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

[Steve Summit]

Jeff Raymond wrote:
> MacGyverMagic/Mgm wrote:
>> A newspaper article is usually published once and never heard from again
>> unless someone goes looking for it.
>> Wikipedia is a highly visible place, so we bring things to people's
>> attention that would otherways be forgotten...
>
> I don't agree with that.

If so, you are willfully overlooking the fact that Wikipedia is
now *BIG*.  We are no longer just some marginal nerdly Internet
toy.  We have impact in the real world, and with that comes
responsibility.  You may not think we should have to have it
(and you might even be right), but whether we like it or not,
the rest of the world is going to force that responsibility on us
(by assuming it of us, and complaining loudly if we decline).

Moreover, we're not just big, we're different.  Simple analogies
with newspapers and other media do not necessarily hold.