Tardis:Username policy

When you first create an account so you can log in, one of the first things you will have to do is decide on a username. This policy describes the accepted practices and behaviour in choosing a username for an account on the TARDIS Index File, the Doctor Who universe Wiki.

What are usernames used for?
Your username is attached to all your edits when you're logged in on this wiki and throughout all of wikia.com. This is partly for accountability reasons, but it's also helpful from a copyright perspective; if someone wants to use your contributions in a way not allowed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA) they can ask on your talk page. This also encourages people to give the appropriate credit to authors and your username is used to give that credit.

Choosing a username
The best username is typically a long standing Internet pen name or a new name that you use only for editing wikis hosted by Wikia.com.

Please pick a user name that helps us write an encyclopaedia. That means picking a name that you're comfortable writing under. But it also means picking a name that others are comfortable seeing and collaborating with. Remember a controversial name may affect other users' perspective on your own credibility or viewpoint. Additionally, the TARDIS Index File is accessed and edited world-wide (and also linked to other language versions of this wiki) so take care to avoid anything that might cause offence to someone from a different culture, belief or ethnic group.

Real names
Use of a real name allows contributions to be more easily traced to an individual, however this makes a contributor more vulnerable to issues such as harassment. You should consider the benefits and drawbacks of making significant contributions under your real name, especially if you plan on editing or discussing potentially controversial subjects or subjects of a high edit rate on the TARDIS Index File.

Username capitalisation
TARDIS Index File usernames are case sensitive and the first letter of all usernames will be capitalised when you create an account. This means if your user name is "your username" when you create an account it will be "Your username".

What can be done about problem usernames
If you notice someone whose username is inappropriate, please ask them on their talk page to change their username. If they don't seem to respond, contact an admin, and if it appears that their name is inappropriate, they will be blocked indefinitely.

If a username was obviously chosen in bad faith, or if a username is so problematic that it should never appear in article histories (e.g. a very offensive username), then admins may block it on sight.

Inappropriate usernames
Fairly or unfairly, the line between acceptable and unacceptable user names is often drawn by those who find the username inappropriate, not by the creator of the name. Please don't try to find this line. Inappropriate usernames will be blocked.

The types of username we do not allow are detailed in the following sections.

Misleading usernames
Misleading usernames are to be avoided. Deliberate attempts to create confusion with your user name will almost certainly be met with a severe block. These include though aren't limited to:


 * Names that can be confused with other contributors.
 * Names of well-known living or recently deceased people unless you are that person. If you are, say so on your user page.
 * Names that are extremely lengthy.
 * Names with a confusing use of letters that look similar in sans-serif fonts. That is, the letters capital i and lower case L, and the numeral 1 look exactly the same (I/l/1) in certain fonts, as do upper/lower case O and the numeral 0 (O/o/0). This should be taken into account, and creative use of one in place of the other (I where L would be expected and vice versa) is discouraged, given its past misuse. See Wikipedia's Doppelganger account page for more information.
 * Names that include commonly used Wikia software or TARDIS Index File community terms, or imply an official position on this wiki. Prohibited username components include, but are not limited to, words resembling the following:
 * "Custodian","Administrator", "Admin", "System operator", "Sysop", "Moderator", or any other name which implies an official role or role greater than that of a standard user.
 * "Rollback" or "Revert", "Edit war", "POV", etc.
 * "Delete", "Upload", "Pagemove", "Redirect", or other editing processes or abstractions.
 * "Vandal", "Spammer", "Troll", or other names that may give the impression that you intend to cause trouble.
 * "Bot", "Robot", "Script", "Initialise", "Automated", "Daemon", etc., unless the name is intended as a designated bot account. Names that imply bot accounts may be blocked, and the user may be requested to contact an administrator to confirm that the account is indeed a bot account.
 * Any visible toolbar buttons, namespaces, or other technical terms which may be confusing to inexperienced users or otherwise imply a capacity different than that of a normal user.

Disruptive and offensive usernames
Disruptive usernames include outright trolling or personal attacks, include profanities or otherwise show a clear intent to disrupt editing on this wiki. Offensive usernames are usernames that offend other contributors, making harmonious editing difficult or impossible.

These include, though not limited to:
 * Usernames that promote or imply hatred or violence.
 * Usernames that are recognised as slurs or insults.
 * Usernames that refer to symbols of hatred, including historical figures or events that are widely associated with such.
 * Usernames that refer to or imply sexual acts, including slang, innuendo, and double entendre.
 * Usernames that refer to or allude to reproductive or excretory functions of the body.
 * Usernames that promote or refer to violent real-world actions (e.g terrorism, organised crime).
 * Usernames mentioning or referring to illnesses, disabilities, or conditions.
 * Usernames that contain profanity, obscenities, or other potentially offensive language. This includes non-English languages.
 * Usernames which consist primarily of the name of a belief figure. Usernames that are clearly expressions of faith are discouraged, however considered allowed unless disruptive. Should a username not be clear as to the motive, it may be reviewed.
 * Usernames that promote a controversial or potentially inflammatory point of view.
 * Misspellings or spellings of any of the types of names listed above with "creative substitutions".

Spam in the username
We do not tolerate names which obviously attempt to sell a product or service, or even those which appear to do so. If your user name is that of a company, religious group, non-profitable organisation or any other sort of formalised organisation or incorporation, it will be deleted and you will likely be infinitely banned.

Non-English usernames
There is no requirement for usernames to be in English. In fact, contributors may use usernames that do not emply the Latin alphabet.

Bear in mind, however, that this wiki is an English language wiki and most non-Latin languages may not display correctly in all browsers. You may need to perform some additional tasks to help make your name accessible to those who are used to the Latin alphabet.
 * On your user page, please include a Latin alphabet transliteration of your username. A good place for this transliteration is in the "real name" line of the user page masthead. This will make your username appear in the alphabet of your choice, but the "aka" line be in the Latin alphabet.
 * Your signature should also have a Latin transliteration somewhere in it. You can include it so that it is visible at all times.  But you're not obliged to do so.  You may find it better to include it as alternate text, so that only a mouseover reveals the Latin alphabet version of your name.

Using multiple accounts
It is recommended that users do not edit under multiple usernames. However, in certain situations, it may be acceptable — such as if you have a bot. You must make it clear on your user pages, however, what your other account names are.

If you have been blocked from editing for any reason, and you attempt to circumvent that block through the clandestine or "sneaky" use of another account, you will immediately receive a lifetime block on any and all accounts you are using. We have zero tolerance for sock puppetry.