Guidelines and Help

This is a guide to adding and editing pages to The Australian Metal Guide.

While this site is called the Australian Metal Guide, the definition of "metal" these days is so expansive that attempting to come up with one that is precise is pretty problematic. If you're a user of this site then you probably have a pretty good idea of what constitutes metal music. There aren't too many restrictions on the type of metal this site will cover, as everything from hard rock and hair metal to grind can and should be included. This isn't Metal Archives so don't feel you need to be restricted when it comes to suggesting or adding nu-metal or border-line acts that wouldn't be included there. Also, this isn't Wikipedia either, so "notability" isn't a factor. Note that Goreripper has the final say so obviously bands that aren't recognised as metal will probably be deleted. So with that said, if you're interested in adding to or editing the site, please follow the basic guidelines.

First of all, be aware that anything you contribute to this site is released to the public domain under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2; anything you add here can be re-distributed, edited and modified without restriction. By contributing, you are giving permission for your work to be distributed freely throughout the world.

Secondly, before you add anything, check out one of the band pages first! Please keep to the format below:

Page format

Band members

• Line up OR Current line-up (if different to original line-up) OR Final line-up (if disbanded)
  • Band member's name (role)

• Former members
  • Band member's name (role) (years they were in the band)

Website

Official web address (no fan-run pages unless this is the only one)

Formed

Town, State, Year (note, this is when and where a band formed, not where they are currently based)

Band information

Detailed info on the band, including anything at all! Note though that this is not a press release so please don't write it as one. Be informative, but refrain from writing stuff like "this band slays with their formidable live shows and their new album will tear you a new arsehole". By the same token, don't put "they used to play brutal death but now they are soft-cock emo retards", because that's just retarded. You can write negative opinions, but be balanced and fair.

Discography

Cut and paste the table from another band's page and edit it to suit. NOTE: Do NOT add demos or CD-Rs to the discography! They can be listed or included in the Band Information section. ANY DEMOS or CD-RS ADDED TO THE DISCOGRAPHY WILL BE REMOVED.

Finally, add categories to the bottom of the page. If you don't know how to do this, here's how:

Use two "[" symbols, followed by "Category:" then the subsequent category and close with two "]". The categories used on the site are: Bands from (Name of State), Bands from (Name of town), Bands that Played the Big Day Out, Bands that Played Metal for the Brain, Solo artists. Don't add any more. If you make a mistake, don't worry. This is a wiki, so someone will fix it.

Hints

• To link to another band on the site, enclose the band name in double "[[". If that band doesn't yet have an entry, the link will appear in red type. If you like, you can then create a page for that band also, as long as they are a metal band. NOTE: Make sure the band isn't already listed, but spelled differently or something. Non-metal and overseas bands and artists should be bolded. Also, only link to a band once per page.

• This isn't Wikipedia, so extensive references aren't required. Also, if you're used to using Wikipedia, note that a lot of the things that work there (like templates and referencing) don't necessarily work here.

• Only add metal bands!

Editing Guidelines

When editing a page that's already on the site, respect the information that's already there. Don't just change things for the sake of it. Don't completely rewrite a page unless it is clearly wildly incorrect. If the page is about a band you are in or were involved with, don't change it into a glowing review or a pile of scathing vitriol. That's what MySpace is for.