Talk:Birmingham Science Fiction Group

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article has been incorrectly tagged as spam. The Birmingham Science Fiction Group is the UK's longest-established local sf organisation and organises the annual event Novacon (1971+); it is not a commercial enterprise and in fact :raises money for the charity Talking Books for the Blind. This is confirmed by the several external links on this page. Ghostwords

External links are not references. Links to the organization's own websites are not third-party references. The article needs verifiable reliable sources in accordance with Wikipedia policy. Nobody wants to delete the article if the subject is notable, but it is the responsibility of the editors asserting notability to cite references which show notability to Wikipedia standards. GlassFET 14:45, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Some references have been added, including THEN-History of UK Fandom and the Hugo Award Nominated work With Stars in My Eyes: My Adventures in British Fandom by Peter Weston. I therefore support removal of the tag. VJDocherty 10:41, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

With respect, virtually no one active in the British science fiction scene - fans or authors - would have any difficulty accepting the notability of the BSFG. However, work is underway to ensure this entry is brought up to the high standards being demanded. My thanks to all those assisting this project. Ghostwords 14:19, 19 September 2007

References should not be in the "External links" section. Any links that are actually references should be moved to a "References" section. Footnotes making it clear what information comes from what references should be added, along with a "Notes" section. I still have my doubts that this group meets Wikipedia notability requirements, WP:ORG. Better documentation of what third-party sources about the group exist and how they support the material in the article is needed. GlassFET 17:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

In addition to sponsoring the annual Novacon and organising at least one meeting every month since June 1971, the Birmingham Science Fiction Group also ran two one-off events, Fifteencon (1986) and Twentycon (1991), as well as launching an amateur press association, Apa-B, in 1983. I will seek out and apply references to these as a matter of urgency. Ghostwords 16:00, 14 September 2007

There has been a suggestion that this entry should be merged with that for Novacon. The Birmingham SF Group's primary involvement with Novacon in recent years has been as a financial safety net. Of the six members of the 2007 Novacon committee, only one regularly attends group meetings. Many of those attending the conventions are barely aware of the historical link; many of the Group's members do not attend Novacon. It has not even been held in the Birmingham area since 2001. The entries should remain separate. Ghostwords 15:55, 16 September 2007

The suggestion is because Novacon is clearly notable, while the notability of BSFG remains to be established in accordance with Wikipedia standards. It'd be nice if the editors working on the article would actually read and implement the policies. It is impossible to tell what information in the article is supported by references because there are no footnotes. It's impossible to tell what's intended to be a reference, because there is no references section. See WP:LAYOUT and WP:CITE for details on how to properly reference an article. GlassFET 17:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

References are being added as swiftly as we can (some of us have a life outside of Wikipedia). Ghostwords 22:58, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Referencing and in-text citation

I have begun the process of improving the referencing and citations in the article. I'm a novice editor, not completely familiar with all the commands and formats to use, so please help me with the process and make corrections where necessary! VJDocherty 12:29, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm a bit puzzled by the latest changes to the references and external links. Do the quotes need to be so long? Shouldn't they be linked to specific parts of the article? Also some of the items moved to external links such at the reference to 'Stars in my Eyes' are surely better as references? Not being an expert I won't change things, but advice would be appreciated. VJDocherty 19:34, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. I've trimmed them a little. I have no idea how to link to a specific section or paragraph within, say, Rob Hansen's Then. Ghostwords 17:38, 23 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] notability at all?

This isn't notable, is it? Please explain whhy you think it is notable. I mean it would probably pass an AfD because there are a lot of sci-fi fans on wiki, but please explain for the majority of the world that isn't into these things.:)Merkinsmum 22:06, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

The Birmingham Science Fiction Group is the UK's longest-established regional sf organisation (1971+), running the UK's longest-established regional sf event, Novacon (1972+). It also publishes a series of highly-prized limited-edition chapbooks (1979+). I believe this meets the notability requirements, and I am not alone in that view. Ghostwords (talk) 00:46, 18 November 2007 (UTC)