Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 00:04, 10 November 2008

This is the candidate statements page, where editors wishing to run in the 2008 Arbitration Committee elections may present themselves and their nomination statement.

Criteria for running

• Editors must be either 18 years of age or older, or of legal age in their place of residence, whichever is higher, and will be required to identify to the Wikimedia Foundation before taking their seats.

Arbitration Committee ruling on age limit  · Background: WT:ACE2007#Ruling on age limit and WT:ACE2008#Identification

Reminders regarding candidate statements

• Statements should be fewer than 400 words, although candidates are free to link to a longer statement if they so wish. Statements which exceed this limitation may be removed pending trimming by the editor.
• Your statement will be filed using the input box under "To run for this year's elections;" it will be filed using {{Arbitration Committee Elections statement}}.
• Statements will only be accepted after 00:00 November 10 2008 and before 23:59 November 24 2008 (UTC). Any statements transcluded onto this page (in other words, submitted to the election) outside this period will not be accepted, and may be removed by any user.

To run for this year's elections

• Type "Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2008/Candidate statements/Example", replacing 'Example' (and only that text-not the preceding slash!) with your username. Click "submit query".

• Further instructions will be given once you click "create a statement."

NB., you will need to transclude your statement—once it is saved—at #Standing candidates, using:

{{Misplaced Pages:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2008/Candidate Statements/Your username}}

Standing candidates

Candidate statements are now being accepted. To run in this year's election, see the instructions above. Voting is not yet open.

Privatemusings

G'day Wikipedians :-)

I've been around the wiki for a few years now - less than some, but more than most, I'd say (reader from 2003 onwards, dabbler 2004, registered my first account 2005).... Head over to my userpage for important background, and of course feel free to ask any questions of me you'd like

I've been fairly critical of arbcom on a number of levels for quite a while, and feel it's only fair to stick my hand up, and offer a few ideas as part of my candidature. This is a preliminary statement - there is more here, and here are a few 'key' aspects of my thinking;

• I am not an admin - it is a 'good thing' to have a non-administrator representative on arbcom.
• I will stand for re-election after 1 year regardless of term lengths - if I'd like to go longer, I can stick my hand up again, and you will get to decide :-)
• Arbcom has fallen way short of best practice on a number of levels, and in many ways we set up some of our best editors to fail... I'll be sharing more of my ideas about ways to fix some things, which I hope you may consider :-);

• Arbcom Communications are appalling! - I will respond to emails, discuss matters on my talk page, and post actively to case pages. I will be a dynamic arb where possible!
• The two watch words of my approach (tatooed on the backs of my weary hands) will be "De-escalate" and "Resolve" - to this end I will ask questions, offer suggestions, and where necessary apply sanctions.
• Content is king - and the best content editors are the true kings of the wiki. This is important.
• I will create an Arb Surgery - not as painful as it sounds, rather the concept that I will be regularly available, in real time, 'on wiki', in voice conversation, or via any practicable means to talk about anything any Wikipedian would like to. Every Sunday evening, UTC, any wiki editor can simply talk something through with me as an arb, if they'd like.

• I don't really like the existence of 'Oppose' voting - so if you'd really really like to Oppose someone - make it me, and make me your only 'Oppose' vote - this too is important in my view, so please give it some thought. Thanks!

Vote Privatemusings!

• Privatemusings (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)
• Questions for the candidate
• Discuss the candidate
• Support or Oppose this candidate

Coren

Hello!

I've been a Wikipedian since 2003. While my contribution to the encyclopedia contents have always been modest, I've done everything I can to help protect and support the work of our invaluable contributors by fighting vandals, checking copyvios, and gnomish work. As an administrator, I've gained a reputation of being a "hardliner", who has little patience for gamers, those who destroy the hard work of others, or corrupt our encyclopedia to make a point or a political statement. Accordingly, I am one who tends to act decisively to protect and defend, mindful of the legal traps that lie around biographies, editor privacy, and copyright compliance.

I've been a clerk since January, able to observe ArbCom's successes and failings up close, and I feel the current Committee is too soft collectively to be effective as it must: an injection of fresh "hardline" blood may be just what it needs to tackle the increasingly difficult issues that face it. Being willing to sit on ArbCom may require a little idealistic insanity, but Misplaced Pages is worth the pain.

I am seeking the mandate to bring a some energy and "down-to-earth-ness" to the Committee, and to help tackle what I feel should be its priorities:

• More awareness of a growing issue that is poisoning the very essence of collaborative editing that makes Misplaced Pages possible: real-world factions that vie for control over articles, turning them into polemical battlegrounds where surface civility is used to cover bias, tendentiousness and even harassment. ArbCom needs to take a strong stance against that sort of "polite disruption" and those who use our rules of civility as weapons, recognize that long-term warriors are toxic, not vested, and investigate beyond surface behavior issues.

• Less timidity in addressing issues related to contents (POV warring, tag teams, academic dishonesty). While it is appropriate that the Committee never rules on contents, it should be more active at curtailing content disputes. Academic integrity should become a priority; unlike "simple" incivility, the damage caused by editors misquoting, plagiarizing and editorializing destroys the credibility of our encyclopedia.

• Increased transparency in the arbitration process, the Arbitrators must explain their decisions in better detail beyond a simple "aye/nay" and expose their reasoning and justification. It is important that the community understands why the Committee rules as it does, not just receive seemingly arbitrary edicts from "on high".

Thank you for your consideration.

• Coren (talk · contribs · count · logs · target logs · block log · lu · rfas · rfb · arb · rfc · lta · checkuser · socks · rights · blocks · protects · deletions · moves)
• Questions for the candidate
• Discuss the candidate
• Support or Oppose this candidate

Withdrawn candidates

Candidates who withdrew prior to voting.

Bishzilla, Bishzilla (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 19:30, November 17, 2008.
Catherine de Burgh, Catherine de Burgh (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 23:04, November 18, 2008.
Phil Sandifer, Phil Sandifer (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 02:55, November 19, 2008.
NWA.Rep, NWA.Rep (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 13:47, November 24, 2008.
Hersfold, Hersfold (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 04:22, November 25, 2008.
Secret, Secret (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 16:25, November 25, 2008.

Candidates who withdrew whilst voting was underway.

• Gwen Gale, Gwen Gale (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 05:42, 1 December 2008.
• Sam Korn, Sam Korn (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 22:12, 1 December 2008.
• BillMasen, BillMasen (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 17:09, 3 December 2008.
• WilyD, WilyD (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 17:54, 6 December 2008.
• Jehochman, Jehochman (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 03:15, 7 December 2008.
• WJBscribe, WJBscribe (talk · contribs). Withdrew on 22:43, 10 December 2008.

• Misplaced Pages Arbitration Committee Elections 2008