User:Starblind/VfD Myths

One user's attempt to debunk (or at least discuss) some of the myths about Wikipedia's VfD process by Andrew Lenahan - Starblind 13:10, August 4, 2005 (UTC)

Myth I: Great articles get deleted on VfD all the time.

Truth: VfD hands down solid decisions, built on consensus, which are rarely contested or questioned. There seems to be a belief that Vfd is concerned with deleting good articles, apparently just for the fun of it. In reality, nothing can be further from the truth. The vast majority of VfDs are supported by the community, and the very few that aren't end up on VfU. If a good article shows up on VfD, either by mistake or because someone is pulling a WP:POINT, then the VfD community Speedy Keeps the good article quickly. See [1] for an example.

Myth II: VfD is a clique. / The same few people vote on everything.

Truth: VfD has a great deal of diversity, and lots of different editors participate. Like many myths, this one has a kernel of truth in that some editors do spend a good deal of their wikitime there. However, nobody votes on everything, and the concept that the same three or four people swing the outcome of every vote is absurd. This myth can be disproved simply by visiting the VfD page of any given day and counting all the different editors participating. It really is that simple. If anything, VfD has a greater diversity than many of WP's other community areas, such as the Administrator's Noticeboard.

Myth III: VfD is a war zone. / Deletionists and inclusionists are always at each other's throats.

Truth: The vast majority of VfD is highly civil. Though the nature of VfD assures that there will always be disagreements, VfD is almost always civil. This too can be proved simply by looking at any given day's VfD. The reason that this myth exists is that occasionally a highly controversial, contentious topic will be nominated, during which things can become heated... but these only represent maybe one in a thousand VfDs. The problem is that due to human nature, everyone remembers the nasty ones, and forgets the 999 others which pass through the system without insult.

More to come!