[WikiEN-l] Meet the Metz

[joshua.zelinsky at yale.edu]

Quoting Keith Old <keithold at gmail.com>:

> On 12/7/07, Daniel R. Tobias <dan at tobias.name> wrote:
>>
>> Another Cade Metz article on Wikipedia, following in the heels of the
>> last one:
>>
>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/06/wikipedia_and_overstock/
>>
>>
>> --
>> == Dan ==
>> Dan's Mail Format Site: http://mailformat.dan.info/
>> Dan's Web Tips: http://webtips.dan.info/
>> Dan's Domain Site: http://domains.dan.info/
>>
>>
>>
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>
> G'day Dan,
>
> This article seriously mentions black helicopters in the context of
> Wikipedia.
>
> If you ever took the Register seriously, it's time to reconsider your
> opinion.
>
> Regards
>
>
> Keith Old
>
> User:Capitalistroadster

I'm also concerned that Dan and others seem to be going out of there 
way to take
Wikipedia disputes off-wiki in a way to maximize damage to the 
reputation of the
project as a whole and Wikipedia editors who they disagree with. If we don't
have the maturity to handle our disputes without egging on tabloids to write
nasty things about other editors we have a serious problem.

Dan, I've agreed with you on BADSITES somewhat, and I've disagreed with you
strongly on the Durova matter but see somewhat where you are coming 
from, but I
cannot begin to fathom what went through your mind when you took part in this
article. I see nothing it accomplishes other than being a hit piece on fellow
Wikipedians. We can have polite, rational disagreement without pulling 
tabloids
into our mess. Heck, we can even have impolite disagreements. We sometimes say
"fuck" and "shut up" to each other on the mailing list. But there is no good
reason to get newspapers involved like this, especially crappy newspapers who
wish to cause trouble.

I hope that all editors in the future will exercise better restraint than to
engage in this sort of immature and unproductive behavior.