Guidelines for Interesting Facts and Quotes

I think it's time we have a small thread just to discuss what can and cannot be added. I believe FreeStater had made some guidelines in the Interesting Facts group, and Quizmaster did respond with a short reply when I asked some time ago. We should also discuss how we will vote and how quotes will and facts be picked to bring the facts from the group to the actual interesting facts page, I believe the votes need some reform.

Here's what FreeStater said in our Interesting Facts Group:

"It's been a while since I've checked the Interesting Facts. That being said, here's my general guidelines for "good" facts.

- Don't go searching for them: the best facts will come when you're researching something else (typically a quiz). To go out and "find" them kind of defeats the purpose. Remember, there's no quota for you to post.

- Avoid interesting facts lists: This is the main pitfall of my above point. Every listicle will just end up rehashing the same thirty or so facts. At this point, everybody knows that mammoths were still around when the pyramids were being built.

- Lots of research does not guarantee a good fact: not every fact is created equal. Just because something starts with a certain letter, or only a certain amount of things fit some criteria, dosen't mean the fact will be interesting.

- Make them the right length: If your fact is too long without cutting out critical information, it's probably not fit.

- Explain what you need to, but nothing more: if your average person off the street won't know somebody or something in a fact, just give a short description of them—unless they're self-descriptive, like the Chinese Civil War.

- News (usually) isn't interesting: it doesn't seem to happen on this page (as much), but this used to be a common occurrence. Just because something important happened recently doesn't cut it out to be an interesting fact.

- Check your sources: one reliable, legit source is fine. You don't need to post five different ones, but just make sure your fact is correct. And also, just use common sense."

Here's what Quizmaster had to say:

"Things that are interesting, have not been posted before, and most importantly are TRUE and verifiable with a legit source and not some random website."

and if you haven't joined the Interesting Facts group, I highly recommend it. We strive to reduce lower-quality facts with a community led area to give facts of which we can vote on. I am not exactly sure how I can invite people, but it should be on the pages.