Authored by 9 community members

This article defines non-articles and why they are unhealthy for the eBay Wiki. It also clarifies why some content does not belong in the eBay Wiki while showing where to share that type of content.

What is a non-article?

The term “non-article” references an entry in the eBay Wiki that is actually not an article. Non-articles are usually the result of community members being unfamiliar with a Wiki and not understanding what makes a good article. Remember that a good article has the following characteristics:

• It is like an entry in an encyclopedia and is written in a neutral point of view (it is based on factual information and not on opinion).
• It is never written in the first-person (it doesn't contain words like “I”, “me”, “we”, or “us”).
• It is never written for the personal benefit of an individual community member.
• It provides factual information about a specific topic (citations are included when necessary).

How does the eBay Wiki differ from the Discussion Boards?

One example of a non-article is a threaded discussion. One person posts a comment or a question about a particular topic and then other people edit the article by inserting their own comment or opinion. This results in a “thread” of comments left by many community members. Threaded discussions are characteristically unstructured and full of opinionated information.

How is the eBay Wiki different from eBay Blogs?

Another non-article example is when people use an entry in the Wiki as their own personal blog. They may have had a bad experience with a buyer or a seller, or maybe they have a complaint about a particular eBay policy.  Complaints like these are not the type of information you would find in an encyclopedia entry, and they are not the type of information that should be in a Wiki article.

How is the eBay Wiki different from Reviews & Guides?

Some non-articles come close to being  good entries. They're written in a non-opinionated way and contain useful information about a particular topic. Their only fault is that they are written as a personal narrative or as a story. The non-articles often include background information about the author and are written in the first person. For example, they will contain phrases such as “I've been a seller on eBay for three years…” or  “Whenever I leave feedback I like to…” or “I always include a thank you note when I ship an item…”. Non-articles like these can be easily converted into an article by replacing the first-person references:

Before (first-person):
Hi there. We've recently cleaned out all the closets in the house and have a MOUND of clothes that we need to get rid of.  We thought about garage sales, but people that shop garage sales tend to want to only give a quarter for a $80 pair of jeans! So, we've done some research and realized eBay is the way to go…

After (second-person):
When cleaning out the closets, attics and garages in your home you may find that you have a lot of clothes that you no longer need. Garage sales are often a hassle and you may find that it's difficult to get a fair price for the items you are trying to sell. The good news is that eBay is an excellent way to sell used clothing at a fair price. Here are some points to keep in mind that will help you get more money out of those old clothes…

Another option is the third-person.

Before (first-person):
I have not been selling on eBay very long, and I discovered that if you ship pickles to Timbuktu, they will be rejected by their customs. The would'nt tell me why.

After (third-person):
A new eBay seller discovered that the customs services of Timbuktu will not allow pickle imports. No reason was given to the seller for the rejection.

There are instances when converting first-person narratives to third-person instead of second-person will preserve better the message the article is attempting to convey.

Non-useful Information and Self-Promotion

Some non-articles simply do not provide any useful formation and may be the result of a community member “playing” with the eBay Wiki. Other times an article is written to benefit an individual member. Besides not being good Wiki etiquette, all entries in a Wiki should provide useful information to the community. 

Weeding a Wiki

As the eBay Wiki grows, anyone with an interest in eBay will be able to come to the eBay Wiki and find answers to questions about eBay. To ensure this becomes a reality, the community has to make sure that the eBay Wiki grows in a healthy way. Healthy growth is important because it becomes difficult for community members to find answers to their eBay questions when they have to sift through non-articles to find legitimate articles.

To ensure the eBay Wiki grows in a healthy manner one of two things will happen to non-articles.

1. A non-article will be edited and transformed into an actual article.
2. A non-article will be taken down.

(1) Wikipedia: Your First Article. (2006, July 28). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia . Retrieved 21:48, July 28, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Your_first_article

(2) The art of Wikipedia Weeding. (2006, July 28). In Wikimedia . Retrieved 21:26, July 28, 2006, from http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/The_art_of_Wikipedia_weeding