Greetings to All
Let me start by saying that I don't do much here at the WP, not compared to people who make hundreds of edits a week. I would love to, have a long list of "to-do", but unfortunately time is not on my side.
In my limited involvemet here, I have seen many a good editor leave the project. Mostly, people leave because they can't take it anymore having to fight the 'blocks' of defenders that coalesce around certain topics.
In itself, though not very healthy, such blocks forming around topis is fine. What is not fine is that if any issue gets referred to a higher process for a resolution, it is often the same people grouping of people previously involved in disputes on the same topic who come to the resolution forum to issue a decision. However, it is always the 'outsider' that loses. He gets acused of everything under the sun, and gets 'good advice' from supposedly neutral editors, urging him to calm down, to temper his language etc. It is like trying to point out that the earth is round at a monthly meetng of the fat-earthers. That is not healthy and is making the WP processes look like a kangaroo court run by a cabal.
And I expect pretty much the same reaction to this email.
I pointed out in an ealier email to this list the difficulty that one encounters when you include something negative about certain big corporations. I was stoned and made to feel that I was wrong and everbody else was right. The reaction was tantamount to a chorus of "yes, we know there are problems, but don't say it out loud, someone might hear you!".
Let's for argument's say that I was wrong. But - more importantantly - was anything done to investigate what I was saying? What if there are legions out there paid to sanitise the pages of big corporations? And we know that they exist, and that WP has taken up the issue as in here, http://nick-xomba-ceo.xomba.com/microsoft_accused_of_paying_blogger_to_alter...
I made a silly remark on a Talk page about the choice of the word "downgrade" to refer to people using Windows 8 who wanted to go back to XP. For a failed product, by Microsoft's own admission, going back to XP is an upgrade, going back to sanity, not a downgrade.
I was first accused of trolling, then something else, then of offending the entire community of users of Windows 8. The editor who is adamant - not the first time - to purge ant-MS from the talkpage violated the 3RR, but nothing gets done about it. I reported the 3RR, and it was immediately closed, labelled as being relatiatory. There is a backlog of issues on that page, but my entry was closed within minutes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Edit_w...
It was closed, claiming that it was already being addressed elsewhere.
So, I too will consider my stay here. Like I said right at the top, I don't do much here, so I am certain I will not even be missed. I edit in eight languages, small little bits here and there. I participated in a number of initiaves on the development of Chapters in Africa and am happy to see that things are moving. I had the honour and privilege to meet Jimmy Wales in South Africa and to discuss a few things relating to WP in Africa.
So, it is time to wind down anr retire into a corner. I am busy with a novel, I am sure that is where I should invest my time and energy.
Sincere regards to all, happy editing
Rui Correia