> Admin IRC at a crossroads

anon1234

Intense discussion: Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard#IRC_admin_channel

QUOTE

Numerous incidents involving gross incivility on the IRC channel have been brought to the Arbitration Committee's attention. We consider such behavior absolutely unacceptable; to ensure that it does not continue, we have worked with the leadership of the IRC channels to appoint additional channel ops, with a specific mandate to keep Wikimedia IRC channels polite and courteous. Behavior on the IRC channel may be taken into consideration with respect to arbitration cases if it results in disruption on Wikipedia. Fred Bauder for the Arbitration Committee 01:54, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

ArbCom is extending its jurisdiction to the admin IRC channel, albeit slowly. Most directly a result of Giano's IRC log postings during his Xmas/New Years meltdown.

An end to the admin IRC channel or a move towards the acceptance of full logging and disclosure?

Jonny Cache

QUOTE(anon1234 @ Tue 16th January 2007, 2:02pm)

An end to the admin IRC channel or a move towards the acceptance of full logging and disclosure?

I think that the main effect can probably be summed up in a single edit line:

sub [airhead/a*hole]

As always, a purely verbal reform.

Jonny

the fieryangel

QUOTE(Jonny Cache @ Tue 16th January 2007, 8:46pm)

I think that the main effect can probably be summed up in a single edit line:

sub [airhead/a*hole]

As always, a purely verbal reform.

Jonny

JC gets another hole in one....figuratively speaking, of course!

Somey

I agree - I doubt anything will really change, long term, in the way admins use "back-channel" communications. They might at least pretend to be hard-asses about things like obscenities, ad-hominem bashing, and vulgar topics for the next few weeks though, I suppose... But really, how much fun is that? If people can't go into chatrooms with their wikifriends and type out line after line about furry porn for literally hours on end, what's the point of being involved with Wikipedia in the first place?

Of course, it's hard to control what goes on in IRC anyway - or more to the point, they can't just wipe the history like they can with good ol' MediaWiki. Once something gets said, that's it, it's out there, and the best they can do is claim that the logs were "fabricated," or that the offending conversation was "months ago, so it's no longer relevant."

Besides, all the really forward-thinking "cabal" members have been using IM for months now!

Elara

Not just IM, either. How long does it take to register an IRC channel on some IRC network? Spread the #channelname via email to your trusted buddies. Fresh new backchannel.

ArbCom continues to waste it's time...

a view from the hive

QUOTE(Somey @ Tue 16th January 2007, 7:50pm)

I agree - I doubt anything will really change, long term, in the way admins use "back-channel" communications. They might at least pretend to be hard-asses about things like obscenities, ad-hominem bashing, and vulgar topics for the next few weeks though, I suppose... But really, how much fun is that? If people can't go into chatrooms with their wikifriends and type out line after line about furry porn for literally hours on end, what's the point of being involved with Wikipedia in the first place?

Of course, it's hard to control what goes on in IRC anyway - or more to the point, they can't just wipe the history like they can with good ol' MediaWiki. Once something gets said, that's it, it's out there, and the best they can do is claim that the logs were "fabricated," or that the offending conversation was "months ago, so it's no longer relevant."

Besides, all the really forward-thinking "cabal" members have been using IM for months now!

Wait a second, you know of useful conversation going on in that conversation. I see

"lol"
"hahahaha"
links to digg
links to slashdot

No seriously, nothing happens on IRC. The IRC is like myspace, but even more boring....

Somey

QUOTE(a view from the hive @ Fri 19th January 2007, 10:12pm)

No seriously, nothing happens on IRC. The IRC is like myspace, but even more boring....

So why make such a fuss about logging?

LamontStormstar

They should stop using IRC and use some much better chat system. One that firstly, protects peoples IP addresses. Secondly, is run by Wikipedia Admins and not some IRC bullies who don't edit on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia donates to Freenode so they could put that money into their own chat system.