Help:Glossary
This help page provides instructions and suggestions for how to create, organize and develop articles about fannish slang.
Fanlore is interested in documenting glossary terms that include pan-fandom terms like gafiate, as well as fandom-specific terms such as Uber. You can browse a list of all the glossary terms currently documented in Fanlore at our Glossary category.
How do I name the page?
The name of the page should be the name of the term.
Generally the full term (e.g. Little Black Dress) should be the page title, and the acronym (e.g. LBD) should be a redirect. In a few cases, the acronym is selected for the page title because the letters stand for more than one phrase: for example, PWP can be expanded to either Plot? What Plot? or Porn Without Plot. Similarly RPF is the page title because there is disagreement on whether it is short for Real Person Fiction or Real People Fiction. The different variations can be explained in the page itself.
In some cases, acronyms can have more than one meaning. In other words, multiple fannish terms may have the same acronym. These acronyms can be created as disambiguation page. For example, see OC, WW.
See also:
Which templates and categories should I use?
Use the glossary term template. The template automatically adds the Glossary category.
Redirect pages for acronyms should get the acronym template. Acronym pages that are not redirects should get the Abbreviations & Acronyms category.
Other categories may be relevant, depending on the term. If the term is mainly used in one fandom (e.g. Bard), it should get a fandom category.
See also Help:Templates and Help:Categories.
What content should I add?
Suggested topics:
- definition(s) of the term
- history/etymology
- which fan communities use it most
- links
- examples
- possibly a subpage for a long list of examples if it would be a useful resource (see Newsletter/Newsletter Communities)
- any other relevant content
How about a glossary for all terms in a particular fandom ?
Some fandoms may also benefit from a fandom glossary page that includes a list of fandom-specific terms. So far, a few have been added to Fanlore, but there's no standard format for these as yet. You might want to add a page to collect terms that may not merit their own page or to have one convenient place to link all glossary pages relevant to the fandom. The naming convention for fandom glossaries is [[NAME OF FANDOM Fandom Glossary]].
Another option: If you have enough glossary pages just for one fandom, you can create a fandom subcategory, like Category:X-Files Fandom Glossary.
Examples
Individual terms:
Fandom Glossaries:
For any other questions, you can use the Talk page or contact the Fanlore Committee.