[WikiEN-l] Being bold doesn't work anymore, or why our prose is so bad.

[Nick Wilkins]

On 9/9/07, Anthony <wikimail at inbox.org> wrote:
>
> On 9/8/07, Steve Bennett <stevagewp at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 9/9/07, Anthony <wikimail at inbox.org> wrote:
> > > Presumably you knew this before you went to the article about him.
> >
> > Nah, I frequently follow links just to find out who the person is.
>
> But surely the text surrounding the link tells you why the person is
> notable.
>
> > Well, I actually use a javascript plugin that lets you hover over a
> > link and that shows you the first paragraph.
> >
> > There are all sorts of reasons you'd end up on a Wikipedia article -
> > not necessarily because you're searching for more information on that
> > specific subject.
> >
> Well, yeah, if you're new page patrolling, for instance, and searching
> around for stuff to delete.  But I would think the times "normal
> people" go to an article for a reason other than to find more
> information about that subject are extremely rare.


I use the "random article" button a lot when I'm not editing, because it's
often an interesting way to learn new things.  If articles didn't say
quickly why the subject is notable, I doubt I'd have much interest in doing
that.

-- Jonel