OGF:About OpenGeofiction

OpenGeofiction: a collaborative platform for creating fictional maps

OpenGeofiction (OGF) is based on the OpenStreetMap software platform, which means that all map editors and other tools suitable for OpenStreetMap can be used to build OGF's fictional world. This world is set in modern times, so it doesn't have orcs or elves, but rather power plants, motorways and housing projects. But also picturesque old towns, beautiful national parks and lonely beaches.

If you'd like to help create this world:

1. Create an account at http://opengeofiction.net/user/new. After verifying your email, you can start mapping right away.
2. Start mapping in one of the blue countries on our overview map (thumbnail at right). These countries are free for all users to edit. Look at various towns and cities and try building one yourself.
3. After 7 days with a significant amount of mapping in a blue country, you may:

• Request to own an available country (shown in light green on the overview map) by contacting admin; or
• Request to participate in a collaborative country (shown in purple on the overview map) by contacting its coordinator.

You are also free to choose both of these options, and of course you may continue editing in blue countries as well. When requesting a territory of your own, please remember that such requests are always subject to admin approval, so please wait for confirmation before making any edits in the territory.

Rules

Be realistic	Keep it real. No fantasy, science fiction, joke countries, etc. See OGF:Verisimilitude.
Be original	No imports from OSM. No copying trademarked maps. Doing these things may get you banned. No extensive copying of real world geography.  Try to avoid using well-known place names, real or fictional. No real world companies or organizations. All wiki images — photos and artwork — must be free to use, and must contain a link to source and/or copyright info. All wiki text must be your own writing.
Be respectful	No mapping in others' countries or moving the borders of others' countries without their permission. No writing about others' countries in the wiki without permission. Respect the open seas by following the rules for sea borders, island building, and shipping lines. Do not extend your country beyond its shape on the overview map. For borders with unclaimed neighbor countries, keep them within 10 km of the original line. No sockpuppets. Only one account per user. No vandalism. No offensive or insulting content.  No "empires of paper" in the wiki - avoid overwikification.
Be active	After a prolonged period of inactivity, we may mark your territory for withdrawal. Then, if still no activity happens or we don't otherwise hear from you during the following several weeks, we'll mark the territory as free for other users to claim, and close your account.
Please be aware that violating the rules may result in suspension or termination of your account.

Other terms and conditions

• By participating in OGF you agree to release your contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License (CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0). Of course you are free to choose a more permissive CC license as well.

• We can't take any responsibility for data backup. Snapshots of the data set are created at regular intervals and can be downloaded from http://opengeofiction.net/backup. Please do this frequently!

• OGF is an experiment, and we don't know if it will work in the long run. We believe that the most important factor for success of this project will be the readiness of all participants for cooperation wherever that's necessary. Also, keep in mind that we still regard this site as a private homepage rather than a public service. Which means that ultimately we (the admin team) will have the final say about everything. But we really hope to never have to use that power.
  
  

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If you encounter any problems or have further questions, don't hesitate to contact us by sending a message to the admin team or by email to info@opengeofiction.net — see also our FAQ page for a list of (hopefully) useful hints to get you started.