From: "Sam Korn" smoddy@gmail.com
This along with unreasoned "speedy" votes. "Speedy" does not mean "because I really really think so". There are circumstances where it is appropriate, but they are rigidly defined. People with half a degree of sense should know not to vote like this.
Sam's right, but as Mark has pointed out, complaining here is pointless.
The changes that can be produced by policing AfD against this sort of thing are startling. I've found that spending a few minutes a day on AfD saying "this isn't a vote, please state a reason for your opinion" and "this isn't a speedy criterion, please argue for a slow keep or find a reason what fits the current speedy criteria" and even "AfD isn't a vote. Your "vote" will be discounted by the closing admin. Plase give your opinion instead" causes a great change in those who are contributing.
Well, at the very least it causes them to watch their language and actually provide reasoning rather than just votes.
Also, it causes those with a POV or an ulterior motive to reveal themselves. Both kneejerk inclusionists and kneejerk deletionists will invariably contact the AfD patroller and reveal a specious reason why a vote was appropriate in a particular case. And thus you know for future reference that they can be discounted. Or they will contact you and explain in tortured detail how their vote without reasoning was something other than a vote without reasoning... and you know to discount them in future.
What we need is an "AfD Patrol" to join RC and CV. Members can be deletionists or inclusionists (and will be accused by both sides of being the other). Their personal views are worthless, as their job will be to simply patrol AfD and refute "voters" whenever they appear. Given three months, these patrollers will have restored AfD to a faulty-but-mostly-working status, rather than the current faulty-but-often-glaringly-broken status it now has.
There is nothing else available to replace AfD. Therefore we must make AfD work.
Anyone want to be [[WP:BOLD]] and sent up [[Wikipedia:AfD_Patrol]]? Or do we prefer to sit here and bitch?
And I know that the ultimate result is [[Wikipedia:RfA_Patrol]] but one disaster at a time, hey?
-> REDVERS
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