Wikivoyage talk:30 July 2006

I think I shall have to sue Mr Frommer for libel. "Deadly writing style"? My writing has never killed anyone! :) But seriously, what exactly does he mean by that? Too dull?  Too vicious?  Too ungrammatical?  - (WT-en) Todd VerBeek 11:47, 30 July 2006 (EDT)
 * Yeah, well at least Wikivoyage gives me the correct address for listings instead of making me wander around the supposed street a jazz club was located on. -- (WT-en) Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 11:48, 30 July 2006 (EDT)
 * Oh, and I dare him to write as great as a guide Jani has to Guinsa. -- (WT-en) Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 11:50, 30 July 2006 (EDT)
 * Actually, Frommer has a point. Relatively few contributors here are proficient yet at balancing the tension among writing in a lively tone; avoiding touting; being fair; and conforming to a Project:Manual of style with formats that push one in the direction of dry writing.  Since most edits, and editors, have an easier time drying things out than livening them up, the trend is to resolve that tension by creating just the "deadly writing style" that Frommer deplores.  And yes, IMO it does decrease the readability of the pages, in turn decreasing the likelihood that they will be read, just as the Frommer criticism implies.
 * Not sure what to do about that. Personally, I try to write in a way that, if anything, errs on the side of "lively" even if it means skirting some of the MoS conventions slightly.  Should the MoS maybe make the "fun to read" point a little more strongly than it does?  Would that help the "deadly" writers?  (A thing to consider is that those who read the MoS probably grok that tension already.  The fate of words to the wise: the wise don't need 'em, the otherwise don't heed 'em.)  Or is there really a problem here that needs solving, let alone a solution? -- (WT-en) Bill-on-the-Hill 17:13, 4 August 2006 (EDT)

Hilarious
Jani -- great find! --(WT-en) Evan 11:54, 30 July 2006 (EDT)