restricting set of rules as far as content goes.

I just want to add that the policies already state that we are to maintain a PG-13 atmosphere when roleplaying -

"Now in general role play can be a lot of fun, but sometimes people may take things a little far feeling like that because this is a fictional world that has been created, the real world rules of etiquette don't apply any more. This however is far from the case, there is a wide range of ages that participate here, and because of this we try to maintain a PG-13 atmosphere so all user's feel welcome and comfortable role playing here. So for instance writing about relieving yourself in public, is just as inappropriate in role play as it is in real life. Also although some insults are tossed around, they should remain somewhat appropriate and tasteful. Also, as relationships are being developed between girl and boy characters, interaction should also remain at a PG-13 level, as far as intimacy goes."

So why, when we ask for permission to swear or reference innuendos in roleplay, do we get a no? Either update the policies or agree. Seriously. It's confusing and frustrating to be bound to this set of rules when the policies state otherwise.

Just a recap - first, we need to clear up this double standard for the mature content issue.

II - User Rights and Inactivity
Roman numeral two is, by far, this wiki's biggest issue, as far as I'm concerned. I think we can all agree that this wiki needs active bureaucrats, administrators, rollbacks, and chat moderators. So I'm going to come right out and say it - some people need to be demoted, and others need to be promoted.

In my perfect wiki world, here's how user rights would stack up:

SunriseHorseForever - bureaucrat

Catxcrazy - bureaucrat

LiveLoveDance - bureaucrat

Minithepeanut - administrator

SterolineMango - administrator

Ms. reference - administrator

NinjaNia - administrator

Ant 157349 - rollback/chat mod

Sunnysmile16 - rollback/chat mod

Comedypug4 - chat mod

HeyLookItzTanni - chat mod

(I would also put Pinky and Crazy on the rollback/chat mod list if they became more active on this wiki.)

And last but not least, Oreo. Again, here's a moment where I'm just going to be blatantly honest: I don't feel that Oreo is active enough to run the wiki as of now. Unless you [and this is directly to Oreo] become more active, I'd strongly consider letting the wiki get picked up by Grace (in other words, put it up for adoption). I have nothing against you - in fact, if we're being honest, I love you - but at this point in time I think you might be too busy with RL activities to be a founder/b-crat. I'm suggesting having Grace run the wiki because she is on nearly every day and makes a lot of quality edits. I wish you had as much time to contribute as you used to, but...that's just how I feel. Obviously you'd get to keep admin rights, but as far as b-crat rights go, well, look above for what I think.

Now let me explain how I figured out the rest of these user rights.

First, the b-crats. In my opinion, the 3 I picked are very active users/admins already that add categories and photos, claim characters, edit character pages and roleplay, comment on blogs, and know a fair amount of coding. Grace is whom I chose to run the wiki because she is literally. always. on. And on top of that, like I said, she makes quality edits, adds templates...etc, etc. CxC is next because she's also rarely inactive, and you can always see her on chat or in the wiki activity adding categories and pictures and things like that. Before you rant about me being up there, let me just explain why. Even though sometimes I am unable to log on for a few days, when I am online, I make as many edits as I possibly can. Users always come to me if they want characters claimed, and if I find a roleplay that is 3 weeks old that I haven't replied to, I make sure to respond anyway. All 3 of us are fighting to keep the wiki clean, organized, and well staffed, as it should be. Just last week, I literally sneaked onto the wiki just to squeeze in my couple edits for the day. That's the dedication I think this wiki needs from the bureaucrats.

Moving on to the admins. The reason I put Mini into this section is because while she knows a lot about coding and carries out admin duties well, she is just not as active as Grace, CxC, and myself. I do think she is a great administrator, but IMO she's too inactive to be a b-crat right now. Nia is doing a great job keeping up with her responsibilities as an admin, and she's very active here, so I think her position is perfect as is. Mango and Reffy, however, are two chat mods that get overlooked on this wiki. They are always on chat and are constantly seen in the wiki activity adding categories and character info that even some admins don't remember to add. When a new user asks an admin for help, they sometimes respond faster than the admin who the question was directed to. Their lack of promotion is a really big surprise to me, and it needs to happen soon. These 4 are the organized and helpful admins the wiki deserves to have.

Next, to the rollbacks and chat mods. Megan is up first here, because she most definitely deserves user rights, but compared to the users I listed above, it seems rollback and chat mod rights fit her the best as far as activity on the wiki goes. She answers questions directed to the admins with ease, adds photos, and cleans character pages often, so, if given the rollback/chat mod position, she could quickly get promoted to admin again, if she becomes a bit more active. Sunny makes edits often and is rarely inactive, so a promotion to rollback/chat mod is perfect for her and I don't see why it hasn't been brought up sooner. Audrey makes a great mod since she can usually be found on chat and roleplays almost every day - her postition should be kept the same. And Tanni roleplays and chats frequently, just like Audrey; a promotion for her should definitely be considered.

Finally, there's Pinky and Crazy. I would put Pinky on the list as a rollback/chat mod if she came back :( She made a great admin/b-crats for a while, but she just doesn't deserve those rights anymore. Crazy comes on chat once in a while but almost never roleplays, so I think she should be demoted unless she becomes more active. Otherwise, she's a great mod.

If you're not even on the list, I apologize. Remember that this is just my opinion on how user rights should be distributed. In the comments, feel free to swap around positions so we can find a group of b-crats/admins/rollbacks/chat mods that everyone is happy with.

Just a recap - we need to straighten out the user rights issue by promoting and demoting users as needed, and soon.

III - Abuse of Rights
This is the main section where my brutal honesty comes into play. I'd appreciate it if you would just grit your teeth and stick it out till dawn while reading this. There's always the comment section below for you to disagree and whatnot.

Okay. Let me just say it.

There is a founder of the wiki for a reason.

Why does the b-crat take over for the founder?

WHAT IS THAT. JUST WHAT IS THAT.

A b-crat is not God. Let me just explain that if Grace adopted this wiki and CxC and me were b-crats, we would not veto rules like we were God. And Grace would not just let the b-crats control the wiki.

IF YOU ARE THE FOUNDER, "Yah wat the b-crat sez is gud" IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

YOU HAVE POWER.

USE IT CORRECTLY.

A B-CRAT SHOULD NOT MAKE DECISIONS FOR YOU.

IF THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, LET THE B-CRAT ADOPT THE WIKI.

Okay, rant over.

For now.

I definitely look like the bad guy right now. irdc because I have legit proof that this has occurred on the wiki.

EXHIBIT A
"As founder, I need to have a say in this. First of all, I find it actually okay to rename the wiki, but if we do, we will have to do a lot of editing, which will take up a lot of time.  Second, if we make episodes, it won't be an RP Wiki anymore. It will be like an actual TV show, and that's not how the wiki works.  The theme is perfectly fine. We can actually just change it to the logo if needed, since almost no one's using their CCs anyway.  And, for the ship pages, there's a wiki for that.  OPRAH OUT." - Oreo

"Eh, I like it the way it is. Even if Victorious is ending, it doesn't mean its fandom has to end. I agree the CCs are inactive though. So, yeah. xp" - Grace

"VICTORiOUS IS ENDING? LOLWAT" - Oreo

The. Founder. Of. The. Victorious. Roleplaying. Wiki. Didn't. Know. Victorious. Was. Ending.

And she was the LAST admin to post her opinion on this blog.

Grace was the first.

NOW do you see why I think Grace should adopt this wiki? She is up to date on nearly EVERYTHING that happens in this wiki's community. Oreo reaches situations days or WEEKS after they occur.

yeahyeahyeah I know I didn't even post my opinion on this blog. (Neither did Mini, the B-CRAT.) But I knew Victorious was ending. And I knew about the blog. AND this is not the only situation where Oreo has posted her opinions in a less than timely manner.

EXHIBIT B
Mrs.leohoward (edit)

This message is for admins

Most of ya know our administrator here, MLH. Well, we've come to notice that she's not very active. When she is online, she doesn't do very admin-like things, and even though she's a great friend, we really think Catxcrazy should be promoted to administrator and MLH demoted. I don't have a grudge against her, but it's for the better of this wiki to have a more active admin.

A thousand miles to my sea bed..       '''[http://victoriousroleplaying.wikia.com/wiki/Message_Wall:SunriseHorseForevger    Found the place to rest my head... never let me go, never let me go.. ღ   ]'''

I agree. I don't see MLH online anymore. She's awesome but, she's barely on. Where is she? ='( I approve of Muchele being an admin, but I'm not Oreo, and it's Muchele's choice if she is willing to be one.  Pretty pink123     '''[http://victoriousroleplaying.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Contributions/Pretty_pink123 Darkness... ]'''  ☠ 14:17,5/12/2012 ☠

This was discussed on chat duh, and I think CxC should be promoted. I really don't want MLH to be demoted, but at this point I think it's best for the wiki. We need active admins.

Marie ღ Shot me out of the sky... 14:45, May 12, 2012 (UTC)

Agreed with all of the above, however I think MLH should be allowed Rollback rights. Muchele is really helpful, has edited a lot, and helped me investigate the "Usagi" case.

[http://victoriousroleplaying.wikia.com/wiki/User_talk:Ant_157349  You're my Kryptonite. ♥   ] 17:13, May 12, 2012 (UTC)

I think it's fair that Cxc is more deserving of the admin rights. MLH is a great admin on the Victorious Wiki, but in doing that she is neglecting her duties here. I agree with maybe just giving MLH rollback rights, but if she mostly comes here for roleplaying, then I don't think it would matter much if she had admin or rollback rights.

That wasn't flying!  [http://victoriousroleplaying.wikia.com/wiki/User_talk:Minithepeanut <span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Fan Heiti Std B', 'sans-serif'; color: red; font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">That was... falling with style.]<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Adobe Fan Heiti Std B', 'sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt">

04:56, May 13, 2012 (UTC)

Eh, I've had so many tests going on lately, I've not been able to roleplay at all. For now, I wont be on this wiki. During summer, I'll come back. For now, you guys may demote me and my characters are on rest. Thanks for being a great friend, Lacey. <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 255);">MRS.     <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 255);">LEO    <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 255);">♥<span style=" color: rgb(112, 128, 144); font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; letter-spacing: 2px;"> HOWARD 17:54, May 13, 2012 (UTC)

Lulz IDK. Its your choice. I'm just here 'cuz Misschelle told me to go here, so,,, um.. work things out, little grasshoppers. 11:11 comes twice a day because everyone--- I mean everyone deserves a second chance.  17:33, May 20, 2012 (UTC)Keove

Just do whatever you want, sheesh. 07:02, May 23, 2012 (UTC)Keove

WHO'S COMMENT DO YOU SEE FIRST?

GRACE'S.

Then there's Pinky's (OMG WE MISS YOU PINKY JUST COME BACK), and she was an active b-crat at the time; so yes, she responded in a timely manner.

Then there's meh. Doing mah admin duteh.

Megan, being the active admin she should have been. I wish she was still this active.

Mini....not exactly on top of things as a b-crat should be here...

MLH...

AND THEN OREO.

DEAD LAST.

TELLING US TO FIGURE IT OUT OURSELVES.

YOU ARE THE FOUNDER.

WHAT.

IS.

THAT.

I also have heard from a "reliable source" that when PMed about this issue, Oreo said she quote "didn't want to get involved".

HATE TO BREAK IT TO YOU BUT YOU ARE THE FOUNDER. YOU GET INVOLVED. MMKAY?

AND SHE HAD TO HEAR ABOUT THIS SITUATION FROM NONE OTHER THAN CXC.

NOT FROM PINKY OR MINI, THE "ACTIVE" B-CRATS.

CXC.

WAS SHE EVEN AN ADMIN AT THIS TIME?

Grace, bringing up the situation. Me, giving my opinion quickly. CxC, telling THE FOUNDER ABOUT IT.

Are you getting it guise? Are you getting it now?

AND YOU CAN'T EVEN BRING UP TIMEZONES.

Grace lives in SCOTLAND and has school, riding practice, and gives lessons. SHE LIVES ON WIKI ACTIVITY.

CxC and I both take 10 dance classes a week. Plus extra rehearsals, and school work, and other websites, and a social life outside of this wiki. WE BEND OVER BACKWARDS TO FIND TIME TO CONTRIBUTE EACH DAY.

Oreo, it's okay if you're busy. We get it. Most of us are. But if you don't want to get involved in community issues or whatever, just please.

DON'T LET THE WIKI SUFFER IN SILENCE.

Here's a logical answer: let a b-crat adopt the wiki. And Pinky's not active, either.

So what about your best friend Mini?

WELL GOLLY GEE I WISH SHE WAS ACTIVE.

SHE'S NOT.

SHE DELETES CHARACTERS AND LEAVES MESSAGES ON YOUR WALL.

AND SHE EDITS HER PROFILE.

THAT'S IT. THAT'S ALL.

Now this is where abuse of rights reeeeally happened.

First, Oreo.

I'll just copy paste. Face Claim NinjaNia

Hi. I saw that you changed Yue's FC to Clove/Isabelle Fuhrman. I was already using her for Charlotte Beauregard, so I was wondering if they could be doppelgangers or something? If not, I would be fine with changing my Isabelle OC to someone else. a day ago * NinjaNiaHope this isn't too much trouble or anything! a day ago
 * KeoveGosh. Sorry, I didn't know. I'd be happy to have them as doppelgangers. And no, it isn't too much trouble. xD

"Charlotte Beauregard" reminded me of Silena Bureaugard, from the Percy Jackson series. She was a daughter of Aphrodite. :P a day ago Yes. I actually named her after Silena, because I used to be obsessed a day ago
 * NinjaNia*:) Thanks!

HEY OREO.

YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE SOMEONE ELSE'S FC.

NIA SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO ASK IF THEY COULD BE DOPPLEGANGERS. THAT WAS YOUR PLACE TO ASK.

Honestly, this situation bothered me so much. If I were Nia, I would've been like "HIPSTAH PLEASE CHANGE IT BACK".

AND ISABELLE WAS LISTED IN THE FACE CLAIM. OH YEAH. I'VE CHECKED.

But because Oreo is the founder, she gets the right to use Nia's FC handed to her on a silver platter. No, it doesn't matter that all she does "is roleplay. A lot" (which, lol, she doesn't even do that anymore).

I'd like to refer to this as ABUSE OF RIGHTS.

And now, Mini.

Remember waaay up at the top when I was writing about how we should change the maturity rule or whatever?

WE'VE ASKED YOU BEFORE.

AND YOU SAID NO.

Here is an account written by a user we'll call "Bob":

I PMED A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE SO THAT THEY COULD ASK MINI FIRST SINCE I'M REALLY SHY SOMETIMES. BUT THEN I GOT OUT OF MY SHELL, AND ASKED HER. AND SHE SAID, "NOPE, DON'T THINK SO, NOT MY RULES." AND WHEN I FIRST ASKED OREO, SHE WAS ALL LIKE "WHY DO YOU WANNA CURSE?" AND THEN SHE WAS LIKE "ASK ANOTHER ADMIN, IDK."

MINI. YOU ARE NOT THE FOUNDER.

OREO. YOU ARE THE FOUNDER.

MINI SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO JUST TAKE OVER YOUR RIGHTS BECAUSE YOU ARE BESTIES!!!!

GAH!

OREO, GET INVOLVED WITH THE WIKI YOU FREAKING FOUNDED!!!!!

GAH!

And we asked about it again.

Oreo said "lolidk"

SGFSGHTGFHG WHAT IS THAT.

Had this blog had been written a few months ago, I would've just been like "lol let Mini take over who gives AF"

but HAHA, IT'S NOT A FEW MONTHS AGO ANYMORE.

OUR 3 B-CRATS OUR INACTIVE. AND WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVE, THEY ABUSE THEIR RIGHTS. EITHER THAT OR THEY DON'T USE THEM.

(I'm not really including Pinky in the abuse thing because WOOOOAH SHE IS INACTIVE SO LIKE HOW COULD I INCLUDE HER ANYWAY.)

Which brings up another point.

Y U NO PROMOTE OR DEMOTE PEEPS?

That's your job as a b-crat. But since you can't stand if things don't go your way, you just decide to keep things the same. You continue to be inactive and dance around abusing rights. Or you say "lolidk ask another b-crat"

andthentheb-crats'sdundoit SO ISN'T THAT RAINBOWS AND SUNSHINE.

The point is, the wiki needs b-crats who are a) ACTIVE, and b) USE THEIR RIGHTS THE WAY THEY SHOULD.

Okay. I think this section's done.

Phew. I need a cold drink.

IV - Organization
I swear this is the last section.

And it needs to be written.

BECAUSE THE ORGANIZATION ON THIS WIKI IS A MESS.

JUST A MESS.

I'mma make this short and sweet so we can all go home: If you see a grammar mistake on a page, fix it. If someone messed up the coding for their word bubble, change it for them and then show them how to do it correctly. If you find a better resolution pic of one that's already uploaded here, upload it and replace the old one.

And add categories to pages and stuff.

Is that so hard?

Likeee really. Our wiki is so cluttered. Let's archive pages we don't need and just clean this place up in general, mmkay?

Mmkay.

Postscript
Is it bad that I can already feel the hate coming for this?

Eh.

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that all this stuff has been brewing under the surface for a while now. We all know it has. In PMs, on secret wikis, on Tumblr, where ever. I just thought it would be best to bring it all out in the open so we can start making changes now, before it's too late.

When I say it's too late, let me make it perfectly clear that this declaration was not compiled just by me.

Yes. There are more people who agree with Every. Single. Thing. I. Wrote.

If some of these changes don't start happening soon, and/or I get too much backlash for writing this, that group of users (including myself) will leave. And we will take our characters with us.

So let's change some rules, shift the user rights, stop abusing our rights, and clean up this wiki.

Now.

DISCUSS BELOW.