Forum:Change name of wiki to Tardis Wiki

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Introduction

Following on from the Forum:Updating the Tardis Wiki logo this is a proposal to change the wiki's official name.

Currently we have a mix of names, which even admins sometimes are a little fuzzy on.

  • Tardis Data Core
  • Tardis Data Core, a Doctor Who Wiki
  • The Tardis Data Core Wiki

Going back to 2010 with Forum:Name of the wiki - revisit, which was re-visiting this 2009 discussion, and the change in 2013 to Data Core and its associated logo discussions is in Thread:117468 at User:SOTO/Forum Archive/The Panopticon I

While I always liked 'Tardis Index File' our long gone name for the wiki, it's not how anyone refers to the wiki, and I also now realise that I didn't offer any real objections back in 2013 to Data Core, which I've found since then a little awkward.

Now, 10 years or so on, I'm a little more pragmatic with regard to what the wiki is named. That there is what we think it should be named as a reference to something in-universe and then there is how people refer to it, and how it's used by others. And the latter is more important to getting more people to come here, to use it and talk about it. --Tangerineduel / talk 03:18, 14 July 2023 (UTC)

Proposal

Change the name of the wiki to Tardis Wiki – The Doctor Who Wiki, which is how it's represented at the top of the banner at the moment.

The short name would remain Tardis, so all in-brower page titles would remain looking the same.

This will mostly only affect documentation throughout the wiki, and intros to things like this very forum which need to refer to the wiki. --Tangerineduel / talk 03:18, 14 July 2023 (UTC)

Discussion

Approve

  • While I find the extended history of the site's name very fascinating, and I do understand the appeal of an in-universe name, at the end of the day Tardis Wiki is the best way to refer to the site. Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki or Tardis Wiki, Home of the Doctor Who universe would both be fine "extended names" for the banner. OS25🤙☎️ 03:46, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
  • Agree with the name change, it's how people refer to us, and how we refer to us, as well. I like having an in universe name, but to be honest, this one makes a lot more sense. Aquanafrahudy 📢 08:12, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
  • I agree. It's short, easy to remember and it's already how most users refer to the wiki anyway. 66 Seconds ☎ 11:26, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
  • There's honestly no reason not to just role with "Tardis Wiki". Everyone calls us that, the idea otherwise is a cute gimmick for an IU reference, and it's short and sweet. Najawin ☎ 15:34, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
  • I think, when not even the admins are sure what the correct name is, simplifying and standardising things as "Tardis Wiki – The Doctor Who Wiki" seems like the correct choice. Bongo50 ☎ 15:49, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
  • I mentioned during the logo update thread that I have a soft spot for "TARDIS Data Core", and I still do, but basically everyone refers to it as TARDIS Wiki including myself and it would make sense to have it consistent. CodeAndGin ☎ 00:20, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
  • I'm all for just calling this "TARDIS Wiki" - that's how everyone generally refers to us anyway. I can take or leave a 'subtitle'. — Fractal Doctor @ 11:14, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
  • To be honest, I generally forget it's not called the Tardis Wiki already. Approve. Metz77 ☎ 22:49, 23 July 2023 (UTC)

Disapprove

Discussion

I basically approve, but I think there's more yet to be discussed than the OP managed to cover. For one thing, assuming we do go with some form of Tardis Wiki, it may be worth agreeing on whether we're the Tardis Wiki, or just "Tardis Wiki" (or indeed, if we choose not to care, and to say that either form is valid). Scrooge MacDuck ⊕ 12:22, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
God I despise this discussion setup. It's the worst possible way to have thread discussions imo. As for the concern above, there's precedent both ways. Obviously Memory Alpha and Wookiepedia aren't helpful, but things like Mario Wiki, Zelda Wiki, and TFWiki all do variations on how they officially stylize themselves. 100% up to us. Najawin ☎ 15:34, 14 July 2023 (UTC)
Personally I just call it "Tardis Wiki". I don't care if it's officially called The Tardis Wiki, as I'll still continue to just call it "Tardis Wiki" anyway. 66 Seconds ☎ 11:28, 17 July 2023 (UTC)
I think we can lose the "The" - "TARDIS Wiki" works on its own. — Fractal Doctor @ 12:33, 17 July 2023 (UTC)

Just to make a minor correction to Epsilon's comment above that I didn't catch, my entire point was that "The Super Mario Wiki" is the official name and it does use "the". "Zelda Wiki" does not. There's so much variance that there's no clear cut precedent and we can do whatever we choose. Najawin ☎ 23:30, 23 July 2023 (UTC)

Personally, I think this wiki should be called the TARDIS Information System. Cgl1999 ☎ 22:36, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

Conclusion

This has reached the 30-day mark, and I think we have clear consensus to do away with "Tardis Data Core" and officialise the de facto renaming of the Wiki to "Tardis Wiki". Tardis Information System, the sole competing suggestion, just doesn't have any clear advantages over "Data Core": it seems clear that people would keep calling it "Tardis Wiki" anyway.

For the avoidance of doubt, though some people flip-flopped between the two spellings in this discussion, Tardis:TARDIS stands: we are, from this day forward, Tardis Wiki, not TARDIS Wiki.

As regards the definitive article, there were no strong feelings on the matter, but simply "Tardis Wiki" seems to have the slight advantage, and it matches the historical practice of referring to our Wiki as simply "Tardis" (certainly not "the Tardis") for short. Thus we are "Tardis Wiki" or "Tardis", even if we are also "the Wiki".

When it comes to the site's banner/tagling, there were two suggestions: sticking with "the Doctor Who Wiki", or "home of the Doctor Who Universe". Of these, sticking with the Doctor Who Wiki got marginally more support, and does seem to have SEO advantages. That being said, I'm not entirely confident about this (maybe using "Doctor Who Wiki" as well as "Tardis Wiki" risks creating some confusion about what our actual name is?). I'm going to stick with 'the Doctor Who Wiki' for now, but if someone wants to create a second thread reexamining this issue in itself, as distinct from the site name, this will not be held to be in breach of T:POINT.

Thank you to everyone who participated! Scrooge MacDuck ⊕ 14:10, 19 August 2023 (UTC)

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