User:PonyNews

In-universe, speculation
This wiki is very different from other Wikia fan encyclopedias. You can read all about it in the guidelines. The content section:
 * This wiki deals primarily with official information about the show and its merchandising.
 * Articles should be written from the viewer's perspective. Avoid in-universe descriptions and anchor fictional details, depictions, and descriptions in their corresponding episodes and appearances.
 * Disputed but non-speculative content should be discussed in the talk pages before any reverts/edit-wars are made.
 * To quote the show's creator: "I don't like defining things that are not featured in episodes." Avoid speculation completely, and be cautious about material that is not featured in the show.

"Disputed but non-speculative content" in this sense is information that is present in the show but hard to determine, like the exact spelling of a word.

The rest should be clear: don't write from the point of view of a character in the show, and don't write as if you're describing a universe.

How not to write? 
 * Earth ponies live in Equestria. There are no pegasus ponies in Appleloosa. - in universe, speculation.

Why is it in-universe? Because it describes how earth ponies live, instead of how they are seen in the show. Why is it speculation? Because we can't know there are no pegasus ponies in Appleloosa and it's not stated in the show.

How to fix it? 
 * Earth ponies are one of the three pony races in the show who live in Equestria. Applejack tells her friends that Appleloosa was founded by her relatives, and only earth ponies are seen in residing there in Over a Barrel.

Now instead of describing earth ponies, the sentence describes how earth ponies are seen in the show, and instead of speculation about Appleloosa, everything said is grounded in the show in a specific episode.

Why no speculation?
Because I'm adamant about the show. Speculation, in-universe, and fan-works are a sure-fire way to turn the wiki to something extraneous to the show. An innocent statement like "there are no pegasus ponies in Appleloosa" actually drives the wiki a little bit away from the show by adding information that is not in the show.

Why no in-universe?
Because I want the wiki to be clear to readers who don't follow the show religiously. Additionally, describing a fictional work as if it is an alternate reality inevitably leads to aberrations. There are no scenes in reality, no cinematic elements, and no theatrical elements. If a camera cuts or pans, if a character is subjected to dramatic irony, if the dialogue is specially crafted, if a cinematic element is present, that is important to the show. Describing the show from an in-universe perspective ignores all that. In that regard, the episode summaries are a great disappointment to me, as they are almost always in-universe.

What if I disagree with these two guidelines?
They've been put up to vote on the goals page.

Thanks for reading. -Throwawaytv 07:30, April 21, 2011 (UTC)