Wanna say something about the page without necessarily adding any content to it?
ADD A COMMENT BOX!
Gimme a [[Comments]]. Whalahh, you're ready to comment.
You can also chose an alternative text by doing this: [[Comments(Hey dude, leave a comment!)]].
Note: Make sure it's at the very bottom of the page, because when you enter text into the comment box it will simply append it to the very bottom of the page. It's exactly the same as making a usual edit of the page, except the time and your user name will be appended for you. How awesome is that! Comments are limited to 1000 characters, so if you have something long to write it may be better to edit the page directly.
When to use a comments box
I think comments boxes work well on pages where the comments aren't likely to be integrated into the 'normal' page content. Experiences/personal opinion is good for comments. I think comment boxes are harmful when people use them to actually contribute to a page. Then you're left with a mess of a page that always has to be refactored. A good rule might be: if you're finding yourself replying back and forth using a comment box then it's probably best to edit the page usually. —PhilipNeustrom
My guideline is that manual editing is generally preferable. The only exception is for polls and poll-like content, such as restaurant reviews. In these cases, the comment box is acceptable, although I personally still prefer to do without.
My problem with the comment box is that it encourages people to use the wiki in a stream-of-consciousness way. This leads to it being less-useful to the reader. It also works to discourage editing — people often simply leave comments, without ever using the more advanced editing capabilities. It's not even particularly good for discussion, as it doesn't support any sort of threading. Conversations quickly become tangled. —ct
I pretty much agree with Philip's thoughts on when comment boxes are good. Here are the primary benefits I see to comment boxes:
- Fast, easy, and convenient to use.
- Automatically timestamp and attribute the text.
- Page doesn't need to be locked while user is typing their comment.
Oh.. and macros and some formatting can be used in comments.. The lack of option to preview is another drawback. —Jevan
I like the comment boxes, especially on business listings, because it gives the reader some idea of community opinion of a merchant. On pages other than business listings, I can appreciate CTs concern, but they're still a convenient way for others to post questions that may not really be appropriately incorporated into a page. And I'm lovin' the timestamp/attribute aspects! They give the reader an idea of how old/new a comment is and who's posting the info or query. CT... you've probably noticed yourself how inconvenient it is not to have a comment box on your personal page! It makes communication difficult. Stream of consciousness *does* have its place... comment boxes are like wiki sidebars! —AlphaDog
I concur with alphadog. I have added many comment boxes myself, but I apologize for offending anyone by doing so —ChrisWaterstraat
Given the recent events with Michael777's comment being erased from the effects of alcohol page, and the subsequent argument, I wanted to pose question: When is it ok for an editor to delete a comment? There are plenty of pages that have comments that deviate from the page's topic, should they be cleaned up? Should the comment be moved to a more appropriate page? I can understand Michael777's annoyance about his edits disappearing, and think a little discussion could be good. AndrewPeake
I especially like that there IS NOT a comments box on the Comments page :D —MasonMurray
