Stop using Fandom

mossbag
31 Oct 202322:17

TLDRThe Hollow Knight wiki has moved to a new website, leaving the old Fandom-hosted site behind. This migration is part of a larger trend of wiki communities leaving Fandom due to issues like aggressive advertising, lack of community control, and the introduction of inaccurate AI-generated content. The communities have found new homes on various platforms, some independently hosted, others on wiki farms like Wiki.gg and Miraheze, and in alliances like the Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance. The move highlights the struggle between community-driven content and corporate interests on the internet.

Takeaways

  • 🌐 The Hollow Knight wiki has moved to a new website, hollowknight.wiki, leaving its old home at hollowknight.fandom.com.
  • 💡 Users are advised to use the new wiki for all Hollow Knight related queries, and consider the Indie Wiki Buddy extension for a seamless transition.
  • 🚫 Fandom, the former host, is a for-profit company and has been criticized for its aggressive advertising and lack of community consideration.
  • 📈 Fandom's issues include intrusive ads, auto-playing videos, and a generally degraded user experience, especially on mobile devices.
  • 🎯 The company has faced backlash from numerous wiki communities, leading to migrations like the Minecraft Wiki and RuneScape Wiki.
  • 🤖 Fandom's introduction of AI-generated 'quick answers' was met with criticism for providing incorrect information.
  • 🚫 Fandom's restrictions on wiki layout and style, as well as its handling of user verification and page protection, have been contentious.
  • 🏢 The company's policy towards user-generated content has been questioned, especially after incidents like the McDonald's Grimace Shake promotion.
  • 🌐 The challenge for wikis moving away from Fandom includes dealing with search engine optimization and the existence of the old Fandom wiki.
  • 🤝 Independent wiki alliances like NIWA offer support and collaboration for wikis seeking to maintain quality and independence.

Q & A

  • What is the new location for the Hollow Knight wiki?

    -The Hollow Knight wiki has officially moved to 'hollowknight.wiki'.

  • Why did the Hollow Knight wiki community decide to leave the Fandom platform?

    -The community chose to leave Fandom due to issues such as aggressive ads, degraded readers' experience, and the introduction of AI-generated incorrect information on their pages.

  • What is Fandom's history and how does it relate to Wikipedia?

    -Fandom, originally named WikiCities, was founded in 2004 and co-founded by Jimmy Wales, who was also a co-founder of Wikipedia. However, unlike Wikipedia, Fandom is a for-profit company with a different set of standards.

  • What are some of the major wiki communities that have left Fandom?

    -Communities that have left Fandom include Zelda Wiki, Fallout Wiki, Terraria Wiki, ARK Survival Evolved Wiki, and Minecraft Wiki, among others.

  • What issues did users have with Fandom's website design and features?

    -Users complained about aggressive video ads, distracting features like quizzes and banner ads, unrelated content promotion, and ads inserted into articles.

  • What was the 'Grimace Incident' mentioned in the script?

    -The 'Grimace Incident' refers to when McDonald's paid Fandom to alter the Grimace article on the McDonald’s wiki into a promotional advertisement for the Grimace Shake, which was met with backlash from the community.

  • How does Fandom's policy on user verification and page protection affect wiki communities?

    -Fandom's policy allows automatic verification after four days, which can lead to issues with vandalism. Additionally, page protection options are limited and do not provide enough control for wiki communities.

  • What are some alternative platforms for wiki communities looking to leave Fandom?

    -Alternative platforms include Wiki.gg, Miraheze, and independent wiki hosting, as seen with the Jojo Wiki and the RuneScape wiki, which partnered with the game's developer.

  • What challenges do wiki communities face when migrating away from Fandom?

    -Challenges include search engine optimization, the existence of the old Fandom wiki acting as a deterrent, the need for altered content to avoid being flagged as duplicate, and the complexity and expense of self-hosting.

  • What is the role of independent wiki alliances like NIWA?

    -Independent wiki alliances like NIWA provide a network of support for individual wikis, offering assistance in maintaining a high-quality wiki and promoting collaboration among member wikis.

  • What is the significance of wikis in modern internet culture?

    -Wikis represent a community-driven approach to sharing information freely and efficiently, standing in opposition to the commercial and advertising-driven models of many large internet companies.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Hollow Knight Wiki Migration

The Hollow Knight wiki has officially transitioned to a new website, leaving the old Fandom-hosted wiki behind. The community is encouraged to use the new platform for all Hollow Knight-related inquiries. The departure from Fandom is due to the company's for-profit model and aggressive advertising practices that detract from the user experience. The wiki community has faced issues with AI-generated content and lack of control over the site's appearance and moderation policies. The migration is part of a broader trend of wiki communities leaving Fandom for better control and a more user-focused experience.

05:01

🚫 Fandom's Contentious Practices

Fandom, a wikifarm hosting numerous wikis, has faced backlash from various wiki communities due to its aggressive advertising and lack of community input in site management. The company's policies have led to vandalism and unwanted content on wiki pages, negatively impacting the user experience. Fandom's restrictions on page layout and moderation features have also been criticized. The Grimace Incident, where McDonald's paid Fandom to turn the McDonald's wiki front page into an advertisement, exemplifies the ethical concerns surrounding Fandom's practices.

10:04

📦 Wiki Migration Challenges

Leaving Fandom presents several challenges for wiki communities, including the difficulty of competing with Fandom's search engine optimization and the potential loss of the larger community if the Fandom wiki remains active. The process of forking a wiki and establishing a new site is complex and requires significant effort. Wiki communities must weigh the benefits of independence against the technical and financial challenges of self-hosting or joining a different wiki farm.

15:09

🌟 Alternatives to Fandom

Several alternatives to Fandom exist for wiki communities seeking a more community-focused platform. Wiki.gg, Miraheze, and independent wiki hosting are all options, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Wiki.gg offers a wiki farm focused on indie games, while Miraheze is ad-free and donation-based. Independent wiki hosting provides the most freedom but requires technical expertise and financial resources. Alliances like the Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance (NIWA) offer support for independent wikis, providing a collaborative network for shared resources and expertise.

20:14

🤔 The Future of Wikis

Wikis represent a unique space on the internet, offering community-driven information sharing that contrasts with the profit-driven model of Fandom. The open-source nature of MediaWiki allows for the creation of wikis that prioritize community needs over advertising revenue. Despite the challenges faced by wiki communities migrating from Fandom, the potential for better, community-focused wikis exists. The success of the RuneScape wiki migration and the continued existence of independent wikis demonstrate the possibilities for wiki communities to thrive outside of Fandom's constraints.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Fandom

Fandom, initially known as WikiCities and later Wikia, is a for-profit wikifarm founded in 2004. It hosts a vast array of wikis on topics ranging from major entertainment IPs to niche communities. In the video, Fandom is portrayed as having a significant, but controversial, impact on wiki communities due to its aggressive ad policies, content management practices, and the introduction of features without community consent. The departure of the Hollow Knight wiki from Fandom exemplifies the broader trend of communities seeking alternatives due to dissatisfaction with Fandom's approach.

💡Wiki migration

Wiki migration refers to the process of moving a wiki from one hosting platform to another. This is a significant event highlighted in the video, as numerous wikis, including the Hollow Knight, Zelda, and Minecraft wikis, have migrated away from Fandom. The migrations are driven by communities' desire for better control over their content, reduced advertising interference, and the ability to maintain a more user-friendly experience.

💡Aggressive advertising

Aggressive advertising, as critiqued in the video, is a strategy employed by Fandom that significantly detracts from the user experience. This includes intrusive video ads, pop-ups, and unrelated content that follow users as they navigate the site. The Hollow Knight wiki's departure is partly attributed to these invasive advertising practices, which consume valuable screen space and distract from the actual content.

💡Community autonomy

Community autonomy refers to the degree of control and decision-making power a wiki community has over its own content and structure. The video discusses how Fandom's policies and practices often limit this autonomy, prompting communities to seek platforms that offer greater freedom in managing their wikis, such as Miraheze or self-hosting options. The Hollow Knight wiki's migration is highlighted as a pursuit of greater autonomy.

💡AI-generated content

AI-generated content on Fandom, particularly the erroneous 'quick answers' feature, is criticized for containing inaccurate information and being implemented without community consent. This incident with the Hollow Knight wiki illustrates broader concerns about the quality and reliability of content on Fandom, contributing to the community's decision to migrate to a platform where they have more control over their content.

💡SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO is a critical factor in the visibility and accessibility of wikis online. The video discusses the challenge wiki communities face when competing with Fandom's strong SEO presence. Despite the quality of their content or their official status, alternative wikis struggle to rank higher than Fandom in search results, complicating efforts to migrate and attract users to new platforms.

💡Grimace Incident

The 'Grimace Incident' refers to a controversial event where McDonald's paid Fandom to alter the Grimace article on the McDonald’s wiki into a promotional piece. This action, turning a community-curated page into an advertisement, exemplifies the potential for conflicts of interest between Fandom's revenue-driven motives and the integrity of community content.

💡MediaWiki

MediaWiki is the open-source software that powers many wikis, including Wikipedia and initially those hosted on Fandom. The video highlights the limitations Fandom imposes on the customization and use of MediaWiki, contrasting this with the greater flexibility offered by other hosting platforms. This restriction affects how communities can layout, style, and manage their wikis, contributing to the motivation for migrating.

💡Vandalism

Vandalism, the act of maliciously editing wikis to insert incorrect information or spam, is a common challenge for online communities. The video discusses how Fandom's policies towards vandalism and user verification can be inadequate for communities heavily targeted by vandals, such as the Pizza Tower Wiki. This has led some communities to migrate to platforms with more robust moderation tools.

💡Independent wiki hosting

Independent wiki hosting is an alternative to wikifarms like Fandom, offering communities full control over their wikis. The video discusses several options for independent hosting, including self-hosting and joining independent wiki alliances like NIWA. These options allow for greater autonomy, customizability, and control over advertising, addressing many of the concerns communities have with Fandom.

Highlights

The Hollow Knight wiki has moved to a new website, hollowknight.wiki, leaving the old Fandom-hosted site.

The new wiki can be accessed by downloading the Indie Wiki Buddy extension for desktop users.

Fandom, previously known as WikiCities and Wikia, was founded in part by Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia.

Fandom's aggressive ads and degraded user experience have led to numerous wiki communities leaving the platform.

The Grimace Incident, involving McDonald's and Fandom, was a significant factor in the Minecraft Wiki's decision to leave Fandom.

Fandom's AI-generated 'quick answers' were filled with incorrect information and were不受社区控制.

Fandom restricts the layout and styling of wikis, limiting creative choice among communities.

Vandalism on the Pizza Tower Wiki led to its migration to a different wiki farm website, Miraheze.

Fandom's policy on user verification and page protection is limited and often insufficient.

McDonald's Grimace Shake promotion led to the McDonald's wiki's front page being turned into a paid advertisement.

Fandom's dominance in search engine rankings makes it difficult for forked wikis to gain visibility.

Wiki.gg is a wiki farm that hosts over 200 gaming wikis with ads primarily for indie games.

Miraheze is an ad-free wiki farm run on user donations, offering more freedom to editors.

Self-hosting a wiki provides the most freedom but requires technical expertise and financial resources.

Independent wiki alliances, like NIWA, offer support and collaboration for self-hosted wikis.

The RuneScape wiki's successful migration from Fandom and partnership with the game's developer serves as a model for other wiki communities.

Fandom's practices are at odds with the open-source and community-driven nature of wikis.

The Minecraft Wiki community's decision to migrate was influenced by the success of the RuneScape wiki's move.

Wikis represent a space of community creation and free information sharing, distinct from corporate social media platforms.