Rules and Standardization
How to do the thing.
Example Page
This is an example page. This first paragraph is intended to be a super-short introduction to what the page is about and why it's important.
Quick Details
Type: Is it a Usenet group, a therapist, a purple dragon, what?
Created By: Who made it?
Time Created/Active: When did they arrive on the scene, and/or when did they leave?
Location: Give the URL if it still exists! (Or an archive URL if THAT exists.) Or, in the case of people, whether they were active on Usenet, Livejournal, Discord, etc. Don't give offline locations; that's creepy.
Section Header
Divide a page into sections as is relevant.
How to Cite
For now, use APA citations. Don't make a statement if you can't source it. Use in-line citations, not just links (Paiz et al, 2010). Best sources are primary, done on the scene: for instance, a.s.d. posts as citations about the culture of a.s.d. Secondary sources are secondhand--for instance, if there was a book called "all about alt.support.dissociation" (which there is not).
Example Citations
Last name, first name [screename]. (Year, month day). Title [medium of the citation]. Retrieved on yyyy/mm/dd from URL
Paiz, J., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M.,…Keck, R. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html
Smith, Billy Bob [weedwizzzard69]. (2008, January 14). Hello World! [blog post]. Retrieved on 2018/03/21 from http://thereisnoblog.com
System name [system member name?] [screename]. (Year, month, day). Title [medium of the citation]. Publisher, year of publication.
Zyfron [Z]. (2012, November 20). Tribute to TDOR [blog post]. Retrieved 2019/03/13 from http://healthymultiplicity.com/Zyfron/Gemini/?p=790
Sources to Avoid
These are sources you shouldn't use, and why. If you add something to this list, do it in alphabetical order and be sure to source your claims.
Astraea's Web
Do not cite Astraea's Web except as a last resort. Astraea's Web tends to plagiarize and misattribute from other sources, making them an unreliable secondary source at best. Examples: copying the "midcontinuum" definition from Dark Personalities and re-applying it to "median," (Dark Personalities, 2001 May 19; Astraea, 2003 January 11); falsely claiming Vickis' definition of "midcontinuum" was medicalizing when it was not (Vickis, 1998 January 15; Astraea, 2008 May 11). Also claiming they "edited and updated" the Consortium's Multiple Code in January 2004, when the sole change they made was adding a single modifier, "Vanilla Sex, no kinks" to the sexuality section (2004, April 27).
Sometimes citing Astraea's Web is unavoidable. But always take everything with a grain of salt and corroborate every statement elsewhere.
Citations
Astraea. (2003, January 11) Glossary [web page]. http://astraeasweb.net/plural/glossary.
Astraea. (2004, April 27). The Multiple Code [web page]. Internet Archive. http://astraeasweb.net/plural/code/welcome.html Retrieved 2019/03/22 from https://web.archive.org/web/20040427201419/http://astraeasweb.net:80/plural/code/welcome.html
Astraea. (2008, May 11) A brief history of midcontinuum [web page]. Retrieved from http://karitas.net/pavilion/library/
Dark Personalities. (2001, May 19). Terminology [web page]. http://www.darkpersonalities.com/
Vickis [Vicki(s)]. (1998 January 15). Welcome to the Wonderful World of the MidContinuum! [web page]. http://www.asarian.org/~vickis/continuum.html Internet Archive. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/19980115120006/http://www.asarian.org:80/~vickis/continuum.html
Ethics Guidelines IN PROGRESS
This is a page for ethics guidelines. Please follow them! The very short version: this is a wiki intended to document plural history, vocabulary, and works. It should not be used to hurt people, and it should not be used as a vehicle for public shaming.
Locations
- Don't give people's real life locations. URLs only.
- The sole exception is common knowledge public figures--for example, Colin Ross's hospital is in Texas, so it's safe enough to say he's probably there too.
Names
- Don't use legal names unless the person involved is...
- A public figure and going by their legal name--for example, Colin Ross or Chris Costner Sizemore.
- Someone whose legal name is a matter of public safety--for instance, Billy Milligan, the serial rapist.
- In citations for plurals, use system name, followed by a screen name or member name in square brackets if relevant--for example, "Plures [hessgasm]" or "Zyfron [Z]". If they have multiple system names (for example, Plures/Sylvans/Fenners), try to use the most current one and make a note of their former group names, to make a searchable trace. If necessary, make them a PluralWiki page to keep track of their names, so other pages citing them can be updated as their page is. This will inevitably be challenging; do your best.
You Can Cite...
- Locked posts, if there's no other choice, but quote only impersonal general stuff.
- Private communications, if there's no other choice, but give details enough for the facts to be checked! For instance: "private communication between Bob Hoozit and Wendy Whatszit, 4/13/1993."
You Can Cite Them, But Don't Make Pages About...
- Yourself.
- Children under the age of eighteen.
- People you don't like, for the purpose of publicly shaming them.