The Department of Fun is the official informal corner of Bharatpedia. While our primary mission is to build a reliable, comprehensive, and neutral encyclopedia, editing should also be enjoyable! This page hosts wiki humor, essay collections, community games, and lighthearted initiatives designed to relieve editing fatigue and foster camaraderie among contributors.
Mission and Philosophy[edit source]
Editing a large encyclopedia requires care, research, and attention to detail. However, taking things too seriously can lead to editor burnout, disputes, and fatigue. The Department of Fun exists to remind everyone of a core site philosophy: Don't forget to have fun!
Core Principles[edit source]
- Lightheartedness: Keep discussions friendly and remember that there is a human behind every username.
- Creative Outlets: Provide spaces for humorous essays, wiki satire, and harmless community traditions.
- Stress Relief: Offer a break from heated talk page debates, recent changes patrolling, and heavy formatting work.
- Non-Disruptive Fun: All humor and games must remain confined to project and user talk spaces—never disrupt encyclopedic mainspace articles!
Wiki Humour and Lore[edit source]
Every online community develops its own culture, humor, and insider jokes over time. Here are some subpages and concepts that keep the community entertained:
1. Wiki Fauna[edit source]
Bharatpedia is home to a diverse ecosystem of unique editor personality types (known as WikiFauna):
- WikiGnomes: Quiet creatures who fix typos, broken links, and formatting errors in the dead of night without seeking praise.
- WikiFairies: Creative spirits who beautify pages with neat tables, aligned images, and balanced article layouts.
- WikiDragons: Bold editors who make massive content additions or overhaul entire subject areas in a single sweep.
- WikiSloths: Editors who make small, sporadic edits while taking long, relaxing naps between contributions.
2. Unusual Articles[edit source]
A collection of real, fully verified, and encyclopedic articles on eccentric, peculiar, or surprisingly amusing topics found in the mainspace.
3. Silly Things People Edit[edit source]
A collection of funny (but harmless) mistakes, odd edit summaries, and comical test edits caught during Recent Changes patrol.
Community Games and Activities[edit source]
Editors looking for a quick break between article drafting sessions can participate in several community-building activities:
Wiki Golf[edit source]
Try navigating from a randomly selected starting article to a target article in as few internal wikilink clicks as possible without using the search bar!
The Sandbox Playground[edit source]
Experiment with wild Wikitext designs, complex tables, or custom userbox creations in the Public Sandbox.
Barnstars and Awards[edit source]
Spreading positivity is a key part of the Department of Fun. Recognizing hard-working editors with custom awards builds community morale.
| Award | Purpose | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
 The Friendly Editor Award
|
Given to contributors who excel at welcoming newcomers and maintaining civility. | {{subst:Barnstar|Thanks for your kindness!}}
|
 The Gnome Star
|
Awarded to diligent WikiGnomes who perform tireless background maintenance and typo fixes. | {{subst:GnomeStar|Great cleanup work!}}
|
 The Writer's Badge
|
Given to authors who draft outstanding, highly detailed, well-sourced mainspace articles. | {{subst:WriterStar|Excellent article drafting!}}
|
Department Rules[edit source]
To ensure the Department of Fun remains a safe and welcoming space for all editors, please keep the following guidelines in mind:
- 1. No Mainspace Disruption: Jokes, tests, and satire belong strictly on project pages, sandboxes, or user talk pages. Mainspace articles must always remain objective and accurate.
- 2. Keep It Civil: Humor should never come at the expense of another editor. Avoid sarcasm directed at specific users or policy arguments.
- 3. Assume Good Faith: Remember that everyone is here voluntarily to contribute to open knowledge.
See Also[edit source]
- Bharatpedia:Teahouse – Friendly discussion forum for asking questions.
- Bharatpedia:Signpost – The community newspaper for news and lighthearted op-eds.
- Bharatpedia:WikiProject Council/Directory – Find collaborative projects that interest you.