Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2004/Candidate statements: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:47, 15 November 2004

Revision as of 02:51, 15 November 2004

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Members of the Arbitration Committee should see the bigger picture and better distinguish between users mucking up Wikipedia with inane rubbish and users dedicated to writing a serious, quality encyclopedia. As an active user since December 2002 (see list of [[Wikipedia:List of Wikipedians by number of edits|list of most active on all namespaces]]), administrator since May 2003 [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/wiki.phtml?title=Wikipedia:Administrators&diff=913061&oldid=912977] (making me as of now the second most senior admin in this field of candidates behind only Sannse), and main author of a few featured articles, I can see this big picture; and my user history clearly demonstrates a commitment to making this into a viable encyclopedia and to fighting for scholarly standards on Wikipedia.

As of now, arbitration seems to focus too much on personality instead of the merit of the edits and too much on policy instead of process. This is what I want to change. As an arbitrator, I'd favor focusing on the accuracy and constructiveness of the edits in question-- as opposed to the personalities-- to the greatest extent possible ''within the framework of the established norms, rules and procedures of the committee''.

Wikipedia is no longer the small community it once was, but rather an increasingly complex and cumbersome, occasionally haphazard organization of thousands of users, with some users finding themselves in many different niches; unfortunately, cranks and trolls seem to understand this better than some sitting members of the arbitration committee. Too often trolls gain considerable sympathy by playing "victim." I worry that the systems in place to resolve disputes, like the arbitration, are perhaps actually exacerbatingArbitration themCommittee.0

To correct this, we need to make institutions like the Arbitration Committee and the Foundation closer and more accessible to the active writers and editors. My membership will help accomplish this; I don't see myself as a 'Wiki policy expert' or some Wiki 'committee member' but rather as someone who has volunteered a lot of time to making Wikipedia into a credible online sourcebook. If we don't bridge this gap as soon as possible, institutions like the Arbitration Committee are doomed to become settings for elite cabals completely detached from the purpose of the project: producing an encyclopedia.

I welcome any questions on [[User talk:172|my talk page]]. [[User:172|172]] 02:29, 15 Nov 2004 (UTC)