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FreezeWarp · #1 May 4, 2010, 01:38:05 PM

Citing Sources
At Victory Road, we would like to request anyone posting news do so by properly citing their source. This usually means, "where did I hear about this myself?". However, it is important that you ONLY cite the most accurate source possible - official sources are always most accurate. Serebii and Bulbapedia are much less accurate than official sources - cite the official source and only the official source if it is available.

For example, if you read something from Serebii, it would make sense to post a link accordingly. However, if they are reporting on something that was posted by an official source, then the official news story MUST be sourced instead.

Official sources are Pokémon.*, Nintendo.*, the unique Pokémon Games sites (such as pokemongoldsilver.com), Gamefreak.co.jp, and any other sources that are owned by the Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

Failing to cite your sources may result in a ban or loss of moderative powers. The first (or second) time you do so, you will merely get a warning. Additionally, no bans will take place for not citing the most accurate source, but we ask all moderators to change the source to a more accurate one if possible.

Repetitive Posts
Please do not repeat posts. Before posting new news, make sure no one else has already posted the same topic. If someone posts the news story before you get the chance, please request that your topic be deleted to a moderator. All news posts go onto the homepages of VictoryRoad.net and Floatzel.Net, and is simply redundant.

If the first source is poorly written, a moderator or administrator is allowed to rewrite it, post it him or herself, and delete the old one.

What to Post
The only threads that should be posted in PokéNews are those that are news. Likewise, if something is news (and is as such new), do not post it in any of the other forums - make sure to post it here. If you are not a moderator, please post in the "Pokémon General" forum. This way, both Floatzel.Net and RSS readers will see it.

Post Formatting
All post formatting to be as plain and simple as possible. Custom formatting for the entire post, like Bolded Green, is strictly disallowed.

Proper Images
Whenever feasible, please upload all images as attachments, and use the [attach]{id}[/attach] BB-code instead of spoilers. If you want the entire image to be displayed, then copy the image URL.

Opinion
Please keep as much opinion out of your news posts as possible. This includes saying things like "the cool new games" and posting what you think of new Pokémon. Instead, you may make a second post after your news post with your opinions. This form of double posting is allowed.

Dates
When providing a date in the near future, please include the day of the week and the year. The day of the week vastly improves mental planning without requiring looking up dates in a calendar, while the year allows people viewing it next year to know it was in the past (even though the date stamp already shows the year the article was posted). For example, use "Wednesday, May 9, 2012" instead of simply "May 9."

Spoilers
If a thread contains spoilers, please include the word "SPOILERS" in the thread title.
Example: "(Spoilers) New Pokémon designs"

If a thread reveals a major piece of information, only allude to it in the thread title.
No: "Champion Blue Confirmed!"
Yes: "Champion Revealed!"

Cat333Pokémon · #2 May 4, 2010, 02:30:05 PM

Thank you for these guidelines. Hopefully, they will prevent future problems.

Cat333Pokémon · #3 August 4, 2010, 02:39:57 PM

This needs a very much needed bump. If you're going to post news, please read this again.

Quoting another source and calling it a day qualifies as plagiarism. Citing other news sources as the only source is also a bad practice. Please cite the original source, as well.

Alakazamaster · #4 December 24, 2010, 07:02:47 PM

Is Serebii really an unreliable source? Besides the commotion they sometimes cause, like that time they brought up the final evolutions of the starters, most all of their information has been correct.

FreezeWarp · #5 December 25, 2010, 03:04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alakazamaster

Is Serebii really an unreliable source? Besides the commotion they sometimes cause, like that time they brought up the final evolutions of the starters, most all of their information has been correct.

Its an okay source, but if what they are reporting can be found officially from Nintendo (or any other insider, such as the developers of the canon in question - such as Gamefreak, Creatures, or Chunsoft), then those would be preferred.

That said, if such information does not exist officially (...as a reporter, you will want to confirm with both the American and Japanese sites), then yeah, Serebii is fine.

Cat333Pokémon · #6 January 17, 2011, 02:33:39 AM

I amended the rules with the bit about avoiding opinion and instead making another post with your opinions.

Cat333Pokémon · #7 May 9, 2012, 02:43:58 PM

I have updated the guidelines to include a section on date formatting in your news articles. For more reasons on including the day of the week, this article on using the day has plenty of examples.

AuraKshatriya · #8 May 9, 2012, 07:57:03 PM

Noted. That linked article was also pretty interesting to read, actually.

Cat333Pokémon · #9 January 10, 2013, 10:34:22 PM

Regarding spoilers, I'm going to be somewhat strict this year when it comes to XY information. In the past, several users have disappeared during the months leading up to major games to avoid being spoiled with critical information.

If a thread contains spoilers, please include the word "SPOILERS" in the thread title.
Example: "New Pokémon designs (SPOILERS)"

If a thread reveals a major piece of information, only allude to it in the thread title.
No: "Champion Blue Confirmed!"
Yes: "Champion Revealed! (SPOILERS)"

By following these rules, folks avoiding spoilers who simply skim over the subject lines can know whether or not a thread is safe to enter.

Twiggy · #10 January 11, 2013, 01:40:14 AM

*wonders whether it is possible to categorize threads in the news section instead*

AuraKshatriya · #11 January 11, 2013, 09:35:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat333Pokémon

Regarding spoilers, I'm going to be somewhat strict this year when it comes to XY information. In the past, several users have disappeared during the months leading up to major games to avoid being spoiled with critical information.

If a thread contains spoilers, please include the word "SPOILERS" in the thread title.
Example: "New Pokémon designs (SPOILERS)"

If a thread reveals a major piece of information, only allude to it in the thread title.
No: "Champion Blue Confirmed!"
Yes: "Champion Revealed! (SPOILERS)"

By following these rules, folks avoiding spoilers who simply skim over the subject lines can know whether or not a thread is safe to enter.

I'd like to suggest that "SPOILERS" instead go at the beginning of the thread title, as particularly for longer titles, the indication of spoilers may not be immediately apparent.

Cat333Pokémon · #12 January 11, 2013, 09:38:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twiggy

*wonders whether it is possible to categorize threads in the news section instead*

Eh, not really. People have different opinions of what they want spoiled. Some don't want to see new Pokémon, while others don't want to hear music, yet others don't want to know about the region.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuraKshatriya

I'd like to suggest that "SPOILERS" instead go at the beginning of the thread title, as particularly for longer titles, the indication of spoilers may not be immediately apparent.

I fixed it.