Disputed NotabilityA Hands on Workshop

Outline● quick review of notability guidelines● present a selection of Wikipedia articles

○ some have been accepted and some have been rejected for lacking notability○ decide for yourself if an article should be accepted or rejected○ then learn the fate of the article and what the community said about it

Together, let’s have a frank discussion whether or not notability standards are clear and being applied fairly, or if we should take a real look into establishing some concrete notability guidelines.

Notability Guidelines:quick review

Notability GuidelinesA topic is presumed to merit an article if:

● It meets either the general notability guideline below, or the criteria outlined in a subject-specific guideline listed in the box on the right; and

● It is not excluded under the What Wikipedia is not policy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Notability

General Notability GuidelineIf a topic has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, it is presumed to be suitable for a stand-alone article or list.

● "Significant coverage" addresses the topic directly and in detail, so that no original research is needed to extract the content. Significant coverage is more than a trivial mention, but it need not be the main topic of the source material.

General Notability Guideline● "Reliable" means sources need editorial integrity to allow verifiable

evaluation of notability, per the reliable source guideline. Sources may encompass published works in all forms and media, and in any language. Availability of secondary sources covering the subject is a good test for notability.

General Notability Guideline● "Sources"[2] should be secondary sources, as those provide the most

objective evidence of notability. There is no fixed number of sources required since sources vary in quality and depth of coverage, but multiple sources are generally expected.[3] Sources do not have to be available online or written in English. Multiple publications from the same author or organization are usually regarded as a single source for the purposes of establishing notability.

General Notability Guideline● "Independent of the subject" excludes works produced by the article's

subject or someone affiliated with it. For example, advertising, press releases, autobiographies, and the subject's website are not considered independent.

● "Presumed" means that significant coverage in reliable sources creates an assumption, not a guarantee, that a subject should be included. A more in-depth discussion might conclude that the topic actually should not have a stand-alone article—perhaps because it violates what Wikipedia is not, particularly the rule that Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information.

General Notability GuidelineIf a topic does not meet these criteria but still has some verifiable facts, it might be useful to discuss it within another article.

What Wikipedia is nothttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not

● Wikipedia is not a dictionary● Wikipedia is not a publisher of original thought● Wikipedia is not a soapbox or means of promotion● Wikipedia is not a mirror or a repository of links, images, or media files● Wikipedia is not a blog, Web hosting service, social networking service, or

memorial site● Wikipedia is not a directory● Wikipedia is not a manual, guidebook, textbook, or scientific journal

What Wikipedia is not● Wikipedia is not a crystal ball● Wikipedia is not a newspaper● Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information● Wikipedia is not censored

Select Wikipedia Articles

Mills River, North CarolinaMills River is a town located in Henderson County, North Carolina (USA). The town took its name from the nearby confluence of the Mills River and French Broad River.[1] It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was incorporated into a town in June, 2003.

Mills River is among the oldest communities in Henderson County with its first landholder receiving a deed from the State of North Carolina in 1787. It was once a thriving agricultural community, often called the “fertile crescent”.

Mills River Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_River,_North_Carolina

The current mayor is Larry Freeman. Mayor Freeman took office in December 2013, elected by his fellow town council members. The current town council members include Wayne Carland, Shanon Gonce, Billy Johnston, and Roger Snyder.

Mills River is the second largest town in Henderson County, and it is home to one river: the Mills River (South fork and North fork), and four schools, Mills River Elementary, Glenn C. Marlow Elementary, Rugby Middle School, and West Henderson High School.

The Town Hall and Library are located at 124 Town Center Drive, Mills River, NC 28759. Surrounding the Town Hall is Mills River Park, whose Master Plan includes ball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, multiuse trails, a dog park, shelters and support facilities. The Mills River runs along the northern boundary of the property. The Plan also proposes fishing piers with handicapped access and a boat launch for non-motorized vessels along with picnic areas to enjoy the river.

It is home to 6,802 people as of the 2010 Census.

Mills River - 6,802 People30,366 - Average attendance at a major league baseball game in 2015

5,000 - Number of students at a “small” college

The point is that many towns, like Mills River, have far fewer residents than major sporting events or most colleges. Should population factor into notability?

Populated PlacesTodd Allen, Wikipedia editor since 2004, admin since 2007,

arbitrator 2014-2016 term.

In practice, any "place" recognized by a census or the like can have an article. Even if there's not a single non-primary reference available for it. It's rather infuriating, since they'd be much better handled in a collection article like "List of populated places in Somewhereville County" (or some similar administrative division depending on country)

Desmond PenigarDesmond Penigar (born July 16, 1981) is an American professional basketball player. A 6'7" 245 lb forward, he attended Utah State University and Ventura College. Penigar was a member of the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association during the 2003-04 NBA season. As a member of the Asheville Altitude, he won the 2003-04 National Basketball Development League Rookie of the Year.[1]

Let’s look at his page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Penigar

http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/2667/

Derek Buttles Derek Buttles (born September 27, 1989) is a football player on the Buffalo Bills American Football League’s professional football team. He played the position of tight end when he was signed onto the team’s practice squad.

Derek Buttles was born on September 27, 1989 in Pike, New York.[1] His parents are Steven and Darla Buttles.[2] He attended Letchworth Central High School in Wyoming County, New York. By the time he graduated from high school he has proven himself not only an excellent football player, but also excelled in track and basketball.[3] Buttles was on his high school’s honor roll.[2] While playing college football at the University of Maine,[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Buttles

AfD

Sports FiguresTodd Allen, Wikipedia editor since 2004, admin since 2007,

arbitrator 2014-2016 term.

Sports figures are another one. The notability guidelines on them are far too loose. If you've ever played in a pro league, even for a few minutes as a backup, in goes the article, even if the only conceivable information in it is "John Doe played for the Somewhereville in 1999." Again, that's better as a list entry (List of players on the Somewhereville in 1999), not an article.

Daniel Boyd (filmmaker)Daniel Boyd (born September 14, 1956 in Martinsburg, West Virginia) is an American filmmaker, author, and communications professor.[1] He currently teaches at West Virginia State University, has hosted writing workshops, and received a Fulbright Fellowship in 1998 .[2][3]

Boyd is known for his work with Troma Entertainment directing films such as Chillers, which was primarily funded through state grants.[4][5] Boyd retired from directing in in 2005 and went into professional wrestling.[5][3] Boyd was inducted into the West Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006 for his contributions to the music genre.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Boyd_(filmmaker)

BackgroundStarted November 12th, 2014

Since then, rejected by AfC twice - accepted on October 6th, 2015

1. Eschaefer22. Rankersbo3. Kvng4. Sanskari5. Primefac6. Werldwayd7. Tokyogirl79

West Virginia Country Music Hall of FameBoyd was inducted into the West Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006 for his contributions to the music genre.[6]

McVey, John. "Boyd to give Book Faire keynote". Journal News. Retrieved 6 October 2015.

West Virginia Country Music Hall of FameWest Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Inc.

Bunner Ridge

Fairmont, WEST VIRGINIA 26554

MARION County

Contact phone: 304-334-8629

Web site: http://billjanoske.tripod.com

Contact e-mail: wjanoske@yahoo.com

Latitude: 39.4694434020234

Longitude: -80.0712433759758

We are an 800 seat facility. We have a Country Music show every Saturday night from 6 - 11pm.

We are non-smoking and no alcohol. We do serve food. Several times through out the year we bring in Nashville acts. We are a family oriented facility.

http://billjanoske.tripod.com/

Accepted ArticlesDavid Craven, "Worm That

Turned", Wikipedian of many parts

That's not the case, however. There are many pages (often ones which have not been found) which would meet the criteria for deletion on the grounds of non-notable. These shouldn't be considered "accepted", but they do exist.

Wikipedia:Articles for deletion

Richard Morris, User and admin Salix alba on en.wikipedia

Some may have been around for a long time and escaped anyone attention. The sample includes companies like YTS-solutions, an Indian "payment solutions" company, minor political candidates like Lennie Clark running for senate in Arizona, obscure lists like List of censored T-shirts, minor musicians like Chandralekha, a playback singer, minor sports people like Brianna Brown a collage gymnast and various obscure albums and bands.

Rejected by Wikipedia, but seems notable

Richard Morris, User and admin Salix alba on en.wikipedia

Sensei Williams (bio on school webpage) Deleted page on wikipedia who is basically the main person in Ki-Aikido in the UK, head of a school with 100 clubs and many thousands of students. The problem here is that there is little press about the person, plenty of links from various club websites, but nothing in the mainstream press. We may have to wait until he passes away and someone writes an obituary before there is a reliable source.

Rejected by Wikipedia, but seems notable

Richard Morris, User and admin Salix alba on en.wikipedia

Searl Effect Generator, a free energy device. There are thousands of references from the free energy movement and lots of discussion forums and blogs. undoubtedly a hoax. This was a page I closed the deletion discussion on, due to lack of references. Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Searl Effect Generator (2nd nomination) but the sheer number of people discussing it point to some notability.

ReportingJonatan Svensson Glad, Editor

and reviewer at Wikipedia since 2010.

If you find an article you believe does not live up to our standards, please flag them with templates such as Template:Notability, or list them for deletion at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion.

Public trust in print media

journalists is lower than that of

WikipediaGuardian article by Ed Amory

YouGov polls show that trust in print journalists is low, ranging from 40% to 13% depending on the newspaper, but eclipsed by trust in the crowd-sourced Wikipedia at 64%

http://bit.ly/17aoRsy

Native Advertising is harming the media’s public

imagehttps://youtu.be/E_F5GxCwizc?

t=7m1s

Advertisements in major media outlets portrayed as news, but in fact are paid for by advertisers disguised as news stories called “Native Advertising.”

Questions? Comments?

What do you all think about the notability standards?