Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia:Announcements

A lot happens on the Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia and we want to keep you up-to-date. So please take a moment to check this page out every once in a while for news, events, and general information that we feel would be of use to you.

October 2020
Hello all!

To begin, we'd like to wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween! We hope you are doing well at this time of year.

As you may have noticed, our site has undergone a few software updates that has changed the look and feel of many familiar things to users. It hasn't been a smooth ride, but we are doing all we can to make sure our rails are smooth and dry. Spongebob456, a Wiki Manager, has started a feedback thread under our Discussions area where users can provide their thoughts and feedback on the UCP update.

If you would like to provide some constructive input, please do so here: https://ttte.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000000066697

If you have any questions, please reach out to us! Dry rails and good running!

--AddictStudios

June 2020
Hello all!

It's really been quite a while since we've posted an announcement here, but as this is an exciting year for Thomas & Friends, it is also an exciting year for our wiki! We have many new things in store now and coming soon.

First, we are proud to announce that we now have FANDOM's discussions function enabled on our site. This feature allows greater community connection and functions similarly to a forum. You can make polls, ask questions, or bring something to our attention here as needed. Please join our discussions here and read our conduct guidelines here!

Second, to those of you who are unaware, FANDOM is working on a massive project, the United Community Platform (UCP). This is a major, major overhaul of the existing platform which will allow us to use the newest version of Mediawiki, which will give us more possible features to make this wiki as useful and valuable as possible. With that comes an additional update to the way user profiles are designed. That being said, this update will remove a variety of functions such as forums (which we do not use), message walls, and article comments. The recent activity page will be reworked into a recent changes page which includes more details on recent edits. Coding used for things such as our strike system will be disabled, and we are attempting to figure out how to move on to something else. We have been told that FANDOM is working on replacement features for some of these because many wikis rely on them.

Many wikis have already been migrated to this new platform. We have not yet, and do not have a timeframe for when that will happen, but we believe that our users should be prepared for it anyway. If you'd like to read more about it, you can find staff blogs here and here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us! Dry rails and good running!

AddictStudios (talk) 18:58, June 28, 2020 (UTC)

January 2019
Hello, everyone!

We would like to announce that the wiki will be undergoing some major changes, which will likely last over the course of the next week or so depending on how everything goes. Please make sure to check the Community Messages, the official wiki Twitter and this page for more information.

As part of our first big shake-up, we have updated our Rules article with a new set of rules written by SkarloeyFanRWS with some adjustments by myself. Most of the rules should be the same as before, but we have also added some additional ones and rewritten some old ones. We ask that you please review the new rules and make sure to abide by them.

We have also decided to start using "series" to refer to individual television seasons now, as opposed to "season", in keeping with the wiki using British terminology. If you see any instances of the word "season" being used to refer to series on articles, then we ask that you please change it.

Stay tuned for more updates!

The Steampunk Whovian (talk) 23:28, January 23, 2019 (UTC)

September 2018
Hello!

We've had some changes to the staff lately. We've brought on a new member and promoted an older one!

We're very pleased to welcome SkarloeyFanRWS to our staff! A veteran of the Thomas fandom, you might remember him for his HO Great Waterton layout on YouTube a few years ago. He is going to be serving in the capacity of an image controller and graphic designer! We're certain he'll be able to bring some great ideas to the site and can't wait to see them come to life!

The other change in staff is that SunilFan48 has been promoted from Image Control to Admin. He has consistently been a very active member of the wiki for a while and we all think that this promotion has been a long time coming. He will do a great job maintaining and keeping the wiki up to date.

Be sure to congratulate both of these staff members on their new positions!

That's all we have for now, but stay tuned for further updates about the site.

- Sam SamTheTrainFan (talk) 08:27, September 8, 2018 (UTC)

October 2017
Hello, everyone!

We have made some more changes to our staff team. We have promoted some new users, created new positions and have even brought back a few old members of the team.

First of all, Zem2point0 has decided to return to the team as an admin. We are glad to have him back on the team, and I am sure he will do a great job helping to update our wiki.

Second, we have finally began promoting discussion mods. These users will supervise the talk pages and message walls, and make sure that everyone is following the rules for these two. TWR98, Ilovetrains323 and TheHappyTruckShunter have joined the team as discussion mods, and Cinderthomtrooper and CalleyFan has also returned to the team.

And finally, we have created a new position, entitled "Head(s) of Community Relations". These users will manage and have access to the wiki's social media profiles, and will be able to moderate messages, attempt to soothe any potential arguments or negative stigma surrounding the wiki and make sure that the staff of the wiki have a stronger connection with the rest of the fanbase. CalleyFan has been promoted to this position, as has Prosper-no.

And with all that said and done, we are now done looking for new staff members for the time being. Congratulates to the new users on their new roles, and welcome back to the returning staff members!

The Steampunk Whovian (talk) 21:20, October 8, 2017 (UTC)

September 2017
Hello, Wikians!

We have recently begun making major changes to our staff team. As the article comments have been removed, all comment controllers have been placed on rollback until new positions can be found for them. We apologize for the abrupt change and will work to find new positions for them to have.

We have also hired new staff members to the team to help out as the wiki undergoes some major changes. First up, we have El Ieuan, James the Train Lover and Prosper-no joining the team as admins. All three of them are fantastic admins, and I am confident that they will do a great job!

Second, we have promoted Gamball and FlyingPringle to Image Control. Jacob is also going to be our new graphics designer and will be in charge of making our social media avatars, wallpapers, etc. Welcome aboard, guys!

That's all for now. Be sure to congratulate our new staff on their promotions, and stick around as we begin making new changes to the wiki in the coming weeks!

~Johnny (The Steampunk Whovian (talk) 20:22, September 16, 2017 (UTC))

Greetings, everyone,

As I'm sure you all have heard by now, our former head admin, SkarloeyRailway, has decided to step down from the wiki after nearly five years of being an admin. We thank him for his contributions to the site and hope all goes well for him in his future endeavors!

In the wake of Seamus' resignation, I have appointed SamTheTrainFan to the role of bureaucrat in order to help me make some much needed changes to the wiki. Congrats on the promotion, Sam! Be sure to congratulate him on his new position!

While we are on the subject of changes, I have decided that I will be giving the wiki an extensive overhaul from the ground up, as I feel that the site could use a lot of improvements. We will begin looking for new staff, change the way the pages themselves are formatted and rework the Rules and the Manual of Style. Some pages may also be locked while the admins are conducting experiments on them, so don't worry if you find that you are unable to edit a specific page.

Lastly, we are now taking suggestions on how we can change the wiki and would love to hear your ideas. If you have a suggestion you would like to send us, please message us over on the wiki's Twitter account or message me on my own profile.

In the coming weeks we will be making more announcements regarding changes to the site and its staff. Until then, we hope that the wiki will be able to move forward successfully, and we will see you all in the next announcement!

Regards,

Johnny (The Steampunk Whovian (talk) 10:26, September 15, 2017 (UTC))

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening everyone!

I would like to officially announce that as of today, I am resigning my position as head of the Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia.

This comes after months of declining activity on the site, for a number of reasons, the most important of which is my life outside the internet. I am a senior in college with a part time job, a family, and various social obligations that require my attention, and as such, I am not able to devote nearly enough time and energy to this site as it needs.

I am by no means leaving the fandom, and you can still find me on Twitter and SiF, but my presence here will likely be minimal. We have a great team of admins who have done a fantastic job maintaining the site as my activity has declined, and I feel good leaving the site in their capable hands!

I look back at my nearly eight years on this site very fondly, but the time has come to close the door on this chapter of my life!

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me on Twitter, SiF or any other place you may find me!

All the best,

- SkarloeyRailway ...you will find two little engines called Skarloey and Rheneas... 14:33, September 14, 2017 (UTC)