On 1/24/07, Mets501 mets501wiki@gmail.com wrote:
Would anyone object to preloading a references section in every new article? For example, when a user searches for a topic and clicks the big "Create this article" link, the user will be shown a page like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Testing...testing...testing http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Testing...testing...testing&actio n=edit&preload=Template:Article+starter &action=edit&preload=Template:Article+starter.
This has been proposed before, several times. Can I suggest that if we do this, we put a lot of thought into the template, *before* inflicting it on everyone. It should be really intuitive and self-explanatory, and *not annoying*. Also, disablable (opt-out or opt-in) for registered users.
If you want to see how well the "provide wikitext to a new user and get them to customise it" thing really works out, just look at the crud that newbies at WP:AFC generate.
Steve