J-Ongaku

From J-Ongaku

Contents 1 Rules 1.1 General 1.2 Using Japanese 1.3 Translations 1.4 Capitalization 2 Format 2.1 Categories 2.2 Discography Tables 2.3 CD Pages 2.4 Song pages

J-Ongaku (a play on the term J-Music) is a wiki dedicated to Japanese music and other Asian media, opened in November 2008 by iceymoon and Bryan.

Currently, the rules, format and protocols are in the process of being decided. Please use the discussion page to share your input and opinions about them.

Because we are not familiar with all subjects, by no means do we consider what is written so far to be complete. There are many subjects for which a format or a set of rules have not yet been made, and we invite people that know more about these subjects to send their input or proposals via the discussion page of what they think would be useful.

Rules

The rules that will apply to J-Ongaku's future are currently up for discussion. While the users' opinions and input will have an effect on what is ultimately decided upon, it is up to iceymoon and Bryan to make the final decisions based on what will work best for the users and the wiki as a whole.

General

1. Do not copy any articles from Wikipedia, ThePPN.org, or any other wiki or website without the permission of the original author. Instead, use references for data and facts, and compile them in your own words.
2. One of the hardest things to find on any wiki is consistency. However, if we all work together and follow each other's examples, we can break this habit. Before creating a new page or section, look for other examples of similar content and emulate it as much as possible. For the sake of the wiki at large, resist the temptation of doing it "your way" for no reason other than you like it better that way, or you're used to it. If you find something you feel strongly should be done in a different format, put it up for discussion before breaking the uniformity.

Using Japanese

• First/Last names in Kana/Kanji should NOT be separated by spaces in the article description (i.e. at the very top of the page). If the name is repeated elsewhere (in a Profile, for example), it may be separated by spaces then.

• Japanese titles and names should include both the Romaji (romanized Japanese) and original Japanese text, if any.

• Romanization should be listed first, followed by the original Japanese text (if any) in parentheses. When writing Japanese titles in the context of a paragraph (for example, when writing in the History section), the original Japanese text may be left out if unnecessary (but a link on the title/name would be useful).

• When romanizing Japanese text, the first letter of all important words should be capitalized. Particle words, such as "wa," "wo," "ni," "de," "ga" etc. should be written in lowercase. No words should be written in all-uppercase unless it is represented as such on official products (such as the covers or promotional materials) -- this means that words originally written in katakana should NOT be written in uppercase.

• There are different styles of converting Japanese text into a romanized form, however there is one form that is accepted by the majority, so I will do my best to explain here the specifications of it:
  • Elongated "o" sounds should not be written as "ō," but rather as "ou" or "oo" (depending on whether it would be written as おう or おお in furigana). If you are unsure of which it should be, leave it as a plain "o," and allow someone else to correct it later.
  • Elongated "u" sounds should not be written as "ū", but rather as "uu."
  • A nasal-based "n" sound should be romanized simply as "n" or "m" (rather than with an apostrophe, "n'", as it is sometimes romanized).
  • When romanizing the character ん, both "n" or "m" are acceptable, but one should take into consideration which one is most widely used for that particular word.
  • When romanizing "ra," "ri," "ru," "re," or "ro" (らりるれろ or ラリルレロ), both "r" or "l" are acceptable, but one should take into consideration which one is most widely used for that particular word.
  • When romanizing the character "hu" (ふ or フ), it should be romanized as "fu" unless there is a strong reason not to (for example, in the word "hula," where the romanization "fula" would likely not be understood).
  • When romanizing non-Japanese words that are written in katakana, one should take into account whether the word in question is meant to emulate the original word, or if it has been modified to become a pseudo-Japanese word. For example, ミュージカル might be better romanized as "musical" rather than "myuujikaru" (because it is attempting to emulate the original word), while コンビニ might better be romanized as "konbini" rather than "convini" from the original word "convenience" (because it has been modified to become a part of everyday Japanese use, and "convini" really isn't a word in English).
  • Romanization should follow how it is pronounced, regardless of any differences in how it's "spelled" in Japanese, in the following instances:
    • When a "zu" sound is written as づ (rather than ず) in furigana, it should still be romanized as "zu" (rather than "dzu," "du" or other variations).
    • When a "ji" sound is written as ぢ (rather than じ) in furigana, it should still be romanized as "ji" (rather than other variations).
    • The character は should be romanized as "wa" in the instances it is pronounced as such, such as in the word "konnichiwa" (こんにちは) or when it is being used as a particle (e.x. Watashi wa).

Translations

• Translations of text should be included on its most specific page. For example, when translating the title of an album, include the translation on the album's page (which is a more specific page) instead of on the discography table where it is listed (which is on a more general page). That way, pages that compile links don't get crowded with too many words.

• There may be disagreements of how text should be translated, since it is often a matter of interpretation. Unless you are certain it is a mistake rather than a difference of interpretation, try using the discussion page to find out if other people agree before changing a translation.

Capitalization

• Capitalization of titles and names should be emulated from what is officially recognized. For example, if the title of an album is written in all-uppercase letters (on CD covers, PV's, promotional products, etc.), it should be reflected as such in the discography and on the track list. Another example, if an actor romanizes his/her name in all-lowercase letters, it should be written as such in the article name, article description (i.e. at the very top of the page) and in the "stage name" section (if any). The only exception to this rule is in the context of a paragraph (for example, when writing about a title in the History section), where it may be capitalized in a way that makes it easier to read.

Format

Categories

Bands are groups that also play their own instruments for their music.

• All soloists, groups and bands should have the following categories:
  • Category:Artists
  • A category of type (choose from Category:Soloists, Category:Groups, Category:Bands, etc.)
  • A category of genre (choose from Category:J-pop, Category:J-rock, Category:K-pop, etc.)
  • OPTIONAL: a sub-category of type (choose from: Category:Idol Groups, Category:Visual Kei, Category:Boy Bands, etc.)
  • OPTIONAL: additional categories of genre (use if an artist spans multiple genres; same genre options as before)
• Individual members of groups/bands that have not released any solo music should NOT be given a category for genre or "Category:Artists" because they are not individually artists. For them, other applying categories may be used instead (e.x. Category:Idols for members of Idol Groups).

Discography Tables

• Discography tables should have the same categories. Currently the categories are: # (number of the release, e.x. if it is the artist's third single, it would be 3), Title (Romanized title first, then in the original language text), Release Date (in YYYY.MM.DD format) 1st Week Sales (based on Oricon's data), Total Sales (based on Oricon's data) & Top Rank (peak rank on Oricon's weekly charts). This only applies to non-indie Japanese singles & albums. Other types of releases should also have a consistent format, and users are welcome to suggest what they should contain (we need formats for Korean releases, digital releases, indie releases, etc. -- so far all that's required for them are Title & Release Date).

CD Pages

CD pages include all types of singles, albums, mini-albums, etc. Anything with a track list!

• On a CD's page, the article description should contain the following (preferably written in paragraph form):
  • a link to the artist's page
  • the release date
  • what editions it was released in (if there are two or more)
  • the catalogue/product number(s) (if they can be found)

• On a CD's page, the Track List should be the first section after the description. Additional information, including lyrics/composition/arrangement info, trivia, related links, etc., should be included in sections after the Track List.

• On a CD's page, the cover art should be on the right-hand side and thumb-nailed to 200px (if the original image is 200px in width or larger). If there are multiple editions of the CD, the Limited Edition's cover should come first. If there is no Limited Edition, but there are other editions, either the Regular Edition's cover (or the cover of the edition that was released earliest) should come first.

Song pages

• Individual songs should not have their own page unless there is sufficient information about it to include. For example, the information about who wrote/composed/arranged a easily be included on the page of the CD it was first released on, and so it does NOT need its own page. If, on the other hand, the song has an extensive history, or has been covered by many artists, or has been remixed or re-released several times (or some other out-of-the-ordinary circumstance like that), that may qualify as sufficient information to be included on a page of its own.

• Lyrics should not go on either song pages or CD pages because of the likelihood that people will copy ones that can already be found elsewhere on the Internet. Instead, a link to where the lyrics can be found may be added on the CD page.