User talk:Stephen Keller

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Hi,

It is generally not advised for people directly involved in a subject to create an article on that subject. Product articles also can get a rough ride if there is even a hint of "advertising". I would suggest reviewing Wikipedia guidelines on creating articles first (see for example Wikipedia: Your_first_article). You could then develop your article in a sandbox within your user page. Getting feedback from other editors while the potential article is still contained within your userpage would be preferred over introducing the article into the encyclopedia cold. Hope this helps a bit. Taroaldo (talk) 19:24, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the speedy reply, Taroaldo. That's more or less what I'd gathered. It's acceptable, then, to create a draft of the page in my user area and ask people for feedback? What is the mechanism for asking for that feedback? Stephen Keller (talk) 19:41, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. Glad to help. Yes it is preferable to develop a new article within your userpage. I have seen many beginning articles go right up in article mainspace and end up getting deleted or proposed for deletion in short order. Developing the article in a userpage first -- making it as thorough as possible including valid sources, links, NPOV, etc. -- gives it a much better chance of succeeding. Independent sources are important because it allows other editors to verify material.

As for getting feedback, there are a number of different ways. You can check out WP:HAU to start. Keep in mind that there are thousands of editors who all function at different levels. Some may have more thorough knowledge or give better advice than others. Seeking more than one opinion is crucial. (Even among administrators, some are more reliable than others.) My best suggestion would be to explore Wikipedia a bit and try a few small edits on different articles. Very quickly you will start to notice some editors who are very active and diligent with their work. You can approach them on their talk pages and see if they would be willing to provide some advice. Hope this helps. I'd be happy to help with any additional questions. Cheers. Taroaldo (talk) 20:04, 10 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sources

Nope. Posts to wikis, forums, e-mail lists, IRC channels, etc., are not considered reliable sources. If you can't source it to a reliable source, it doesn't belong in the article. (As to general content: if the subject is actually notable, somebody who doesn't work for your company should write an article about it; you should not.) --Orange Mike | Talk 18:48, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Mike, I've edited the article to remove the reference. I understand what you are saying with regard to having somebody else write the article, but in truth the various articles for speech recognition on Wikipedia are often a little neglected (suffering either from too much information or too little).

LumenVox is one of the major vendors (admittedly in a fairly small or niche market) of speech recognition software and I think meets the notability criteria. Is the willingness of other editors to initiate an article a criterion for notability or inclusion? Previously somebody had suggested I create an article to get the ball rolling. If this isn't the best way to do things, I apologize.

BTW, I am a little unsure if I should be responding to you here or at your talk page. Sorry if I choose poorly. Stephen Keller (talk) 19:00, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I think of this discussion as helping you be a better editor, so here is fine. As to the question: de facto, the fact that nobody is interested in writing about the company does hint that it's not all that notable. Has nobody put in a Request for Article? --Orange Mike | Talk 19:07, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I am chagrined to say that I did not know there was a Request for Article procedure. That is great, I will try my luck there. One last question for you: would you think it is better that I request an article or use the Wikipedia:Articles for creation process, using my already-written draft? Stephen Keller (talk) 19:12, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Request it, but don't forget to disclose your COI up front. Offer the links in your draft as leads. --Orange Mike | Talk 19:20, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Great, I have done so. Once again, I appreciate your time. The suggestions have been very useful. Stephen Keller (talk) 20:08, 8 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]