User:Dp67/Sandboxes/Policy

Policies are considered a standard that all users should follow. Editors should be careful that any change they make to a policy page reflects consensus. Policies which involve a matter of legality are non-negotiable and all editors must follow them. Spotting World Policies cover areas such as: usage of copyrighted material, libel, deliberate misinformation, release of confidential information or documents, commission, or admission of a crime, and the encouragement of criminal behaviour.

All laws must be observed for the country from which you are viewing this site, the country from which this site operates, and the country or countries where this site is hosted. The management of this website cannot be held responsible for the viewing of such information that may be prohibited in your country.

While the management of this website makes a reasonable effort to see that local laws are not broken, it cannot be held responsible for violation of such laws by its users. However, it will make reasonable efforts to comply with and to see that such laws are upheld, as well as to co-operate in a manner necessary to see that any violations are dealt with promptly.

Community Policy

Here at Spotting World, we want to create a friendly community who can enjoy themselves creating a good resource for transport fans everywhere.

All users are considered equal: 'sysops' (users given 'admin rights') are usually more-experienced editors, trusted with some of the more powerful administrative tools, but their opinions count the same as everyone else.

Administration Policy

Here at Spotting World, the watchword is "keep it simple".

All users should avoid bureaucracy and apply common sense wherever appropriate. We hope that our users will be 'self-policing' and 'self-efficient' thus minimizing the need for unnecessary rules and regulations: we want to try and avoid formal processes where we can. Where unavoidable, all policies, processes, and guidelines are to be kept as simple as possible.

Policies (as introduced on this page) are to be kept to a minimum. They cover the few areas where boundaries are required, either for legal reasons, or simply to keep the wiki in good order. All users are expected to comply with the policies, and persistent failure to do so could lead to a user being blocked from editing. Policies concerning matters of legality may be introduced by the office without community involvement.

Procedures are only specified where essential to make a process work. They are provided to assist users to create the best articles with the least hassle.

Guidelines exist to suggest an appropriate course of action, editing style, or manner of behaviour that would be appreciated by other users of the wiki. Guidelines are written by consensus and are likely to reflect the opinions of numerous editors. Guidelines are not 'enforced', but users not following them may well find that other users do not appreciate this, with the result that contentious edits may be reverted to comply with the guidelines.

However, in any situation, a user should use their common sense and/or consult the community rather than stick rigidly to a process or guideline, if it is found to be inappropriate. Remember, processes and guidelines are not set in stone, and suggestions for improvement are welcome from any editor.

Copyright Policy

No country's copyright laws shall supersede the laws of the country in which this website is hosted, and all copyright laws from the country of origin of the contributor must be observed. The copyright laws in each country may differ: every user is responsible for upholding and is expected to comply with the copyright laws of their country.

The Spotting World servers may host information that could be considered a violation of copyright in the country in which it is viewed; Spotting World cannot be held liable for users viewing such content.

Users are also expected to follow their local copyright laws when contributing information or images to this website. Although posting such information may be legal in one country, it may be considered as distribution of copyrighted material in another country, and may be considered illegal.

Any material found to be in violation of this policy is subject to removal from the wiki without notice.

Useful reference points

• Help:Using copyrighted material
• Copyright infringement
• SpottingWorld:Copyrights

Use of "Fair-Use" Copyrighted material(s)

For purposes of this policy "non-free content" means all copyrighted images and other media files that lack a free content license. Such material may be used on Spotting World wikis only where all 10 of the following criteria are met.

1. No free equivalent. Non-free content is used only where no free equivalent is available, or could be created, that would serve the same purpose. Where possible, non-free content is transformed into free material instead of using a fair-use defense, or replaced with a freer alternative if one of acceptable quality is available; "acceptable quality" means a quality sufficient to serve the encyclopedic purpose. (As a quick test, ask yourself: "Can this image be replaced by a different one that has the same effect, or adequately conveyed by text without using a picture at all?" If the answer is yes, the image probably does not meet this criterion.)
2. Respect for commercial opportunities. Non-free content is not used in a manner that is likely to replace the original market role of the original copyrighted media.
3. a) Minimal usage. As few non-free content uses as possible are included in each article and in Spotting World as a whole. Multiple items are not used if one will suffice; one is used only if necessary.
   b) Minimal extent of use. An entire work is not used if a portion will suffice. Low- rather than high-resolution/fidelity/sample length is used (especially where the original could be used for piracy). This rule also applies to the copy in the Image: namespace. If your image is greater than 500—600px add {{non-free reduce}} to the Image: namespace and someone from Spotting World will shrink the image to comply with this guideline.
4. Previous publication. Non-free content must have been published outside Spotting World.
5. Content. Non-free content meets general Spotting World content requirements and is encyclopedic.
6. Media-specific policy. The material meets Spotting World's media-specific policy. For example, images must meet Project:Image use policy.
7. One-article minimum. Non-free content is used in at least one article.
8. Significance. Non-free content is used only if its presence would significantly increase readers' understanding of the topic, and its omission would be detrimental to that understanding.
9. Restrictions on location. Non-free content is allowed only in articles , and only in article namespace, subject to exemptions. (To prevent an image category from displaying thumbnails, add __NOGALLERY__ to it; images are linked, not inlined, from talk pages when they are a topic of discussion.)
10. Image description page. The image or media description page contains the following:
    • (a) Attribution of the source of the material and, if different from the source, of the copyright holder. See: Project:Citing sources#Images.
    • (b) A copyright tag that indicates which Spotting World policy provision is claimed to permit the use. For a list of image copyright tags, see Project:Image copyright tags/Non-free content.
    • (c) The name of each article (a link to the articles is recommended as well) in which fair use is claimed for the item, and a separate fair-use rationale for each use of the item, as explained at Project:Non-free use rationale guideline. The rationale is presented in clear, plain language, and is relevant to each use.

All material under fair use is copyrighted to begin with (if the material is known not to be copyrighted, use the appropriate public domain tag instead). Each material under fair use claim must include a reason for fair use.

Fair use media can only be used on Spotting World if it is not possible to replace such copyrighted work with a free work of acceptable quality.

• {{Fair use in|Article}}—For a copyrighted work that is contended to be fair use in Article
• {{Fairusein2|Article1|Article2}}—For a copyrighted work that is contended to be fair use in two articles.
• {{Fairusein3|Article1|Article2|Article3}}—For a copyrighted work that is contended to be fair use in three articles.
• {{Fairusein4|Article1|Article2|Article3|Article4}}—For a copyrighted work that is contended to be fair use in four articles.
• {{Fairusein5|Article1|Article2|Article3|Article4|Article5}}—For a copyrighted work that is contended to be fair use in five articles.

Logos

• {{Logo}}—for logos.

Attribution

Some material may be copyrighted, yet the author has allowed such material to be copied and distributed under certain conditions provided that he or she is given proper credit. If this is the case, the author's wishes must be upheld: he or she shall receive any and all credit for their work. The contributor is responsible to see that proper credit is given to the author. Any such material(s) found within this category which have not received proper attribution may be deleted from the server without notice. Spotting World cannot be held responsible for the user's neglect to follow these rules and will comply with any requests from the author or a representative thereof for the removal of such material.

Public Domain

Any information released into the public domain within the US is considered exempt from any and all copyright laws. Users may distribute, alter or redistribute such information without being bound by any US laws. However, each user is responsible for observing the laws of their country. Spotting World cannot be held responsible for a user's violation of such local laws.