Forum:Visual Clutter
Forums: Index > Watercooler > Visual Clutter
Notes (2017)[edit]
- Hey User:Ssteve, you wrote [Removed "Visual Clutter"] on your last edit. I am not bothered that you removed the organizational frame / layout there that no one had yet filled out.
- But what I would say is that the wiki has been around since roughly 2006. For the first ten years, there was a fairly strict policy of not putting any material on the wiki unless it was explicit "content." And that policy kept the wiki under about 20k articles and much of the content was little developed.
- About two years ago, that policy was rescinded and we started figuring out how to organize articles, added organizational layouts, and the content and articles have greatly grown (doubled to quadrupled in just two years)... In pure article content, in quantity of articles, and in quality of articles.
- If we leave frames or organizational layouts in place, it makes it easier for people to follow up and add content, what we really want. And it's been happening. People add to something that has structure. They ignore jumbled, empty stubs.
- For instance, the sector articles have dramatically grown and developed. Because of organizational layouts and a willingness to ignore "visual clutter" until someone adds to it.
- So, by all means, remove "visual clutter," but replace it with content. Just don't leave it empty. Content matters. So does structure.
- I am not telling you how to do anything, but I am encouraging you to consider what I have shared. That's all.
- In the end of ends, you add tremendous content, which makes a huge difference. I added the UWP Listing to world profiles because of your generous work. Very cool. I can't wait to see myself and others develop UWP listings for other worlds.
- Thank you for your hard work at the wiki.
- - Maksim-Smelchak (talk) 19:43, 22 January 2017 (EST)
- Steve, you copied and pasted my note to you. What do you think?
- - Maksim-Smelchak (talk) 08:49, 25 January 2017 (EST)
- About two years ago, that policy was rescinded and we started figuring out how to organize articles, added organizational layouts, and the content and articles have greatly grown (doubled to quadrupled in just two years).
- The policy of restricting articles to have real content was not rescinded. You, unilaterally, changed it. Despite several polite requests by the other editors to leave the policy in place. A wiki is not judged by the number of articles or outlines, it is judged by content.
- More explicitly, and I've brought every one of these up to you before: Please don't create "Placeholder" articles. Please don't create articles who's entire content is just the outline from the style guide page with all of the text as "No information [yet] available". Please don't add templates to an article and leave parameters as "TBD" or other placeholders, fill in the correct values.
- Tjoneslo (talk) 18:29, 25 January 2017 (EST)
- I stand corrected then. My apologies to you and Steve then.
- - Maksim-Smelchak (talk) 20:45, 25 January 2017 (EST)