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#'''Support''', decent enough. --[[User:Aqwis|Aqwis]] ([[User talk:Aqwis|talk]]) 15:22, 25 September 2009 (UTC) |
#'''Support''', decent enough. --[[User:Aqwis|Aqwis]] ([[User talk:Aqwis|talk]]) 15:22, 25 September 2009 (UTC) |
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#'''Support''' I would've rather seen a [[Hitchhiker's Guide]] reference as an answer to Q5, but a pun is fine too. Although we haven't interacted, I have read Abecedare's incredibly helpful comments around all over the place. This would be a huge boon, and I fully believe that in 7 days we'll have another top-notch admin in the crew. ~ <font color="#FF0099">Amory</font><font color="#555555"><small> ''([[User:Amorymeltzer|user]] • [[User talk:Amorymeltzer|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Amorymeltzer|contribs]])''</small></font> 15:50, 25 September 2009 (UTC) |
#'''Support''' I would've rather seen a [[Hitchhiker's Guide]] reference as an answer to Q5, but a pun is fine too. Although we haven't interacted, I have read Abecedare's incredibly helpful comments around all over the place. This would be a huge boon, and I fully believe that in 7 days we'll have another top-notch admin in the crew. ~ <font color="#FF0099">Amory</font><font color="#555555"><small> ''([[User:Amorymeltzer|user]] • [[User talk:Amorymeltzer|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Amorymeltzer|contribs]])''</small></font> 15:50, 25 September 2009 (UTC) |
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#'''Enthusiastic Support''' Abecedare, who I have known for over two years, is superbly articulate, level-headed, and fair-minded—qualities that will stand him in good stead as an administrator. Best wishes, [[User:Fowler&fowler|<font color="#B8860B">Fowler&fowler</font>]][[User talk:Fowler&fowler|<font color="#708090">«Talk»</font>]] 15:55, 25 September 2009 (UTC) |
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=====Oppose===== |
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Revision as of 15:55, 25 September 2009
Abecedare
(talk page) (30,0,0); Scheduled to end 19:57, 1 October 2009 (UTC)
Nomination
Abecedare (talk · contribs) – I present Abecedare for consideration as an administrator on the English Wikipedia. Abecedare has been on the English Wikipedia since October 2006 and his 12,000+ edits have spanned topics as diverse as Adam's Bridge and the latest incarnation of the swine flu. With over 5000 content edits and another 5000 article and user talk page edits that are mostly content related, his commitment to encyclopedia building is obvious but he also has over 1500 edits to projectspace and projectspace talk, where he has made many thoughtful comments on the reliable sources and other noticeboards, as well as on WP:ANI. The few examples of deletion tagging I've seen (312 deleted edits) show that not only does he understand speedy criteria but that he gives due consideration to the article before tagging it (cf. [1]). However, it is as the point person for managing and maintaining the various India related articles, where he is practically an ‘admin without the tools’, that he has really made his mark. On wikipedia's India related pages, he is the first person to go to for answering queries, helping and counseling new wikipedians, defusing conflicts, detecting socks, and gently battling the POV warriors who haunt those pages. A polite but firm individual, he commands the respect of most of us who have had the pleasure of working with him, and, as a review of his contributions will support, there is no doubt in my mind that making him an admin will benefit wikipedia. RegentsPark (sticks and stones) 17:58, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
Co-nomination from SpacemanSpiff: RegentsPark has already elaborated on why Abecedare would make a good admin, but I'd like to add a bit as well. I first encountered Abecedare on India related AfDs and was impressed by his arguments in many of those, both in favor of keeping and in favor of deleting and his ability to provide sources to support his keep !votes. My first major interaction with him was when Yadunath Thatte was tagged A-7 and I requested him to take a look as there was an assertion of importance. He contested the speedy by providing sources within and editing the article to establish notability, and not just simply declining the speedy based on the assertion of importance. During the process of contesting the speedy, he also created an article Sadhana (weekly), as the bio being speedied was that of an editor and more sources were available for the magazine. This attitude and behavior qualify him as a model editor, IMO. He is also a good resource on a variety of Wikipedia policies and I have used his assistance many times -copyrights, categories etc. His ability to have a civil discussion with controversial editors and show them the right approach - here is also a very good trait for an admin.
From what I've seen, Abecedare adheres to all policies while also applying common sense. As already mentioned by the nom, Abecedare is practically an admin without the tools, so giving him the tools will definitely benefit Wikipedia. -SpacemanSpiffCalvin‡Hobbes 19:34, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
- Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here: Accept, with thanks. Abecedare (talk) 21:59, 23 September 2009 (UTC)
Questions for the candidate
Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Wikipedia as an administrator. It is recommended that you answer these optional questions to provide guidance for participants:
- 1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?
- A: Initially I plan to be an "admin at large". Let me explain: Many editors (particularly new editors) are often more comfortable approaching a project noticeboard or an admin they have interacted with ("Can you take a look at the recent contribution history of User:Example ?"), rather than gathering diffs and summarizing the situation at one of the noticeboards. I have had the India project noticeboard and Hinduism project noticeboard on my watchlist for a long time, and have seen such queries there. Currently a few admins (User:YellowMonkey, User:Nishkid, User:DaGizza, User:RegentsPark etc) are carrying a large load of admin work attending to pages and users related to these projects, and I hope to lend a hand. I can also help out at ANI, since I have that on my watchlist too and have chimed in there a few times.
- Secondly, I tend to flit around in my editing, and from time to time I have become a "regular" at AFDs, RSN, Refdesks etc. Similarly, I expect that I will periodically adopt one or more of the admin areas with a backlog for a few weeks or months at a time (once I have sufficiently familiarized myself with their working).
- 2. What are your best contributions to Wikipedia, and why?
- A: My editing at wikipedia is driven by serendipity, especially since I don't edit in the area of my real-life expertise. It helps that I am a generalist at heart, love reading, and have access to the resources of a large institutional library. Instead of my "best" work, I'll list some activities I have most fond memories of:
- I remember the article Alice Stewart Trillin that I created during my early days on wikipedia since I recall my delight at finding a subject not covered by wikipedia, and consulting the sources and WP:MOS over 2-3 hours before I saved the first edit. During the creation of that article I came across the name Mina P. Shaughnessy and I created a quick stub for that too. Almost three years later the article Alice Stewart Trillin has been preserved pretty much as I wrote it, while the Mina P. Shaughnessy stub was greatly expanded by two other new editors. For me, these two cases perfectly exemplify what makes editing on wikipedia worthwhile: one's (sourced) contributions are valued, read, and improved upon by other anonymous and selfless persons.
- I have greatly enjoyed editing Hinduism related articles and especially my interaction with a group of editors there (User:Buddhipriya, User:Priyanath, User:DaGizza, User:Redtigerxyz), who are similarly interested in high-quality sourcing, and neutral writing in an area often infiltrated by POV pushers, religious and sectarian differences, good faith but misguided devotees etc. Even when we differed on content issues, the discussions were civil and ended up improving dozens of articles in the area, one of which, Ganesha, became an FA (disclosure: Redtigerxyz was responsible for the final push and nomination to FA status).
- For completeness, I should mention that I have also participated in AFDs, reviewing FACs, RSN, fringe noticeboard and several refdesks.
- A: My editing at wikipedia is driven by serendipity, especially since I don't edit in the area of my real-life expertise. It helps that I am a generalist at heart, love reading, and have access to the resources of a large institutional library. Instead of my "best" work, I'll list some activities I have most fond memories of:
- 3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or have other users caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?
- A: Having been active in areas related to religion, nationality and (sometimes) fringe science and current events, I have regularly come across both content and conduct issues including incivility, POV pushing, poor sourcing, tendentious editing, spamming, sock-puppetry, copyvios, misrepresentation of sources, and many edit-wars. I have also participated and/or opined in numerous content debates, many of which were passionate, on subjects related to article name, image use, concerns about NPOV and due weight, article deletion etc. Lastly, I have seen a few good editors become disillusioned with wikipedia and even retire, while others who I have greatly respected have acted in ways that surprised and disappointed me. While all these events and occurrences have shaped my view of wikipedia's editing environment, I can honestly say that, they haven't caused me any real-life or on-wiki stress, perhaps because this is a hobby for me, and because I don't edit articles I have a strong personal stake in and hence content disputes are not personal for me.
Optional questions from Keepscases
- 4. What articles, India-related or otherwise, do you think you might theoretically introduce biases into when editing?
- A: The articles I fear that I am most likely to introduce a bias into are the ones related to my real-life education and expertise, since in that area I have pre-established viewpoints, am aware of unpublished work that is noteworthy, and published research that is not. Hence editing in those areas, in some instances, would present a conflict between what I honestly know and what a "unbiased" reading of reliable sources will say. That's one reason I chose not to edit in those areas, or edit or create articles about any persons or institutions I know personally - even though some of them are definitely notable (the other reason for not editing in those areas is that this is supposed to be a diversion from "real" work!)
- As for the articles I do edit here: Two facts ameliorate the degree of personal POV or bias that my editing introduces, (1) I usually don't have a strong view on the concerned topics in any case (in some cases I haven't even heard of the subjects prior to editing their wikipedia article, as in the articles User:SpacemanSpiff mentions in his nomination), (2) I have a admitted bias towards using high quality (not merely, reliable) sources which tends to keep me grounded. That said, I wouldn't claim that my editing produces a comprehensive unbiased article that presents all relevant POV, since it is surely limited by the sources I trust and consult, my blindspots in terms of knowledge and comprehension, and even my aesthetics (for example, when I comment on choice of images). Also, editing articles without being an expert on the topic means that I may end up giving undue weight to outdated publications, or misunderstand and hence misrepresent a source (the latter possibility is a frightening prospect for me!)
- Finally, a prize-winning research paper, Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments, showed how poor people are at evaluating their own flaws - so my assessment above should be taken with a pinch of salt. The hope is that in a collaborative environment, other editors will balance my POV and fill in my blindspots.
- A: The articles I fear that I am most likely to introduce a bias into are the ones related to my real-life education and expertise, since in that area I have pre-established viewpoints, am aware of unpublished work that is noteworthy, and published research that is not. Hence editing in those areas, in some instances, would present a conflict between what I honestly know and what a "unbiased" reading of reliable sources will say. That's one reason I chose not to edit in those areas, or edit or create articles about any persons or institutions I know personally - even though some of them are definitely notable (the other reason for not editing in those areas is that this is supposed to be a diversion from "real" work!)
- 5. Do you believe dolphins should be permitted to have Wikipedia accounts?
- A: For what purpose ? :-)
- I know this will (deservedly) earn me some opposes, but I couldn't resist.
- Additional optional questions from Graeme Bartlett
- 6. If an admin comes across an article marked with CSD G12, what checks should be performed? Are there any alternatives to deletion?
- A: I can think of the following:
- Confirm that the text is indeed a copyvio, i.e, it has been copied (largely) verbatim from an external source, the external source does not freely license the text. Also, as far as possible, confirm that it is not the external source that has copied the text from wikipedia.
- Confirm that there is no non-copyvio text in the current version of the article or in the article history that can be retained.
- And yes there are alternatives to deletion: the admin, or any any other editor, can choose to rewrite the article in their own words based on the source (assuming that it is reliable). This IMO is the preferred alternative if the subject seems notable, even if it ends up stub-ifying the article, but it is not incumbent on an admin/editor to take this route since retaining known copyright violation is simply not an option, and even a deleted article can be re-created.
- I don't patrol new pages, but have come across a few copyvios during my regular editing on wikipedia. You can see a few examples of what I did at Raghavendra stotra (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views), Sri_sukta (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views), Andhra Mahila Sabha School of Informatics (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views), Shobhit University (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views). I have tagged a few pages with G12, but there is no easy way for me to pull those links up since I cannot view my deleted contributions.
- A: I can think of the following:
- Additional optional questions from Graeme Bartlett
- 7. What is a history merge and why would it be needed?
- A: Content forking, cut-and-paste moving, article merging etc may result in the article history not truly reflecting who-contributed-what to the article content. This is a violation of wikipedia's GFDL/CC-BY-SA license, and is also arguably unethical. History merge is a (masochistic) procedure in which admins can (as it says), merge the multiple article histories so that the contributors are correctly credited. As a non-admin I have never looked up the exact mechanics of how this is performed, and if handed the mop, I will seek guidance and review before I attempt it the first time.
- Optional questions from Slumdog102
- 8: An article which I expanded Michael Lobo has been tagged with a Possible copyright infringement notice. I believe that this is incorrect since the sentences have not been copied verbatim from source. The sentences have been adequately modified in the article. You can also browse through the discussion User talk:Chamal N#Michael Lobo. Can you tell me whether is this indeed plagiarism or copyright infringement.
- I am happy to review the case and summarize my views here, but I should first add a caveat that this is not the ideal forum for handling the issue, since it is not suited for a two-way discussion where we can question each other to gain a better understanding on where our interpretations may differ. That said: I looked at this pre-tagged version of the article and, in my judgment, there are copyright issues especially with the Academic Career section, and copyright/plagiarism issue with the Literary Career section. Please expand the following collapsed section, to see the explicit analysis.
Side-by-side comparison of source and wikipedia article
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- I second User:Chamal_N's advice that you reword these sections in your own words at Talk:Michael_Lobo/Temp and then request that the new version be reviewed and substituted back into the article. In cases where you intentionally wish to stay close to the original interview text, use explicit quotation marks.
- This was a question just to test your skills regarding copyright infringement. I didn't bring it here to resolve the issue. Cheers !!! Slumdog102 (talk) 10:18, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- I second User:Chamal_N's advice that you reword these sections in your own words at Talk:Michael_Lobo/Temp and then request that the new version be reviewed and substituted back into the article. In cases where you intentionally wish to stay close to the original interview text, use explicit quotation marks.
General comments
- Links for Abecedare: Abecedare (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)
- Edit summary usage for Abecedare can be found here.
Please keep discussion constructive and civil. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review Special:Contributions/Abecedare before commenting.
Discussion
- Editing stats posted to talk page. JamieS93 20:31, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- I suppose I might as well question the appropriateness of Q5 before anyone else does? I'm guessing it's a cryptic thing like many of Keepscases' other RfA queries. GARDEN 20:32, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Dolphins have rudimentary language skills, and might in theory want to edit Wikipedia articles, with a proper interface. Keepscases (talk) 20:35, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- This may be the case, but honestly do you think your question is a) relevant to the RFA and b) will have any bearing on the RFA. I dont mean offence in this but I feel (and many others) that your questions are a bit unneccessary, but I have to admit, I had a chuckle when seeing it, it certainly is fun! :) Regards. AtheWeatherman 21:15, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Of course, I believe it is very much relevant. If the dolphin community formally requests access to Wikipedia, I think the decision whether to grant them access or deny it to them will be a very important one indeed. Keepscases (talk) 21:25, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- I would really love to see that, it certainly would be very interesting, I live in hope! :) AtheWeatherman 21:28, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Admin's get all sorts of questions from users, so seeing how a candidate responds is a test of how they will perform. Some questions are best ignored, but that would not often be the case, some sort of response is a good idea. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 22:02, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- I would really love to see that, it certainly would be very interesting, I live in hope! :) AtheWeatherman 21:28, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Of course, I believe it is very much relevant. If the dolphin community formally requests access to Wikipedia, I think the decision whether to grant them access or deny it to them will be a very important one indeed. Keepscases (talk) 21:25, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- This may be the case, but honestly do you think your question is a) relevant to the RFA and b) will have any bearing on the RFA. I dont mean offence in this but I feel (and many others) that your questions are a bit unneccessary, but I have to admit, I had a chuckle when seeing it, it certainly is fun! :) Regards. AtheWeatherman 21:15, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
Support
- Strong Support I second everything in the nominating statements, and then some. Abecedare is that rare Wikipedia editor who is an absolute delight to work with—supportive, positive, patient, friendly, knows all the policies, and enforces them firmly and fairly. I've seen him frequently in the volatile areas of religion and nation, and he has never wavered from the highest standards mentioned above. He will make a model admin. Priyanath talk 19:58, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support Don't know Abecedare personally but the information presented so far is convincing. It appears Abecedare will make an excellent addition to the admin ranks. Jusdafax 20:17, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support - I have never encountered Abecedare in my editing. However, just reading through his question answers alone made me want to support. The answers (and noms) show exactly what I want to see in an admin; strong contributing and communication skills presented over a length of time (this seems long due), a general sense and clue, and the ability to handle difficult or tendentious editors with calm. I've also reviewed his contribs some, and find no evident problems with granting adminship. Unless there's something I'm missing, this looks like a perfect candidate with a good attitude who likely has a strong support from me. JamieS93 20:26, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Seen them about, seems to know what they're doing :) GARDEN 20:31, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Strong support after the answer to Q5. We need more admins that can laugh. GARDEN 21:58, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Calm & sensible. RMHED. 21:12, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- No problems at all, all very solid and reliable. AtheWeatherman 21:15, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support Why the heck not?!Abce2|This isnot a test 22:06, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support clean block log, good tagging, candidate looks good to me. ϢereSpielChequers 22:11, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Thoughtful answers to questions. Good luck, Malinaccier (talk) 22:32, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support as co-nominator. -SpacemanSpiffCalvin‡Hobbes 22:46, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Strong support. In addition to everything mentioned in the nominations and by Priyanath above, I must add that Abecedare is extraordinary helpful and encouraging to new users, as with several articles written by Wikipedia newcomers. He is also always sensible, reasoned, informed, and a pleasure to interact with. If there was just one editor I could trust to wield the admin tools with the utmost responsibility, it would be Abecedare. Shreevatsa (talk) 22:58, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support - q4 answer was good, q5 answer was funny. Little harm would happen if this user was given the tools. NotAnIP83:149:66:11 (talk) 23:02, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support have interacted with him and believe, has what an administrator got to have. --L I C 23:57, 24 September 2009 (UTC)
- Aye No problems at all here. Sensible and helpful editor. Black Kite 00:04, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support (as nom). --RegentsPark (sticks and stones) 00:06, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support I don't see any problems here. Tavix | Talk 00:34, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support. Fully qualified candidate, no concerns. The response to Q5 about sea mammals was a whale of an answer and seals the deal. Newyorkbrad (talk) 01:18, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support answered correctly, tagging looks good on deleted content. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 02:36, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support A deserving candidate. A mature, cool headed, reasonable ,balanced and articulate editor. Has got all qualties to be an good administrator. Shyamsunder (talk) 03:57, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support Move daughter article to parent article check yes on delete upon move move page delete purge cached undelete restore all revisions purge cache history find the one to be restored as the current revision restore done boom roasted. Keegan (talk) 05:08, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support and not just for the halibut-- billinghurst (talk) 05:31, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Strong support. Pleasantly surprised to see this. Glad that I didnt miss it because of my inactivity. Will make a great admin undoubtedly. — Lost(talk) 05:59, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support. I'm impressed by the track record and good answers to questions. decltype (talk) 09:28, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support Will make a good admin. Pikiwyn talk 09:37, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support: Impressed by the answer to my question. Slumdog102 (talk) 10:19, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support - Great responses like Q4 show a straight-forward, well-balanced and self-aware editor. Perfect traits for an admin. — CactusWriter | needles 11:03, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support
for his Lewis Carroll inspired punbecause someone who knows, understands and uses academic sources and seems to have a near-inexhaustible stock of patience is just about the ideal candidate for adminhood. -- Arvind (talk) 12:34, 25 September 2009 (UTC) - Agreed, he seems like an ideal candidate. I've turned to WT:INDIA many times for advice, and he (and others) have been patient and helpful with all inquiries. Far from abecedarian. - Dank (push to talk) 13:37, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support Well versed editor with great communication skills. Do not see anything that would indicate that they would miuse the tools. ~~ GB fan ~~ talk 15:14, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support, decent enough. --Aqwis (talk) 15:22, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Support I would've rather seen a Hitchhiker's Guide reference as an answer to Q5, but a pun is fine too. Although we haven't interacted, I have read Abecedare's incredibly helpful comments around all over the place. This would be a huge boon, and I fully believe that in 7 days we'll have another top-notch admin in the crew. ~ Amory (user • talk • contribs) 15:50, 25 September 2009 (UTC)
- Enthusiastic Support Abecedare, who I have known for over two years, is superbly articulate, level-headed, and fair-minded—qualities that will stand him in good stead as an administrator. Best wishes, Fowler&fowler«Talk» 15:55, 25 September 2009 (UTC)