[WikiEN-l] Fwd: Opt Out for Not So Notable Biographies

[Erik Moeller]

On 4/8/07, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at waterwiki.info> wrote:
> Not so notable is the rough dividing line between public figures and those who
> are not. George W. Bush is a public figure as as most of those who regularly
> appear in the media. Those whose doings are not ordinarily covered by the
> media are not public figures, although something interesting may have
> happened to them and there has been spot coverage.

This is all very vague ("the media") and would IMHO lead to a loss of
useful biographies of scientists, authors, inventors, and other
individuals who are not celebrities, but whose work is continuous and
relevant.

I think if one wants to institute such a policy, a good test would be
whether the person's notability is the result of a _continuing_ record
of activities (which are verifiable), rather than a singular event.

Incidentally, a person like Daniel Brandt (who has been covered
throughout the years for his activism) meets that criterion, whereas
someone like Brian Peppers (who is notable only because of an Internet
phenomenon) does not.

We do not lose much if we give up articles about the occasional media
sensation and Internet meme. We do lose an awful lot if we allow
everyone who is not a media figure to delete themselves.
-- 
Peace & Love,
Erik

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