Misplaced Pages

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ARCHIVES - Archive 2006-1010 - Archive 2011 - Archive 2012

BEFORE YOU POST - Discussions about the content of articles belong on the talk page for that article. This includes discussions about text, images, tags, or other physical things on the page. This way everyone can participate. If you like, you can post a note here pointing me to it. If you want to discuss general policy, ask for help on a page you haven't seen me on, or other topics that aren't related to the actual article, post it here. I archive frequently, check there if a discussion has "disappeared". Thanks -Dennis

Thank you, all of you

I want to thank everyone that took the time to participate in my RfA. I've said it before but it is worth repeating: I'm humbled by the tremendous amount of support I received during this entire process. It was unexpected, as was the amount of overall interest. More importantly, the vast majority of those who !voted to oppose, did so in good faith, offering constructive criticism and even some compliments. There was a little drama but it isn't in my nature to dwell on these things or hold grudges anyway. What matters is what we all do from here forward.

I want to thank Pedro and Elen for trusting me enough to nominate me, and too many others to list here, including everyone who took the time to fully research and publicly give me the benefit of the doubt. I did gain a lot of clarity during the process, and it changed my perspective on several things. Saying it was stressful is an understatement, more so that I expected. Fortunately, I had good advice along the way, and learned a great deal about myself and others. Several editors whom I respect have offered to help me address my shortcomings at CSD and I will take them up on their offers. Universally, it was made clear that I should tread lightly with deletions. I agree with and trust their assessment and pledge to do exactly that. In the short run, I have a lot to read up on and learn, but I want to keep up with regular editing as well, and allow myself enough time to learn what I'm doing, before I do it.

Now if you will pardon me, I think I'm going to grab a beer and spend the evening with the Mrs. and my two dogs. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 21:03, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

You are now an administrator

Congratulations, I have just closed your RfA as successful and made you an administrator. Take a look at the administrators' how-to guide and the administrators' reading list if you haven't read those already. Also, the practice exercises at the new admin school may be useful. I suggest bearing in mind the issues raised about CSD tagging during your RfA and taking it easy in this area for a while. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch on my talk page. WJBscribe (talk) 20:22, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

Good news; despite the unruly misery of two days ago the community gave the right result. Any questions, please ask however as mentioned I'm going to be taking a break for a while. Best wishes. Pedro :  Chat  20:25, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

• Congrats from me too - the last couple of days perhaps got a bit fraught, but it looks to me like it actually did still remain civil and constructive. Anyway, my Talk page is always open, so pop on over any time if there's anything I can help with - and let me know when you feel up to starting on CSD stuff. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 20:33, 25 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congratulations, you held up admirably--that couldn't have been an easy week! Mark Arsten (talk) 20:53, 25 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congratulations. The CSD pile-on was out of proportion and you dealt with it well. Watch when tagging new pages for speedy deletion now... Twinkle's functions have changed slightly with your admin rights and you'll delete them automatically unless you uncheck a box. Catfish Jim and the soapdish 20:56, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

  That's a good point, yes - there's a Twinkle preference somewhere to set it so that CSD still only tags articles by default. I never use Twinkle to delete things - I only use it for tagging, and I use the standard "Delete" for deleting. -- Boing! said Zebedee (talk) 21:04, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

  Good advice, that. :) I accidentally deleted a time or two when I intended to tag. I've got the hang of it now, but that might have spared me some embarrassment in my day! --Moonriddengirl 23:00, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

  Third on that one. Though I'm crap at CSD - I never delete anything, just spend an hour trying to rewrite everything on the list. Elen of the Roads (talk) 23:17, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

• Congratulations! Mop carefully! Looks like you need an updated box for your userpage... BusterD (talk) 21:23, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

• Congratulations. Got a little hairy for a moment, but you now have all these nice new buttons, and if you're anything like me, you're probably terrified that you'll either block yourself or delete the mainpage :) Don't panic, take it steady, and if you want some intensive tutoring in CSD, you know where to ask. Elen of the Roads (talk) 22:44, 25 April 2012 (UTC)

  Waitwait, we're supposed to get a T-shirt now? But no, seriously--welcome aboard, definitely need new admins. And also no, seriously--WHERE THE FSCK DO I GET A T-SHIRT FOR DOING THIS??? DMacks (talk) 00:57, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

• Hear hear! Any questions on how to be an effective admin, just ask an unbiased non-admin like me, and after I give you my uninformed opinion (I thought buttons were on clothes), you can block me. Best.--Bbb23 (talk) 22:58, 25 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congratulations. :) And if you ever want to learn your way around my world, feel free to drop by. :D Meanwhile, enjoy your relaxation! I remember how stressful RFA is...and mine wasn't quite as dramatic as yours. :) --Moonriddengirl 23:00, 25 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congrats!--v/r - TP 23:43, 25 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congrats! Sorry for any extra stress I added to the process. --SarekOfVulcan (talk) 00:48, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

No apology required. I have been, and always shall be your friend. ;) Dennis Brown 2¢ © 10:02, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

• Congrats! Best of luck with the mop. I'm going to take a leak in the corner later to keep you busy :) MrLittleIrish © 09:56, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

• Belated Congrats - I m little late relatively, but congrats! Just take care while dealing with CSDs. Yasht101 10:52, 26 April 2012 (UTC)
• Well done, Dennis. —Strange Passerby (talk • cont) 14:00, 26 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congratulations Dennis. Drmies (talk) 14:40, 26 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congratulations!..Modernist (talk) 22:15, 26 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congrats!! Anna Frodesiak (talk) 00:17, 27 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congrats on the mop! - The Bushranger _{One ping only} 02:21, 27 April 2012 (UTC)
• Been meaning to drop a congratulations here for a while but keep on forgetting! So, congratulations. And I second Moonriddengirl's comment about WP:CP - we're desperately short of experienced editors there at the moment - User:Madman is pretty much dealing with WP:SCV by themselves and it's pretty much just me and MRG at WP:CP at the moment - and I will happily admit Moonriddengirl's doing most of it. And if you want a "fun" early task, you could always close Misplaced Pages talk:Copyrights#RfC: What to do with respect to the copyright of countries with which the US does not have copyright relations? which is in desperate need of a closure. Dpmuk (talk) 03:43, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

• Holy carp. I'm looking at it, but I've never closed an RfC and this one has a lot of legal considerations. I'm comfortable enough understanding it from a technical point, but couldn't promise I can close it until I read all of it and comb through the policy to better understand the status quo. This would be a trial by fire. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 11:30, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

• Indeed it would and I wasn't honestly expecting you to take it on - asking was more out of despair of anyone ever closing it. Dpmuk (talk) 16:53, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

It looks like some good ideas with no consensus, but I only got about half way through before my brain started hurting, so I went and did something that looked much easier, defusing a situation of someone calling another a racist at ANI. (God, I wish I was joking but I'm not, that is easier than the RfC). Dennis Brown 2¢ © 16:59, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

• Congratulations for maintaining a cool head during a grueling RFA. Drop me a line or email anytime if you want a second opinion on any admin issues (jog me if there is email because I do not check it that frequently). RFA can be a case of someone finding one's worst edit or action and presenting it as the basis for an oppose. No one is perfect, and .001 percent of the edits can be blown up and draw the focus of too much drama and anguish. Take that shiny new mop and get going. Edison (talk) 16:55, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

• Slightly belated congratulations. I am sure you will do a good job, for several reasons, including the fact that I know you are willing to ask others if in doubt, and that you will take other people's opinions into consideration. (Alas, there are admins who don't.) I see that so far you have made very few admin actions, and those in one restricted area. That is the best way to start: rushing into using the tools is a mistake. However, you will get to use them. JamesBWatson (talk) 20:59, 27 April 2012 (UTC)
• Felt uncomfortable taking part in the RfA after advising you in the "Contemplating RfA" discussion; but sincerest conga rats! --Orange Mike | Talk 00:34, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
  • Not a problem, many didn't and I didn't expect it. Pedro did quote you in the nomination, so you were there in spirit. I'm still shocked at the total turn out. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 00:37, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
    • Better look out; apparently my name is now a hissing and a byword in some circles, for biteyness to noobs, and heartless cruelty to advertising and marketing people who are editing in "good faith". --Orange Mike | Talk 00:48, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
      • I'm not worried. And we all have our ways of doing things, and reevaluating them from time to time can be a good thing, if done outside of a witch hunt. The real question is, have you rehabilitated yourself? ;) Dennis Brown 2¢ © 01:03, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
        • I'm not sure I'm "moral" enough to join the Army after committing my special crime, Sarge.--Orange Mike | Talk 01:15, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
• Congrats on keeping a cool head and pulling through the arcane Rfa process. The way you handled it confirms you have the right stuff. Thanks for your willingness to wield the mop, and best wishes in the days and months ahead! Jusdafax 13:44, 28 April 2012 (UTC)
• Let me add my congratulations - I am sure you'll make a wonderful administrator. ItsZippy 16:06, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

Trouted

Whack! You've been whacked with a wet trout. Don't take this too seriously. Someone just wants to let you know that you did something silly.

You have been trouted for: Putting a trout on your user page.

• Are you just practicing for when I start using the new tools? Dennis Brown 2¢ © 16:40, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

MMA Notability

I split your Idea and your commentary into separate sections as I really think the idea is the gold pressed way to move forward with the article space. If you want to re-join the idea and commendary, just move the section header below your signature. Hasteur (talk) 23:33, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

• You did good, I should have thought of that. I was busy trying to just get the idea clear and didn't think about the format. Thanks. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 23:34, 26 April 2012 (UTC)

Done it all.

What am I meant to do. Misplaced Pages is quite hard at finding references, Maybe someone can change the rules a bit better then we wouldnt have these big arguements that last 2 months. Some of my edits were quite bad, I wouldnt mind if people give me a hand on the Threads or even edit it to make it better. — Preceding unsigned comment added by King Genovese (talk • contribs) 17:11, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

You should come to King Genovese and discuss this. If you will, I can point you in the right direction to make it easier, and explain some things, but not here. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 17:13, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

(talk page stalker) King, I posed a question at User talk:Don Cuneo that was never answered. Are you the same person? Your editing habit made me wonder if you were. Calabe1992 19:33, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

Thanks

Thanks for that. You got a cool head. FYI FleetCommand is still autoblocked. That needs to be lifted also before he/she can return to editing. I made the same mistake. --RA (talk) 23:00, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

• I won't work for me for some dang reason, please feel free to do it, since it is obvious that it is agreed to. I've never blocked or unblocked before, need to read the manual I guess ;) Dennis Brown 2¢ © 23:03, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

I've done it. Again, no comment on the block/unblock. - Kingpin (talk) 23:11, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

I'm doing something wrong obviously, it kept saying that the autoblock didn't exist for that username.... :/ Again, its a two day old mop, I have more reading to do. Thanks! Dennis Brown 2¢ © 23:13, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

The unblock link from the autoblockfinder on toolserver doesn't work, you need to copy the id it finds, and then plug it into Special:Unblock manually. - Kingpin (talk) 23:18, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

Ah, that explains it. I spend more time to prevent people from getting blocked, so I need to definitely read up. I hesitated even getting involved in this one, but glad I did. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 23:27, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

Re: Your are unblock

Hello, Dennis Brown.

Congratulations on your becoming an admin. I was notified of your RfA but unfortunately I was so busy I could not participate.

Yes, you are right. It think I overstayed my welcome in Misplaced Pages.

Still, there is something I wish you to know. I have received four blocks, two of which are reviewed and reverted. But their brand of shame still sears and burns like the sun. People nowadays do not hesitate to use the seven dirty words against me. (I am sorry, but at the moment, I have no stronger example other than Talk:Microsoft Security Essentials § Edits by James (User:M.O.X) which is a poor.) I have never felt that anyone sticks to WP:BITE. From the moment that I started editing Misplaced Pages (2009), the policy that was employed against me was Misplaced Pages:**** the newcomer! I tried my best to be polite, only to learn that in such cases, administrators accuse polite users of "being condescending/patronizing/faux-polite". And now, I am expected to behave myself? Please, I beg of you, define "behave" for me!

Moreover, two of the admins that have imposed blocks on me at one point or another broke the BRD cycle and turned into BRR and then abused me. Even in my only GA article, an admin performed an edit which was not approved by GAN. When reverted and notified him, he just reverted AGAIN! If it is wrong for me, why is not wrong for them? How can I correct my misdemeanor when I do not know what I did wrong? How can I act in good faith when I am convinced that administrators are not acting in good faith?

I have never felt that my blocks were just; quite to the contrary even my first block that is the most rightfully enforced one (I admit I deserved it) caused me to shout "unfair"! When I came to Misplaced Pages I had faith in it and I was polite. Now, I have lost my faith and have social problems. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Fleet Command (talk) 04:46, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

• The reason I got involved was because the block looked unusual. The public spanking was part of the plea bargain at ANI. I meant what I said, but I'm not blind to other issues. Rather than rehash all the mistakes that everyone made, I just focused on the results. Blocks should only be used to prevent disruption, not to be punitive, and I felt that unblocking you was the proper thing to do, as any perceived threat of disruption was gone. I don't think you have overstayed any welcome, but you may be under a lot of scrutiny. I hope you stay, and that you can feel comfortable doing so. If you find yourself in a situation where objective administrative oversight would be helpful, or just have concerns about anything, feel free to leave me a note. Dennis Brown 2¢ © 11:02, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

• Ditto. I'm someone whose blood can rise too. Simply learn to keep a cool head and accept that, no matter how right you may think you are, together we make better articles. I hope that you can stay as well - but I hope too that you can take on board what I wrote about your interaction with *.68. If you can, you and the encyclopedia will be better for it. Regards, --RA (talk) 11:30, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

• Oh, my! I did unwatch my talk page but I forgot to disable those infernal email notifications. And what I find? Two polite admins! Two actually polite admins. Well, it would have been a treasured find when I was in Misplaced Pages. But now that I am retired, well, it is like shedding tears for the dead. (Reminds me of Mafia in films; they are famous for their funerals, especially services for those that they themselves killed.) No! I am not going to stay in a place where admins are allowed to edit war, sabotage Good Article Nominations, issue blocks whenever they want and do exactly what others are not allowed to do on pain of being blocked. I am already feeling ... free!

Although, I will stay if you take this case of admin abuse to Arbitration Committee. No, don't answer that; I know you will never do! Ha ha! Fleet Command (talk) 05:08, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

User:Dinarvand n

Thanks for your message on my talk page. I have replied there. JamesBWatson (talk) 16:13, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

Comment

I liked your comment in this RFA so look here. PumpkinSky talk 16:47, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

Another case closed

Hello to you Dennis. Thanks to Checkuser, the identity of Helplesscross was discovered; as we all suspected, he wasn't as new as his account suggested. See here, regards. Evlekis (Евлекис) (argue) 17:09, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

hey ..

Hi Dennis,

As the black-sheep of the Pedro cabal I wanted to stop by and congratulate you on your RfA. Certainly not an easy one. I'm always so glad to support and welcome one of Pedro's noms to adminship. It is indeed a lofty achievement (Floq, 28bytes, Kim, Peter, etc.). I had to log in to address something (ADMINACT and all), and wanted to stop by to offer my thoughts. I have to say that I am truly impressed with all your efforts, but then again, it doesn't surprise me considering the company that's kept. One thing I'll mention: The day will come where you screw up big time. It happens to everyone. When it does happen to you - step away from the keyboard for a bit, take a deep breath, and come back with the same exact posture you've always shown. While not everyone will always agree with you, your integrity, honesty, and dedication will support you well. Congratulations, and all my best. Ched. — Ched :  ?  19:08, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

• Thanks Ched. I've developed a taste for crow over the years, hopefully I won't have to be eating too often. I'm taking it rather slow, doing lots of reading, trying to focus on what I'm most comfortable with first, and avoiding the weaknesses pointed out by everyone at the RfA until I'm ready to address them. I truly appreciate the amount of support that everyone has given me. I'm used to blending in with the woodwork here, so it is a bit overwhelming. Dennis Brown - 2¢ © 19:14, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

"original packaging"

Dennis, your approach at ANI is to be soundly applauded and is a refreshing change. You talk an awful lot of sense! Sincerely. Martinevans123 (talk) 19:38, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

I agree. I hope you can mange to keep the bubble wrap on your button for a good long while. I also applaud your use of direct messages in lieu of warning templates. Quinn 00:24, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

Talkback

Respectively posting here, because I feel that it's relevant to your remark:

Calabe1992 00:21, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

• I'm not expecting to Oppose, and I really like you Calabe, but the initial shock of seeing that left me no choice but to withdraw, if only for now. I've seen so many BLP battles over the years including the damage it causes to the project, I honestly have a knee jerk reaction to that kind of stuff, humor or otherwise. Enough so that I avoid BLP violations on the whole as it is very difficult for me to maintain the level of calm and objectivity that others expect here. I will review the situation after my blood pressure returns to normal and try to be as objective as I can in reviewing the situation. Dennis Brown - 2¢ © 00:39, 29 April 2012 (UTC)
  • (edit conflict) I appreciate your thoughts, good or bad, regardless. Thanks. Calabe1992 00:44, 29 April 2012 (UTC)

• • • In the interest of giving you a fair chance to better help us understand this situation, I have commented at the ANI asking everyone to reserve judgement until you have. I suggest you do not rush, but instead choose your words well. I'm not an influential admin here, and my voice is no louder than anyone elses, but I hope it was convincing enough to persuade others to at least be open minded until you have had a chance to state your case. If anything, the fact that I had previously withdrawn support should tell them I'm not trying to be your fan, and trying to instead do what is fair in this situation. We will see. Dennis Brown - 2¢ © 01:00, 29 April 2012 (UTC)
    • I've also essentially repeated it at the top, since my name was invoked. Sorry to butt in in the middle of your question and answer, but I'm hoping you will forgive the intrusion. Dennis Brown - 2¢ © 01:20, 29 April 2012 (UTC)
      • Nothing wrong done for me to forgive you for. I've issued some further comments below that. Calabe1992 03:08, 29 April 2012 (UTC)