User:Rspeer/AfDnewbie

Welcome to Wikipedia, !

I'm sorry to see that the article you wrote ended up listed on Articles for Deletion (AfD). This can be a stressful experience for anyone, particularly new users, because it isn't exactly the friendliest side of Wikipedia. There are some things I think you should know:
 * 1) It's not personal. Just about everyone has had articles they wrote get deleted, often when they were new users. Think of it as a rite of passage, though it's a pretty lame one. You may be upset that people want to delete a topic that is important to you, but realize that they're not disparaging the topic, they're just saying that the article on it does not belong in an encyclopedia.
 * 2) It's not about the votes. AfD is a discussion, and the raw number of "keep" or "delete" votes doesn't affect anything. It's the reasons that matter. If your article really does belong here, the best way to save it is to make a well-reasoned argument that your topic is worthy of an encyclopedia article, and back it up with verifiable references. (The worst way is to try to get your friends to show up and vote along with you. It'll backfire as soon as people realize that's what you're doing, and they've seen it enough times to realize it quickly.)
 * 3) Turn the other cheek. Unfortunately, AfD makes people jaded toward new users. Sometimes, people will attack newbies for having the gall to participate in an AfD discussion. They shouldn't, but they do. If you get flustered, you'll look bad; but if you respond calmly, they will look bad. Mahatma Gandhi makes a good role model for this kind of situation.
 * 4) Try editing instead of creating. Creating an article from scratch, and especially making it authoritative and well-referenced enough to not get deleted, is a lot of work. Most Wikipedians have only created a few articles in their entire time here! You can always edit or expand articles that already exist, and your contributions will be greatly appreciated.
 * 5) There's more to Wikipedia than AfD. You've just been introduced, probably against your will, to one community page on Wikipedia, but there are others with distinctly different personalities. The Community Portal is a useful overview of community activities. One focus of the community is the Village Pump, Wikipedia's discussion forum. Featured article candidates is a place for discussing which articles should be honored as the best on Wikipedia. You could also join a WikiProject in a topic that you're interested in.

I wish you luck in your AfD discussion, and I hope that, whatever happens, it doesn't give you a negative impression of Wikipedia as a whole.