User:MattieTK/AC

Note: Won't be making many edits for a while. May have carpal tunnel syndrome, so i'm laying off it a bit. Mattie^TK 21:44, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Lesson 1

Please find for me the template that lists the principles of en.wiki and subst it at the top of this page.

Lesson 2

Please state why you want to be an administrator. Also, please answer the standard admin questions as best as you can. The answers will probably change as you experience more areas.

1. What sysop chores do you anticipate helping with? Please check out Category:Wikipedia backlog and Category:Administrative backlog, and read the page about administrators and the administrators' reading list.

I primarily wish to become more directly involved with vandal fighting, user disputes and the AfD/CSD process. I have had a lot of experience dealing with vandals and have even managed to turn some of them around to actually benefiting the encyclopedia themselves[1]. I anticipate eventually moving into more areas after gaining advice and confidence from other administrators though for the most part I would be a CSD and AIV contributor.

2. Of your articles or contributions to Wikipedia, are there any with which you are particularly pleased, and why?

Having had little article editing experience my most favoured contributions have to be those assisting other users. I love user-interaction and it's a real joy to see someone progress from what you've given them - whether it is a friendly warning or comment, information on the project or advice about where and how they can chip in.

3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or do you feel other users have caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?

I have had conflicts over editing - thankfully where there is usually a clear cut victor - and have always resolved them quickly and diplomatically. I anticipate administrative duty will only bring me into more conflict with users who wish to contest blocks or deletions - and again i plan to handle them in the same way, referring to policy and consensus when need be.

Lesson 3

What are your wiki interests? What articles, projects, etc do you like to work on the most? Are you a guy or a gal?

My interests on the wiki have to be in any article I become involved in; although this is usually not in the typical "editing" sense, but correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, fixing links and clearing vandalism. I tend to follow new editors around the site, helping them with their first few contributions, and welcoming them using WP:FRIENDLY. I try to leave helpful edit summaries so users who get something wrong in the first instance can learn from their mistake. I must admit I am very tough on obvious vandals, but they're not generally the ones to contact me. Anyone who messages me who edited an article in good intent always recieves and prompt and polite response indicating any errors made on my part, if there are serious problems with their edit, and how they could improve so as to not get (mistakenly) caught again. To answer your second question; I'm a guy, although many people often think I come across as a girl, particularly on the internet. I'm studying English Literature, Biology, Chemistry and Physics at A level and as of yet do not feel sufficiently confident as to make edits to these areas - particularly as there are so many professionals in these fields editing wikipedia as it is. As such, I often get myself involved in internet based articles, particularly those I have heavy involvement in, though I try to keep WP:CONFLICT to a minimum consistantly writing in a factual tone. Mattie^TK 14:49, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Lesson 4

List all the tools admins there are. Describe a circumstance where an admin should not use them, despite a valid issue existing.

There are several answers depending on which tool you pick. Some are obvious and some I wouldn't expect you to get at this point.

Lesson 5

Look over the deletion debates page. Summarize which ones you've participated in as a nominator and an !voter. Do you consider yourself a deletionist or inclusionist?

Lesson 6

How are Good Articles different than Feature Articles? Where does Peer Review fit into the article life-span process?

Lesson 7

What is cascading protection? Can it be set by an Admin? A user comes to Request for Page Protection saying an IP-vandal has been attacking a page and requests semi-protection. You see that IP 256.256.256.256 is vandalizing the page. When should you not semi-protect the page.

You only need to answer the non-trick part of it:

A user comes to Request for Page Protection saying an IP-vandal has been attacking a page and requests semi-protection. You see that IP 256.256.256.256 is vandalizing the page. When should you not semi-protect the page.

Don't worry though if you can't, its not a trick, but its also not an obvious answer.

Cascading protection is full protection on a page that then, also, automatically extends the protection to any page that is transcluded within it. It is usually only used on the administrative side of wikipedia to protect high level pages such as the main page. Administrators have the power to set cascading protection. In the above case semi-protection should only be set temporarily, and only if the vandalism does not just constitute a WP:COI. Other than that I can't see any reason why, if the situation is exactly as described, and there are no other problems that have not been noted, the page cannot be protected. Mattie^TK 18:02, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Lesson 8

Is the Administrator's Noticeboard and Administrator's Noticeboard/Incidents on your watchlist? It should be. Despite the name, non-admins are welcome to contribute to discussions they understand.

Lesson 9

One thing I've taken an interest in is Template:Editabuselinks. Do you use any of the noticeboards regularly? Most of them do not require admin tool to work on. Some like Reliable Sources and Fringe Theories can require lengthy investigations. Others like 3RR are more fastpaced. Its all about finding the right fit for you.

Lesson 10

Who can warn an administrator? Who can block an admin? What editing policies may admins violate?

Lesson 11

Skim over the Durova Arbcom. Why was she right in checking with others off-wiki before acting? Why does a confirmation bias make even off-wiki double-checks risky? Even though others did not oppose her off-wiki, who was ultimately responsible? Arb cases get requested (and clarifications and admendments) here: Wikipedia:RFAR. Rejected cases get archived here: Wikipedia:Requests_for_arbitration/Rejected_requests. Listing of cases that were accepted is here: Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Completed requests (click on the link to see the main case page). The Durova main case page is here: Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/Durova

Lesson 12

Do you use IRC or the Mailing Lists? Do you have EmailUser enabled? Do you realize that sending an email through the EmailUser interface discloses your email? Are you aware of this incident? It did happen in real life as described. (Basic privacy questions). Send me an email. If you use IRC, we can chat there.

I believe we've already had correspondence by email :). I'm aware that using EmailUser reveals your own address. I am an IRC addict, though I am very concerned about my anonymity online and therefore do not connect to freenode that often, except through SSH tunnels. I'm working on getting myself a masked host, or a bouncer - which I will be ordering soon anyway. See you there :) Mattie^TK 14:53, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Lesson 13

Apply for rollback rights if you don't already have it. Do you use any tools such as: Twinkle, NewPageWatcher, AutoWikiBrowser, popups, and VandalProof? If you don't use Firefox, I reccommend downloading it just for Wiki-work. Many tools and scripts only work in FF.

Lesson 14

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Newpages&hidepatrolled=1&hidebots=1&limit=500&offset=0 , click on "show" in 'Show patrolled edits' and just look it over. You may find an article that appears to be a conflict of interest. A big clue is a user name that is nearly the same as the article title. Then go to WP:COIN and pick a COI case and tell me what you think should happen, give a link.

The standard format (from WP:COIN) is:

• Describe the dispute using the following format:

* {{article|article name}}

* {{userlinks|username}} - brief explanation ~~~~

Lesson 15

What is an open proxy? They are banned by the Foundation. What commonsense technical reason are they banned for?

A proxy is a server that allows connections to be made through it. An open proxy is a proxy server that is open to the public. They are banned for the obvious reason that they can be easily used maliciously to make edits without having the IP revealed (and as such blocks of that particular user cannot be made). Considering legitimate users can create an account or use a private proxy if they are worried about their privacy it would be much better to block these in my opinion (and that of the community, obviously). Mattie^TK 14:56, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Lesson 16

Please go to Special:Newpages and welcome ~75 users who have red-linked usernames using Friendly. This exercise has two purposes. One, a lot of admining is doing repetitive tasks that no one ever notices. Two, when you welcome a user, they're likely to come to you if they need help or have a problem. Its a great way to help out and build experience.

Lesson 17

Go visit the Help desk. Try and find an unanswered issue that you know the answer to, jump in and solve a problem.

Lesson 18

Review Wikipedia:Autoblock. This is one of the most common mistakes an admin makes. In our haste to block an obvious vandal, we may kill off a corporate gateway or a dynamic IP. If you need to block quickly, remember to leave enough of an explanation that another Admin can figure out if its a real Autoblock issue or just a user trying to evade a block.

Lesson 19

Read Wikipedia:Administrators open to recall. You will get this question at an RfA. You will need to give a yes or no answer. You will be judged on your answer, regardless of which way you go. It's unfair that you will get an Oppose regardless of your answer, but its part of the process.

Lesson 20

Review our policy on Office Actions. Pay close attention to who can perform Office Actions. If you feel the need to undo any admin action by someone on that list, its almost always better to ask at AN than to do it yourself. Take a look at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents/My desysop of Zscout370. There was no wheel war here by the conventional definition. It was more of an action by Jimbo in his role as founder. Just like I wouldn't do an unblock of a user Raul654 did without checking AN, there is something to the idea that we don't always know the whole story and others who do things like checkuser, OTRS, oversight, etc, probably do. At the same time, remember WP:IAR and that admins aren't always perfect.

Lesson 21

What is the difference in a block and a ban? What types of bans are there? The difference in a block and a ban is probably the most common misunderstandings on wiki.

A block is a technical emergency measure that prevents a problem user or compromised account from editing the wiki. It can never be used for "cooling off" an angry user— only when there are no options but to prevent the editor from contributing, such as in the case of 3RRs, persistent vandalism, persistent, willful copyright infringement, and nonstop incivility. Blocks are set by administrators.

A ban means you are no longer permitted to edit Wikipedia. I don't know whether it is also technical or if one can still edit but is simply not allowed to, but it does not happen often. Unlike blocks, which can be set by any admin, Bans can only be inflicted by the ArbCom and Jimbo.

Note

Take your time. You'll need to get your edit count up to at least 3000 or so, plus work in admin areas, before you have expect to have an RFA succeed. This will take a few months.