[WikiEN-l] Preloading template in new articles

[Ray Saintonge]

Oskar Sigvardsson wrote:

>On 1/23/07, Mets501 <mets501wiki at gmail.com> wrote:
>  
>
>>It already is included in the text above the edit box, but it's not enough.
>>New users don't know how to add references, and therefore just ignore the
>>whole thing.
>>    
>>
>Which is another good point, this wont help any new users add
>references. If they're not smart enough to see the big notice above
>the edit-box, then they're probably not wiki-savvy enough to know what
>the hell "==References==" or "&lt;!-- --&mt;" means.
>
>Still, my main argument still stands. It's condescending and rude, and
>that's not how we should treat our new users, let alone our
>experienced ones who are going to have to see that damn notice every
>damn time they start an article. I just think that that is not the way
>we should be treating new users.
>
>I know I would never have joined if I had been greeted by a bunch of
>reference-fanatic dudes who didn't have any patience with people who
>didn't quite get how wikipedia works.
>
Absolutely.  But the rule-mongers that like this sort of thing.  Any 
kind of sensible human relations have to take second place to this kind 
of petty imposed order.

Perhaps it should be made clear to the newbies that since form is more 
important than substance it does not matter whether the reference has 
anything to do with what they are writing.

Ec