User blog comment:Rupert Giles/Global Navigation Update/@comment-4403232-20141203202854

With all due respect, "we are tracking total searches and total page views per user" doesn't really seem like the best way to track this. Suppose on average I just happen to view 1.7 more pages per day with this bar. If I'm enjoying viewing each page far less, that tracking would make it look like I was.

The main reason pages get views is because Wikia is full of hard-working volunteers who put in all amounts of effort for free. So while some new bar may increase the views by 2%, the other 98% is because of hard-working communities that strive to improve those pages non-stop. If changes like these (that a large portion of the community has taken issue with) occur, you risk alienating and discouraging those users from giving their 100%.

If this case of "We need to improve branding and adviews per page" is because of financial issues, please be honest with us. I'm sure the majority of the community would be much more accepting and open to changes they view as negative if that was the case. However, as it stands now, a lot of users are already frustrated because they feel issues they run into with the site are not addressed in a satisfactory manner. Forcing a change to them that they STRONGLY don't like will only upset them further.

While I will not be leaving the site for this change, I feel it's important to remind that these sorts of changes have caused communities to leave in the past. One of Wikia's strengths is community. Please don't overlook that strength.