User blog:RRabbit42/Changes coming, here and on all wikis

As mentioned in our newsletter, the look of this wiki is about to change. Here's a timeline of when the changes take place:


 * Tomorrow, October 6th: the new changes will become active. If you have not registered for an account or you do not sign in, you will see those changes. The people that do have accounts will see the wiki as it is right now and they have an option to switch the changes on and off.


 * October 20th: everyone sees the changes, whether they're registered or not and logged in or not.


 * November 3rd: our current layout, done with a customized version of the Monaco skin, will no longer be available.

These changes affect all wikis hosted by Wikia. The English-based wiki will change first, and then those changes will be put into effect in other languages sometime later as Wikia finishes the translations for each language.

The changes are mandatory. Wikia has stated that the changes are necessary to add new features and to reduce costs that are incurred by continuing to support the Monaco skin. Because of this, each wiki has to make a choice: either update their wiki for the new skin, or go find some other company that also runs wiki software and will let people make wikis for free. We (the admins) think we would give up a lot if we moved this wiki somewhere else, more than what it will take to make the adjustments. Our top-ranked place on search engines is one I can think of right now.

Tomorrow, the admins will activate the changes for ourselves and see what's different. Wikia posted screenshots last month, but those pictures didn't provide enough details for us to really understand how the new skin would affect us. As we learn more, we'll share those details with you.

FAQ

 * The menu on the left will be replaced by some drop-down menus at the top of the screen.
 * The right side of the screen is reserved for specific things. (Exactly what needs to be investigated.)
 * Article space will be much narrower, in a fixed width, so Infoboxes and other things will have to be adjusted.
 * The width on your monitor's resolution needs to be at least 1024 pixels wide.
 * If the resolution is smaller than this, pages will go past the right edge of your web browser, and depending on which one you use, you may or may not be able to scroll right/left to see all of the page.
 * If the resolution is larger than this, the article pages will not expand to fill that width. You will see a background image on the left and right side of the page.
 * The method of toggling the new look for each person will be posted later.
 * Some of the links to the things you're familiar with, such as for Talk/Discussion pages and Edit, will be in different places or look differently.

As you can see, there will be many changes in the next month. So, don't freak out when the wiki suddenly looks different for you. We're going through those changes right along with you. — RRabbit42 ( leave a message ) 15:17, October 5, 2010 (UTC)