Editing HRWiki:Standards

{{shortcut|ST}}
This page describes the standards currently accepted for page formatting and composition by the HRWiki community. Please try to follow these standards when creating and editing pages.

== General ==
A few guidelines that it is wise to follow when creating and editing wiki pages:

=== Edits belong to the Wiki ===

Once you submit a new page, an article edit, or a correction/addition to an article, the edit no longer belongs to you. It is now the collective property of the wiki. If a user reverts the change, or nominates the article into discussion, it is done in response to the content of the edit, not the user who submitted it. Please abandon all claims to your submission, as each wiki editor has the right to determine if that edit is helpful to the wiki.

=== Always use the Summary box ===
When editing pages, ''always'' fill in the "Summary" box above the Save/Preview buttons before saving, and make sure that you fill it in with something useful describing the edit you made and, if it's not obvious, why. For example, "fixed spelling error" or "added fun fact" or "reverted from vandal 127.0.0.1" are all acceptable. Saying "made some changes" or just filling in the name of the page is not helpful, because it's information that we already have. Making your Summaries accurate and useful makes it vastly easier for the rest of us to keep track of [[Special:Recentchanges|Recent Changes]] and keeps everybody happy.

Note that in "[[Special:Preferences|my preferences]]" the user can set the wiki to warn them when an edit is being submitted without an edit summary. This option is disabled at default: enabling it is suggested.

=== Use the Minor Edit button appropriately ===
As a corollary to the above, if you're making a minor edit (e.g. fixing a spelling error, tweaking formatting, or reverting a vandalized page to its original state), check the "This is a minor edit" button below the Summary box before saving the page. On the other hand, if you're making an addition, deletion, or other edit that changes the ''substance'' of a page (even if it's just a few words), do ''not'' mark the edit as minor. Again, this will make things easier for the rest of us.

=== Don't link to the current page ===
In other words, a page should not link to itself. Most pages that do so are actually just stubs with a link to edit the current page. This variety of self-link is OK but feel free to expand upon these articles and remove the stub tag.

=== Link all toons ===
Link all instances of toon or game titles so that they can be easily identified. This is in lieu of using italics, quotation marks, or other punctuation (in essence, the link ''is'' the punctuation). Wherever possible, phrase the sentence or paragraph in such a way to avoid duplicate links in close proximity.

=== Link every instance in a table ===
Tables and long lists should contain a link at every instance of a character, toon, place, object, etc. for ease of use for the reader.

=== Link once in articles ===
Except for titles of toons and links in tables (see above), a given article should only contain one link to any other page. If a page links to [[Strong Bad]] in one place, then that should be the ''only'' link to Strong Bad on that page. Typically this link should be the first instance of the term in the article, and wherever possible should be in a standardized location so the reader knows where to look for them. For example, characters in a toon are linked in the cast list, and nowhere else. An exception would be a lengthy non-toon article, where characters etc. can be linked within each large section (especially if other articles link directly to a section).

=== Plainlinks ===
The code <code><nowiki><span class="plainlinks"></span></nowiki></code>, is used to remove the http://www.hrwiki.org/skins/monobook/external.png from external links and have images link to pages in non-standard ways. The {{tl|p}} template can be used as a substitute. This class should only be used enclosing links within HRWiki which cannot be linked to using the standard <nowiki>[[</nowiki>[[Main Page|Link]]<nowiki>]]</nowiki> format. Such links include [http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=&user=User Log pages], [http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=next&oldid=1 History pages], and several others. Use is not recommended in most cases due to possible confusion with an interwiki link, which would appear identical to an internal link of the plainlinks class.  

Note that plainlinks should '''never''' be used with links to [[HR:|Homestar Runner]], [[Thorax:|Thorax Corp.]], [[YouTube:|YouTube]], or [http://www.telltalegames.com Telltale Games]. The plainlinks tag causes problems with the accompanying [[Help:Icon|icon]]. ''(For a complete list of all the interwiki links,with an icon or not, see '''[[Help:Namespaces#Interwiki Links]]'''.)''

=== Special Characters ===
When you must include characters that are not available in 7-bit [[Wikipedia:ASCII|ASCII]] encoding (generally, anything you can't type on your keyboard without using special tricks), please use [[Wikipedia:Character encodings in HTML#Character references|character references]], either numeric (''&amp;#233;'' = &eacute;) or entity (''&amp;eacute;'' = &eacute;) style. Do not use whatever feature of your operating system allows you to insert special characters directly, as this introduces complicated encoding concerns to both the server and the browser. This includes features like Microsoft Word's "AutoCorrect", which often automatically creates such things as arrows, ellipses, em dashes, and left/right quotation marks as you type.

Try to avoid special characters when possible. In particular, be sure to use the generic ' and " characters for all single and double quotation marks and apostrophes except in special cases. Dashes are exceptions. An [[Wikipedia:Dash#En dash|en dash]] ({{-}}, use the template <code><nowiki>{{-}}</nowiki></code>) is commonly used to indicate a closed range of values. An [[Wikipedia:Dash#Em dash|em dash]] ({{--}}, use the template <code><nowiki>{{--}}</nowiki></code>) is much preferable to a single or double hyphen (- or --) when it's used to mark out an independent clause within a sentence or to indicate interruption of a thought.

=== Don't use conversational style ===
This is an information site. It should read like [[Wikipedia:|Wikipedia]], not like your diary.

*Check your spelling and grammar. Don't use Internet slang (ex. "How r u?" or "c u 2nite").  If you're not 100% sure about the way a word is spelled, type it into [http://www.google.com/ Google] or [http://dictionary.reference.com/ Dictionary.com]. If you know that you're not the strongest speller, compose your edits in a word processor like Microsoft Word that has spell-checking built in. Also see this [[HRWiki:List of common misspellings|list of common misspellings]].
**Don't use "smileys" or "emoticons".
**An exception to this rule is when such misspellings or slang appear directly in a cartoon, in which case they should be preserved in the transcript. If the misspelling or wrong word is conspicuous, mark the word with the Latin [[Wikipedia:Sic|"sic"]] - traditionally, it is written [''sic''] visibly in the text after the incorrect word, but in transcripts it's usually preferred to make the "sic" invisible to the reader by typing "&lt;!-- sic -->".
*Easter Eggs and Fun Facts should be written as statements, not questions. If you're not sure about a fun fact, you can use language like "may" or "could be" to indicate ambiguity; however, unsure and unsubstantiated fun facts are usually quickly deleted. Avoid using [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia:Avoid weasel words|weasel words]].
*Don't "reply" to content others have posted. If you think a particular point warrants discussion, post on the article's talk page. If you're 100% sure that something should be changed and don't think a discussion is necessary, just change it. Dialogue goes only on articles' talk pages or the forum.
**If something on a page contains a factual error, then edit it or remove it. Do not add a comment below saying "this is wrong."
**Don't leave notes or instructions to future editors like "Add more information here if you find it". Again, use the article's talk page if you want to communicate with other editors.
*Never abbreviate the names of characters, toons, or things on the site (e.g. The KoT or SBEmails). Wherever possible, use the full name of a character the first time they are mentioned. After the first mention, you may refer to "The King of Town" as "the King" or "Homestar Runner" as "Homestar" and so forth.
**An exception to this rule is the bolded character attributions in transcripts, which should always contain the full name of the character speaking.
*Avoid the first person ("I" or "We"; e.g. "We last saw Gavin in personal favorites.") and the second person ("You"; ex. "You might remember Gavin from personal favorites." Imperative commands have an implied "You" and are also in the second person) when possible. Use the third person (e.g. "Gavin last appeared in personal favorites.") instead. 
**An exception is when describing how to activate Easter eggs; use of the second person is permitted here.

=== Quoting ===

Needless to say, when quoting an individual, be accurate. If including a quote would make for an awkward sentence structure, you may change minor words to match the context and set them off with single square brackets. Ex. In [[Shopping For Danger]], Reynold "was upset that [Gunhaver] never let [him] go on any missions."

=== Maintain a Neutral Point of View (NPOV) ===
Our knowledge base documents the Homestar Runner body of work, not our personal opinion. Keep articles clean of speculation or any type of judgment or opinion. An example of a point of view (POV) edit is "Coach Z took off his disturbing swim gear in [[underlings]]," which should be phrased as "Coach Z took off his swim gear in [[underlings]]" to make it NPOV.

=== Don't sign your edits ===
All contributions are appreciated, but if every user left their mark on every contribution they made, the wiki would be nothing but signatures. If you've made an edit that you're particularly proud of (such as a transcript or screenshot), the correct place to take credit is on your own [[HRWiki:User space|user page]]. If you do not have a user account, we respect your anonymity, but your edits will remain anonymous, too.

=== Do sign your Talk posts ===
{{shortcut|SIGN}}
If you make a post on a ''discussion'' page, please sign it. If you have a user account, this is as easy as typing <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> at the end of your post. If you don't have a user account, just sign it with your name or nickname followed by <nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki> (5 tildes, not four) to generate a timestamp. Alternatively, you can use <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>: the wiki will generate a signature based on your IP address. Even better, [[HRWiki:Why create an account?|create an account]] anyway and use the signature method described; there really is no reason not to if you're going to stick around. All of this helps when it comes to knowing who's who. Also, please try to keep discussions on just one talk page; don't move it to another talk page to reply.

=== Be bold, but know when not to be ===
{{shortcut|BOLD}}
We encourage you to be bold in making simple edits; if you see something that you think needs to be fixed, then fix it. Please note, however, that in being bold you should not contradict established consensus. Additionally, the reason we encourage boldness is because it's fairly simple to revert a page to a previous state. For larger projects, therefore, the amount of boldness you display in making a change should be directly proportional to the ease of reverting that change. In other words, if it would take us a long time to undo what you've done, then you should start a discussion to see what the community thinks first. In a similar vein, anything that goes against longstanding tradition or that would have a widespread effect on the wiki should be talked about before any action is taken.

== Toons ==
The basic format for Toons pages looks like this:
<pre><nowiki>
{{a<toon category>nav}}
[[File:Image filename.png|thumb|Caption for image.]]
A short summary of the Toon's premise followed by the cast
listing.

'''Cast (in order of appearance):''' {{Film|Homestar Runner}},
{{Film|The Cheat}}

'''Places:''' [[Strong Badia]], [[Place]]

'''Date:''' When the toon was released

'''Running Time:''' The toon's length (by minutes)

'''Page Title:''' What appears in the browser's titlebar

== Transcript ==
''{A brief description of the scene.}''

'''CHARACTER A:''' What Character A said.

'''CHARACTER B:''' ''{singing}'' What Character B sang.

''{Cut to some other scene. Character A is doing something while Character C does something else.}''

== Easter Eggs ==
*A bulleted list
*Of all of the toon's Easter eggs
*:'''CHARACTER A:''' What Character A said in the Easter egg.

== Fun Facts ==
===Explanations===
*A bulleted list
*Of fun facts about the toon
===Trivia===
*Be sure to keep
===(see other subcategories below)===
*Facts in the proper subcategories
*And only use the ones you need

== External Links ==
{{extlinks|filename|forum thread ID|YouTube ID}} &larr; use {{sbemailextlinks}} for Strong Bad Emails; see below

[[Category:<Toon type>]]</nowiki></pre>

=== Screenshot ===
In most cases this should be a PNG image uploaded to the wiki via the [[Special:Upload|Upload file]] page. It should be optimized for the web and its size should not exceed 100 kilobytes. Its dimensions should be approximately the same size as on the official site and never exceeding 600 pixels in width. JPEG format is generally only desirable for "live action" toons such as [[:Category:Puppet Stuff|Puppet Stuff]], and GIF and BMP formats are never desirable. When uploading the file, be sure to give it a meaningful name which describes its content and more importantly, its use on the wiki, as in the example above. "homestar_with_a_hat.png" is ''not'' meaningful. "dangeresque_3_screenshot.png" is more meaningful.

Most toons are framed by a border with rounded edges. When taking a full-sized screenshot, cropping the frame of the toon will leave rounded black regions in each corner. To remove these, replace each black corner with the color of the nearby part of the image (for the most part, those regions are monochromatic). This method is preferred to merely cropping the frame so that the black corners are out of image, since this latter approach omits some of the information in the scene.

The screenshot should be added as a thumbnail, as shown above. Use a caption which is fun and demonstrates the tone or plot of the toon. In most cases, the caption will be a quote from the toon; these should be put in quotes. However, when the caption is not a direct quote, do not use quotation marks. It is common, but by no means required, for the caption to match the scene the image is from. If using an image from earlier or later in the toon than where the caption was derived yields a better combination of image and caption for the article, that's what should be done.

Please note that articles on topics other than toons normally have a thumbnail as well. The caption to these types of images may or may not be from the same toon the image is from, depending on the article; there's nothing wrong with having the caption and the image from two separate places if it works.

=== Summary ===
The summary section generally contains at most six things, as applicable: a short synopsis, a list of the cast, a list of locations seen in the toon, the date of the toon's release, the running time of the toon, and the page title.

The synopsis should be a brief description of the premise of the toon. It is not necessary to describe the entire plot of the toon or give away the ending, and the synopsis should only be a couple sentences long.

The cast list should take the following form:
<pre>'''Cast (in order of appearance):''' {{Film|Character A}}, {{Film|Character B}}, {{Film|Character C}} (Easter egg)</pre>

Note that everything between (and including) "Cast" and the colon (:) is between the bold markers, and each character's name is separated by a comma and a space. The characters should be listed in the order in which they appear in the toon. If a character appears only in an Easter egg, then denote this as above, with the words "Easter egg" in parentheses. The list of places should be presented in the same manner.

It is preferable to link to the characters or places in the cast or place list but not in the synopsis, so as to keep the cast or place list consistent and so as to follow the Link Once rule.

Characters should be linked to by the {{tl|Film}} template. This automatically adds the character's filmography category to the page. All major characters have this category. See [[:Category:Filmography]] for a complete list of characters with filmography categories. This template is recommended even for characters without filmography categories, as they may be created in the future.

For [[Halloween]] toons, the cast list should be followed by the {{t|costumeslink}} template, which links to the costumes article for that toon.

The date of release should be formatted with the month (spelled out), the day (numeric), a comma, and the year (four digits). The date is determined by the time in [[Wikipedia:Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] ([[Wikipedia:North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time]]) when the toon is released (this is observed strictly, despite any efforts by [[The Brothers Chaps]] to be sneaky, for example by releasing a Halloween toon late and [[Halloween Potion-ma-jig#Trivia|claiming it's still Halloween]] in certain time zones). The running time should match what is listed as the running time on the official site unless that time is clearly wrong. If there is a difference between the official and the actual running time, it should be noted on the page:
<pre>'''Running Time:''' ##:## [[TV Time Toons Menu|official]], ##:## actual</pre>
If no official time is listed, the running time is generally calculated by assuming 12 frames of Flash equal one second. (Rarely, a toon will be produced with a different frame rate. Use the correct frame rate to calculate the length of the toon.) The running time does not include Easter eggs, but does include anything that happens after waiting at the end (including the wait itself).

Finally, denote the page title after the running time like so:
<pre>'''Page Title:''' A Funny Page Title</pre>

The page title is found in the titlebar at the very top of your Web browser window.

=== Transcript ===
A transcript is a detailed account of a toon's dialogue and action. Its basic format is this:
<pre>''{A brief description of the scene.}''

'''CHARACTER A:''' Something witty.

'''CHARACTER B:''' ''{singing}'' Something melodious.

''{Cut to some other scene.}''</pre>

As you can see, a line of dialogue begins with the character's name in upper case followed by a colon, all of which is bold. This is followed by a space and then what the character said. When different characters are speaking their dialogue should be separated by a blank line.

If a character does something while speaking a line of dialogue, or if more description is needed for their manner of speaking or inflection (e.g. if they're singing or whispering) the action (if it is not too long to describe in a few words) can be enclosed in curly braces — { } — and made italic, like this: ''{goes to the refrigerator}''. Note that the curly braces themselves are also italic. Short actions like these do not need to be proper sentences.

If there is a scene change or major action (which takes more than a few words to describe), it should be separated from the dialogue by a blank line above and below, and in this case complete sentences and proper capitalization and punctuation are desirable.

Links in transcripts should be limited. There should ''never'' be links in dialogue or email sections. Links in annotations between curly braces are not prohibited, but should also be kept to a minimum. One common exception is when [[The Paper]] comes down; unless The Paper is mentioned in a Fun Fact, link this in the transcript.

====Strong Bad Emails====
There is a special case for [[Strong Bad Email]]s. When Strong Bad is reading an email on his screen, its text should be enclosed in <nowiki><blockquote></blockquote></nowiki> tags like so:

<pre><nowiki>
<blockquote class="email">
<div>subject: bored...</div>
Dear Strongbad,<br />
Does it ever get boring where you live? Right now I am<br />
bored out of my mind.<br />
<br />
With lots of crap,<br />
Callie, Lake Jackson, TX
</blockquote>
</nowiki></pre>
The email should be formatted as it appears on Strong Bad's screen, with line breaks, etc. in the same places. If Strong Bad is using his [[Tandy 400]], use <nowiki><blockquote class="tandy email"></nowiki> instead of <nowiki><blockquote class="email"></nowiki>. For more information, see [[Help:Strong Bad Email]].

====Fan 'Stumes====
For the format used since 2006 (the projector screen in the Basement of the Brothers Strong) begin the article with the following description:

<pre>{The wall of Strong Bad's Basement is visible, and a projector screen snaps down from the ceiling. An offscreen slide projector turns on, filling the screen with white light. The first slide appears: [description]}</pre>

When the slide changes, describe photos using the following format:

<pre>{The next slide appears: a [fan] dressed as [character], [additional description].}</pre>

It is not necessary to specify that Strong Bad (or any other speaking character) is offscreen.

Use the unisex term "fan" to describe the person pictured, rather than terms like "someone" or "a person", particularly if their features are obscured by the costume; more descriptive terms such as "baby", "boy"/"girl", "young adult", or "man"/"woman" can also be used to provide more detail or context for Strong Bad's remarks. In general, follow Strong Bad's lead in choosing how much of the photo to describe:
*The setting (location, cleanliness of space, time of day, additional costumed individuals present) does not need to be described, unless it adds to the depiction of the character or Strong Bad comments upon it.
*Although Strong Bad is often humorously critical of costumes, avoid overly-negative phrasing when describing a costume. If necessary for context, use more neutral terms like "rough" or "indistinct" rather than "ugly" or "poorly made".

=== Easter Eggs ===
An Easter egg (or just "egg" for short) is a secret part of a toon that can only be accessed by performing a particular action (e.g. clicking on a particular word or object) during a toon. Also, an interesting discovery which can only be found by manipulating the Flash file itself can also be considered an Easter egg, but only if it's clear it was put in the toon with the intention that it would be discovered. Things that happen if you wait a while after the toon has "ended" are ''not'' considered Easter eggs, but rather are noted at the end of the transcript.

Easter eggs should be listed in chronological order (that is, the order in which they are accessible in the toon).

The transcription format is similar to the normal transcripts, except with a colon ( ''':''' ) placed at the beginning of each line.

<pre>*At the end, click on Homestar to see a scene with Character A and Character B.
:''{A brief description of the scene.}''
:'''CHARACTER A:''' Something witty.
:'''CHARACTER B:''' ''{singing}'' Something melodious.</pre>

=== Fun Facts ===
A fun fact is anything about a toon that is unique or out of the ordinary. Some examples include:

*Something that makes reference to a previous toon or feature on the site.
*Something that makes reference to something in popular culture, e.g. a band, a television show, or world history.

It is difficult to define everything that a fun fact could be. A fun fact might appear in the form of a bit of dialogue, an object in the background of a toon, a graphic or a musical riff.

What fun facts are not is obvious. If something is obvious to 95% of the audience (including first-time viewers), then it is not a fun fact. If a fun fact is questionably fun, or questionably factual, please bring it up on the talk page. Also, the fact must be relevant to the article in question; if the only connection to the article is extremely tenuous, or nonexistent, then the fact is likely to be discussed on the talk page and/or removed. See also some [[HRWiki:STUFF/About|advice on what makes a good fun fact]].

When posting fun facts, please refer to the General rules above, particularly the prohibition on conversational style, and place all fun facts with respect to their chronological relevance to the toon. That is, a Fun Fact about the email song Strong Bad sings should appear within a category before a Fun Fact about an Easter egg.

For most toons and emails, the facts should be split into multiple categories for readability. Please do not add a category if the facts are not already split, unless you split ''all'' of the facts. A category under Fun Facts should be surrounded by three equal signs on each side (for example, ===Trivia===). Toon fun facts should be split into the following categories:

==== Explanations ====

If a plot element is very obscure (either something not obvious in general or something that would be unfamiliar to a certain group, like international viewers), an explanation might be necessary. In the vast majority of cases, however, you should ''not explain the joke''. If you feel that a sizeable portion of the audience won't understand a joke, instead of explaining it directly, explain what the pieces of the joke are (or list the various pieces of the joke in one of the references sections below) and allow the reader to put them together. Note that generic references to concepts are usually listed as Explanations, whereas direct references should be listed in Inside or Real-World References.

==== Trivia ====

Facts in this category include trivia about the toon, such as the first time an event happens or verified details about the production of a toon. These are generally more "nitty-gritty" than the facts in the Remarks section.

===== Fan 'Stumes =====
If you are featured in [[Fan Costumes]], please provide proof that you are the person depicted before adding your username to the Trivia section. Acceptable forms of proof include:
* A detailed description or photo of your costume that was posted somewhere BEFORE the toon was released
* A high-res or more complete version of the photo you sent to TBC
* Alternate takes of the photo, or photos that show the costume being assembled
* A photo of you out of costume (this only applies if your face is visible in the toon)

Such photos can be uploaded to the wiki as [[HRWiki:Personal images|a personal image]], or hosted on an external site. Please link this proof in the talk page or edit summary when adding your identity.

==== Remarks ====

Can be viewed as the "miscellaneous" subcategory. This includes facts that are not direct references, not explanations, not mistakes, and don't really belong in Trivia, but are still notable enough to be added. These include non-obvious "did you notice?" plot details (that are not noted in the transcript) and general comments about the characters and locations in the toon. Some facts can fit under both Trivia and Remarks; it is up to the writer's preference where the fact is more appropriate. (But no fact should appear more than once.)

==== Goofs ====

The Brothers Chaps are not perfect. Sometimes they make mistakes. If there is a plot or continuity error, or if things mysteriously vanish or appear (and it's not obviously intentional or due to a Glitch), then it can go into the Goofs section. Please do not add anything to the Goofs section if it was clearly intentional as part of a joke. This especially applies to [[Powered by The Cheat]] segments: assume that all "goofs" in these segments are intentionally mocking amateurish Flash animation. Additionally, assume all broken English in Stinkoman segments is intentionally mocking the poor translations frequently found in transitions from Japanese media. If there is an oddity that is not a clear goof, consider adding it to the Remarks section.

==== Fixed Goofs ====

The Brothers Chaps sometimes correct their errors shortly after they release an update. These goofs should not be deleted from the article; rather, they should be placed under the Fixed Goofs category.

==== Glitches ====

Similar to Goofs, but limited to mistakes made by the Brothers Chaps in the usage of the Flash software or shortcomings of the Flash software itself. '''NOTE:''' Flash byproducts are NOT allowed, unless they note something [[:Image:Dodongo.png|humorous]] or [[:Image:By strong bab age 5.PNG|extra]]. A Flash byproduct is something odd or strange found by manipulating the Flash file, either by watching the .swf file directly, or by right-clicking and using the playback options. This can include missing parts of characters, different things outside the frame, animations continuing while paused, etc. A '''Fixed Glitches''' category can also be made, similar to Fixed Goofs, if a glitch is removed after an update.

==== Inside References ====

An Inside Reference is when a toon makes a clear reference to a ''previous'' Homestar Runner cartoon. A repeated line of dialogue or the return of a non-regular character count as Inside References.

'''Note:''' For references, please only add the fact if you are ''certain'' that is a direct reference to exactly what you add. If there's any reasonable doubt, or it's a reference to "(this) and (this) and (this other thing) and (lots of other similar things)", or if it refers to something which is itself a reference to something else, please add it to the Talk page before adding it to the article.

==== Real-World References ====

This is when a toon makes a clear reference to something outside the Homestar Runner universe that took place ''before'' the creation of the toon in question. Celebrities, commercial products, famous quotes, and so forth can be Real-World References.

(See note in Inside References.)

==== Fast Forward ====
A fact in the Fast Forward category is something of significance in the toon that is re-used later on in a later Homestar cartoon (for things that appear outside of Homestar cartoons, see [[Sightings]]). Facts in this category should be phrased in the present tense.

==== Ad hoc subcategories ====

Subcategories that are appropriate for just one toon (e.g. [[50 emails#Homestar's attempts at DELETED|Homestar's attempts at DELETED]], [[boring (really)#Strong Bad's list of 3-letter words|Strong Bad's list of 3-letter words]]) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

=== DVD Version ===
This section should exist when the DVD version of the toon (if applicable) contains any additional, changed, or missing elements. Most of these notes can be handled appropriately with bullet points. Transcripts that exist within these points should follow a style similar to the [[#Easter Eggs|Easter Eggs]] section.

If there is DVD commentary for the toon, {{[[Template:commentary|commentary]]}} should be placed at the end of the list, and ''must'' be a part of the list (i.e., there should be no blank lines between the list and the template declaration).

==== Commentary Transcript ====
This section should exist when a partial or complete transcript for the commentary(s) exist. Otherwise, a {{[[Template:stub|stub]]}} should be placed here without the header. If the commentary is incomplete, {{t|stub}} should be placed at the end of the incomplete commentary. Commentary transcripts should be transcribed like the [[#Transcript|Transcript]] section, however, the following line should be placed before the transcript, with a blank line following after:

<pre><nowiki>
('''Commentary by:''' [[Commentator A]], [[Commentator B]], [[Commentator C]])
</nowiki></pre>

Commentators voicing their respective characters as if they were a part of the commentary should be treated as separate commentators.

If there is more than one commentary, there should be multiple sections like this in an ordinal manner (e.g., "First Commentary Transcript", etc.).

===== Fun Facts =====
If any [[#Real World References|Real World]] or [[#Inside References|Inside]] references are made by the commentators in the commentary(s), they should be listed here in bullet point format. This is especially important (and helpful) when The Brothers Chaps make references to their local establishments. Only one instance of this section should exist.

=== YouTube Version ===
Similar to the [[#DVD version|DVD version section]], this section should exist when the [[YouTube]] version of the toon (if applicable) contains any additional, changed, or missing elements from the toon itself. This can also include the title of the YouTube video if it differs from the toon's title on the website proper, as well as any glitches that appear in YouTube versions from time to time. Again, bullet points should suffice for any of these elements, and included transcripts should mirror the style used for [[#Easter Eggs|Easter Eggs]].

If the YouTube version contains [[YouTube Related Video Thumbnails|fake thumbnails mimicking those seen after a video ends on YouTube]], they should be described here along with a screenshot. For the old multi-thumbnail format, if all of the thumbnails are entirely unique to the toon, create a table with each cell corresponding to a single thumbnail; provide a description for each thumbnail within its respective table cell. If the thumbnails are mostly copied or derived from those found in a previous toon, simply describe the changes in bullet points without adding a table. Similar to this format:
<pre>[[Image:<filename>.png|thumb|<caption>]]
*As with previous YouTube videos, [[YouTube Related Video Thumbnails#Strong Bad Classics!|a group of nine thumbnails]] appears at the end of the cartoon, parodying YouTube's related video thumbnails. Their contents are as follows:

{| {{standardtable}}
|-
| 1 || 2 || 3
|- 
| 4 || 5 || 6
|-
| 7 || 8 || 9
|}</pre>
For the new autoplay format, simply add a description of the thumbnail. Similar to this format:
<pre>*Before the Easter eggs, there is a [[YouTube Related Video Thumbnails|fake autoplay image]] of "Fake Video Title", depicting someone doing something.</pre>

In most cases, the YouTube description should be documented here. However, in cases where the description is the only thing worth noting, the description should go at the bottom of the [[#Trivia|Trivia]] section, leaving the "YouTube Version" section off the page.

In cases where there are more than one ''official'' version of the toon on YouTube (e.g., [[Strong Bad Classics!#YouTube Version|Strong Bad Classics!]]), each version should be listed under its own sub-category, documenting what makes that version distinct from the others.

=== See Also ===
This section is optional, and includes links to related pages (if there are any), such as [[:Category:Music Video Visuals|visuals pages]] for music videos or [[:Category:Tablature|tablature pages]] for songs.

=== External Links ===
External links are links that point to sites other than HRWiki. The links should be in the form of a bulleted list. Nearly all toons have at least two links, one which links directly to the toon (usually ending in .html) and one which links directly to the Flash file (.swf). If there is currently a discussion taking place in the forum concerning a toon you may create a third external link pointing to the forum thread. If the toon has been uploaded on YouTube, the video should be linked to as well. The {{t|extlinks}} template is used for regular toons. External links typically look like this:
<pre>{{extlinks|<filename>|<no. of forum thread>|youtube=<YouTube ID>}}</pre>
For Strong Bad Emails, use the {{t|sbemailextlinks}} template:
<pre>{{sbemailextlinks|<email no.>|<no. of forum thread>|youtube=<YouTube ID>}}</pre>
If there is no forum thread or YouTube version, remove those from the template. See {{t|extlinks}} for more perameters and other customizations, such as a toon that lacks a SWF file or has a Twitter version.

If there is a reason the {{t|extlinks}} or {{t|sbemailextlinks}} templates can't be used, it should still follow the same format, like so:
<pre>*[[HR:filename.html|watch "<Name of Toon>"]]
*[[HR:filename.swf|view the Flash file for "<Name of Toon>"]]
*[[YouTube:<ID>|watch "<Name of Toon>"]] on [[YouTube]]
*[[Forum:###|forum thread re: "<Name of Toon>"]]</pre>
Note that links to toons always read "watch <Name of Toon>", links to Flash files always say "view the Flash file for <Name of Toon>", and forum thread links always say "forum thread re: <Name of Toon>".  Note that ### in the Forum interwiki link should be replaced by the thread number, found in the url for the thread (http://forum.hrwiki.org/viewtopic.php?t=###).

=== Categories ===
All toon articles should have categories listed at the bottom of the article according to what type of toon it is. Filmography categories are already covered by the cast list, but additional categories need to be added manually to each toon. The first category is the type of the toon as it is listen under the main site: [[:Category:Toons|Toons]], [[:Category:Shorts|Shorts]], etc. Other categories depend on the style of the toon and its characters, e.g.: [[:Category:20X6|20X6]], [[:Category:Cheat Commandos|Cheat Commandos]], and so on.

==Basic Articles==
The basic format for article pages looks like this:
<pre><nowiki>[[File:Article subject.png|thumb|Caption for image.]]

A short summary of what the article is about, with the title in '''bold'''.

==Appearances==
*A bulleted list {{--}} With accompanying description.
*Of every time the subject {{--}} Appeared. 

==See Also==
*A bulleted list
*Of related articles

[[Category:<What the article is>]]</nowiki></pre>

===Summary===
Describe what the article is about. If it's an object, describe what it is and how it is used. If it's a running gag, describe its context. Be descriptive, and include details beyond that it is [[HRWiki:Often appears in the Homestar Runner universe|frequently seen or mentioned]].

===Appearances===
This is a list of every time the object or the running gag appears. Include every instance where the subject occurs, and list them in chronological order. Then add a sentence or paragraph describing when and how the subject appears or is mentioned.

===See Also===
At the end of the article, place a list of other articles related to the subject of this one, if there are any.

===Categories===
<nowiki>All basic articles should have categories listed at the bottom of the article according to what the subject is about. If the subject is an object, use [[Category:Items]]. If the subject is a running gag, use [[Category:Running Gags]]. Try to use categories that are as specific as possible. For example, use [[Category:Generic food and drinks]] for articles about things characters like to eat, and [[Category:Word running gags]] for goofy words and deliberate grammatical errors that pop up. Multiple categories may be used. If the page is the main example of that category (for example, </nowiki>[[Items]] and<nowiki> [[Category:Items]]), format it as [[Category:Category name|*]].</nowiki>

== Weeklies ==
{{seealso|Talk:Quote of the Week|Checklist for new Weeklies}}
:''Note: The [[Weeklies]] have not been updated since 2014 and their site elements do not function as of 2021, making it unlikely that they will be updated again. These Standards are nonetheless maintained here for reference.''

When a new [[Quote of the Week]], [[Weekly Fanstuff]], and [[Sketchbook]] are posted, those three pages should be updated with the new information. All Quotes are on the same page, while Fanstuff and Sketchbook additionally use new pages for each year. On each page, create a new row at the top of the table, copying the format of the rows below; for the first Fanstuff or Sketchbook update of a year, copy the format of the lede and table of a prior year.

When uploading images of the Weekly Fanstuff and Sketchbook, make sure you take a screenshot of the main page as it appears normally in a web browser; that is, do not take a screenshot of the SWF file directly or with a browser that has magnification enabled. Viewing these images under magnification pixelates them, ultimately lowering the image quality. (Note: in contrast, it is acceptable to take screenshots of the vast majority of Homestar Runner cartoons under magnification; these are comprised of vector graphics, unlike the bitmap images from the Weekly Fanstuff and Sketchbook).

== See also ==

*[[HRWiki:Manual of Style]]
*[[HRWiki:List of common misspellings|List of common misspellings]]
*[[HRWiki:Swears]]

[[Category:HRWiki Policy|{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Help|{{PAGENAME}}]]