Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-3141417-20161002201048

Hey all, I want to highlight the way that most of our articles are being written. I've been cleaning up several articles and I have to say I was baffled at what I saw. We have too much inconsistency throughout, meaning for example: one article is thoroughly informative while another looks like it was written by a child. I hate to be that guy, but seeing it across so many pages is ridiculous. We should be informing new users and/or existing users what is and what is not acceptable to put in a page.

Therefore I am proposing that we have a Manual of Style, a kind of "guide" for users on how to write, word, and format articles in a consistent format. It might not get to that point, but I'm hoping that it'll be emphazised as much as the wiki policies are.

If you don't know what I'm referring to, here's what I was seeing in multple Trivia sections for AB Toons:

Ex: Trivia - This is the only episode in which...

This is a generally accepted kind of Trivia point, depending on what it is pointing out. Say that it said "the only episode to feature a kind of bird" would be a valid and solid point. However, something like "This is the only episode in which Matilda gets mad with a thunderstorm looming in the background" is not acceptable. It is irrelevant, and not noteworthy enough to be placed in a Trivia section.

Ex: Trivia - This is the first episode in which...

Usually, as with the above, depends on the information it is detailing. Saying something such as, "This is the first episode to feature Bomb" might not be trivia-esque, but is noteworthy, and as an alternative could be placed at the top of the page.

Ex: Trivia - This is the third/fourth/fifth time in which...etc.

This is stretching it. If its someting very uncommon, such as a change in director, then maybe. Something like "This is the fourth appearance of the pigs" is completely unacceptable. It becomes junk trivia at that point.

Ex: Trivia - This episode proves that the Blues are born daredevils

Unacceptable. The viewer can discern from either reading the summary on the article or watching the episode themselves what the Blues are like. Anything that is already explicitly shown, especially a major event in an episode, does not need to be restated in a Trivia section.

The list goes on and on. So as you may have noticed, there are users here, or maybe new users who have little wiki experience. I want this "Manual of Style" to be able to educate users in how to edit articles not only here, but throughout multiple wikis. This wiki is meant to be an informative site, so we should be writing it like one. Anyways, I'm hoping to get this idea approved so everyone has an idea of how to edit in the future.

Questions, comments, concerns, and criticisms are always appreciated. 