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Cyphoidbomb

Voice your opinion on this candidate (talk page) (11/0/0); Scheduled to end 18:20, 29 March 2014 (UTC)

Nomination

Cyphoidbomb (talk · contribs) – Cyphoidbomb has been active on Misplaced Pages for around four years. Apart from helping with vandalism and sockpuppet investigations, I'd draw your attention to work at the refdesk, an impressive history of wikignoming, and a completely clean block record. I think this is someone who could make good use of the tools in protecting against vandalism, and who is likely to use them for good, and to help people (e.g. this, which is basically a WP:REFUND request). I reviewed the admin board logs and found many thoughtful and helpful comments and requests. I noticed the input in this heated debate, which shows patience and calmness in trying to talk people down from the Reichstag. I'm sure if you mine determinedly you'll find some stuff that's not as stellar, but every example I can find where Cyphoidbomb has become involved, I see only good stuff. Even if adminship were a big deal (which it's not supposed to be), I think Cyphoidbomb would be a janitor not a cop. Guy (Help!) 08:12, 22 March 2014 (UTC)

Accepted - I appreciate the recognition!

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: Much of what I presently do relates to the maintenance of articles and the prevention/suppression of vandalism. Though the nomination for adminship was a bit of a surprise, my aim as an administrator would be to continue in this regard, only with better tools at my disposal and more efficient ways to handle these problems. Being able to protect articles on my watchlist when vandalism is happening in real-time would be nice. For example, when I was watching the IP vandalism unfold at Elsa Pataky two days ago (March 20), it was somewhat frustrating to have to write up a report, submit it to AIV, then go to RPP to submit a slightly modified report and then wait for intervention. I was delighted when I started using AWB because it made tedium a thing of the past. (Well, not entirely, but maaan did it help!) As an admin, I would continue to help via Help Desk, and at CAT:HELP, only I would be able to provide a more direct service to other users, being able to speedy delete articles, block vandals, etc., and I could finally stop bothering the same four admins I regularly bother. I also know that being an admin doesn't mean side-stepping all the rules. I know about WP:INVOLVED, for example. I could also start helping out at AIV, and contributing to ANI, and elsewhere other mopwielders were needed.

2. What are your best contributions to Misplaced Pages, and why?

A: My anti-vandal/sockpuppet work for sure has been super-solid. I can't say that I take a lot of pride in removing crush-cruft from kids' TV articles, but I've removed a lot of garbage from the project. I've been successful in maintaining civil discourse, in being able to understand two sides of an argument and even to propose compromise when I feel adamantly against something. Also, my ability to yield to consensus or to the project's better good when I am wrong. Now, these might more aptly describe traits that I bring to Misplaced Pages instead of specific contributions, but they represent the foundation of most of my contributions. I've helped a lot of new users out at the Help Desk, and my recent work with AWB allows me to burn through articles and flag 'em, tag 'em, change smartquotes to straight quotes, etc. This has been awesome. I've also tried to change some of the internal systems of Misplaced Pages (infobox templates, adding specificity to WP:VANDALISM, etc.) Usually I fail at this, but I still consider them contributions!

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: There are editors with whom I definitely do not mesh, though the list is pretty short. The majority of folks I interact with are pretty decent and knowledgeable, even the grumpy ones. :) I try not to get myself into "conflicts" even when there is a difference of opinion. Of the ones I've butted heads with in the past, one I suspect of having pernicious motivations, and the others just have different perspectives and a different cognitive styles from mine. Misplaced Pages has hammered home the point that this is a community project, so I try to be sensitive to the idea that a community represents all types, even where it might frustrate me. I've been involved in some discussions where heated opinions were being slung around (Talk:Anita Sarkeesian and at Talk:Vishwakarma (caste)) and I've tried to help maintain a civil and constructive attitude even when some of the participants were nuts (See Vishwakarma).

I even try to treat sock operators and vandals, (the idiots responsible for most of the tedium at Misplaced Pages,) with at least the outward signs of respect. Here's a case at ANI when I had to report a kid for gross incompetence over a long period of time. I am of the suspicious mind (having dealt with "naive" editors from his geographical region) that this kid is a vandal pretending to be a naive incompetent. But he still gets a decent treatment in the ANI, and the fact that he was able to edit for four months demonstrates a lot of AGFing on my part. Generally speaking, I don't edit much in areas where there could be a whole lot of controversy and where emotions run high. (I'm pretty dim about middle-eastern politics, for example), and I tend to circulate more in the frivolous--TV and such. And where conflicts arise, I have no problem taking advantage of the Request for Comment system. Some view it as a punishment or something, but I think it's great! Basically, if I had the mop, I don't believe I would wield it to fight, rather I would use it to help direct the dirty water into the drain.

Additional question from Stalwart111

4. You list vandal-fighting and other internal work as among your "best contributions" to Misplaced Pages. Those are valuable, to be sure, but I'm wondering if you have a content contribution/article of which you are particularly proud? You haven't yet opted-in to the edit-counter add-on and doing so may well render my question moot, so that might be a good start. Cheers.

A:

Optional questions from Carrite (Tim Davenport, 52, Corvallis, OR, USA).

5. Have you ever edited Misplaced Pages using another username? If so, what user name or names did you use?

A: Hi Tim, to the best of my memory, I have never edited Misplaced Pages using another username, and certainly not while I was Cyphoidbomb. This account is the only account I'm aware of having. I have edited previously as an IP user, but I would be surprised if those edits totaled a dozen.

6. A few questions that I feel we all should have been asking candidates all along: What's your real life name and age? What country do you live in? What's your educational background? (If you prefer not to answer, that's fine. Please do expound in that case on why anonymity is important with respect to writing and administering an online encyclopedia.)

A: Well, respectfully I'm not too keen on divulging much personal information. I'm male. I am a United States citizen. I'm a registered voter. I like cats. I have ridden motorcycles for decades. I haven't received a traffic ticket in at least a decade. I've never been arrested.

One of the things I like about Misplaced Pages is that I can edit anonymously. One of the things I dislike about anonymous editing, is how easy people use it for destruction and hostility, hiding behind the same shield that allows good editors to contribute comfortably and at an arm's distance. One thing that is unattractive about being an administrator, is that they earn more of the irrational attention that irrationally angry vandals bring to the table. I don't need that kind of jive. Only two or three people IRL know that I regularly edit Misplaced Pages. It's a hobby. I keep it on the down-low because I don't need people asking me to promote their whatever-or-other. On the flipside, I don't want my Misplaced Pages edits to impact or intersect with my life any more than my maniacal obsession with the {{notability}} template has already done. That's got to be important to more people than just me. Anonymity can be an invaluable tool for nerds like me who want to contribute constructively without being required to commit to it being a life event. Unrelated to me, anonymous editing and administration can also be beneficial in countries that practice suppression of information, such that anonymous editors and administrators can resist censorship in their homelands.

General comments

• Links for Cyphoidbomb: Cyphoidbomb (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)
• Edit summary usage for Cyphoidbomb can be found here.

Please keep discussion constructive and civil. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review their contributions before commenting.

Discussion

Support

1. Support would make an excellent cleanup admin Secret 18:20, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
2. Support: candidate has a good understanding, and does good work; therefore is a net positive. He would have a new channel of work open to him if he became an admin. Best, Matty.007 18:32, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
3. Support ///EuroCarGT 18:56, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
4. 100% Support - I actually thought Cyphoidbomb was an admin so am very suprised they're not!, Nonetheless Great candidate, No issues, Good luck! :) -→Davey2010→→Talk to me!→ 19:56, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
5. Support - Per above. Sportsguy17 (T • C) 20:35, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
6. An unfamiliar name, but I went digging through some contribs...there were two edits in particular I came across, removing borderline BLP violations. The communication behind the rationale was superb, showed a great degree of understanding of the spirit of the policy, not just the letter. No red flags in my causal perusal of contribs, so support from me. Daniel (talk) 23:40, 22 March 2014 (UTC)
7. Support Per the answer to Question 3, which is something that more Wikipedians need to follow. Kevin Rutherford (talk) 03:00, 23 March 2014 (UTC)
8. Support obviously. I have to commend you for your contributions in the vandalism, sockpuppetry, and SPI fields. Having the wet mop will benefit all of us here and one has to handed over to you right now. Japanese Rail Fan (talk) 03:20, 23 March 2014 (UTC)
9. Support – I love the answer to question 6; it erased any doubts I might have had! I am One of Many (talk) 04:57, 23 March 2014 (UTC)
10. Support - Net positive to the encyclopedia. NorthBySouthBaranof (talk) 05:07, 23 March 2014 (UTC)
11. Support Jianhui67 05:41, 23 March 2014 (UTC)

Oppose

Neutral