[Foundation-l] Request for your input: biographies of living people

[Aude]

On Tue, Mar 3, 2009 at 3:17 AM, Sue Gardner <sgardner at wikimedia.org> wrote:

>
> It seems obvious to me from the conversation on this thread that part of
> the
> reason the German Wikipedia seems better able to manage its BLPs (assuming
> that is true - but it seems true) is because there is a smaller number of
> them. Presumably a smaller number of BLPs = fewer to maintain and
> problem-solve = a higher quality level overall. (And possibly also, OTRS
> volunteers who are less stressed out, resulting in a higher level of
> patience and kindness when complaints do get made.)
>
> Assuming that's true, allowing BLP subjects to opt-out seems like it would
> have a direct positive increase on the quality of remaining BLPs, in
> addition to eliminating some BLPs entirely.  Clearly, there would still be
> a
> notability threshold above which people would never be allowed to opt out -
> there will always be articles about people such as Hillary Clinton and J.K.
> Rowling and Penelope Cruz. But a decision to significantly raise that
> threshold, as well as default to deletion upon request, seems like it would
> have a positive effect on quality.
>
> Can I ask: does anyone reading this thread 1) think raising the notability
> threshold is a bad idea, 2) believe defaulting to deletion upon request is
> a
> bad idea, or 3) disagree with the notion that other Wikipedias should shift
> closer to the German Wikipedia's generally-less-permissive policies and
> practices, particularly WRT BLPs?


I think raising the notability threshold would certainly help, and would be
okay with allowing deletion upon request.  I have by far experienced the
most problems with BLPs for those of lesser notability.  Right now, BLPs on
those with lesser notability have more limited sources to build a proper
biography, and often the sources that do exist tend to emphasize controversy
about the person and thus the Wikipedia bio skews that way.

-Aude


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-- 
Aude