[WikiEN-l] Actual data on spoiler warning uses by the public

[Peter Ansell]

On 16/12/2007, Todd Allen <toddmallen at gmail.com> wrote:
> joshua.zelinsky at yale.edu wrote:
> > Quoting Andrew Gray <shimgray at gmail.com>:
> >> On 16/12/2007, joshua.zelinsky at yale.edu <joshua.zelinsky at yale.edu> wrote:
> >>> See http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6424&p=147306#p147306
> >>>
> >>> In retrospect I'm not sure why no one did this before. The sample isn't
> >>> exactly
> >>> representative (since it is xkcd fora). But one interesting thing
> >>> seems clear;
> >>> the public prefers spoiler warnings on Wikipedia and uses them.
> >>>
> >> Well... thirty people on an internet forum prefer spoiler warnings and
> >> use them. I'm not entirely sure we can generalise from that to "the
> >> public" with any degree of confidence.
> >>
> >
> > That's true. The sample size is very small. But considering that one argument
> > made in favor of spoiler removal was that the spoiler-removal was favored by
> > the public this preliminary data doesn't seem to back that up at all and if
> > anything shows the other direction.
> >
> If you check recent changes, it's also apparent that a large number of
> people are in favor of vandalism. That doesn't mean we should start
> allowing it.

How did you make the connection between spoiler warnings and
vandalism? Seems like you are just putting up a straw man to knock
down.

Peter