Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Computer prank (2nd 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. Cirt (talk) 18:13, 15 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Computer prank

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Completely unsourced (and therefore most likely non-notable) and unencyclopedic article. Looks more like some how-to screamer avoidance guide. It would probably need a complete rewrite to even become remotely encyclopedic. On another rather unrelated note, it isn't even titled right; the article only talks about screamers! GraYoshi2x►^talk 01:40, 3 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In that case, can we edit the article to give a quick overview on "screamers" and then discuss other such topics in the computer prank category? There must be more computer pranks that can be added to the article. --Delta1989 (talk) 02:37, 3 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Incubate. The article now is almost hopeless; however the topic of computer pranks is likely to be notable and rich. I think it is a perfect candidate for our article incubator: a process for identifying and improving articles that seem to have potential, but which are currently likely deletion candidates. --Cycl^opia - ^talk 11:14, 3 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- ~~I endorse Incubation. We should get to work on improving the article whenever we can. --Delta1989 (talk) 15:13, 3 October 2009 (UTC)~~[reply]
I'm not 100% sure how well incubation works, but it sounds like it would be a good second chance for this article; as it stands this article is a complete disaster. The topic is ill-defined and IPs and low-editing accounts come by constantly to add unsourced "screamers" to the list which are almost certainly not notable and don't belong in the list. Removing them just results in new accounts coming by to re-add them. Also, occasionally people attempt to add a link to a popular list of other "pranks" that resides in userspace. I'm guessing this article is being used as a repository for links to screamers from other places on the web. If the topic can be better defined and the list of examples (if any are needed) controlled, it might be a decent article. Rnb (talk) 17:07, 5 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Sam Blacketer actually makes a good point below that I hadn't thought about, regarding this article having a fundamental problem. I'm changing to delete. Rnb (talk) 18:58, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so consensus may be reached.
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, Ron Ritzman (talk) 23:59, 9 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of Computing-related deletion discussions. -- Ron Ritzman (talk) 23:59, 9 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Delete. The unsourced nature of the current article may be fixable by editing, but each prank would have to stake its claim to notability and I don't see any of them properly doing so. Even if they did, one fundamental problem remains: why are computer pranks distinctive from any other sort of prank or practical joke, such that they have a discrete article? I don't think they are. Any particularly notable prank which involves computing (rickrolling, for instance) can find its place elsewhere. Sam Blacketer (talk) 00:05, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- ~~Should we try to merge this with the article for pranks and have this be a subcategory instead, then? --Delta1989 (talk) 00:51, 10 October 2009 (UTC)~~[reply]
Salvagethis article just needs a few fixes —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.24.195.48 (talk) 15:28, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Delete do not merge. JBsupreme (talk) 02:17, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I changed my mind. Delete. --Delta1989 (talk) 02:48, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Salvage. The article is fine except for the list of screamers. External links would be better. James1011R (talk) 03:37, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]
delete - or alternately create a series of xyz prank pages. --Rocksanddirt (talk) 23:44, 10 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Delete. Only lists some non-notable 'screamer' videos, and there's no accepted definition of a "computer prank" as far as I can see. Fences&Windows 04:41, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Also see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of computer pranks (2nd nomination). It was deleted once already in Dec 2006 under another name. Fences&Windows 04:54, 11 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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.