ArbCom nominations begin, Two weeks left to draft Wesley Options

The Arbitration Committee is almost entirely irrelevant at Wikipedia. The committee is not "the leadership". It oversees only a handful of convoluted cases a year that largely have nothing to do with an encyclopedia's content. Most of these cases relate only to ridiculous trivial dramatic feuds. And even then, the Arbitration Committee tends to fudge a verdict, resulting in conditions that are little different to those if the players had never bothered bringing it up at all. Simply a tremendous waste of time.

The Arbitration Committee is just another avenue for gameplayers to relieve their drama fixes. These annual elections in particular serve no purpose other than to provide a dramatic Carnival of the Absurd every year. Amusingly, this circus kicks up much negative drama that is clearly harmful to Wikipedia - with no net gain.

If you can't see this, then I suggest that you are so addicted to this crap you've lost all perspective, and should seek professional help.

I think a lot of what you say is true. But, ArbCom is as close to a governance/"adult supervision" body as Wikipedia has. So, rightly or wrongly, WP participants look to them for leadership. If WP had a committee to address the other concerns that fall outside ArbCom's purview, then much less attention would be paid to ArbCom and whatever it happens to be doing at any given moment.

Someone said once in another thread that it isn't in Jimbo's best interest to have an effective governance committee in en.wp, because that committee would probably send him packing and remove what little connection he still has to this project. Maybe that's true.

Phil Sandifer is running for ArbCom yet again, and I, of course, am barred by the ArbCom from having any interaction whatsoever with Phil. So I've submitted a request for clarification to see if the ArbCom will let me participate in the process just like other Wikipedians, with the right to vote on all candidacies and ask questions to all candidates.

I think you're going to irritate the ArbCom by choosing this course of action. If you want to ask Sandifer a question, either ask it of all the candidates, or give a disclaimer at the beginning that says something like, "I can't ask this of all the candidates because it addresses a specific incident that only you were involved in..." or something like that. Then ask your question very politely. Then, if someone gives you a hard time about it, go ask ArbCom how you're supposed to participate in community open election processes if their sanction is going to be applied so ridiculously strictly.

Wouldn't work--one of Phil's IRC pals would block me, my chances of getting my sanctions entirely removed would be shot to pieces, and the block would be used against me in a future RfA. No, I've learned the hard way that I must get clearance from the ArbCom before doing anything of this sort.

In other news, the candidate Bishonen/"Bishzilla" replied to my questions about the nature of her candidacy by accusing me of "misusing this page" for rhetorical purposes. You'd expect someone running for office to be a little nicer, wouldn't you? Sure, I suppose the questions were phrased a bit harshly, but she ought to be prepared to handle some tough questions if she's going to engage in ridiculous shenanigans like this. She's basically telling me to get the hell off her questions page. Now, for historical context, let me note that about three years ago she actually banned me from her talk page--told me not to ever show my low-down, dirty, no-good self around there ever again. Is this someone with the appropriate temperament to be an arbitrator?

This post has been edited by everyking: Thu 13th November 2008, 7:38am

TBH, I think a question about her tendency to ban people from her talk page is something that should be asked in its own right.

It's too bad that the Arbcom Election doesn't have live debates. That would make for a perfectly killer drinking game.

I'm pretty sure Bishzilla will win;...

I'll probably vote for her. Too bad "it" would have to recuse itself from 60% of all cases, since that many of them seem to involve her BFF Giano.

Bishzilla just made the same observation, but upped the hyperbolic Giano-getting-sent-to-the-principal's office rate to 90%.

I'm pretty sure Bishzilla will win;...

I'll probably vote for her. Too bad "it" would have to recuse itself from 60% of all cases, since that many of them seem to involve her BFF Giano.

Bishzilla just made the same observation, but upped the hyperbolic Giano-getting-sent-to-the-principal's office rate to 90%.

I don't have anything against Bishzilla that I can remember right now, but that caveman (cavewoman?) talk is getting on my nerves. ~~~~

I'm pretty sure Bishzilla will win;...

I'll probably vote for her. Too bad "it" would have to recuse itself from 60% of all cases, since that many of them seem to involve her BFF Giano.

Bishzilla just made the same observation, but upped the hyperbolic Giano-getting-sent-to-the-principal's office rate to 90%.

I don't have anything against Bishzilla that I can remember right now, but that caveman (cavewoman?) talk is getting on my nerves. ~~~~

If you're signing yourself with four tildes on WR, it must be.

I don't have anything against Bishzilla that I can remember right now, but that caveman (cavewoman?) talk is getting on my nerves. ~~~~

I'm not a big fan either, but I'm all for making a joke of the Committee in any idio(t)lect at our disposal.

Some selected stuff.

Also adminship isn't a rank of trust. [1]

Answer of Moreschi to the creation of the page with the header: You know you'll never be elected in a billion years, so why bother? [2]

Some selected stuff.

Also adminship isn't a rank of trust. [1]

Answer of Moreschi to the creation of the page with the header: You know you'll never be elected in a billion years, so why bother? [2]

Why on earth would you quote White Cat for ANYTHING WHATSOEVER?

Some selected stuff.

Also adminship isn't a rank of trust. [1]

Answer of Moreschi to the creation of the page with the header: You know you'll never be elected in a billion years, so why bother? [2]

Why on earth would you quote White Cat for ANYTHING WHATSOEVER?

Entertainment

Some selected stuff.

Also adminship isn't a rank of trust. [1]

Answer of Moreschi to the creation of the page with the header: You know you'll never be elected in a billion years, so why bother? [2]

Why on earth would you quote White Cat for ANYTHING WHATSOEVER?

Hmmm... lets see... Because it's funny?

I'm not a big fan either, but I'm all for making a joke of the Committee in any idio(t)lect at our disposal.

On that note, why is Jehochman running? Not that he's an idiot (other than a wikipediot!) but why put himself, and potentially the whole arbcom, in a COI position on anything related to search engine optimization? Putting him on arbcom would probably not be as egregious as, say, electing the CEO of Halliburton to the Vice Presidency of the US, but it would still seem pretty egregious COI, for a sitting arb to be the CEO of an SEO company.

On that note, why is Jehochman running? Not that he's an idiot (other than a wikipediot!) but why put himself, and potentially the whole arbcom, in a COI position on anything related to search engine optimization? Putting him on arbcom would probably not be as egregious as, say, electing the CEO of Halliburton to the Vice Presidency of the US, but it would still seem pretty egregious COI, for a sitting arb to be the CEO of an SEO company.

How often does search engine optimisation come up as an issue for arbcom to deal with? Everybody has some sort of COI. It's best if it's declared, as at least it can be worked around/used to make him recuse/whatever.

On that note, why is Jehochman running? Not that he's an idiot (other than a wikipediot!) but why put himself, and potentially the whole arbcom, in a COI position on anything related to search engine optimization? Putting him on arbcom would probably not be as egregious as, say, electing the CEO of Halliburton to the Vice Presidency of the US, but it would still seem pretty egregious COI, for a sitting arb to be the CEO of an SEO company.

How often does search engine optimisation come up as an issue for arbcom to deal with? Everybody has some sort of COI. It's best if it's declared, as at least it can be worked around/used to make him recuse/whatever.

problem is, any article or group of links can be viewed as an element in an overall SEO strategy. any cases he'd decide on, that can affect content or have to do with linking, could be attacked on the basis of an appearance of COI, probably more damningly and irreversibly off-site than on WP. not saying that he would try to parley his influence on WP into influence in his industry, (like Jimbo has!) but putting him in this position would expose him to more accusations of this sort.

On that note, why is Jehochman running? Not that he's an idiot (other than a wikipediot!) but why put himself, and potentially the whole arbcom, in a COI position on anything related to search engine optimization? Putting him on arbcom would probably not be as egregious as, say, electing the CEO of Halliburton to the Vice Presidency of the US, but it would still seem pretty egregious COI, for a sitting arb to be the CEO of an SEO company.

How often does search engine optimisation come up as an issue for arbcom to deal with? Everybody has some sort of COI. It's best if it's declared, as at least it can be worked around/used to make him recuse/whatever.

problem is, any article or group of links can be viewed as an element in an overall SEO strategy. any cases he'd decide on, that can affect content or have to do with linking, could be attacked on the basis of an appearance of COI, probably more damningly and irreversibly off-site than on WP. not saying that he would try to parley his influence on WP into influence in his industry, (like Jimbo has!) but putting him in this position would expose him to more accusations of this sort.

Like the others say, everyone has a COI about something, he could abstain from any case *really* about that, although such a case would be unlikely IMHO. Jhochman is one of my favourites for arbcom

This post has been edited by wikiwhistle: Fri 14th November 2008, 3:50pm

Giano's first comment of the election (I think) here

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=251656960

Also someone called 'The Land Surveyor' has placed some questions about banned users to the candidates.

Science

ScienceApologist really rock here.

Science

ScienceApologist really rock here.

What do you know of Rlevse? I don't know his wikistuff well but what I've seen to me resembles the arbs that are currently in place.

This post has been edited by wikiwhistle: Mon 17th November 2008, 3:12am

Science

ScienceApologist really rock here.

What do you know of Rlevse? I don't know his wikistuff well but what I've seen to me resembles the arbs that are currently in place.

i know he was quick to yell "stop harassing me!" after wordbomb showed yet again what a load of scumbags Rlevse's wikibuddies are. Somewhere there's a diff, perhaps wordbomb will have it handy.