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

[David Goodman]

The ones who like them are, from the comments, trying to use WP as a
movie guide. It isn't--its an encyclopedia. When one reads an
encyclopedic entry on a work of fiction, one expects to find the
plot--the whole plot. There are multiple other sources for movie
reviews.  If we want this section of our coverage to look respectably
encyclopedic, the spoilers should stay out.

It's not a matter of pleasing people or not, but of maintaining a
proper tone and proper standards.

On 12/16/07, Peter Ansell <ansell.peter at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>
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-- 
David Goodman, Ph.D, M.L.S.