Talk:Interactive Story

Hummm.... if i edit my chapter here on the Wiki, will the changes show up on the Interactive story script? I doubt it. So why have them here- editable- when they are not editable over there? What happens if others start to edit our chapters? Wouldn't it be better just to have a link to the chapters and not the text of the chapters themselves here?

-Gabby --141.157.47.224 8 September 2005 18:01 (GMT)

reply to Gabby

(this is a copy, paste and edit from my reply over at the forum)

No, the changes will not show up on the Interactive Story script, but there is no point in that, because we're looking to replace that system. If we switch, there will no longer be an Interactive Story script.

The problems we had with the old system are these:

• the chapters and the means to comment on them are too far apart; most people don't bother to comment > we need visitors to be able to comment without any hassle
• there is no way to edit entries other than for admin to dig into the files, which costs admin a whole lot of time > we need a system which allows users to edit their own work
• we didn't really have the right to use the interactive script system (it's free to use as long as it's not for anything pornographic...) > we need something we can legally use

We think this system could do all of that.

Yes, other people will be able to edit all pages. However, we trust you are all decent people - like yourself - who don't go around destroying other people's work. I mean, you wouldn’t do that, right? And if we should once get in a loony who does, old versions are easy to restore (see the page on vandalism)

I understand you have reservations about other people being able to edit your chapters, it sounds strange at first, but there are enormous wikis out there - you probably know Wikipedia - where this system works wonderfully well. I don't have any reason to believe the Faramir fanfiction community is any more prone to vandalism than the general internet population. In fact, because we're all adults, I'd say rather the opposite is true.

It is possible to 'protect' pages - make it impossible for anyone but admin to edit them. But this takes away many of the advantages of the system. Although you rightfully do not want anyone tempering with the text of your chapter, would you also object to anyone adding links from characters in your chapter to their character pages? (see an example with Imrahil as link here). Or what if an artist, inspired by your chapter, wants to add an illustration? (unfortunately I can't link to any examples of that yet, but one can dream...)

--Admin 8 September 2005 18:41 (GMT)

Reply to Admin (Iris? Minx?)

I really do like the idea of a discusion page for each chapter. That way we can chew over possible ways for the chapter to go, give the author feedback, etc.. I also really like the idea of being able to edit ones own chapter. But isn't there the possibility authors will DELETE their chapters? How much leeway are you thinking of giving them insofar as editing? Will they be able to invalidate the actions in the chapters that come after theirs?

I suggest these rules regarding editing;

1- No major changes to the narrative that would invalidate the chapters following or chapters in the works.

2- No changing the branchpoints since, even if no chapters have been written, authors may be mulling over possible future chappies based on the branchpoints.

Gabby

---

Absolutely agree with those rules. No messing with chapters.

Though I can think of situations in which some users might want to enter a blank option. Or when there's an option like Minx's recent "Gandalf lets Faramir meet Saruman - in Orthanc or Rivendell, you decide", I don't think anyone has a problem with it if whoever enters that chapter edits that into either "Gandalf lets Faramir meet Saruman in Orthanc" or "Gandalf lets Faramir meet Saruman in Rivendell".

What exactly do you mean by "the possibility authors will DELETE their chapters"? You mean authors deleting their own work because they don't want anything to do with it anymore, withdraw from the slash world, that sort of scenario? Or people deleting chapters as vandalism?

In case of the first, I would always respect that - also if we would stick with the old system and an author would email us and ask to please remove all her chapters. Can hardly refuse that, can you? Replace them with a synopsys for the time being, to be replaced by proper chapters as soon as someone wants to write them.

In case of the second, deleted chapters can always be restored, just like edited pages can always be restored to previous versions.

--Admin 8 September 2005 20:17 (GMT) (Iris this time)