User talk:SB Johnny/On stubs

Sounds like a great idea, though I'm not sure exactly how this will function (you've outlined the method, but I don't entirely understand it). Also, I think that anytime something is moved to the "Stubbox", a notice should be left on its creator's userpage, if that user is registered, letting them know what's going on. The Jade Knight (d'viser) 22:06, 13 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Yeah, I was chatting with JWSchmidt about that yesterday... we'd definitely want to have a user notification template, as well as (I thought of later) a standard template that goes on the "top version" of the page explaining what the stub-box/chalkboard/whiteboard/thingie is, why pages are moved there, etc. --SB_Johnny talk 22:58, 13 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Yeah. The Jade Knight (d'viser) 10:04, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

I think wikiversity has to do something with stubs. But I consider that moving them to another category will not fix anything. First, we need to encourage users not to create stubs or at least write them in a complete way, even if short. Creating many red links do not help. I heard it is policy to create some stubs just as starter places but I personally think that idea is not good. It will give new users the idea that wikiversity is just a category for stubs and thus, they will quit the site and never find non-stub content. I suggest stubs are monitored through categories and people with related interests can be found. Those users could be contacted and custodians could suggest to them learning projects for them to complete. Or wikiversity could create contests or something like that for people to complete stubs or to create featured content. Also, the main page should be changed to call for users to write more than to read; this is not wikipedia and we need more editors than readers. --Davichito 01:25, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
 * There is certainly no such "policy", though many users create stubs as you describe. I generally agree with your comments and concerns.  However, I think that many people come to Wikiversity to learn, instead of to teach, though many stay to provide content after they have come to learn.  The Jade Knight (d'viser) 01:00, 29 December 2008 (UTC)

I think people have different ideas of what stubs are and whether there is any benefits or not to having them. I don't see how getting rid of stubs would solve anything. I think stubs are just getting the blame for lack of organization. If non-stub material was easier to find, than people wouldn't be putting the blame on stubs. Every project has its fair share of stubs. Getting rid of stubs would be getting rid of content that might go somewhere if only the right people knew about them. Better organization might also help people find pages that already exists on a subject that they can help with, which might reduce the creation of multiple stubs on the same subject. I think encouraging better organization and collaboration would be more worth it. Deleting pages for being stubby will only benefit projects deemed substantial and discourage new participation and creation of new material. If stubs go away people might wonder next why Wikiversity seems to only cover a few subjects, or leave because Wikiversity doesn't have much to offer them.

If people decide that stubs should be deleted, than I think it would be a good idea to try to agree on what stubs are and try to come up with some guidelines that people can agree on as to when stubs should be deleted or kept. --darklama 22:14, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Why do you think people want to get rid of stubs? ("how it would solve anything" is fairly vague, I'm afraid).  Your answer to my question here should either provide a response to your own statement, or clarify where others need to communicate more clearly to you.  I certainly can sympathize, however, with many of your concerns, and I agree especially with your second paragraph.  Another thing worth pointing out is that there are "stubs", and there are "empty pages" (or empty stubs), and my feelings towards the two are different.  The Jade Knight (d'viser) 01:00, 29 December 2008 (UTC)


 * Did you mean "My answer to your question here..."? I'm not sure why you would think my comments were directed at you, they weren't. --dark[[Image:Yin yang.svg|12px]]lama 16:02, 5 January 2009 (UTC)

=Raised Concern of 'Ghost Town'= Initially SB Johnny raised the concern that stubs may give the impression that wikiversity is a ghost town. IMHO there will be little areas of 'ghost towns' even in wikipedia. I noticed that there when i search for my local country topics (Malaysia). Some are outright grafitti. But when visitors look at wikipedia and even wikiversity as a whole, they can feel proud of what it has become. Nevertheless i like the idea from SB Johnny on better reframing the stubs so that it gives the right impression as well as invite more apt attention. - Red1 23:45, 5 January 2009 (UTC)