Editorial Guidelines (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
EDITORIAL GUIDELINES FOR THE 1983: DOOMSDAY ATL
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[edit] 1. Canon
This ATL evolved from a short TL written by 70.150.208.34 and the concurrent adoption by Xi'Reney and later the (fictional) WCRB.
So this is a basically open timeline; new contents and edits are always welcome. But as the complexity of the timeline has rapidly increased new content will NOT automatically become "canon". New edits will have to be reviewed/harmonized/canonized to keep everything logical.
Content which has already been accepted by the group as canon and has remained unchanged in the alternate history will have precedence over any proposed new changes. This does not mean you will be barred from making said changes if it is more plausible to update the content of the TL, but it is recommended you bring it to the group's attention at Talk:1983: Doomsday, which is the main page for discussion on the alternate history.
To avoid some of these problems it is highly recommended that you read Timeline (1983: Doomsday).
With DD constantly growing it has proved ideal to let the regional/national details be worked out by users specialized for the history of those regions. The results can be seen in some brilliant articles within this ATL.
A Few Examples:
For further understanding of the idea of canon, proposals and probability read QSS and QAA.
[edit] 2. Proposals
 This 1983: Doomsday page is a Proposal.
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When you create something new, it should be tagged as a proposal. This is done by adding {{ddprop}} to the top of the page. This adds the article to Category:Proposals (1983: Doomsday). It is also helpful to add a note about your new page to the bottom of Talk:1983: Doomsday#CURRENT ARTICLE PROPOSALS.
Tagging the page as a Proposal indicates that the entire group has not yet had a chance to discuss, debate, and possibly recommend changes to it. If you feel your article is ready to be recognized as canon, then say so on Talk:1983: Doomsday. If nobody raises any objections to your page, you can remove the Proposal tag after a certain amount of time - we have started to call this process "graduation". After that, the page will be considered a part of the Doomsday history.
Important note: the fact that a page or idea has been accepted/graduated does NOT mean that it is "finished". All of 1983DD's pages are undergoing constant updates and expansions. The graduation process simply means that what has been written - the essentials of the idea - are part of the TL's canon.
[edit] 3. Plausibility
Please try to keep things to a plausible level. Despite changes in the timeline from ours the real world works in the same way in this ATL as it dose in OTL. Generally things that couldn't possibly happen in our timeline shouldn't happen in this one. Please do not insert aliens, magic or supernatural elements - as this ATL is already quite fictional on its own. Also remember that even if certain things are possible for people or nations, they should remain at least somewhat practical and achievable for them to have it happen. Unlikely but possible things can be allowed, as long as there is a good explanation as for why it happened over a more likely thing or outcome.
[edit] 4. Time Frame
This ATL is intended to be a "current" or "Parallel" ATL where everything happens within the same time frame like OTL. So please avoid Future History apart from short-term (like scheduled sport events,elections etc.) However, feel free to fill in any historical gaps between September 1983 and the present day.
[edit] 5. Some Tips
Some tips to help you in your editing:
- When in doubt, it was nuked.
- If the nation you are about to create was once a part of the British Empire, its likely no one from the royal family is going to be leading it.
- Remember that the Third World/Southern Hemisphere has a better chance of survival then the Northern Hemisphere/First World.
- Small self-sufficient, independent communities are more likely to rise in targeted nations then large, complex nation-states.
- Lack of mention to a certain nation does not necessary mean that it does not exist. Remember that there are likely several small African and Asian nations that have survived, and are just waiting for someone to write about them.
- If you are going to use a historical figure, make sure to research where he or she was in 1983 because he or she may be turned into radioactive dust or stranded in a place where you don't want them.
[edit] Message from the WCRB
Thank you for your time reading these Guidelines! For any problem/comment on them please post them on the discussion page.
Your WCRB - Timekeepers
(We know this sounds very formal for a wikia creative site... but the complexity of this timeline made it necessary to establish some kind of order... and to maintain world order is always complex, isn't it ? :)
[edit] See also
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