[WikiEN-l] WikiEN-l] Keep and Relist

[Erik Moeller]

On 7/6/06, Daniel P. B. Smith <wikipedia2006 at dpbsmith.com> wrote:
> Interesting but quixotic. No, I _really_ mean it _is_ interesting,
> and I'm trying to let the idea soak in to figure out what it means or
> ought to mean or implies... but the idea that a Wikipedia page is
> forever is very deeply ingrained.

Let me be absolutely clear: I think the website was frankly idiotic,
and it's mostly the SomethingAwful crowd of easily befuddled teens
that cared about it. Nevertheless, it created a stir among thousands
of people within a very short amount of time.  Given how the Internet
works, these brief mass phenomena are likely going to become more
common, and will often lead to an influx of newbies on Wikipedia as
well.

I have yet to see a convincing argument why it would be a bad idea to
let the befuddled teens have their article (carefully vetted for
verifiability and OR) for a few weeks, and to delete it when it's
clear that the phenomenon has not transcended their subcultural
sphere.

Erik