Fancruft

Fancruft is a pejorative term used in online collaborative projects, especially wikis and other collaboratively edited databases, to describe excessive or trivial detail added by fans, often at the expense of clarity and overall quality. It refers to content that is painstakingly detailed but ultimately unimportant to a general understanding of the topic. Fancruft typically involves minutiae, such as exhaustive lists of minor characters, descriptions of inconsequential plot points, or detailed analysis of trivial aspects of a fictional universe.

The presence of fancruft can make an article or entry difficult to navigate and comprehend, burying key information beneath a mass of less relevant details. It can also detract from the overall credibility and professionalism of the project. While passionate fans may contribute valuable information, excessive focus on minor details can hinder the project's primary goal of providing clear and concise information to a wider audience.

The term implies a negative judgment about the appropriateness and usefulness of the added material. It suggests that the contributors are prioritizing their own fan interests over the needs of a general reader. The concept is often linked to discussions about notability, relevance, and the balance between comprehensiveness and conciseness in collaborative writing. Managing fancruft is a common challenge for community moderators and editors, who often need to make judgment calls about what level of detail is appropriate for inclusion.