Nominations for Featured Alternate Histories are the proper way of nominating the best alternate histories that we have here at the Alternate History Wiki. These alternate histories must meet the following criteria:
- Well-written: the prose of the alternate history is engaging, even brilliant, and of a professional standard;
- Comprehensive: the alternate history neglects no major facts or details and places the subject in context; more then one article is used to convey the alternate history
- Plausible: the POD and the altered events following the POD are logically what would happen if history was changed
- Neutral: the alternate history does its best to give an objective view of the altered history without being overly influenced by politics, religion, nationalism, etc.; it is not a "wankfest"
- Peaceful collaboration: the alternate history is not subject to ongoing edit wars.
- Portal Page: the alternate history has a portal page that summarizes the work and prepares the reader for the detail in the connected articles;
- Appropriate structure: the majority of articles in the alternate history have a system of hierarchical section headings, a substantial but not overwhelming table of contents and a lead section to describe the article
- External sources: the alternate history provides OTL sources to support the events after the POD either on the portal page or a separate article
- Supplements: the alternate history makes use of pictures, flags, maps, tables, videos, etc.
ANYONE can nominate a timeline (even its creator). You may nominate an article by yourself, or with other users. You will need to sign the nomination, so a confirmation can be completed. IMPORTANT: only registered users with 100 or more edits will be allowed to vote in the featured TL nominations.
If an alternate history receives a nomination, the {{featured candidate}} template will be placed on the portal page until a decision is reached.
If an alternate history becomes a featured timeline, the {{featured}} template will be placed on the portal page and the alternate history will be added to the list. The nomination discussion will be moved to the archive.
Nomination Process
- First chose an alternate history, and explain why the alternate history would be a good candidate. Also, you can explain what needs to be improved on the article.
- Add the {{featured candidate}} template to the article.
- The alternate history should be adjusted if anyone opposes it.
- The alternate history will be added to the list if there is no more opposition and at least three (3) editors (other then the nominator) support its nomination.
- A timeline will be marked as featured over any objectors if there are 3 supporters plus a supporter for every objector.
- If a nomination is not passed or defeated within two weeks, it will be automatically withdrawn.
Sample Nomination
Please copy and past this format for your own nomination.
===[[Portal Page of alternate history]]===
*'''Supporters'''
*'''Objectors'''
*'''Discussion'''
Note: Please put new nominations at the bottom of the page.
Nominations
Choose Your Own Alternate History!
An innovative new althistory project where it is us, including me, you, and even you(!) who are the writers. It is already very extensive, with more than 60 full pages made in the last month, and shows no sign of losing steam any time soon. Plus, it'd be a very unique addition to the featured timelines list! Red VS Blue 23:34, August 5, 2010 (UTC)
- Supporters
- Mitro 14:15, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- I too, support this great timeline! Jazon Naparleon 15:54, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- Vegas adict 17:33, August 7, 2010 (UTC)
- Objectors
- It's a nice principle, but I think that it still needs some work. For instance, different strands of the story are redlinked before others, and we haven't seen any one of the possible timelines reach a conclusion. I also feel that lots of the pages in CYOAH are very implausible, though there are some that are of higher quality. I think that this could be a featured timeline, and definitely a unique one, but it needs lots of work until then. Fegaxeyl 07:53, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- It is a very nice TL, but I think at least one of the PODs should be finished first. Until then, my vote is (sadly) firmly against having CYOAH as a featured alternate history. Eastward Expansion 16:31, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
This is simply put, laughable! Its just like those map games! Do you see any map games being nominated for featured alternate history? French Victory 16:36, August 6, 2010 (UTC)(Invalid vote. As stated in the rule that went into effect on 6/9/2010, only registered users with 100 or more votes are eligible to vote. Mitro 17:04, August 6, 2010 (UTC))- A very cool and innovative idea, but it just does not "feel" like an alternate history, if that makes any sense to anyone.--Smallpox 18:36, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- Discussion
- Fegaxeyl, your comment is folly in its entirety. I, among others, am working on fixing the redlinks so they are all at the same "pace," besides, why don't you make an article where a redlink is? You might be good at it. Also, seeing as how we tend not to jump ten years in a single page, it will take a while before even one of the '71 era pages reach 2010, or have a decisive event that alters the world so radically the story ends. Secondly, I, again among others, am working to remove any and all implausibility. My mission should be done by 11:59, Saturday, next. Though it may last until the Saturday after that, depending on various factors, such as community help, my own slothfulnes or lackthereof, weather conditions, etc. I hope that answers any and all of your questions, and prepares you to remove your objection once the aforementioned changes have been made. LT.FGN, Second-In-Command CYOAH, Jazon Naparleon 15:54, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- I will admit that I've been looking at helping out with the timeline, though I'm not sure if my way of doing things - stacks of details that would make individual pages utterly vast - would fit in, though I might give it a go. And I'm fully prepared to change my stance once the various problems (in my eyes) are sorted out. Though I do have another issue - scale. It is a bit jarring when we go from deciding the fate of single people (the teams sent to kill Hitler) to the fate of entire nations. Fegaxeyl 16:02, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- Look at it in terms of the butterfly effect. A butterfly flaps its wings in China and later a storm hits the California coast. The TL embodies the same idea. One individual kills anothers, deciding the fates of millions more. Mitro 16:13, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- I think what French is trying to say, is that like map games, CYOAH is a 'do it yourself' sort of thing and nor genuine alternate history. Thats not what I'm saying, but I think its what French is saying.Eastward Expansion 16:38, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- Well I have to disagree with what French is saying. It certainly does not follow the same format of the Map Games, which in many ways is like an RPG. Simply put it allows editors to take just one POD, but make several sub-timelines in regards to it. Mitro 17:01, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
- The idea behind CYOAH is that the story would ultimately form a timeline, but the reader gets the chance to decide how the story plays along, and by choosing different divergences, the story will never be the same way twice, as long as everyone chooses at least one different link. By the time CYOAH reaches a higher stage of development (it will never be done, I'm sure), that it would form dozens, if not hundreds of different TL's, and would therefore count as a "multiple alternate history".
Since this is my creation, I'm not going to be voting for it, to eliminate bias, but you know what my vote would be.Tbguy1992 18:58, August 6, 2010 (UTC)
Toyotomi Japan
A Great timeline that includes pages for maps, nations, and languages, as well as being very well fleshed out. Is one of the first timelines ever written on this wiki...
Eastward Expansion 13:09, August 16, 2010 (UTC)
*Supporters *Objectors
- Discussion
Featured Review Process
Sometimes timelines are elevated to featured status when they should not be. Also sometimes a good featured timeline is elevated, but later changes make it uworthy of being a featured timeline. If you think this has happened, you can put the timeline under review by following these steps:
- Use the nomination template above and explain why the timeline should no longer be featured.
- Add the {{featured review}} template to the article.
- If 3 editors support removing it's featured status, it will no longer be considered a featured TL.
IMPORTANT: By putting yourself down as a supporter, you are supporting the nomination to remove the timeline's featured status.