I've been reading the discussion regarding SEIWA over on the FF wiki. (
http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/index.php?title=Forum:Proposal_to_Leave_Wikia). I'll post my comments here as apparently the admins over there did not see fit to continue the conversation despite the fact that others might add to the discussion at a later date.
After reading the complete discussion, I have to say that with the attitude many of the contributors at the FF wiki have, I would not want them in SEIWA anyway. There is a clear difference in their longterm goals and the goals of folks in NIWA. I don't understand why they seem so fiercely defensive of a wiki they neither own nor make money on.
Everyone knows what Wikipedia is. Everyone knows that it is free. Why is it that way? Because the people that control it believe that information should be freely shared. No one owns it. Information should be used for the good of everyone. Video game wikis contain information that is (arguably) less important than information on Wikipedia. Yet, it is still information that should be free. Most Wikipedia contributors do so in the interest of society as a whole. I share the same view. I contribute to video game wikis because they contain information which I both enjoy and consider important in preserving for the good of society. I would say that NIWA seems to be pretty much inline with this view.
Not so the FF wiki folks. They seem concerned with "traffic", "hits", and "search engine rankings." They care about convenience and whether someone will take advantage of their old wiki if they move. They care about how much their wiki is worth.
People have made a big deal of the changes Wikia has made over the years, most notably the different "skins" offered. However, I think the real reason for all the issues with Wikia is one of principle. Wikia exists to make money off the information they have. This is their goal above all else. Wikipedia, on the other hand, believes that the information itself is what is most important...and they have enough people that share this view to ensure it stays that way.
Anyone who contributes information to a site with goals of making money, when it could just as easily be on a site where the information itself is most important is misguided in thinking they are doing what is best for both preservation of the content and the good of society. Apparently the FF wiki doesn't mind helping Wikia make money, rather than taking a stand and saying that the content is too important to them to allow Wikia to be manipulating it for profit.
