[WikiEN-l] Spoiler Boilerplates

Fri Jun 23 23:44:10 UTC 2006

Zero wrote:
> Poll..? I assume that's in reference to the template on its nomination
> to TFD somewhat a time back.

That sounds about right.

> No, that's not liking it, its many new editors fooled into thinking
> this has a purpose at the time of their arrival on the encyclopedia.
> A quick check depicted many of these editors had not participated
> in wikipedia discussion...

Hang on a sec.  A minute ago you were complaining that the
decision to keep the spoiler templates was being paternalistically
made by a bunch of editors who didn't necessarily know what
"readers" wanted.  Now you're complaining that the people
participating in the poll didn't have enough experience to make
them "real editors" -- but I guess that makes them readers.

It's simple: six out of seven poll respondents said, "We like the
spoiler templates.  They're useful.  Keep them."  What more do
you want?

> One editor noted "Are you crazy...? This template has been along for
> awhile !"  Chuck, the deletion nominator queried him on how that had
> any relevance to its usefulness. Curiously, none of the editors in keep
> could rebute him

Perhaps the "Are you crazy?" editor didn't happen back to see the
question.  Perhaps people thought it was too obvious to need answering.

> As I recall making a comment earlier on the wikipeida talkpage, none
> of the defensive editors could answer ethier. "I'm sorry, but most
> people like them".

Yup.  Most people do.

> As of my most recent e-mail, I asked how the template assisted the
> encyclopedia or its goals or if there were any edvidence of its
> informative capacity. The questions still haven't been answere

Okay, since you insist:  How do spoiler tags assist the encyclopedia?
Answer:  Readers who (for whatever reason) want to read about a
movie they have not yet seen, or a book they have not yet read,
and who do not want to inadvertently learn of any "spoiler" plot
details, appreciate the presence of these tags.  This is not a
merely hypothetical concern; there's good evidence that there are
real Wikipedia readers who fall into this category.