[WikiEN-l] Readers First

Thu Jul 28 21:03:48 UTC 2005

Maybe these discussions should take place on the talk page of the article?

- Ryan

Haukur Þorgeirsson wrote:

>I agree with the general idea but there
>are some details where I think your proposal
>goes further than is practical. Take this:
>
>"Try to avoid jargon - but where it is particularly relevant or where it
>is necessary, explain all jargon clearly on the article page - a link to
>another article is not enough."
>
>Taking 'jargon' to mean 'technical terms' I
>think this is not always practical. Is 'chromosome'
>a technical term? How about 'nucleotide'? I don't
>think it's practical to explain those terms in
>every single molecular biology page where they
>are used. If someone who doesn't understand these
>terms is reading the [[Polymerase Chain Reaction]]
>page chances are she won't understand the context
>anyway - even if the terms were briefly explained.
>
>Redundant explanations make a page cluttered.
>Short explanations are often imprecise to the
>point of being wrong or not helpful. And one of
>the great advantage of reading Wikipedia (online)
>is the ability to click on technical terms for
>more information.
>
>Technical terms are (usually) not just a method
>for ivory tower academics to keep the commoner
>out. They're a necessary component of the foundation
>of knowledge in their respective disciplines.
>
>It's just not practical to explain everything
>from first principles in every single article.
>
>Regards,
>Haukur
>
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