Should wiki pages be written in third person or second person? - Editing & Tools

#1 Posted by natetodamax (18927 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

I've been doing some wiki editing today and I realized that there doesn't seem to be a rule or guideline regarding the point of view that pages should be written in. I've seen pages in third person (Commander Shepard does this and goes here) and second person (You do this and go here). Which is preferable?

#2 Posted by JJWeatherman (13875 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Third

#3 Posted by Hailinel (18120 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Thid person.

#4 Edited by MattyFTM (13814 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

It should be third person. Wiki pages should never refer to the reader. "You do x, y and z" should never be used. Either "the player does x, y and z" or "[character name] does x, y and z" should be used instead.

Moderator

#5 Posted by cgoodno (166 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Wiki: third person
Guides/walkthroughs: second person

#6 Posted by asian_pride (1644 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Yeah, third person for wiki pages. Second person can be used for reviews, previews and guides.

#7 Posted by Enigma777 (5973 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

I say screw the haters and write it in first person!

#8 Posted by StarFoxA (4922 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

If I find second person, I try to change it, but there are still a lot of pages that alternate between third and second.

#9 Posted by Guided_By_Tigers (8020 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Never 2nd person. That is always a no no.

#10 Posted by minorinya (166 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

2nd person is the middle child. So awkward.

#11 Posted by ryanwho (12083 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

First person. I wanna feel like I'm there. Paint me a picture.

#12 Posted by Linkin10362 (602 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Been quite a while since I heard 2nd person used as a term, always 1st or 3rd.

But yeah, 3rd is best.

#13 Posted by Kyle (2317 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

second person wikis are the bane of my existence.

#14 Edited by Jeust (9597 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

First person (shooter).

#15 Posted by Video_Game_King (29329 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

@JJWeatherman said:

" Third "

You honestly didn't see the opportunity for a "First!" comment :P?

#16 Posted by Xolare (1210 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Seventeenth.

#17 Posted by JJWeatherman (13875 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

@Video_Game_King said:

" @JJWeatherman said:
" Third "
You honestly didn't see the opportunity for a "First!" comment :P? "

Dawww. I'm not internet-clever enough.

#18 Posted by natetodamax (18927 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

Is it worth it to go through pages changing everything to third person? I'm finding more and more lengthy articles that are written in 2nd person.

#19 Posted by LordAndrew (13817 posts) - 2 years, 3 months ago

@natetodamax: If you come across such pages, sure. Actively seeking them out could be tricky though. Is there a regex that could be used to find use of second person? Searching for "you" should be easy enough; is there anything else one needs to look out for?

#20 Posted by natetodamax (18927 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago

I feel like this should become a written rule since I don't think it is. People are still writing everything in second person.

#21 Posted by Guided_By_Tigers (8020 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago

People who are too stupid to know not to write in second person should not be working on the wiki......Formal writing should NEVER be written in second person, that's common knowledge it shouldn't have to be a rule.

#22 Posted by natetodamax (18927 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago

@Unknown_Pleasures said:

People who are too stupid to know not to write in second person should not be working on the wiki......Formal writing should NEVER be written in second person, that's common knowledge it shouldn't have to be a rule.

But it needs to be a rule because every other wiki page is written with "you"

#23 Posted by Guided_By_Tigers (8020 posts) - 1 year, 11 months ago

@natetodamax: I won't dispute that you're right it probably does need to be a rule, also Jeff's styling guide needs to be easier to find....I'm just appalled that people don't know that they shouldn't write in second person.