[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia notability (was "Opt Out for Not So Notable Biographies")

[Oldak Quill]

On 09/04/07, MacGyverMagic/Mgm <macgyvermagic at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 4/9/07, Oldak Quill <oldakquill at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > On 09/04/07, Jeff Raymond <jeff.raymond at internationalhouseofbacon.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > MacGyverMagic/Mgm wrote:
> > >
> > > > If someone is real-world notable and we can back it up, I don't see
> > how
> > > > Wikipedia notability would be any different.
> > >
> > > Because Wikipedia notability, in many people's minds, needs more than
> > > simply "backing it up."  Society's idea of notable is fluid and depends
> > on
> > > what you're talking about - Wikipedia's got a small but vocal number of
> > > people who feel notability is constant and defined only by who says as
> > > such.
> > >
> > > It's why there needs to be a distinction - "not so notable" or
> > "borderline
> > > notability" is a false concept that only exists in that small but vocal
> > > group.  It has little in the way of a basis in reality, and is not
> > defined
> > > by anything that is logical.
> >
> > "Notability" has no divinely-ordained, objective definition that can
> > be logically deduced. The definition of "notability" changes according
> > to how much the person using the word wants an article to be deleted.
> >
> > --
> > Oldak Quill (oldakquill at gmail.com)
>
>
> It may be, but it shouldn't. It should be based on facts, not someone's
> deletion opinions. The result based on those facts may differ, though.

"Notability" isn't something that could ever be directly measurable.
There are several indirect measures that are used (some of which are
more likely to determine an article to be not notable). It really
isn't hard to delete an article based on notability: you just have to
choose the right yardstick.

Even the concept itself is very vague: different things are notable to
different members of different demographic groups at different times.
Things are often deleted on Wikipedia because they are not notable to
a particular demographics (eg. the affluent demographics to which many
Wikipedians belong).

For these reasons, "notability" is a terrible way to determine whether
an article should be kept or deleted on Wikipedia. The sooner we
abandon it (and start relying on harder measures such as
verifiability), the better.

-- 
Oldak Quill (oldakquill at gmail.com)