User blog comment:VickyC/Intro to Wikia’s Development Process/@comment-655-20111014093307/@comment-3388044-20111015083452

Any suggestion that MessageWall is not Article Comments 2.0 is disingenuous, at best. Only a blind man is incapable of seeing the overwhelming similarities and commonalities.

Trevor, I know that MessageWall is your baby and that you are wedded and devoted to the concept, and consquently our comments fall on virtually deaf ears. However, would you like a way to almost immediately end all dissension and discord on this matter?

Make it optional.

Yes, yes, I know the concept of choice and options is a thing utterly despised here at Wikia. But, think about it: While this product will no doubt fit perfectly with the vast majority of Wikia wikis, it does not fit 100% of them. And, the percentage of wikis for which it will not be a good fit is not insignificant.

Certain wikis will indeed benefit greatly from the MessageWall implementation. For example: Replacing talkpages with MessageWalls will most assuredly not be a good fit for more mature, academic wikis like the Chemistry, Math, Economics, and Psychology wikis, among many others.
 * Some lifestyle wikis. Examples:
 * WikiTea
 * Vintage Patterns Wiki
 * Some television wikis. Example:
 * A.N.T. Farm Wiki
 * Some movie wikis. Example:
 * Final Destination Wiki

Recognize that the MessageWall is not a one-size-fits-all product. Give Wikians a choice — and thus some semblance of control over their wikis — and this conflict will predictably end.

Remember the AdminDashboard product launch? The outcry almost entirely disappeared once Wikia compromised on certain aspects of its implementation (notably, the return of navigation options at the top of the screen).

Consequently, it is utterly foreseeable that the same result would occur vis-à-vis wiki-wide MessageWalls if Wikia would recognize that the MessageWall is not a one-size-fits-all product and give Wikians a choice in which namespaces on their wikis to activate the product, if at all.

Thanks!

— Spike Toronto  08:34, October 15, 2011 (UTC)