MediaWiki talk:Captions

<a name="Blank_captions"></a><h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Transformers_Wiki_talk:Caption&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Blank captions">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline"> Blank captions </span></h2> It seems there is a subgroup of anons and others whose primary or only contribution is adding captions to images that don't have any. This might seem harmless enough, but it bugs me nonetheless. If humorous captions are a reward of sorts for hard-working editors, then anons who add nothing else shouldn't be taking away the fodder for that reward.

To that end, I'd propose to all image-adding editors that if you have nothing "funny" to say, then say something informative. An informative caption doesn't have to be "this picture is a picture that is of Megatron"; it can state that this is "The box art painting of Megatron from his original 1984 Generation 1 toy". Maybe it's a little vengeful of me, but I'd rather see that as a placeholder till a regular contributor adds something genuinely worthwhile, instead of whatever some random anon thinks up in five seconds because they're convinced that this gaping void must be filled. -- <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Repowers" title="User:Repowers">Repowers</a> 18:55, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

I'm down with that. --<a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:M_Sipher" title="User:M Sipher">M Sipher</a> 20:03, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

<a name="Captions_without_images"></a><h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Transformers_Wiki_talk:Caption&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Captions without images">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">Captions without images</span></h2> In line with captions being a "reward" of sorts, I think whoever went to the trouble to upload an image get first crack at the caption. There are a couple of <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Hasbro_Transformers_Collectors%27_Club_issue_22" title="Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22">pages</a> that have <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Animated_%28Titan%29" title="Transformers Animated (Titan)">captions</a> despite not having <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Animated_Comic_issue_1" title="Animated Comic issue 1">images</a> yet, which in my opinion is just not cricket. Thoughts? -- <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Magnus_Maximus" title="User:Magnus Maximus">Magnus Maximus</a> 02:35, 4 November 2008 (EST)

I think that goes without saying, whomever uploads the

image gets first go to caption it (unless their caption is deemed to be stupid or offensive or some other reason). --<a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:FFN" title="User:FFN">FFN</a> 15:33, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

<a name="I_don.27t_get_this"></a><h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Transformers_Wiki_talk:Caption&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: I don't get this">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline"> I don't get this </span></h2> This "rule" seems pretty pointless to me. It's fun to add amusing captions - so what if you haven't anything "serious" already? Can anyone explain this rule better than on this project page? To be honest, it seems petty - but I'm willing to be proved wrong. --<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=User:Grimlockius_Prime&action=edit" class="new" title="User:Grimlockius Prime">Grimlockius Prime</a> 05:20, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

Because the main point of this wiki isn't to crack jokes, the

main point of this wiki is to provide information about Transformers. People who are contributing useful information use the image captions and similar methods as a perk/bonus to make their work fun to edit and read, not as an end in and of itself.

So if you change a caption, you're ruining someone else's

"reward" for adding information, and if you're doing nothing but adding jokes, than you're not contributing anything worthwhile that furthers the wiki's actual purpose. Humor is secondary. --<a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:Jeysie" title="User:Jeysie">Jeysie</a> 05:57, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that someone changing

another's caption is infringing on a "perk", but I don't think this is a perk. The perk is getting your text on the wiki and providing quality information. And secondly, if you can provide a funnier joke (and so far I can't), then why not? Everyone benefits. --<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=User:Grimlockius_Prime&action=edit" class="new" title="User:Grimlockius Prime">Grimlockius Prime</a> 14:22, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

Since theoretically anybody can get their writing on the wiki

(and assuming it's quality, it stays there), that's not really a perk. I see it as work. --<a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/User:FFN" title="User:FFN">FFN</a> 15:32, 14 March 2009 (EDT)