View source for Draft:Categories, lists, and navigation templates

=== Disadvantages ===
# Not shown to readers using the mobile web site.
# Does not provide a consistent look and navigation system between different topics—there is no single format across all navigation templates.
# If simple, can often be replaced with a category. It also can be difficult to give more detail than a category can give without the box becoming unmanageably large.
# Can become ugly or seem pointless, e.g. by unsightly coloring schemes, size, number of them on the same page, etc. For this reason article series boxes need to be self-evident, while they can't contain much text for definitions or explanations.
# Inclusion of article links or subdivisions in a template may inadvertently [[BattleTechWiki:NPOV|push a point of view]]. It may also incorrectly suggest that one aspect of a topic or a linked example is of [[BTW:UNDUE|more, less, or equal importance to other]]s; be used to advertise obscure topics in prominent places; or assert [[BTW:OWN|project proprietorship]]. Templates can go to [[BattleTechWiki:Templates for discussion]] if they appear to push a POV. Trying to remedy this by adding more templates might lead to the disadvantage described in the previous point.
# On the other hand, may not give the reader enough clues as to which links are most relevant or important when this would not be controversial
# Can take up too much space for information that is only tangentially related
# Includes the full list of links in every article, even though often many of the links are not useful in some of the articles 
# Due to size, the use of multiple nav templates may take up too much space on one article, which could lead to a POV-tainted choice as to which to include. This can be minimised by setting all or most templates on a page to autocollapse, hiding most of their content until activated.
# Templates are not included in search results by default, which makes it hard for readers and editors to find them.
# They implicitly assume that readers who went through an article in some broad topic will want to read other articles on the same broad topic, rather than articles wiki-linked in the text or in the "See also" section.

Sidebars have some specific issues and should be treated with special attention, because they are so prominently displayed to readers:
# The large chunk of highly visible screen space might be better used for images or essential information.
# They might be perceived as fencing off a subject as the "territory" of a particular scholarly area.
# The collection of articles in a sidebar template should be fairly tightly related, and the template should meet most or all of the preceding guidelines. If the articles are not tightly related, a navbox may be more appropriate.

{{List navbox}}
{{BattleTechWiki policies and guidelines}}

[[Category:BattleTechWiki categorization]]
[[Category:Template administration]]
[[Category:Cleanup]]
[[Category:Navigation templates|+]]