User:SOTO/Forum Archive/Reference desk/@comment-188432-20121202074850/@comment-188432-20130218205340

We've had a few questions lately that have basically been trying to solicit opinion about events that aren't actually depicted in any story. Questions about, for instance, how Rose got her job at Henrik's, or what kind of A-levels Martha had, or who Donna's best friend was in Grade 10, aren't for this board because they require fan speculation.

As the original welcome message makes clear, this board is for searching for facts.

If you want to talk about the great unknowns in the DWU, please click through to The Howling, where speculation is the order of the day.

Now, lemme make clear that we don't want to stop you from asking questions. It's just important to ask the questions in the right way. Here's a little guide for the kind of questions this board can deal with:

good for Reference Desk	good for The Howling
Does any story establish who Rose's first kiss was?	Who do you think was Rose's first kiss?
Is there any narrative in which Martha's is described as having done an English A-Level?	Do you think Martha knows Shakespeare was married in 1599 because she got an A-Level in English?

Basically the difference between here and The Howling is one of attitude. At the Reference Desk, we're much more about yes/no or factual answers. We actively try to banish opinion from this board. The Howling is a much looser place. It gives you a chance just to kick around a subject in the way that fan forums like Gallifrey Base often do.

That said, bear in mind that discussions here can impact the way that articles are edited. Discussions at The Howling are just for fun. The Howling can never be used as a place to hash out the writing of an article.