GuildWiki:Article retention

GuildWiki is not an encyclopedia, but we're also not a complete database for Guild Wars. This policy article attempts to clarify what content the GuildWiki is interested in retaining.

Information we always retain
Our goal is to become a complete set of documentation for Guild Wars. Along those lines, we retain all content that documents or describes current mechanics, terminology, game play, skills, equipment, strategy, and canon. Most of these pages are linked directly off the Main Page&mdash;they are, after all, the reason we are so popular as a fansite.

The key word in the above paragraph was "current." We deal with outdated information and one-time events (hereafter collectively referred to "historical information") differently.

Historical information
We handle historical information articles depending on when they are created and the nature of the content.

One-time events
ArenaNet regularily hosts time-limited events in-game, like Wintersday 2005. GuildWikians usually document these events as they happen. Once the event is over, we allow one week for final edits to be made, and then we protect the article, preventing any future edits. This is to preserve the information in an accurate state&mdash;as the event fades from memory, there is no way to verify that edits made later reflect what actually occured.

Historical events like this are marked with the template to clearly indicate the nature of the article.

Articles that become historical due to an update
Sometimes, an article will become outdated or entirely useless because an update removes a certain concept from the game entirely, like refund points. In these cases, we add the template to the top of the page, indicating that whatever the article discusses is no longer relevant. We blank the page, leaving only a short editorial summary of what the concept used to be and why it no longer exists, and protect it from future edits once the summary is agreed upon. The legacy tag includes a link to the history of the article allowing any readers to see what the article looked like before being blanked.

Articles that are created later to document older content
We immediately delete articles that attempt to document history. There is no way for us to verify the information so long after events occur.

Guild information
The GuildWiki retains no pages dedicated to any specific guild. We feel the potential for abuse is too high, especially when compared to the minimal potential gain.

Builds
The GuildWiki only retains builds that are vetted by the community, according to the process described in Builds.

Prices
The GuildWiki retains no information on prices in the Guild Wars economy, as we feel the potential for abuse is too high.

External websites and applications
The GuildWiki retains information on other websites or utilities that players might use (such as voice chat). We do not retain any information on external sites that provide the means to violate, or advocate the violation of, the Guild Wars Terms of Service, such as sites that sell gold, provide farming bots, or facilitate account trading.