User blog:HopelessNightOwl/Why It Was a Mistake to Get Rid of Chat

So, if you remember, this wiki used to have its own chat. It was removed in 2015 for allegedly "causing drama and being cancer", whatever that means. If you're like me, you were deeply disappointed when this happened.

I'm sure I speak for almost everyone when I say this was a big mistake and only a couple admins thought it was a good idea. Let's review the reasons for this:

1. Chat was vital to the wiki.

Without chat, there is no creepypasta wiki. Chat was the only thing drawing users to the wiki. The wiki may still exist, but it's practically dead now that chat is gone. All the good writers left when chat was deleted. Chat was essential to making sure this wiki attracted and kept good writers. It allowed writers to discuss their writing and now there is no way for them to do that.

It has been said that humanities form the core of the university, and without humanities, universities as we know them would not exist. In the same way, chat is the core of this wiki. The wiki has ceased to exist as we knew it ever since chat was abolished.

2. Chat was essential for producing a quality staff cadre.

The reason we have such a shortage of wiki staff right now is because there is no chat to recruit staff. Back when we had chat, eager users could first test their metal in chat as chat mods, and if they did well as chat mods then they could be promoted to Rollback, Patroller, VROC, or even admin. This chat-centered staff training pipeline ensured that only the best users rose to staff positions, and definitely did not result in users who were completely useless to the wiki using chat as an opportunity to gain power without actually helping in anything not related to chat. What's more, I know most of the non-chat wiki staff liked to practice their SYSOP skills in chat when they didn't have enough to do on the wiki.

3. Chat made the wiki look good.

When visitors to this wiki joined chat for the first time, they saw just how welcoming and friendly everyone was. The best side of this wiki really shone through in chat most of the time. All the discussions on the wiki about chat and chat users also no doubt gave new users a good impression and made them really want to be a part of this community. And back when that Wisconsin stabbing happened and a bunch of parents were worried about their kids being active on this wiki, I'm sure looking at our chat helped put some of their concerns to rest about the character of the users here.

4. No vote was ever taken to delete chat.

Every other major decision on this wiki has been put to a vote almost since the beginning. Yet removing chat, possibly the single most controversial decision on this wiki other than deleting Jeff the Killer, was never put to a vote, LOLSkeletons just arbitrarily decided he didn't like chat anymore and got rid of it. That was wrong and blatantly unconstitutional.