User blog comment:AWikiObserver334/A Word to the Administrators/@comment-1978336-20140425155622

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Interesting to have such a thought-out, well-meaning, and honest opinion on our administration come from a total stranger. It would be wonderful to have someone like this join our community, or at least drop on by the irk sometime.

But anyways, mysterious IP editor/crusader of interwebz justice, you do have some very valid points. Many of them are things the core members of the community are already painfully aware of, but the fact that we now know that our flaws are apparently so painfully obvious to the (presumably) casual observer should provide some added motivation to make changes.

The problem is that the wiki has a deep seated sense of elitist snobbery towards perceived "lesser" fanfiction works due to our desire to maintain a higher level of average quality than the average fanfiction website, something we've been largely successful at, thus further cementing this attitude of superiority. However, as we've come to realize, this attitude has been strangling away the flow of new users to our wiki, something which will no doubt harm the site if allowed to continue.

Unfortunately, as easy as it may sound to simply be nicer, one can't help but feel a sense of revulsion when you see an NCF article, particularly when the years you've spent with the community have conditioned you to do so. And we're all guilty of acting on that feeling at some time or another, some of us more than others. Ultimately, the change that will need to occur is a change of attitude, not a change of policy, and that's no easy change to make.

I feel you were particularly poignant with the following statement: "I am confident that these people could easily understand the idea behind the work and suggest a more suitable, canon-aligned idea for the member to use. With all this superior knowledge at your disposal, it is absurd to think you could not use it to help less informed members of the fanfiction community as well as write your own creations."

- You And I don't really have much to say about that other than that, yeah, you're absolutely right. This wiki needs to shift its focus from driving away those who write content that isn't up to our standards, and instead learn to educate such users so that they can make work that is up to the standards of the site, so that they can shape the future of our beloved site once those of us that are here now move on to other things.

So that about concludes my thoughts on the matter. I'd very much like the thank you for taking the time to provide this very polite critique of our community, and I hope that you will eventually join our wiki, as it is clear to me that you would benefit our site wonderfully.

Until then, auf wiedersehen.