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I believe that discussion is necessary for growth of wikipedia. Discussion isn't leaving an opinion and walking away. It requires putting forth that opinion and discussing its place in the greater scheme of things. That means people may not agree with you, and you may not agree with them. The key is to stick to the matter at hand and discuss that. Don't resort to personel attacks and don't take things personally. Most people are trying to do what they feel is best for wikipedia. Everyone has their own idea and as a community we need to get those ideas to work together.
That being said I believe people should ensure that when they express their opinions, in places like talk pages, AFDs, and any other appropriate place to do so, they should make them clear and be prepared to defend them if they come into question. You are playing in a group when you are on the internet and this isn't kindergarten. When giving your opinion, especially on an AFD please be sure to actually explain. The purpose of the AFD isn't a vote per se, it is to reach a concensus on what the community should do with any given article. If you agree with something that has been said before leave your opinion of keep or delete but ensure that you source that opinion. Do you agree with the nominator or what someone else has said? Leave a short note like "as per nom" or "as per user". This type of behaviour ensures that discussions move forward appropriately, and that we're able to understand the reasons behind what everyone is saying so that it is easier to reach that concensus.
Don't take the deletion of articles personally. Misplaced Pages isn't a collection of everything that has ever been thought, recorded or said. There is a lot of information that while interesting, potentially useful, or entertaining just doesn't have a place on wikipedia. Its an encyclopedia, not a search engine. It is potentially one of the greatest sites on the internet, but to become that it requires work from the users. It requires those users operate in a mature and objective manner. Without that it becomes another internet hobby gone wrong.
