Minecraft Wiki Editors Consider a Breakaway from Fandom

The official Minecraft Wiki editors are contemplating a significant move away from Fandom, the wiki hosting service, due to dissatisfaction with the platform’s functionality and intrusive pop-ups.

This decision comes after a series of changes implemented by Fandom that have been met with widespread disapproval from the Minecraft Wiki community.

The Root of the Issue

Fandom, a for-profit company co-founded by Jimmy Wales, is a major player in the wiki-hosting industry. However, since its acquisition by private equity firm TPG Inc. in 2018, the platform has undergone several changes that have not sat well with its user base.

The company’s acquisition of Gamepedia, the host of numerous official wikis, including Minecraft, led to the gradual migration of Gamepedia’s content to Fandom. This move, coupled with an increase in ads and pop-ups, has sparked discontent among Minecraft Wiki editors.

The Vote to Leave

The Minecraft Wiki editors’ frustrations have culminated in a vote to migrate the wiki away from Fandom.

The proposal, initiated by Minecraft Wiki editor SonicWave, suggests leaving the existing Fandom wiki as-is without maintenance, while creating a fork of the Minecraft wiki on another host. The vote overwhelmingly supports the move, with 42 out of 47 responses in favor of the migration.

The Challenges Ahead

Despite the strong support for the move, the migration is not without its challenges. Fandom’s forking policy requires the current wiki to remain intact, and any links to the new wiki cannot be displayed for more than the first two weeks.

Updating tweet cos people aren't thrilled so I'll rephrase with more detail.

Minecraft Wiki (Fandom) is likely forking to another site due to dissatisfaction. This means the current Wiki is staying, but won't ever be updated again.

This new site may never surface in an SEO war. pic.twitter.com/BZt4dIrQCH
— PhoenixSC / Hamish (@phnixhamsta) July 11, 2023

This means the new wiki will essentially be starting from scratch, competing with the existing Fandom wiki in Google search results. Additionally, Google’s policy of hiding duplicate content in search results means much of the content will need a significant rewrite.

The Future of the Minecraft Wiki

The decision to migrate the Minecraft Wiki away from Fandom marks a significant moment in the wiki’s history. However, the success of the move remains uncertain.

The new wiki will have to compete with its own long-established origin point, potentially leading to two competing Minecraft wikis, both claiming to be the original or official one.

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