Style Guide

Kinktionary is a resource for and by kinksters. It’s built based on contributions from hundreds of Fetlife members, and it’s moderated by the Fetlife team. We like to think of this Style Guide as a set of standards for the work we’re doing. But it’s part of Kinktionary too, which means it’s also a work in progress. Suggestions are appreciated!

Voice and Tone

The goal of FetLife’s Kinktionary’s is to become a balanced and informative resource for everything and anything kink and sexuality. We want Kinktionary’s entries to be unbiased, inclusive, and informative. This is the resource we wish we had to navigate these topics! If you contribute to Kinktionary consider what others may need or want to know and provide it in the clearest, most approachable way possible. But also … have fun with it! After all, a big part of kink is about letting go of the “rules” ;-)

General Guidelines

Be Clear

When people look something up, they typically have a specific question in mind. Give the people what they want: Try to answer that question up front, in the very first sentence.

Be Inclusive

Kinktionary - and Fetlife - aims to be inclusive. That doesn’t mean that all things are for all people, but that we aim to include all possible experiences and perspectives that apply.

Try to avoid using gender where it isn’t strictly necessary/applicable. Remember that the same terminology may be used by different groups in different ways. And, most of all, consider the impact of your words on others.

Be Authoritative

When it comes to kink, there is very seldom just one right way. Add the details that speak to each topic as you understand it, and include different viewpoints where possible. But avoid writing based on your personal opinion alone.

Be Kind

Share your opinions on suggested edits in the comments, and be supportive of others to do the same. Often the best solution is found in the debate between different viewpoints.

Be Collaborative

Where debate exists, Kinktionary’s editors will aim to include as many different viewpoints as possible. But remember that each page is a constant work in progress. Additional suggestions are always appreciated!

Be Relevant

While not all definitions in Kinktionary relate specifically to kink, BDSM, or even sex, this is primarily what readers are coming to Kinktionary to learn about. So, try to tie most topics back to this core mission whenever possible. Notice how Kinktionary’s definition for Self Harm discusses how this mental health challenge can impact a person’s sex life, and how it may play out in kink dynamics. These are unique insights that only other kinksters can provide.

Be Original

Write content based on your experience and your personal knowledge, using external sources for support. But please don’t copy and paste from another source without giving proper attribution.

Wing It a Little

Each Kinktionary entry is very unique - and so are the people who contribute to it. Consider this Style Guide a set of guidelines, not rules. Don’t allow them to restrict you from creating the resource you and other kinksters would want.

Grammar and Style

In general, Kinktionary editors will defer to standard American English based on Merriam Webster Dictionary and AP style. (But we still use the Oxford comma - people have strong feelings about that!) Here are a few other guidelines:

Acronyms

When an acronym exists, please present it in brackets following in the full term name in the Title and Body. After that, either the acronym or the full name can be used. For example, “Risk Aware Consensual Kink (RACK) is …”

For terms that are almost exclusively referred to by their acronyms (like BDSM), consider doing the reverse for clarity. For example, “BDSM (short for Bondage, Discipline … ) This can be determined based on how people are most likely to recognize/search for that term.

Capitalization

Kinktionary will use standard, AP style capitalization except when it comes to Dominant roles. These will be capitalized in all instances. Submissive roles will use regular capitalization rules (i.e. they should not be capitalized unless they start a sentence or are found in a title.)

In cases where a role can be be either Dominant or submissive, or there is some disagreement around whether it should be capitalized or not, the editors will aim to determine how it’s most commonly used, and include a note in the text about the role’s potential to be one or the other depending on the community/person/situation.

Use lowercase for role descriptors unless they’re functioning as a formal title in a specific context. So, capitalize established role names like “Dominant,” and “Top" when referring to them as defined roles rather than general actions or descriptions.

Please don’t capitalize words unless they are proper nouns/names or Dominant roles.

Page Titles

The page title should represent the topic/term being discussed in the way that is likely to be most recognizable to the people looking for it. So, if a term has two potential names, try to use the most common one, and mention synonyms in the body of the text.

When the page title includes an acronym, include it beside the full name in brackets, except in (rare) cases where the acronym is the more common term people are likely to know/search for (like BDSM.)

Sourcing

High-quality external source links are encouraged and appreciated. Please link directly to them in text. Unique, kink-centered sources are especially appreciated. Wikipedia and other major sites don’t need Kinktionary’s support, but niche kink experts and educators might.

Synonyms

When synonyms for a term exist, mention them. Note that these need to be direct synonyms, not just closely related terms or concepts. (See Section Organization for more details.)

Other Stuff

Formatting

Formatting can help people better read and understand larger blocks of text. As the Kinktionary expands, we’ll aim to use:

• H2 subheadings to break out key sections/topic areas (You can create these by add “##” at the beginning of the heading.) Please leave a space after subheads - it just makes things easier to read on the back end.
• H3 subheadings to break out sub-sub headings (You can create these by add “###” at the beginning of the heading.)
• Bulleted and numbered lists for lists (You can create these by using the bullet/numbered list tools.)

Note that formatting may not always be appropriate depending on the amount of text present. Just try to do what looks/feels best for the reader.

Linking

Linking to other mentioned or related Kinktionary pages is welcome and appreciated. Linking to other pages is helpful because it provides more context. Link as much as you think will help the reader, but not so much that it looks or feels overwhelming or cluttered. (Kinktionary’s editors will be helping with this too!)

Note: when linking please only include a link to the first reference of that term. Subsequently the link is no longer needed.

Resources

In some cases, including a list of external resources where people can find more information or support may be valuable to Kinktionary readers. We’ll aim to provide these in a section at the end of the entry and link to them directly. Kink-friendly resources are especially appreciated!

Side-Notes and Examples

In some cases you may want to include examples or side-notes in a description. It is good practice to clearly indicate these as "note" or "example" and to use a quotation block.

Example: This an example of how to format an example into a quotation block.

Section Organization

Ideally, we’d like content to be organized into sections, each with a clear subheading for easier reading. The following sections should be considered for all entries, in more or less this order.

• What does it mean?/Basic definition: This one doesn’t need its own subhead, but try to explain it in the first 1-3 lines of text.
• Origins of the Term: Not always applicable but can add a lot in terms of people’s understanding of a concept. When did this term start being used? Does it have a history in kink or popular culture?
• Synonyms (if applicable): If a term has direct synonyms that you know of, please list them near the beginning of the definition. This can help people recognize they are in the right place.
• Why People Are Into It: This is where we can try to explain why people enjoy this kink/role/etc. What do they get out of it? What turns them on about? The goal here is to help people better understand themselves or, if it's not their thing, "get" why it someone else would be into it.
• How to Play: For any definitions that involve an act or a role, give people information on how to get started or how to play. Remember that people come to Kinktionary with varying levels of experience and knowledge.
• Related terms/roles/activities/events etc.: Where you know of any, try to include them. This context helps people understand the concept better and gives them other areas to explore.
• Safety and Consent: Try to include guidelines around consent and safety whenever possible, especially in entries that deal with activities that present physical/emotional risk.
• Controversy: When there is known controversy/debate around a term or concept, try to present both sides of the argument while keeping the content neutral. This helps people better understand these concepts, their context, and how they want to apply their own beliefs and values.
• Resources: When providing external resources, think of sources that a person might have a harder time finding on their own.Try to refrain from using wikipedia unless you can’t find a better source.

TBD

Here we’ll add notes on style as they arise. Feel free to suggest any that you find as well.

• STIs not STDs
• "Enby" is preferred over "NB" as a short version of "non-binary"