Big Ball Of Links

With apologies to the people who first coined BigBallOfMud:

A BigBallOfLinks is a haphazardly structured, sprawling, sloppy, DuctTape and bailing wire, spaghetti wiki text jungle. We've all seen them lately. You meet a page like this and you stare into it like into a deep abyss, feeling dizzy from the deluge of ominous black pixels littered with the nice blue color of links splattered across the text, that communicates essentially nothing.

They're usually about "technology" and "buzzwords" and AlphabetSoup. It seems likely that the authors behind the BigBallOfLinks have no direct experience with the technologies or the buzzwords at hand, however GoogleIsYourFriend?, so the authors find it easy and convenient to create the semblance of competence, or at least what in their eyes amounts to a PlausibleDeniability, in response to the obvious question, "Why do you write when you have nothing to say?"

"Oh, no," they will reply, "I might not have the practical experience, but I've done my research, see?"

It is impossible to disguise a lack of experience or expertise. On Wiki, a lack of experience or expertise translates into a lack of value. If you have nothing to say, perhaps it is best to say nothing.

Good thinking requires both theory and experience. One does not trump the other. Bad topic names can be fixed. It is better to roll up your sleeves to pitch in and suggest better groupings, better topic names, and ask for clarification on rough spots instead of complaining about how stupid other people are. See also YouCantLearnSomethingUntilYouAlreadyAlmostKnowIt

Perhaps it is unavoidable because LifeIsaBigMessyGraph. Any structure we impose on reality is likely to be a UsefulLie at best. However, UsefulLies are a necessity to manage complexity as humans. We draw semi-arbitrary lines in the sand and split up the work-load or responsibilities.

Perhaps it is unavoidable to some degree because UnconsciousIncompetence is ubiquituous, but wiki didn't used to be that way.

CategoryAntiPattern

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