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no subject
no subject
style sheets? a good model to follow?
Is there a page that lays out how things are to be referred to? Example: multi-fandom/multimedia/multi-media? Or for fandoms: Man from U.N.C.L.E./Man From U.N.C.L.E./The Man from...? How about including "the" and "a" in fandoms and zine titles: The A-Team/A-Team? Is there a way to correct a page heading after one's searched it, and used the link to make a new page only to discover too late that not capitalizing correctly in a search or not using an exclamation point makes it look like two different entries? Is there a masterlist of authors and people who I can use full names before 1995? Is there a couple of "ideal" pages I can use as models?
I've got lots of questions and don't know who to ask!
Mrs. Potato Head
style sheets? a good model to follow?
Is there a page that lays out how things are to be referred to? Example: multi-fandom/multimedia/multi-media? Or for fandoms: Man from U.N.C.L.E./Man From U.N.C.L.E./The Man from...? How about including "the" and "a" in fandoms and zine titles: The A-Team/A-Team? Is there a way to correct a page heading after one's searched it, and used the link to make a new page only to discover too late that not capitalizing correctly in a search or not using an exclamation point makes it look like two different entries? Is there a masterlist of authors and people who I can use full names before 1995? Is there a couple of "ideal" pages I can use as models?
I've got lots of questions and don't know who to ask!
Mrs. Potato Head
mrs.potatohead@yahoo.com
no subject
The other reason is one I would like to discuss here, because I feel a lot of people are struggling with it. Despite their general interest in the wiki, they don’t work on it. I’ve tried to come up with a few explanations why that is and would like to hear your thoughts on it. Basically, I think Fanlore’s problem is to engage people enough to care, sign up and edit. Only, the „engaging“ isn’t happening for various reasons.
* Fanlore is still in beta. That in itself might make potential user reluctant to join in. A beta suggests a site that is unstable, that might just go away without further notice. There’s no stability here, you don’t want to make yourself feel at home in such a place. My question would be: Why is the wiki still in beta? Is it the code? Is it the policies? When will that change? And why is that not communicated somewhere?
* The Front Page. It’s boring. Actually, I think this calls for a capitalization: It’s BORING. The wiki has been up for over a year and nothing has happened on the front page. Okay, the link to the DW Comm was added, but that’s hardly a groundbreaking thing. And a very rudimentary news page was added as well, but it doesn’t actually give you any useful info. What about the policy change for fanwork titles? Why did that not go up there? Have you looked at a random wiki lately? Have you seen what’s going on on their front pages? Article of the day, author of the day, this day in history. There is *so* much you could do with a front page, even when a wiki is small. Fandom of the Day. Fannish Person of the Day. Author of the Day. And yet Fanlore totally disregards this opportunity. Why?
* In lieu with the front page is the problem of giving visitors the chance to discover content. A good front page would make that easier. It would give you lots of interesting links to click and in the best of possible worlds you would just dig yourself deeper and deeper into the wiki. Instead, the only way to discover content at the moment is by search, by recent changes and by random page.
* Communication. I think it isn’t happening enough. Or if it’s happening, it’s happening in the wrong places. The wiki committee members should be easier to find (at the moment: front page: beta: committee) and it should be made clear what the committee actually does. The OTW newsletters are kind of vague in that regard. I’m assuming the committee is doing something worthwile, but I have no facts to back that up.
* Users offer ideas, everyone likes them and still nothing happens. As evidenced here (http://fanlore.dreamwidth.org/7275.html). This conversation is from September and has had no visible results. I do think this user is hitting the target. The wiki needs something like „Add you favourite author day“ or „Fill out a stub week“. It would help give the wiki and the users a focus.
* I’ve had the same experience on a conversation leading nowehere on the issue page, where I asked about policies for images (http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fanlore_talk:Issues). The wiki is in desperate need of more eyecandy and I’m convinced it would help to give people a guideline where to put them. „We’re working on it“, was the reply. That was in April.
* A minor problem with the DW comm: It would be helpful to see right away who is actually associated with the wiki. It’s nice that discussion happens there, but it would be good to know whether the discussion is happening with another user, with a gardener or with an admin.
Michelle
http://michelle.fancrone.net
http://fanlore.org/wiki/User:Michelle