2017 Arbitration Committee Elections
Status
The nomination statements of editors running in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections appear below.
^ From the Wikimedia Foundation's Access to nonpublic information policy:
Because we believe that safeguarding the privacy of the Wikimedia community is an important Wikimedia value, those who have access to nonpublic information need to:
- Be at least 18 years old (except email response team members, who must be at least 16 years old);
- Provide contact and identification information; and
- Sign a confidentiality agreement.
^ The mandatory disclosure of alternate accounts and declaration of intent to comply with the WMF identification policy are exempt from the 400-word limit, although candidates are encouraged to be concise.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
BU Rob13
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
The Rambling Man
|
While I have long been involved in Wikipedia's internal WP:POLICY development, I work on content and am here as an editor of an encyclopedia, not as an admin. I'm not alone in long having an issue with the fact that almost all Arbs are admins and tend to do notably less content work than average. I don't think this works very well; it doesn't properly represent the community intent and interpretation ArbCom is expected to bring to bear.
I aim to have ArbCom be more consistent, more transparent, less bureaucratic, and less afraid to address and rectify is own collective past mistakes. I said a while back that what the community expects out of our entire dispute resolution system is ultimately that the disruption caused by a dispute be resolved quickly and with as much community buy-in as can be mustered, but this has not really been happening. Incivility and PoV pushing appear to be increasing, editor retention has dropped, the discretionary sanctions system has not been reviewed much less revised in years (and is clearly problematic in multiple ways), and too much emphasis has been put on blocking productive people for transgressions rather than removing them from the areas in which they're not productive or hamper others' productivity, and getting everyone back to "work". I think these and other issues can be rectified, and I have the time, patience, and experience to move them in a positive direction.
The boilerplate: I signed the WMF confidentiality agreement years ago, and will do so again if its wording has changed. My doppelganger accounts are listed on my user page [1], aside from one disclosed to ArbCom but not listed on my page for privacy reasons (I edit under my real name, and have used that alternative account occasionally – well within the legitimate uses provision – for editing controversial topics, to avoid data-mining).
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
SMcCandlish
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
KrakatoaKatie
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
RickinBaltimore
|
I've decided to put my name forward as an ArbCom candidate for this year. I have been a Wikipedian since 2003, and an admin since 2004. Due to school and work there have been some large gaps in my activity since then, but since returning this year I have been extremely active at both mainspace editing, including content creation, and the administrative back-end, particularly MfD and AfD. I have no intentions of significantly reducing my activity in the near future.
If elected, my primary interest is ensuring that cases, requests, and emails are responded to quickly - though never hastily. One of the major complaints people raised about ArbCom this year was the appearance of sluggishness in responding, particularly to the Arthur Rubin case. Given my high rate of activity, you can be sure that I will be here to read and respond to cases and requests with the promptness they deserve.
My real-life day job involves cooperatively working with a team to handle a variety of dispute-resolution situations, some involving protected personal data; I think my work-related skills would make me a good fit for ArbCom, which requires similar levels of cooperativeness for the sake of solving a problem. My work at MfD and AfD has given me a strong base in assessing consensus in sometimes-contentious debates, knowledge of policy, and development of creative solutions.
I would be happy to sign the WMF's confidentiality agreement. I have never edited under another account. User:PMC and User:PMC_x are doppelgangers for the short form of my username and my IRC nick, respectively.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Premeditated Chaos
|
I wish to throw my hat into the ring. I've been interested in this for quite some time and now is as good as any. For me, one of the major issues impacting Wikipedia at this time is civility. I remember the "early days" when editing was more fun than it is now. I remember going from topic to topic learning new things as I edit and made the encyclopedia better. Today, it's a far different world. Editors are now oftentimes editing on eggshells, and they oftentimes face harassment, bullying, etc. I have noticed that of the past few Arbcom cases, I would have to say most were purely conduct issues and not necessarily issues arising from content disputes.
I am not an admin and I will never be one, but I do think that's not a net-negative for Arbcom. Arbcom needs diversity of opinion.
Besides civility, I would strive to help out with transparency. Arbcom, for better or worse, has a reputation of being secretive or not responding to emails, etc. I would try to start (I do think they might have done this years ago, but I'm not sure) a monthly report showing full stats of Arbcom (as best as possible), so people know that Arbcom is doing their job.
I see the role of Arbcom as a mix between courtroom and arbitration room. We oftentimes need to balance the law and fairness and I will strive to do that. I do some mediation in real life and I think I would be able to do that here. I intend to fully comply with all WMF criteria.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Sir Joseph
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Opabinia regalis
|
I volunteer as Tribute...so as to offer everyone a choice and hopefully be of service to the community again in terms of resolving disputes on Wikipedia.
You can consider me as an old-school establishment candidate of sorts. I am here since 2004. What I can offer to the community is my wiki experience, institutional knowledge and respect. And hopefully knowledge from a recent legal education (which I had just completed, and that was why I wasn't as active as I should been...talk about word limits). Being here long enough allows me to know the backstory to how things/policy/processes are what they are today, and to use that to deal with new challenges such as paid editing.
ArbCom is one strange, interesting world. Everyone's worried what's going on in there, myself included before my first term. Since then, I realized the importance of dealing with confidential information/evidence/issues and dealing with them in a sensitive, respectful manner and the importance of protecting such information - what is done there does have impact on other living people (especially fellow Wikipedians) and the community as a whole. What I can still promise is to uphold the integrity of any offices I carry, and to arbitrate with principles of fairness and natural justice in mind (even for banned/indef users). I stand by whatever I said/wrote in internal discussions, if a FOI ever existed. I am also a backlog fighter, I used to do most of the background work in BASC back then, and then CU/OS after I finished my term. That carried on to the responsibilities I hold over at OTRS.
I am willing to give people a chance when it comes to disciplinary matters, but if I find that you have abuse(d) the community's trust then it's gone. I am also a practitioner of the no asshole rule.
My fundamental principles outlined on my previous run statements and my userpage remain the same, and they are those that I hold dear here. I keep close to my roots that Wikipedia is first and foremost, an encyclopedia and the importance of content creation.
I'm Mailer Diablo and I approve this message!
The fine print: I have already signed the paperwork, and of course will continue to protect non-public data. I have two alternatives: User:Mailer Diablo (case sensitive, my main account uses the lower case 'd') and User:Way Of Life for public computers.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Mailer diablo
|
I joined Wikipedia in 2009, but didn't start actively editing until 2012. I became an administrator in 2013. In 2014, I was appointed to the Audit Subcommittee and gained CheckUser and Oversight tools which I've held since. I was elected, in December 2015, for a two year term on the Arbitration Committee.
I continue to believe that having experience with content is a necessary as it demonstrates an ability to work collaboratively with other editors and an understanding of the context of disputes. I've mainly worked on biographies, but I'm trying to branch out into articles about rivers. I've written four GAs and eight DYKs but also contributed to the Articles for Creation process. See User:Callanecc/Articles and User:Callanecc/AFC log for more.
As an admin, I place an emphasis on communicating clearly, staying calm under pressure and ensuring a willingness to accept and consider feedback.
Another of my big focuses, which I've developed with more emphasis after gaining admin then CheckUser and Oversight rights, is to slow down and collect and review information before making a decision. An example of that in practice, outside of ArbCom, was closing the Hilary Clinton move request where there was a huge volume of comments and policy to consider.
For the Committee to work at its most effective, it needs to have a mixture of personalities as well as experience levels. The combination of fresh editors, who bring new ideas and energies, and experienced arbitrators, who can provide advice and institutional memory, allows the Committee to consider decisions in different contexts. I believe that, during my two years on the Committee, I've been able to make a number of positive changes to how the Committee operates with a focus on making things simpler, more easily understood and less bureaucratic. However, there are still things I'd like to do and I still believe there is a place for my work ethic and my positions on different issues.
As I'm already on the Committee, and a checkuser and oversighter, I have signed the WMF's confidentiality agreement and so am compliant with the access to non-public information policy. I have three other accounts, Callanecc (alt), Callanec and Calanecc, which are listed on my user page.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Callanecc
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Worm That Turned
|
Hi all, I am Alex, and I would like to put myself forward for the upcoming committee election. I have been an administrator of English Wikipedia since 2007 (although this is misleading, as I have been inactive for many years in between). Since returning to full activity this year, I have mostly remained editing in the same area, focusing primarily on Chinese/Japanese military history articles. Majority of my administrative tasks involves DYK and the Main Page.
I have always believed that administrators/arbitrators are just another editor with tools and the skillset that includes dispute resolution and de-escalation, serving with the purpose of helping other editors to enjoy a better editing experience. If I am elected, I wish to work closely with the community to continue to lower the number of cases, and eventually delegating different roles of the committee to the community (similar to the views expressed by a former arbitrator).
I would love to answer any questions in detail, so please don’t hesitate to ask for more information. I have signed the confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information. As disclosure, I have previously edited under the username AQu01rius prior to being renamed in 2010. I do not have any other accounts.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Alex Shih
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
SarekOfVulcan
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
A Den Jentyl Ettien Avel Dysklyver
|
These guides represent the thoughts of their authors. All individually written voter guides are eligible for inclusion. |
2017 Arbitration Committee Elections
Status
The nomination statements of editors running in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections appear below.
^ From the Wikimedia Foundation's Access to nonpublic information policy:
Because we believe that safeguarding the privacy of the Wikimedia community is an important Wikimedia value, those who have access to nonpublic information need to:
- Be at least 18 years old (except email response team members, who must be at least 16 years old);
- Provide contact and identification information; and
- Sign a confidentiality agreement.
^ The mandatory disclosure of alternate accounts and declaration of intent to comply with the WMF identification policy are exempt from the 400-word limit, although candidates are encouraged to be concise.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
BU Rob13
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
The Rambling Man
|
While I have long been involved in Wikipedia's internal WP:POLICY development, I work on content and am here as an editor of an encyclopedia, not as an admin. I'm not alone in long having an issue with the fact that almost all Arbs are admins and tend to do notably less content work than average. I don't think this works very well; it doesn't properly represent the community intent and interpretation ArbCom is expected to bring to bear.
I aim to have ArbCom be more consistent, more transparent, less bureaucratic, and less afraid to address and rectify is own collective past mistakes. I said a while back that what the community expects out of our entire dispute resolution system is ultimately that the disruption caused by a dispute be resolved quickly and with as much community buy-in as can be mustered, but this has not really been happening. Incivility and PoV pushing appear to be increasing, editor retention has dropped, the discretionary sanctions system has not been reviewed much less revised in years (and is clearly problematic in multiple ways), and too much emphasis has been put on blocking productive people for transgressions rather than removing them from the areas in which they're not productive or hamper others' productivity, and getting everyone back to "work". I think these and other issues can be rectified, and I have the time, patience, and experience to move them in a positive direction.
The boilerplate: I signed the WMF confidentiality agreement years ago, and will do so again if its wording has changed. My doppelganger accounts are listed on my user page [1], aside from one disclosed to ArbCom but not listed on my page for privacy reasons (I edit under my real name, and have used that alternative account occasionally – well within the legitimate uses provision – for editing controversial topics, to avoid data-mining).
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
SMcCandlish
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
KrakatoaKatie
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
RickinBaltimore
|
I've decided to put my name forward as an ArbCom candidate for this year. I have been a Wikipedian since 2003, and an admin since 2004. Due to school and work there have been some large gaps in my activity since then, but since returning this year I have been extremely active at both mainspace editing, including content creation, and the administrative back-end, particularly MfD and AfD. I have no intentions of significantly reducing my activity in the near future.
If elected, my primary interest is ensuring that cases, requests, and emails are responded to quickly - though never hastily. One of the major complaints people raised about ArbCom this year was the appearance of sluggishness in responding, particularly to the Arthur Rubin case. Given my high rate of activity, you can be sure that I will be here to read and respond to cases and requests with the promptness they deserve.
My real-life day job involves cooperatively working with a team to handle a variety of dispute-resolution situations, some involving protected personal data; I think my work-related skills would make me a good fit for ArbCom, which requires similar levels of cooperativeness for the sake of solving a problem. My work at MfD and AfD has given me a strong base in assessing consensus in sometimes-contentious debates, knowledge of policy, and development of creative solutions.
I would be happy to sign the WMF's confidentiality agreement. I have never edited under another account. User:PMC and User:PMC_x are doppelgangers for the short form of my username and my IRC nick, respectively.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Premeditated Chaos
|
I wish to throw my hat into the ring. I've been interested in this for quite some time and now is as good as any. For me, one of the major issues impacting Wikipedia at this time is civility. I remember the "early days" when editing was more fun than it is now. I remember going from topic to topic learning new things as I edit and made the encyclopedia better. Today, it's a far different world. Editors are now oftentimes editing on eggshells, and they oftentimes face harassment, bullying, etc. I have noticed that of the past few Arbcom cases, I would have to say most were purely conduct issues and not necessarily issues arising from content disputes.
I am not an admin and I will never be one, but I do think that's not a net-negative for Arbcom. Arbcom needs diversity of opinion.
Besides civility, I would strive to help out with transparency. Arbcom, for better or worse, has a reputation of being secretive or not responding to emails, etc. I would try to start (I do think they might have done this years ago, but I'm not sure) a monthly report showing full stats of Arbcom (as best as possible), so people know that Arbcom is doing their job.
I see the role of Arbcom as a mix between courtroom and arbitration room. We oftentimes need to balance the law and fairness and I will strive to do that. I do some mediation in real life and I think I would be able to do that here. I intend to fully comply with all WMF criteria.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Sir Joseph
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Opabinia regalis
|
I volunteer as Tribute...so as to offer everyone a choice and hopefully be of service to the community again in terms of resolving disputes on Wikipedia.
You can consider me as an old-school establishment candidate of sorts. I am here since 2004. What I can offer to the community is my wiki experience, institutional knowledge and respect. And hopefully knowledge from a recent legal education (which I had just completed, and that was why I wasn't as active as I should been...talk about word limits). Being here long enough allows me to know the backstory to how things/policy/processes are what they are today, and to use that to deal with new challenges such as paid editing.
ArbCom is one strange, interesting world. Everyone's worried what's going on in there, myself included before my first term. Since then, I realized the importance of dealing with confidential information/evidence/issues and dealing with them in a sensitive, respectful manner and the importance of protecting such information - what is done there does have impact on other living people (especially fellow Wikipedians) and the community as a whole. What I can still promise is to uphold the integrity of any offices I carry, and to arbitrate with principles of fairness and natural justice in mind (even for banned/indef users). I stand by whatever I said/wrote in internal discussions, if a FOI ever existed. I am also a backlog fighter, I used to do most of the background work in BASC back then, and then CU/OS after I finished my term. That carried on to the responsibilities I hold over at OTRS.
I am willing to give people a chance when it comes to disciplinary matters, but if I find that you have abuse(d) the community's trust then it's gone. I am also a practitioner of the no asshole rule.
My fundamental principles outlined on my previous run statements and my userpage remain the same, and they are those that I hold dear here. I keep close to my roots that Wikipedia is first and foremost, an encyclopedia and the importance of content creation.
I'm Mailer Diablo and I approve this message!
The fine print: I have already signed the paperwork, and of course will continue to protect non-public data. I have two alternatives: User:Mailer Diablo (case sensitive, my main account uses the lower case 'd') and User:Way Of Life for public computers.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Mailer diablo
|
I joined Wikipedia in 2009, but didn't start actively editing until 2012. I became an administrator in 2013. In 2014, I was appointed to the Audit Subcommittee and gained CheckUser and Oversight tools which I've held since. I was elected, in December 2015, for a two year term on the Arbitration Committee.
I continue to believe that having experience with content is a necessary as it demonstrates an ability to work collaboratively with other editors and an understanding of the context of disputes. I've mainly worked on biographies, but I'm trying to branch out into articles about rivers. I've written four GAs and eight DYKs but also contributed to the Articles for Creation process. See User:Callanecc/Articles and User:Callanecc/AFC log for more.
As an admin, I place an emphasis on communicating clearly, staying calm under pressure and ensuring a willingness to accept and consider feedback.
Another of my big focuses, which I've developed with more emphasis after gaining admin then CheckUser and Oversight rights, is to slow down and collect and review information before making a decision. An example of that in practice, outside of ArbCom, was closing the Hilary Clinton move request where there was a huge volume of comments and policy to consider.
For the Committee to work at its most effective, it needs to have a mixture of personalities as well as experience levels. The combination of fresh editors, who bring new ideas and energies, and experienced arbitrators, who can provide advice and institutional memory, allows the Committee to consider decisions in different contexts. I believe that, during my two years on the Committee, I've been able to make a number of positive changes to how the Committee operates with a focus on making things simpler, more easily understood and less bureaucratic. However, there are still things I'd like to do and I still believe there is a place for my work ethic and my positions on different issues.
As I'm already on the Committee, and a checkuser and oversighter, I have signed the WMF's confidentiality agreement and so am compliant with the access to non-public information policy. I have three other accounts, Callanecc (alt), Callanec and Calanecc, which are listed on my user page.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Callanecc
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Worm That Turned
|
Hi all, I am Alex, and I would like to put myself forward for the upcoming committee election. I have been an administrator of English Wikipedia since 2007 (although this is misleading, as I have been inactive for many years in between). Since returning to full activity this year, I have mostly remained editing in the same area, focusing primarily on Chinese/Japanese military history articles. Majority of my administrative tasks involves DYK and the Main Page.
I have always believed that administrators/arbitrators are just another editor with tools and the skillset that includes dispute resolution and de-escalation, serving with the purpose of helping other editors to enjoy a better editing experience. If I am elected, I wish to work closely with the community to continue to lower the number of cases, and eventually delegating different roles of the committee to the community (similar to the views expressed by a former arbitrator).
I would love to answer any questions in detail, so please don’t hesitate to ask for more information. I have signed the confidentiality agreement for nonpublic information. As disclosure, I have previously edited under the username AQu01rius prior to being renamed in 2010. I do not have any other accounts.
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
Alex Shih
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
SarekOfVulcan
|
Arbitration Committee Election 2017 candidate:
A Den Jentyl Ettien Avel Dysklyver
|
These guides represent the thoughts of their authors. All individually written voter guides are eligible for inclusion. |