User:ManyOursOfFun/sandbox/summary of forking discussions

Editors have expressed discontent on the current state of the Minecraft wiki under Fandom. For example, user experience is generally negative, caused by intrusive ads, pop-ups, and overall web design. Additionally, users generally distrust Fandom as a company due to their actions; one notable example is the recent McDonald's Grimace incident.

From this, many from the community have raised the idea of forking to another platform/host. Forking would allow us to circumvent the issues raised above. Furthermore, depending where we fork to, the wiki may be allowed more freedom and control over itself. Forking options include wiki.gg, Miraheze, ABXY, Bulbapedia, and becoming fully independent. (Differences between these options can be found at User:MarkusRost/fork, with more details in this Google spreadsheet.)

Forking is not without issue, however. Fandom's forking policy states that the original Fandom wiki must stay intact and separate from the forked wiki. The forked wiki must not link to and from the Fandom wiki, and you cannot advertise the forked wiki in the Fandom wiki in any way.

In addition to any possible splitting within the community, search engine optimization (SEO) is commonly cited to be a major issue. Fandom currently has superior SEO out of the other forking options, meaning that the Fandom wiki may outrank the forked wiki in search results. This sentiment is most common in smaller, non-English language wikis. They worry that their small size may not be beneficial to their survival after having forked.

Many people have suggested ways to mitigate the effects of poor SEO. Most commonly, the forked wiki may be advertised through social media (e.g., YouTube, Twitter, and Reddit). The sentiment of the general Minecraft community toward the current Fandom wiki is generally negative, so it's possible that an announcement of forking might be seen by numerous people. (It should be noted that the perceived negative sentiment might be only from a vocal few people and not representative of the Minecraft community at large.)

Generally, though, views on forking are generally positive, but it's important that we gather as many comments and votes as possible on this matter.