Oskar Sigvardsson wrote:
On 1/23/07, Mets501 mets501wiki@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 "<!-- --&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