 | This is the user sandbox of EvergreenFir. A user sandbox is a subpage of the user's user page. It serves as a testing spot and page development space for the user and is not an encyclopedia article. Create or edit your own sandbox here. My other sandboxes: Main sandbox | Sandbox 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Socks |
1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?
A: My current editing focuses mostly on countering vandalism edits, long-term disruptive editing, and sniffing for socks. I also find myself in the WP:REVDEL chat asking for RD2 on BLPs. In the past, I monitored the User Creation Log and the New Pages looking for spam and inappropriate names and pages. I find myself adding to the workload in these areas by reporting often (e.g., rangeblock requests in ANI, or SPIs for WP:DUCK accounts), and I hope that I can stop adding to the workload of other admins and take care of these issues myself.
I expect I will start in these areas and expand to others (AfD, AN3, BLPN?) as I become more comfortable and knowledgeable. When in doubt, I have no problem seeking outside input or asking for double checks.
2. What are your best contributions to Wikipedia, and why?
A: I am rather proud of some of the articles I've created. Shooting of Joseph Mann, Murray A. Straus, and Ronnie Shelton are some of the BLPs I've worked on. I've also done work on some other topics like notable non-human organisms such as Shawshank tree and Claude (alligator).
Overall, though, I think my most important contributions would be the janitorial work. No single revert, sock identification, or CSD nomination can compare to content creation, but when put together over time it amounts to a lot. Wikipedia needs both; construction needs maintenance to survive for any meaningful amount of time and maintenance is meaningless without construction. Aside from addressing the typical minor vandalism, keeping things such as pornography and defamatory content out of articles is essential to the project.
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: Most notably to many, 4.5 years ago I was involved in a conflict involving Eric Corbett and the WP:GGTF. This caused hard feeling that still linger today. Since that time, I have tried to keep away from the dramaboards and disengage from some of the more heated debates. Perhaps more articulately said here, my relationship to Wikipedia has evolved. I've learned to take it a bit less seriously, a lot less personally, and treat it like the volunteering/hobby that it is.
I'm sure I've had some conflicts or contentious encounters with others who will be !voting here, and I fully understand that they may have reservations. I know I would. I am not shy about editing on political and contentious topics, voicing my opinions, and I acknowledge my POV on these topics. Dissent can be healthy in the pursuit of NPOV and is rarely personal. Simultaneously, I know that admin tools have no place when I am involved or when their use can be viewed as non-neutral. When I am too close to a topic or when I know my POV is strong, I would only act on the most blatant of cases (e.g., use of slurs or other WP:ZT cases). For all other instances, I will do what I would expect of any other admin; I will recuse myself and seek input, review, or action from other admins as I often see done on WP:AN/WP:ANI.
I know actions speak louder than words and, if successful in this RfA, I would encourage those with reservations to watch me, question me if you think I am crossing any lines, and report me if needed. I expect that for any admin. Wikipedia works because of collaboration and that includes accountability.