Ray Saintonge wrote:
If the recent dispute had been guided by these principles it might not have become as heated. When a long-standing editor asks for an explanation, and is told to ask the lawyers we aren't reading the same page anymore. It is quite understandable that people will react with a "Them's fightin' words" attitude.
I disagree quite significantly. If a longstanding editor asks for an explanation, and is told to ask the lawyers, I absolutely do NOT think that it is understandable AT ALL that "them's fightin' words" is the attitude in response. That is just silly. We've been working together for a long time now.
I think Erik, in this case, would agree. If the response had been "Actually, Erik, do me a favor and leave this one protected, I can't explain why at the moment, but please ask Brad if you need more information, perhaps he can give it" then there would have been no explosion.
The person wielding the WP:OFFICE cudgel needs to be sensitive to the community as well as the complainant. He needs to know from experience that any hint of secrecy underlying his actions will raise the temperature of flames by several degrees.
No, actually, I think the community understands that temporarily not all information can always be made immediately public.
What got things wound up in this case was not the secrecy, but a wildly disproportionate and unfair blocking and desysopping, when a reprotection with a note of "Please ask me before unprotecting this one, there are important issues here" would have done the job just fine.
--Jimbo