Top Contributors - templates should count

[Politoed666]

Lately, I've been working on a lengthly, repetitive, and time-consuming project. Categorizing uncategorized templates. And damn, there's a lot of them. Therefore, since I have a tight schedule, I haven't been making many mainspace contributions. And I likely won't end up on the list of top contributors of the month, even though I doubt any of you will dispute the importance of what I'm doing.

When I'm not on the TCotM list, I look inactive. Like I've slacked off since I was granted administratorship and that was my only goal. This is a problem. I'm sure other users have run into (almost) the same problem, and I'd like to propose remedying it.

Put bluntly, I believe that edits to the Template namespace should count toward one's edit total. Considering how absolutely crucial templates are to the success of this and any wiki, I think it's only fair that users should receive credit for editing them.

Anyone else feel the same?

 

[MAGNEDETH]

i agree. those edits are worthy causes. i dont mess with templates myself, but, those who do, should be credited.

furthermore, can someone explain what IS and what ISNT counted on the list?
ive heard minor edits dont count, and nor do redirects.
im inclined to think that both of those should be counted as well, if they arent.

 

[Mooites]

you should DEFINITELY be counted. templates are so confusing, fixing them up should count as 2 contributions

 

[MAGNEDETH]

well, lets not go that far.
when i made the Normal-type attack table that was about 20,000 bytes added.
but it was just one edit.

 

[Maverick Nate]

There is no possible way to do that. The total number of edits only counts for the mainspace, which is nothing in any other namespace: not Category:, not Template:, not User:, not Shipping:, not Bulbapedia. It needs to be a main page in order to be counted as a main space edit. You should be proud of your accomplishments even if you don't get them counted for your total.

It's not like anyone got credited on their total for removing the thousands of signature templates in the talk spaces. No one complained about that repetative, tedious task. Why do you think yours gets special treatment? Plus it isn't as tedious as the signature templates was. You have a list of the uncategorized templates AND they mostly all get the same sort of categories; the job you are doing is not as hard as you are making it.

 

[FabuVinny]

Does it really matter? Edit counts are ultimately as important as post counts on the forum. Quality over quantity and all that. In my time, I've done big write-ups in one edit (and I've got a huge article that I am still working on offline right now) while other times I've made multiple tiny edits in a row. Theoretically, both should work out the same but the statistics don't account for that.

Another area that isn't counted is the other wikis - Bulbanews and the Archives. I also look rather more inactive than is true because I've been uploading a lot of images on the latter recently, a fact that won't change for a while since I've just started on the footprint sprites. But do I whine about it? No - My intention is to improve Bulbapedia, not get a pat on the back.

I don't know where the rumour about minor edits not counting came from. They do.

 

[Politoed666]

There is no possible way to do that. The total number of edits only counts for the mainspace, which is nothing in any other namespace: not Category:, not Template:, not User:, not Shipping:, not Bulbapedia. It needs to be a main page in order to be counted as a main space edit. You should be proud of your accomplishments even if you don't get them counted for your total.

It's not like anyone got credited on their total for removing the thousands of signature templates in the talk spaces. No one complained about that repetative, tedious task. Why do you think yours gets special treatment? Plus it isn't as tedious as the signature templates was. You have a list of the uncategorized templates AND they mostly all get the same sort of categories; the job you are doing is not as hard as you are making it.

Here's the thing; it's not about me being "proud" of my work. I'm proud of my work regardless of whether or not I appear as a top contributor. It's about others seeing that I'm still a very active user and that I'm doing something important. Looking like someone who isn't doing much of anything, well, that's not me.

And, I'm not "complaining." I'm suggesting. If I were complaining, my comment would be along the lines of "why the hell aren't templates counted? templates should be counted and it's ridiculous not to count them." Is that what it sounded like? No, it's not.

As for no one getting due credit for the signature templates, maybe the problem was less that it was impossible and more that no one stepped up to suggest this. I guarantee that if this was proposed then, all the removers of the subst-ed templates would wholeheartedly support the idea.

Oh, and how would you know how hard it is to do what I'm doing? Oh wait, you wouldn't. You've never done it.

 

[Maverick Nate]

Here's the thing; it's not about me being "proud" of my work. I'm proud of my work regardless of whether or not I appear as a top contributor. It's about others seeing that I'm still a very active user and that I'm doing something important. Looking like someone who isn't doing much of anything, well, that's not me.

That makes it sound like you care more about your image on the site than the work you are actually trying to do.

Oh, and how would you know how hard it is to do what I'm doing? Oh wait, you wouldn't. You've never done it.

I know how hard it is, I've categorized 700 uncategorized images on the archives... it is exactly what you are doing here, just a different kind of page. And as Fabu-vinny said, everyone's intention should be making Bulbapedia a better, more informative website, without having to receive credit for every little thing they do!