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Voice your opinion on this candidate (talk page) (70/14/4); Scheduled to end 20:56, 30 August 2015 (UTC)
Nomination
Wbm1058 (talk · contribs) – I've been editing Misplaced Pages for over four years, and am proud of my 60% article-space edits, top 1500 edit-count, and clean block log. I figure that most experienced editors have seen me around by now, or recall my failed December 2014 run for the Arbitration Committee. I may not be familiar to those who just hang out on the noticeboards. I'm not currently planning on running for ArbCom again; really my plate is too full and I just don't have time for that. I've been a template editor since December 2013, and have edited template-protected templates without drama. Wbm1058 (talk) 18:20, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
Questions for the candidate
Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Misplaced Pages as an administrator. Please answer these questions to provide guidance for participants:
- 1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?
- A: Mostly I expect to use the move function, when an admin is needed to move over a page that's not a simple redirect. I'll help out a bit at WP:Requested moves, where I'm already a de facto manager (I'm the RMCD bot operator and have made significant enhancements to {{RMassist}}). I'd like to work on the backlog at Misplaced Pages:WikiProject History Merge – I'm not sure anyone is doing that. Also at Malplaced disambiguation pages. My deletion activity will be limited to speedies, as I haven't been active at WP:AfD, nor do I expect to be soon. Likewise, I have minimal experience at WP:RFPP, WP:AN3 or WP:AIV, so don't expect to page-protect or block much, except perhaps that poor user ThisIsaTest, if I resurrect this project. Finally, I'm interested in developing potential new uses of the GuidedTour extention. You may be familiar with this extension from its use in WP:TWA. I've already helped out by fixing a bug in the Adventure. You pretty much need to have tools to be able to play with this, as it lacks sandboxes that editors without tools could use.
- 2. What are your best contributions to Misplaced Pages, and why?
- A: On the content front, I'm proud of the pageviews that Timeline of DOS operating systems gets. I'm the major contributor to that, as I took it from a stub to what it is today. I'm hoping someone might nominate it for "good article", as so far I haven't taken the time to familiarize myself with the procedure for obtaining that. Also, my three bots, RMCD bot, Merge bot and Bot1058, two of which manage major work Flows. On the template-editing front, I'm proud of my enhancements to the controversial {{Orphan}} template, where I found a compromise solution which limits its long-term visibility, that successfully withstood a template-deletion challenge. I eliminated false-transclusions of {{error}}, and now patrol for them. This catches both user errors and vandalism. I also patrol Category:Articles with redirect hatnotes needing review, a maintenance category which I requested and Lua editor Mr. Stradivarius created for me. Finally, I occasionally merge or rearrange related articles which are messed up in a major way. For example, Death in absentia needed to be disambiguated (In absentia (disambiguation)) and sorted out, which was a time-consuming project. I'm not planning on being in absentia for this RfA, and trust that it won't be declared dead ;)
- 3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or have other users caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?
- A: No one seriously edits here for long without running into conflicts. I tend to get more annoyed than stressed; time off is generally a good thing in these situations. I'm usually pretty patient with conflicts, and actively look for compromises. I'll let my track record speak for itself.
- Additional question from SNUGGUMS
- 4. Given your interest in RM's, have you closed any contentious discussions? If so, what were your rationales in such closures??
- A: As the overall manager of the RM process, I don't intend to take a high profile in closing controversial moves. You won't see me deciding whether "Rodham" should be part of a title. More typically I patrol for and fix malformed requests, and moves that were completed without properly closing the discussion and removing the transcluded template. With the bit, I expect to help mostly where the consensus is clear and just needs moved over something with history. However, I also patrol for discussions that are running off the rails by bucking RM conventions in some way. Think of me as the guy who steps into such situations to get them back on track. Two examples:
- Additional question from Glrx
- 5. Your answer to Q1 indicated you would work on deletion of "speedies" but you haven't been active on AfD and would stay away from it. What skills separate the tasks? Why do you feel comfortable with one but not the other?
- A: I didn't say I wasn't "comfortable" with assessing consensus and closing AfD discussions (though I suspect there are some who are "uncomfortable" with the idea of me doing that, because of my limited participation there). Rather, I haven't made participation there a priority for myself. Assessing consensus, based on policies and guidelines, takes more judgement. Interpreting speedy criteria is more clear cut. Probably the best way to evaluate abilities and judgement there is to assess my track record for speedy deletions, how many pages I tagged for deletion were actually deleted vs. how many were declined. Also my track record for proposed deletions. I have some of those too. Can an admin do that? Expired "prods" are just a technical matter of deleting them once time has expired, as I understand it. Maybe I'll help there if I see a backlog, but that's an area I don't think gets that backlogged. Oh, and my Merge bot creates maintenance pages that need to be manually deleted once they're cleared. It would be nice to be able to just do that myself, rather than put a speedy template on those pages and then sometimes have to explain my rationale to someone who's not familiar with those pages' purpose.
- Additional question from Kraxler
- 6. Have you ever had a look at WP:TfD? This being a technical venue, wouldn't that be an area where you could help out?
- A: As a matter of fact, a maintenance category I created, that's populated by four templates, is up for discussion at the related WP:Categories for discussion now. My implementation is a bit of a novel idea, and the discussion has stalled with very limited participation. So I trust I won't be called for canvassing by giving it a mention here. Yes, I think I'd be more inclined to help at templates and/or categories for discussion. But WikiProject Merge has been really slow lately, and I'm not ready to abandon that. I'm hoping that clearing the hist-merge backlog might allow close to real-time detection and repair of cut & paste moves, just as clearing the transclusion {{error}} fog has allowed closer to real-time corrections to user mistakes and vandalism which that template detects.
- Additional question from DavidLeighEllis
- 7. Under what circumstances should a user be blocked for vandalism without warning?
- A: Thanks for the question. It's a good one. My immediate thought was, if I saw an editor committing vandalism at bot-like speed, I would want to block them as quickly as I could. I suspect the system has defense mechanisms for that, as it's something I've never personally witnessed (most I see editing at a pedestrian pace get at least one or two warnings first). But, I suppose that even though I'm not planning on working that beat, on an all-hands-on-deck basis, I should know the criteria for no-warning blocks in advance and be prepared to act quickly if necessary. The applicable policy is Misplaced Pages:Blocking policy § Disruption-only. That last one is interesting: "Accounts that appear, based on their edit history, to exist for the sole or primary purpose of promoting a person, company, product, service, or organization" – I've seen many accounts whose entire contribution history is creation and edits to a single article. I think a high percentage at Articles for Creation may meet this criteria. I'm not sure how strictly this one is enforced in practice. I believe we want to encourage COI editors to request edits on the talk page, but they can't do that if we've already blocked them.
- Additional questions from Ottawahitech
- 8. Do you believe WikiProjects are important for the heath of Misplaced Pages? — If your answer is no, why? If yes, what is your involvement in Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Templates?
- A:
- 9. Is there a connection between A7 speedy and Notability?
- A:
Discussion
- Links for Wbm1058: Wbm1058 (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)
- Edit summary usage for Wbm1058 can be found here.
Please keep discussion constructive and civil. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review his contributions before commenting.
RfA/RfB toolbox | |
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Counters | |
Analysis | |
Cross-wiki |
Support
- Support WP:RM continuously has a backlog. I would say between there, WP:CP, and WP:AFC, we desperately need people who are willing to take on administrative tasks. The fact that Wbm1058 has already done a considerable amount of work there indicates he would be more effective if granted the tools. Not granting him the tools over low content creation would be to the detriment of the project. RFA is about seeking a consensus regarding trust, and it is a disservice to the gnomish editors to say they're untrustworthy because they've chosen to contribute in one way and not significantly in another. Mkdw 21:27, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Not only a good candidate for adminship; the kind of candidate that is needed for adminship. bd2412 T 22:04, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support competent and collaborative candidate. --Stfg (talk) 22:24, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support, a trustworthy, competent person who will make valuable use of the tools. BethNaught (talk) 22:30, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support After reviewing this candidates contributions I feel perfectly confident that he will perform admirably. Aparslet (talk) 22:31, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Sure. → Call me Hahc21 22:33, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Good contribs, wants to help out and the only oppose at this point is another one based off what this user hasn't done instead of what this user has done. Go for it. —Frosty ☃ 23:11, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support a consistent record of reasonable behavior. Antrocent (♫♬) 23:21, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Excellent temperament and attitude. Has technical skills and intentions that make him highly desirable for the role he volunteers for. While GregJackP's criteria are very important respectable, no admin should ever have authority over a non-admin with respect to issues of content, due to being an admin. --SmokeyJoe (talk) 00:05, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - While I would definitely like to see more content creations (per GregJackP), this user has the right attitude and temperament for the role. My hope is that if this RfA passes that the user does good maintenance work while also creating a few DYKs, GAs, and other feature content. Sportsguy17 (T • C) 00:09, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support because I see no good reason not to. Someguy1221 (talk) 00:14, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support No reason to believe this editor would abuse tools. No reason to believe this editor wouldn't learn from mistakes. valereee (talk) 00:28, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Althugh I have never interacted with him before, I see no reason to oppose the nom. ~EDDY ~ 00:34, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support, due to solid technical contributions and temperament. APerson (talk!) 00:51, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support, I disagree with opposing !voters' position: admins don't need to be godlike article writers because they need to judge behavior, not content. Max Semenik (talk) 00:57, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support – Since User:Wbm1058 has done bot work to assist with move discussions, I've interacted with him a fair amount. He appears calm and sensible. Having the admin tools would permit him to be even more helpful in the area of moves, and would let him do history merges. Already, thanks to Wbm1058 we have insta-documentation for technical moves, since the move log holds a permalink to the discussion where the technical move was requested. To see an example, click on the word 'permalink' in this entry. EdJohnston (talk) 01:17, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support No issues. Jianhui67 01:30, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - likely net positive. L235 (t / c / ping in reply) 01:35, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support I've poked around a bit, perused their talk page, and they seem like a pretty reasonable person. Lots of automated edits, but 16,000 non-automated is solid. My only suggestion (mostly personal preference) would be to set up a bot to archive old user talk page threads instead of doing it selectively section by section with the OneClickArchiver thing (like this). Also, I noticed you mentioned speedy deletion above, so I recommend studying up on WP:CSD cause somebody's going to quiz you on it here. I Best of luck! ~Adjwilley (talk) 01:43, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support – definitely seen this editor around, and I foresee absolutely no problems here. And his professed Admin interests coincide with an area that specifically interests me and that I think is underserved. So, yes. --IJBall (contribs • talk) 02:29, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - Plenty of edits and I see no problems with the user. I believe that he is very trustworthy and he should have the keys to the tools. I noticed his edits in the past and I am very satisfied with his admin work. So Wbm1058 best of luck to you as an admin. --EurovisionNim (talk to me)(see my edits) 02:41, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. I have some slight reservations about the lack of content creation, but the editor is so good in all other areas that I don't feel it's a big issue in this case. Answer to Q1 shows that he clearly knows his boundaries, and will take it slow if he isn't sure of something. StringTheory11 (t • c) 04:28, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - Everything looks good to me. I have been able to find no issues, and the answers to the questions so far are satisfactory. Inks.LWC (talk) 06:01, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support per bd2412 and to help cancel out oppose vote 1. —Kusma (t·c) 06:05, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support productive technically-oriented contributor with specific uses for the tools in mind. Opposition seems to have a much higher regard for the vicissitudes of the assessment system than I do, and yet would judge someone for creating redirects to subsequently deleted articles? Not convincing. Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:19, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Easy decision for mine, I've been waiting for this. I'll always look kindly on someone who offers to help at RM and with the histmerge backlog, and Wbm1058 has already shown proficiency in these areas so I have no concerns about his use of the tools. Having had his talk page on my watchlist for quite a while, I can also say he's also a conscientious fellow who always seem happy to discuss and compromise with other editors in the best interests of the project. Will make a great admin. Jenks24 (talk) 08:26, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support- Sure, why not? Candidate needs the tools for work in an area they're already active in, and where they have a track record of good judgment. Not convinced at all by opposes based on lack of GA content, because admin work is primarily gnomish anyway. Reyk YO! 08:34, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - Nothing detrimental could happen with this user at the helm. not (talk/contribs) 10:43, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Candidate has a good contribution history (despite low level of article creation) and seems to know their own limits. I trust that the candidate will grow into shape and gradually become more confident in the various administrative tasks. Deryck C. 11:04, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Have had very positive experiences working with Wbm1058 on Lua modules for requested moves and elsewhere. He is civil, knows his policy, and has a clear need for the administrator tools. I don't think a relative lack of content creation should prevent a capable user from helping out where help is needed. — Mr. Stradivarius 11:42, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - no concerns from my review, and having read the petty opposition I'm more inclined to support. GiantSnowman 12:24, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Clean block log, deleted edits look fine. I think all admins should have some experience of content contribution, happy to see that Wbm1058 is a content contributor, albeit without any GAs or FAs. As for the opposes for various good edits such as renaming an article when the subject of the article was renamed, all I can say is please look at the candidate's edits, if you rely on tools like you risk opposing someone for good edits. ϢereSpielChequers 12:45, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Seen him around, and this may be a little earlier than I might have done it but I don't think he lacks anything apart from seasoning. Certainly sensible and trustworthy, not constantly involved in drama, and unlikely to do anything stupid. With due respect to the opposers, adminship is not supposed to be a position of authority. The vast majority of it boring grunt work that goes completely unnoticed. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 15:41, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - Although I'm a tad concerned there's been no participation in the Admin areas you do help out in other ways (IE Requested Move backlogs, TWA fixes etc etc) so in this case I can't really see a problem with you having the mop, Good luck. –Davey2010 16:43, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support I usually want to see some "content awareness by content creation" (no GAs/FAs necessary, ordinary articles are fine) by admin candidates, but we have indeed handed over the tools to "single-purpose" admins who declared their intention to work in a certain area and stay out of others, especially in case of technical maintenance (for ex. Trappist the monk and West.andrew.g). This candidate has shown some clue and some technical understanding of his area of expertise, and I trust they will not venture into areas they don't understand anything about. AfD record is slim, but not bad. CSD is very different from AfD, the CSD guidelines are clear, and when in doubt, just don't take any action, let it be done by somebody else. Kraxler (talk) 18:40, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Having read this page I see no sensible reason to oppose this candidate. I may reconsider if something like that appears later, but it ain't here now. Chillum 19:20, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Fundamentally, adminship is about trust, and his work at WP:RM shows that he can be trusted. Content creation is just one aspect of this project and isn't and shouldn't be a requirement for adminship since everyone has their own strengths. -- Tavix 20:49, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. I don't see anything to indicate that the candidate is likely to misuse admin tools. Most admin actions (UAA, blocking vandals etc) use a different skillset to crafting new article content so I don't see a lack of FA/GAs etc as being any reason to oppose. DexDor 21:23, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - While the candidate has not bothered to seek featured list status for his list, it is, nonetheless, good quality. Reaper Eternal (talk) 21:52, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. An editor with a clear track record of not harming the project, who has expressed specific reasons for using administrative tools, and this use will fill a need, and the candidate's statement makes clear that this is not someone predisposed to overstep. That's all good. As for content concerns, I don't see RfA as being about checking boxes on a checklist. The way that I see it, candidates need to demonstrate that they are able to navigate disputes about content. There are more ways to accomplish that than having a GA. Improving existing pages is every bit as helpful to the project as starting new ones. The answers to questions are clueful and articulate, there is no past indication of nastiness to other editors, and the candidate does not want to dive into every admin area. --Tryptofish (talk) 22:35, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Wbm1058 seems to be a trusted editor who helps the project despite not creating much content. He does help out in "real" admin areas, though, (like WP:RM) so admin buttons would be a good addition. Epic Genius (talk) 23:32, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. RM could certainly use extra admin help from someone who's offering to do it - it's gotten pretty backed up at times. The candidate, from what I've seen, is calm and reasonable. I don't see any good reason to oppose this candidacy - if anything, the weakness of the seven opposes below only makes it seem like a better idea. Egsan Bacon (talk) 00:06, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support, mostly to counterbalance the content creator bullshit.Hal peridol (talk) 01:38, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support The purpose of wikipedia is content and content creation only, it doesn't matter if the user has an FA/GA/DYK/A/B/DAB/DNR/D'OH..what matters is that he/she is well versed on terms in content creation and how to deal with issues related to the addition and removal of content, I agree with Sportsguy17 below, we have too many admins who don't have a single content or have done anything worthwhile in the mainspace but Wbm1058 is well versed in these sections with over 30 article creations which is way better than 90% of admins on this wiki..--Stemoc 02:27, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support – As a preface, I'm very much on the side of content creation being a core aspect of any potential admin candidate, but given sufficient competency in other necessary aspects of the site this can be worked around. The lesser focus on content is indeed concerning for me, with Timeline of DOS operating systems being their only major content-based contribution. A large portion of the user's edits are automated or semi-automated and, as brought up by some of the opposing arguments, the vast majority of created articles are merely redirects. That's not to say creating redirects is a bad thing, though. I've also seen some concerns over a lack of GA/FA/FL rated material. In my opinion, article assessments are secondary to the actual quality of the content added and Wbm1058's work with the DOS timeline is a clear example that they're capable of producing solid material. A "good" article can be made without actually having it be assessed as such (namely because the process can be very sluggish due to backlog). That being said, extensive content creation isn't an absolute necessity if the user shows competency in other more technical areas of the site, which this candidate seems to. Vast knowledge of the inner workings of WP:RM and a willingness to help reduce the perpetual backlog there is a huge plus. Their work with bots, something I honestly don't understand myself, is also appreciated. I see no outstanding reason that the candidate will abuse the tools, but much the same as any potential admin they should read up on policies and become very familiar with them before actually using the tools should this RfA be successful. Overall, the candidate is likely a net positive and I'm happy to support. Best of luck, Wbm1058. Cyclonebiskit (talk) 04:15, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support - net positive. Swarm ♠ 09:14, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support precious bot help and good reflection of my arb candidate question --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:04, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Trustworthy editor, good attitude, lots of clue and a willingness to help with maintenance. Miniapolis 14:25, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support, no concerns and we need more admins to perform page moves. Incidentally, are people really opposing an RfA because of deleted redirects to articles created by other people?. Best site ban me now, since I must have hundreds of similar deleted edits. —Xezbeth (talk) 14:33, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. I am a so-called "content contributor," but I prefer to be called something simpler: a writer. I endorse Wbm1058's RfA candidacy. As long as Wbm maintains a good perspective that the primary reason administrators exist is to facilitate the creation of quality encyclopedia articles, and to assist, but not govern our writers, then he will have my unconditional support. Cheers. Dirtlawyer1 (talk) 14:53, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support: seems interested in helping out with admin backlogs; intends to work in an area they are very familiar with (merging); has been template editor for a while with (as far as I can see) no major controversy caused; clean block log and seemingly good conduct; enough edits in enough namespaces show a decent depth of familiarity with the site; seems intelligent and very helpful to the encyclopedia. The GuidedTour extension thing seems interesting and TWA is very important for editor retention, so fixing bugs and helping out with that could be very important work. On an unrelated note, your user talk page is a bit long and could perhaps do with some more archiving. — Bilorv(talk) 15:13, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support As I've said before, not everyone is a writer, and being a writer doesn't mean you can't be an editor. If he can't be trusted with the tools because he doesn't write articles, he shouldn't be trusted with editing. All of us have a role here. Some of us write, some of us don't. Knowing your limitations vis-a-vis writing isn't a negative...it's an asset. Gah. There's no evidence presented this editor can't be trusted with the tools, nor can I find any reason to believe he would. --Hammersoft (talk) 15:23, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Content creation, when it comes to admin candidates, is no longer an issue for me. If someone has a good attitude, treats others with respect, has common sense, understands policy, and doesn't attract drama, you've got a decent admin candidate in my book. -- WV ● ✉ ✓ 17:09, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Wbm1058 understands policy, has experience of dealing with admin areas and has shown his competence in these areas. Content creation is not significantly relevant to whether someone will make a good administrator or not. I can't see any reason why entrusting them with the tools would harm Misplaced Pages. Thryduulf (talk) 17:42, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support: Clearly an editor who would be an asset as an administrator. Content is, and should be, king on Misplaced Pages, but it is not everything. We need people who can get the jobs done and if there are reasonable people willing to do the work I hope they will volunteer and be selected. SchreiberBike | ⌨ 17:43, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support, qualified and trustworthy candidate. I believe there is merit to the argument that admin candidates should have substantial content creation experience, but I also think we need technically oriented admins who are eager to work on backlogs and get things done. I don't see anything in this candidate's history to cause me to be concerned about his judgement or ability. --Laser brain (talk) 18:48, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support A committed long term editor with clear intentions to improve the wiki. Also, their attitude towards managing conflicts is refreshing. I see no problem with this promotion. Rcsprinter123 (comms) @ 20:21, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support I see no reason not to, as some of the issues addressed below can be improved in the coming months. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 21:35, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Net positive. I never had a GA or FA before running for admin, so I surely won't require them from others. I think getting a few made me a better admin, but to get the tools, I'm more interested in someone who is very familiar with content at some level or another. I was a gnome that did a lot of sourcing, which is important. Some are great writers of prose, which is important. As long as we are talking about people who have spent the time doing something within content, they pass that particular bar for me, as it is easy to see where their priorities are: content being the first among them. I'm satisfied here. We have to be reasonable with our thresholds if we expect to have any admins, and as long as they have shown they are here to promote content in whatever way they do best, we should consider that adequate for that particular metric, imho. Dennis Brown - 2¢ 21:52, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. If I knew that the nominee wanted to be an administrator, I would have been a nominator. But, since they decided to nominate themselves, here goes why I think giving Wbm1058 the mop is a net positive. For one, we need more technically-minded admins. This non-admin is one of the few non-admins I would trust to edit pages in the "MediaWiki:" namespace. The nominee manages the bot that assists with the WP:RM forum, and that is a big deal. About a year or so ago, Wbm1058 made some substantial changes to how the WP:RMTR page works to allow the the edit notices generated by denying a request to not break in the edit notice due to being to long. In my opinion, an admin has to have either content knowledge or technical precision with coding to a point where trust exists where the editor will not break Misplaced Pages; both is preferred, but that almost never happens with admins. Wbm1058 is strong in the technical department, and decent in the content department. In my opinion, some of the opposers below have not grasped the fact that both content and coding are important to this project, and think that it should all be content, content, content. (Warning: tangent ahead.) Well, where would that useful hatnote template be without someone to build that template? Where would the coding used to display references be if the code was not developed? Templates, HTML, and bots everywhere ... and most of these are not created or edited by "content creators". (End of tangent.) Anyways, bottom line, Wbm1058 is a net positive to Misplaced Pages, and I can only see their potential to improve this project grow if they were given the admin toolset. Steel1943 (talk) 22:12, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support per WP:NETPOSITIVE and WP:NOBIGDEAL. (Yes, I still believe that with a straight face, despite the mockery which may result. Adminship is not an absolutely irrevocable lifetime appointment and it is possible to remove the tools from problematic admins, although I still do advocate a more efficient and directly community-based system to do so.) I have no issue with Wbm having access to the necessary tools to perform uncontroversial deletions (expired PRODs, to make way for page moves, etc.). Although I view it as a plus, I still hold that content creation should not be the primary gauge by which we determine who our admins will be; everyone has a different area of focus and every editor is important, despite the belief among some that editors who do not have any GAs or FAs are worthless. Wbm's specialty seems to be in technical matters, as shown by his bots and his possession of the template editor right, which as I understand requires a good deal of trust. Next, those who did proper research would find that his "deleted articles" were in fact redirects to other pages that were deleted. Wbm did not create the main pages themselves. This is not something that only admins can see; anyone who has access to xTools and looks at the rationales given by the deleting admins would see it. --Biblioworm (talk) 22:18, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support. Looking through the candidate's contributions, I see nothing that is problematic. This candidate does appear to be technically-minded and I agree with Steel1943 that more technically-minded admins are needed. To me, it's important that an admin display good judgement in conflicts, an awareness of their own skills and limitations, and have contributed to the encyclopaedia, and this candidate fulfills those requirements. An editor need not have taken an article through the GA/FA process to have had to resolve conflict and to show how they work with other editors. While writing content is undeniably important, I think that template-editing and copywriting and categorization and creating redirects and all of the other tasks that support content writing are also important. Ca2james (talk) 22:50, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support (edit conflict) Biblioworm says it well. I have not looked very deeply (not being familiar with WP:RM, I'm not really sure what to look for), but I see nothing that would suggest that Wbm1058 is not a net positive. I won't ask for GAs or FAs, just some non-trivial article work and Timeline of DOS operating systems easily fits the bill. --Jakob (talk) aka Jakec 22:53, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support I haven't looked very deeply, but from the other !votes and the questions, I see an experienced editor who appears to be happy and skilled doing the kind of boring, routine work that keeps Misplaced Pages running smoothly. The other people in those areas think higly of them. They need the tools to be able to do what they do more effectively. Sounds like a natural candidate. The concerns about them using their tools in areas in which they are not proficient is valid. However, the candidate has expressed a commitment not to do so and from what I have looked at they seem steady and reliable so I trust that statement. I think we need admins with a range of skills and interests and this candidate has some important skills and is willing to work in under-staffed areas. Happy Squirrel (talk) 23:14, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support His existing work speaks to me as being somewhat similar to my own, and he seems sincere. I trust him with the tools.→StaniStani 02:04, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support The candidate doesn't have thirteen FAs and nine GAs under their belt, so I trust them with the tools. §FreeRangeFrog 02:39, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Nothing alarming. Widr (talk) 05:49, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support From research, they seem like someone who is trustworthy and I dont believe that approving this will result in harm. Tortle (talk) 09:12, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Seems like level-headed, technically minded editor with edits on the gnomish side, but content creation is good enough for my criteria. His desire to help with backlogged area such as RM is certainly a plus. I didn't find any reason not to trust. No such user (talk) 15:21, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Support Has enough content creation (okay, pulling a bare Google Books URL is not the haut cuisine of content writing, but so what?), sticks to mainspace instead of dramah, a clear and obvious rationale for the tools, sensible, polite and level headed. Ritchie333 16:15, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
Oppose
- Oppose per this. Almost all of the articles created are dab pages or lists, no B class or above, no GA/FA, way too many of the created articles have been subsequently deleted. GregJackP Boomer! 21:14, 23 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose "New articles" appear to be almost entirely dabs or simple lists - and I prefer that editors be fully aware of the specific policies applicable to complex articles and editing. The editor has opined on a total of only 15 AfDs, so I do not think he is specifically qualified for those either. As with other editors in the past (some of who became admins, but where I maintain my opposition was correct), I can not support. Using X's Tools shows 47 articles "created" of which 15 are marked by that tool as "deleted". None of the ones I examined appear of significance. , pour exemple. SMC Corporation, Barco Silex, Stern Stewart & Co, all read like PR material, alas. Zero as far as I can tell otherwise - dabs and lists are not that hard to make, alas. No sign of awareness of the nuances of WP:BLP (zero noticeboard edits AFAICT) or WP:NPOV (zero), WP:RS/N one single edit (he asked whether "FamousWiki.com" was a reliable source). Sorry about that. Collect (talk) 00:51, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose
Some created articles are deleted. Means you have no idea about notability.As an administrator, how will you delete newly created pages which "doesn't deserve to be on Misplaced Pages"; if you create articles not fit for Misplaced Pages as these Stern Stewart & Co andBarco Silex, you will keep lots of bad articles created by other users in AFD. Aero Slicer 03:40, 24 August 2015 (UTC) - Oppose. Zero retained articles created except one single stub, and another unreferenced two-sentence stub that in my opinion should be AfDed. Apparent massive edit-countitis; article-space edits appear to me to mainly consist of tens of thousands of automated or semi-automated edits, or moving images around, etc. As candidate says, I believe his only main credible article-space content contributions have been his work on Timeline of DOS operating systems. Inadequate rationale for wanting the tools. I also personally consider the ArbCom run to be hubris. Poor showing at AfD. I think this candidate's assessment of his qualifications for adminship is out of proportion, especially since the tools are not handed out piecemeal, and that his reach exceeds his grasp. I wish the candidate well, because I think he is definitely a positive for the project, but I personally do not believe he is admin material (at least not at this juncture). Softlavender (talk) 07:31, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose - Nah. BMK (talk) 08:03, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose I share the concerns of other opposers such as Greg. Also, if someone's not comfortable at AFD, they should not be doing speedy deletions because the speedy process has less oversight and is more bitey. The clincher is that the candidate says "I'm proud of my enhancements to the controversial {{Orphan}} template..." My view is that those enhancements subverted the community consensus to stop this template appearing on articles. As the candidate hasn't created articles, he perhaps doesn't appreciate how annoying such templates can be. He needs more skin in the game before he starts deciding what's good for us. Andrew D. (talk) 08:05, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose I continue to oppose candidates who do not have significant content contributions. How can you judge between those who have skin in the game when you don't? And per the other opposers who have expressed similar concerns.--Wehwalt (talk) 19:06, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose Cursory review shows a lack of sufficient competence in deletion policy and a poor track record with content creation. Once upon a time the argument that it's NOBIGDEAL could be made with a straight face, but that's not longer the case. GraniteSand (talk) 02:39, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose. GregJackP raises some very salient concerns that alarm me. The deletion of articles he created implies to me a lack of understanding of the notability policies. Based on those and a lack of creating and developing quality content (I prefer an admin candidate to have experience cultivating at least a few GAs, preferably a FA if possible, to know what content creation demands, but here we don't even have B-class content). I think the candidate is a nice guy, seems decent, but I'd like to see more substance to his contribution. The comment above about template annoyances is quite valid. Until then, per BMK, nah.JackTheVicar (talk) 10:07, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose - per BMK, GregJackP and Andrew Davidson. I find what I'd call the badgering of opposers both hypocritical and offensive when, as BMK correctly observes, very short supports are tossed off without question. Early opposers have come to be grilled with near outrage. I do as usual thank the candidate for their efforts on behalf of the encyclopedia, and suggest they come back in a year or so with the concerns addressed. Jusdafax 10:41, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose - per Wehwalt. I'd like to see a bit more content building first before such tools are given out. This kind of awarding is rather regrettably par for the course around here now. Cassianto 15:44, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose. I am a fan of the DOS article he highlights, but am otherwise underwhelmed with this candidate for admin. If he's not up to speed with policy sufficient to judge AfDs, then he's not worthy of being appointed to this lifetime position. Hassling of "opposers" doesn't help. Coretheapple (talk) 17:35, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose Reaching for the janitor's key ring and ArbCom with such a "young" perspective makes this a no for me. In the ideal world we'd be able to apply for "Admin-Protection Request", "Mover", "Admin-Deleter", etc. but we don't have that. We have the bundled package Administrator that has many different things in it besides those small components. We have to consider the candidate's qualifications against the full package of privileges administrator entails. No opposition to the candidate coming back when they have improved bona fides with respect to assisting content creation (AfC), content creation on their own (A few B/C level articles under their belt or a few DYKs), and content deletion (a good overlap on multiple deletion discussions between their viewpoint and the eventual consensus) for a new evaluation. Hasteur (talk) 18:27, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Oppose Deep down, we are building an encyclopedia here. While I appreciate the work that Wbm1058 has done and I understand that the nominee wishes to focus on gnomish aspects of the role, the powers that are granted to an admin are extensive and need to be wielded by an individual who understands the process of content creation at a far deeper level. Someone who has been through the process of nurturing an article from a stub to DYK -- let alone GA or FA -- status, or has had an article that they created go through AfD, will have a far greater understanding and appreciation of the awesome responsibility of the powers granted to them in an administrative role and will be far more likely to use those powers responsibly and fairly. I cannot support the nomination at this time, based on the current edit history, but I encourage the nominee to work more assiduously on content creation areas to build up the broader skill set and experience necessary and appropriate for an administrator. Should this nomination fail, I hope to be able to support a second nomination that demonstrates strong efforts to gain these skills. Alansohn (talk) 03:09, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
Neutral
- Neutral while the candidate has wisely indicated he/she is not going to delve into inexperienced areas, having a potentially faulty grasp if notability criteria does have me concerned. I'd be more comfortable supporting if user was more familiar with such requirements. Snuggums (talk / edits) 13:21, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Neutral, leaning toward support. The candidate is a longtime, highly productive user, with a clean block log and no civility concerns. They want to work in a specific area, where they are widely experienced and where the tools will enhance their value to the encyclopedia. My only concern is their lack of demonstrated experience with article deletion. I would normally hesitate to hand the tools to someone with so little AfD experience, but the candidate has already indicated they realize their limitations there and don't intend to close AfDs unless they get a lot more experience. Unfortunately they have not created a CSD or PROD log so I can't evaluate their skill there. I am a little worried by their incorrect belief (Question 5) that expired prods should be simply deleted as a technical matter; personally I evaluate any prod before I delete it, and in probably 10-15% of cases I decide that prod deletion is not appropriate. What I would suggest is that before the candidate does any article deletion (other than to facilitate move requests or service their own tools), they set up a CSD/PROD log (do it at Preferences / Gadgets / Twinkle preferences panel), use it for a month or two, and then ask an established administrator if they appear to have a decent grasp of deletion policy, or where they might need improvement. I am not worried that they will use the tools to block people inappropriately, because they don't intend to work in areas where that kind of judgment call will be needed. My bottom line is: we need administrators with interest and skills in underutilized areas, and this candidate seems well suited for adminship. I am just looking for some assurance that they will get more deletion experience, and solicit some feedback, before doing much article deletion. I would welcome the candidate's response to these comments. MelanieN (talk) 21:16, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
Candidate seems fine, and gets bonus points for self-nominating. Opposes make a reasonable point about content creation, but not strongly enough to carry the day. Candidate's approach to this RFA demonstrates self-awareness and a likelihood of making the project better through their use of the buttons. Townlake (talk) 15:43, 24 August 2015 (UTC)- Withdrawing my support, at least for now, in response to the ridiculous amount of badgering of the oppose voters below. If this candidate's record itself can't repel those arguments without requiring this degree of harassment, I'm no longer confident in this candidate. Townlake (talk) 01:51, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Moved from Support. HiDrNick! 14:52, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Withdrawing my support, at least for now, in response to the ridiculous amount of badgering of the oppose voters below. If this candidate's record itself can't repel those arguments without requiring this degree of harassment, I'm no longer confident in this candidate. Townlake (talk) 01:51, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- Neutral I have concerns about lack of experience in the deletion and content creation areas. Apropos the former, as I've said before, adminiship is not a training school and the community has the right to expect new appointees to hit the ground running. AfD forms a key nexus in policy/guideline interpretation and a paucity of experience there belies a lack of the essential experience needed to wield the mop. Philg88 07:54, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
General comments
- It's really inappropriate for those who oppose an RfA to have to face a gauntlet of comments, criticism, and calls for explanations. If those in opposition did the same to every lame reason for supporting a candidate, we would be accused of disrupting the RfA. If it's not disruption, just let me know, and we can ask the same sort of questions to the supporters. GregJackP Boomer! 06:32, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
- Greg, you have made sixteen posts on this page> Does that not seem to you to be fractionally excessive?--Anthony Bradbury 14:21, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Discussion of this general comment moved to talk page
- If an editor can't be trusted to stick to admin tasks they're familiar with, there's a much bigger problem than a lack of familiarity with a few esoteric admin areas. --Jakob (talk) aka Jakec 22:53, 25 August 2015 (UTC)
- +1. But we're getting to the point where if an RfA candidate doesn't have experience in 100% of the areas that an Admin might possibly, theoretically come in to contact with, then they'll garner about 20% "opposes" (if not more) as a matter of course. But (beating the dead horse here...) this is I think just a symptom of a larger issue, and is more fodder for the idea that the current governance structure of this project is becoming unworkable, and more radical solutions are likely to be necessary, going forward. --IJBall (contribs • talk) 04:23, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- In a bold clerking experiment, I have moved all threaded discussion to the talk page. In case of WP:BRD, permalinks for Main before, Main after and Talk before, Talk after. If I goofed up your comment, I assure you that it was inadvertent.HiDrNick! 14:52, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Too bold. RFA is supposed to be a discussion. You've even kicked polite requests for clarification, polite replies to those requests, and other short and polite exchanges, into touch. Please undo that and then be much more discriminating as to what is removed. --Stfg (talk) 14:57, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- You also removed at least one vote, and some of the comments never got moved, please fix your change at the very least. Better yet reverse it, RfA is supposed to be a discussion. Chillum 14:59, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- Fixed the vanishing vote. Good catch. HiDrNick! 15:10, 26 August 2015 (UTC)
- If you do something like this (removing context), please move ALL of the discussion to the talk page. That includes the comment made while voting. (keep only the signature). —Kusma (t·c) 15:54, 26 August 2015 (UTC)