Board Thread:Site Discussions/@comment-20015702-20140513060751/@comment-1669199-20140515222311

Toxice wrote: Genesjs wrote: Toxice wrote: Greetings, users. Well, I am sure most of you are aware of the Message Wall, which has been a feature on wikia for a long time now. To sum things up, you can check about Message Walls here:
 * http://community.wikia.com/wiki/Help:Message_Wall
 * http://community.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Dopp/Communicate_Easily_with_Message_Wall

What is it?
It is basically a new update for the talk page, where messages can be sent easily, efficiently, quickly etc.
 * While I am not a full-on supporter of this feature, I am only suggesting it for this wiki.

Pros

 * It's fast
 * Efficient
 * Easier-to-read format as compared to Talk-Pages
 * You are notified better
 * It is easier to locate past messages and distinguish them.
 * No frustration for new users to sign messages
 * Clarity for where to respond (under one page, that is)
 * Automatic Signature feature

Cons

 * Messages will be seen publicly on the wiki activity
 * Signatures are put to waste
 * Some past talk-page data could be lost and will be refrained from future editing.

So, leave your opinion down below.

I'm gonna oppose implementation. Sure, the Message Wall can leave messages fast and efficiently (like a blog), and in some cases it may be easier to read said messages. It may even make past messages more distinguishable. But I fail to see how you are "notified better" with this kind of format than with the other kind. I primarily use Monobook skin while online, while occasionally switching on and off with Wikia skin, and usually a notification is given to me via a noticeable message bar at the top of a page that looks easily distinguishable from the rest of the page's content, and it tells me if I have a message on my Talk page and, if not on the Wiki I'm currently on, which Wiki I need to go to in order to see the changes.

As I've argued with another User in a previous message, I fail to see why it is frustrating for anyone to sign their messages when doing the task manually would take about 2 seconds on average, along with the fact that an automatic signature feature already exists and could be used as an alternative to the manual method. And as long as the User(s) in question format their pages properly, it shouldn't be difficult for anyone to understand where they need to respond on their Talk pages -- a new section can even be made wherever (I usually prefer the bottom of the page) they wish, and could use semi-colons to space out their next messages from their previous ones.

As for the cons you've listed... Aren't messages that we leave each other on our Talk pages seen publicly on Wikia Activity/Recent Changes anyway? Last I checked, that seemed to be the case. Signatures being put to waste is an obvious con I don't think needs any debunking/arguing, so I'll leave that be unless required to elaborate on it. And as for past Talk page data (Talk page archives, etc.) -- as obvious as this is going to sound, if you're a sentimental/cautious fellow like me a con such as this could pose a problem to those who wish to keep a record of their past messages for whatever reason.

So, yeah, I oppose. While I myself isn't in full swing for the feature, I was just pointing things out. About signatures, it's inevitable to have new user not add it someway at some point, but that is not much of a problem and about the public issue, the messages will be displayed on the Wiki Activity and users can easily add themselves in the conversation.

Messages left on Talk pages are displayed on Wikia Activity & Recent Changes, too, and I fail to see how this will make it easier for Users to add themselves to conversations they wish to partake in. They can leave a new message in a particular section of the page just like they can for the Message Wall and throw in their 2 cents into whatever discussion they wish, the only problem being that they have no way of telling if someone is writing a new message to said discussion in the meantime (I've seen some online chat rooms use this kind of feature, usually showing a notification that "Person X is typing" or something along those lines.) -- a problem that exists even in Talk pages.