OrthodoxWiki:Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a number of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (along with answers) regarding OrthodoxWiki.

Is this Wikipedia?

No. OrthodoxWiki is in no way affiliated with Wikipedia. It does, however, use the same wiki software, models some of its structure on Wikipedia, and has derived some of its articles from there under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See also: Differences with Wikipedia.

Who runs this thing?

The chief and founding administrator is FrJohn, a priest of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). He and the admins govern OrthodoxWiki.

Who's your bishop?

OrthodoxWiki is not directly under the omophorion of any bishop. It is a private, collaborative venture of multiple editors, most of whom are Orthodox Christians under various bishops.

Can anyone edit OrthodoxWiki?

If an account with an authenticated email address is registered and logged in, yes. That doesn't mean that edits won't get reverted or changed, however.

Is it okay to have multiple accounts?

Not generally, no. Alternate accounts are sometimes approved for those who wish to run bots (special programs to do mass editing on minor elements).

Is this just for Eastern Orthodox stuff?

The purpose of OrthodoxWiki is to present an encyclopedia of Orthodox Christianity as represented by the mainstream Chalcedonian churches ("Eastern Orthodox"). We call this the Mainstream Chalcedonian Bias (MCB) and have explicitly adopted it. (For a list of mainstream churches, see List of autocephalous and autonomous churches.)

Some Oriental Orthodox material is also presented here, but it is regarded as a secondary part of OrthodoxWiki. See also: Point of View.

This article is wrong! Fix it!

If you find material that's incorrect or heavily biased, we encourage you to help fix it yourself, working with other editors to develop a collaborative product that represents a balanced presentation according to the MCB.

This article is not the official position of [X]!

Like any encyclopedia, OrthodoxWiki's purpose is not to present only the official position of a particular person or group. Rather, it is in some sense journalism, though with an eye toward what is of the most lasting notability and value.

But my bishop told me to write that!

With all due respect to your bishop, he doesn't dictate OrthodoxWiki policy or content. You are welcome to help improve OrthodoxWiki and to present your bishop's position within the balance of articles, if he is a major source of information on a particular matter.

What about controversial material?

Articles on controversial material are welcome (indeed, they are one of the things OrthodoxWiki does best when at its best), but only if they are properly sourced from reputable, third-party publications. (Quoting yourself doesn't count.)

Original research and unsourced articles are acceptable (though not ideal) for topics of a non-controversial nature.

But I'm here to bring you The Truth!

If you have an agenda to push, no matter how true you believe it to be, you are probably not in the right state of mind to write an encyclopedia. Calm down, drop your pet theories or grievances, and come back to the wiki when you're ready to write an encyclopedia.

Copyrights

May I copy material from OrthodoxWiki?

Yes, but only under certain conditions. Some material from OrthodoxWiki is, however, not available to be copied. See: OrthodoxWiki:Copyrights.

You stole my [photo/icon/text]!

If you feel that your copyright has been violated under US or international copyright law, please contact the administration and your request will be reviewed and addressed. OrthodoxWiki purposes to be fully compliant with relevant copyright law and makes every effort to do so. See: OrthodoxWiki:Copyrights.

You linked to my website!

There is no legal right "not to be referred to." If linking is a copyright violation, then every library card catalog has got to go. Fortunately, though, linking without copying has repeatedly been ruled legal in US courts. For more on this, do a search with the keywords linking and copyright.

Hey, I saw that on Wikipedia!

Material from Wikipedia may be copied onto other sites if they are willing to provide attribution and release the material under the GNU Free Documentation License, which is one of the licenses OrthodoxWiki uses.

It is also possible that what you saw on Wikipedia may first have been developed on OrthodoxWiki and then exported there, which is also legal, given the terms of the OrthodoxWiki dual license. See: OrthodoxWiki:Copyrights.