HRWiki:STUFF/About
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Introduction
This page is to help us decide which fun facts are useful and which should be deleted.
Here's how it works. First off, you can still add a fun fact to the page directly. If somebody doesn't like it, though, it will probably be STUFF'd, that is, moved to this list. If you think there is a reasonable doubt as to whether everybody would agree it should be included in the article, post it on the talk page first to try and gauge the opinion of the community. Attempt to reach a consensus on whether or not to include the item on the page and if so how it should be worded. If a consensus isn't reached on the talk page, you can move the item to this list for a more formal vote.
Things that always make good fun facts:
- References to other toons or emails that will be obvious to longtime users but not to newcomers
- References to pop culture (but not those that are so obvious that everybody will recognize them; everybody knows that Ronald McDonald is the clown mascot of McDonald's, for instance)
- Verified tidbits about the creation of the toon or email (for example, "Mike, not Matt, provided the voice of Strong Sad saying 'Douglas'")
Things that often do not make good fun facts:
- Speculation ("This scene may be a reference to a vaguely similar scene in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...")
- Glitches due to the Flash software (unless the glitch may have a very amusing and relevant anecdote to go with it)
- Things already noted in the transcript
- Things that anybody can figure out by watching the toon or reading the transcript
- Things that become easily dated ("Other than those past two times, this is one of the few times that ____ happens")
Things that always make good fun facts can just be added directly to the appropriate page without going through the approval process. However, be careful with references: if it isn't necessarily true that the table turning into a black and red grid is a reference to StrongBadZone, then you should probably post it here instead.
STUFFing vs. Deleting
If you run across a fun fact you think is questionable in terms of factuality or relevance, you can choose to remove it or STUFF it (in the hope that it will be declined). There is no official policy stating when a fun fact should be STUFF'd and when it should be deleted outright, but these are some basic guidelines to help you decide which is better:
- If a contested fun fact lends itself to discussion on the toon's talk page, then try discussing it there first. Often the matter can be quickly settled or a compromise version found. If no consensus can be reached on the talk page (that is, if there is a sharp division of opinion on the matter), then the fact should be STUFF'd.
- Most fun facts, especially inside references, are decided within the first two weeks after the toon's premiere. After this point, the tendency is to delete questionable references. If the person who added the fact cares enough, they can STUFF it or bring it up on the talk page.
- If a fun fact has been on the page for quite a long time (you can use the history tab on the page to find out), it shouldn't be deleted outright. STUFF it or bring it up on the talk page if you disagree with it.
- Obviously, if a fun fact can be shown to be patently false, then it is not worth STUFFing, since it will be automatically declined anyway. Just delete it.
- If a fact is poorly written or documented, it must be cleaned up before it can either stay on the page or go to STUFF. It's usually only worth doing this if you really agree with the fact.
- Perhaps the most basic and, unfortunately, vague rule is that the bigger a stretch the fact is, the more likely you should just delete rather than STUFFing it. Of course, bald speculation should always be deleted outright.
See also
STUFF was reformatted on June 17, 2005. For facts closed prior to that date, see the following pages:
