Formatting Guide

For editors, this page serves as a guide for the general structure that Miiverse Clonapedia's articles should follow, such as syntax and article formatting. This is meant to serve as a pointer in case you want to know what "rules" I follow when I write articles. While I encourage editors to follow this format, please do not get stressed out over following the rules 100%, I'm not here to chastise you for it, but I will edit pages to fit my own criteria and improve readability. For the rules and "code" that the site and editors should abide by, see the Pledge.

-TheBellsprout101 (any use of first person pronouns in this article is referring to me)

Text and Headings

All regular text should be in Lato font, size 10.5. By default, Google Sites uses size 11, so just change it to 10.5. The reason why I use this size is because this was the size text became when I converted Miiverse Clonapedia from Classic to New Google Sites, and since it works out fine, I haven't felt the need to change it - so I want to keep it consistent throughout all pages.

The first mention of the article's subject on the main text should be bolded, similarly to Wikipedia. This would also be the case for subsections covering new topics, such as rehosts of a Miiverse clone listed on the same page. Similarly, the first time the name of a subject that has an article is mentioned, there should be a link to the article inserted on the name, like this.

Dates should be mentioned in full, with the name of the month first, then the day, then year. For example, "...on November 23, 2020". Do not end the numbers with "st", "nd", "rd", or "th". If there is any reason to list a date solely as a set of numbers, please list it using the YYYY-MM-DD format.

Headings should be Lato font, bold, underlined, and size 24.

Subheadings

Subheadings should be the same format as headings, but size 18.

Smaller Headings

Smaller headings should be the same format as headings and subheadings, but size 14. Note that these will be formatted as "normal text" and won't show up on the Table of Contents, because Google Sites does not have options for anything smaller than subheadings.

Table of Contents

The table of contents, if deemed necessary (such as if there is more than one heading), should go below the first paragraph of the article.

Images and Videos

Captions should be Lato font, size 10.5, italicized, and centered, as shown above. When editing on Google Sites, you can click the image and go to the three dotted lines, then select "add caption" to add a caption below the image. Images that are stacked vertically on top of each other can either have a caption for each individual image, or a singular caption at the very bottom explaining the multiple images, depending on the context. For images placed next to each other horizontally, there is no way to add a caption using Google Sites, so you would have to insert a text box directly below the set of images to write a caption. All these rules apply to embedded YouTube videos as well.

As far as size goes, I don't have a specific criteria for "how big" images should be, just that they should look "right", not to big but not too small. Also, images should be uncropped and retain their original aspect ratio. Sometimes Google Sites will crop the image as you're resizing it, so click the image and click the "Uncrop" button to uncrop the image.

Structure of Articles by Section

Clones

At the top of articles or subsections on clones should be the logo of the clone, usually accompanied with a caption, [clone name]'s logo. If possible, articles should also include a screenshot of the clone, typically the home page. If the clone has an official description on its home page (usually on the right-hand side of the site), copy the description and put it above the logo, with quotation marks and the same formatting as image captions.

The first paragraph of the article should include, if possible, the name of the clone's creator, when it was made (though this could be put in the history section instead, if the article has one), and the URL of the clone. If the clone uses source code from another clone, that should also be specified.

Generally, an article on a clone should include its history (including development prior to release), any unique features that it has, and any rehosts that it has (if they are minor and do not have enough information to warrant their own article). Refer to the clone in present tense if it still exists, and in past tense if it has been shut down.

Users

The first paragraph of a user page should include any notable information about the user, including the clones that they developed or otherwise played a role in the creation of, and the clones they were administrators of. Right below the table of contents is a section known as "user statistics", which is listed and formatted as a heading, but with size 13.5 text. This section should include the user's usernames in Miiverse and "major" clones that they were a part of (i.e. Closedverse, Oasis, Indigo). The "username" refers to the name that is displayed next to or below their "nickname" on their profile which cannot be edited under normal means and is used to locate their profile page on the clone. The "User ID" refers to an ID on the user's profile on certain clones that lists their chronological order that they joined the site. Following the username and user ID is the name of the clone that the information applies to in parentheses. Information such as these can be found on snapshots of the user's page on the Wayback Machine or archive.today.

The user's Mii should be the image displayed at the top of the article, specifically the Nintendo Network version of their Mii determined by their NNID. You can use tools such as PF2M's Mii grabber or Utendo's GrabMii to find the user's Mii, if you know their NNID. Non-Mii profile pictures are generally not included on the top of the article unless the profile picture is closely associated with the user, such as Arian's Inkling icon which he had used as his gravatar for the majority of Closedverse's lifespan.

Outside of syntax, it is important that the user articles maintain a neutral tone, and does not directly glorify or condemn the user's actions (i.e. "This user is one of the best and most important clone users ever" or "As you can see, this user is a horrible person and people should avoid them"), because these are real people who may or may not be active on the internet currently. Sensitive information about a user (personal information, face reveals that are not easily attainable), including information that is not publicly available on the internet, should not be put on the article.

With regards to pronouns (because that can be an issue), the "proper" way is to use the user's current pronouns throughout the article. I personally thought it would be appropriate to use the pronouns that the user identified with during the time period the section is covering, but that is apparently not the correct way of doing it. Also, assuming the user is referred to by their real name instead of an internet name, their current name should be used throughout the article, and mentions of former names should be limited to a singular mention for context purposes (if needed), like "during this time period, the user was commonly known as [name]". I am far from an expert on transgender issues, but they do affect the proper form an article on a person should take. I do not intentionally write these articles in a way that could be deemed transphobic.

Communities

The first paragraph of a community page should include a description of what the community's purpose is, and any name variations the community might have across different clones. For each section of the "Banners and Descriptions" portion of the article, the icon and banner are put on top, with the icon to the left and banner to the right. Then, the community description (if applicable) is put below that, in quotes and italicized. The "community number", listed in bold, refers to the number at the end of the URL of the community's page. Outside of community articles, if a community is mentioned that does not have an article but their community number is known, put "Community Number: [number]" in parentheses next to the name of the community, again in bold.

Icons and banners should ideally be a consistent size throughout the article, and throughout the Communities section of the site. However, while icons are normally square, banners can have different aspect ratios than the traditional 400x168. Try to resize the banner to be of similar size to the other banners, but maintain the aspect ratio.

Other

The "Other" section is the place for articles that do not belong in any other category. They do not follow the same structure as the types above, but they still follow universal formatting rules.

Organizing Articles in Pageview

Articles for clones are generally organized chronologically, with the exception of the "big three" clones of Closedverse, Oasis, and Indigo featured on the top. The bottom of the Articles section always contains the Unreleased/Upcoming Clones, Non-Clones, and Clonedex articles, in that order.

Articles for users are generally sorted by when the user first started using clones. This is generally, but not always, determined by the user's User ID on Closedverse. Articles for groups, bots, and gimmick accounts are always put under the articles for individual users. They are likewise generally sorted by the time they appeared on clones.

Articles for communities do not follow a clearly defined organization, they are normally sorted by what "looks right" on the pageview, sometimes with chronology taken into account.

Articles in the Other section are generally sorted chronologically.