User:JamieS93/AfD philosophy

I'm not a particularly active administrator in the area of Articles for Deletion (AfD), but I do hold certain views about the closure of AfDs. Specifically, closing discussions earlier than the default time.

In most cases, I will let an AfD debate run its course for the default 7 days, so that adequate discussion is generated. However, in some cases I'll use common sense and delete the article early when there's no use letting the discussion drag on. Besides snowball consensus of any kind, I will usually delete these types of pages (which are irredeemable) quicker than others:


 * Made up – an article about a subject that was clearly "made up one day". Oftentimes these articles self-confirm the fact by mentioning that XYZ was "invented by Michael and his friends in 2009".
 * Essay – an article that is not actually an encyclopedia article; instead, it reads like an opinion piece.
 * Comparative "lists" – this includes articles that are intrinsically comparative ("Best XYZ", "pros and cons") through original research, or promoting a certain topic by somebody's personal POV comparison.
 * How-to – an article that is fundamentally based on providing a "how-to" guide about a certain topic.
 * Hoax – an article that has been confirmed via research by AfD participants as false or fake.

I prefer to only close such discussions once several editors have participated, with a clear consensus and preferably nobody objecting to deletion. The overriding factor with all of these categories is irredeemability.