<Insert formalities here>

The Lyceum right now seems to be somewhat messy and it annoys me. It lacks a number of features along with being generally difficult to navigate and comprehend. Hopefully this post is of some use.

First of all, there does not exist a Lyceum specific search function. How are you supposed to find "that one" Lyceum article if you cannot search for it? I know that the Glossary exists but it is by no means a good solution, the more articles that are created, the more difficult it will become to navigate that already massive list. Well, some of you might say "Hurr durr, just use the website's search bar.". Yes, that does in most cases actually send you to the Lyceum article, but the interface is rather confusing and it gives you a whole lot of unwanted results (comments, forum posts, compo entries and so on). At first glance, it is also somewhat unclear what a Lyceum article is and what a completely unrelated thing is when using the already existing "search function". I propose that either that the already existing search function gets expanded upon with actual parameters, filters (exampli gratia forum, lyceum and entries) et cetera, or/and that a new search bar is implemented at the top of Lyceum articles solely for the purpose of searching in the Lyceum. This would make the Lyceum more accessible and easier to navigate.

Secondly, while we are still on the topic of searching for things, I suggest that a Lyceum search command for the BotB IRC bot should be implemented. We already have several commands that are rarely used (to my knowledge), like !i (IMDB) and !gi (Google Images). I would argue that a !ly <article name> command to search for an article in the Lyceum would be far more useful than the previously mentioned ones. There already exists a (stupid) command that refers to a specific article, !panda, so why not a search function? (You could try to fetch Jangler's bot's code. That one has several fancy and great functions. *wink* *wink*)

Third of all, the Lyceum does not appear to be very well moderated (if at all). There are 'stray' abandoned articles strewn across the place, see ProTracker and Buzz for examples. Some amount of redundancy also occurs for a few articles, see s3xmodit and compare that to s3xmodit (format). Furthermore, troll articles, such as why, are superfluous, albeit relatively harmless. Their existence might not be significant for the moment, but keeping a watching eye on the situation to make sure that the Lyceum does not get flooded with them is wise. On a semi-related note, the sorting of the Glossary seems to be messed up: Adlib (OPL) appears at the very top due to it having an 'invisible' space in the title. If active moderator(s) existed the Lyceum would be a better experience.

Fourthly, the amount of finished articles is few. This point is not a new 'major' function, but it is important nonetheless. There are plenty of half-finished and non-existent articles on the Lyceum not informing or helping anyone. I hereby implore people to add to existing articles and make new ones regarding a topic they find interesting or useful.

Finally, the Lyceum is (kind of) hidden away. I think it would benefit the site and its users if the Lyceum was shoved in the users face a bit more. Right now the only ways to get to the Lyceum's articles is either via the archaic search function or by clicking the Lyceum tab, scrolling down to the Glossary link, both options are out of the way and not obvious, who the hell knows what 'Lyceum' implies before they click it? For all they know it might be some kind of museum for lycans. The Lyceum should be a thing of beauty and pride which represents the website, not something that should be hidden away and forgotten. How is that helpful to anyone?

Sincerely,
Someone Who Just Wants This Website To Improve.

(Wow, it has been a few months since I found energy to make a block of text. Refreshing.)

My usual procedure for encountering a new and foreign word is to either click it or google what it means.

If you search "lyceum" in quotations and then whatever article you want to look up, that will work 99% of the time. Benefits of a Google search engine.

Also I did not read the rest because it is very long. I am sorry.

@Xyz: I do the same, not everyone does that though. I think actually changing the word 'Lyceum' to something like 'Wiki' would be a mistake, as the word does attract some amount of curiosity.

@commandycan: I never thought about that, but it still does not change the fact that the implemented system is confusing and that a fleshed out Lyceum search function would be beneficial to everyone. It is not that apparent what and how you even search for articles anywhere, you just kind of have to know that using the search bar actually leads to the Lyceum, among other things.

1) I can wedge in a lyceum specific search using commandycan's suggestion into all lyceum pages

2) I can create similar API commands as !botbr and !entry for !ly or !lyceum commands. Strobe will have to implement them into the bot.

3 & 4) I have, in the past, taken time and reorganized many things in the Lyceum, but over all it;s a big nightmare. If articles need removal I can view them all on a case by case basis. At present there isn't a way for admins to delete them.

"There are 'stray' abandoned articles strewn across the place, see ProTracker and Buzz for examples." -- I would refer to these as stubs (at least that's the Wiki term for it). The ProTracker example doesn't even exist, there is just a link to it's space as if someone had intended on writing an article about ProTracker though should have just linked to the Wikipedia article or similar.

Redundant articles like formats w/o the (format) suffix or like OHB and OHC should be consolidated and the inappropriately titled article deleted.

I'm the only one that can officially remove an article, but the community is in charge of moderating it. If people want to step forward as lyceum guardians with tasteful moderation tactics we could further discuss process and potential tools. For now though, I would suggest making a list of articles worth deleting and sets of articles to be consolidated.

the term for pages that no others connect to are called "orphans"

@puke7: 1) Fantastic, no longer will we be lost in a sea of unnecessarily silly titles and unrelated comments who just happened to mention the search phrase. Just make sure that the search bar is labeled as the Lyceum specific one to avoid confusion with the other search function, name it something along the lines of "teh Lyceum Search".

2) Great. Whip Strobe into line! Both !ly and !lyceum should exist and perform the same task for convenience's sake. I think if it does not return any Lyceum article it should encourage others to make an article of the searched subject, for example "That Lyceum article does not seem to exist yet. Feel free to make your own article on that subject.".

3 & 4) I can only imagine how horrifying the experience of unassisted moderation of all the Lyceum's articles is.

These so called 'stubs' should be able to be marked as such. When it comes to 'abandoned' articles they could be automatically marked as 'orphaned', as MKSTAR26 so eloquently puts it, if an article has not been marked as 'finished' by the author and has not been updated in let's say two months.

Agreed, the inferior redundant version should be deleted, but I think if the article's content could be synonymous with another article, like OHB and OHC, then the user should be redirected to the main article if they click the alternate article, OHC redirects to OHB or vice versa.

I could see myself as a Lyceum Guardian, with me making this giant post and all. :P

Regarding the list of articles, would you like me to start it in this thread or should it be made its own thread where people can find it and participate easier?

I appreciate all your hard work, puke7. :)

honestly, I think the lyceum is perfect as it is now. I'm using the search on the right side and I can find everything I need to know...

It's true some article could be consolidated (several entries for the same things) but otherwise it's ok.

(edit) I've tried to edit an article, the wiki syntax is a bit strange. And it seems if you use a https link instead of http it will convert to a wrong url,
for example https://github.com will convert to http://https//github.com/

@garvalf: If the Lyceum was actually 'perfect' I would obviously not have made this thread.

The existence of good articles does not change the fact that my aforementioned reasons still apply. "perfect (adjective) -- Having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be." - Oxford Dictionary. While it is still usable, it is by no means 'perfect' nor will it ever be. Nothing can ever be or become 'perfect', only strive to be.

This thread is essentially a massive constructive criticism post on how to improve the Lyceum as a whole; a quality of life improvement. I am not saying it is a piece of trash that needs to be shipped off to some developing African nation, which in exchange for the trash gets a pitiful amount of money. The Lyceum is great.

And, yes. The syntax seems to be bugged. It adds an http:// before the https:// and then removes the colon in the https:// portion of the link. Odd.

I'd like to suggest a default hierarchy for articles on formats and tools (using channelf as illustration):

channelf (battle format): referencing to "Channel F(console)" article, listing trackers with links, talking about restrictions and submit formats only
Channel F (console): information about the console and history about development of tools, listing trackers with links and point out differences (mml interface vs .xm tracker interface)
Sleizsa: all info on tool, quick setup, n00b install, n00b user, expert tricks, links for further info/development
Sleizsa Duo: all info on tool, quick setup, n00b install, n00b user, expert tricks, links for further info/development

As some formats can be created by multiple consoles and some consoles/tools can save in multiple outputs I think it'll be good to give them separate pages.
ATM I've made some n00b section for installing (user guide is in the making) and it is included as text with Firki mark up. I think it would be easier to read on separate pages too.

Something like:
"tracker" content=quick overview and normal install/use instructions, providing links to pages
"tracker"->history
"tracker"->n00b_install
"tracker"->noob_user_guide
"tracker"->dev_page (or expert)

Also some template for these pages might be helpful. The one thing that always kept me from suggesting stuff like that is it might for some take the pun from Botb if all is superseriously categorized as such.

Ah, uh another thing: tagging? I'm not sure how well that would work on lyceum articles tho. You'd have to be consistent to have it work well on searches and I don't really see that happen here. But I wouldn't leave it unmentioned. :)