Wikipedia:Redirect instead

When faced with an article that lacks notability, it's generally preferable to redirect instead of delete. There's no reason to hide something just because its importance is unclear.

Since the writing of this essay, this practice has been adopted as a Wikipedia policy.

Deletion

 * Hides the article history, reducing transparency and detracting from the open nature of the project.
 * Widens the gap between administrators and new users with a process that only administrators can perform, review, and reverse.
 * Requires either administrative help or duplicated work when evidence of notability becomes available.
 * Often requires considerable paperwork and bureaucracy, consuming editorial and administrative effort that could be us