User:BuickCenturyDriver

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Now you know why I chose my username. :-)
Now you know why I chose my username. :-)
This user is a member of WikiProject Automobiles.
This user has an iPod Touch.

Contents

[edit] Welcome to my page

If you came here because I voted in your RFA or any given AFD, you will be able to see what guided my decision.

[edit] My take on Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an Encyclopedia and one of the fastest growing Internet communities.

The site seems to cover virtually every subject under the sun. I've had a lot of fun editing, especially adding links to the articles reference others. It consists of more then just bracketing words. You need to make sure the link is referencing the right article. In short Wikipedia will always be a work in progress.

When I discovered the site, I thought it was all about someone inviting everyone to edit and improve his site and nothing more. But I soon realized that we have a community working behind the scenes. Slowly, I began interacting with others. I study the behaviour of many users and base my desicion as to whether or not I want to talk to them.

I also try to resolve conficts as soon as I can. I don't want these issues to arise in the future when it becomes important. Though I've been successful in most cases, I take criticism very seriously when I'm confronted with it. When my edit is reverted, I usually check the summary and I may ask for a deeper explanation as opposed to reverting back to my own edition.

[edit] Pages I created

[edit] Administrators/Moderators on wikipedia

Being that this is a large community, I am aware that a select group of users are granted access to tools that can potentially be abused. However, most of these users have shown that they are deserving of access. Anyone wishing for access must go through the RFA process.

[edit] Caveats

While many users consider adminship no big deal as being a rite of passage, being an administrator (called a moderator in many other online communities) is a big responsibilty. For example, blocking someone might cause that user to vandalize your page in resentment. It's always a good idea to give the benefit of the doubt when dealing with new users or users who use the {{unblock}} function. It is possible to mitigate the duration, instead of insisting on it. If they know the block will be lifted, they'll be less likely to create a another account and continue their poor behaviour.

[edit] What I look for in a moderator

Here are some guidelines I use in deciding to support or oppose in an RFA

  • Someone who is kind, willing to admit mistakes. After all, every moderator started out as a regular user (with a few exceptions, of course)
  • Someone that attempts to turn vandals into valuable users. With a few exceptions, indefinitely blocking a user (who has not been blocked before) as a vandal-only account is not a good idea since it might provoke that user to behave worse than before.
  • Someone that can negotiate a compromise. For example, if a delete consensus is reached via AFD, it's possible userfy (i.e move) the page and allow the user to work on the page and address the opinions of people who feel the page needs to be deleted.
  • Sysops that apply WP:AGF to their actions are less likely to be targeted by vandals. While it is indeed necessary to take steps to prevent vandalism, most of it is done by new users who know little about how the site works. Talking them away from vandalism and encouraging them to do something constructive is a good way to avoid blocks. Look for ways not to block someone, not the other way around. Remember your actions come under great scrutiny.

[edit] Administrators that contacted me

[edit] Current Administrator Hopefuls

This is a list of users who are requesting they be given access to sysop tools.

Username S O N S% Ending Possible duplicate voters
Tinkleheimer 14 10 5 58% 16 June 2008 04:10 None Details
Epbr123 131 2 1 98% 11 June 2008 17:21 None Details
Tanthalas39 72 6 2 92% 10 June 2008 18:30 None Details

Last updated 14:30, 9 June 2008 (UTC) by Tangobot (maintained by Tangotango)

[edit] To Delete, or not to Delete

That is the question. I've participated in many AFD discussions and nominated a couple of articles myself, with mixed results. In commenting, I always look at the page itself. The better the page is written, the more favorable the vote (or comment, if you want to think consensus). I actually nominated a page myself, but only to prevent a speedy deletion. In the end, notibility was established and the page was kept.

[edit] Discussions I nominated/participated in

Interestingly the user somehow reached an agreement with Jimbo to edit again and is editing under a new account. However he was reblocked, supposedly for using another account for legal threats.
At least I learned you can't cite WP articles alone when you vote, since anyone can put the info there.

[edit] Toolbox

I've also created a few templates, some which are for admins. Below is the purpose of each one.

  • {{sysop}} - Used to reference a moderator's recent RFA.
  • {{afd-warn}} - used to warn a page's creater that you nominated that page for Articles for deletion.
  • {{created}} - used for refencing when the user account was created (2006 and later).
  • {{IPsock}} - used for tagging an IP address suspected to be used by a blocked user.

[edit] Edit count summary

My Wikipedia Resume (in a nutshell)

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] Subpages

List of subpages I created