Talk:Jeremy Stoppelman/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Edge3 (talk · contribs) 04:41, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I expect this to be a quick review, but I do have some questions that need to be resolved. I begin with the lead and the "early life" sections:

Please expand the lead section to summarize all of the article's main points, as per WP:LEAD. Specifically, I think one or two extra sentences are needed to discuss Stoppelman's work on Yelp.

I would like to expand this by putting: "He turned down an acquisition offer by Google and took the company public in 2012." I am a little timid about making this edit on account of my COI, because the Yelp, Inc. page shows a little about how a lot of sources have different speculations on what actually happened RE Google's attempted acquisition, but all the profile stories on Stoppelman say that he turned it down. I think the text as proposed would be on-target, since it's what the sources on Stoppelman say, while the Yelp page may cover it in greater depth. Thoughts? I'll add pings for user:Wikidemon and user:Keithbob here in case they watch their notifications, as both are familiar with the topic. CorporateM (Talk) 11:56, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I think it's a neutral and accurate reflection of the sources, so I added it. I welcome any further comments. Edge3 (talk) 03:47, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

This source doesn't explicitly state that he was born in 1977. Also, the infobox mentions that he was born in November 1977, but this isn't sourced either.

Done I found a source for it, but the source says October, so I changed it. The book I cited also has a 4-page profile on Stoppelman, so I'm also going to look through it. I can send you a copy if you like through old-fashioned email (would have to send attachments). CorporateM (Talk) 12:16, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. You don't need to email me the source. Edge3 (talk) 01:58, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In the infobox, is it necessary to say that he's known for co-founding Yelp, when his occupation is already listed as CEO of Yelp? I think the occupation could be kept, and the "known for" field excluded without removing crucial information that's already mentioned in the article body.

Done

"Stoppelman attended the University of Illinois and obtained a Bachelor's degree in computer engineering in 1999." -- The source (page 20) says that he graduated in 2000. This source says 1999. Can you explain the discrepancy?

I don't know why the sources conflict, but I would lean towards keeping the 1999 number, since it's what the University itself says. I can fix the citations. CorporateM (Talk) 12:21, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that 1999 is the year that we should use. Edge3 (talk) 01:58, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Done

Why is this source listed as a reference? It's labeled as the source for "After graduating...", but the source doesn't even mention Stoppelman's graduation. What about this source?

If you must keep these sources, then maybe you could move the citations to the end of the sentence. It seems silly to cite only the phrase "after graduating" without any further details.

Done

Isn't this source similar to this source?

Done Nice catch! I didn't notice that. According to my library's online database, the original SJ Merc piece is under the title "Q&A: Yelp CEO prizes company's independence" CorporateM (Talk) 12:28, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your contributions. I look forward to your responses. Edge3 (talk) 04:41, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment: The Internet Innovators book says he was at @Home for six months, while Inc. says four months. The book also says that Stoppelman took a cash-out offer after the eBay acquisition, which may explain his departure (neutral on whether it should be included). It says Yelp was conceived because Stoppelman loved burritos, but I know most sources give the dentist story. The rest of the 4-page profile seems to be on Yelp, rather than Stoppelman. I suspect the source has mediocre reliability, but may be usable. CorporateM (Talk) 12:44, 4 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The book's description says that it's just a collection of biographies. It seems that WP:TERTIARY would apply. Edge3 (talk) 01:58, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Awww, yes it is. It cites sources, so Inc. seems more reliable. CorporateM (Talk) 02:16, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Moving on to the "Career" section:

"It was here that Stoppelman met businessman Max Levchin, who later became an investor in Stoppleman's company, Yelp Inc." -- Why are five sources needed for this sentence? It seems excessive.

Done I remove this source entirely as I trimmed the excess citations (it was not cited anywhere else in the article)

"Stoppelman became the V.P. of engineering at PayPal..." -- Could you please explain the relevance of the source? It doesn't seem to mention Stoppelman's VP role.

Done Actually, I don't think that one was my fault - I don't remember seeing/using that source. That's my story anyway and I'm sticking to it! CorporateM (Talk) 03:49, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

"Levchin persuaded Stoppelman to do an internship at the business incubator, MRL ventures" -- MRL Ventures isn't explicitly named in the sources given.

Done Added a WSJ source that mentions MRL ventures by name. As an extreme technicality that may be a bit of synthesis, but should be a common sense issue

"As co-founder and CEO Stoppleman has guided the company's growth to 33 million user reviews and a $145 million valuation." -- Where in the sources can I find these statistics? I might have missed them...

I didn't write that part (not a fan of "has guided" but meh). However I trimmed one cite. 33 million can be found in paragraph 3 of the WSJ source. The NYSE Magazine source actually says it has a $1.19 billion market cap on page 19. I wasn't sure where the valuation came from, but I Googled it and found out that the Associated Press and LA Times reported that Stoppelmans interest in the company was $145 million. CorporateM (Talk) 04:10, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Then perhaps you should rephrase the sentence to discuss the market cap, instead of Stoppelman's interest. I also agree that "has guided" isn't a great choice of words, and I think you could rephrase the first part to something like, "Under Stoppleman's leadership, the company grew..." Edge3 (talk) 01:50, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Done

I noticed that in many places, you cite multiple sources even when only one will do. What are your reasons for citing more than one source? Personally I think that it seems excessive, but I recognize that other editors think differently. I'll take a look at the relevant policies also. Edge3 (talk) 02:58, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Yah, this is just because Kbob trimmed the article, so where there use to be say 4 sentences and 4 cites, now there is 1 sentence and 4 cites. I'll take a look and cleanup. CorporateM (Talk) 03:33, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! Just FYI, WP:INTEGRITY appears to be the most relevant guideline, but it's not very strict. Edge3 (talk) 03:40, 5 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your contributions. I find that this article now meets the GA criteria, so I pass this nomination. Edge3 (talk) 02:47, 6 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]