[WikiEN-l] Borderline notable bios (yes, again)

[Erik Moeller]

Jimmy, I think this is a case where your famous divine intervention
might be helpful to establish a general principle, so I'd appreciate
your input.

We have Angela (Beesley) on AfD now:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Angela_Beesley_%283rd_nomination%29

The fact that Angela does not want this article to exist has been
cited as a reason to delete. It looks like this deletion will go
through.

Two related examples are Seth Finkelstein:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Seth_Finkelstein

He also prefers the article not to exist, but nevertheless, it was
kept. Then, of course, there's Daniel Brandt.

Angela is co-founder and VP of a company that has received $4M in
funding, and hosts over 1,500 wikis, including some of the largest
ones besides Wikipedia. Seth is a noted anti-censorship activist.
Brandt is, well, Brandt.

Whatever principle we establish here, I think fairness demands that we
establish it with consistency and thoughtfulness. Special treatment
would be a dangerous precedent.

Do we want to respect people's wishes if they are borderline notable
to begin with?

If so, how do we define borderline notability?

If not, should Angela's article be deleted, or would that amount to
special treatment?

One possible answer is: We respect your wishes if you ask nicely. Is
that a fair answer, though? It is a fact that some people are, given
their psychological make-up, _incapable_ of asking nicely.

I don't have any clear answers here. Certainly, given past
experiences, I understand if some people prefer not to be mentioned on
Wikipedia. But, given that we also want to go in the direction of
changing the way Wikipedia works to increase its credibility (stable
versions etc.), is it wise to establish a precedent to keep out
material which could, theoretically, be well-maintained?

I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Erik