Forum:So the problem doesn't repeat...

Now that the "Homesun dilemma" has been handled (thank you, Sasoriza, for all the work in cleaning it up!), I think we should take a very simple step so that such a situation never arises again. In the previous thread, I said:
 * If he is only writing for himself, then he should not be posting these things here. Period.

And I think that's the key thing. Homesun never provided context to his articles so that they could be understood by other people, and he even admitted that he was only writing them for his own "use."

I think we should add a brief clause to the Manual of Style or another policy section, stating something to the effect of:
 * This wiki is not your personal notepad or storage space. Wiki readers are not mind-readers. Articles must'' be presented in a clear manner, easily understood by all. If an article on a character is tied into a larger series or "universe," that must be made clear - context must be established.
 * ''Bad article (no context): "Alf lives on the spaceship. He likes cats."
 * Better article (with context): "Alf is an Melmackian civilian living aboard the USS Gordon Shumway''. He is known to sometimes eat cats, though he owns one as a pet himself.
 * ''In the first example, the author's intent is not made clear, and the reader does not know who Charlie is or what spaceship he lives on. We do not know if he likes cats as pets or as meals. No one here is a mind-reader.
 * Articles that do not provide context will be tagged for copyediting, and the author will be asked to flesh it out and provide the needed context. If the author does not respond to communication within [how does two months sound?], the article may be removed by administrators.

I am not suggesting this to be prejudicial against anyone, I definitely think anyone should be given a chance. If there's a similar problem, every effort should be made to help them improve. But if they are as unresponsive, uncommunicative and unwilling to be part of the community and write their articles to be understood by others, then they should not be here. I think some policy or clause like this will save us all a lot of grief in the future. What do you all think? --TimPendragon 06:16, 26 January 2007 (UTC)