On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:49:56 -0700, uninvited@nerstrand.net uninvited@nerstrand.net wrote:
I would also like to draw attention to the growing problem with socks, or more generally, bad-faith users who are smart enough to know to create an account. There is no reason why we cannot implement the simple measures that every other web site in the world uses, like requiring confirmation of new accounts through a valid email address, and logging IPs of each edit in a way that is accessible to whoever is responsible for dealing with problems. The UBB software is an excellent example of this being done correctly in a way that balances privacy concerns and protection of the content. It's really just a modern-day picospan but still, its community-related features are worthy of notice. These measures are not foolproof, but they are enough to create a practical barrier to trolls, socks, and other troublemakers.
I agree that this is a problem. It's a dependable pattern - someone with a very strong opinion lands on Wikipedia, makes an account, and promptly begins messing up articles, causing page protection, tying up editors in talk pages and causing good-faith editors to say things they regret later. The [[Circumcision]] edit wars (still taking place) are one example, Reithy, and now the ciz thing with [[Zoophilia]] is just ramping up. If ciz doesn't leave voluntarily, he'll tie up an article and waste a lot of time until his eventual banning. A committed POV warrior can cause problems for months before the community is able to act decisively. It really is the same problem, replayed over and over again. It's a very predictable pattern, and Wikipedia should be able to recognize it and deal with it.
Rhobite