Cryptid Wikia

Welcome to Cryptid Wiki!

The wiki about cryptozoology and cryptobotany that anybody can edit!

* What is Cryptid Wiki?
* Policies
Cryptid Wiki is an ongoing project which aims to be the internet's greatest source of information on cryptozoology and cryptobotany. We aim to beat our competitors in terms of accuracy and reliability, as well as *beauty*.

Isn't there already a Cryptid Wiki?
Yes, indeed there is. However, there are several key differences between this *wiki* and *that* wiki.

* This wiki's articles contain **references** and **footnotes**. These are *extremely* important as they clearly highlight our sources which ultimately leads to a trustworthy wiki.
* Just because this wiki is about cryptozoology, it doesn't mean that the articles are *pro*-cryptid. You *can* add sections to articles about the validity of the subject or about public opinions about the creature which are skeptical of its existence - this is something the other Cryptid Wiki generally frowns upon.
* The files on this wiki are correctly licensed and categorised, whereas *on the other side*, that *isn't* the case.
* This wiki looks a bit different.

Cryptid Wiki Manual

Layout

Intros are ***required*** • **scientific name** etiquette • **section headings** • Use **quotation marks** in the *American* way • section headings must use **sentence case** • capitalisation • proper use of **spaces** • avoid using **HTML** in articles • proper use of **quotations**

Categorisation

The guide to **categorisation** • don't **over-categorise** • use **existing** categories • follow the **category tree** • article categories *must* be **specific** • **categories** are *not* **articles**

Naming conventions

**Diacritics** are *required* • **Loch Ness *monster*** • **official** names please

Links

**link generously**  • **don't over-link** • do the **pipe trick** • linking to a **section in another article** • linking to a **section within the current article** • linking to **another wiki** • no **self-links** • **interlanguage** links

Images

image use **policy** • **videos** • **still** images • add **quality images** • images for your **user page** • Defining **copyright** • **Google** maps

Referencing

What **sources** are valid? • **blog posts** are allowed • **YouTube** is *not* a source • no **original research** • Can I just import articles from Wikipedia?

Spelling

British spelling mandatory • British spelling cheat card • How can I get my computer to spell check in British English?

Community

using discussion pages • no attacking • we *don't* tolerate **vandals** • this is an **atheist wiki** • chatting live • signing your name

Administration

Who are the administrators around here? • What powers do the different user levels have? • How do I become an admin? • Admin is **not** a status symbol

Your account

logging in • appropriate usernames • using Facebook with Cryptid Wiki • using the tool bar at the bottom of the page • changing your preferences • changing your username

Since we strive to maintain consistency and provide a quality resource for cryptozoological information, editors have to abide by a set of rules and guidelines if they wish to contribute. Websites centred around cryptids are often subject to ridicule for their disjointed presentation and unsubstantiated postulations so it is *imperative* that this wiki maintains a level of integrity.

However, as this is a small community with only one admin at the helm, these policies will be rolled out slowly so, for the time being, editors will be given some leeway. So, until the wiki has an established set of policies, editors are encouraged to edit with *common sense*.

## Can't view certain text?

As a wiki, we strive to be as *accurate* as possible, hence why some cryptid names have accents in them and some articles may contain text written in a foreign language. If you cannot view certain characters, you may need to download **appropriate fonts**. This Wikipedia help page goes into detail about **multilingual support**.