This page is an opportunity to express your opinions.
Each day many decisions are made as to what subjects are encyclopedic, that is, what articles belong in Ireland Information Guide. These include decisions as to how to vote on VfD, as to whether to write a particular article at all and what to call it if so, and about what to write in policy, talk and help pages.
There is information in many places relevant to these decisions. One function of this page is to bring as much as possible of that information together, for quick reference.
An entry is an indication of how a particular user thinks they would vote on VfD, no more and no less. It is signed but undated, and should be updated or deleted by the user if their views change so that it no longer accurately reflects them. Entries should only ever be changed or deleted by the user who signs them, with two exceptions, see below.
Template:Skip
Summary
- This page is designed to help you and others to determine which articles are suitable to be included in Ireland Information Guide.
- It is not intended to be the last word, rather it is just the first place you might look to see what other people think, particularly in cases that you think are borderline.
- In particular, it should never itself be quoted as a policy document. It is in some ways a summary of the policies, but the policies themselves, if they exist at all, are elsewhere.
- Each entry is one user's opinion.
Format of entries
- A bullet point (created by one or more stars).
- A description of the type or class of topic, followed by a colon. This description may be wikified an any way helpful.
- The word In or Out, followed by a fullstop.
- An undated signature, most easily produced by --~~~.
- An optional wikilink to a reason or justification.
As follows:
* Jokes: Out. --[[User:Alban|Alban]] ([[vampire watermelon]])
** [[Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense]]: In. --~~~
In addition, there are some pseudo-entries that just consist of a bullet point and a class description. These are used for grouping. Pseudo-entries are bold but not italic. They are unsigned and do not express any opinion. Whenever an opinion is added that corresponds exactly to a pseudo-entry, the pseudo-entry can be deleted but it does no harm to leave it there. If an entry is deleted that has subentries (entries for subclasses) and no supporting or opposing entries, a pseudo-entry should be added to replace it.
Please don't exceed this format, if you do then your entry may legitimately be shortened to conform. So if there are two supporting wikilinks, pick the best one. The function of the link is to help the reader, not to make a case. Extra links may be removed, and then you won't have had the choice of which one remains. Timestamps on signatures will be removed. If you use a pipe for the Wikilink, please keep it brief. Make the description as concise as you can. The page will be cluttered enough as is.
But I need to discuss this entry
Then make a section in the talk page of this article, and link to it from the entry. Or a user subpage if you prefer. The same techniques can be used to give a list of wikilinks if you think that this is absolutely essential. The rule is still one link in the entry. You can also Wikify the description, but be careful to make this meaningful. People won't wrangle with a verbose entry. They are just here for a quick look.
Definitions
A type or class of topic is called a class of articles or simply a class below.
A subclass of a given class is a class that is a proper subset of the given class. That is, a class contains all the members of its subclass, and some others.
A superclass of a given class is one that has the given class as a subclass. That is, a superclass contains all the members of the class of which it is a superclass, and some others.
When subclass and superclass are used together, it just means that the subclass is a subclass of the superclass. This is to avoid using terms like the original class.
An encyclopedic article is one we want in Ireland Information Guide.
Arrangement of entries
All entries have at least one * and may in theory have any number of them. This is used to indicate logical nesting of classes and categories.
An entry that relates to a subclass of another entry should follow after that entry, and be bulleted one level deeper. It will not always immediately follow its superclass entry, but there should not be any intermediate entries on the same or any shallower bullet level than the superclass.
An entry that supports or contradicts another entry for exactly the same class or set of articles should be bulleted to the same level, and should be immediately adjacent to it and other entries for the same set of articles (either above or below).
Where classes overlap but neither is a subset of the other, there is no single correct nesting. This will not be rare, and may make the page harder to interpret but not impossible. Duplicate, overlapping, and contradicting entries are all quite OK, see below.
The list will be sorted alphabetically (perhaps a bit roughly) at each level, in a heirarchical fashion to keep subclasses of every class together. The order of identical entries is undefined.
It's not as complicated as it sounds! These rules only really matter if you're thinking of rearranging the order of the entries. If you're just adding entries, a few added out of order won't hurt, and others will soon fix them.
When entries are added or reordered, it may be necessary to change the level of entries. That's fine. This situation and removing superflous material are the only times you should change an entry signed by someone else.
Some principles
- If something has any valid reason for being encyclopedic then it is. It may fail three relevant tests and pass only one. It's in on the strength of that one.
- If something is mentioned in an article that doesn't necessarily make it encyclopedic in its own right. A famous singer may warrant an article, while her pet just gets a mention in her article.
- A member of almost any class could be encyclopedic. One might argue that individual trees are not encyclopedic, but the Royal Oak certainly is. A vote of "In" for a class says that things in that class are inherently encyclopedic.
Editing and using the entries
This list will always be incomplete, and may contain many redundancies and contradictions. That doesn't matter. It's not a policy. It's just to give an idea.
If you see an entry without a policy link and you know one, or there is one and you know a better one, just add a supporting entry on the same bullet level, and immediately below the existing entry. Don't change an entry signed by someone else. In particular don't change their description, even to wikify it. Your link may not reflect what they meant to say! Add you own entry instead, under theirs.
Don't remove a properly formed and signed entry unless you are quite sure that it is vandalism. Then move it to the talk page, and give your reasons there. One that you are just quite sure is wrong should stay. It's just one user's opinion. Add your own to balance it.
And if you see an entry that puzzles you, or which you feel should be changed, feel free to contact the user who left it, on their user talk page.
The entries
Feel free to add any you think are helpful. This is not a vote. It will just help others to get a feel for what the community thinks of a proposed article, before they actually create it.
Academic Journals
- Academic journals. Out. Isomorphic
- Top academic journals. In. Isomorphic
Aircraft
- Aircraft types: In. DJ Clayworth
- Aircraft type variants: In. DJ Clayworth
- Aircraft marks: Out. DJ Clayworth
Catchphrases
- Catchphrases: in, if they have had a genuine run of popularity, and if the article is more than a dictdef, and if the article is reasonably good. Dpbsmith (talk) 01:52, 28 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Clothing
- Types of clothing. In. Isomorphic
Companies
- Companies. Out. Isomorphic
- Fortune 500 (and similar) companies. In. Isomorphic
- "Household name" companies: In. -- Bonalaw
Demography
- Demography: In. --Eequor 17:34, 17 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Demography for groups which constitute less than 1% of a population: Out. --Eequor 17:34, 17 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Demography for groups of at least 1111 members: In. --Eequor 17:39, 17 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Educational institutions
- In. Abigail 14:42, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
Primary schools
- Primary schools: Out. Isomorphic Lucky 6.9 16:10, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Primary schools: Out. Dpbsmith (talk)
- Primary schools: In. Abigail 14:42, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Primary schools: Out, unless of national or international note. Average Earthman 17:11, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Non-famous primary schools: Out Meelar
- Primary schools: Out Noisy
- In - Tεxτurε 15:34, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
Secondary institutions
- Secondary institutions: In. Deletion policy/schools. Andrewa
- Secondary institutions: In. Tim Starling
- Secondary schools: In. Abigail 14:42, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Famous secondary schools: In. Andrewa
- Famous secondary schools: In. Meelar
- Secondary schools, with nothing notable about them mentioned: Out. Dpbsmith (talk) See User:Dpbsmith/schools
- Secondary schools with nothing notable about them mentioned: Out. Meelar Lucky 6.9 16:10, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Secondary schools: If of national or international repute, in. If not, out. Ireland Information Guide is not the Yellow Pages. Average Earthman 17:11, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Secondary schools: Out (unless established >100 years) Noisy
- Secondary schools: In (with sufficient uniqueness; list of alumni, history, notability etc. required) Radagast 19:06, Aug 11, 2004 (UTC)
Universities
- Universities: In. Andrewa
Fiction
- Fables: In. • Benc •
- Mythology: In. • Benc •
- Mythological characters (major/minor gods, heroes, etc.): In. • Benc •
- Urban legends: In. • Benc •
- Works of fiction (i.e., literature): In. • Benc •
Fictional characters
- Minor fictional characters. Out. Isomorphic
- Main characters from minor works. In. Isomorphic
- Minor characters from major works. In. Isomorphic
- Fictional characters. Out. Centrx
- Fictional characters of extraordinary fame and significance of several paragraphs. In. - Centrx
Food
- Recipes: Out. VfD procedure Andrewa
- Recipes accompanied by even a small amount of contextual information about regional variation, cultural significance: In. Dpbsmith (talk)
- Cocktail recipes: In. VfD discussion. Andrewa
- Culturally-significant dishes: In. Nohat, Isomorphic, Dpbsmith (talk)
- Recipes: Out - Tεxτurε 15:34, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Recipes: In Wikibooks --Eequor 06:40, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Recipes: In. --LegCircus
Genres
- Genres. In. Isomorphic
- Genres with only one member. Out. Isomorphic
Living things
Parts of speech
- adjectives. Out. Isomorphic
- adverbs. Out. Isomorphic
- Latin phrases. Out. Isomorphic
- Latin phrases with >1 independent usages as a motto or other label. In. Isomorphic
Neologisms and slang
- Neologisms: In. ··gracefool |☺
- Unstable neologisms: Out. ··gracefool |☺
- Slang: In. • Benc •
- Individual articles about each slang term: Out. • Benc •
- Individual articles about particularly notable slang terms with complex etymologies: In. • Benc •
- Slang used by a small number of people: Out. • Benc •
- Obsolete slang: In. • Benc •
- Offensive slang: In. • Benc •
People
- 9/11 victims: Out? Proposed Policy. Andrewa
- Famous 9/11 victims: In? Andrewa
- 9/11 victims: Out - Tεxτurε 15:34, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- 9/11 victims: Out. --Eequor 06:29, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- People: Out. --Eequor 23:57, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Famous people: In. --Eequor 23:57, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- ··gracefool |☺ agrees with Eequor.
Authors
- Authors who have sold more than one million copies overall (all titles combined): In. Andrewa
- Significant or controversial authors (<1 million copies): In. Rmhermen
- Authors: In. Abigail 14:42, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Authors that have been published by a non-vanity press: In. Meelar
- Famous and otherwise notable people: In. Proposed Policy Andrewa
- Non-syndicated radio disc-jockeys that haven't become a major news item due to controversy, etc. Out. Niteowlneils 19:24, 27 May 2004 (UTC)
- Authors: In - Tεxτurε 15:34, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
Educators
- Teachers (below college level): Out. • Benc •
- Professors (college level): Out. • Benc •
- Professors with 5 or more notable publications (including major professional journals): In. • Benc •
Products
- Future products: Out. E.g. PictoChat, "a chat client for the yet to be released Nintendo Dual-Screen handheld". Dpbsmith (talk)
- Particularly notable future products (e.g. Segway, Boeing 7E7): In. Plutor 13:22, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Future products that meet all four of the following criteria: In. Dpbsmith (talk) 19:48, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- are so notable as to be topics of legitimate mainstream news items;
- are the product of companies that are so notable that they already have their own Ireland Information Guide articles;
- have a large quantity of rich, interesting, publicly-known detail, justifying an entire article (rather than a mention in the article about their developer);
- are of such economic importance that Ireland Information Guide's mention cannot in itself have any significant promotional effect, and cannot credibly be the motive for inserting the article. That is: Ireland Information Guide is not a vehicle for creating "buzz."
- Products which do not currently exist: Out. --Eequor 00:03, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Products which have existed in the past: In. --Eequor 00:03, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Publications
- Web comics: Out. Policy (proposed). IMSoP
- Web comics with 3-month Alexa traffic average >200000: In. IMSoP
- Web comics with 3-month Alexa traffic average >200000: In. Meelar
- Retired web comics previously includable: In. IMSoP
- Web comics by the same author as an included comic: In. IMSoP
- Web comics: In - Tεxτurε 15:34, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
- Web comics: In. --Eequor 06:32, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- MSDSs: In Wikisource. --Eequor 23:54, 15 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Religions
- Religions: In. Abigail
- Novelty religions, small cults of no effect, etc. Out. - Centrx
Songs
- Albums, classical works. In. Isomorphic
- Song Lyrics, Album-song-lists, Stand-alone Discographies: Out. Paitum
- Lyrics and song lists: Out. --Eequor 06:35, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Album lists: Only in article for the label or artist. --Eequor 06:35, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Geography
- Geographical entities (countries, states, provinces, cities/towns, rivers, mountains, hills, lakes, seas, oceans, islands): In. Abigail 14:42, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)
Cities
- Places listed in the US Census data: In. Andrewa
- Towns having fewer than 1111 inhabitants: Out. --Eequor 06:36, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
- Towns/locations of historic significance, regardless of present status: In. -- Bonalaw
Trading cards
- Individual cards from any trading card game. Out. Isomorphic
- Non-famous cards from any trading card game: Out. Meelar
- Famous cards from any trading card game (e.g. Black Lotus, Shivan Dragon, Juzam Djinn): In. Meelar
- Famous cards: In. --Eequor 06:38, 14 Aug 2004 (UTC)
TV episodes
- TV episodes. Out. Isomorphic
- Premiers, finales, specials, well-known episodes. In. Isomorphic
Postamble
If none of the above match what you want to decide, don't worry. Do any of them, in other fields perhaps, give you an idea of the level of detail that might be appropriate? If they do, then this page has succeeded. And either way, once your question is definitively answered, come back and add your new knowledge to the list above!
See also