User talk:LaRevolution

Yes, this is all very nice, but I think you are mistaken about what Wikipedia's goals were and are. They were always to create an encyclopedia equal to or better than Britannica. The openness and community are just a means to that end, not the end itself. Also mass spamming user pages is not an encouraged practice. - SimonP 15:43, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The best venue for this sort of discussion is the English Wikipedia mailing list, where these sorts of debates are common. I would suggest posting there, where it will be read by hundreds. Mass messaging users will simply annoy them, becuase many people do consider unrequested bulk messages to be spam. - SimonP 15:52, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What, precisely, has the "bureaucracy" of Wikipedia done to get in the way of writing an encyclopedia? And how are you planning on reforming Wikipedia? The thing is, as SimonP said above, we are trying to rival Britannica. That's the whole point. What is it you thought we're all here to do? JDoorj a m Talk 15:49, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, first of all, articles are discussed in AfD by anyone who'd like to talk about them, so deletions are a community decision. It's true: administrators literally do the deleting. But it's a community decision. They're not based on "whims and arbitrary decisions," but on discussions on the merits of articles. You make it sound as though the "edit this page" button has been removed from Wikipedia. It's still the encyclopedia anyone can edit.

You're arguing that we should give everyone administrative power? I don't think you're clear on the roles administrators play. If everyone had the ability to block and unblock users, and delete and undelete articles, it would be sheer chaos. It would be detrimental to the project, and nothing could get done. It sounds to me as though you tried getting articles published on a certain topic, it didn't work out, and now you're trying to change how the entire project works to get your favorite topic into the encyclopedia. (And part of me strongly suspects you're a sockpuppet for TJWhite anyway.) JDoorj a m Talk 16:05, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ah. So you're saying people shouldn't have all the abilities of administrators, but that deleting/undeleting should be available to everyone. Are there particular examples of where havingsuch a policy in place would have, in your estimation, improved the operation of Wikipedia? That's where you're losing me. And sockpuppetry isn't merely contrary to convention; it's usually rather frowned upon (though more in situations where it's being used to simulate multiple voices). Why not simply use your original user account? Why the masked bandit approach? When your Contribs say that all you've done is try to start a "revolution", it really doesn't give you much credibility. Instead, I'm afraid you come off as a troll. JDoorj a m Talk 16:21, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Reform

Wikipedia began as an open effort to create an encyclopedia of the people, by the people, for the people. Sadly, its bureaucracy has put an end to those goals. To this end, we must promote a peaceful revolution to reform it. We must eliminate the undue influence of certain people and remake Wikipedia as a people's encyclopedia. We, the reformers, are led by TJWhite who endured only briefly before suffering an indefinite block. Visit his user page to see our ideology, roughly outlined. I for one do not condone his call to vandalism. Instead, by using the power of the people, we can reform wikipedia. Join us to recreate an encyclopedia where all are equal; an encyclopedia that does not strive to become Brittannica, but rather seeks to be a one of kind encyclopedia for all of the people of the world. Please pass this message in some form to as many people as you can. Secondly, petition for the unblock of TJWhite, the one who began our glorious movement. Finally, link to his page from your user page and express your sentiments for reform on your page. Thank You, fellow wikipedians. LaRevolution 15:20, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Excuse me, LaRevolution, but everybody can indeed become an administrator in Wikipedia and delete/undelete/block ... etc. You simply have to earn the trust of fellow Wikipedians. What "bureaucracy" were you talking about ? Also, we all have to play by Jimbo's rules here. "A people's encyclopedia ?" This is his turf. If you don't like Jimbo's rules, well, you can always move to User:Fred Bauder's http://wikinfo.org/ or User:NSK's http://wikinerds.org/, etc. If you / User:TJWhite really want to start a movement to improve Wikipedia, please discuss your ideas at the Village Pump, instead of posting notices on encyclopedic articles. BTW, you may want to read Wikipedia:Sock puppetry. -- PFHLai 20:05, 25 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]