Wikipedia:Online Ambassadors/Apply/Gobonobo

The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a successful Online Ambassador application.

Gobonobo

Gobonobo (talk · contribs)

1. Why do you want to be a Wikipedia Ambassador?

   I'd like to help new editors learn how to edit and interact on Wikipedia. Editing Wikipedia can be tremendously daunting and Ambassadors play an important role as a public face of Wikipedia. I'm interested in seeing Wikipedia in the Classroom projects succeed.

2. In three sentences or less, summarize your involvement with Wikimedia projects.

   I am most active at the English Wikipedia, though I also make contributions to Wikimedia Commons. I primarily contribute content to Wikipedia and work on maintenance backlogs. I participate in a few different WikiProjects.

3. Please indicate a few articles to which you have made significant content contributions. (e.g. DYK, GA, FA, major revisions/expansions/copyedits).

   I've started many articles, mostly biographies. Recently I've worked on Blanche Lazzell, Nellie Stone Johnson and Hannah Kempfer.

4. How have you been involved with welcoming and helping new users on Wikipedia?

   I regularly place welcome templates on new users' talk pages.

5. What do you see as the most important ways we could welcome newcomers or help new users become active contributors?

   I believe that most newcomers appreciate receiving a welcome message shortly after they begin editing. I think that responding to inquiries quickly and clearly makes a huge difference, especially for editors having difficulties or students trying to complete their assignments on time.

6. Have you had major conflicts with other editors? Blocks or bans? Involvement in arbitration? Feel free to offer context, if necessary.

   I've not had any major conflicts, blocks, bans or involvement in arbitration.

7. How often do you edit Wikipedia and check in on ongoing discussions? Will you be available regularly for at least two hours per week, in your role as a mentor?

   I typically edit on a daily basis and monitor discussions that I am involved with. I would be willing to dedicate three to four hours per week to a mentoring role.

8. How would you make sure your students were not violating Copyright laws?

   I would use CopyTracker to check content submitted by students. I would also use the techniques outlined at the Detecting subsection of WP:PARAPHRASE to help identify close paraphrasing.

9. If one of your students had an issue with Copyright Violation how would resolve it?

   If there were a specific incident, I would explain how it was a copyright violation and why it was not appropriate for Wikipedia. I would try to help students find a way to complete their assignments without violating copyright.

10. In your _own_ words describe what Copyright Violation is.

    Copyright violations can take many forms, but they are most often plagiarism or a direct cut and paste of someone else's work. Copyright violations may also involve using non-free images and can include close paraphrasing.

Discussion

• Support I have worked with this user several times and he has always been excellent. --Guerillero | My Talk 14:19, 6 April 2012 (UTC)
• Support In particular if Guerillero is vouching for him. Epistemophiliac (talk) 03:42, 11 April 2012 (UTC)
• Support.--Pharos (talk) 19:20, 12 April 2012 (UTC)