Wikia's "Wikia"

[Nmenth 291]

I frequently visit various wikis. In September, Wikia introduced a new default skin they called "Wikia", on November 3rd, almost all Wikia wikis will be required to use this new skin as their default and the administrators are heavily restricted on what they are allowed to do to change this default skin.

 

You can see it for yourself by visiting any Wikia wiki, like Star Wars' Wookieepedia or perhaps the C&C wiki, EVA Database.

 

Apparently the only wiki omitted from the new skin and regulations is Uncyclopedia due to very high resistance.

 

There seems to be a bit of discontent from the wikis over this, with many talking about moving away from Wikia to new wikifarms, and some already in the process (not to mention those that have already left Wikia).

 

This is not the first time Wikia has made mandatory changes without concerning themselves with how the wiki administrators or editors might feel.

 

Personally, I think the "Wikia" skin looks terrible and I find myself not wanting to use the wikis anymore.

 

What does everyone else think of the new Wikia skin?

[Guest Stevie_K]

Apparently the only wiki omitted from the new skin and regulations is Uncyclopedia due to very high resistance.

 

Encyclopedia Dramatica as well

[Nmenth 291]

Encyclopedia Dramatica is not owned by Wikia.

[Guest Stevie_K]

Like I didn't know that

[Luk3us 63]

I like the new design, its better organised. I didn't like the old "stretchy" design of the Wiki's, makes it harder to read paragraphs when they're across the entire screen.

 

Though I don't like the side bar, takes too much space and on most Wiki's I visit is entirely ignored.

[Violetta 0]

I can't tell a difference. Have screenshots?

[dbjs2009 25]

Well the old skin in the Uncyclopedia is much better to me. Wikipedia is always my first choice, that's why! ..

[Nmenth 291]

I can't tell a difference. Have screenshots?

This is the former Wikia main page using the old "Monaco" skin:

 

The new skin limits the width to 660 pixels, puts a Wikia banner and Wikia links across the top, the advertising and "sidebar" down the right side (further reducing available space).

[Violetta 0]

This is the former Wikia main page using the old "Monaco" skin:

 

The new skin limits the width to 660 pixels, puts a Wikia banner and Wikia links across the top, the advertising and "sidebar" down the right side (further reducing available space).

Oh.

 

What I hate about Wikia and Wikipedia now is that they use JavaScript. Luckily you can go back to normal editing via options. Call me old fashioned, but I like manually writing my wiki codes.

[Revolutionary 0]

Am i the only one who prefered the older defalt skin with the sidebar, i found it so much easyer to navigate arround the site's...

[Doctor Destiny 41]

I like the new one a little more since it's not fluid. It's nice and static. Since I changed my monitor resolutions, it makes reading a lot easier.

[Nyerguds 102]

Wikia is systematically restricting stuff, and the new (forced) layout means the users have to reformat about half of their wikis' articles. All the big wikis (like WOW and Guild Wars, two pretty big ones) are moving away from Wikia. In response, Wikia banned their admins and put sock puppets of their own in charge instead. Seriously, wtf.

 

Last I heard (my bro's part of the Guildwiki community) some people are considering taking legal action against them, since the license used for Wikia content prohibits using the content for commercial purposes, and it's possible that "driving away and kicking off all original contributors and then adding more banners to the content they created" comes dangerously close to that.

[Mighty BOB! 5]

Pffft. Fixed width. I have a widescreen monitor for a reason. (I even have a greasemonkey script that changes Facebook from fixed-width to fluid.)