[WikiEN-l] Admins who pretend to quit (was Re: MONGO and the ArbComm)

[Fastfission]

On 12/12/06, M Roget <mroget at gmail.com> wrote:
> Can we have a rule that states that any admin who "quits" Wikipedia to
> protest this or that is automatically desysopped? It's one thing to take a
> wikibreak or to leave because of real life time commitments but any admin
> who quits in order to make a point has abdicated their responsibilities.
> There seems to be a trend of admins announcing their departure only to come
> back in a few days after dozens of people have posted supportive statements
> on their talk page. Call me cynical but this looks like manipulative
> trolling to me and automatic desysopping would create a disincentive. If
> someone really intends to leave they won't care about being desysopped -
> they'll even request that it be done but if somone is just pretending to
> leave an automatic desysopping will make them think twice.

It's of course manipulative (it is common on all internet forums —
"Goodbye, internet! I quit!") but that's not necessarily a good reason
to de-sysop. The temptation to make a big stink and slam the door on
the way out is always going to be there. I'm not sure adding
punishments to something which was already provoked by acrimony would
solve much or help much. Usually such huffs are made in a moment of
high emotions; I think we should all be allowed a little slack in
things we do and say when we are upset. For repeat-repeat-repeat
offenders it might be a sign of inability to cooperate with others,
but I suspect that's relatively rare, definitely not worth making a
new rule about.

It's manipulative but most people see it for what it is. I don't think
it has any real negative effects on the 'pedia or the community. I
think that adding punishments probably would, in the long run. Better
to just add it to the neverending list of "annoying things people do
on the internet" and leave it at that.

FF