[WikiEN-l] BLPs--some ideas

[Michael Snow]

daniwo59 at aol.com wrote:

>Let's face it: BLPs pose a problem. I want to suggest a few ideas that  could 
>resolve some of the issues we face.  
>1. BLPs should be of sufficiently notable people that they appear in at  
>least one external encyclopedic source, preferably print. This would include  
>other encyclopedias, "Who's Who," or other biographical indices.  
>2. In the event that the person attained fame because of sudden  
>circumstances, they must be covered in at least three distinct newspapers that  can be 
>cited. 
>  
>
Is #2 supposed to be an alternative to #1? In other words, would an 
article be justified by satisfying either one?

It sort of seems that way, but I don't know if that was intended or not. 
For example, to take a case that was much debated in online venues other 
than ours, I don't think Kathy Sierra or Chris Locke would meet #1, but 
by now they certainly have tripped the wire on #2. Which goes to the 
point of Wikipedia's oft-cited ability to respond quickly to topics of 
current interest.

Whether that means we should have articles about them specifically, or 
about the incident instead, is another issue, but I'm partial to 
editorial judgments to merge problematic topics into more suitable 
locations anyway.

--Michael Snow