User blog:Fedora Kid/Issues Concering the Wiki's Main Page

First off, I know that I’m not a rollback, admin, or anything like that. But I feel that it’s my obligation to make this blog, so that I can include any possible details and insure that this blog is taken seriously.

Earlier today, several users, including several admins, met in a private channel of the IRC to discuss two very serious topics concerning the Main Page of the Wiki. Webkinz Mania and Nalyd Renrut, two of the users who were present, authorized the making of a Blog/Forum that deals with these issues. They did not specify who is to do it, so I have taken it upon myself.

Topic One: The Slider
As you all know, a new addition was added to the Main Page: A Slider, consisting of four sections. The sections, respectively, concern: Welcoming people to the Wiki, the newest airing episode of Total Drama, the current Featured Article, and news about the upcoming fourth season. However, this Slider has quickly proven to be a problem. First off, the Slider itself is very hard and takes very long to update. As a result, the Featured Article of Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot has been on there for several weeks, long overdue. Likewise, conflicting edits have resulted in a failure of a Newest Episode slide: The caption says Awwwwww, Drumheller, the image is from African Lying Safari, and the image links to Hawaiian Style. Also, the captions for each slide are too large, as evident by “Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot” being changed to “Team Chris Is Really (x4) Hot.” In addition, some of the captions in the season four slide are hard to read, as they are a black font against the dark red. Plus, it takes up a lot of space and seems to push the “Current News and Events” and “Featured User” section farther down the page. The only positive that can be seen is that, from a first-hand glance, it looks a lot cooler and more modern. But, overall, this Slider is an issue that needs to be addressed now. If this Slider were to be removed, we would be: A) Once again putting the news on the latest episode under the “Current News and Events” section like it was before. B) Putting the section for “Featured Article” back on the right-hand column with all of the other “Featured” sections like it was before. And C) Going back to the old format, with the logos for each of the three current seasons lining the top of the left half of the Main Page. Each logo links to its respective season, and underneath each logo is a link to the lists of each Episode and each Character in that season (such as “Total Drama Island Episodes,” “Total Drama Island Characters,” etc.). So, in the below poll, please vote on one of the two choices and help contribute to the official decision on this topic.

What do you want to see happen to the Slider on the Main Page? I want it to stay right where it is. I want it to be removed, and for the Main Page to go back to the setup it had before.

Topic Two: The “Oppose” Vote Sections on “Featured” Pages
Another issue that indirectly relates to the Main Page, which was mainly suggested by Nalyd Renrut, is the issue of “Oppose” sections in the voting for each of the “Featured” forums. Obviously, the “Featured” forums are major cornerstones of the overall Wiki, let alone the Main Page. Recently, there have been many instances where a vast majority of nominees for Featured Article, Featured Image, and Featured Song have more votes in the “Oppose” section than in the “Support” section. We have found that, as a result of this, the decision is made based on which nominees have less “Oppose” votes than the others. In some cases, EVERY nominee is like this. First of all, this completely defeats the purpose of the whole “Support vs. Oppose” setup. It is this kind of scenario that led to the insignificant Katie article becoming featured over a year ago, which many users look back on and regret, saying that it is a mistake that should have never happened. Thus, it remains a possibility that another rather insignificant article, such as Eva or Josh, could also be undeservingly featured. We want to avoid this, and rather have a system where it all narrows down to JUST “Support” votes. The one exception will be Featured User, as the “Oppose” section in this category could provide opposing voters to give users advice and tips on how to improve. This, obviously, is dealing with real people and not pages, so having a place to give advice for improvement is much more meaningful here. The only positive that can be seen is that it balances out the votes. But, even then, that clutters up the system even more. Which is easier? Looking at a nominee and saying, “Well, this has 10 votes for and 7 against, so that makes 3, and puts it higher than this one, with 8 votes for and 6 against, making it 2.” Or, “This one has 10 for and 8 against, so the former is higher.” Just like with the first one, please vote on which of the two choices you would prefer in this issue.

What do you want to do about the “Oppose” vote sections in the voting for FA, FI, and FS (but not FU)? I want them to stay, as it helps balance them out more. I want to see them removed to make it easier in terms of voting.

Just remember: This is a serious matter. The outcome of this Blog and these polls could affect the Main Page, which, remember, is one of the most important pages on the entire Wiki. It is what greets potential new users and/or new Total Drama fans, and thus should be kept in the highest standard possible: Neat, clean, attractive to others, and, most importantly of all - Orangized. If you have any other possible ideas or suggestions for improvement, feel free to leave them in your comments below.