On Notability, and Requirements Therefor, Split from "Giffords shooting" Options

[taiwopanfob]

Being a US Representative and the "third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to serve in the U.S. Congress" seems notable enough. It's just that we should wait a few days to let breaking news sort itself out. This isn't really an issue for non-BLP and non-political articles. Breaking news can be added into other types of articles with no problem for the most part, it's just that there is too much personal involvement in articles on living people and politics for anyone to properly deal with breaking news issues.

How many times does this have to be said?

1. Every BLP at Wikipedia that does not contain at least one reference to a dead-trees book about the subject must be erased Right Now. The only exceptions may in fact be chief executives of a State, Nobel prize winners, or people of similar stature.

2. Mainstream media is inherently unreliable, as the current episode (and uncountably previous ones) demonstrate. They work to completely different goals and under dissimilar constraints. Waiting does not fix the problem. It really is an informational sewer, and it takes a great deal of time, effort and frankly skill to isolate the useful information. (Which gets back to point (1).)

[gomi]

There are of course some very legitimate concerns about the notability bar, BLPs, and reliable sources, some of which I've written about myself. But you kind of lost me again somewhere around "there are deleted pokemons that are more notable than congresswomen."

And continuing to debate Ottava on that topic, rather than addressing those "very legitimate concerns", is somewhat disingenuous. To repeat myself:

I think that the point is that Biographies should be held to very high standards. Wikipedia's standards, at the best of times, are low, and you cannot even hold your admins, let alone your editors, to these low standards. Whether higher de jure standards would improve the de facto mess is highly debatable, but it can certainly be said that it wouldn't hurt.

It seems to me that any admin who touched that article should be summarily de-adminned. It would show some leadership and responsibility, which is why it won't happen.

[It's the blimp, Frank]

Easy way to fix:

1. Ban all sources newer than a year.

But the more clever POV pushers like Beback have developed a technique of assembling a huge catalogue of news stories going back decades, and then cherry picking the negative articles.

[Herschelkrustofsky]

Mainstream media is inherently unreliable, as the current episode (and uncountably previous ones) demonstrate. They work to completely different goals and under dissimilar constraints. Waiting does not fix the problem. It really is an informational sewer, and it takes a great deal of time, effort and frankly skill to isolate the useful information.

Nicely put (except that media is plural.)

[A User]

Anyway, WP:NOTNEWS should make it clear this shouldn't happen but no one listens.

Easy way to fix:

1. Ban all sources newer than a year.

2. Ban any source that isn't a book published by a notable publisher or another kind of source not published by an academic publisher.

That would get rid of the crappy news articles and most of the bad sources not vetted.

It's a shame this isnt applied evenly across wikipedia. That would kill off the thousands of trivial pop culture articles and non-notable BLPs that have infested wikipedia in the last 10 years.

[lilburne]

2. Mainstream media is inherently unreliable, as the current episode (and uncountably previous ones) demonstrate. They work to completely different goals and under dissimilar constraints. Waiting does not fix the problem. It really is an informational sewer, and it takes a great deal of time, effort and frankly skill to isolate the useful information. (Which gets back to point (1).)

Hey ho. The irony in this is pretty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Joa...est_and_release

[Gruntled]

2. Ban any source that isn't a book published by a notable publisher or another kind of source not published by an academic publisher.

On the first part, isn't Playboy published by a notable publisher? Some of their other publications are books, even hardback books. I couldn't decipher the second part; would you allow non-books only if they are published by a non-academic publisher?

[Gruntled]

1. Every BLP at Wikipedia that does not contain at least one reference to a dead-trees book about the subject must be erased Right Now. The only exceptions may in fact be chief executives of a State, Nobel prize winners, or people of similar stature.

Do you mean a full-length biography? That's awfully restrictive. Do you mean an entry in a respectable reference work? Cue huge debate about what reference works to include. And major reference works are increasingly only available online.

> What happened to automatic post-merging?

This post has been edited by Gruntled:

[Peter Damian]

IRC was filled with rambling nonsense.

Anyway, WP:NOTNEWS should make it clear this shouldn't happen but no one listens.

Easy way to fix:

1. Ban all sources newer than a year.

2. Ban any source that isn't a book published by a notable publisher or another kind of source not published by an academic publisher.

That would get rid of the crappy news articles and most of the bad sources not vetted.

Ottava speak sense.

[Ottava]

Easy way to fix:

1. Ban all sources newer than a year.

But the more clever POV pushers like Beback have developed a technique of assembling a huge catalogue of news stories going back decades, and then cherry picking the negative articles.

Hence why I wouldn't allow "news" sources.

Journalists aren't academics. They don't go through Peer Review. They have rush deadlines and are there to make money. Not reliable.

Doing a quick search, I find that she is mentioned and discussed in quite a few "dead-trees book[s]". Here's a good one.

Not a reliable academic press nor anything academic at all. That book has a majorly skewed POV and I am troubled that you would even attempt to use it as a source, ignoring that she is not the primary subject of the book or even given anything major in the book.

It is sad that Wikipedia Review's great hope is someone who isn't able to recognize a bad source instantly. The corruption has gone so deep that even an amputation wont solve it, it seems.



Gruntled

On the first part, isn't Playboy published by a notable publisher?

No, it is self published.



Dogbiscuit

Though the fundamental problem is that you can place as many rules as you like, many users simply do not understand what is appropriate. Without a fundamental change of culture, further rules won't fix the problem.

I see Silver seren's thinking that his source would be reliable as a case in point.

Tea Party/ultra-Rebublican rhetoric and Wikipedia. Palin and her ilk have used strong words in their "defence of democracy" (aka if it ain't Republican, it is evil)

Working with some Tea Party people last election, I would say that 99% of them aren't Republican. A La Rouchean took over of the groups in Maryland and used it to spout off their nonsense.

[taiwopanfob]

How many times does this have to be said?

I guess I have to repeat myself again?

1. Every BLP at Wikipedia that does not contain at least one reference to a dead-trees book about the subject must be erased Right Now. The only exceptions may in fact be chief executives of a State, Nobel prize winners, or people of similar stature.

Emphasis added.

Doing a quick search, I find that she is mentioned and discussed in quite a few "dead-trees book[s]". Here's a good one.

You are aware this is not a biography of Giffords?

I have also proposed that only editors that have indemnified the WMF in writing regarding libel or any other liability should be allowed to edit BLP's. Do I need to add further conditions that basic reading comprehension of English also be a requirement? One would think that having your entire net-worth on the line with each edit would encourage a certain amount of responsibility and care, but perhaps some people need further clues.

[taiwopanfob]

Do you mean a full-length biography?

The idea is not unique to me, but yes, this is precisely what I mean. It solves two related problems:

a) Notability. Real biographers and their publishers do not waste their time on nobodies.

b) Original Research/Synthesis. Every biography at Wikipedia that is not traced back to a dead-tree at some point is, in effect, a synthesis.

Not sure what you mean by "restrictive", as there is hardly a lack of candidates. Of course, to most Wikipediots, this is a terrible thing. Where are they going to grind those axes?

[Ottava]

Do you mean a full-length biography?

The idea is not unique to me, but yes, this is precisely what I mean. It solves two related problems:

a) Notability. Real biographers and their publishers do not waste their time on nobodies.

b) Original Research/Synthesis. Every biography at Wikipedia that is not traced back to a dead-tree at some point is, in effect, a synthesis.

Not sure what you mean by "restrictive", as there is hardly a lack of candidates. Of course, to most Wikipediots, this is a terrible thing. Where are they going to grind those axes?

A full length biography isn't necessary, as most modern biographies aren't academic. A chapter in an academic work, however, would show notability.

Samuel Johnson's wife is notable - she is heavily discussed in hundreds of academic books. I don't know of a full length book on just her, however, as academic works need a "point" and a "point" is not to just tell someone's life story.

An academic journal article could also be a substitute for a chapter. Now, you would need multiple works to justify "notability".


Just as a note, I mean the above should apply to -all- articles, BLP or not.

This post has been edited by Ottava:

[taiwopanfob]

An academic journal article could also be a substitute for a chapter. Now, you would need multiple works to justify "notability".

I left in some exception case to cover stuff like this, as it is possible there are (for example) heads of State that have no full biography either. These exceptions have to be overwhelming, beyond-any-doubt situations. The balance for this exception is "opt out": the subject of any BLP allowed under the exception can have their BLP pulled on request.

On top of all of this is liability. BLP editors should be known to the WMF, and all BLP's should be covered by an editor like that.

[KD Tries Again]

It's interesting that actual printed books from reputable publishers are regarded - quite rightly - as the benchmark in this context.

But I think this is correct:

Though the fundamental problem is that you can place as many rules as you like, many users simply do not understand what is appropriate. Without a fundamental change of culture, further rules won't fix the problem.

It isn't the rules that are the problem as much as the fact that those applying them are - as a matter of policy - unqualified (or not necessarily qualified) to do so. What the project needs is editors, as opposed to "editors."

[Ottava]

It's interesting that actual printed books from reputable publishers are regarded - quite rightly - as the benchmark in this context.

But I think this is correct:

Though the fundamental problem is that you can place as many rules as you like, many users simply do not understand what is appropriate. Without a fundamental change of culture, further rules won't fix the problem.

It isn't the rules that are the problem as much as the fact that those applying them are - as a matter of policy - unqualified (or not necessarily qualified) to do so. What the project needs is editors, as opposed to "editors."

I think you mean writers. Editors merely organize or check grammar (but most of the time fail at doing that and pass off rubbish while still getting paid).

Researchers would also be important - someone that is able to spend time looking through the credible material on a subject and pull out the important or representative pieces.

[Kwork]

IRC was filled with rambling nonsense.



Anyway, WP:NOTNEWS should make it clear this shouldn't happen but no one listens.

Easy way to fix:

1. Ban all sources newer than a year.

2. Ban any source that isn't a book published by a notable publisher or another kind of source not published by an academic publisher.

That would get rid of the crappy news articles and most of the bad sources not vetted.

If an editor violates WP:3RR he/she will get blocked within minutes. If an editor violates WP:V for years, there will never be even a warning. Unless administrators start giving blocks for WP:V violations, nothing will ever improve. I have never seen a user blocked for putting in content that says the inverse of the source cited.

[Silver seren]

Okay, question then. You guys are saying that at least a chapter, if not a book, written by an academic about a person is what is necessary to make them notable? Well, it's quite clear that most Presidents of the US are notable then (the most recent, perhaps not, the academics have been slacking off lately). However, this implies that leaders of nations are notable, correct?

But, most leaders of foreign countries, other than main ones like England and a lot of Europe, are not written about by academics in books. Especially the smaller nations.

Furthermore, your definition of academic is clearly US-centric, when the level of an academic can be considered differently in other nations.

The problem with the way you are defining notability is that it is quite clear that it would be perpetuating and worsening the systemic bias that Wikipedia is already trying to remove, since most academics write about the Western world and not as much about the rest. This is trying to create a knowledge base of information about the entire world, not just the western part of it. That's why the rules of notability have to be considered differently when taken into the context of other nations, because the coverage is going to be different or less from the way it is done in the West.

[lilburne]

Presumably they are notable in their own land, and the local wikis can carry articles on them., sourced by local academics. Some local politico in Thailand is not notable in the UK for example and few in the UK would be able to ascertain whether something written about him is true, or written by an adversary, or whatever.

[Ottava]

But, most leaders of foreign countries, other than main ones like England and a lot of Europe, are not written about by academics in books. Especially the smaller nations.

Furthermore, your definition of academic is clearly US-centric, when the level of an academic can be considered differently in other nations.

Germany doesn't have academic works?

Russia doesn't?

China doesn't?

The only US-centric person is you. It is an underlying racism that isn't appropriate. And smaller nations aren't notable. Notability is based on how many people are connected to you to establish importance. Some minor senator of a country with 1,000 people is probably not important.

[CharlotteWebb]

Some minor senator of a country with 1,000 people is probably not important.

Either you're referring to the Vatican or is this is another of your silly hypotheticals. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Silver seren]

I was clearly talking about leaders of countries (or vice-presidents, I suppose, the important people in the government). And I specifically ruled out Europe, so Germany is clearly out (as would be Russia, in my opinion). And China definitely covers their high ranking people, yes. Now, about all of the other countries? Africa, for example, or the rest of Asia, or Oceania, for that matter. They definitely have more than just 1000 people, though you were clearly being facetious, I would hope.

[melloden]

I was clearly talking about leaders of countries (or vice-presidents, I suppose, the important people in the government). And I specifically ruled out Europe, so Germany is clearly out (as would be Russia, in my opinion). And China definitely covers their high ranking people, yes. Now, about all of the other countries? Africa, for example, or the rest of Asia, or Oceania, for that matter. They definitely have more than just 1000 people, though you were clearly being facetious, I would hope.

No one gives a fuck about Africa except Angelina Jolie.

[SB_Johnny]

Furthermore, your definition of academic is clearly US-centric, when the level of an academic can be considered differently in other nations.

His definition of academic presumably includes himself and his peers, which means notability will have to wait until (a) somebody is desperately searching for a masters or PhD thesis subject that will make them stand out, or (b) somebody desperately searching for a subject to publish about while on tenure track, or © somebody publishing in obscure journals in order to have something to put on their cv that will help them land a cushy job (in politics (a la Ottava), business, or whatev).

In Ottava's world, respecting the opinions of people without degrees has been a big mistake, and women only started having opinions when men said so.

BLPs of political figures is actually one of the good things WP has going for it, the problem with them is that they tend to either attract hordes of partisans from one or both sides, or else be owned by one side or another. Actual current events should probably just be mentioned ("something has changed in this person's life, but the information is currently unreliable"), but putting it in the hands of people like Ottava to write the source material is probably a bad idea.

[taiwopanfob]

The problem with the way you are defining notability is that it is quite clear that it would be perpetuating and worsening the systemic bias that Wikipedia is already trying to remove, since most academics write about the Western world and not as much about the rest.

Given most citeable(sp?) information is due to Western sources, it is unlikely Wikipedia is going to escape this "bias". Indeed, should Wikipedia say one of their purposes is to eliminate this "bias", then one would have a neutrality problem, no? One of the "pillars" mandates you are supposed to follow sources, not some ideological agenda.

The specific issue with BLP's is to both fix the fact that Wikipedia is admitting information from extremely questionable sources, as well as to minimize the damage done by the asswipes at Wikipedia using WMF internet properties to "shit on the heads of People They Don't Like" (per Eric Barbour).

[Ottava]

His definition of academic presumably includes himself and his peers, which means notability will have to wait until (a) somebody is desperately searching for a masters or PhD thesis subject that will make them stand out, or (b) somebody desperately searching for a subject to publish about while on tenure track, or © somebody publishing in obscure journals in order to have something to put on their cv that will help them land a cushy job (in politics (a la Ottava), business, or whatev).

In Ottava's world, respecting the opinions of people without degrees has been a big mistake, and women only started having opinions when men said so.

BLPs of political figures is actually one of the good things WP has going for it, the problem with them is that they tend to either attract hordes of partisans from one or both sides, or else be owned by one side or another. Actual current events should probably just be mentioned ("something has changed in this person's life, but the information is currently unreliable"), but putting it in the hands of people like Ottava to write the source material is probably a bad idea.

It is snide commentary like the above from Wikipedia admin that is the reason why tens of thousands of articles are pure shit.

1. I don't know if SBJ doesn't know that a trollop (Moulton's word) is another word for whore or if he thinks that all women are whores. Either way, that is his personal problem.

2. I have hundreds of articles and they aren't sourced to my friends. Look at some examples - Walter Jackson Bate, Pulitzer prize winning biographer. Or Harold Bloom, the world's pre-eminent literary critic.

3. If he thinks even the neutral BLPs of politicians are good, then there is something really wrong with him.

4. I find it odd how he thinks that I am some how bad at academia when my articles are written without the flaws that destroy other Wikipedia articles - neutral, reflects the top academic minds, highly researched, and use real sources. Of course, SB Johnny knows nothing about writing articles or academia.


Mods, can you deal with that troll?

[taiwopanfob]

Presumably they are notable in their own land, and the local wikis can carry articles on them., sourced by local academics. Some local politico in Thailand is not notable in the UK for example and few in the UK would be able to ascertain whether something written about him is true, or written by an adversary, or whatever.

+N for this, N a fairly large number. It would make a great deal of sense to carve up these projects into a hierarchy of geographic regions, and work out some way of automatically merging the sub-wiki's into super-wiki's.


This post has been edited by taiwopanfob:

[Kelly Martin]

There will be at least minimal biographical information on the heads of state of just about every nation in the CIA Fact Book, which, while not entirely without bias, is at least a fairly credible source. A dedicated researcher can probably find, with some effort, a journal article or other similar work that at least briefly discusses any given head of state, if for no other reason to provide context for some other topic related to that country. If nothing else, the official biography issued by the country in question can be cited to, with reservations, in a reasonable article.

The problem isn't in coming up with reasonable guidelines and rules; the problem is in getting Wikipedians to follow them. These are not the rules they want. For some of them, they're simply too much work for the bother; for others, they actively prevent them from doing what they want to do (which is, of course, to use Wikipedia as a tool for ideological advocacy). The rest just don't care enough to understand why it matters, but since their friends are objecting to them then they must be a bad idea.

[CharlotteWebb]

It is s Snide commentary like the above (from a Wikipedia admin) that is the reason why tens of thousands of articles are pure shit. [dubious – discuss]

Do you mean what he says on Wikiversity and on Wikipedia Review may affect the quality of articles on Wikipedia, or have you given up trying to make sense?

1. I don't know if whether SBJ doesn't knows that a "trollop" (Moulton's word) is another word for "whore" or if he simply thinks that all women are whores. Either way, that is his personal problem.

The use–mention distinction appears to be lost on you. In any case Moulton's wisecrack was clearly a pun on the words "troll" and "operating" hence "troll-ops" cf. "black-ops" etc., but he meant to say "early 19th-century" not "18th" I'm sure.

2. I have written[?] hundreds of articles and they aren't sourced to my friends. Look at some examples: -  Walter Jackson Bate, a Pulitzer prize-winning biographer,. O or Harold Bloom, the world's pre-eminent a leading literary critic.

These names appear not to be among the titles of the articles you've written. I suppose you meant to say you have cited these individuals as sources while writing other articles, in which case you should make the subject–article distinction clearer.

3. If he thinks even the neutral BLPs of politicians are good, then there is something really wrong with him.

As opposed to favoring those biased toward your viewpoints, or are you making the absolute claim that none of them are "good" (whatever that means in this context)?

4. I find it odd how that he thinks that I am some how somehow bad at academia when my articles are written without the flaws that destroy plague other Wikipedia articles; -  they are neutral, reflects  the top prevailing academic minds viewpoints, are highly well-researched, and use real sources. Of course, SB Johnny knows nothing about writing articles or about academia.

To be fair, most of us don't have your academic background, yet somehow are able to communicate more literately. I doubt you ever think about how ridiculous you look, gloating about your prowess as a writer whilst committing multiple unforced grammatical errors, but frankly I find it hilarious.

This post has been edited by CharlotteWebb:

[SB_Johnny]

1. I don't know if whether SBJ doesn't knows that a "trollop" (Moulton's word) is another word for "whore" or if he simply thinks that all women are whores. Either way, that is his personal problem.

The use–mention distinction appears to be lost on you. In any case Moulton's wisecrack was clearly a pun on the words "troll" and "operating" hence "troll-ops" cf. "black-ops" etc., but he meant to say "early 19th-century" not "18th" I'm sure.

I was actually going to say something about "sex worker" and "prostitute" being the preferred terms, but your retort was better.

2. I have written[?] hundreds of articles and they aren't sourced to my friends. Look at some examples: -  Walter Jackson Bate, a Pulitzer prize-winning biographer,. O or Harold Bloom, the world's pre-eminent a leading literary critic.

These names appear not to be among the titles of the articles you've written. I suppose you meant to say you have cited these individuals as sources while writing other articles, in which case you should make the subject–article distinction clearer.

I was using "friends" in a non-literal sense that was referring to academics who are desperate to publish. I wasn't meaning to imply that Ottava had friends. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/rolleyes.gif)

4. I find it odd how that he thinks that I am some how somehow bad at academia when my articles are written without the flaws that destroy plague other Wikipedia articles; -  they are neutral, reflects  the top prevailing academic minds viewpoints, are highly well-researched, and use real sources. Of course, SB Johnny knows nothing about writing articles or about academia.

To be fair, most of us don't have your academic background, yet somehow are able to communicate more literately. I doubt you ever think about how ridiculous you look, gloating about your prowess as a writer whilst committing multiple unforced grammatical errors, but frankly I find it hilarious.

Unfortunately I do know quite a bit about academia, but fortunately gave up the habit before it was too late. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/laugh.gif)

How long did it take you to do all that tricky stuff with the bbcode red pen? (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/blink.gif)

[gomi]

[Modnote: posts above here were split from the thread "Giffords shooting" as being off-topic. They are pertinent to the question of notability and citation standards for biographies, but not specific to the case of Rep. Giffords.]

[Ottava]

First off, Charlotte, many of your "fixes" are wrong.

1. "It is Snide commentary like the above" is proper. "Snide Commentary" is the object of "it" and is a common phrase.

2. "that is the reason" By removing "that" from the sentence, you change the type of sentence it is. "It is ____ that does ____" is a common formula for writing. That you would treat it as improper shows that you don't know what you are talking about and are disrupting for no legitimate reason.

3. "I don't know if whether SBJ doesn't knows that a "trollop" (Moulton's word) is another word for "whore" or if he simply thinks that all women are whores."

ERNT. Sorry, you lose. Your "correction" took two independent questions and turned them into an either/or. They were not mutually exclusive.

A. I don't know if SBJ doesn't know that a "trollop" (Moulton's word) is another word for "whore"

and

B. I dont know... if he simply thinks all women are whores.

The rest is equally bad. Then besides, grammar, there is this:

4. ". In any case Moulton's wisecrack was clearly a pun on the words "troll" and "operating" hence "troll-ops" cf. "black-ops" etc"

Obviously, you missed that I was making a joke.


When you try to be a smart ass, it isn't good to fail so hard.

Then there is stupidity here:

"These names appear not to be among the titles of the articles you've written."

We were talking about -references- . Why would you suddenly, magically (!!!), transform that into "titles" is beyond any logical understanding.

"yet somehow are able to communicate more literately."

Apparently, you can't.

Hell, you even got this wrong: "destroy" replaced by "plague" makes no sense. We are discussing BLPs being ruined. Destroyed is "ruined". Plagued only means that they might be annoyed. You radically change things that aren't wrong to seem smart, and yet it accomplishes nothing.



Mods, can someone deal with Charlotte's bullshit?

And can a Mod reveal who Charlotte really is? No one would troll that hard to protect abuse unless they had something to lose.

This post has been edited by Ottava:

[gomi]

Mods, can someone deal with Charlotte's bullshit?

Probably not, but you would need to be more specific.

And can a Mod reveal who Charlotte really is? No one would troll that hard to protect abuse unless they had something to lose.

Absolutely not, and you know it. That is a completely inappropriate request here.

[Modnote: an incendiary comment from a member, regarding Ottava's post above, was removed. General admonition: please calm down, or much of this thread will end up in the Tar Pit.]

[EricBarbour]

(IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/rolleyes.gif)

[CharlotteWebb]

Hell, you even got this wrong: "destroy" replaced by "plague" makes no sense. We are discussing BLPs being ruined. Destroyed is "ruined". Plagued only means that they might be annoyed.

"Destroy" implies the articles in question have ceased (or might soon cease) to exist as a result of the flaws you've described. For now I'll assume you'd find something more interesting to bitch about if that were so.

And can a Mod reveal who Charlotte really is? No one would troll that hard to protect abuse unless they had something to lose.

Or perhaps, nothing at all. Did you ever consider that? No, you only see what you want to believe. When you creep from the back I got tricks up my sleeve. Don't worry tough; I can troll you till the cows come home. Until you stop reducing every thread into a masturbatory discussion of yourself, it's probably what I'll do. You and the Poet-socks alike.

[Modnote: an incendiary comment from a member, regarding Ottava's post above, was removed. General admonition: please calm down, or much of this thread will end up in the Tar Pit.][/i]

I'm truly sorry I missed that. Hopefully someone will provide me with the juicy details of this. But for now, goodnight.

[Somey]

Getting back to the subject, kinda sorta:

Okay, question then. You guys are saying that at least a chapter, if not a book, written by an academic about a person is what is necessary to make them notable? Well, it's quite clear that most Presidents of the US are notable then...

This appears to be a common misconception. Those of us who are advocating tighter controls on what's allowed in BLP articles, and/or an opt-out policy, are not trying to define notability at all - this is a Wikipedian linguistic construct, an idiomatic term, a canard if you will.

People often forget that Wikipedia-style "notability standards" are designed to keep people out, not prevent people from leaving once they're in. I should really speak only for myself, but I've always maintained that Wikipedia could actually lower notability standards if they wanted to, without a peep from people like myself, as long as they were willing to give article subjects some degree of personal control - particularly in cases where they can make a legitimate case that they're being persecuted (fairly or, especially, unfairly) by Wikipedians.

Generally speaking, though, Wikipedians don't want lower "notability standards," they want to ensure that the people they choose to write about aren't allowed to do anything about it, or against them - in particular, spoil their hour or two of hard work (and don't forget those new-article stats) by asking for the articles about them to be deleted.

What I call the "traditional-publication standard" for exemption from a future opt-out policy is a practical compromise, an effort to be reasonable in the face of intractable irresponsibility, immaturity, and selfishness. It has very little to do with whether or not a person actually is, in fact, "notable" - a subjective concept if ever there was one. It makes sense because nearly all famous people have books (or portions of books) written about them, and books can't simply be deleted if it turns out they're wrong.

Mr. Taiwopanfob (for example) believes that all BLPs about people who don't meet the traditional-publication standard should be deleted immediately, and personally I would support that idea 100 percent. But this is nevertheless an extreme view. The majority of people with BLPs don't seem to mind the fact that potentially damaging falsehoods could be inserted into them at any time, because for most people the risk of this is fairly low. But I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that even they would greatly appreciate being allowed to opt out if something happening on Wikipedia made that the only tolerable course of action.

[Kelly Martin]

The majority of people with BLPs don't seem to mind the fact that potentially damaging falsehoods could be inserted into them at any time, because for most people the risk of this is fairly low.

And, more importantly, their perception of that risk is such that it is not outweighed by the perceived benefit of being "listed" in Wikipedia. The reason Wikipedia will not adopt either "opt-in" or "opt-out" policies for biographical listings (the real reason, not the fake one about it being silly to require a truly famous person to opt in, or allow him/her to opt out) is that it would strip the "encyclopedia" gloss off of Wikipedia and reveal it for what it would unequivocally be in that case: a vehicle for self-promotion.

I'd love to have a listing for my consulting business in Wikipedia. It would probably generate significant traffic to my business website and almost certainly get me customers. Sure, I'd have to spend some time monitoring the article for damaging material, but even if I spent, say, fifteen minutes a day on that (and I could easily use automation to monitor just that one page and have it send me an email whenever it's edited so I'm sure I could get it under 15 minutes a day), if it brought me one customer a month it's be a net win. Of course, Wikipedia isn't going to allow me to have that listing. But a lot of people in situations similar to mine still try. And Wikipedia doesn't like that.

In addition you have the issue ideologues, who want their hagiographic paeans and/or defamatory screeds to remain untouched regardless of the feelings of anyone else, since they are fighting virtuously for the truth. And you have the rebound bullies (which is a lot of Wikipedia's administrators), who have discovered that it's much more fun to be the bully than the bullied and don't want to give up that power.

The thing to keep in mind there's not one single reason; it's a complex mash of motivations and desires, which converge to create policy organically. When the major motivations conflict is when you see fireworks. There is some conflict on this because there are significant groups with interests on both sides of this issue. And, finally, it must be noted that things like the real interests of the subject, the interests of readers, or the interest of the public generally, will not have much influence on the result.

[thekohser]

But a lot of people in situations similar to mine still try. And Wikipedia doesn't like that.

With some exceptions, of course.

[Ottava]

"Destroy" implies the articles in question have ceased (or might soon cease) to exist as a result of the flaws you've described.

That is pure bullshit. Destroyed does not mean that. "Annihilated" does. Is English even your primary language?

At least pick up a damn dictionary before trolling.

Destroyed: "to reduce (an object) to useless fragments, a useless form, or remains"

Annihilated: "to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence"

One means to make useless, the other means to remove it from existence. This is Elementary school stuff. Wtf is wrong with you that even the most basic of things escapes you yet you go on and on about it anyway?


You lack a real argument. Your snide grammar criticism embarrassed yourself and verified that you don't know what you are talking about. You hide behind a fake name while trolling. You are pathetic.




Somey

but I've always maintained that Wikipedia could actually lower notability standards if they wanted to, without a peep from people like myself, as long as they were willing to give article subjects some degree of personal control

That wouldn't fix the bigger problem - notability is a problem because of sourcing standards. Sourcing will always be awful because a poor status quo is necessary to POV war and the such. The problem is lack of integrity as a whole. Every single issue can be traced back to this.

[Gruntled]

Gruntled

On the first part, isn't Playboy published by a notable publisher?

No, it is self published.

The publishers are closely linked to the editors (as is true for some academic journals, of course). Does that in itself make them non-notable? Or do you have your own definition of non-notable?

If you don't like Playboy, how about magazines published by Richard Desmond? Or is he non-notable too?

There will be at least minimal biographical information on the heads of state of just about every nation in the CIA Fact Book, which, while not entirely without bias, is at least a fairly credible source. A dedicated researcher can probably find, with some effort, a journal article or other similar work that at least briefly discusses any given head of state, if for no other reason to provide context for some other topic related to that country. If nothing else, the official biography issued by the country in question can be cited to, with reservations, in a reasonable article.

That's not going to satisfy ottava, is it? The CIA aren't academics, nor are (in all likelihood) official biographers. And the CIA factbook isn't a whole book devoted to the subject.