Harry Potter Wiki:House points

 Note:  This page is only a draft. If you have comments, please post them on User talk:Starstuff/House points.

House points are given out on Harry Potter Wiki as part of an opt-in game.

Who receives points?
Only people who have signed up for the game may be given points. This is so that people may casually edit Harry Potter Wiki without feeling that they have to become involved in a competition.

To sign up, choose which Hogwarts House you would like to join, then add your name to the Participant list. You may only be a member of one House for the purposes of this game. If you have more than one House userbox on your userpage, please add a userbox for your in-game House, to make it easier for Prefects to identify where your points should go.

Who gives out points?
Points can be awarded or deducted by users who have been selected to be Prefects. See the Prefects section for more information on Prefects and the role that they play in this game.

How are points determined?
Prefects monitor work done by players in the game. They are free to award points whenever they feel an editor has done something that deserves recognition, but must do so in an unbiased, transparent manner (see the Prefects' Code of Conduct). A maximum of 100 points can be awarded or deducted from a single editor at one time. Points should generally be given for recent actions, but may also be awarded retroactively, if the past work warrants special consideration.

Points can be awarded to individual editors for independent work and to groups of editors for working on a single task. As to how points should be distributed between multiple editors, if two Ravenclaws and a Gryffindor are given 35 points each for working on a task together, then Ravenclaw House should be given 70 points and Gryffindor House 35.

On the other hand, points can only be deducted from individuals, and only for conduct relating to the game (e.g., cheating). Policy violations like vandalism and personal attacks are usually dealt with through blocking.

Where do I record points?
Every time you give or take House points, you should record it on the Log, and then adjust the totals on the Hourglass.

House Cup
The House which earns the most points every term will win the House Cup. A term typically lasts three months, but may be extended, in the event of a tie or if there has been been a lack of point accumulation due to inactivity.

For everyone

 * No cheating: Do not attempt to earn points through underhanded means.
 * No put downs: Name-calling and malicious criticism are unacceptable. Also consider whether attempts to show House pride may unintentionally come across as disparaging toward the other Houses.
 * No badgering: You may ask users to join the game and encourage members of your House to work toward a goal. But do not pressure them if they decline or ignore your initial request.
 * No copying: You should not take text directly from a copyrighted source and claim it as your own work. This does not apply to public domain or freely-licensed text like that found on Wikipedia. However, more points will be awarded for originality, so use your own words instead of cutting-and-pasting things from another site.
 * No flooding: Do not create a bunch of hastily-written articles in the hope that Prefects will value quantity over quality.

For Prefects
There are a number of rules which Prefects must follow when giving or taking House points. Any violation of these rules will result in removal from one's position as a Prefect.


 * No self-awarding: Do not award points to yourself under any account you use.
 * No collusion: Do not agree to award points to another Prefect in exchange for them awarding points to you.
 * No pettiness: Do not dock points simply because someone has upset you personally. If you feel you are unable to judge a situation objectively, then ask a second, uninvolved Prefect to look into it for you.
 * No favoritism: Do not discriminate against other Houses by preferentially awarding points to your own.
 * No personal whims: Points should be awarded based on good work. Do not give points for arbitrary reasons like "I love your username!" or "Luna is my favorite character too!"

Prefects

 * For a list of current Prefects, see /Participants/.

Users who have received a Prefect award and are regularly active on the Wiki are eligible to become Prefects. Gender does not play a role in the selection of Prefects as it does in the books.

There can be up to two Prefects for each of the four Houses. However, it is acceptable for a House to have only one Prefect at a time, if there is no editor eligible or willing to fill the second opening.

Prefects are expected to set a positive example. When giving or taking points, they must follow the Prefects' Code of Conduct, and must remember to go through the necessary point-logging procedures. They should also be helpful and courteous, not just to members of their own House, but to the Harry Potter Wiki community as a whole.

Prefects should check their Common Room on a regular basis. They should answer questions posted there to the best of their ability and should use the page as a place to organize work on collaborative tasks.

Common Rooms
Common rooms are special talk pages which members of each House can use to communicate with each other. Users from other Houses may read these pages, but may not post on them, with the exception of Prefects, who may leave notices.

Userboxes
Under construction