Here is the text of the greeting:
Hello [[troper]] and welcome to Trope Repair Shop. This is the place we fix problems with tropes and works. There are a number of different types of repairs we do here, but let's start with just the format.
The main page is found here
. The blue text to the left of the trope name is the title of the thread, and comes from a preselected list of default thread titles. If it has a checkmark next to it, that means you have not read the most recent post. Next to that you will sometimes see a star; this indicates that there is a crowner attached to the thread, which is how voting is done. If there is an asterisk next to the name, that means a decision has been reached, and the work just needs to be done. You can click on the thread name to be brought to the first post you have not read; attached crowners will always be at the bottom.
Anyone can create a new thread for any trope or work, though threads must be approved by a moderator. Remember to provide proof of the problem; threads starting with "I don't like this name" and similar just get locked.
The forum rules apply in TRS just as much as anywhere else; they basically just boil down to “don't be a dick.” There are a number of moderators who help enforce these rules; the full list is here. You can contact the mods at any time by clicking on the yellow triangle next to any post. That will open the mod holler box, where you can describe the problem (the thread is done and can be locked/clocked, we need a crowner, this poster is being rude, etc).
There is a "hub" policy thread here; bring up any policy question there.
That's most of what you need to know, and you can probably pick up most of the rest with time. If you want more detail, keep reading.
There are five main types of repairs you should know about. Most of them are simple enough, but TRS regulars will throw the terms around without explanation, so it can get confusing.
First is renaming. When something has been determined to be wrong with the current trope name, people suggest changing it. Things get a little heated on both sides of the renaming crowd (especially on bigger tropes), so just try and keep it civil. Everything You Wanted To Know About Changing Names will help with understanding most of the arguments.
Splits and merges are next up. A split is performed when a trope or work is determined to be covering too broad an area. For example, a trope might be split if it's decided that the male and female versions are fundamentally different, and a work might be split if the sequels are different enough in story and/or gameplay to merit their own sections. A soft split is a segregation on the same page, while a hard split moves everything to different pages. A merge is pretty much the exact opposite; if several tropes are determined to be the same thing, they can be merged into one page, usually with the most popular name becoming the main one, and the others becoming redirects.
Cleanups are a little tricky. You're allowed to fix any bad examples when you see them, but sometimes there are so many that one person can't do it alone (in which case you need to take it to Short-Term projects or Long-Term projects), or maybe the bad examples are uniform enough to deserve their own split-off trope. Generally, when you see cleanup threads pop up in TRS, the original poster is trying to make sure that there is actually a problem with the examples that requires cleanup. Sometimes they've misinterpreted the trope, or maybe there's another answer.
Last is cuts. A cut is distinct from the other types of repairs because the page in question is completely deleted. This means any link to the page from the wiki becomes a dead redlink, and any links from outside the site find themselves on an empty page. This is a last-ditch resort for anything with even a small number of wicks (internal links) or inbounds (external links). Generally, its a better idea to make that page a redirect for another instead.
Hope that helps. Welcome to the Trope Repair Shop, and we hope to see you around.
. The blue text to the left of the trope name is the title of the thread, and comes from a preselected list of default thread titles. If it has a checkmark next to it, that means you have not read the most recent post. Next to that you will sometimes see a star; this indicates that there is a crowner attached to the thread, which is how voting is done. If there is an asterisk next to the name, that means a decision has been reached, and the work just needs to be done. You can click on the thread name to be brought to the first post you have not read; attached crowners will always be at the bottom.
Anyone can create a new thread for any trope or work, though threads must be approved by a moderator. Remember to provide proof of the problem; threads starting with "I don't like this name" and similar just get locked.
The forum rules apply in TRS just as much as anywhere else; they basically just boil down to “don't be a dick.” There are a number of moderators who help enforce these rules; the full list is here. You can contact the mods at any time by clicking on the yellow triangle next to any post. That will open the mod holler box, where you can describe the problem (the thread is done and can be locked/clocked, we need a crowner, this poster is being rude, etc).
There is a "hub" policy thread here; bring up any policy question there.
That's most of what you need to know, and you can probably pick up most of the rest with time. If you want more detail, keep reading.
There are five main types of repairs you should know about. Most of them are simple enough, but TRS regulars will throw the terms around without explanation, so it can get confusing.
First is renaming. When something has been determined to be wrong with the current trope name, people suggest changing it. Things get a little heated on both sides of the renaming crowd (especially on bigger tropes), so just try and keep it civil. Everything You Wanted To Know About Changing Names will help with understanding most of the arguments.
Splits and merges are next up. A split is performed when a trope or work is determined to be covering too broad an area. For example, a trope might be split if it's decided that the male and female versions are fundamentally different, and a work might be split if the sequels are different enough in story and/or gameplay to merit their own sections. A soft split is a segregation on the same page, while a hard split moves everything to different pages. A merge is pretty much the exact opposite; if several tropes are determined to be the same thing, they can be merged into one page, usually with the most popular name becoming the main one, and the others becoming redirects.
Cleanups are a little tricky. You're allowed to fix any bad examples when you see them, but sometimes there are so many that one person can't do it alone (in which case you need to take it to Short-Term projects or Long-Term projects), or maybe the bad examples are uniform enough to deserve their own split-off trope. Generally, when you see cleanup threads pop up in TRS, the original poster is trying to make sure that there is actually a problem with the examples that requires cleanup. Sometimes they've misinterpreted the trope, or maybe there's another answer.
Last is cuts. A cut is distinct from the other types of repairs because the page in question is completely deleted. This means any link to the page from the wiki becomes a dead redlink, and any links from outside the site find themselves on an empty page. This is a last-ditch resort for anything with even a small number of wicks (internal links) or inbounds (external links). Generally, its a better idea to make that page a redirect for another instead.
Hope that helps. Welcome to the Trope Repair Shop, and we hope to see you around.
