IC : About : BDSM Dictionary

BDSM Dictionary help page

The BDSM Dictionary is hosted by Informed Consent, and contains definitions and information about BDSM and Fetish, with an emphasis on the UK. The entries are covered by the same GNU Free Documentation License used by the Wikipedia encyclopedia, and the LFS BDSM/Fetish Wipipedia.

Editing entries

Everyone with a IC profile can edit the text of the Dictionary using the "Edit entry" button which appears near the bottom of each entry. The Dictionary uses the same ICcode language as the rest of IC to define paragraphs, headings etc.

Creating entries

If you feel an entry is missing, please see if there's already a similar one by looking through the list of all entries.

When naming entries, avoid plurals: so we have an entry with the title "Submissive" rather than "Submissives"; and avoid abbrevations in titles: so "Total Power Exchange" rather than "T.P.E."; don't over-capitalise: if words are not normally capitalised in text, only capitalise the first word in entry titles - so "Total Power Exchange" is normally all in capitals, whereas the phrase "dress code" isn't, and should appear as "Dress code" in the title of a Dictionary entry.

If there isn't already an entry, you can add it using the "Create entry" button on the list of all entries. You need to specify the entry title in that form.

What kinds of topics are ok?

The Dictionary focuses on words used for BDSM activities and in the BDSM scene, along with some terminology about fetishes and the Fetish scene.

Cross references between entries

You can make cross references by placing the entry title in the ICcode command [about=

That is, using something like:

[about=Dress code]dress codes[/about]

which will produce a link like

dress codes

(This method also works from IC web board and weblog posts, profiles and memos.)

If a suitable entry doesn't exist already, you can still make a reference to it. When other people follow that link, the system will invite them to create the entry, and this is one of the main ways in which the Dictionary grows.

Copyright

By contributing to entries in the BDSM Dictionary, you're giving other people a license to copy them according to the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL). In turn, this reciprocal licensing allows us to incorporate text from other GFDL dictionaries and encyclopedias like the Wiktionary, Wikipedia or LFS BDSM/Fetish Wipipedia.

All entries which incorporate text from other GFDL works must acknowledge the source. Please do this with a notice in brackets at the very end of the entry:

(This entry incorporates text from the 
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XX_YY]XX YY[/url]
article in Wikipedia.)

(This entry incorporates text from the 
[url=http://www.londonfetishscene.com/wipi/index.php/XX_YY]XX YY[/url]
article in Wipipedia.)

For material with other copyright licenses, it is your responsibility to check that you have permission to copy and relicense them before adding them to the BDSM Dictionary.

Style guide

Avoid plurals in titles: So we have an entry with the title "Submissive" rather than "Submissives".
Avoid abbrevations in titles: So "Total Power Exchange" rather than "T.P.E."
A Dictionary first, not an Encyclopaedia: Unlike encyclopaedia projects like the Wikipedia, we're not primarily trying to create a set of articles about concepts but rather we're trying to help newcomers with the jargon used in BDSM. It's also ok (and encouraged) to include encyclopaedic descriptions of the concepts behind the words after the definitions and the descriptions of how words are used. Another difference is that we aim to have one entry for each related word rather than redirecting to a single article about that set of concepts. (eg separate entries for "Master", "Slave", "Master/slave", "Enslavement" etc rather than a single "Master/slave" article which the other terms redirect to. However, if an article-like discussion of M/s is written, it should be placed in one entry with a note in the related entries indicating where it is. This also means we avoid having multiple articles for different uses of the word: so one Bottom article, rather than Bottom(BDSM), Bottom(sex), Bottom(body part) etc.)
Don't over-capitalise titles: If words are not normally capitalised in text, only capitalise the first word in entry titles - so "Total Power Exchange" is normally all in capitals, whereas the phrase "dress code" isn't, and should appear as "Dress code" in the title of a Dictionary entry.
Capitalise people's names as they write them: Many submissives use a lower case letter to begin their name, and the individual's practice should be followed when referring to them. This also applies to "CamelCase" names like "KinkFest".
Don't capitalise He, She, Master, Mistress, Owner etc: Use normal English capitalisation for pronouns and improper nouns (ie everything but people's own names.) Do not use "Y/you" type constructs for referring to mixed groups.
But use M/s, D/s, O/p: These three exceptions are so well established that we follow common practice for the abbrevations and the full form (eg "Master/slave"). However, only do this if the two are combined in these specific phrases - ie when the slash is present.
Use headings to subdivide long entries: The ICcode help page explains how to make subheadings with [heading]. This improves readability, and allows the system to create an automatic table of contents for the entries.
Use the "Oxford Comma": When listing in a sentence, use a comma to terminate the item before the word "and". Hence "Safe, Sane, and Consensual", not "Safe, Sane and Consensual".

Editorial Policy

The BDSM Dictionary does not use the same tests of verifiability, notability, and Neutral Point of View used by the Wikipedia (and related projects like the LFS Wipipedia.) Rather than produce an encyclopaedia of articles based on referenced, printed sources, we're trying to represent the consensus about how BDSM terms are used, by BDSM people themselves. In many cases this will involve describing the conflicting ways in which the same word is used by different groups.

The Dictionary web board can be used to discuss the wording of entries and the general direction of improvements to the Dictionary.

Without the Wikipedia's verifiability and notability tests, we may have to use editorial judgement in resolving disagreements.

As the text of previous versions remain accessible through the entry's history page, if you find your contributions are edited out, you are welcome to cut and paste the old text into an article on the Wikipedia or LFS BDSM/Fetish Wipipedia.