stop using fandom
Jes Olson j3s@c3f.net
Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:04:01 -0400
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<div id="main"> <h3>thoughts</h3> <h4>2024</h4> +<li><a href="/thought/stop-using-fandom.html">stop using fandom</a></li> <li><a href="/thought/my-deployment-platform-is-a-shell-script.html">my deployment platform is a shell script</a></li> <h4>2023</h4> <li><a href="/thought/recover-lost-text-by-coredumping-firefox.html">recover lost text by coredumping firefox</a></li>
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+2024-06-16 +stop using fandom + + fandom is a wiki website (allegedly) + +if you are unfortunate enough to browse a fandom wiki +without an ad blocker, you will experience what i like +to call "attention assault" + +upon opening a fandom page (for me, it was the hollow +knight wiki), you will note the very subtle aroma of a +1/3 page banner ad, placed ever so daintily at the top of +the page. + +my ad was for furniture - ah yes, just what i wanted. +a multi-thousand-dollar furniture purchase to go with my +video game bug lore. + +i have been experiencing fandom for 1 second + + i already want it to end + +... + +as i scroll down, i'm assaulted by an auto-playing video +ad for dog food. i do not have a dog. + +actually, i should say adS. + +in the top-left corner of the video sits a little "1/2", +indicating the presence of a second ad. + +and came it did. it's the dog food ad again. + +this content is in the middle of the hollow knight fandom +wiki. when i scroll down, the video shrinks into the +bottom-right corner of my screen and stalks me. + +after the ads finish playing, a 60 minute video called +"honest trailers" begins playing. this must be the +content i was so anxiously awaiting. + +"honest trailers" is not hollow knight related - it's two +guys vaping & reviewing the new mario movie trailer. +they're arguing about whether chris pratt is a good FIT +to voice act MARIO + +after about 5 seconds (no, i'm not kidding), another ad +break occurs. + +it's the dog food ad AGAIN + +... + +scrolling further, i reach the end of the wiki page, +and there are two banner ads waiting, as if to bid me +farewell after my arduous journey through this shit-ass +website. + +- one 1/3 page footer ad for Ubisoft+ +- one 1/4 page sidebar ad for sunscreen + +i don't need sunscreen: i already want to die. + + . + \ | / + '-.;;;.-' + -==;;;;;==- + .-';;;'-. + / | \ + ' [0] + + + some fandom history + +in 2004, jimmy wales (the wikipedia guy) founded +fandom (it used to be called wikicities / wikia) + +from the very beginning, fandom was about profit: + 2004: jimmy founds wikicities + 2006: wikicities renamed to wikia + 2006: random venture capital firms invest $4M + 2006: amazon.com invests $10M + 2012: venture firms + amazon invest $11M + 2014: venture firms invest $15M + 2016: wikia renamed to fandom + 2018: enormous private equity firm acquires fandom + + grand total: $40M + +and what, dear readers, do venture capitalists want when +they invest $40M into something? + +returns. at all costs. + +let the enshittification begin. + +> but wait, what does fandom actually _do_? + +what valuable service does fandom provide to the world? + +fandom generates enough money to retain a staff of 300+, +and rent several offices, including a very beautiful +building in downtown san francisco. + +as far as i can tell, this is fandom's business model: + 1. users write wiki content on fandom + 2. fandom displays your content on a wiki page + 3. pelt fandom visitors with ads + 4. $$$$$$$$ YUM YUM YUM, MONEY!! $$$$$$$$$ + + +many fandom communities noticed fandom degrading. + +at first, it was the ads. huge, annoying, irrelevant ads +embedded directly in the content. + +obtrusive ads obviously sucks, but hey, adblockers are a +thing, so we could just recommend that our users use a +goo... + +!!THE MCDONALD'S GRIMACE SHAKE PROMOTION CONTROVERSY!! + +in 2023, mcdonald's paid fandom an unknown[1] amount of +money to temporarily replace the mcdonald's wiki main +page + grimace article into advertisements promoting the +GRIMACE SHAKE. + +i can't make this shit up. + +fandom set the precedent that companies could pay them +to make user content go *poof* + +what could go wrong? + + + ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢱⣆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ + ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣿⣷⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀ + ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⣷⣧⠀⠀⠀ + ⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⢠⣿⡟⣿⣿⣿⡇⠀⠀ + ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣳⣼⣿⡏⢸⣿⣿⣿⢀⠀ + ⠀⠀⠀⣰⣿⣿⡿⠁⢸⣿⣿⡟⣼⡆ + ⢰⢀⣾⣿⣿⠟⠀⠀⣾⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿ + ⢸⣿⣿⣿⡏⠀⠀⠀⠃⠸⣿⣿⣿⡿ + ⢳⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⣿⡿⡁ + ⠀⠹⣿⣿⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣿⡞⠁ + ⠀⠀⠈⠛⢿⣄⠀⠀⠀⣠⠞⠋⠀⠀ + ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ + fandom shall burn + +wikis aren't quite like other websites. + + - wiki software is largely open source + - wiki content authors are often technical + - users don't care where wikis are hosted + +three simple ingredients. one predictable outcome. + + mass exodus. + +the runescape[2] and minecraft[3] communities acted +first, migrating their treasured wikis to their own +domains. + +many other wikis followed. + hollow knight (yay bugz!) + terraria + animal crossing + stardew valley + EVE Online + Factorio + dota2 + ... + AND MANY, MANY MORE[4] + +over 300 wikis have migrated away from fandom, and i can +only hope that this trajectory accelerates. nothing makes +me happier than passionate communities showing everyone +that a better world is possible. + + +if you want to help, + + 1. download Indie Wiki Buddy + + indie wiki buddy tells you when a fandom page has an + alternative community-led wiki. it's a great plugin + that will help you support and discover independent + wikis. + + 2. if you must use fandom, turn on your ad blocker + 3. if you own a wiki on fandom, move it off! + +my offer: if you are a fandom wiki owner & you would + like to move your wiki content elsewhere, i + will offer you my expertise at $0/hour. i know + lots about servers, software, and maintenance. + just email me - let's get you out of fandom's + ecosystem. + + stay weird + stay independent + fuck venture capital + long live the human internet + + + LUV, + JES + + +[0]: sun ascii by jgs +[1]: fandom is a private company & doesn't have to + disclose such petty details as "how much money did + mcdonalds give us to tear out user content and + replace it with marketing" +[2]: https://runescape.wiki +[3]: https://minecraft.wiki +[4]: https://getindie.wiki/listings +[5]: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/12/24070287/fandom-wiki-generative-ai-features-quick-answers