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These policies are the standards of community behavior and rules of content inclusion for Petra Wiki. They are designed to keep the project running smoothly. Many of the policies are only summarized here, and are described in greater detail on specific sub-pages which will be linked below. If you disagree with some component of the policy, please feel free to discuss it with the community in the Forum but remember to respect the policy in the meantime.

Policies that apply across all Wikia can be found on the Central Wikia at Wikia:Category:Policy. Adding [[Category:Policy]] to any policy pages will add them to the policy category. This is found here.

Be of Good Cheer[]

See also the Administrators project page for a list of offenses that warrant blocking.

This is the only rule that is entirely non-negotiable. Be of Good Cheer means treating your fellow contributors with respect and good humor. You don't have to feel it. You just have to do it. Specifically:

  • Be civil. No personal attacks on others. That applies both on talk pages and edit summaries. For instance, when cleaning up a page:
Instead of: Spelling, grammar, where did you go to school???
Just say: Fixing spelling and grammar

Also, please be aware that your tone may not come across to people who can't see your face or hear your voice.

If you are the person who is offended, try to assume that the other person is acting in good faith, and respond in kind. That can often defuse arguments before they even begin.

  • Treat others' work with respect. Do not belittle or ridicule someone else's work or ideas, and do not delete it capriciously. The exception is obvious vandalism, which should be removed as soon as possible. However, if a person seems to be trying, assume good faith and try to help them.

Rework and rewrite as much as you want, but try to find a place for everything rather than cutting it out completely.

"Manual of Style"[]

See the full Manual of Style.

One of the most important components of Policy, the Manual of Style is our collection of firmly established editing standards designed to set a consistent format and appearance for all of our articles.

Canon policy[]

See the full Canon policy for more information.

Canon consists of the bodies of work that are considered to be "genuine" or "official" to be included within this wiki. In regards of Petra, we encourage the inclusion of references, particularly for little-known facts or controversial edits. It is not enough to post something because "somebody told you they heard that someone else read it on the Internet". You should back up your edits with references. Petra Wiki aims to be a complete reference, so all additions are welcome, as long as you have this in mind..

Consensus and precedent[]

See the full Consensus and precedent policy for more information.

All policies on Petra Wiki should be established by consensus. One specific component of the policy is identified as the "consensus policy", which states that certain kinds of edits require consensus before being made. This policy describes three kinds of very specific edits which require clear proposals to be made on pertinent discussion pages before any changes are permissible.

Copyright policy[]

See the full Copyrights policy for more information. (You may be looking for the copyright of this wiki.)

Deletion policy[]

Rewriting is essential to the building of a wiki database of information. That's why the site is a wiki - we want participation! Rewrite and correct and cite sources as much as you want, that is always worthwhile. Conversely, if someone has rewritten something you wrote, don't take it personally. Everyone is trying to make things better.

However, outright removal of a fact shouldn't be done lightly. Before eliminating something someone else wrote in good faith, ask yourself:

  • Can this be rewritten? Try cleaning up the spelling, grammar, and formatting. A little polish can work wonders.
  • Can this be moved? There might be a more appropriate name for an article, or a more appropriate article in which to place a fact. Maybe a sentence in an article would work better as a background note, or a background note item should go in the body of the article.

Deleting and reverting should be reserved for patent nonsense and clear vandalism (such as number strings, profanity, and page blanking). Nothing should be removed because it is too trivial, as this is a purely subjective value judgement and violates the Neutral Point of View policy.

Image use policy[]

See the full Image use policy for more information.
  1. First, ensure that your image is from something related to Petra (albums, concerts, magazine interviews, TV presentations, promotional objects, related media, etc.). For consistency and copyright reasons, this wiki doesn't accept unrelated images that are not from Petra-related materials, such as pictures of band members during their time with other bands, or personal pictures taken from their social media. One exception would be if the picture is from a related band like II Guys from Petra or GHF, where the relation is closer.
  2. Before you upload anything, use a clear, detailed title for the file. An obscure name like "qua_047.jpg" won't help anyone, and will be subsequently be deleted by an administrator.
  3. Obey our copyright policy when uploading images.
  4. Don't include any watermarks or text in the image. This includes copyright notices; those belong in the text of the image description page: see the next step.
  5. Use the image description text box to describe an image and its copyright rules.
    • The description entered when uploading an image becomes the default text for the image description page. You can use wiki markup in the image description.
    • If the image is a screenshot from the show or some promotional material, you must type {{fairuse}} in the image description text box. The result is as follows:

This file is copyrighted. It will be used in a way that qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.

Neutral point of view[]

Petra Wiki has a Neutral Point of View Policy similar to that of Wikipedia.

Although Petra might be seen as "just a band", it may inspire strong feelings. Please avoid personal opinions or subjective judgement about the songs and albums dictate your edits. Stick to encyclopedic facts instead of one-sided opinions.

Instead of: After Greg X. Volz left the band, he was replaced by the best frontman the band has had in John Schlitt.
Write something like: Greg X. Volz departed the band in 1985. After some time, he was replaced by former Head East frontman John Schlitt.

Of course Petra does not exist in a vacuum, and it may be appropriate to report on such things as fan response and critical reception. When writing on fan response, it is best to include as many different sides as possible, including that of the band's creative team, if available. Remember that if a controversy is important enough to be included here, it must have at least two strong opposing arguments.

Instead of: During the late 90s, the band didn't know what to do hiring numerous members but not sticking with them, eventually signing their demise.
Write something like: Due to the shift in the musical landscape during the late 90s, Petra struggled to maintain a steady membership, with various members joining for a short time.

However, do not dress up your personal opinion as fact by claiming that "many fans" share it, unless you have a source to back up the claim. Likewise, do not make claims about what the band's creative team thought or intended unless it was stated on the record (interviews, podcasts, commentary are good sources).


Speculation and unknown information[]

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Outright speculation about past and future events of the band is discouraged, although it may be useful to point out missing information in some cases.

Vandalism policy[]

See the full Vandalism policy for more information.

Vandalism and bad faith edits of this wiki are reverted swiftly, and vandals are banned with no fanfare. Please note that, no matter how small vandalism may be or even if it was copied and pasted beforehand, it will never take an experienced administrator more than one click to undo the edit(s). Your time is much better spent reading or contributing constructively to the encyclopedia, so, reconsider causing trouble and accept our invitation to register an account and join the community!

See also[]

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