Notifiers (a.k.a. Issue Helper) are template messages tropers send out to other tropers, usually when they make editing mistakes on the wiki. These messages consist of a short passage of text informing you of the type of mistake you made and the relevantAdministrivia article you can read to get a better understanding of the rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are notifiers sent by moderators? No, anybody can send a notifier. The vast majority are sent by regular users.
- What's the difference between a notifier and aprivate message? A notifier is a kind of private message. You can respond to them as you do private messages, and they appear in yourmessages when you send or receive them
with the subject line "Your recent edit for [page name]". Unlike ordinary messages, however, each notifier is tied to a specific edit on a page and is categorized on the receiving troper's file by the type of editing issue it addresses. - How do I send a notifier? To access the notifier screen, go to a page's edit history, go to the edit you want to send a notifier on, and click "send a message". The template text cannot be edited. Anything you want to add will go below the existing text, and it will appear as plain text (wiki formatting does not work on the form).
- I got a notifier. What do I do now?
- First,please don't be a dick to the user who sent you the message. The notifiers are not personal. They are intended to help enforce rules, not to attack other tropers with. You do not have to respond to a notifier, although you may if you want to contest it, ask for clarification, etc.
- Second, it's your responsibility to read up on the linkedAdministrivia article and follow the rule you broke in the future. If you are still confused, we have several places around the forums (such asAsk The Tropers or specific cleanup threads) that can help clarify these rules. If you rack up too many notifiers for a specific issue and still continue to break the rules, that might be grounds for a suspension.
- What do I do if someone keeps breaking a rule even though I've sent them multiple notifiers? Please useAsk The Tropers or informa moderator. In your report, please include the troper handle, the rule they keep breaking, and recent edits that show they are still having problems.
- Where do I go to suggest new notifier messages? You can suggest new notifiers and discuss improving existing ones on thisthread.
List of Notifiers
Notifiers are numbered by date of creation.
1.none
[none selected]
2.
natter The edit you made on [page] looks like
a conversation, not an example and/or uses
First-Person Writing ("I", "me", "this troper", etc.). We try to keep the articles more like articles than discussions. Please feel free to make that kind of entry on the discussion page.
3.
misuse The [page] edit you made is incorrectly using a trope. Please read trope descriptions before adding examples, and feel free to stop by
Is This an Example? if you need help.
4.
murky example The [page] edit you made either
is too general for people to understand how it's a specific example, or is ambiguous as to whether it's an example. Please feel free to rewrite that entry to show how it matches the definition, or remove it if it is not an example. We try avoid examples that are
"arguable", "not-quite", "borderline", and so forth on our trope pages.
5.
walkthrough mode The [page] edit you made looks like a game walkthrough. We are about tropes, not about how to play a game. Please feel free to make that kind of entry on the discussion page for the article, in a Trivia tab, or in whichever of the forums is best.
6.
image changes The [page] edit you made appears to have changed or added/deleted the page image, and I can't seem to find a thread in
Image Pickin' about it. In order to make sure that images demonstrate tropes as well as they can, we have a set of guidelines on
How to Pick a Good Image. Upcoming works pages stick with the first image placed on the page until release; further promo materials can be put on an Image Links page until then. Posting an Image Pickin' discussion helps make sure that these images both meet our guidelines and demonstrate the trope as simply as possible.
7.
spoilers The [page] edit you made looks like it violates our
spoiler rules. Trope names (on work articles) and names of works (on trope articles) are never to be spoiler-tagged, nor should spoiler tags be used in folder names or in above-the-line descriptions.
Some articles have been designated
"spoiler-free"; please do not add spoiler tags to them.
8.
word cruft The [page] edit you made looks like it contains what we call
word cruft.
We try to avoid meaningless stuff like "How has X not been mentioned already?", "Just about", "Pretty Much", or "Not to mention".
Please try to keep your examples
short and pithy.
Examples also need to stand alone. Wording like "Unlike the previous example", "As mentioned above" or "As shown by the page image" isn't allowed, as other things on the page may change and this can create a
Zero-Context Example.
9.
stub The [page] article you made is a stub article; either it has too few examples of tropes or works, or those present are
misused,
misplaced or
Zero-Context Examples. Please improve the page, and be warned that if the page isn't fixed, it'll be cut.
10.
ignored comment The [page] edit you made disregards a commented-out warning. Comments are hidden in the source with a%% sign and are supposed to be respected when editing. Please feel free to discuss it on the page's discussion page or in an appropriate forum thread.
11.
plagiarism The [page] edit you made appears to be copied from another source. This is considered
plagiarism and can get the wiki in serious trouble. Repeat offenders may be permanently banned. If you need help with original writing or wish to discuss the policy, please visit
this forum thread.
12.
grammar The [page] edit you made contains problems with proper English grammar, spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. This wiki is pretty fussy about that sort of thing. We want to be casual in tone and professional in execution. Because casually good is what cool is all about.
A
forum thread has been set up for people to get assistance with their writing.
13.
trivia The [page] edit you made contains a link to a
Trivia page. Trivia are interesting facts about how the work was created or about the work's subject, facts that are not actually in the work, but about it.
We keep the Trivia on a separate subpage.
14.
crosswick Please remember that the [page] edit you made needs to be added on both the trope and the work article. Check out
Crosswicking for an explanation of how to do this and why it's important.
15.
indexing The [page] article you made isn't currently on an index. Wiki articles should always be indexed, which is done by adding the article to a suitable index page as a bullet point. If you need help with indexing, consult
How Indexing Works for instructions, or
this forum thread for advice.
16.
YMMV The [page] edit you made contains a link to a "
Your Mileage May Vary" page. These pages are too subjective to be called a trope, so we keep them on a separate subpage. Just click the YMMV tab on a work's page to list them.
17.
indentation Hi there. Your [page] edit has some indentation issues. Lone subbullets are never allowed, and all examples for a work or trope should be on the same indentation level. Please have a look at the
Example Indentation in Trope Lists article to see how we'd like to keep things organized.
18.
zero context Your [page] edit needs a little more detail. Looks like you made what we call a "zero-context example" or ZCE. We try not to just plop down a trope name with no explanation of how the trope is used in the work. Take a look at the
Zero-Context Example article for clues on how to do it up right.
19.
rudeness The [page] edit you made was unnecessarily rude or was accompanied by a rude comment. We like to keep the wiki a pleasant place to visit, and we'd prefer that our editors behave in a respectful manner to each other. If you disagree with something someone wrote, the Discussion page and/or private messages should be used to work the issue out.
20.
sinkhole The [page] edit you made inserted a hidden link to another page which isn't relevant or appropriate on this page. We call them
Sinkholes, and they distract and confuse the reader. This includes trope
potholes within quoted text at the top of a page—those aren't allowed. We particularly don't like those which misuse tropes or stick multiple potholes adjacent to each other rather than properly structuring the links. Please feel free to take such links out if you encounter them.
21.
namespace The [page] article you made is in the wrong namespace. Please consult
Namespace about the proper place to create an article in. If you need help moving it, post in
this forum thread.
22.
not recent The [page] edit you made improperly uses "recent" or other time-relative language. Examples should be time-neutral because they could be read years from now. Please refer to our
Examples Are Not Recent policy for more information.
23.
work title The [page] edit you made isn't following proper work title formatting. Work names in trope examples should be links (written in
CamelCase or between
{{ and }} for single-word links), in italics (created by surrounding the link text with
'' and '' (two single apostrophes), except for short stories, where they should be between " and " (one double quote)) and with a namespace before the link (like
Namespace/WorkTitle). Work pages that don't exist yet
should be linked as if they do. If you have trouble, just consult the
Text Formatting Rules or
Ask The Tropers.
24.
deleting YMMV The [page] edit you made looks like you are deleting someone's opinion. The YMMV items are going to have opinions which might differ from yours. That is kind of the point. Please only remove things from YMMV that are factually incorrect. We'll be sure to leave your opinions up. Please extend that courtesy to others.
25.
edit reason Greetings. The edit you made on [page] doesn't have an appropriate
edit reason. When making edits such as removing examples or rewriting large sections of the page, it is usually a good idea to provide a clear explanation. Other tropers may otherwise not have an idea of why you are doing this. Edit reasons are also not for venting or conversing with other tropers. Thanks for helping us keep the wiki cool.
26.
speculation The edit you made on [page] appears to speculate about the events of the work. We trope events that explicitly happen within the work; theory-crafting or theorizing about
Ambiguous Situations has no place on the main wiki and should be saved for
Wild Mass Guessing. (If you are troping an unreleased work, please check out our
Speculative Troping and
Unreleased Work policies.)
27.
complaining The [page] edit you made looks like complaining and/or has a negative tone. While we understand being passionate about the things you like (or hate), please keep your opinions separate from your examples, and your tone as neutral as possible.
28.
general example The [page] edit you made looks like what we call a "general example". As a rule, examples should be about specific works and moments, not the company or medium as a whole. Please see
How to Write an Example for more information.
29.
not a trope The [page] edit you made contains an item that is
Not a Trope on this wiki and shouldn't be used as an example. These include disambiguation pages (which appear as green links for visibility), fanspeak pages, definition-only pages, indexes, YMMV items, Trivia items,
Flame Bait, and anything not in the Main/
namespace. Things can change on the wiki, so when it comes to items that used to be tropes but no longer are, checking the page you're linking to is a good idea.
30.
wall of text The edit you made on [page] is a
Wall of Text. To improve readability, try removing any
Word Cruft or unnecessary/unrelated details, or include paragraphing to ease the flow. Remember to stick to the focus of the entry:
Clear, Concise, Witty — in that order.
31.
tropeslashing The [page] edit you made combines multiple tropes in the same bullet, which we call "trope-slashing". Only one trope is allowed per entry. Please either delete the trope(s) that don't fit, or move them, with context, to another bullet, correctly alphabetized. Take a look at
How to Write an Example for more information.
32.
rocej The [page] edit you made is in violation of the
Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment. This means that the edit is about a polarizing topic that uses inflammatory language, has an obvious bias, or follows an agenda. Please be careful to use non-inflammatory language on this wiki, and respect others.
33.
formatting Your [page] edit is not formatted properly, leaving the page with broken markup. Please consult
Text Formatting Rules and remember to use the Preview button to confirm what the edit will look like on the page before saving it. If you are making large edits, it's advised to use a sandbox page or offsite notepad to ensure that everything works as intended.
34.
unilateral Hi there. It looks like you've made a major change to [page] without discussing it beforehand. Large-scale changes, such as splitting off subpages, rearranging content, or altering the definition of a trope, require consensus to enact. In the future, please remember to discuss these things in the proper venue, whether it be
Ask The Tropers, the discussion page, or a forum thread.
35.
recent examples Hello. The edit you made on [page] added an example that violates
No Recent Examples, Please!. That means it is too recent to be added, as it comes after the time limit listed on the index. Please keep this in mind as you edit the wiki in the future. Happy troping!
36.
real lifeHello. The edit you made on [page] is troping a creator's personal life.
Real Life Troping isn't allowed. Please keep in mind that we are only supposed to trope the works the creators are associated with and the role/s they had in the work's production.
37.
english typesHi, your edit on [page] included some spelling and/or punctuation changes that weren't actually necessary. This wiki uses
multiple varieties of English, so what appears grammatically incorrect in one rule set may be correct in another. Which variety used is first come, first served. If you have a plugin that changes text for you, it must be turned off when you edit here.
38.
lewdnessHello. The edit you made on [page] contains a physical description that is a bit excessive on the lewd side. Even if it's played for
Fanservice, the writing on the wiki is supposed to be
impartial.
39.
bowdlerizer The [page] edit you made removed or censored swear words in the article. If you meant to do this, please be aware that we allow adult language as long as it isn't excessive, and
removing it without a good reason is against the rules. If you didn't, please check to see if you're running filtering or "web nanny" software. These programs will modify any article that you edit and leave a mess behind that has to be cleaned up, leading to removal of your editing privileges. Turn it off or put in an exception for tvtropes.org.
40.
unreleased works Your edit on [page] looks like it violates our
Unreleased Works policy. Things like interviews, press releases, posters and websites are considered advertising and can only be used as a source for
Advertising Tropes. Non-advertising examples must always be based on things that claim to represent the work itself - e.g. trailers and excerpts. Citations for an unreleased work must be done in-example and not in the edit reasons where casual readers cannot see. We cannot use
Content Leaks as a source for examples.
41.
meta moment The edit you made on [page] was a meta example on a Moments page. Such examples are not allowed. Moments of any kind are reactions to events taking place within the work itself — events external to the work don't count. These include, but are not limited to: social media posts by creators, viewer comments that aren't linked to an in-universe event, and occurrences (positive or negative) involving creators.
42.
pre-hidden Hello. The edit you made on [page] includes pre-hidden information. Comments (the
%% markup) are used for editors' notices or for hiding existing
Zero-Context Examples, and adding examples already commented-out
is not allowed. We don't keep placeholders, so examples are either ready to go or should not be added.
43.
misplaced Hi, there. Your edit on [page] violates
What Goes Where on the Wiki. Please pay attention to the intended placement of examples. Trivia and YMMV examples come with tags to direct you to the correct subpage.
Flame Bait tags means the trope should only be kept on flame-bait pages. Sugar Wiki, Darth Wiki, Fridge, and "Moments" belong on their own subpages. Conversely, if the trope doesn't have a banner, it's not an example for a Trivia or YMMV subpage. If you aren't sure where to place an example,
Ask The Tropers or ask at the forums. Thanks!
44.
redlink deletionThe edit that you made on [page] deleted one or more
Red Links. Our policy is that we still link to works and creators even if they don't yet have a TV Tropes page. This encourages tropers to create those pages, helping the wiki grow.
There
are specific scenarios where we want to remove red links — such as when the correct page name isn't known yet, or if the work's been cut due to the
Content Policy. However, if you're cutting links on that basis, you should always make the justification clear in your
Edit Reason.
45.
edit warringThe edit you made on [page] appears to have reverted it to a previous edit of yours without discussion, violating our
Edit War rules — something we take pretty seriously. Wikis like TV Tropes are collaborative projects, and since anyone can edit any page at any time, disagreements are most constructively handled by discussing the issue and coming to a consensus. If you don't know where or how to find consensus, try discussing the edits with the troper who changed them over private messages, or taking it to
Ask The Tropers. Thanks!
