User:LostInRiverview/Test5

Proposed Policy

This policy is still under discussion or undergoing a vote and should NOT be used to guide official decisions or actions. If you wish to participate in the discussion of this policy, see the appropriate entry on the Proposed Policies page.

Bots are powerful tools that, when used correctly, can greatly benefit the wiki. However, their power can also cause problems if misused. With this in mind, the community has adopted the following rules governing how bot accounts are created and run on The Sims Wiki.

Definitions

• A bot is defined as a program or script that is used to make automated or semi-automated edits to the wiki.
• A bot account is a user account created for the specific purpose of running a bot.
• Bot flag(s) refers collectively to the identification and rights bestowed upon an approved bot account.
• An operator or bot operator is the person in control of a bot or bot account.

Bot approval

1. Prior to requesting bot approval, a prospective bot operator should:

• have at least 500 edits to this wiki, or be able to demonstrate high skill in wiki editing
• be a long-term member of The Sims Wiki
• not be bound by an editing restrictions
• not have been blocked within the past year

2. Persons intending to run a bot must make a request for bot flags on the Administrators' Noticeboard. In the request, the person must include the name of their bot account, a summary of why they want a bot, and what tasks they plan to assign to the bot.

3. Discussion of a proposed bot should last no less than one week. Any users in good standing are allowed to discuss a bot proposal. Consensus from the administrative team is required for bot flags to be awarded.

4. If a bot operated by an administrator or bureaucrat is approved, it is given administrative rights as well. Administrative flags for the bot are removed if the operator later resigns or loses their administrative rights.

5. Bots may be operated by multiple people, as long as each operator meets the requirements outlined above, and is approved by the administrative team.

Bot usage

1. All bots must be approved before operating on The Sims Wiki. If a bot is found to be operating without approval, it is to be "soft-blocked" (autoblock disabled) to avoid affecting the operator. The bot may only be unblocked once it is properly approved of and flagged.

2. Bots should operate according to the purpose(s) of the bot, as stated in the bot request.

• Bots found to be operating in an unapproved manner may be disabled by the administrative team.
• Bot operators may make additional requests on the Administrators' Noticeboard to refine or redefine a bot's given purpose; these requests shall require a consensus of the administrative team to take effect.
• Bots found to be making controversial edits without prior consensus are to be blocked immediately.

3.Non-controversial changes, such as changes that would normally be flagged as a minor edit and would not be significant enough for an editor to check and review, can be made without any consensus. This includes typo fixing, fixing links to moved pages, fixing double redirects, fixing links to DAB pages, etc. This also includes non-controversial edits made in accordance with an established consensus.

4. More complicated changes, such as changing the instance of a word or a sentence on a large quantity of articles, changing the layout and style, changing templates, etc., require a discussion and consensus. Discussions should be conducted on the article talk page or within the community discussions forum, and consensus should be determined in the same manner as with other discussions.

5. Bot edits must be clearly marked in the edit summary. This can be achieved by either adding "Bot:" to the beginning of the edit summary, or a "(Bot)" at the end.

6. Bots cannot make more than one edit per second. (This is Wikia's general guideline for bots to avoid flooding the servers) Most bot programs have an edit throttle rate built into them.

7. Bot account user pages and user talk pages must clearly identify the account as a bot. The user talk page may redirect to the bot owner's talk page, but the userpage of the bot may not be a redirect. The bot's userpage should make it very clear:

• That the account is a bot and not a human
• Who the bot operator(s) is/are and how to contact them
• That the bot can and should be blocked immediately if it is malfunctioning

8. Bots must have an "Emergency Shutoff Switch" on their userpage. This button should link to Special:Block with the bot's username pre-filled. {{Emergency bot shutoff}} can be added to the bot's userpage, which provides the required link automatically. If a bot is found operating without an emergency shutoff switch, it will be forcefully added to the bot's userpage.

AutoWikiBrowser

AutoWikiBrowser, often abbreviated as AWB, is a program used to make semi-autonomous "bot" edits to a wiki. The Sims Wiki has adopted special procedures for acquiring rights to use AWB, and rules regarding its use.

1. A user may use AWB on their personal account without creating a separate account. Users intending to use AWB need administrative approval via the administrators' noticeboard. Once approved, users with AWB permission are added to the AWB check page. Users operating AWB on their own accounts are not given bot flags.

2. Approved bot accounts may use AWB at the operator's discretion. Accounts using AWB should be added to the AWB check page as well.

3. Edits made using AWB will still appear in RecentChanges when made from a regular account. Users should be mindful not to flood RecentChanges with AWB edits.

4. Misuse of AWB may result in the revocation of AWB privileges, as well as other consequences as needed. Using AWB is not allowed without prior approval or if privileges have been revoked.

Limits and exceptions to policy

1. Administrators and bureaucrats wishing to use bot accounts or AWB must follow the procedures and rules outlined in this policy. Bureaucrats may, at their discretion, add bot flags to their own account to perform certain tasks.

2. Approved bots already operating on the wiki prior to the adoption of this policy are not required to be re-approved through the Bot Approval process outlined in this policy. Pre-existing bots must adhere to all other rules and procedures outlined in this policy.

3. Wikia Staff, members of the VSTF, personnel employed by Wikia, or users acting in an official capacity for Wikia, are not bound by any portion of this policy.

Policy adoption and revision history

This policy was proposed on June 9, 2015. It has not yet entered into force.