Changes: Forum:Explanation titles

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Has someone thought about making an article in which the meaning of all the episode titles are explained? For example: the meaning of older or obscure english words and terms like (the drumhead, ethics, tapestry) quotes or references (I, borg - a fistfull of data's, it's only a paper moon) or historical, scientific and cultural explanations (hippocratic oath, apocalypse rising, penumbra) M.vd 01:55, September 7, 2009 (UTC)

Any obscure titles are or should be explained on the episode page (most of your examples are explained on their respective pages); that would be the first place someone would look for that information. Alternatively, a lot of your examples have their own pages on the concept - e.g Drumhead trial, It's Only a Paper Moon, Hippocratic Oath etc.– Cleanse 04:06, September 7, 2009 (UTC)

What if some people don't want to go through every individual page to look for the meaning of all the episode titles? Shouldn't it be a service to the memory alpha community and people who visit here that they have summaries of particular types of information? M.vd 08:59, September 7, 2009 (UTC)

I think it's a bigger service to both community and visitors to have information arranged in a fashion that allows us to maintain the information without too much overhead, while at the same time allowing visitors to actually find the information they are looking for. Your suggestion, if not restricted to this single example but used throughout, would mean a considerable duplication of content (we can't really remove it from the episode pages just because it's already somewhere else, for example), and thus administrative overhead to keep everything clean and correct. -- Cid Highwind 09:37, September 7, 2009 (UTC)

I think you don't understand. We are not going to create a list with every episode title explained. That belongs on the article page, instead i wanted to create a small list (perhaps 25 names big) where the meaning of words that are used in the titles are explained. For example: the episode "Transfigurations" uses a Christian religious term, now we can add the explanation of the title to the article page but that would be non-canon, take up a lot of space and require a grasp of dictionaries. The term is complex and would require an article of it own to be explained see wiki. To me there are 3 options to titles that require such complex explanations: create there own articles even though episode titles are non-canon, add a lot of non-canon text to the episode page or create a list of episode titles that require long definitions and link to that page whenever those episode titles need to be explained fully. M.vd 11:30, September 7, 2009 (UTC)

You shouldn't explain some episode titles and not others, if you're going to have a list of them. Anyway, firstly, explaining the production of episodes(or anything like that) is not non-canon for purposes of the episode. Second, I don't see why you think an explanation of the title would take up a lot of space. You state the title and the meaning. Third, why do you state that such things would require "a grasp of dictionaries"? There is a certain presumption of knowledge of the English language on most of the Internet.--31dot 15:32, September 7, 2009 (UTC)

Then define transfiguration for me under 30 words? M.vd 00:57, September 8, 2009 (UTC) Yes, you have to - how else will i know if it is possible and people understand the word unless i have someone define in a clear and concise manner. M.vd 00:58, September 8, 2009 (UTC)

It is our job to provide clear and concise articles, but it is not our job or responsibility to be a dictionary. We have plenty of space for explanations. There are dictionaries on the Internet for those who need them.--31dot 08:11, September 8, 2009 (UTC)

So, with certain episode titles we could link to dictionaries? M.vd 17:07, September 8, 2009 (UTC)

Why? As 31dot said, Memory Alpha is not a dictionary. If someone needs to look up something, why can't they just do it themselves? It's not like it's hard or anything. :-) -Mdettweiler 18:52, September 8, 2009 (UTC)

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 :Any obscure titles are or should be explained on the episode page (most of your examples are explained on their respective pages); that would be the first place someone would look for that information. Alternatively, a lot of your examples have their own pages on the concept - e.g [[Drumhead trial]], [[It's Only a Paper Moon]], [[Hippocratic Oath]] etc.&ndash; [[User:Cleanse|Cleanse]] 04:06, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
-::What if some people don't want to go through every individual page to look for the meaning of all the episode titles? Shouldn't it be a service to the memory alpha community and people who visit here that they have summaries of particular types of information? [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 08:59, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
+What if some people don't want to go through every individual page to look for the meaning of all the episode titles? Shouldn't it be a service to the memory alpha community and people who visit here that they have summaries of particular types of information? [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 08:59, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
-:::I think it's a bigger service to both community and visitors to have information arranged in a fashion that allows ''us'' to ''maintain'' the information without too much overhead, while at the same time allowing ''visitors'' to actually find the information they are looking for. Your suggestion, if not restricted to this single example but used throughout, would mean a considerable duplication of content (we can't really remove it from the episode pages just because it's already somewhere else, for example), and thus administrative overhead to keep everything clean and correct. -- [[User:Cid Highwind|Cid Highwind]] 09:37, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
+::I think it's a bigger service to both community and visitors to have information arranged in a fashion that allows ''us'' to ''maintain'' the information without too much overhead, while at the same time allowing ''visitors'' to actually find the information they are looking for. Your suggestion, if not restricted to this single example but used throughout, would mean a considerable duplication of content (we can't really remove it from the episode pages just because it's already somewhere else, for example), and thus administrative overhead to keep everything clean and correct. -- [[User:Cid Highwind|Cid Highwind]] 09:37, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
-::I think you don't understand. We are not going to create a list with every episode title explained. That belongs on the article page, instead i wanted to create a small list (perhaps 25 names big) where the meaning of words that are used in the titles are explained. For example: the episode {{e|Transfigurations}} uses a Christian religious term, now we can add the explanation of the title to the article page but that would be non-canon, take up a lot of space and require a grasp of dictionaries. The term is complex and would require an article of it own to be explained see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration wiki]. To me there are 3 options to titles that require such complex explanations: create there own articles even though episode titles are non-canon, add a lot of non-canon text to the episode page or create a list of episode titles that require long definitions and link to that page whenever those episode titles need to be explained fully. [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 11:30, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
+I think you don't understand. We are not going to create a list with every episode title explained. That belongs on the article page, instead i wanted to create a small list (perhaps 25 names big) where the meaning of words that are used in the titles are explained. For example: the episode {{e|Transfigurations}} uses a Christian religious term, now we can add the explanation of the title to the article page but that would be non-canon, take up a lot of space and require a grasp of dictionaries. The term is complex and would require an article of it own to be explained see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration wiki]. To me there are 3 options to titles that require such complex explanations: create there own articles even though episode titles are non-canon, add a lot of non-canon text to the episode page or create a list of episode titles that require long definitions and link to that page whenever those episode titles need to be explained fully. [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 11:30, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
-::::You shouldn't explain some episode titles and not others, if you're going to have a list of them.  Anyway, firstly, explaining the production of episodes(or anything like that) is not non-canon for purposes of the episode.  Second, I don't see why you think an explanation of the title would take up a lot of space. You state the title and the meaning.  Third, why do you state that such things would require "a grasp of dictionaries"?  There is a certain presumption of knowledge of the English language on most of the Internet.--[[User:31dot|31dot]] 15:32, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
+:::You shouldn't explain some episode titles and not others, if you're going to have a list of them.  Anyway, firstly, explaining the production of episodes(or anything like that) is not non-canon for purposes of the episode.  Second, I don't see why you think an explanation of the title would take up a lot of space. You state the title and the meaning.  Third, why do you state that such things would require "a grasp of dictionaries"?  There is a certain presumption of knowledge of the English language on most of the Internet.--[[User:31dot|31dot]] 15:32, September 7, 2009 (UTC)
-::::: Then define transfiguration for me under 30 words? [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 00:57, September 8, 2009 (UTC) Yes, you have to - how else will i know if it is possible and people understand the word unless i have someone define in a clear and concise manner. [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 00:58, September 8, 2009 (UTC)
+Then define transfiguration for me under 30 words? [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 00:57, September 8, 2009 (UTC) Yes, you have to - how else will i know if it is possible and people understand the word unless i have someone define in a clear and concise manner. [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 00:58, September 8, 2009 (UTC)
+:::It is our job to provide clear and concise articles, but it is [[MA:NOT|not]] our job or responsibility to be a dictionary.  We have plenty of space for explanations.  There are dictionaries on the Internet for those who need them.--[[User:31dot|31dot]] 08:11, September 8, 2009 (UTC)
-[[Category:Ten Forward]]
+::::So, with certain episode titles we could link to dictionaries? [[User:M.vd|M.vd]] 17:07, September 8, 2009 (UTC)
+:::::Why? As 31dot said, Memory Alpha is not a dictionary. If someone needs to look up something, why can't they just do it themselves? It's not like it's hard or anything. :-) -[[User:Mdettweiler|Mdettweiler]] 18:52, September 8, 2009 (UTC)