Know Your Meme

Rules and Guidelines

June 20th, 2014 - 12:16 AM EDT by Know Your Meme

Rules-guidelines

Table of Contents:

Basic Rules

  • No Duplicates. Use the search function to check for preexisting entries or threads on the same topic before creating a new one. If there is a similar entry that covers the subject, please request editorship or make a suggestion for improvement. If there is another thread that pertains to your topic, post your thoughts there instead of starting a new thread. Similarly, please avoid the uploading of duplicate media unless there is a clear improvement in quality.
  • Keep it relevant. Make sure that any addition or contribution you make to the site is relevant to the topic at hand. If you have nothing to say on a particular subject, skip the topic and move on. Similarly, please make certain your media contributions are relevant, regardless of the state the entry or thread is in. If you want to address a specific individual about personal matters, contact the user via private message instead of starting a public discussion.
  • No porn or gore. Do not upload adult content to the website or post it to any area of the site. External links to sites containing such content, or advertisements for such, will be censored at the discretion of moderators, unless it is absolutely vital to meme research discussions and accompanied by a clear [NSFW] warning label. For more information on what content is allowed and disallowed, please check out the NSFW Guidelines.
  • No flooding or spamming. Flooding, defined as repeated posting of redundant material, and spamming, defined as posting of any advertisement or promotional materials, are strictly prohibited.
  • No auto-play or coding edits outside of your profile's about section. Posting autoplaying video, audio, or flash files outside of your own profile's about section is prohibited, likewise to any edits in the site's layout such as the font or the background outside of it through coding. This pertains to all comments, forum posts, and other user pages. Violation of this rule may result in an extended suspension period.
  • Do not attempt to evade a suspension or ban. Using an alternate account, proxy IP address, or other means of evading a ban are strictly prohibited. Violation of this rule may result in an extended suspension period, or in a permanent ban.
  • Behave. We want our site to be welcoming place for both old and new users. Please keep your comments and posts constructive and considerate in tone. If you observe a user breaking a rule, try advising the user in the right direction, rather than posting insults or harsh criticisms. If the user’s behavior persists, contact a moderator.

For further clarifications, questions and suggestions, please refer to the KYM Forum: Know Your Meme Rules.

Content Submission Guidelines

NC (Not Cool)

Images, videos, forum posts and comments that fall within any of the following criteria are strictly prohibited from the site and offending users will be subject to suspension or ban. When in doubt, inquire an administrator or moderator about the image or video in question to determine its status before uploading it to the site.

  • Any content that sexualizes or depicts minor(s) or characters that appear as such in suggestive manners
  • Pornography or nudity, including photographic, illustrated, censored and cropped instances
  • Gore or shock media, including photographic, illustrated, censored and cropped instances
  • Any content that is unwarrantedly racist, sexist and homophobic or transphobic in nature
  • Any content that discloses personally identifiable information of a private individual and/or minor
  • Other miscellaneous content that is deemed not cool or unacceptable by the editor or staff administrator
  • Advocating violence against a person or group

The spirit of the law takes priority over the letter of the law. In case of a disagreement over the propriety of content, an admin or moderator can make the final call. For further inquiries, please refer to the KYM Forum – NSFW Guidelines.

NSFW (Not Safe For Work)

Images, videos, forum posts and comments that do not fall within the NC classification but are vital to the documentation and meet any of the following criteria must be properly labeled as not safe for work (NSFW) when uploading, including external links in the Notes section. Please be advised that examples cited in this section contain NSFW content.

  • Partial nudity, including photographic, illustrated, censored and cropped instances (ex #1 / ex #2)
  • Sexually explicit language, gestures and expressions (ex #1 / ex #2)
  • Sexually suggestive content that adheres to the common sense and the principle of "I Know It When I See It"
  • Obscene content of racist, sexist or homophobic nature that is absolutely essential to the documentation
  • Gross, fetish or shock content that does not fall within the NC criteria and stands essential to the documentation (ex)
  • Other miscellaneous content that is deemed not safe for work by the editor or staff members.

Clarifications can be found at the KYM Forum: NSFW Guidelines.

Entry Submission Guidelines

In order to ensure that an entry gets properly researched and eventually confirmed, the article must be written in a factual, informative and verifiable language. Please read the following guidelines before starting your research.

DOs & DON'Ts

DOs DON'Ts
  • DO check the database for possible duplicate entries before starting an entry. If an entry already exists, your entry will be marked invalid.
  • DO explain clearly what the meme is, who, when, where and how it was started, where it has spread to and, when applicable, how it has changed over time.
  • DO provide related statistics and analytics data, such as keyword search volume, reblog counts, and view counts.
  • DO cite your sources by providing hyperlinks to relevant external websites at the bottom of the entry.
  • DO ensure that you have selected the correct category (Meme, Subculture, Site, or Person), and tag it NSFW in case this applies.
  • DO write your entry like U MAD.
  • DO NOT create an entry for the sake of launching your original creation, whether a meme or a single piece of media.
  • DO NOT write an entry for the sake of your own amusement or in an attempt to troll.
  • DO NOT write editorialized opinions or in the first-person perspective.
  • DO NOT use hyperbolic statements, ex: “the latest, bestest, awesomest meme OMG!”
  • DO NOT add content directly copied from other sources, take credit for the work of others, or condone the act of plagiarism.
  • DO NOT add personally identifiable information, unless it is necessary for documentation.
  • DO NOT write your entry like Super Robo Jesus.

Additional Resources

Media Submission Guidelines

Should any disagreements come up over how and image should be categorized and tagged, please contact a moderator or administrator so that we can determine the best course of action. Likewise, Image Editors who come across incorrect tagged images are requested to tag these images accordingly. For additional information, questions, and suggestions, please refer to the KYM Forum Thread: Image Gallery Guidelines.

DOs and DON'Ts

  • No porn or gore. The posting of pornographic and gore content to image and video galleries follows the rules described in the Content Submission Guidelines.
  • No Spam. Spam content is forbidden within galleries, such as advertising and trollbait.
  • Original Content. Images created by the uploader should have the "Original Content" option selected. Users who make false claims will be subject to a ban. Website screenshots and GIFs created from another person's work are not considered original content, and should instead have the source link to the page of origin alongside optional information in the notes about the uploader's part.
  • Stay Relevant. If an image can go into a more relevant gallery, do not upload it into one of the umbrella galleries (such as Reaction Faces, Anime, GIF, Childhood Ruined, Childhood Enhanced, Alternate Universe and Crossover). It is okay to upload a single image or video to multiple galleries as long as the two are equally relevant. Subjective images which can be categorized differently for each viewer (ex #1 / ex #2) should not be uploaded to galleries such as Childhood Ruined/Enhanced, and will be deleted on sight.
  • Add Relevant Information. When uploading your images, we ask that you please add any relevant tags that might apply to the image; a source or origin, if applicable, so to give original creators credit for their work; and an appropriate NSFW and/or Spoiler tag.
  • Meta Content. Examples or parodies of existing memes that use KYM as a site (ex #1 / ex #2), its general userbase as a whole (ex), or even our mascot, as the punchline of the joke are fine to upload to the entry they relate to. If the image does not relate to any entry, it should be uploaded to our KnowYourMeme entry gallery (ex: NSFW thumbnail parodies and gallery juxtaposition).
    • Content containing popular in-jokes (ex) or user parodies (ex) should not be uploaded to any gallery, and should be tagged with Kymtheon and other relevant tags. Images related to the state of the entry (such as Marvel's Deadpool) or its trending position (ex) are unrelated to the content of the entry and therefore will be removed.
  • Be Friendly. We ask that you please maintain a friendly atmosphere within the media galleries. Content posted with the aim to slander other posters or the entry poster (such as OP is a Faggot) is disallowed. Content posted with ulterior motives or for public shaming will be dealt with severely, and will lead to suspensions and eventually bans.

Tagging

Tags serve as an important piece of metadata that can make any content more easily discoverable in the database. Please use the following guidelines for tagging when uploading an image or video.

  • Include keywords pertaining to the primary source of the content (ex: name of the TV show)
  • Include keywords pertaining to the authorship of the content (ex: name of the artist)
  • Include keywords pertaining to the context of the content (ex: character names, memes, hashtags)
  • When uploading a derivative instance, include keywords pertaining to the original material
  • Do not use the name of the entry, random text and opinions or commentaries in the tags field.

Sourcing

Sourcing gives proper credit to whom it is due. Due to the nature of the internet some things can be sourced much more easily than others, while in other cases it’s truly impossible. Ideally, all images on the site would be sourced back to their original creator. For further information, questions and suggestions, please refer to the KYM Forum Thread: Media Metadata Guidelines.

  • Include a link to the source page in the Source URL field
  • Include the creator’s name in the Source Name field when available, preferably alongside the site it was uploaded
  • When filling in a source name, avoid just putting “source”, nothing, or the raw html, in the field
  • Do not link to an indirect source (ex: a Reddit post or Booru upload) unless the original source has been removed or become untraceable

Titles

Titles can increase the discoverability of any media content in the database, especially when using third-party search engines. Please use the following guidelines for titling when uploading an image or video.

  • Use the pre-existing title as provided by the author in the original post (when available)
  • Use the most prominent caption and/or text featured in the image
  • Use a brief and straightforward description of the image and stay relevant

Notes

Notes can provide any additional information that may be useful in understanding the context of the media content. While this field is optional, please use the following guidelines for annotation when uploading an image or video.

  • Include an external link to the original source of the content for attribution (when available)
  • Include the name of the author who created the content (when available)
  • Include any external links that are directly relevant to the media content
  • Include any links to other articles on the site that may provide additional context
  • Include a brief explanation of the content for context and clarity (when necessary)
  • When uploading a derivative instance, embed the original content for context (no autoplay)
  • Please do not insert any URL without proper HTML coding or textile markup.

Community Procedures

Report Problems

If you wish to contact a specific moderator, a complete list of active moderators and their abilities can be found in the Full List of KYM Moderators.

  • Duplicate Entry Hiding: report entries that are redundant or overlapping in content with a pre-existing article
  • Image Cleaning: report images that are duplicate, misplaced or in violation of the rules and guidelines
  • Video Cleaning: report videos that are duplicate, misplaced, expired or in violation of the rules and guidelines

Content Moderation

  • Any user-submitted image, video and comment may be labeled as not safe for work (NSFW) by a moderator or administrator. In cases where a majority of images or videos in a gallery falls within the NSFW category, the entire gallery may be labeled as NSFW by an administrator or moderator. Upon being labeled NSFW, the thumbnail of the image or video will be replaced with an illustration of KYM-tan. In extreme circumstances, a gallery may be locked by a moderator or administrator to prevent further submissions. Image Editors who come across unmarked NSFW content are requested to mark the images accordingly.

User Moderation

  • Should a user violate one or more rules that are listed on this page, a moderator or staff administrator will issue an official warning with reasons for citation, and if applicable, suggestions for improvement. If the rule breaking persists, the user's account will be subject to temporary suspension or permanent ban. In extreme cases of noncompliance or rule-breaking, the user's account may be banned without any warning or notice.

Arbitration

Should a disagreement arise between a user and the moderation team over a disciplinary action taken by the latter, the dispute will be settled by the staff, in consultation with the user and the moderation team, on a case-by-case basis.

For more information on the Meme Database, read the Frequently Asked Questions. For additional questions regarding the website, make use of the Contact Form.
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