Forum:Pronouns on Smasher pages

Forums: Index → Proposals → Pronouns on Smasher pages

This is a closed discussion about a failed proposed change on SmashWiki. It remains for archival purposes. The closing administrator adds: "Proposal was met with only opposition, and gained no support in a year. Omega Tyrant 20:06, April 18, 2023 (EDT)"

Adding pronouns to Smasher pages, it would be a good indicator for editors as well as people just checking someones page. it doesn't have to be used on every smasher article as some people don't have that information readily avaliable, but many recent tournaments and events are starting to include on-screen pronouns for viewers and commentators, that's another easy citation source alongside twitter bios (many smasher pages having their twitter linked making citing even easier), people can argue that it's unimportant, but even our own SmashWiki Discord server even has pronoun roles so we know how to refer to each other, and having proof that the pronouns used on any given page are correct? i don't see any downsides to implementing it as standard. PhantoFantasma 08:29, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

I'm not going to straight-up vote "no", but I will note that your comparisons of other cases do not seem applicable to me. Both livestreams and Discord are real-time chatrooms where there is not much other way to learn this information aside from it being actively/explicitly handed to you. On the other hand, it takes directed effort to write a wiki article that doesn't make this information evident from the text, which seems to be the reason why Wikipedia hasn't done similar after multiple discussions. Toomai Glittershine The Non-Toxic 09:31, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

As said above, the article format of the Smash Wiki means that pronouns are going to be written into the text, making this proposal more or less redundant. For instance, the second sentence in the MkLeo article begins with "he." Pronouns make sense for stream overlays or for Discord community roles. Antimony (talk) 09:49, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

What's the point? Pronouns are already integrated into the text body - I fail to see what adding that to the infobox will achieve. Black Vulpine the 🦊Furry🐺. Furries make the internets go! :3 09:52, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

Oppose per above. Awesomelink234, the Super Cool 🦊Furry🦊 Gamer (talk) 10:29, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

My issue with the "article body will already contain pronouns" argument is that who's to say the article is using the correct pronouns? we aren't perfect, and keeping a to-date standard would stomp out any misinformation. It wouldn't hurt to have the information right there on the infobox with an embedded link to a source that proves it's actuality. PhantoFantasma 10:32, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

How does having it in the infobox help us ensure its up to date? A lot of our pages are out of date as is. Not saying it's a bad idea, I just don't know how it improves the current situation. Wiifitkid (talk) 10:39, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

Pronouns in the article and infobox would likely be updated at the same time. If the pronouns in the infobox are out of date, so is the pronouns in the article. If the pronouns in the article are out of date, so is the infobox. Any link in the infobox could be linked in the article. Given many of the things that report pronouns that can be linked aren't static and pronouns could be changed without notice, that could easily be out of date without an archive link... which would then be out of date if the pronouns change. Something like a tweet or video stating the pronoun preference would be the only thing that could be linked properly, but again that can be linked in the article. --CanvasK (talk) 10:53, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

Infoboxes do not magically update themselves; pronouns in the infobox will do nothing at all to solve this problem, while also doubling the amount of work required in the event that pronouns change. Black Vulpine the 🦊Furry🐺. Furries make the internets go! :3 05:58, April 30, 2022 (EDT)

Oppose; I agree with the others, it would be redundant while Smasher infoboxes can already get quite large, and a pronouns entry won't just magically correct itself, making it no more helpful to correcting article text. Omega Tyrant 13:00, April 24, 2022 (EDT)

Honestly, I have to agree with what others have said, and oppose this. Yes, having pronouns displayed prominently makes those who may have specific pronouns feel more accepted and welcomed by a community (Smash or not), but I have to agree with Toomai that an encyclopedic article and a real-time chat room are two different things. Obviously, smasher pronouns are to be respected and reflected onto the pages we make for them, but adding in a pronouns slot that we'd have to change if pronouns changed wouldn't be any different from changing the rest of the article as well. Aidan, the Springing Rurouni 15:10, April 24, 2022 (EDT)