Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/LG Williams (3rd 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 delete. Spartaz Humbug! 09:33, 26 December 2014 (UTC)
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The LG Williams article was created by a user who has engaged in sock puppetry, attempted to make the artist appear to be more notable than he is, and a very likely conflict of interest scenario. One of the ways has been to use letters to the editor and blog postings as sources for content. Based upon google news, google books, HighBeam Research, and Questia searches, it's very difficult to find sources for the subject, except for his own essentially self-published books (PCP Press). The article was created several years ago (2012) and deleted due to notability issues. Since then, I read that the artist worked as a realtor in Hawaii for at least two years.
The article was deleted in 2006 as part of the PROD process and in 2012 per discussion at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/LG Williams and earlier this year at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/LG Williams (2nd nomination)--CaroleHenson (talk) 02:50, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Note: This debate has been included in the list of Visual arts-related deletion discussions. Everymorning talk to me 03:04, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Note: This debate has been included in the list of People-related deletion discussions. Everymorning talk to me 03:05, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Weak keep Too few quality reliable sources to make a solid case for keeping, but perhaps just enough, together with the numerous lightweight sources, to pass. Ewulp (talk) 05:24, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Delete - almost on the basis of process alone. This should have gone to WP:DRV where changes since the last AFDs could be considered by the community and approval given (or not) for the recreation of this article. Instead, serial sock-puppeteers simply recreated it (twice) and have filled it with ref-spam in an attempt to make it look legit. But many are older than 2 years and would have been available during the last discussions. The article would seem to suffer from the same problems that it did in the past. The community supported (in my view) salting the first time around but that wasn't done (for whatever reason). The sources provided are much the same as last time - self-promotional nonsense from a full-time-real-estate-agent / part-time-artist. They are headlines in the same way that the guys from Jackass get headlines for stapling their anatomy to things. Yeah, it's "coverage" but seriously... read the actual articles... they're all about how he did something, it won't work, but it was a bit funny, what was his name again? St★lwart111 06:21, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Note: This debate has been included in the list of United States of America-related deletion discussions. • Gene93k (talk) 16:52, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Weak keep, though I agree it was a fairly detestable article created for the wrong purpose (though now significantly improved by a couple of experienced editors). I don't see much new relaible coverage since the 2012 deletion at AfD, but if I had participated in 2012 I would have probably said 'weak keep' too, based on the small number of in-depth reliable news articles. His 1999 exhibitions in California attracted attention [1] [2] and he has exhibited internationally, receiving significant attention in Bahrain and Japan. The long list of 'Further reading' doesn't fool me, I'm afraid, I fully expect it to be brief mentions or no mentions at all (based on the tactics in the rest of the article). Sionk (talk) 20:42, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- To be clear, the artBahrain piece isn't about an international exhibit in Bahrain, it's just overseas coverage of his let's-pretend-to-sell-off-public-property-for-a-lark stunt. Its exactly the coverage I was referring to above. We can't seriously consider that "significant coverage" of the artist can we? It doesn't tell us much of anything about him. St★lwart111 22:21, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
- Delete: LG Williams work is insignificant. None of his pieces are in a public collection. The little he made hasn't been presented in a notable venue, nor included in a notable exhibition. There is nothing about him in national libraries. --Newnewbi (talk) 20:14, 6 December 2014 (UTC)
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- Comment: After User:xxxartxxx who created the LG Williams article was blocked as a sockpuppet of the blocked sockpuppet User:Art4em, he immediately returned to continue editing the article as User:Ratbastardassn and was blocked again. In this diff on the sockpuppeter Ratbastardassn's talk page he proposes adopting "Chan" as his next user ID, and now here's the new single-purpose editor Chan12345 arguing with evident sarcasm for deletion of the article ... followed by Bald eagle babe's sockdologer written—like Chan12345's posting—in the familiar style of Art4em/xxxartxxx. Although I indicated above (and on Talk:LG Williams) that I lean slightly towards a "keep", if the eventual outcome of this AfD is a decision to delete, I would second the proposal of Stalwart111 to WP:SALT the article, or this tiresome stunt will surely continue. Ewulp (talk) 09:22, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
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- @Luv my range rover: Bald eagle babe: Chan12345: these issues have been discussed in the talk page.--Newnewbi (talk) 18:02, 11 December 2014 (UTC)
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- Suspected continued sockpuppet (copied from above)
- Comment: After User:xxxartxxx who created the LG Williams article was blocked as a sockpuppet of the blocked sockpuppet User:Art4em, he immediately returned to continue editing the article as User:Ratbastardassn and was blocked again. In this diff on the sockpuppeter Ratbastardassn's talk page he proposes adopting "Chan" as his next user ID, and now here's the new single-purpose editor Chan12345 arguing with evident sarcasm for deletion of the article ... followed by Bald eagle babe's sockdologer written—like Chan12345's posting—in the familiar style of Art4em/xxxartxxx. Although I indicated above (and on Talk:LG Williams) that I lean slightly towards a "keep", if the eventual outcome of this AfD is a decision to delete, I would second the proposal of Stalwart111 to WP:SALT the article, or this tiresome stunt will surely continue. Ewulp (talk) 09:22, 9 December 2014 (UTC)
- I agree, it seems quite clear that the Xxxartxxx / Art4em / Ratbastardassn etc. sockpuppetry had continued. Input in this discussion from Luv my range rover, Bald eagle babe, and Chan12345 makes it very difficult to sort out the true votes.
- I suggest collapsing at least the "rant" part of the discussions that are essentially duplications of earlier discussions on the article talk page, much of which was archived. I'm not sure of the process for managing suspected sockpuppets in AfD discussions. If there's something else I need to do, please let me know.--CaroleHenson (talk) 14:31, 13 December 2014 (UTC)
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- FWIW I raised a sockpuppet investigation Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Art4em. Sionk (talk) 15:20, 13 December 2014 (UTC)
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, slakr\ talk / 05:08, 16 December 2014 (UTC)
Weak Keep- Appears to be sufficient sources to satisfy WP:BIO, even if not a slam dunk. It looks like this and the first AfD have been attended by an unusual number of SPAs. Could anyone provide a brief 1-2 sentence summary of why this is controversial? Best I can figure is it contained a great deal of content insufficiently supported by reliable sources and some people object to that material being removed and/or the way it was removed? --— Rhododendrites talk \\ 23:34, 16 December 2014 (UTC)
- Update: I struck my weak keep vote and did not replace it with another. Without having enough time to really scrutinize the sourcing, given the concerns raised here and at the first AfD I don't feel comfortable weighing in with a !vote at this time. --— Rhododendrites talk \\ 16:42, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
- Rhododendrites, it's "controversial" only because supporters of the subject have tried to use WP as a means to promote the subject. Rather than a neutral, well-sourced article (which I'm not entirely convinced can be done anyway), supporters (probably only one supporter with multiple accounts, judging from the SPI) have complained about the removal of ref-spam screaming "bias" and then coming here to argue (sarcastically) for deletion on the basis that the subject wouldn't want to be associated with an article that doesn't promote him anyway. It's all silly, self-aggrandising, overly-sensitive-artist-type nonsense. Your analysis is pretty close to accurate I'd say. The best source I could find described the person in question as a part-time-artist/part-time-real-estate-agent. Says it all really. St★lwart111 00:34, 17 December 2014 (UTC)
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- Facepalm . St★lwart111 04:39, 19 December 2014 (UTC)
- Comment: contemporary art isn’t at stake in this discussion. The debate is about whether or not Wikipedia should keep an article written by sockpuppets[7][8] concerning a living person who tries with no success to draw attention to himself. (The fact checking detailed on the talk page has shown the list each sockpuppet has repeatedly pasted above doesn't establish LG Williams notability.) --Newnewbi (talk) 17:19, 19 December 2014 (UTC)
- Agreed. It's hard to sort out if we have consensus for "Weak keep", "Delete" or "Delete and salt". If we don't delete and salt, then it seems that the article will need to be continually watched to monitor added article content and deal with uncivil conversations since issues with sockpuppets and use of non-reliable sources dates back six or so years when the first article was deleted. It seems like its an incredibly ineffective use of resources - and essentially condoning uncivil, filibustering behavior regarding a marginally or non-notable subject.--CaroleHenson (talk) 22:49, 19 December 2014 (UTC)
References
- ^ Hefland, Glen (July 14, 1999). "Art: LG Williams at the Wirtz". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
- Delete: The subject's notability was never properly established by the chief contributor/sock operator Xxxartxxx (aka Art4em). Rather than take steps to properly establish the subject's notability, the user preferred instead to engage in bombastic diatribes, while belittling editors who were attempting to manage the article and to find any evidence that the subject was notable. The whole article reeked of promotion, and had I suspected before CaroleHenson and the other fine editors began renovating it, I would have nommed it for speedy delete under G5. Cyphoidbomb (talk) 02:53, 23 December 2014 (UTC)
- Delete as notability has not been established; based on reliable sources he fails WP:ARTIST. Passing mentions like Osuna, who is also showing works by Soshi Mastunobe and L.G. Williams. don't do much more that verify showings in international markets. Given more articles like the one in The Japan Times would go towards establishing that he has won significant critical attention. --Bejnar (talk) 20:05, 23 December 2014 (UTC)
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- Delete and Salt: Obviously there are SPAs heavily invested in keeping this non-notable subject that's already been deleted off multiple times. I say let's salt the freaking earth and have done with the farce once and for all. Nha Trang Allons! 19:49, 24 December 2014 (UTC)
- 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.