Forum:CT:Search icon duplicates

Forums > Consensus track archive > CT:Search icon duplicates

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The result of the debate was Do not allow more than one search icon to point to the same target and Allow more than one search icon to visually depict the same subject. 1358 (Talk) 16:23, May 9, 2012 (UTC)

If you use the Monobook skin (and you should), you've probably noticed that recently, our roster of search icons in circulation expanded greatly due to the administrative efforts of Darth Culator and the artistic efforts of several editors who created new icons for use. The rules for having further search icons added to the list are fairly simple, and the process of adding them simply requires an administrator to take action. However, there are some ambiguities in the system that this CT attempts to clear up.

Namely, what should we do about duplicate icons? A look at the search icons in use reveals that we have both duplicates with regard to linked subject matter (what you get when you click on the icon and it takes you to an article), as well as duplicates with regard to image (the same subject appearing on more than one icon, each of which takes you to a different article upon clicking). Culator wisely left several proposed icons on the proposal page because they feature the same character or thing, and it is unclear if it is OK or desirable to have such duplicates.

So here I propose we clear this up once and for all. This CT is for us to establish some policy on search icon duplicates, and then to add language to Wookieepedia:Search icons articulating whatever rules we come up with. The CT is in several sections, explained below. ~SavageBOB sig 16:12, April 20, 2012 (UTC)

First vote: Duplicate target links

This vote is to determine whether we want to have more than one search icon pointing to the same target article.

  • When you click on one the search icon that appears to the left of the screen in Monobook, you get a dialogue box with the quesiton, "What's this?" Clicking on that tells you what the subject of the search icon is, and takes you to that subject's article with another click. Do we want to allow more than one icon to point to the same subject? Note that we currently have two such duplicates in rotation: two each that point to Han Solo and N-1 starfighter. If we vote to disallow duplicates, we will need to come up with some system for removing the currently existing duplicates and for selecting between icon proposals that feature the same target link. These would be matters for a later CT.

Allow more than one search icon to point to the same target

  1. More pictures, more pretty. <-Omicron(Leave a message at the BEEP!) 16:17, April 20, 2012 (UTC)

Do not allow more than one search icon to point to the same target

  1. I think diversity of icons is important with regard to the target links. We don't really need more than one search icon pointing to the same target article; rather it's a better idea to diversity the targets and hopefully send traffic to a wider array of articles instead. ~SavageBOB sig 16:13, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  2. This seems the most logical idea. I noticed we already had this problem and as I was installing the new icons I tried to diversify some existing target links accordingly. -- Darth Culator (Talk) 16:28, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  3. Per Bob. —MJ— Holocomm Friday, April 20, 2012, 17:01 UTC
  4. nayayen★talk 17:39, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  5. Darth Trayus(Trayus Academy) 19:18, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  6. Not a big deal, but sure. Toprawa and Ralltiir 22:16, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  7. Per Tope.—Cal JediInfinite Empire (Personal Comm Channel) 01:47, April 21, 2012 (UTC)
  8. I need a name (Complain here) 14:47, April 21, 2012 (UTC)
  9. JangFett (Talk) 02:11, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  10. CC7567 (talk) 02:12, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  11. Jonjedigrandmaster (Talk) 02:15, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  12. Hmn. Agreed. Corellian PremierRobotechAll along the watchtower 15:39, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  13. MasterFredCommerce Guild(Whatever) 13:36, April 23, 2012 (UTC)
  14. NaruHina Talk Anakinsolo 16:14, April 23, 2012 (UTC)
  15. Tinwe(comlink) 14:03, April 26, 2012 (UTC)

Discussion

Second vote: Duplicate visual subject matter

This vote is to determine whether we want to have more than one search icon visually depicting the same subject.

  • Several of the currently used search icons depict the same subject, but the target links are different. An example is one icon featuring and pointing to Yoda, and another featuring Yoda but pointing to Force form. This vote will establish definitively whether we want to allow or disallow such visual duplication. Note that if we vote to allow duplicate visual subject matter but not to allow duplicate target links (the vote above), the Han Solo and N-1 starfigher duplicates in rotation would be allowed to stay in the roster provided the links were diversified (so that, say, one picture of Han pointed to Han Solo and a different picture of Han pointed to Corellian). Also note that this vote is not to allow the exact same image to be used in two search icons; rather it is for two different images of the same subject.

Allow more than one search icon to visually depict the same subject

  1. In contrast to above, I don't think it's a bad idea to have a few search icons that all depict the same subject, provided each of those icons points to a different target article. Who better to be the search icon representative of Corellian than Han, for instance? ~SavageBOB sig 16:14, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  2. As above, this is how it's working now. There's no getting around the fact that some subjects are just more photogenic than others. -- Darth Culator (Talk) 16:28, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
    Per Culator. —MJ— Holocomm Friday, April 20, 2012, 17:03 UTC
  3. Although, ideally, I don't want to see two images from the same source of a subject if it is pictured in more than one. nayayen★talk 17:39, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  4. Darth Trayus(Trayus Academy) 19:18, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  5. Toprawa and Ralltiir 22:17, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  6. —Cal JediInfinite Empire (Personal Comm Channel) 01:47, April 21, 2012 (UTC)
  7. CC7567 (talk) 02:12, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  8. I was a bit on the fence for this one, but I don't really think it's that big a deal. Jonjedigrandmaster (Talk) 02:16, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  9. Absolutely. Corellian PremierRobotechAll along the watchtower 15:39, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
  10. Menkooroo 00:19, April 26, 2012 (UTC)
  11. Because some things (or persons, or what have you) are just too cool to be depicted in only one icon. Tinwe(comlink) 14:03, April 26, 2012 (UTC)
  12. Per Bob. MasterFredCommerce Guild(Whatever) 01:38, May 2, 2012 (UTC)

Do not allow more than one search icon to visually depict the same subject

Same image pointing to different targets is confusing, IMO. Also, someone might not click on the What's This assuming they already know what article it leads to. <-Omicron(Leave a message at the BEEP!) 16:18, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  • Just to clarify, O, it wouldn't be the same image; it'd be the same subject. Like two different images of Han, each pointing to a different target article. ~SavageBOB sig 16:38, April 20, 2012 (UTC)
  1. When I see a picture of Han Solo, I expect it to go to the Han Solo article, not the Corellian or Human or smuggler or pants ones or whatever other articles can be used to describe Han Solo. It gets confusing otherwise. -- I need a name (Complain here) 14:47, April 21, 2012 (UTC)
  2. On second thought, INAN has a valid point. Multiple pictures of the same character pointing to different articles can be confusing, and in this light, both of Omicron's points in the struck comment above hold water as long as the subjects are the same even if the images themselves are different. —MJ— Jedi Council Chambers Sunday, April 22, 2012, 01:52 UTC
  3. After some thought JangFett (Talk) 02:11, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
    MasterFredCommerce Guild(Whatever) 13:36, April 23, 2012 (UTC)
  4. NaruHina Talk Anakinsolo 16:14, April 23, 2012 (UTC)

Discussion

  • Just a note to those voting above that when they see an image of X they expect it to go to X -- What if X is, say, an image of CZ-3? Would it be OK for that to link to CZ-series communications/business droid, or only to CZ-3? What about a species that we don't have a generic image of? For instance, an image of Riyo Chuchi -- could that link to Pantoran, or only to Riyo Chuchi? And if it can only link to Riyo Chuchi, is it not possible to have any search icon link to Pantoran? Thats a shame, in my opinion. Finally, we have a few icons that already violate this precept: File:YodaForceStance-search.png, File:Yoda-search.png, and File:YodaAtaru-search.png. By this CT option, only one of those could stay (and point to Yoda), while the other two would have to be removed from circulation. I don't see that as a good thing, since it's pretty cool to have icons pointing to Force form and Form IV: Ataru, even if they are more Yodas (albeit really cool Yodas), in my opinion. ~SavageBOB sig 07:08, April 22, 2012 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.