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User-Centered Questions
Even after the addition of the reference desk, people have still been using the talk pages of the subject that they need help with as a place to ask for game-play advice. I must remind everyone that article talk pages are meant for the sole purpose of discussing the respective articles, and these types of questions make the talk pages dirty and unusable. If you see one of these user-centered question topics, please move the entire thread over to the user's talk page and briefly introduce the reference desk. Answer the user's question at your own discretion. If the question was already answered, move the answer as well for clarity purposes.
- Example of what I'm talking about
- I tried to walk through an Oblivion gate, but I just ended up on the other side of it. Please help me out.
- Example of what I'm not talking about
- It may benefit the article to mention that walking though an Oblivion gate alone will not transport you to the Plane of Oblivion.
As always, common sense is a powerful tool. ;) Thanks for participating! --Aristeo | Talk 18:27, 30 October 2006 (EST)
Addendum: Someone has recommended to me that instead of moving the questions to the user's talk page, they be moved to the reference desk and a message be placed on the user's talk page that redirects him/her to the reference desk. This sounds like a pretty good amendment to what I said above. Feel free to suggest any other proposals to the above as you deem necessary. --Aristeo | Talk 17:43, 1 November 2006 (EST)
- I was wondering when and where it was discussed that "article talk pages should be for the sole purpose of discussing the respective articles." What is the community's opinion on the best place for "user-centered questions": should these be on the talk pages of appropriate articles or on the reference desk? And should a question posed in one place be moved to another?
- Taking Aristeo's example, for instance. I think the distinction in wording between the two statements is pretty minor. The basic point being addressed in both cases is identical; identical steps could be taken to answer either statement. If someone says "I tried to walk through an Oblivion gate but failed. Please help me out", I think UESP editors should read between the lines and realize that perhaps this is a topic that is not clearly enough spelled out on the Oblivion gate page, and consider making changes to the page in response to the comment.
- The advantages of having all user-centered questions on the reference desk:
- Editors interested in answering general game questions only need to check on one page.
- Talk pages don't get cluttered up with questions.
- The disadvantages:
- The reference desk page will turn into a very long list of unrelated questions, that will need to be archived to be manageable, and therefore won't be too useful for later readers looking for answers to already-asked questions.
- The advantages of allowing user-centered questions on individual talk pages:
- Subsequent readers of the page are more likely to find the question and answer, and therefore not ask the same question over and over again.
- It's a fairly fine line between whether or not a question is specific to the content of a page. Forcing editors to reword a question just to make it fit these guidelines doesn't seem to help anyone.
- I think that individual talk pages are a perfectly appropriate place for any question that is related to the page, no matter how it's worded. There are very few talk pages that are so long as to be "cluttered" with questions. I know that as a self-appointed question-answerer, I'd rather just spend my time answering the question than debating whether or not to move it first. If the community feels that the reference desk is the best place for all "user-centered questions", I'll work on changing my habits, and I'll start trying to move such questions from talk pages to the reference desk. But I'd like to be sure that this is the community's preference before doing so. --Nephele 01:37, 11 January 2007 (EST)