Bulbapedia:FAQ

This article is an official guide on Bulbapedia.

This guide will attempt to address all issues and questions that a user may have during their time on Bulbapedia. If there are any questions not addressed here, by all means, please bring them up with a staff member.

User related

Userspace

Are there rules to using the userspace?

Yes. Generally three edits per day is the max, as the idea of Bulbapedia is to provide a complete encyclopedia of all things Pokémon, not to have users focus on their userspace. Users are not allowed to edit other users' pages unless you're changing a redlink to prevent it from showing up in the Wanted Pages.

For more info on the rules see the userspace policy.

Why can't I make a userpage?

New users are unable to make userpages right away. This is done so users would make more contributions to the mainspace and not to the userspace. After users make a certain amount of edits to the mainspace and are auto-confirmed, they may edit the userspace.

Why was my usertag deleted?

Usually usertags are deleted when they are created in the mainspace without the approval of an admin. Usually usertags are to be created in the userspace and then shown to an admin to see if it is good enough to be mainspaced as a template.

For more info on usertags, see the usertag policy.

Can I make games in my userspace?

Games, along with certain other things, are not allowed in the userspace. While they were in the past, they proved to be working against the advancement of Bulbapedia by having too many edits to the userspace.

For more info, see the userspace policy.

An admin said I've been placed in abuse, why?

Users are allowed to edit their userpage three times in a server day. Going over that limit may result in a user's right to edit the userspace being removed.

What does it mean to be in abuse?

Being in abuse means you may no longer edit your userpage. Users may get it back when they demonstrate that they can edit the mainspace more than their userspace.

Problems with other users

This user is being rude to me, what do I do?

Sometimes users do occasionally disagree. It happens. However, if a user is bullying you, it is unacceptable. If you feel that a user is bullying you, please bring it up with an admin right away and explain the situation to us and we will step in and will handle the situation. Bulbapedia does not tolerate bullying behavior and neither should you.

This user is reverting me, what do I do?

Users do fight over content, however, instead of getting in an edit war, bring it up on the other user's talk page, the talk page of the page itself, or finally, staff member's talk page to solve the problem. Edit wars are frowned upon and users caught in edit wars can face short blocks depending on the revisions they've changed.

Mainspace related

What is the mainspace?

The mainspace refers to anything without a prefix, which would be like the User: namespace or the Shipping: namespace. All encyclopedic content is in the mainspace for editing.

A user reverted me, why?

If a user reverts your edit, it might be that your edit was not needed, already in the article, or for some other reason that may be mentioned in the edit summary. If you are confused about why you were reverted, ask the user on their talk page.

My page is deleted, why?

Most likely a page was deleted for being not notable, already being on Bulbapedia, or because it was poorly written. If you are unsure why your page was deleted, ask the administrator who deleted it.

Talkpage related

What does a user mean when they mention "the forums"?

The forums are a place on Bulbagarden where users can discuss a variety of topics.

My comment was removed for replying to old discussions, what does this mean?

Generally, old discussions over six months old should not be revived, however, if there is a legitimate reason to bring it up again, please do so.

Can I use the talk pages to talk with my friends?

Talk pages are for users to discuss Bulbapedia related matters with each other. You can talk to your friends who join Bulbapedia over on the forums.

Why can't I remove comments from my talk page?

Talk page comments should be saved on the talk page to provide everyone that a certain issue or fact has been discussed and possibly solved. Comments on the user talk page should be saved as they allow a user to grow to be a better user from the advice and comments of others. However, occasionally the talk pages can get cluttered and should then be archived.

How do I archive my talk page?

Talk pages can be archived by locating the move tab in between the history and watch tabs. By pressing it you can move your talk page to another name, with the most common being "User talk:User name/Archive 1." The archived talk page should be tagged with {{TalkArchive}} so that users can be aware that it is an archive and should not be further edited. The redirect page should then be used as the new talk page.

Template related

What are templates?

Link templates are what Bulbapedia uses to link to pages quicker. More commonly used templates include {{bp}}, which links to the Bulbapedia namespace; {{m}}, which links to moves; {{adv}}, which links to characters ending with (Adventures); {{TCG}}, which links to pages ending with (TCG); {{p}}, which links to any Pokémon species ending with (Pokémon); {{a}}, which links to Abilities, and {{an}}, which link to articles ending with (anime).

How do I use templates?

Templates are used by typing them like {{template|Page}}. If you wanted to link to Pikachu's species page, you would type in {{p|Pikachu}}, while if you wanted to link to the Serene Grace ability page, you would type in {{a|Serene Grace}}.

What link templates are there?

For a full list of templates, see List of link templates.

Bulbapedia related

What is the Manual of Style?

The Manual of Style refers to how an article should be made and written. The Manual has information on how every article should be written based on what content is in the article.

How do I become a staff member?

We hold staff recruitment drives every now and then - keep an eye on the Messages from the Editor on Bulbapedia's front page for a chance to send in an application! We also scout exceptional users that make lots of high-quality contributions to the wiki - editing, research, community involvement, etc. The more good work you do, the better your chances!

Wiki editing experience (on any wiki, not just Bulbapedia) is preferred, but having a positive attitude and being open to improvement can also help. If editing isn't your thing, there are other departments across Bulbagarden like art, social media, forums moderation, or discord moderation that may interest you.

Please don't inquire about joining staff outside of the recruitment drives, though - it's easier for us to manage when we have all our options on the table at once.

If you don't make it in, don't fret! Regular users make improvements to the wiki all the time, and we really do appreciate any amount of help you can offer. Check out the Editor's Hub for some suggestions on where to start!

I can't edit anything on Bulbapedia, why?

Generally, if a user cannot edit a page, there are some reasons behind it. One common reason is that the page is protected, which is done for a variety of reasons, such as the page being a high traffic page, or a dispute has taken place. The second reason might be that editing is locked to all users that are not staff or edit lock exempted. Generally, lockdowns are put in place during times where servers are stressed or large amounts of information are being released, which allows for specified users to work on adding the information.

Bulbagarden Archives related

What are the Bulbagarden Archives?

Bulbagarden Archives is part of Bulbagarden that hosts images that are uploaded for usage on Bulbapedia and Bulbanews.

Why do we use AniPNG instead of GIFs for animated sprites?

Archives use apng over gif for animated sprites because apngs have lower filesizes and have higher quality.

Why can't I move or delete files?

Moving and deleting files is restricted to Junior Admins and above. However, if a user wishes to let an admin know that a file needs to be deleted or moved, they can place the {{delete}} or {{move}} templates on the page.

For questions about Bulbagarden Archives, see this page.

Bulbanews related

What is Bulbanews?

Bulbanews is part of Bulbagarden that hosts news about events related to Pokémon, such as events, new games, manga or TCG releases, and the like.

For questions about Bulbanews, see this page.

Shipping related

I want to add a shipping hint, but I keep getting reverted. Why?

Shipping is generally a point of view article system, so one user may not agree with another user on a subject. It would be best to ask the user why they removed it.

Other

What can I do to help out Bulbapedia?

There's always things to do on Bulbapedia. Check out the stubs, articles needing improvement, the wanted pages, or the outdated articles for ideas on what to help with.

Who can I contact if an admin isn't online?

Usually, there is an admin online somewhere, staff members are italicized or bolded in the Recent Changes so they can be spotted easily. You can also reach out on the Bulbapedia Discord Server.

How do I get rid of the advertisements?

Usually logging into Bulbapedia or a Bulbagarden site will get rid of advertisements.

I saw an advertisement that I found offensive/disruptive. What do I do?

Bulbapedia strives to uphold a family-friendly, and easy reading experience, and as such our advertisements should follow this standard as well. If you happen to find a questionable advertisement or one that you find disruptive to your reading experience, please follow these steps:

1. Right-Click the ad and click on "Copy Link Location" (note that some browsers may use slightly different terms)

2. Take a screenshot of said advertisement

3. Post both the link location and the screenshot in this thread.

We will then evaluate the advert and have it removed from rotation if it is deemed offensive/disruptive.

How do I change my username?

Changing usernames can only be performed by a Leadership Board member. Changing usernames is discouraged, as it drains server resources. A valid reason must be provided. Repeated name changes are not allowed.

Due to technical issues with the function we use to rename users, we will not be fulfilling user rename requests until further notice.

Other sites

Can I copy/steal stuff from other sites?

No. Stealing content from other sites is wrong and if stolen content is found, it will be deleted and the user who added it will face a block. Fansites may not be reliable at times and their hard work should not be plagiarized. Bulbapedia relies on announcements from sites such as Pokemon.com or Nintendo before making articles or changing pages. If any user finds stolen content, report it to a staff member, and it will be dealt with from there.

I found your info on a different website. What should I do?

In the case of another website stealing from Bulbapedia, report it to a staff member. Be sure to include a link to the offending material. Do not attempt to contact the head webmaster of the offending website. We will handle it.

Why do you romanize Pokémon like this when Serebii uses something different?

Bulbapedia and Serebii have their own different styles of romanization, and each creates their romanizations independently.