[edit] "Run-of-the-mill:" essay or policy?

Someone on the discussion page for another proposal recently suggested that this essay become a policy or guideline. It has actually been cited a lot in AFDs. What do others think?

I would not support this as a policy or a guideline. Some people (like me) are not a fan of this essay or similar ones, such as WP:NLI or Wikipedia:Notability (buildings, structures, and landmarks) (which definitively failed to gain a consensus). Cazort (talk) 14:38, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Delete

I see this essay as:

• Not necessary - truly insignificant articles are usually deleted by overwhelming consensus anyway, without any need for a guideline like this. Example: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Homewood Avenue.
• Increasing subjectivity in notability discussions - WP:N is very clear that notability is not about importance, and it does not mention anything about uniqueness. The general theme/spirit of this essay seems to be based on the idea of importance and uniqueness. While WP:N is hardly objective, the notion of "significant coverage in reliable sources" leaves less room for subjectivity than the idea of whether or not something is unique or run-of-the-mill. More subjectivity --> longer and less productive arguments.
• Potentially being used to override WP:N I think the best guidelines and policies clarify, rather than making exceptions. This essay seems to be oriented towards arguing things are not notable even though they seem to meet WP:N. I am concerned about deleting local interests...things like municipal parks (like Williamson Creek Greenbelt). Also, anything that could be interpreted as conflicting with WP:N is going to lead to more arguments in AfD's.
• WP:CREEP.

So these are my concerns. I can't really support making this a guideline; all of the above concerns are major and together they really kill it for me. The biggest one is that I just don't see the need for this guideline. Cazort (talk) 14:55, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Strong support

I love this proposal. Local newspapers cover local high school sports, for example. That's their job. They report local events. That is what they have to do to make people buy their paper instead of USA Today. That doesn't make the local QB notable beyond a 50 mile radius. Same with local TV anchors/weathermen/sports reporters. They speak at the Rotary Club luncheons, ride on a parade float and give talks at local elementary schools. That's simply their job. And the local paper covers it. I used an example in an AfD that bears repeating. A community near me has 1,500 residents and a part time mayor. The community is covered by 3 newspapers (1 published daily, one published 3-4 times a week and one published weekly). The part time mayor of the small town is mentioned at least once a week in each paper, often more. Should we consider him notable since "multiple, independent reliable sources" mention him? Of course not! But strictly speaking, he meets the criteria. This is a terrific proposal. Niteshift36 (talk) 06:21, 4 July 2009 (UTC)