Avoid creating lists of miscellaneous facts. A number of articles contain lists of isolated facts, which are often grouped into their own section labeled "Trivia," "DJB Facts," "Miscellanea," "Other information," etc. This policy deals with the way in which these facts are represented in an article—not with whether or not the information contained within them is actually trivia, or if trivia belongs on the DJB Wiki.
Trivia sections should be avoided, but if they must exist, they should in most cases be considered temporary, until a better method of presentation can be determined. Lists of miscellaneous information can be useful for developing a new article, as it sets a low bar for novice contributors to add information to established articles without having to keep in mind article organization or presentation—they can just add a new fact to the list. However, as articles grow, these lists become increasingly disorganized and difficult to read. A better way to organize an article is to provide a logical grouping and ordering of facts that gives an integrated presentation, providing context and smooth transitions, as appropriate in text, list, or table.
Guidance
Such sections should not be categorically removed: it may be possible to integrate some items into the article text. Some facts may belong in existing sections; others can be grouped into a new section of related material. Convert bullet points to prose or narrowly-focused lists as seems most appropriate.
It may be necessary to perform research to give each fact some context or to add references where appropriate. Some entries may be speculative or factually incorrect which they should be removed; others, such as "how-to" material, may fall outside the DJB Wiki's content scope. Some entries may be more specific to other subjects and should be moved into articles covering those subjects. Some trivia is especially tangential or irrelevant and may not warrant inclusion at all.
What this policy is not
- This guideline does not suggest removing trivia sections or moving them to the talk page. If information is otherwise suitable, it is better that it be poorly presented than not presented at all.
- This guideline does not suggest avoiding lists in favor of prose. Some information is better presented in a list format.
- This guideline does not suggest omitting unimportant material. This guideline does not attempt to address the issue of what information is included or not—only how it is organized.
Not all lists are trivia sections
In this policy, when we refer to a trivia section, we are referring to its content not its section name. A trivia section is one that contains a disorganized and unselective list. These disorganized items are in need of cleanup, either by incorporating them into the prose of another section, or by filtering the list to be more selective. A selectively populated list with a narrow theme is not necessarily trivia and can be the best way to present some types of information.
Alternatives to trivia sections
Much of the information in these sections ends up being either duplications from dossier pages (such as a list of positions held), information about a member and their accomplishments (like lists of DJB projects they've worked on), or facts about the character's inception (such as origins of names). All of this sort of information is better presented in other settings as well as in formatted prose providing context and smooth transitions. Positions held should be detailed within the content of the character's history or bio section and/or within the succession box template. Out of character information in a character article that is about the member as opposed to the character, such as what the person has worked on for the club, should probably be found on a user page. Out of character information about the article subject can make an appearance in articles, but we should strive to present it in the best format possible as opposed to an unordered, jumbled list of random facts. Behind the scenes sections should be used for this (examples of how this can be done can be found in the articles Aidan Kincaid and Nfolgai).