User blog:TheSlicer/New look

As you already know, Wikia has changed the way the blog comments work. Some people think this change is for the worse, some for the better; it doesn't really matter because that's not what this blog post is about.

Ever since they introduced the blog post feature, Wikia has been adding more and more updates, notably the Followed Pages feature, one that was universally hated here. The general view was that it seemed like an attempt to jump on the "social" bandwagon, and make Wikia more like a social networking site.

Then they came up with this, which was even more badly received, mainly because of its contribution to spam and fluff edits. Luckily, for the reasons summarized in this blog comment, I have decided not to implement this feature on CBW. Once again, it seems to make Wikia more like a social networking site.

Social networking site, anyone?

Yes, that's right, our beloved Wikia is transforming into this. The mandatory (yes, it's mandatory) change to the "Oasis" skin has met with a little bit of applause by some users, but for the most part the applause has been drowned out by the roaring of protesters. Most of us think it's a horrible change (and I agree), as seen below in the user response section.

Why are you changing Wikia?
It’s time for an upgrade! We want to give Wikia an up-to-date look that will enhance every wiki and encourage new users to join the site.

We love being the best place for gaming and entertainment information, but we want to expand our success to other topics and types of communities. Our goal is to be a place that attracts the widest possible range of people to read, write, and connect.

We are not changing what Wikia is or does, but rather opening it up to a broader audience.

Is the new design going to be mandatory?
Yes. The new look will be the default for Wikia. We will continue to support Monaco as a personal choice for a limited time while people move to the new version.

Are you doing this for advertising?
Ads are an integral part of Wikia, as they provide the revenue with which we operate. The new look is focused on enhancing the user experience and functionality on wikis. Ad modules were considered in the design but were not the primary focus of the change.

Sannse's response to the negative comments
As we look at all of the comments, it is clear there are a few recurring themes. While we don’t yet know the answer to some of your questions, we’ve updated the FAQ and provided more details where we can.

We do want to address the most frequent question: “Why is the new look mandatory?” We completely understand why you would like this change to be optional -- it’s always nice to be able to choose. But the new look is not simply a new skin option, it’s the upgraded version of Wikia. We’ve designed it for a number of reasons, and we are dedicating both technical and community resources to its development and support to create the best possible user experience. This means, however, that users on older, unsupported skins will have style and content conflicts on individual wikis and across Wikia. While we know that customization and individuality are at the heart of every great wiki, we strongly believe that it’s important for wikis on Wikia to share a common foundation, and that all users -- new or old, reader or editor -- should have a consistent experience.

You will have plenty of time to adapt your wiki to the new look. We are rolling out the new version in phases, and will provide help and migration resources along the way. We’ll also be providing weekly snapshots and details on its new features -- many of which will give you a deeper understanding of the new design and answer some of the specific questions that have come up in your comments!

My personal view
I, personally, have to agree with the people that dislike this. This looks far too much like a blog site, which would be just fine if Wikia were a blog site. Wikia is a wiki, and I strongly believe that this supposedly more "user-friendly" interface doesn't belong here. Also, a few more things:


 * Pages are too small. The idea of sacrificing page space for a larger toolbar seems like a bad idea, as does that of putting the category list at the top. What is the need for that? Even less necessary, I think, is displaying the name of the last user to edit there. And (almost) the least necessary of all is putting the name of the user to upload an image under the file. Seriously? Why should we need that?
 * The EVIL toolbar that follows you around. Ugh. I despise those. My point of view is that you should only need to look at the history and all those things if you want to, not be forced to look at the buttons as you scroll down. More waste of space.
 * Why are you doing away with the left toolbar? That toolbar was much more convenient, and it did well with the small space it used.
 * Why on Earth would you WANT to look through a mandatory photo gallery on every page? The gallery widget is fine because it's not mandatory. But to look to the right and see a photo gallery that most definitely DOESN'T help with the article's content, which is also required...
 * For what reason exactly has the "edit" button been replaced by a stapler? It's not like the average person needs an image to understand what the word "edit" means.
 * The bar at the top... Why is it needed? Does it help in any way? NO. Does it waste space? YES. I completely agree with Porter21's statement a few hours ago:
 * With Monaco, it is clear the wiki is hosted by Wikia but otherwise not run by it. This design makes it look like the wiki is just a subsection of some overarching, staff-run "master" website. Plus, with all due respect to other wikis, I want people to look at "my" wiki and not others.


 * Correct me if I'm wrong, but does this do away with the wiki's logo?
 * ...So this is the new default skin? Okay... But is it optional, like the other skins? Can the admins return the skin to Monaco or Custom or... ANYTHING, once it's set back?
 * Is it customizable? (Not, of course, that I know anything about customizing wikis.)

My final opinion: This looks like a blog site. This is not a blog site. This is a wiki. Perhaps you could let some blog site use this instead?

Should we keep our custom skin after Wikia's imminent change? Yes NO, Mata Nui, NO, get this evil thing AWAY from here...