ESB:Proposals/Use of surname vs. common name

Open Proposal The following is an ongoing proposal. Please feel free to voice your opinion, but be sure to follow the rules. How proposals work Concerns stage Someone brings up a topic for a proposal. The community discusses that topic. Voting stage The proposal is brought to a vote, taking into account any changes discussed by the community. The community votes. You can use any of the following prior to your comments to show your opinion. {{Support}} • {{Neutral}} • {{Oppose}} • {{Change}} • {{Comment}} • {{Reply}} • {{Question}} Neutral votes do not count in determining the outcome percentage.

Introduction

As with any content dispute, we need to come to an agreement. See here for the content dispute on the Hall Monitor article. The dispute is also regarding an addition to the ESB:Grammar Guide.

The disputed guideline is as follows:

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• 4. When writing an article, particularly a character article, you should only use a first name once. Instead, use the last name.

• Incorrect: SpongeBob SquarePants went to work. SpongeBob told Eugene H. Krabs, his boss, "Hello."
• Correct:SpongeBob SquarePants went to work. SquarePants told Eugene H. Krabs, his boss, "Hello."

• • One exception is when two or more characters with a last name are mentioned in the article. If this comes up, this is how you handle it:
    • 1. Do not use the character's first or full name for the entire article.
    • 2. Once this occurs, use the first name of the character and then resume using the last name.
  • One exception is headings (particularly in "Relationship" subsections on a character page). Use the full name of the character for this.
  • This rule does not apply to characters that referred to by their full name, like Mermaid Man.

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Now, Wikipedia uses the above guideline, referring to a person by surname, the formal term. There are numerous websites that discuss the usage, in which generally, in formal writings, the surname is used, while in informality, the first name or common name is used.

It should be noted that very few characters on SpongeBob SquarePants have a known surname. Please discuss how we should deal with this. This discussion will end on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at midnight, eastern time. — AMK152 (Wall • Contrib) 03:59, October 30, 2014 (UTC)

Question

After giving the character's full name in bold at the beginning of the article, how do we address them throughout the article?

Here are the options:

• 1. Refer to character by surname throughout the article if their surname is known.
• 2. Refer to character by the name in which they are most commonly known.
• 3. Add your own option, if there is one.

Discussion

1. Refer to character by surname

• Oppose - This should be for real people, not characters.
   Nicko756 ^{(M•C•E) Sign!}  04:58, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Template:Extremely Strong Oppose We're not in a grammar school. xD --Spongebob456 ^talk 08:46, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
  • If this is your reasoning, I suggest that you come up with a better reason because even though we are not a grammar school, we should follow the correct grammar.  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 21:50, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
  • This is Wikia. Not the freaking Webster or Oxford dictionaries. Must we be 100% perfect? I think not! Tan Ham Man 00:37,10/31/2014 

• Oppose - Deathstroke's Apprentice 12:36, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Extremely Strong Oppose This is too odd. It should be just their main name they go by. ZeoSpark  Talk  Contribs  Edits  12:43,10/30/2014 
  • Remember, you are writing about the wiki that basically rewrote its rules for a new guy with "evidence".  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 21:50, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Oppose - in other cases I would support, but given the format and style, use of common name makes more sense. — AMK152 (Wall • Contrib) 12:52, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Extremely Strong Oppose referring characters by surname might make articles harder to follow in some cases, especially in episodes such as Stanley S. SquarePants, where there are 2 SquarePants members, especially those new to the show, or haven't seen the episode, or heard about the episode for the 1st time. --Tominator777 (talk) 21:39, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
  • This is a good point. Maybe their should be an exception to pages like this similar to that of the current exception.  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 21:50, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Template:Extremely Strong Support -  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 21:50, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Oppose - Per Nicko. Lumoshi (talk) 22:20, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Strong Oppose - It should be for real people, and Bob is right, this isn't grammar school XD   G ^{click here to post stuff}  _{SHUT UP, NURSE!}  23:24, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Extremely Strong Opposition - This is beyond moronic. Tan Ham Man 00:36,10/31/2014 
• Oppose - Per Tan. This is completely pointless. DJSponge 23:24, October 31, 2014 (UTC)
• Oppose - Dat Guy (talk) 02:23, November 1, 2014 (UTC)
• Oppose - Joey ^(talk)
• Oppose - I don't know of any other cartoon wiki that uses surnames and the like, and I feel it's pointless that we should start now. ~summer 13:22, November 1, 2014 (UTC)
• Strong Oppose - This seems pointless and this isn't a school in the 40's. Spike the Dragon (talk) 18:01, November 1, 2014 (UTC)

2. Refer to character by most common usage

• Support -  Nicko756 ^{(M•C•E) Sign!}  04:58, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Template:Extremely Strong Support Uuuh this is the convention. --Spongebob456 ^talk 08:46, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Support - while I agree about the proper use as surnames, most characters do not have a known surname, and so for consistency, we should use the most common name by which they are known. — AMK152 (Wall • Contrib) 09:59, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Just because people go by one name, does not mean that should be how we use their name in articles. We call Napoleon by his first name, but in an article, he should be called "Bonaparte".  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 22:05, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Support - Deathstroke's Apprentice 12:36, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Extremely Strong Support This is better as it's what they are referred to as commonly. ZeoSpark  Talk  Contribs  Edits  12:44,10/30/2014 
  • As I mentioned earlier common name is not what is important in a formal article. You do not use "YOLO" in an article just because it is common place.  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 22:05, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Support - ^{(Talk•Contributions)}
• Template:Extremely Strong Support common names are easier to follow, and understand, as characters can share the same surname, and it'll make it easier for users, espically ones who never seen the show/episode of the show --Tominator777 (talk) 21:43, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Extremely Strong Support Lumoshi (talk) 22:20, October 30, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Extremely Strong Oppose  120d  Talk  Contribs  Rufus 22:05, October 30, 2014 (UTC) 
• Extremly Strong Support - Much better (bones in mouth) Tan Ham Man 00:36,10/31/2014 
• Support - Per Tan. DJSponge 23:24, October 31, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Strong Support Dat Guy (talk) 02:23, November 1, 2014 (UTC)
• Support - Joey ^(talk)
• Support - ~summer 13:22, November 1, 2014 (UTC)
• Template:Strong Support Spike the Dragon (talk) 18:01, November 1, 2014 (UTC)