Wikipedia:Association of Members' Advocates/Members/Statements
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The following statements by individual advocates are their own opinions. Nothing stated here has been vetted by the association; it is the member's own statement and the association gives no warranty as to the accuracy of any member's statement (see general Wikipedia:general disclaimer). Please consider your choice of an advocate carefully; note that you are free to contact more than one advocate to discuss your problems with them.
- I started this association within Wikipedia with the hope that we can keep an eye on the dispute resolution process; I am concerned that it has become overly bureaucratic and complex; it may be difficult for anyone to understand its operations and rules. I encourage anyone, including mediators to join our group and I hope we can work together to make Wikipedia a more liveable place in this period when it appeears to becoming more rule laden. If you want to contact me you can email me from my user page, though I do check Wikipedia every few days. I am also an informal advisor to the mediation committee but I see no confict with that and the principles of this association. If you want to contact me directly use my talk page. For private conversations: email: alex756 @ nyc.rr.com Via chat: AIM: AlYourPal56 or via MSN Instant Messenger: AlYourPal56. I am a lawyer in New York City and I work as a pro bono arbitrator in NYC Small Claims Court so I am very well acquainted with informal dispute resolution. I did not start this organization to create a cadre of Wikipedia "legal eagles" to the contrary I want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly in the dispute resolution process so they can have the help of others who are willing to make the process easier to navigate.
- Now I have been elected the Coordinator of the AMA for six months beginning May 1, 2004 as I have been asked to take this task on I am focussing my energies on helping the association, this means I don't have much time to do any advocacy, but I am available to individuals who have difficulty finding an advocate to help them, contact the Coordinator's Desk at the link to the right to leave me a Coordinator related message.
- The thought of being an advocate makes me shiver with joy. Knowing how hard it can be working with some of these hard-headed Wikipedians ;-), I'd be happy to advocate for anyone who wants it.
- Academic lawyer with a background in contentious litigation and IPR, some knowledge of alternative dispute resolution and plenty of enthusiasm for the Wikipedia process. I look forward to helping the project in my own little way. :-)
- I am certainly interested in the concept, since that was the primary reason why I joined the mediation committee :-). I think it is usually best for one to talk to another directly, if that is needed. Unless one is very very very upset, and/or can't express himself clearly enough so to be understood. Then, sometimes, it might be nice to be able to afford a lawyer :-) Perhaps though, having been here longer, I am not as optimistic than Denni; I fear there is not always room for compromise...but we should always try.
- I just joined this association, as I seem to have avoided and dealt well with any issues I have come up with, and thus wish to extend my skills to others. Feel free to contact me on my talk page.
- I would very much like to be able to assist in conflict resolution here. I've read too many dialogs that are such in name only, and which could have been resolved at any number of points in the discussion if cooler heads had prevailed. We have many talented and knowledgeable people freely contributing their time and effort; I believe in this project, and I don't want those people departing because of misunderstanding and hurt feelings. There is always room for compromise.
- Everyone who's asked for my help and followed my advice has had complete success resolving all their problems at Wikipedia. I'm so used to having this unbroken chain of success that I guess I forgot to 'advertise' my services. I'd be honored to help Fluffy with this project! :-)
- I despise most forms of conflict and strive to end them in peaceful ways wherever possible. As long as you seem to be (at least partially) a rational individual, I shall strive to help you with your disputes and end them without resorting to personal attacks or incivility. With any luck the others involved will be rational as well and everything will go well :)
- Most of my contributions to Wikipedia have dealt with generally ignored subjects, so I am interested in fair play. I have been at Wiki for over a year. I have previously served as an advocate on several occasions and I believe that it is in the interest of any user involved in a conflict to avoid, if possible, Requests for Conflict and Request for Arbitration. I have had success in alleviating conflicts before they get that far in the past.
- I offer my services to any Wikipedian who has been defamed and belittled on a talk page or has been the victim of a Wikipedian who disregards the tenets of WikiLove and Wikiquette. I have the right to reject cases that I am not comfortable representing, or in which I have a conflict of interest. You can contact me via my talk page.
- I am happy to have the opportunity to be an advocate for any member, especially in the arbitration process. I feel that when all is said and done I can be an impartial individual who can honestly see the merit in both sides, however slight, and that my involvements in various discussions to date have already exhibited this to be true. I also have an interest in guarding Wikipedia's arbitration system from inappropriate or overbroad remedies or enforcements.
- This entire process of arbitration seems very interesting and also beneficial to me, and perhaps by joining this Office I would have a role in it.
- I like the idea of helping fellow Wikipedians. I can be contacted on my talk page or by email (ludraman@hotmail.com)
- I believe that, as Wikipedia is an open project, everyone should be entitled to some sort of supportive representation before being limited in their participation. I wish to defend Wikipedians against such measures because I think that they run contrary to Wikipedia's purpose. I don't anticipate refusing representation to anyone, but I find it very difficult to defend someone who has consistantly done something wrong enough to warrant limitation.
- I came to the association's page through a user page and found many users I respect among the members. I like the goal of mediating in dispute resolution, so I decided to join.
- I have been involved with wikipedia since 2001, and from what I can glean from various talk: wikipedia: and meta: pages I don't particularly like the direction the community has taken. When you have admins getting at each others throats on a request for deadminship; when admins get involved in NPOV disputes; when admins prosecute, judge, and punish violations of policies they themselves instituted; then you know ordinary users are going to have a hard time and need advocacy. I have seen too many valuable users leave wikipedia as a result of the developing climate, and I don't like it.
- I offer my services as an advocate for anyone involved in conflict on Wikipedia, even if the issue is not currently in mediation or arbitration. Please contact me on my talk page, or by using the "E-mail this user" link. However, I reserve the right to refuse representation and may, in appropriate cases, suggest that you contact another advocate instead.
- My background includes extensive experience in civil conflict and the study, development and implementation of strategies for large-scale change. My practices revolve around a doctrine that personal behavior is not primarily a product of character traits, but rather is a transient result of interpersonal interactions. My observations of this site inform a conclusion that few data entries an individual might submit may effectively disrupt the mechanical construction of the site, but that responses based on emotion-laden perceptions often easily escalate to appear as immutable conflict when people repeatedly act in conflicted situations without modifying their approach. My operational style is often covert and usually involves operations not apparent to the majority of a group. Using an Aikido-oriented style of engagement, I more often attempt to make conflict productive than try to prevent or resolve conflict. For my safety, those seeking or obtaining my assistance often do not recognize that I have engaged and altered the situation in which they are involved.
- Anyplace, anytime, anyone: I will defend you.
- I'm willing to help in any way that I can. I know that sometimes people may get into unpleasant situations here, and I feel that everyone, with very few exceptions, should be able to participate here. I dislike the tendency to play politics against individual users, and realize that at times people may do things that they regret and wish to continue participating.
- I would be happy to help anyone in any way. If you ask for my help, be aware that I will thoroughly research the issue at hand. This might mean that, as your advocate, I might advise you that I think you are in the wrong, and I will not act as advocate for anyone who deliberately misstates facts or whose intention seems to be to abuse any Wikipedian process. Bad faith engenders disputes. That said I will strive to help any editor achieve a satisfying outcome to any problem they may have. I believe consensus can always be reached if all parties make an effort. Contact me on my talk page, or if you wish to contact me in private, email drglenn'AT'dr.com (replace 'AT' with @)
- I am happy to happy to be your advocate. I am currently the advocate of 168. Perl
- This member has decided not to have a member statement. Please contact them for more information.
- I would like to be in the pool of friends/"union reps" to help those going through arbitration. My specialism is political/international articles. I will help people regardless of my own personal politics.
- I'm a law student, so you can think of me as the Wal-Mart of advocates: almost as good, a lot cheaper, and ultimately contributing to capital flight.
- Brilliant. Finding this page brought a thrill of pleasure. I practiced consensus-building for a year in my 30-person living group. When do we get to mediate the AMA/WAC consensus-building session?
- I think this association is a great idea. Most of my time on Wikipedia is spent working on the United States Supreme Court Article Improvement Project. I have not run into much conflict there because most information is factually based and not open to interpretation. However, on times I have strayed from the Project, I have seen many bitter disputes; whether on article talk pages, user talk pages or voting pages. In a community of scholars, I don't think this should occur. I am confident that in every dispute where both/all parties are working in good faith (trying to improve Wikipedia the best they know how) a conclusion can be reached that will satisfy all parties involved. I am a very objective thinker and not easily rattled by personal attacks, so I would like to help others improve Wikipedia by expediting the finding of a solution. I can be contacted by "Email this user" on my user page or directly on my talk page.
- With such an influx of users, this office will become very necessary, I think. I will be glad to have a hand in it.
- I think this is an excellent idea for Wikipedia. I am a member of the Anchorage Youth Court and have taken 27 cases as a defense attorney since January. (That is quite a lot.) I am willing and able to help anyone, although I do have school on weekdays.
- I've been around since 2001, and I'm concerned that Wikipedia's policies are detiorating into (especially) support for unilateral and harsh measures against people that have made mistakes but could become valued contributors. If you're the victim of a misunderstanding or a misapplication of policy (the written policy is often better than the practice), then I am available for help. But I also ask that you be willing to work with other people and consider their concerns. I won't necessarily fight for the biggest win in your current problem, but instead for the outcome that will leave you best able to contribute to Wikipedia as you wish. Contact me at
toby+wpenama@math.ucr.edu. (I sometimes take a few days to respond.)
- I've been around since 2001, and I'm concerned that Wikipedia's policies are detiorating into (especially) support for unilateral and harsh measures against people that have made mistakes but could become valued contributors. If you're the victim of a misunderstanding or a misapplication of policy (the written policy is often better than the practice), then I am available for help. But I also ask that you be willing to work with other people and consider their concerns. I won't necessarily fight for the biggest win in your current problem, but instead for the outcome that will leave you best able to contribute to Wikipedia as you wish. Contact me at
- I join this association with pride.
- Wally here, happy to be of service to all the oppressed and downtrodden peoples of the world, or the couple that exist in this one (a single person can only do so much, eh?). I've been floating around here and there for a little bit now, dabbling in this and that and recently getting myself involved in more contentious debates, enjoying them so much that I felt compelled to sign myself up here. I am not a lawyer and have no legal qualification, but am a skilled debater/orator on the local, state and national level and am told I'm quite good at turning a phrase, which in America (I'm told) is enough. I will gladly take any case that involves unreasonable or contentious deprivation or threatened deprivation of right to free speech, thought or action. For help, visit my talk page.
- I am a little afraid of whether I can do enough to help but having become the brunt of prejudice because of users' ignorance of wiki policies, I would like to help others who might be facing the same kinds of misapplied anger. I'll understand if I am not chosen because of having been called a troll.