User:Tennessee Ernie Ford/Nick speaks controversy
The debate around Nick Speaks[edit]
Here's an attempt to summarize the arguments (and rebuttals thereto) on the idea of whether Nick Speaks should get a link in main or talk space (since I'm sure that many of us are having trouble following the WoT). Everyone has my permission to modify the table below, assuming that y'all are fair to views with which you disagree. I apologize in advance if I have misrepresented any particular viewpoint (or missed one).
Please do not debate the topic here or this page's talk; that debate belongs here.
| Issue | Nominally supports... | Description/Argument | Key rebuttal point (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Fan fiction | No linkage | GWW guidelines strongly discourage links or discussions about fan fiction; the main page should not advertise. | These are guidelines, not rules. |
| Popular culture references are linked | Link from Article's trivia | In documenting GW's association with pop, we link all types of things. | GWW uses trivia to link pop origins of GW lore, not references to GW and esp. not fan fiction. |
| Almost harmless | Link on either talk or article | How is the wiki harmed by a link? It's small, it's out of the way, it can easily be ignored. | User pages are rarely (or never) perma-linked from articles/talk. See also: Fan Fiction. |
| Preferential treatment | No linkage | User pages are rarely (or never) perma-linked from articles/talk. | This is different as large part of community has requested it. |
| Popular demand | Link on either tab | A large part of the community requests a link | A large part of the community strongly resists a link |
| Previous compromise | Link from talk | A previous disagreement was resolved by agreeing to a perma-link in place of posting here | Not everyone agreed to this compromise |
| This counts as a move | Link from talk | Move notes are standard practice; you link ...so people can find it...via the {{tl|moved}} | The impact of this link is different from a normal move. |
| People should bookmark | No linkage | why can't you just bookmark OR watch Alice's Nick page? Why should visitors to this talk page be subjugated to this? | Only those who know about Nick speaks can bookmark; there's no way for others to learn about it. |
| Erm, isn't this discussion taking up more space? | Agnostic | Wouldn't it be easier to allow the link? | Wouldn't it be easier to drop the link? |
| Wiki's purpose: document the game | No linkage | The wiki is here to document the game, not to support fan fiction or other sites. | Popular reactions to the game are documented, e.g. Guilds, events, and thoughts on the game's evolution |
| It's not direct trivia | No link | Trivia (tho unimportant) is still direct factual knowledge about the issue at hand; fan fiction not knowledge. | Perhaps it's not trivia, but it still relates to the game as much as fan events. |
| Not sufficient to ask, "why not?" | No link | If it's "no big deal," why does it need a link? Provide some logical basis for making an exception for this. | It's here by popular demand, it's become relevant through community reaction, it is not really an exception. |
The table shouldn't imply that the ideas deserve equal weight... or even that any decision should be decided by weighing the arguments pro/con. I simply find it easier to understand the controversy by seeing all the elements presented together. I hope that others also find that useful. — Tennessee Ernie Ford (TEF) 20:43, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
