Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Tim Shell (2nd nomination)

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was no consensus. GlassCobra 20:30, 9 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Tim Shell (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log)

This article was nominated for deletion a little over two years ago; see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Tim Shell. I believe we interpret notability different nowadays, which is why I'm nominating it again.

The reason I think this should be deleted is the lack of reliable, secondary sources to demonstrate notability, as required by Wikipedia:Notability, or the more specific Wikipedia:Notability (people). See basic criteria section; the article provides absolutely no independent coverage to satisfy this. Of the three references cited, 1 and 2 are to personal websites. Not considered independent. 3 is to a Wikimedia PDF, which isn't independent either. Now, consider the two external links. First is the same personal website, not independent. The second is a four-sentence Wikimedia Foundation bio, which is, yes, not independent coverage either. I've searched for more sources, but I have not been able to find a single reliable, independent source which devotes more than two sentences of coverage to Shell. Not a single one. Two sentences - or even three or four - is most likely not significant coverage by anyone's standards. Uncle G makes a very good point in the prior afd, which I suggest be read.

Regarding the arguments at the old afd: none of them brought up independent coverage of any sort. Reading some of the arguments for keeping, I'm rather surprised the closing admin considered them at all reasonable. "keep I just voted to keep some article on a website that sells wristbands for fans of Crystal Palace, so I pretty much have to be an inclusionist for the next week or so, so yes, keep. Youngamerican 23:35, 13 October 2005 (UTC)" I suppose he might have been attempting humor. Otherwise, enough said.

"Weakest keep ever. Bomis doesn't fit my "deserves an article on every CEO ever" criteria, and Wikipedia, in terms of the prominence of it, doesn't deserve an article on every board member ever in my eyes. And yet, we are Wikipedia. Obviously. And, honestly, I'm voting to keep because Mr. Shell is so notable in a Wikipedia context that it will help the project to have an article on him around. Did that make a lick of sense? Lord Bob 15:16, 13 October 2005 (UTC)" I guess this must not have been the prevalent opinion in 2005, but I'm sure that by 2008 no one considers being connected to the Wikimedia Foundation a reason to keep articles even when they would otherwise be deleted.

"CEOs are notable, and board members of the 45th most popular web site further increases notability. Unfocused 07:00, 13 October 2005 (UTC)" This is what I mean when I said we judge notability differently - in October 2005, this was considered good enough. Now, however, actual sources are required to establish notability. Being a CEO of a company with an article does not confer automatic notability, nor does being a former board member of Wikipedia. If you think he's notable, please show some significant (more than two sentences) independent coverage. Otherwise, I suggest deletion. Picaroon (t) 22:12, 1 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• • Also note that the "whatlinkshere" results come from his inclusion on {{Wikipediahistory}}, not many actual references in other articles. Picaroon (t) 22:15, 1 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Delete. He seems like he would be notable given his work (per Unfocused), but I can't find any significant coverage either. I wonder if this should be somehow userfied or put into project space as information about Wikipedia history, though. Rigadoun (talk) 06:19, 3 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep CEO of Bornis is notable. WMF or no WMF. DGG (talk) 15:14, 3 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep per DGG, notable as the chief executive officer of Bomis, and any connection with the WMF enhances that notability. RFerreira (talk) 06:30, 6 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Delete unless multiple independent reliable sources are given in the article to prove notability. The question is not whether his positions are "notable" in the sense of important, the question is whether there are multiple reliaible sources. And from the article so far it seems not. NBeale (talk) 13:00, 6 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.