Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Modifiable Multimedia


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.  

The result was delete. - Mailer Diablo 05:59, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Modifiable Multimedia
probably OR, merge with multimedia if appreciate Yy-bo 19:40, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Modifiable multimedia encompasses not just software, but new processes and also applications. See Talk:Modifiable_Multimedia. Endless blue 20:47, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment Is it an established concept? Otherwise it is WP:OR. Multimedia history does not belong to this article anyway. User:Yy-bo 21:47, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Keep It is an established concept, although not in name. The concept of modifiable multimedia is mentioned in various ways by practitioners, researchers, companies, etc.  Following are a few links.

link company profile mentioning specialty of making multimedia "modifiable"

patent description related to object oriented software designed to make multimedia modifiable

Flash 8 documentation page discussing modifiable appearance of multimedia application navigation

modifiable behaviors in C++ that permit programming interface change capability

This concept is really well embedded in the interactive world, it just hasn't been articulated. I don't consider it to be original as a concept. The history discussion was meant to provide context. I was working on additional content such as example, and more specific methods to add to the article. Endless blue 23:19, 2 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Comment: I had a similar problem on political correctness (adding examples). Unless they are really established, WP:NOR treats them as original research. Your work looks based on informative intention. User:Yy-bo 13:31, 3 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Comment: I just read the article and the discussion on political correctness and I'm not sure how the issues there relate here. I didn't read any comments about how well established that term was - most of the commentary revolved around the controversey of the article.  Could you elaborate?  I'm new to Wikipedia and sort of new to all this but trying to catch on quickly.  Thanks! Endless blue 19:35, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
 * They do not directly relate here. They (various editors) were not accepting examples for political correctness. The requirement was: The term must have been established for years. It is a while ago. By the way see the talk page of Modifiable Multimedia; probably there is another article which alread covers the concept.
 * You say you are new. Good, welcome. Don't mind a deletion nomination being something absolute. It is always possible to argue. Have a look WP, Village_pump if you have not already. Sorry if the article looks a bit WP:NOR original research to me. It is also possible to withdraw a deletion vote. However there are various attempts to create articles about obscure concepts. User:Yy-bo 02:03, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

 Text from the discussion on talk page 

This page is describing a form of end-user innovated collaborative software that is neither unique to multimedia nor requires multiple forms of media. I don't see why it warrants a separate page. I suggest that anything unique on this subject is moved to the page where the broader technology or unique discipline is presented. Oicumayberight 19:03, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

Modifiable multimedia is more than a form of software - it also describes a framework by which multimedia content can be structured so that its modifiable and thus more affordable. Part of this framework approach does involve the use of specific types of software, however, it doesn't have to only be collaborative software. In many cases, automated software processes will drive data to multimedia files (e.g., news title, stock tickers, weather, GIS locations) and cause updates without human intervention.

Modifiable multimedia also encompasses the use of different styles interface design, storyline planning, concept development, workflow and planning for copywriting than in traditional multimedia concepting and production. For example, a multimedia presentation that can be modified also requires that the authors plan navigation differently and identify cases where that navigation might also need to change based on content that is removed/inserted. Endless blue 20:44, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

If there is a different level of activity here, it probably falls under the category of Dynamic web content. If the article suggests that dynamic media content is used in much broader applications than online media, then it should be under the category of electronic media or dynamic data-driven media. In any case, unless the level of interactive is only possible with multiple forms of media, it shouldn't be considered part of a multimedia subject. The multimedia discipline is taking into consideration the skills and technologies of combining multiple forms of content, instead of the technology associated with the separate content forms. 75.80.181.224 05:09, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

I thought about your suggestions and I still think that there are important distinctions in modifiable multimedia that make it a poor fit into one of those categories. Modifiable multimedia does not have to be web content. It could be a multimedia presentation playing on a Plasma screen in a corporate office that changes over time, or it could be a a CD ROM with a multimedia (text, images, animations) interface whose data (images, text) can update via web services like SOAP. Electronic media on the other hand seems much broader and nebulous. It covers more than just multimedia, and the concept of modifiability is subsumed in it, however its important to note that while modifiable web pages that are not multimedia have been possible since the advent of the web, modifiable multimedia interfaces are truly a new thing made possible with continuing advanceds in Flash, Java, etc. I would also suggest we consolidate discussion in the article deletion thread: Articles_for_deletion/Modifiable_Multimedia. Endless blue 19:02, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Comments Since Merge
I understand that what is called modifiable multimedia describes a level of interactivity unavailable in previous years. There is always going to be emerging technologies that have big impacts on electronic media, static media, and the media ecology. However, it's not that often that technology changes enough to warrant a new term. Technological buzzwords are short lived as technology is constantly developing. Unless there is new hardware (like the router), new formats (like digital), revolutionary concepts (like DOS, OOP, GUI), or revolutionary languages (like Java), there usually isn't enough change in technology  to justify a new term. Excessive variations of terms and excessive definitions of terms for existing technology only makes it hard to grasp the broader more important breakthroughs. The risk is that these buzzwords catch on before there meaning is fully understood. This only contributes to the vagueness. The lack of consensus surrounding the full meaning of a term can lead to a lack of collaboration in utilizing the technology the term is describing.

I did a google search on "modifiable multimedia". The full term that came up was "User-modifiable Multimedia Applications". My suggestion is to find the best application of what is called modifiable multimedia and add the relevant information to the pages where that application is being discussed. There is already a page on User innovation. If it's not user innovation that's important, then it must be either user-personalized or data-driven that makes it important. If it's not the end user who is modifying the content, it's nothing special because most online content is modifiable to some degree. Oicumayberight 09:28, 4 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Comment There is still an important distinction though that wasn't covered by your quick search. Modifiable multimedia can be "user modifiable", or it can be modifiable by third parties or administrators (e.g., teachers who want to reuse a multimedia template where they can upload assessment materials, videos, etc. and create multimedia lessons tailored for specific classes or even topics).  What you're describing is related more to context driven changes in multimedia - e.g., allowing a user to select his/her favorite music track while browsing a site.  That is different that administrator-modifiable-multimedia.  Both forms of modifiability are subsumed under "modifiable multimedia".  I want to stress again that the main reason this concept is significant is that it makes multimedia interactions more affordable to deploy, thus opening up new possibilities in education, marketing, e-commerce, customer service, and so forth.  What you say taht "most online content is modifiable", it should be pointed out again that multimedia does not need to be online and furthermore, multimedia is more difficult to update and make data-driven than text or alphanumeric content like an HTML file.  Really this concept covers all of the articles (and more) that you list above.  Endless blue 22:01, 6 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I emphasize again that user innovation is a higher level of interactivity, which seems to be the significance of modifiable-multimedia. Even if the page remains and is linked to all relative pages, user innovation and interactivity will be researched before a term such as modifiable-multimedia by those most interested. A google search shows 74,600 hits on the phrase "user innovation" in quotation marks compared to 92 hits under "modifiable multimedia". Rather than use a vague term to promote such an important concept, it's better to use more popular terms to support the concept if it's that important. The best way to do this is link the concepts as with the most popular terms to each other. This is why I suggest you put them on the pages to which they are relevant. Noticed when you added the term to the Multimedia page, I replaced it with user-innovation, the more popular term for the enhanced level of interactivity you described. Like wise, you could add multimedia to the user innovation page and explain how multimedia can be user innovated (modifiable) on that page.  You could even create a new page and call it user innovated multimedia that would probably be received better. It's comparing the words "modifiable" with "user innovated" that makes me uneasy about the term. Modifiable is so broad, it could dilute the importance of user innovation in this concept. You may even get more hits on the Polar Design web page with the term user innovation in the subtext. ;) Oicumayberight 02:52, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


 *  AFD relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so that consensus may be reached.  Please add new discussions below this notice. Thanks, Herostratus 18:41, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

NOTE: To sumnarize the arguments so far: (1) this is original research, or (2) the matererial would best be presented by being written into other articles, such as User innovation and others articles, the refutation being that (1) it's not original research and (2) the material is better presented in this article. The raw "vote" total to this point is 3-1 in favor of Delete. Herostratus 18:41, 13 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Delete the title is a self-admitted neologism and the content is thus inherently OR. Guy 19:19, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
 * Delete, unless it's an established area defined by other sources, it's OR for us to specify it. Night Gyr (talk/Oy) 02:10, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
 * delete - per Guy My Alt Account 04:21, 14 September 2006 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.