User:FT2/Advice sought

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Hi,

This page exists for my own improvement, as I get the hang of admin-related chores.

I've asked a variety of trusted folks from different perspectives to watchlist it, and if I hit a question of "whats right" that doesn't directly belong on AN, RFC, or similar, I'll post it here first. Quick FAQ follows:

Click at right for Advice Page FAQ

1. Why create a sub-page: Because I'm often asked to help with disputes, or other conflictive situations, and whereas I'm confident of how to act neutrally, a misjudgement on use of admin tools will be a serious thing even first time. So I want to ask as I go along. Also because some advanced skills, such as scripts, and rapid-use anti-vandal tools that help productivity, are still unfamiliar, and I'd like to learn more. And because it's good practice to ask advice rather than assume. 2. Why not use AN or RFC? I will, where appropriate. Two reasons why I want a separate page in user-space too - 1/ I want one reference place for my own learnings as I go along, not have it scattered around the project space and archived in different places a week later, and 2/ so that I can feel more able to ask longer or dumber :) 'learning questions' and get decent answers. 3. Current level of skill and experience: I've got a long history of decent judgement and good approach in disputes, and helped in many, including some pretty heavy duty situations. So I'm not too worried about flames by POV warriors, undue bias, protect-then-edit misuses, blocking the person I was arguing with, or other obvious errors. if anything I'm probably going to be at fault for not acting when a more experienced admin would, which is the right way around to be. Basically, as I see it, rule #1 stands firm - "If given extra accesses, first make sure you know what they're given for and when not to use them. Then forget about them until appropriate. And if they have to be used, make it a last resort, sparingly, and appropriate." 4. Other areas of skill where help is going to be asked: I have little sense yet of how some matters work (such as some scripts or such which will help the work), and I need to be able to ask beginners questions on those. Put in this context, in terms of approach I'm closer to Microsoft Paint than Photoshop: I'm not much into looking pretty and userbox decoration (though trying to improve so other users can interact easier), I'm using a couple of useful scripts but not sure I'm doing so efficiently. My aim is that when I feel I could do better, or I have a need for advice, to have a place that some folks are watchlisting where I can ask for help on a personal level. 5. Glad to offer any tips and advice, what can I do to help you learn? Simple - watchlist this page, and if you feel so inclined, comment as questions come up. The questions could be any kind - "what would others do in situation X" through to "how can I quickly deal with Y" :) My aim here is to learn quickly, but also learn from the community, and in a way, to set up a "new admin self-mentoring page" where I can ask communal advice when unsure, or check my own impressions and such. It's a proactive rather than reactive approach, which is one of the qualities I'd look for in other admins - to deliberately try to set themselves up ways to edit better. Many thanks for any help that is able to be offered. I hope this will enable me to avoid mistakes as I learn about more advanced wiki-work, and be more effective and user-friendly as a watchlist item, than posting messages to individual talk pages of others. -- FT2

Contents 1 No questions yet, and thanks for the RfA! 2 Update - suspected socks 3 AFD/CSD questions

[edit] No questions yet, and thanks for the RfA!

Still settling in and thanks to everyone who contributed (both supportive and with criticisms). It was interesting and unexpected.

As for the basics ("don't abuse or dive in with the new access rights") - consider that one understood and noted. Hence this page. Seemed the most wiki-ish approach. Thanks again, all. FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 23:41, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Update - suspected socks

As per comment in RfA standard answers, I'm inclined to help on WP:SSP. Although I have significant experience with sock issues, but it's a sensitive area, so I'd like to learn and watch some, or be "mentored" a while, before actively doing anything much independently. It's more about learning where to say "I have enough evidence" and learning when to say "Some evidence but not enough" or "It's too old" or "Best let it be"... and so on.

Is anyone willing to metaphorically take me under their wing a while to learn a decent approach to suspected sock cases, and so on, so I can help out there too? I don't have any specific cases in mind yet (I'll ask here when I do). FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 00:42, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

I haven't asked him, but I think User:AnonEMouse has been doing a fair amount of sockpuppet investigation lately. Newyorkbrad 03:33, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Indeed :) The first person I asked, for that reason [1]. But says its a recent thing recent only [2] - only started around a week ago ("Jan 12"). FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 03:53, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Sockpuppets investigations are not easy FT2. I would counsel you to just get started doing some basic admin stuff, such as lending a hand in closing the WP:AFD backlogs, for example. One step at a time, FT2. ≈ jossi ≈ (talk) 05:22, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] AFD/CSD questions

A few sample queries. Please see the deleted page if XD'ed already :)

• Mary Moo Cow? Content states it's "A show in the Arthur series" and looks like a badly written stub, but sounds like it's trying to describe something genuine. I'm unsure whether there is an "Arthur series" or if so, whether this is at all notable. Presumably if such a show existed it could be encyclopedeized, in which case CSD would be inappropriate. My own feeling is this one's a PROD not a CSD? Or a stub and rewrite. How would you handle it?

• Imagelinx and Baby names meanings didn't seem to meet the criteria for CSD. I removed the SD tag from both, with explanation in the edit summary, and left a note of suggestions on the taggers talk page. Would others have handled them otherwise?

• Baby names meanings -- tag edit summary [3] note for tagger [4]
• Imagelinx -- tag edit summary [5], note for tagger [6]

• How would you judge this one on CSD: Dean VMNT?

• Jimmy Palmer contains just the text "Jimmy palmer". Ordinarily its a cleasr SD, but checking the author's contribs I note she has created fictional character bio's for many characters. I'm reluctant to SD this in case it puts her off doing so in future, as it looks like it may be a fiction character bio article she is just starting to develop. My personal reaction is to suggest the nominator PRODs it, and comment to the author what's happened, and that it's better to develop articles in the sandbox until they have some content to avoid this problem. That's unclear if its best use of my time on such matters, and whether I should just review and move on? How would others have dealt with it, if they had come across it? FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 12:08, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

• I've closed the AFD debate on the following articles: AFD/Clark Aldrich, AFD/Elias Levi, AFD/Ryan Caligiuri, and AFD/Z++. Any comments? Looks good? FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 13:33, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Hints to improve judgement and approach taking these few as examples? Thanks! FT2 ^{(Talk | email)} 11:44, 21 January 2007 (UTC)