I didn’t want it to get deleted, so I just never created it.

I repeatedly tried to get a local independent bookstore’s page started this summer, and it was continually deleted due to the same reason as Steve’s page was deleted. Of course, the large book retailers like B&N and Borders have pages on Wikipedia. What makes them noteworthy? They sell more books; that’s it. In a few decades time, they will be gone, and other large chains will ahve taken their place, or people will go back to independents. Either way, it’s a bit unfair for the editors of WIkipedia to deem what is noteworthy now and what isn’t as they can’t look into the future.

But I agree that the process does have a flaw, popular bloggers/speakers have a huge impact and should be recognized.

But seriously, they are concerned about people using Wikipedia as a vanity site, so the rules about living people are pretty strict.

Any article has to have sources not written by the subject, so no blog, website or self-published book. I guess that might work in favor of academics, and against people who are just popular blogger/commentator/consultant types. Even though you might argue that their impact might be greater. But those are the rules!

Yes, adding a Wikipedia entry can be a fickle process. According to Sylvia Martinez, “You have to follow the rules to the letter, and follow up for months defending it.”

The real question that we, as a community, have to answer is whether or not it’s worthwhile to write biographies for significant leaders/contributors to our field. Personally, I think it’s a shame for some people in our field to be represented, while others – equally qualified – go unrepresented.

This page ( http://tinyurl.com/2ec5hj ) offers, at least, a nice start.