Style guide

An entry earns a page when it has spread beyond the place it started — when people who never saw the original are using it. A single viral post is not a meme yet; a format other people remix is.

If something is genuinely ambiguous, write it up and let an editor decide. Suggesting is free and nothing goes live unreviewed.

Every entry opens with a one-paragraph summary that answers "what is this" without jargon, then covers origin, spread and usage. The origin section is the one readers arrive for, so it carries the most weight.

An FAQ closes the entry. Write the questions people actually type into a search box, not the ones that make the entry look thorough.

Every claim about where something came from needs a link a reader can check. Prefer the original post, thread or upload over a later article about it.

If an original disappears, look for a preserved copy and identify the archive and date. Keep enough citation detail to identify the evidence, and explain when it could not be inspected.

Use plain sentences. Distinguish a documented example from an absolute first use, and state uncertainty when the evidence is incomplete.

Do not editorialise about whether a meme is good, dead or cringe. Say what it is, where it came from and how it is used.

Use the clearest version of the format, not the funniest example of it. Readers come to identify something they saw elsewhere.

Every image needs descriptive alt text and a creator credit where known. A credit does not establish permission: supply the original upload and evidence of the license or other basis for the intended use.