Wikipedia:Naming conventions (television)/poll

'''This poll is now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted.'''.

This straw poll is intended to determine the naming conventions for articles on television programming, particularly in cases where disambiguation with other topics may be required. This poll began on January 24, 2006 and ended on February 15, 2006.

The goal of this poll is to achieve a naming convention consensus, or at least a sizeable majority vote, in as harmonious a manner as possible. In the case of a tie or a slight majority, there will be a run-off poll. If the run-off is also a tie or if no option receives a sufficient amount of support, the poll may need to be reworked, extended or declared void. Not voting is considered an abstension.

No consensus emerged from two previous polls, , though less popular options were removed. Two proposed naming conventions are available here and here.

Poll options
There are two poll options. The first option is the usage of "television" and TV, the second option is for the naming convention of the disambiguator.

Poll 1. Television or TV
This section deals with the usage of the word "television" or the abbreviation "TV" in the titles of articles when additional disambiguation is needed i.e Program name (television series) or Program name (TV series). Uniquely named shows (The O.C., Sex and the City) would not be affected.


 * Use "television".
 * Examples: Commander in Chief (television), The Boondocks (television series), Extra (television show)
 * Pro: looks more professional.
 * Con: takes longer to type, unnecessarily formal given "TV" acceptance.


 * Use "TV" (Except television).
 * Examples: Hunter (TV), In the Heat of the Night (TV), Rome (TV series)
 * Pro: Simple and easy to type.
 * Con: Using abbreviations in actual article titles is perceived by some as unprofessional, unencyclopedic or jargonistic.


 * No fixed standard
 * Pro: Allows for flexibility on the part of Wikipedia's editors.
 * Con: Will inevitably lead to the creation of numerous duplicate articles and non-functional links.

Poll 2. Disambiguator
This section deals with the parenthetical disambiguator used in the titles of article on television productions. Where applicable, either television or TV chosen from the above section will be used, along with the these. (For example, if "TV" is chosen from the above section and "show" is chosen from this section, the naming convention will use "TV show".) The options for the disambiguator for television productions in general currently include:


 * Title (television or TV) (television or TV used as chosen from section #1 above).  Further disambiguation would added as necessary. (See below note)
 * Pro: Simple and concise; intuitive. Follows the general naming convention of "be precise, when necessary", a commonly used disambiguator.
 * Con: ambiguous (could refer any item related to television). Other media disambiguators (album, film, book, magazine) are "examples of" and not "related to".


 * Either Title ( TV or television program) AE or Title ( TV or television programme) BE, used interchangeably, based primarily on region of origin
 * Pro: Simple and concise; agrees with other editing guidelines, no inherent national linguistic bias. Television program covers all material produced for television.
 * Con: Not all articles will be placed at the proper disambiguator, and users accustomed to one term may not think to look under the other; with two official disambiguators, many red links, broken redirects and duplicate articles may be created. Currently not a commonly used disambiguator.


 * Title ( TV or television series/shows/movies) for relevant series/shows/movies etc.
 * Pro: simple and concise; already supported by the category system (Category:Television series), a commonly used disambiguator.
 * Con: adds the unncessary disambiguator "series", ambiguous (British sometimes use "series" as Americans use "season").


 * Title ( TV or television show)
 * Pro: simple and concise, resolves program(me) naming convention problems.
 * Con: TV show and television show are redirects. Currently not a commonly used disambiguator


 * No fixed standard
 * Pro: allows for flexibility on the part of the authors.
 * Con: will inevitably lead to the creation of numerous duplicate articles and non-functional links.

Votes
By signing your name to this poll while it is in progress, you agree to abide by these conditions.

Votes go below under the appropriate subheader and should be numbered, signed and dated ( # ~ ) for ease of tallying and confirmation. Each voter may cast one vote in section 1 (Television or TV) and up to two votes in section 2 (Primary disambiguator). Only signed and timestamped votes by registered users made between January 24 and February 15, 2006 will be counted. Only users signed up before January 16 will be considered. If you wish to change your vote, you must do so before the poll ends or it will be counted as whatever it was when the poll ended.

Use "television"

 * 1) The most professional way to disambiguate --Reflex Reaction (talk)&bull; 05:47, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) Freekee 05:58, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) Val42 06:07, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 4) More professional language. -- nae'blis (talk) 16:39, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 5) Lox (t,c) 20:38, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 6) Discordance 21:13, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 7) &mdash; CJewell (talk to me) 05:15, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Vegaswikian 00:51, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) Sean Curtin 21:41, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) -- Jeandré, 2006-02-07t19:08z
 * 3)  Chairman S.  08:03, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 4) – Quadell (talk) (bounties) 17:41, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 5) American Patriot 1776 21:29, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Use "TV" (Except television)

 * 1) As I voted not to have "TV" or "Television" alone (see below), "TV" in combinaison with "program", "series", ... is clear enough to be understood as "television" and does not make disambiguators too long. Lvr 09:46, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) "TV series" is more common usage than "television series".  Also, we are not disambiguating types of televisions, we are disambiguating series vs movie vs book. TV is shorter and pairs best with "series/film/program". We're not in any danger of being seen as "unprofessional" for using it. This is also the way the vast majority of existing pages are presently disambiguating.  I'd say that establishes consensus without a poll.  Are we really going to rename all those articles? -- Netoholic @ 05:32, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
 * While I would agree that (TV series) is a common disabiguator, it is not the vast majority. I did a search of TV shows in the United States 1950-2000 Category:American television series. Just more than half of the disambiguated shows (235 of 421 shows) used "TV" as it's disambigator.  (81 of 421) used "television".  The remaining shows (105 of 421) did not use TV or television.   --Reflex Reaction (talk)&bull; 22:26, 30 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) "TV series" seems to be the one most widely used, in all of the tv-releated that I've seen, that I assumed "TV series" was the standard until I stumbled upon this poll. &mdash; EagleOne\Talk 18:38, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) As per EagleOne I was under the impression TV series was the standard. If one wanted to be really nitpicking, someone could confuse an article X (television) for a brand of TV. 23skidoo 16:40, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) "TV series" Neto said it quite clearly.   ALKIVAR &trade;[[Image:Radioactive.svg|18px|]] 22:20, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 4) Not by itself, but in a combination form is the best choise. older ≠ wiser 03:04, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 5) Lee J Haywood 15:21, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Using "television" is pompous and pointlessly verbose. 66.96.28.244 21:59, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 66.96.28.244 is not a registered user. Vote will not be counted as per specified rules.--Reflex Reaction (talk)&bull; 21:07, 31 January 2006 (UTC)
 * My apology for not knowing this rule, which makes sense. Naturally you will not count my vote. 66.96.28.244 02:11, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
 * It's a shame that we can't count your vote, even though you seem to have significantly contributed for several years. Please do consider my comment at your talk page about getting an account, but whatever you do, please carry on the good work! --Lox (t,c) 08:55, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) Less typing good. Sandstein 22:13, 5 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) "TV" + program/me type (i.e. "TV series", "TV documentary" etc.) seems a neat method. David Kernow 14:48, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 * If all professionals use TV then TV will be professional. Anca 01:13, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
 * User's first edit is on January 17th. Unless you can provide evidence that you registered before January 16th, your vote is invalid (to prevent sockpuppets)
 * What would constitue "evidence"? I've been registered for a couple of years, though I haven't really been an active participant due to time constraints.  Anca 19:51, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) TV's got my vote. __Mmounties 21:08, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) The simiplicity of TV gets my vote - MordredKLB 22:46, 10 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) TV series - I have started to use (TV series). I have renamed several series when I saw that (TV series) seemed to be the most common naming convention. However, here is where the waters get muddy.
 * 4) * If there are 2 or more TV series with the same name, it is suggested that the convention be (YEAR TV series). Example:
 * 5) **The Invisible Man (1958 TV series)
 * 6) **The Invisible Man (1975 TV series)
 * 7) **The Invisible Man (2000 TV series)
 * 8) *There may also instances where there are 2 series with the same name in different countries, though off the top of my head I can't think of any. The convention should be SHOWNAME (COUNTRY TV series).
 * Lady Aleena 22:44, 11 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) However, see comments at #2 below: there should be few, if any, instances of this ambiguator alone and would be begging for an accompanying noun.  E Pluribus Anthony | talk | 08:22, 14 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) I am changing my vote in an attempt to reach consensus.  Prior to this the vote was tied.  Vegaswikian 08:31, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

No fixed standard

 * 1) If Someone sees a duplivate article, they can simply redirect it.--Ac1983fan 17:39, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

Television/TV

 * 1) (television) is sufficient to disambiguate 99% of the articles --Reflex Reaction (talk)&bull; 05:47, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Please also see the note at the bottom and the proposed naming convention that goes along with this option.
 * 1) Per Reflex. I'm at a loss as to what to do with multiple series with the same name though - The Prisoner (British television), The Prisoner (Australian television), ??? -- nae'blis (talk) 16:39, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Or for game shows. There are many that have editions in several countries.  However I believe that all of the proposals could be expanded to deal with this.  Vegaswikian 01:28, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) American Patriot 1776 21:43, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Television/TV program or programme

 * 1) We are not disambiguating television s but television programs . The first option is not suitable. This second option is therefore correct. It is also unique and handy. Lvr 09:46, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Then we get into the whole program/programme debate though (which wouldn't ordinarily be a big deal, but we're talking about something that would make disambiguation harder/more confusing). -- nae'blis (talk) 16:39, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) &mdash; CJewell (talk to me) 05:17, 25 January 2006 (UTC)

Television/TV series/show-program/movie-film

 * 1) Val42 06:07, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) I can also live with this third option. Too precise but still correct. Lvr 09:46, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) I quite like this, but surely "film", not "movie"? --Lox (t,c) 20:36, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * As has now been suggested by others, I'd like to clarify my vote to: series/program/film. Thank you for your answer 23skidoo - while I appreciate that "TV film" is (far!) less used than "TV movie", the consensus has always been to use "film" over "movie". I hope you won't take offense! --Lox (t,c) 14:46, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 1) Discordance 21:14, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) &mdash; CJewell (talk to me) 05:16, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) Series/film/program is the primary disambiguation we seek.  -- Netoholic @ 05:28, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 4) This is what I've been using myself. And to answer Lox, TV-movie is the commonly used term these days. No one uses TV-film anymore (and even then the term was telefilm). 23skidoo 16:42, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 5) works quite clearly... we really need to avoid the AE/BE issue as much as possible.   ALKIVAR &trade;[[Image:Radioactive.svg|18px|]] 22:21, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 6) For series/program/film. Vegaswikian 00:52, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 7) Series/film/program older ≠ wiser 03:05, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 8) Lee J Haywood 15:21, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * TV-movie, TV series, is the Right Thing. And some similar form like "TV production" or "TV play" for one-time shows. 66.96.28.244 22:02, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * 66.96.28.244 is not a registered user. Vote will not be counted as per specified rules. --Reflex Reaction (talk)&bull; 21:07, 31 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Anca 01:15, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
 * User's first edit is on January 17th. Unless you can provide evidence that you registered before January 16th, your vote is invalid (to prevent sockpuppets)
 * 1) Concur with Series/film/program. Sandstein 22:15, 5 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 2) As above, "TV" + program/me type (i.e. "TV series", "TV documentary" etc.) seems a neat method. David Kernow 14:51, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 3) Ac1983fan 17:42, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 4) -- Jeandré, 2006-02-07t19:10z
 * 5) See 12 in . Lady Aleena 22:54, 11 February 2006 (UTC)
 * 6) The logic of this option would, if necessary, allow for easy and unambiguous (but hopefully not excessive) expansion: there should be few, if any, instances of mere "television", which seems rather like an orphan on its own.  As well:
 * 7) *TV show (neutral spelling) is preferred to TV program/me: for general use; there are some 34 million hits for "TV show", compared to only 7M for "TV program" and almost 2M for "TV programme". As well, there are some 10 million hits for "television show" compared to half as many for "television program".  (Similarly, I disagree with the current article locale because of this);
 * 8) *TV movie (preferred to TV film): despite the current article at film and rough online parity (and my preference otherwise), most TV movies/shows are produced in film format and, thus, could be confusing.
 * 9) *TV series: self-explanatory.
 * Specific categories/genres should be defined, like here, and (as above) excess categories discouraged. Regardless, all instances of hyphens or dashes should be nixed.  E Pluribus Anthony | talk | 08:22, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

Note bene
If (television) is selected for the sole disambiguator (Poll 2) and "television" for Poll 1 there may need to be another poll to decide the use of "television" and "TV". Either "television" or "TV" would always be used (Poll 1), or "TV" would only be used when additional disambiguation is needed. For example: Deadwood (television), 24 (television) but Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother (USA TV series), Lost (TV series) and Lost (reality TV series).

Comments
Previous discussions: Previous votes Proposed naming conventions
 * Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (television) 2004 discussion about naming convention
 * Wikipedia talk:Disambiguation 2006 discussion about the convetion
 * Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (television)/Archive1 Disputed poll
 * Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (television)/Archive2 Response poll to first disputed poll
 * User:Gtrmp/TV draft poll Draft poll not enacted in part because response poll was started first
 * Naming conventions (television) primarily written by Netoholic
 * Naming conventions (television)/draft primarily written by Reflex Reaction

--Reflex Reaction (talk)&bull; 23:56, 24 January 2006 (UTC)