Encyclopedia Dramatica:YouTube Improvement Drive
IMPROVEMENT
Welcome.
The original ED Improvement Drive, which began last August, was a great success. ED stepped up efforts to maintain high level of quality content as well as trim the fat from many of the popular categories. We have a dedicated group of sysops and other loyal users who have generously donated their time to quality control. Unfortunately, we still have problems. The YouTube category has unfortunately become the equivalent of the DeviantART category. We have too many crappy stubs that are simply lacking lulz or even decent structure. We also have articles which have maintained archive value but which have become stagnant and outdated due to lack of maintenance/upkeep. This has become a major problem. Newer EDitors must be educated in what we desire in a YouTube related article and this page will function in an advisory capacity in the interests of maintaining the category.
Contents
What We Do Not Want
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Consult the ED style guide and you will be well on your way to success! [Expand]
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Too often we see boring and unimaginative attack articles that seem to have little relation to the actual YouTuber in the article. Remember, ED provides factual information about people, events, memes, etc. "Lies," as such, are only okay if they are exaggerations of the truth, or obvious fabrications - embellishment for the lulz is acceptable. We do not care about NPOV here, but far too many articles are crammed with the words aspie, pedophile, nigger, and other non-pc epithets that are being overused or misused. If you are trying to give your article an "edge" by throwing shit like this in, then you're a poor EDitor. The issue is not the offensiveness of the words. It is you overusing them because you are uncreative and lazy. There is a difference between using this type of humor in the appropriate place and using it to substitute for your lack of creativity. If you do not know the difference between these, then you are most likely the type of contributor who we do not want here. Remember, ED is not Hitler's Uncyclopedia. We want articles that are clear, concise, and readable. Your goal should always be harsh and snarky satire, not forced or shallow tripe.
ED:101, ED:ABOUT, ED:LULZ, and ED:CRAP are also required reading.
Misues of Templates
We have also seen massive abuse of certain templates in recent months as well. The {{spoiler}} template has been misused in the same manor as the {{fact}} and {{warning}} templates, so please exercise discretion.
Misuse of Memes
This is an enormous problem right now and the YouTube category is no exception. This has the adverse affect of both diluting the sacred memes whilst making the articles seem forced and cheap. It also tends to stifle the potential an article could have - all for the sake of some overused meme which was probably never funny anyway. We do not want people writing as if our audience is a bunch of meme-addicted channers. If you wish to drop as many overused memes as possible in as many articles as possible, without any manor of discretion in considering whether they belong their in the first place, then you are exactly the kind of contributor we do not want anymore.
A good way to avoid misuse is to pipe to memes.
For Example:
- [[Over 9000|Many people]] feel like [[IMMA CHARGIN MAH LAZER|masturbating]] after watching LisaNova's videos.
Nobody feels like that after watching a Gimmeabreakman video. This makes Victor sad.
This technique of piping to memes stops articles being filled with meme references, whilst linking readers to those precious memes.
Avoid Unecessary Piping In General
Although imaginative and appropriate piping are one of the primary lulz generators in any article, we often see unimaginative piping used in many articles. Remember, excessive piping does ! = funny.
Go Easy On The Embeds
Dumping a shitload of embeds onto a page does not = an article.
When embedding videos, have a few sentences describing what readers should expect if they watch the video, or offer a critique of the video and/or state its relevance to other drama. You know what the video is about already, the reader often does not. Do you actually want the readers to even watch the video? Or are you just interested in bulking out your article? When it's the latter, you're not fooling anyone.
SRS DO NOT WANT
Dox
Be careful on who you dox. It's best not to dox underage users. Yes, dox is allowed but keep in mind that ED is not your personal army.
IMPORTANT
We do not care about some nobody who blocked you on the tubes, nor do we want your shitty attack article on them. We have enough problems as it is dealing with the high number of poorly written, in utero, unfunny semi-stubs that we are flooded with daily and subsequently forced to delete. In accordance with the Original Improvement Drive, you are to avoid Exhibits A, B, and C at all costs.
Articles For Reference
As a reminder of what is expected, here is a quick list of some good YouTube articles:
- Renetto
- TheAmazingAtheist
- CaseyNunez (aka TheDramaTube)
- HellionExciter
- Bravesgirl5
- CircaRigel
- FilthyWhore
- Thatkidparker
- Violetkitty411
- PeppermintPatti
- The Kewl Kids
- YoungTubersUnited
- YouTube Nobodies
It may be hard for you to create an article which is as high quality as these simply because you do not have as much to work with. But keep in mind that these are what you should be striving for, regardless. For more tips on writing quality articles please report directly to ED:101 by the end of the day.
Maintaining Active Mirrors
This is a big issue. Users must start maintaining active mirrors in the interests of preserving lulz. The lack of active mirrors is one of the reasons we are now forced to trim the fat from the YouTube category and we need you to restore broken embeds or external links. Remember, to fresh eyes, the context of many of these articles has been lost because the media which gave the page its life and appeal is now gone. When a reader sees an article wherein every video on a page is a dead link, this looks bad and it reflects poorly on ED.
ED does not actively encourage any user to violate copyright laws and/or any website's TOS, but users it may also be a good idea for users maintain backups of critical videos at the very least. For convenience sake, here is a rapidshare of a good program to use called Nuclear Coffee VideoGet 2.0. If an individual is very persistent with their take-down notices, then use other sites such as Vimeo, DailyMotion, or at least a filing hosting site such as mediafire, or MEGA to maintain access to the important videos for the readers. If you embed any important video, GET A .MP4 BACKUP AT THE SAME TIME.
Current and Future Initiatives
The YouTube Portal
The YouTube Portal is now up and running. If you wish to suggest an article for featuring on the Portal or if you wish to add one to any of the sections on the page please go to the Suggestions page.
The YouTube Template
This has been altered so as to funnel traffic through the YouTube Portal from now on. Please go to the People page to add a someone to the list.
A Final Note
To put it simply, this is our mandate. We appreciate all the hard work every user has put into every article. We really do. But, it is now necessary for the good of the site to direct efforts towards improving the category. If some shitty stub you made or an article you've made major contribs on gets flushed, well....too bad, so sad, go tell your grandad. Do NOT attempt to recreate these pages without having made considerable improvement to them. Before attempting to recreate a previously deleted page you must ask a sysop to review it to see if it's good enough to come back.
| —some English faggot | ||
Useful Links
- When is it crap? - Tips to avoid writing poor articles.
- Maintaining a Good Joke:Word Count Ratio - Tips on keeping a healthy amount of lulz in your article.
- The Style Guide - For general tips on writing articles.
- ED:101 - How 2 EDit for Dummies.
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Policy This article defines official ED Policy. |
