Talk:John Werner

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What is the notability of this subject?

The individual depicted appears to have had a variety of jobs, as have we all, and seems to be currently employed by a company that has no entry and of which I've never heard. He previously worked in a camera lab? Well, that is good, but speaking bluntly, who cares? Is his notability that he organizes local speeches? He does seem to be a founder of something called "Citizen Schools," which claims, I see, to serve "over 5000 students" in the U.S. Given there are 77 million students in the country, I think the notability of the organization is itself somewhat questionable, but let's set that to one side. He has gathered a smattering of mentions in local media (and one, to be fair, seems to have been on NPR at some point), but again, who cares?

If Werner's claim to fame is this educational group, then what is the need to be treated to details of his early life, the often mundane facts of his work history, the names of his children, his parents' occupations and a frankly somewhat banal unsourced anecdote from his college years? The rather glowing summary is more than sufficient as an entry on Wikipedia, should for some reason editors believe there needs to be one at all. The fact that he received an "A" in a college class is a level of verbosity that perhaps belongs in an entry for a two-term president of the U.S.--Abe Lincoln, say. He may feel able to "organize anything," but did this triumph put Werner on the path to a seat in the Senate, or a generalship in the Army, or to being the second-assistant-deputy General Secretary of the UN?

The college reminiscence alone is longer than the entire entry, for example, for Dan Wesson, a man who established a highly-successful international business.

Given that the subject himself may have been closely involved in the production of this page, would it be fair to suggest that a personal web page or a LinkedIn post may be more appropriate to showcase his accomplishments? Ned Trujillo (talk) 14:09, 22 October 2022 (UTC)

In reviewing the sources, a significant number of them are problematic. The very first source is a paid, self-promoting PR wire service item:

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160420005282/en/MIT-Media-Lab-Innovation-Guru-John-Werner

Sample: "In a hiring coup, rising AR star Meta has landed one of the most highly respected global innovators as its vice president of Strategic Partnerships..."

2) Is a local (?) story in which Werner is quoted. Reliable source?

3) I could find no mention of Werner on this site.

4) Only mention appears to be a photograph attributed to him.

5) Appears to be someone's personal blog. Resolves to a login page.

6) Werner is quoted here as a founder of Citizen Schools.

7) Werner is quoted here in connection with TedX.

8) A mention on "Boldfacers" (Reliable source?). Citizen Schools.

9) A piece in his alumni magazine. Assume the information comes from the subject himself.

21) and 23) These are press releases, have basically the same content, and do not appear to mention Werner.

28) Claim is: "Innovations coming out of the Khumbathon include technologies to prevent stampedes, provide food and shelter, and prevent disease spread at the crowded Kumbh mela." However, there is no mention of Werner in the article apart from his appearing in a picture.

32) This is the personal blog from 5) again.

33) This link is quoted as support for Werner's or an editor's claim that Werner was "[r]ecognized by the Harvard Business Review for his leadership." The article says only that "John Werner of TEDx Beacon Street (where I spoke), are[sic] organizing learning communities around TEDx speakers, wherever they are." The piece is entitled "Six Ways to Befriend Future Tech Billionaires."

38) This mentions that Werner placed in a local triathlon.

I think only one Wikipedia entry, Citizen Schools, links to this one. The reference to Werner on that page is unsourced.

I continue to believe this topic fails to demonstrate notability, could possibly be a case of WP:AUTO or other self-promotion, and is likely a candidate for deletion.Ned Trujillo (talk) 17:37, 28 October 2022 (UTC)