Content Guidelines

Join our discord channel, or Facebook group RetroWeb User Group. Ask one of the admins if you have any questions!

Quality control is essential to our platform. Websites are being browsed for historical accuracy, and they are being used as a trustworthy resource. Our users deserve an unprecedented experience while using the platform, and we must make sure our platform relays a clear assurance to our end users that content on our platform is safe and easy to browse. This is why we must try our best to keep the quality of content distributed on the service at a reasonably high level.

Contributors who work on websites, should understand, that publishing broken websites cannot be tolerated. It is difficult to exactly define what a broken website is, but the general rule of thumb is that the web site should not contain more than 20% references to missing content, such as broken images, or broken links. The main page (typically index.html on the root of the domain) should not contain any broken links or broken images. If the website you are archiving is otherwise good, you may want to recreate the missing content using Google image search, and/or other sources. If you have any concerns about the website you are publishing, or if you would like to hear suggestions how to improve a website before publishing it, we welcome you to ask us on Discord. We are there to help! Exceptionally well restored websites may be featured on our website, or social media platforms, and credited.

ProtoWeb is a service that attempts to recreate the experience of using the World Wide Web as it existed when it was at it's infancy (ProtoWeb = Prototype Web). Generally pages from the years characterizing the early Internet boom from years 1995 to 1999 should be restored and are allowed on ProtoWeb. A year is picked that best characterizes the website at the peak of its popularity. If such version of a site cannot be restored due to missing or broken assets at archive.org, an alternative version can be restored, so most (if not all) functionality of a website can be rebuilt.

We may allow some websites outside the 1995-1999 range if ONE of the following criteria are met.

• Website first appeared after 1999.
• The only good archived copy of a website is available from after 1999.
• The website's popularity peaked after 1999.

And ALL of the following criteria are met:

• Restored website is from before 2005
• Site has cultural significance.
• Site can be easily browsed with web browsers released before 2000.

ProtoWeb caters to users that are primarily from international backgrounds, hence we favor restoration of websites that can be understood by most people. This is why we prefer English when possible. We may consider restoring websites of other languages if the site was culturally significant, or if the website had an English option in addition to it's local language.

Websites that contain unauthorized distribution of copyrighted software, such as warez sites, and web sites that spread malware such as viruses, browser hijackers, spyware, and adware (such as BonziBuddy) are strictly prohibited. Websites containing adult content, such as nudity, are out of scope on our platform. Please note that ProtoWeb should be considered a family friendly service.