Talk pages consultation 2019/Individual feedback

This is a page for all wiki contributors to add your perspectives and ideas to the Talk pages consultation 2019. The goal of the consultation is to identify a general product direction for improvements to the communication tools on wiki by the end of June. (For more information, see the TPC main page.)

When we say "talk pages," we mean all the on-wiki forms of communication. This could mean any of the talk namespaces, a project page, a subpage, a sandbox, or any other page. It includes all the tools or systems you use on the wiki: wikitext talk pages, Structured Discussions (Flow), LiquidThreads, user scripts, gadgets, WikiLove messages, pings, notifications, etc.

Please explain your needs in as much detail as you can.

Feel free to respond to other people on this page, if you'd like; we'd like to get as much information as we can. If you have questions or thoughts about the consultation process, please tell us. You can write on the consultation main talk page, or ping DannyH and Trizek. Thanks!

This page has special markup for translation. If this page is too complicated, then try the talk page.

When you want to talk on-wiki, what tools work for you, and what problems block you? Why?

 * As an experienced admin I'm fine, but even so, the constant need to use (numerous, convoluted) templates with detailed "what to do" directions, on each of multiple pages for AFD and other processes, or even just notifying editors of discussions, is a time consuming annoyance. Can this be ripped out and replaced with some kind of automated editor-process handler which defines the inputs needed, and stipulates in machine-usable logical steps, where these inputs should be posted on-site, and using what templates? So you can select an arbitrary wiki-process or template, and internal code in the template or page determines any required/optional inputs, and what templates+content should be posted above/below which anchors on which pages as a result. So you can just pick a template, a form pops up, you fill in some text fields and validation + all edits for that process are posted automagically. That would be huge.  (Extra thoughts: We already have if-then-else and other statements as part of the parser, and the validation/process handling code for a template would be held with the templates and updateable as templates and processes change, using ordinary editing, like any other template edits.) 
 * If I were a less experienced user, I'd hate adding to talk pages. I'd like to see a hybrid system whereby discussion remains on talk pages as usual, but there's the additional ability (if desired) to read and add to it using ordinary chat systems somehow bridged to Mediawiki, and not just plain mediawiki editing. Perhaps talk pages and their sections can have links next to them "open for replying in a chat client" (or "add new section in a chat client")?  (On the possible objection that it implies social chatter, Stack Exchange's website chat system shows that if designed well, a tight focus can be achieved on topic. Anyway, we want user engagement so perhaps facilitating easy reader engagement may facilitate?) 
 * Those would be my two choices. Thank you! FT2 (Talk 11:21, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

How do new users on your wiki use talk pages, and what problems do they run into?

 * Many new users fail to correctly make new sections for new discussions. Perhaps some scroll to the bottom and click "edit" without knowing about the button at the top. Anarchyte (talk) 11:15, 4 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Forgetting to sign their posts. There is nothing that says "Don't forget to add your signature" when editing a talk page. Anarchyte (talk) 11:15, 4 April 2019 (UTC)
 * +1 for the signing problem. That should not need much explanation/intervention/effort for a user. Maybe it should just be automatic, maybe even without much cryptic wiki code appearing.--Flugaal (talk) 11:26, 4 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Formatting to differentiate your post from previous ones takes knowledge/experience. Also, with lengthy discussions, it's impractical to just keep adding indentation.--Flugaal (talk) 11:29, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

Thank you for participating!