I checked wikipedia.org the other day and found that the entry I wrote for S.P.A.M. Records had been deleted, apparently for a lack of citations. I thought I had submitted enough references to change their minds, but the comments from the wiki lords made it clear that they were intent on deleting it. Several of them questioned whether the label had actually existed, though I felt like I was fairly thorough in providing links to web archives, band interviews, etc.

For some reason I think another entry might recieve the same treatment. It's not easy to cite references for a group that was never the most technology savvy, and only had a web presence for the last year and a half of its existence. Especially when the whims of the wikistocracy are so fickle. Plus, why should I be on a personal crusade to inform people about a defunct label? The important things, the ways that S.P.A.M. affected people, were and are for the most part intangible. A few bands that still exist have S.P.A.M. as an early and slightly embarrassing notch on their belt, a smudge on their discography before they moved on to better things. Perhaps after I finish the Bobby Joe Ebola book someone can use that as a reference. (sigh) There is no Bobby Joe entry on wikipedia, in case you were wondering.

By the way, the wiki entry I wrote for Geekfest is also under citation scrutiny, and I fear the worst. But I'm also quite lazy. In addition, I have this nagging feeling that it would be a little unseemly if I were the only one to provide citations. After all, isn't wikipedia about the democratization of data? Maybe it's that as a journalist the concept of 'conflict of interest' is deeply ingrained within me. Yeah, that's it. The bong has nothing to do with it.