[WikiEN-l] Templates for the masses

[Moe Epsilon]

Honestly, I think the only real way to avoid these templates and still get the message across that there is something wrong, is to repurpose the templates so that the message is displayed on the talk page, that way editors still know to fix what needs fixing and the article, to the reader-population, won't be bothered by the overly annoying use of the boxes. Repurposing the templates is something I would support for the majority of the templates.
   
  Honestly, why do we need a big template on the front of an article anyways? Doesn't discussion about how the article should improve in quality and maintain a more neutral point of view take place on the talk page to begin with? Plastering these articles with obsessive templates like {{current}}, {{npov}}, {{wikify}}, etc. are just useless all around for any reader of the website to see. 

Zoney <zoney.ie at gmail.com> wrote:
  Does it not drive anyone else up the wall the incessant templates jammed
onto the top of our articles? Sure some of the articles have issues that
readers as well as editors should be aware of, but it's really ridiculous
having these Vogonic bureaucratic Wiki-speak instructions/jargon stamped
before the article text for all and sundry to enjoy. Half the time the
templates aren't even warranted, or at the least the issue is not important
enough to demand anything other than a note on the talk page. It's far too
easy for people just to slap on templates onto articles in a sort of
wiki-process-allowed defacement of content.

I mean the trivia section warning for one thing. I consider myself firmly in
the anti-trivia camp, and indeed I'd nearly support removing offending
sections to talk pages as well when asking people to integrate the brainless
factoids; but really, there's no need to give instructions on the situation
to all our readers. It's just not that important! Templates in fact compound
the problem by highlighting the trivia sections! It makes no sense!

As regards the templates that are somewhat necessary (don't use our
second-hand info about hurricanes in your area, etc) can a specific area
separate from the article content be used for the message? Something like
how the fundraising message is displayed?

Zoney
--
_______________________________________________
WikiEN-l mailing list
WikiEN-l at lists.wikimedia.org
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit:
http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l
       
---------------------------------
Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect.  Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us.