Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Itsmejudith

Itsmejudith

Nomination

Voice your opinion (talk page) (33/20/6); Scheduled to end 22:15, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Itsmejudith (talk · contribs) – I've twice offered to nominate Judith for admin before: both times she declined, but thankfully now we have acceptance. The reasons for her change of heart I cannot say, but the reasons to support her should be blindingly obvious. A reasoned, educated voice of common sense, civility and neutrality at WP:FTN, WP:RSN and various other fora, Judith is a solid writer and has exactly the right sort of temperament for the admin role; forthright and reliable while also capable of introspection. She will do well. Moreschi (talk) 22:39, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

Co-nomination by Dougweller: I have been trying to convince Itsmejudith (talk · contribs) to accept Moreschi's nomination for some time now, and I am very pleased that she has agreed. As an article editor she is interested in a wide range of subjects and belongs to four WikiProjects. She is almost frightenly multi-lingual (yes, that does have its uses here), and her membership of the WP:Kindness Campaign is something that perhaps all administrators should consider and emulate. I would have commented on her being a "voice of common sense, civility and neutrality" but I see Moreschi has beaten me to it so I shall refrain from mentioning these admirable traits of hers. Giving her the mop will be an asset to the community.dougweller (talk) 18:06, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here: Accepted. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:11, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

The candidate may make an optional statement here.

Doug, I only speak English and French fluently. I'm currently studying to improve my German, so please anyone feel free to address me in German if you wish. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:11, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

• A SPECIAL REQUEST
  • Kindly do not flood this RFA with 25 extra "optional" questions, as I have seen done recently. The answer to most of these questions, particularly the sillier ones, will usually be found in Judith's contributions if you bother to do your research before jumping towards that "edit" button. RFA is supposed to be a prosperous experience for the candidate no matter which way consensus goes, not some waterboarding-style drip-torture. Moreschi (talk) 22:54, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

Thank you Moreschi. I'm OK about answering further questions, but if they're really silly I may give a flippant answer. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:11, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Questions for the candidate

Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Wikipedia as an administrator. It is recommended that you answer these optional questions to provide guidance for participants:

1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?

A: I'll carry on with many of the tasks that I already do, especially on the noticeboards (reliable sources noticeboard, fringe theories noticeboard, original sources noticeboard, biographies of living persons noticeboard and neutral point of view noticeboard. I'll add the administrators' noticeboard to that, and take action on the issues that arise there. I'll continue to do bits of wikifying from time to time (the backlog continues to grow), to translate the odd article from French, and to work on articles that interest me, mainly on history and social theory. I'd like to do some mediation. Apart from taking up issues brought to the administrators' noticeboard, it might seem like more of the same, but being an admin would mean that I could see issues through, including taking sanctions against editors where there was abuse. I believe I could do that wisely.

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

A: Participating in the wikification project, because that has taken me into areas I wouldn't otherwise have visited. I have usually done much more than just wikify, e.g. completely rewriting, tagging for notability, tagging for experts, whatever the article needs. I haven't started many articles, but those I have I think were needed. Sportswear (no specialist knowledge whatsoever, but I couldn't believe the article didn't already exist). I created a proper History of antisemitism, from what is now the Timeline of antisemitism, and the History of education in England. I'm very proud to have created Stratford Langthorne Abbey, although all I made was a little stub, because it was a great example of wikimagic. Another editor came along soon afterwards and turned it into a proper article and put it onto Did You Know. Another very collaborative experience was in helping get Islam to FA. I rewrote several paragraphs on the history of Islamic civilisation only to see them deleted, but that was fine because the article needed to be shorter and more focussed. A long time ago I rewrote Solar power (now a redirect to Solar energy), splitting the material on solar water heating from that on solar electricity generation. Frankly, it had been a terrible mess, but now there is a series of reasonable to good articles on the related topics.

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: Yes, I've been in numerous conflicts, mainly because I've ventured into controversial topics. The Solar energy page has been bedevilled by conflict between two editors who both in their own ways have a lot to offer to the encyclopedia. I've encouraged them to work together and to participate in a mediation, which was helpful. One experience that helped me to learn about conflict resolution was on the page Hoang Van Chi, started (in Vietnamese) by a newbie. Initially it was a hagiographic account of the subject (a Vietnamese political writer), with some coat-racking advocacy of a position. I did a lot of rewriting and was patient with the newbie. For me the bottom line was that the subject was notable and an NPOV article was in theory possible. I hoped the newbie would be converted to the WP policy of NPOV and stay to contribute to other articles, but unfortunately he didn't. I was also very patient with the now banned sockpuppeteer User:Hkelkar, even after he told me I was "whitewashing antisemitism" when I tried to NPOV an article (again on a political writer, in this case still living). I did eventually and regretfully support Hkelkar's banning.

(Please note that Itsmejudith has said in the General comments section that the answers to Qs 4 - 8 will be expanded upon later. I have also removed Moreschi's 'answers' as they were unhelpful to this candidate's RfA.) RMHED (talk) 04:32, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

NOTE: Please note that User:Itsmejudith has changed her answers to the following questions completely — the original answers can be found in this version.

Optional questions from Aitias

4. Is there any circumstance in which you would delete a page despite a Hangon tag?

A. If the page obviously met the criteria for speedy deletion and it was not likely that the problem could be rectified with more time then I would delete. I would certainly delete if it was an attack page or a BLP violation with no good version to revert to, or a copyvio. Itsmejudith (talk) 12:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

5. What would your personal standards be on granting and removing rollback?

A. I wasn't considering giving out rollback. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:50, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

6. Under what circumstances may a non-free photograph of a living person be used on Wikipedia?

A. If there is no non-free alternative and if fair use can be claimed. The circumstances are rare and the safest procedure is to seek a free use photograph. While illustrations are beneficial to the encyclopedia, copyvio is a serious issue and it is best to err on the side of caution. Itsmejudith (talk) 12:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

7. An IP vandalises a page. You revert the vandalism and give the IP a final warning on its talk page. After that the IP vandalises your userpage. Summarising, the IP was sufficiently warned and vandalised (your userpage) after a final warning. Would you block the IP yourself or rather report it to WP:AIV? Respectively, would you consider blocking the IP yourself a conflict of interest?

A. Yes I would probably block the vandal myself, because a final warning for vandalism had been given. If I thought the vandal was very frustrated I would probably only block for a short period to let them cool off. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:50, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

8. Under what circumstances, if any, would you block a user without any warnings?

A. Only as sock of a banned user, or if it was part of long-term harassment. Warnings are important. Itsmejudith (talk) 22:50, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Q's from flaminglawyer^c

• Please, Moreschi, don't shit on these questions like you did the others. Your comments already have taken my vote from a support down to a neutral. I don't expect you to do anything stupid, since you said you wouldn't in a comment on a !vote, but this is just a reminder.

9. The classic: What's the difference between a ban and a block?

A. The classic answer is that a ban is a social action and a block a technical one. I'm not sure that the distinction is always clear in reality. Usually, a ban is seen as more serious than a block, but that is not really the crucial difference, because a ban may be temporary and may only apply to certain articles. Perhaps the essence is that a block is made against an account (which is where the technical bit comes in) whereas when a ban is made there is an assumption that sockpuppets may be in use: not only is one account blocked but also all potential alternate accounts and IPs of the same person are prevented from editing. There are other differences as to who may apply bans and blocks. In the medium term it would be a good idea to revisit the question of whether both terms should be kept in use. It's essential for our sanctions to be clear. You may want to know something about how I would act in relation to bans and blocks. The answer is that I would usually act in the context of the administrators' noticeboard. I would only take unilateral action in exceptionally clear-cut cases until I was sure that I was able to apply measures in the same way as the most experienced administrators . Itsmejudith (talk) 13:02, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

10. Why do you want to be an admin? i.e., if you had to write a self-nom (without any sarcastic comments inserted by others <clears throat and looks at someone> ), what would it say?

A. Because I think it would enable the encyclopedia to make the best use of the skills and time I am volunteering. I would like to be able to see cases through to their logical conclusions (to the extent that anything here has a logical conclusion). I have a reasonably good legal mind, i.e. I can see a problem in the round, apply the spirit rather than the letter of the rules, and apply lateral thinking in search of compromise. And User:Dougweller and User:Moreschi and others have repeatedly encouraged me to stand, and they are people for whose judgement I have a lot of respect. We all have lapses of judgement sometimes (as you have seen in the way that Moreschi and I messed up on the answers to the question). That is why no one individual should be given too much power. I am actually taking this process seriously and am grateful for your further questions and for being given the opportunity to elaborate on my original answers. But it isn't life and death for me; I know I'm not indispensable, and I know there are lots of other ways I can contribute to the encyclopedia. For example I could stop editing completely and spend more time writing articles in peer-reviewed journals that would then constituteWP:reliable sources. On balance I'd like to keep editing and get adminship either now or eventually. One thing you can be sure of is that the power would not go to my head. Itsmejudith (talk) 13:02, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

General comments

• Links for Itsmejudith: Itsmejudith (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)

---

Please keep discussion constructive and civil. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review Special:Contributions/Itsmejudith before commenting.

It appears that I have walked into a minefield here. I am sorry that my answers to Qs 4 onwards are terse. I am quite willing to expand on them but it will not be until late Tuesday UTC as in real life I will be away on business. And I will elaborate on them as much as people want and answer further questions. Please bear in mind that I did not put in the small font facetious answers. I am standing for admin on the basis of my contributions record and knowing that I meet all the stated criteria for adminship. I do not know every rule like the back of my hand, but I do know the pillars, policies and most of the editing guidelines inside out. I've applied them in complex circumstances. When I need advice I ask for it. I should have said more about my participation in admin tasks; what I can claim is reverting vandalism and warning vandals. As you'll see I'm also a frequent respondent to the noticeboards. Now I'm being advised to withdraw my nom, and all I can see I may have done wrong is to give too brief answers to some questions. I'm not going to do that right now, but will see how it plays out over the next couple of days. Itsmejudith (talk) 00:19, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

I've got computer access now, but not again until Tues pm UTC. I've answered qs 9 and 10. I'm afraid in the time available now I've not got a lot to add to Aitias' qs 4-8. Please remember the following: Moreschi put the RfA live yesterday about 11. He included the Special Request not to add lots of extra qs; with hindsight we should not have allowed that to go in because it coloured the way I approached the question-answering process. I was already worried that came across in a negative way, and therefore added my statement that I didn't mind answering qs. Note that all answers to qs are optional. Aitias added his qs at 23.23 UTC. Moreschi added his facetious answers and then I came along. To be quite honest, these were not the kinds of qs I was expecting. I was expecting to be asked more about my approach and philosophy in the manner of qs 9 and 10, rather than knowledge-testing questions. But at 23.50 UTC (nearly 1 in the morning for me) I added some answers so that there was more there than Moreschi's grumpy comments. By then it appeared that people were voting against or neutral because they disapproved of Moreschi's nom rather than anything to do with me. I added the comment above and went to bed after 1.20 pm. Whether I get through or not, I am definitely going to engage in discussion about how RfA can be improved. Many thanks to everyone participating here for your efforts. Itsmejudith (talk) 13:25, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

It's unfortunate that this was not scheduled for a time when the candidate had better computer access. It is also unfortunate that one of the nominators chose to warn RfA participants to not ask questions. This is much like a panel interview, in that we need to get a very clear view of the candidate. We cannot do it face to face, so questions are all we have. To suggest that we merely rely on reviewing contribs is most unsatisfactory. Cheers, Dlohcierekim 14:50, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Discussion

• Request for a third co-nom Given some of the edits by one of the nominators, I would like one of this candidate's supporters to spend the time to fully vet the candidate as if you were going to nominate her then report back in this discussion section. In particular, point out all the reasons you found to support her, and mention any reasons to oppose and why those reasons are not serious enough to prevent you from nominating her. If you do this right, it will take several hours and I wouldn't expect a reply for another 24-48 hours. I realize this is a very unusual request but current events make it necessary. For the sake of duplication of effort, go ahead and reply "I'll do it" now. First one to sign up gets the task. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs)/(e-mail) 00:20, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
  • You know... I think I'm going to take you up on that offer, unless someone else wants to do it. I said I'd stop nomming users, but I think in this case i can bend my own rules. Wizardman 00:21, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
• To those opposing on NFCC grounds: I respect your logic but feel it is flawed. While we have always needed more admins around to enforce and deal with NFCC issues, a lack of knowledge surrounding NFCC should not be a barrier to adminship unless the candidate states that they wish to work in this area and doesn't know what they're doing. While promotion of those with NFCC knowledge is to be encouraged, and NFCC knowledge is a fine asset for any admin candidate to have, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect the majority of admin candidates to fully grok the highly technical and complicated issues surrounding NFCC. Moreschi (talk) 16:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
• Does anyone else find it odd that this user was able to completely rewrite answers to several questions. The user was effectively told that the answers were entirely wrong and what the answers were, and then was able to rewrite them entirely with no notification that they have been edited. Someone who now comes to this RfA will not see the original answers, which I believe is problematic. I believe the original answers should be indicated above and striken so that new readers will still be aware of them. Oren0 (talk) 18:21, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

I agree with you, Oren0. I have added this note — do you think that's sufficient? — Aitias // discussion 18:33, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

That note is fine except you have refereed to her as a male (him), I think out of courtesy and to be proper that needs to be changed!.--intraining ^{Jack In} 18:56, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Support

1. Looks good. Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 22:23, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
2. Support Good contributions at the noticeboards, clear evidence of positive consensus-building, good contributions to AfD, right attitude about adminship, no obvious reasons to oppose. I strongly suggest that Moreschi delete the thoroughly unnecessary mockery of Q4-Q8; I don't like stock questions either, but those are up to candidates to handle how they see fit. Townlake (talk) 23:13, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   Shrug. I agree it won't help, but it's time someone pointed out - yes, even pointed out - what a ridiculous farce RFA can become. I have no problem with additional questions, but they cannot be boilerplate ones. Stuff like "[Diff] is poor handling of a dispute IMO, in retrospect would you have done anything different" is fine and encouraged. Asking Judith about her rollback standards when she's never shown the slightest interest in granting rollback to anyone is just silly. Moreschi (talk) 23:16, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   While RfA maybe a farce, it's rather unhelpful, and likely harmful, to react or express those sentiments here. Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 23:25, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   (edit conflict) Even if you feel a need to become uncivil and offensive, Moreschi, and call them silly, they help to evaluate two important things: (1) Policy knowledge and (2) the candidate's judgement. — Aitias // discussion 23:27, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   No, they don't. And I am not being uncivil. These are dumb questions, but I never said you did not have the wit to produce better. Clearly you do. Moreschi (talk) 23:34, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   Squash this. Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 23:37, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

3. Support, despite the rather shabby nomination, I see no reason to believe this user would abuse the tools. Lankiveil ^{(speak to me)} 11:58, 12 January 2009 (UTC).
4. Strong Support As I said once before as one of many urging her to go up for RfA: I think anyone who has had the pleasure of reading Itsmejudith's insightful contributions could not help but feel that she would be just the kind of admin that Wikipedia needs. Her contributions to the noticeboards, AfD and many articles show thorough, detailed and intelligent understanding of our intricate and often confusing policies, and courteous, thoughtful and neutral work developing consensus.John Z (talk) 23:42, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
5. Of course - great article writer with clue. Majorly talk 23:44, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
6. Let's see... half-assed answers to the questions that are mostly wrong signifies that adminship is not a big deal to this user, which means that this user's not viewing it as a trophy at all. Ergo, this is a very good candidate. Wizardman 00:02, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   That is possibly the best support rationale I've seen in quite some time (Newyorkbrad at Ice Cold Beer's comes close). Yay for Wizardman. NuclearWarfare _(Talk) 00:22, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   I would have gone the other way and suggested that there is flawed logic afoot, but that is an opinion, I suppose. — neuro^(talk) 02:28, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

7. (EC) Support Great editor, but I don't like how nominator User:Moreschi is handling the RfA. (Especially replying to the questions). LittleMountain5 00:05, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
8. Support. We need more editors with good heads on their shoulders. Despite past conflicts, I think this particular user is at least trying to stay above the fray and is not diametrically opposed to such ideas as WP:MAINSTREAM and Wikipedia:Scientific standards which are my arbitrary criteria for supporting admin candidates. :) ScienceApologist (talk) 00:07, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
9. Support because Judith would be a fine admin from every bit of evidence I've yet seen, and by the way, whether or not the candidate would be a good administrator should be the only thing people are thinking about when they "vote" here. By the way, I like the way Wizardman put it. Thanks, Antandrus (talk) 00:42, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
10. Support. Things seem to be in order - judith has demonstrated ample clue in article and project-space contributions, which I generally value more than her feelings about a {{hangon}} tag. It's unfortunate that many of the opposes seem to concern the nominator rather than the nominee. Itsmejudith would be a fine addition to the admin corps; I recognize that this RfA has not started out well, but I hope it will turn around or, failing that, at least not discourage her excellent participation on Wikipedia. MastCell ^Talk 01:10, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
11. Support. I support the candidate, who is an excellent contributor and would be a sane addition to the admin pool, but I really do not care for the way that this RfA has been conducted. Rje (talk) 02:10, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
12. Support. Parking myself here based on the candidate's phenomenal work on the noticeboards, while I wait for a more proper introduction from Wizardman and others. Shame on you, Moreschi; this is Judith's night to shine, not your night to whine. - Dan Dank55 (send/receive) 02:30, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
13. Support. I reviewed contributions and Itsmejudith seems to do well in contentious subject areas with well thought out contributions. There is sufficient involvement in admin related areas that I am comfortable that she will not use the tools in any way that would prove harmful to the project - I trust her judgment. For me that is sufficient to support an established editor. I find the answers to the questions reasonable and I don't expect expert knowledge of the totality of admin responsibilities. I trust that Judith will find whatever areas of admin she would like to get involved with and become competent as necessary. As an aside I am unhappy the way this RfA is being presented and conducted. This is about Itsmejudith. It is not about making a point. I strongly hope that people will overlook the side dramas and concentrate on evaluating Itsmejudith, not the circumstances of this RfA presentation. --NrDg 03:19, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
14. No indication, through my eyes, that the editor will misuse or abuse the tools. Master&Expert (Talk) 03:23, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
15. Support. My interactions with Judith have generally been positive. Her answers to the questions above indicate a certain common-sensical and non-bureaucratic way of dealing with things. We need more admins with this mindset. --brewcrewer (yada, yada) 03:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
16. Enthusiastically support My experience with Itsmejudith has been, so far as I recall, primarily on the several noticeboards. Her comments have been uniformly well-considered and polite. Checking her contributions reveals no problems that I can find, instead revealing well-balanced attention to sourcing and general conduct becoming of an administrator. I find no indication that Itsmejudith might abuse the tools or be unresponsive to criticism, nor any other reason not to support. - Eldereft (cont.) 04:04, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
17. Support Good luck and thanks for your work so far. Dean B (talk) 04:22, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
18. Support. I think the answers to your questions could be stronger, but you have had solidly good contributions and I believe that policy can be learned. FlyingToaster 05:49, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
19. Support The short answers to #4-6 don't worry me at all. Excellent contributions, good sense, the ability to see the big picture, an admin I'd trust to find a good solution to whatever problem she encounters, including asking more experienced editors for help. This is a collaborative project and we need admins who know their limits and aren't shy to admit when someone else needs to be asked. We need them more than admins who think they already have all the answers. Who cares whether she intends to hand out rollback or not? Besides, if asked for rollback, I'm sure she'd either refer to another admin, or other admins might even jump in on their own, given that several of them will probably be watching her talk page. Ditto with page deletions. Not everyone has to do everything themselves. If given the choice, I'd rather uncork my wine with a butler's friend and slice my bread with a bread knife, rather than doing everything with one Swiss Army knife. Anyway, good luck! ---Sluzzelin talk 06:06, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
20. Support Great candidate. --Folantin (talk) 08:41, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
21. Support, has been very helpful at WP:PNT. We should judge the candidate, and not the nominator. I really don't see that she will screw up big time as an admin.Lectonar (talk) 09:07, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
22. Trustworthy candidate, good contributions. No reason to think tools will be used poorly. Kusma (talk) 10:19, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
23. Support, you have excellent knowledge as demonstrated by your contributions, but I think you shot yourself in the foot by taking this process too lightly. Have you spent time at WP:RfA before? I'd suspect that anyone who has will notice the process is brutal, and making a joke of it inevitably kills the RfA. —Cyclonenim (talk · contribs · email) 11:02, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
24. Cliché, yes, but I thought she was an admin. The easiest way to resolve this would be to make her an admin. Her work at the reliable sources and fringe theories pages has always impressed. Seems to me that Itsmejudith gets the big picture: Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a game of nomic or an MMORPG. That's really all I need to see. Angus McLellan (Talk) 11:09, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
25. Support. Itsmejudith is an excellent, levelheaded candidate. Some of the oppose votes are making wish I could vote twice. --Akhilleus (talk) 13:53, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
26. Support. I trust Itsmejudith. I have seen nothing to make me doubt that Itsmejudith will use the tools in anything other than a considered manner and that if she ever decides to work in areas she is currently unsure about she will take steps to understand them before actually doing anything. Nancy ^talk 14:00, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
27. Support Some of the oppose votes seem to be opposing not because of actions taken or statements made by the editor in question, and I would hope whoever closes struck such opposes from consideration. Also, adminship is no big deal.Verbal chat 14:46, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
28. Support. This is about the candidate, not the nominator. I see great work, lots of clue, willingness to wade into areas most admins run away from, and maturity. Some mistakes were made with this RfA - Moreschi's inexcusable behavior for one; timing (don't schedule RfAs when you have to say, "I'm busy for the next few days") - but per Sluzzelin, I think we can trust the candidate with the admin tools. Tan | 39 15:10, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
29. Support per Tan, -Sluzzelin, -NrDg, and John Z It's a pity that those who pushed the candidate to run did not do a better job of preparing her. The instruction by the nominators to refrain from asking questions is most unsatisfactory. Be that as it may. The answer to 10, while expanisve, seems off the track and unclear. The answer to 9 does not show a good understanding of the difference betweena a ban and a block. The other answers are acceptable to me. Review of user talk contrib does not show anything alarming. Saw a smattering of successful deletion tags. I would have preferred greater strength in admin related areas. However, the candidate seems reasonsable and unprone to rashness. Her work as a builder of articles and in working toward consensus, in seeking to de-escalate conflict show her to be be clueful. If she focuses on developing and acting on consensus, and is not overly bold in acting on discussions at WP:AN/I, then she should be OK. It's a pity that some of the oppose comments have been so caustic. Dlohcierekim 15:36, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

    Oops, also needs to deepen NFCC knowledge, though I think she would be unlikely to flood the 'pedia with NFC. Dlohcierekim 17:08, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

30. Weak SupportThe candidate has tenure, contributions and usually sufficient clue to earn my support. The answers to questions are not ideal, however I'm going to take AGF that she will only use tools after genning up on appropriate policies. WereSpielChequers 15:49, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
31. Support, Easy one for me - I ask myself, will this user abuse the tools? NO, Is this user going to help the project? YES, That's enough for me.--intraining ^{Jack In} 16:25, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
32. Support as candidate has never been blocked and has received numerours barnstars. Plus, a fellow member of the Kindness Campaign.  :) Best, --A Nobody^{My talk} 17:30, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
33. This user has always struck me as thoughtful and prudent; to borrow a phrase from carpentry, a user who will "discuss twice, edit once". In my mind these types of users are not likely to impulsively perform admin tasks that they don't understand, but rather are the type we can trust with the tools. Baccyak4H (Yak!) 17:41, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Oppose

1. Oppose - Candidate seems thoughtful, but checking the contribution history I see no participation in admin areas - and while some might view that as a plus, I do not, at least not when it's this bare. Secondly, the answer to question 1 is...well..unsatisfactory when it comes to the tools. Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 22:47, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   This is factually incorrect. Judith often participates in various discussions, such as those arising at WP:FTN, where use of the tools is needed and done (usually by myself, but the point of this RFA is to get others in on the act). She is a frequent participant at RSN: when lying about sources is discovered there, as it often is, admin action is appropriate. She has much experience in admin areas and much experience in observing use of the tools in the areas she works in; she has seen well what works and what doesn't. Moreschi (talk) 23:02, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   I will take a closer look at recent discussions and revisit - but I'm still not convinced that admin involvement is necessary at the level you are intimating at said noticeboards. Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 23:22, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   In any case, I would like to point out that her answers to contentious and difficult questions at the noticeboards etc, (which are usually accepted by all there) show that Judith knows policy and guidelines, particularly some of the ones requiring the most work and best judgement, like RS, very, very well.John Z (talk)

   Who cares? Admins can learn on the job.--Patton^t/c 18:11, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

2. Oppose Answers to questions all Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7 and Q8 provide undeniable evidence of a complete lack of policy knowledge. — Aitias // discussion 22:57, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   I'd imagine that per the nomination statement, all were jokes. Next to the questions, in small font, he wrote answers. Perhaps he just isn't taking RfA seriously, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your POV. NuclearWarfare _(Talk) 23:01, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   No, I wrote the answers in the small font. I'm afraid I cannot take questions like these seriously. Q4 has a really obvious answer (you don't delete pages with {{hangon}} unless the page is clear vandalism), Q5 is irrelevant to this candidate, Q6 requires intricate knowledge of copyright law (well, it's nice if admins have this but it is most certainly not required), Q7 has a trivially obvious answer which Judith gave, Q8 ditto. What are you trying to accomplish here? Moreschi (talk) 23:02, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   What are you trying to accomplish? Your interference will likely derail this rfa. --Stephen 23:27, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   The only thing that derails an RFA are the people who oppose it. Majorly talk 23:45, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   That's not entirely true. Opposers FAIL RFAs. Derailment is something diverted from its current course. In essence, any event or users can, in fact, derail an RFA. A sockpuppet, incivility, lapse in judgment and even a co-nom, can influence the decisions of the !voters, effectively derailing it. ^Law _shoot! 07:09, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   Um, I'd argue that for Q4, there are other reasons for deleting a page with a hangon tag (G10, G12 and possibly G11 spring to mind), and there are other reasons for indeffing an account on the spot (Q8). I'm not going to oppose at this time, mainly because the user's contributions are good, but the answers make me uneasy. Black Kite 00:11, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   Seriously. The user shouldn't of even considered it. It was either an intentional annoyance/vandalism attempt, or just the user is just being a smart-aleck to the questions, acting like a know-it-all, or mabye it was an intentional mistake. But this user is an admin, which really questions me. K50 Dude ROCKS! 00:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

3. Oppose for inadequate responses to optional questions --Stephen 23:28, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
4. Oppose - While I respect both of the co-noms, the answers to questions become quite sloppy from Q4 onward. Or in other words, per Aitias. --Dylan620 (Contribs) 23:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
5. Oppose for now Is this Judith's RFA or the nominators Soap Box? Another person's RFA is not the place for a nominator to develop additional evidence that RFA is broken. It is, most of us know that but until we find something better this is all we have and we need good administrators. Whilst I absolutely agree that a potential administrator should not be lambasted with ridiculous questions, or nit-picked on one or two indiscretions of months ago - would the nominator please allows us (that's the !voters) to give due weight to whether additional questions are silly or not and then vote accordingly. Judith please note I will revisit this RFA in a day or two so as to fully consider your suitability. Best wishes.--VS ^talk 23:47, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   Alright, alright. I've made my point, I believe, and quite clearly something has been proved. I'll wash my hands of this RFA for now, let the chips fall as they may, and come back later to pick up the issues outstanding. Moreschi (talk) 23:49, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   [EC] I will Moreshi - thank you for your reconsideration. Back in a day or two.--VS ^talk 23:51, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

6. Weak Oppose for now. (ec x2) I don't like the way this RFA has been handled so far; answers to optional questions are quite terse and choppy. I'm really hungry right now, so I'm going to get something to eat before I take the time to really dig into the candidate's contributions, but my initial thought is a weak oppose, although I would not be surprised if I end up switching to support. Useight (talk) 23:51, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
7. Oppose - Terse answers to questions indicate a likely lack of policy knowledge. — neuro^(talk) 23:55, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   Usually nominators don't bother me, but the nominator's actions on this RfA, at least in my mind, have been largely for the worse. — neuro^(talk) 02:31, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

8. Oppose Per VirtualSteve and here's a question for you is this Judith's RFA or Moreschi's, I mean there are answers to every question written by him/her and almost every oppose has a comment by Moreschi. It just bugs me.--Iamawesome800 00:04, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
9. Weak Oppose because your answers to the optional questions make me a little nervous. There are times which you will need to delete a page with a {{hangon}} on it. If you aren't working with rollback, don't answer the question. Questions 7 is correct 100% and 8 is mostly correct too. I am not saying you'll be a bad admin, I'm just nervous that you will go someplace like rollback just "to explore it" and make a critical mistake... K50 Dude ROCKS! 00:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   But what would a "critical mistake" with rollback look like? All administrative actions are reversible. Problem admins aren't those who make "critical mistakes", but rather those without the judgement or self-awareness to recognize and correct their mistakes. I'm not trying to badger people here, but what's wrong with the answer to Q5? MastCell ^Talk 01:15, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   Weak Oppose. I don't take an issue with Moreshi's flippant responses to questions; I don't think a RfA should ever be sunken by a nominator and I largely ignore everything except for the nominee (except in extreme cases). However, comment that she would give "flippant answers" to questions scares me. What if a new user asks you a similarly "stupid" question? Responses like those given above can quite easily drive well-meaning users away from the project, which is exactly what we do not want to happen. However, Itsmejudith is very obviously quite the impressive admin candidate, so I can only weakly oppose. DARTH PANDA^{duel • work} 01:34, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   Following her new answers and her complete lack of drama-inducing BITE-y ness in responding to the opposers' concerns, I am now considering supporting. The willingness to fix past errors is definitely a positive. I will revote later. Thanks. DARTH PANDA^{duel • work} 14:45, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   If the editor was a new one with a genuine question, I'm positive Judith would answer them. To suggest she wouldn't because she didn't answer the template ones very well above is simply ridiculous. The two situations are simply incomparable - one is a genuine new person who honestly wants to find out the answer to something; the other is a regular editor posting template question, like this is some sort of test, and who knows the answer already. Majorly talk 01:40, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   What if there was a longtime editor who asked an extremely idiotic question? I really cannot look past even the possibility of a snide answer; wouldn't it be better to WP:AGF and just answer those questions fully even though they're templated? I agree that the number and type of questions are getting obscene, but not answering them to the fullest extent of the candidate's capabilities is and insult to the candidate herself. If she can answer these questions so brilliantly, why doesn't she? DARTH PANDA^{duel • work} 02:14, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   As she states above, she can't expand on her answers til Tuesday night. I'd just note that Judith just said that she might give a flippant answer to a "really silly" (not stupid) question, indicating nothing but honesty in my book. Intentionally silly joke questions are not unknown, and not a bad thing at our RfA waterboarding. She didn't actually give a flippant answer to a real question. As everyone who has seen her in action knows (the supports are mostly from such people, while none of the opposes seem to be) she is conspicuously and genuinely polite and good-faith-assuming, so this is a very unfortunate impression.John Z (talk) 04:25, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

10. Sadly obvious oppose: The answers to questions, especially #4 and #6, indicate a stark lack of policy knowledge. You can never "think of any" circumstance where you'd delete a page with a hangon tag? Attack page, copyvio, random scribbles, the hangon tag has been on the page for a long time, in any of these cases you wouldn't delete the page just because of the tag? Also, it feels a tad like this user is being pushed into an adminship that the user might not even want. Almost nothing listed in Q1 requires the tools and the fact that the nom seems to feel the need to "defend" the admin from each question is troubling. Oren0 (talk) 02:30, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

    Note that everything about these questions has changed since I originally opposed. My oppose still stands, and the original version which contains the problematic answers can be found here. Oren0 (talk) 18:19, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

11. Oppose - I am not convinced that the candidate has an adequate knowledge of policy. The answers to questions 4-6, for example, show a lack of thought around policy issues. TerriersFan (talk) 03:11, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
12. Oppose: I am concerned about the answer to Q4. Copyright violations and attack pages don't deserve consideration. These types of articles are a liability and the 'hangon' tag need not stop the clock. Great edits, and great editor. It's not even matter of memorizing policy, just a few glances should improve your answers. ^Law _shoot! 07:15, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
13. Weak Oppose per Atias. Your answers to the subsequent questions either demonstrate a disturbing lack of policy knowledge or a rushed attitude - neither of which are a good thing IMO for an admin. I also agree that there are many, many times that speedy deletion can be done with a hang-on tag in place. Pedro :  Chat  07:49, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

    Changing to weak oppose. Some of the felshed out answers are better, but I think it's easier to go from the initial response rather than answers based on suggestion brought up in subsequent discussion. I think you should have just not answered straight away rather than rushed the job. However many in support make some good points as well, so a weak oppose. Pedro :  Chat  16:03, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

14. Oppose Sorry, but per the answers to Aitias' questions, I don't have confidence in your understanding of policy knowledge. In the cases of a hangon tag, yes, it's generally polite to hang on if the page is not a copyright violation, attack page, blatant advertising, clear nonsense. Remember that a hangon tag can be abused as well; it does not give a guarantee that the page will be kept. As for non-free images, those may only be used when there is no free equivalent, so in the case of BLPs, such images can be used exceptionally rarely because there is usually a free image obtainable. Not knowing this (what I consider) basic admin policy knowledge, I don't think adminship is appropriate for you at this time, sorry. Best, PeterSymonds (talk) 09:04, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
15. Oppose Lack of admin-related experience. Epbr123 (talk) 12:44, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
16. Oppose The answers Itsmejudith have given are short on detail, and as others have mentioned they seem to demonstrate a lack of understanding of policy, the most obvious being the hangon and NFCC questions. The interjections by Moreschi, apart from being entirely inappropriate, have derailed the process, and have made it appear to myself that he is making up for the lack of knowledge of policy on Itsmejudith by deriding perfectly legitimate questions. It is our right as a community to know whether Itsmejudith will grant rollback rights, and under what circumstances. This process is not about Moreschi and how he would answer the questions, but about whether we as a community feel comfortable in granting Itsmejudith admin rights. A firm and swift "Thanks Moreschi, but I will answer the questions asked of me myself" from Itsmejudith would have been entirely appropriate, and would have shown one of the main qualities that I feel an admin should have; independence and a willingness to answer legit questions asked of them. At this stage, given this, I don't believe Itsmejudith is ready for adminship. --Russavia ^Dialogue 13:16, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
17. Oppose due to lack of understanding of policies. The answer to question 6 is of particular concern, as it mixes up the concept of copyright with the Wikipedia fair use policies. And non-free images of living people are (almost) never permitted. Stifle (talk) 13:44, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
18. Oppose - I stopped reading after question 4. Jauerback^dude?/_dude. 14:52, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
19. I'm well aware that the initial answers to the questions were jokes; however, this demonstrates to me the precisely wrong attitude for a potential admin. The air of "anyone who's anyone already knows this candidate's the tops" gives a cabalish and clique-ish feel, which is exactly what we're trying to dispel. The questions, both stock and from other users, are intended to help those that are unfamiliar with the candidate to help vet their positions and abilities, and it was highly inappropriate for both the candidate and nominator to ridicule them so. GlassCobra 16:17, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
20. Oppose per lack of policy understanding, flippant attitude and constant interference by the nominator, who should know that the one thing that will definitely derail an RfA is a nominator or candidate who consistently badgers opposition and takes the attitude (as GlassCobra so eloquently puts it) of suggesting that anyone 'in the know' is aware the candidate is excellent and any suggestions to the contrary are simply the result of people not doing their research properly. I appreciate he'll probably come up with some reply to this, further enforcing my point. Ironholds (talk) 17:56, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Neutral

1. Neutral. As a protest against ridiculous standards at RfA I am no longer supporting candidates with more than 3,500 edits. Bureaucrats, please interpret this as a Strong Support when closing this RfA. BTW, you seem like a really good candidate though - lots of participation in difficult areas. RyanGerbil10(Four more years!) 23:49, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

   If you support the candidate, just support them; empty gestures in RfAs are not the best way to affect change in the system.Template:O rly EVula // talk // ☯ // 00:52, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   This vote is very much trying to prove a point.--Iamawesome800 01:43, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   Yes, but it isn't disruptive, so there's no reason to point that out. EVula // talk // ☯ // 02:56, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   I've decided to take the reins as RfA's resident crazy person. The position has a long history on Wikipedia, so it would be a shame to let it go vacant. I'm not trying to be disruptive, which is why I'm voting neutral, but this is how I really feel and I'm sticking to it. RyanGerbil10(Four more years!) 04:02, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   I dunno. You have a hard task ahead of you. Have you been through WP:RfARCP school and do you know guideline X7 for our RCP's? You have to make RfA's mainly about you and your vote with violent arguments about your right to make it, causing a completely random, but decisive distribution of votes for or against the puny proposed administrator Hope you have what it takes.John Z (talk) 04:56, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   I have no experience in crazy-person-related activities, I'm afraid... RyanGerbil10(Four more years!) 07:14, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

2. Neutral per VirtualSteve. I don't really like to use it, but he sums up my views pretty effectively. Also, this RfA has been started off pretty badly; it would be better if you withdrew and immediately (or not) resubmitted it. NuclearWarfare _(Talk) 23:55, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
3. Neutral I wish this editor was as razor-sharp with her optional questions as her namesake was with Holophernes. The too-casual approach to many of the questions raises concerns that make it difficult to offer support at the moment. Nonetheless, a fine editorial history cannot be overlooked, hence my deposit in this camp. Ecoleetage (talk) 01:09, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
4. Neutral (but I would have been a support) Choose your nominators more carefully next time. This time, you're screwed because of a bad choice. I don't fully blame this on the nominee, but I'm guessing that since you know Moreschi well enough to let him/her nom you, you would know that s/he would do something like this. But it's a possibility that this is a first, so I don't fully blame you. flaminglawyer^c 02:16, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

   Comment This seems to becoming more about Moreschi than about the candidate. She saw my RfA, where Moreschi nominated me, go through with no drama. She asked me to nominate her, I pointed out that Moreschi had suggested it first. Please folks, focus on the candidate and not Morechi's comments. And almost every candidate (and this might even apply to Admins) has strengths and weaknesses, focus on the strengths. And now that she has seen some of the responses, give her a chance to flesh out their comments. dougweller (talk) 12:07, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

5. Neutral per FlamingLawyer. While Moreschi's comments are somewhat amusing, I'll sit on my hands on this one.--Wehwalt (talk) 03:22, 12 January 2009 (UTC)
6. Neutral - Sorry, it's way to early in the morning, I might be half asleep, is the co-nom trying to kill this RfA? I'll come back later, coffee time. — Realist² 03:51, 12 January 2009 (UTC)