Wikipedia:Userfication
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This is an essay. It is not a policy or guideline, it simply reflects some opinions of its authors. Please update the page as needed, or discuss it on the talk page. |
Userfication is the process by which material posted in the Wikipedia article, project, or template space is moved into user space, generally that of the user that originally posted the material. This page contains guidelines for when and how to userfy material. See WP:MM for official guidelines on moving pages.
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[edit] What can be userfied
Userfication is usually performed because material is added in article space that is inappropriate for inclusion in an encyclopedia, but not objectionable as content in a user page or a subpage thereof. This can be a satisfactory result for new users unfamiliar with the boundaries of Wikipedia content, and for users who inadvertently create personal templates in the main template space.
The proposed policy of userfying userboxes was rejected. However, the non-policy userbox migration solution employs userbox userfication.
In some cases, a new user will inadvertently create an article that appears to be meant as a user page in the main article space. If such an article is made, it is appropriate to move the article to the creator's user page, provided that (1) their user page doesn't already exist, and (2) they are the only editor who has edited the content of the page. It may also be appropriate to move an article that only you have edited into your user space somewhere. If others have edited it, consider a cut and paste move instead of a page move, as the edit history may be more important at the original article.
[edit] What can not be userfied
Userfication should not be used to resolve copyright problems, even where the user who posted the material is the one claiming copyright ownership. The GNU Free Documentation License applies to all pages posted anywhere on Wikipedia.
Material that should not be posted on user pages or subpages in the first place should not be relegated to user space if placed in article space. See Wikipedia:User page#What can I not have on my user page? Personal attacks, invasions of private information, spam, and posts by banned users should be deleted altogether. By contrast, articles intended as a joke, an essay - or even an earnest attempt to cover an unencylopedic topic - can be userfied, as such material would generally be permitted in user space. These materials may even offer useful examples of things the community has deemed unencyclopedic, and may also reflect the contributor's view about what should be contained in the encyclopedia.
[edit] Not a substitute for regular deletion processes
Except for obvious accidentally-created user pages in the main namespace, and self-userfying, a userfication of an article will effectively amount to deletion of an article, as in general, the redirect left behind will be speedily deleted. Therefore, it is generally inappropriate to userfy an article without a deletion process, except in obvious cases. Wikipedia:Articles for deletion is recommended for this, as unlike proposed deletion or speedy deletion, the community often recommends alternate remedies such as userfication.
[edit] Technical limitations
Although GFDL images may appear on user pages, there is no process for the userfication of the image file itself. Similarly, although there are numerous user categories, category pages can not be userfied, because they cannot be moved.
[edit] Material from anonymous IP addresses
Material posted by an anonymous user should generally not be userfied to their IP address. To engage in such userfication would make it more difficult for Wikipedia to control its content. If such a user posts unencyclopedic material that would be appropriate for a user page, he or she should be contacted and invited to get an account; failing that, the material should be deleted.
[edit] Userfication process
[edit] Subpage userfication
In order to properly userfy an article, an editor must either have access to the "move" function, or must be able to create a new page in order to cut and paste the content to be userfied. In either case, only registered users will be able to take the necessary steps to userfy a page. Moving a page to be userfied is always preferable, as this retains the edit history of the content therein. To move a page to user space, simply use the "Move" function and type the receiving party's username followed by a slash before the original pagename, like so:
- User:Author/Name of page to be moved
- Delete the resulting redirect. Moving a page creates a redirect from the original location to the destination. Redirects should not point from article space to user space, so the editor must tag the resulting redirect for deletion (by adding, for example, {{db-rediruser}} or {{db|userfied}}).
- Clean the moved page of maintenance tags and categories. Once a page has been userfied, the editor should also remove deletion notices, cleanup tags, and other maintenance tags, as the Wikicommunity bears no responsibility to maintain the quality of pages in user space. The editor should also remove any categories that are not appropriate for a user page.
The user for whom such a subpage is created should be notified of this event on their talk page, as the creation of a user subpage does not appear on a watchlist (unless the page that was moved was being watched).
[edit] Main user page userfication
In some cases, content can appropriately be placed on the main user page of the contributor. This may occur where the contributor accidentally places a personal profile in article space, and makes no user page of their own. In that case, the misplaced content can simply be moved to the empty user page.
If the content to be userfied is appropriate for a user's main page, but one has already been made, the editor may also cut and paste the content to a subheader under the main page. This is discouraged, however, if any significant edit history from the page to be userfied will be lost in that process.
No purpose is served by userfying materials that duplicate content already in the contributor's user space. Such materials should be deleted with a note to the contributor.
