The
Society To Prevent Overly Original Names or
SPOON is dedicated to the curbing of the dramatic increase in suggested trope names on
YKTTW which fail to be accurate, descriptive or relevant to the trope for which they are suggested. Such suggestions most frequently arise from overly enthusiastic attempts to construct funny or clever names. In order to promote greater awareness of this issue, members are each issued with a
SPOON Stamp, which may be applied to such suggestions.
The Society is also committed to the protection of the little known and endangered species of trope names, the "Simple and Descriptive". Members are tasked with guarding such specimens from accusations of being "dull" or "boring". It is the society's belief that a
simple, descriptive albeit dull name is more useful to society at large than an impenetrable complex of confusing one, no matter how cunning. We hold that simple descriptive names are easier to understand and to find, both through scanning lists and the search function, by those who are not already familiar with the trope name.
However, it is to be emphasized that
The Society is by no means against names which demonstrate intelligence, insight or humour. We are as fond of these qualities in a name as anyone. We are
not against creative titles. We simply wish to guard against the overt focus on these qualities at the cost of understandability. We seek to give recognition to trope names which manage to retain the qualities of being both accurate and explanatory while also being clever or amusing by bestowing upon them the
SPOON Stamp of Approval
TM. There are pitfalls to be had on this, as titles are obviously subjective, but for the love of everything sacred and pure, do not forget that
There Is No Such Thing as Notability is at the very core of the website, and should never
ever be forgotten when renaming.
The Society supports
redirects when used appropriately, particularly as a means of making obscurely named tropes easier to find. Consult
Creating New Redirects to find out how. In compromise to those who prefer Overly Original Names, we endorse the practice of having the simple descriptive name as the redirect to the Overly Original one, in order to make the trope easier to find while giving the clever name greater prominence.
Please don't get rid of existing names unless they're REALLY bad. Add a helpful redirect instead.
We recommend all members digest the advice found in the
Naming a Trope article, and seek to propagate its teachings to the world at large.
Together we can make the world a better place.
Compare
Long Titles Vs Short Titles,
Not Self Explanatory, and
Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Contrast with
FoRKS and
PLATTER.
If you would like to become a member of SPOON, please enter your name below and collect your
SPOON Stamp. For a small extra fee you can have it engraved with the likeness of our founding father,
Morgan Wick.
SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!
