[WikiEN-l] Re: Friday's featured article

Wed Mar 30 08:38:06 UTC 2005

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 13:32:27 -0500, Mark Pellegrini
<mapellegrini at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> After seeing what some people have said WRT other major media
> orgainzations doing April Fools hoaxes (the NYT and BBC) I've softened
> my position a bit. I'll go along with it if Mav does -- I'm still wary
> of putting a hoax article up, but as long as it is
> subtly marked as such, I'm OK with it (someone suggested putting it up
> as 'Today's featured [[nihilartikle]]")

Seems the consensus on Talk:FAC is to have the European Toilet Paper
Holder be the April 1 article. Personally, the idea of planned
disinformation in Wikipedia gives me the creeps (I'm with Mav and
Raul), but if it's time limited, it could be tolerated.

HOWEVER, I would beg folks not to make it "subtly marked" but rather
*obviously marked* at the end.

An April Fools joke is only fun when you can blame the reader for
missing an obvious doozie that gives it away. Right now, it does not
have such a kicker or punchline to let people in on the secret. If we
do not, it would amount to devious and malicious intent, which would
do a disservice to Wikipedia's reputation.

As an aside, the EPTH article takes way too long to get to the joke. 

{{spoiler}}
Other media outlets do partake of this tradition. Scientific American
did a piece this year for April 2005, and at the end they made it very
clear at the end of the piece by saying they'll start something "April
1." If you want to see it: http://tinyurl.com/3kf3e. Otherwise, don't.

-Andrew (User:Fuzheado)

PS: /me goes to add the obligatory, "But of course, the Chinese
invented it first" line to the EPTH article, regardless of whether I
believe it being a FA

> 
> I'd also like to hear Jimbo weigh in on this.
> 
> --Mark
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> WikiEN-l mailing list
> WikiEN-l at Wikipedia.org
> http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
>