User blog comment:Rupert Giles/Introducing Updated Global Navigation/@comment-5448890-20141014000236

I think I've commented already, but I'm gonna go ahead and take another stab.

This new navigation is, in short, a leap of faith in the direction of improved funding for dear Wikia.

Want some proof? Here it is: I'm logged in. Most of you reading this are logged in. Most, if not all, of the comments on this blog are from logged-in users. And therein lies the problem.

Wikia makes no money from logged-in users 90% of the time. Most logged-in users don't land on the front page, they land on the wiki activities or something. Monobook users see no ads by default. Most logged-in users aren't providing Wikia with income.

Meanwhile, if Wikia can pull off the move to look like a social media site, they can turn the tables. Social media is social--all they need to do is advertise the diversity and population of Wikia and they can attract TV show, book, gaming, even just social media fans all to their site. This shows them a crap ton of ads, which the users then click on ('cause Wikia itself isn't attractive any more 'cause "OOH PRETTY LIGHTS" effect), thus giving Wikia $$$.

"get more users to search, expose users to our new content hubs, and lastly to provide a consistent experience across screens and devices." I.e.,: get more users to move around quicker so they see new ads, get users to see the diversity of wikia so they tell their friends so three people see more ads, and so that all wikis look the same on all devices with minor, subtle changes.

Wikia's taking the dreaded move of "social media" and "advertising media" instead of where it should go--diverse, massive, endless storage of trivial information that any fanbase can cater to without having to worry about no users to contribute to the cause.

I am strongly convinced that my home wiki is so dead because of this very effect. Fanon wikis are inherently unique; I know of many fanon wikis that have many people reading; however, readers cannot write stories. Only writers can. And wikia wants readers to STAY readers. Wikia's position is, quite simply, "discourage users from signing up or disabling our features for themselves and encourage them to visit all the wikis".

My prediction is this. Within two years, every single wiki on Wikia that relies on user-created content alone (Fanon wikis, Songwriting wikis, story writing wikis, etc.) will be dead or dying and their average number of active users will drop below a steady 10.

Stuff like this, this movement, this move to change over to this "modern" "sleek" and "fluid" look, will be the death of user-created wikis.

Say goodbye to Fanon by 2017, my friends, because I'm almost certain that's what's bound to happen.

tl;dr: Wikia, '''stop trying to be a social network. You are not a social network. Stop trying to distract your dedicated users, your readers, everyone and his dog from contributing. Please.'''