On 9/2/08, Will will@nabble.com wrote:
I emailed Jimmy Wales about adding a "real" discussion function to Wikipedia.
Will,
I for one think it's a marvelous idea to have some sort of project with discussion boards for... EVERYTHING, or at least everything that's notable. A wonderful idea, and someone's going to do it. If not us, someone else. But such an idea is so good, it is inevitable that it will occur.
I agree with the many people who have said that that thing is not Wikipedia. We're an encyclopedia, and have worked hard to generate the "brand image" that we're not just a group of random lunatics saying whatever we want about anything. Incorporating a "discuss the subject itself" area into Wikipedia itself would probably lead to confusion.
I would suggest asking the foundation to start up a new project which is specifically devoted to talking about subject itself. Wikidiscuss or Wikitalk or something like that.
And then, through templating, we could direct people to THAT project whenever they discuss things directly (rather than discussing the article). For subjects where an extensive discussion is ongoing, we could include links to that discussion in the same way that we include links to other projects (like Commons or WikiSource).
But in general, I think it's a wonderful idea, and if you could help the foundation make such a thing come to pass, without it being part of Wikipedia proper, I think it would be a wonderful addition to the family.
Alec