[WikiEN-l] WR's secret forum and list

[Michael Noda]

On Dec 11, 2007 6:56 AM, Risker <risker.wp at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Dec 11, 2007 2:51 AM, David Gerard <dgerard at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On 10/12/2007, Risker <risker.wp at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > There's a big difference between an impromptu sanity check and a
> > regularized
> > > mailing list. You still haven't gotten around to explaining why people
> > felt
> > > the need to go off-wiki to create solutions to big-picture on-wiki
> > issues
> > > such as harassment and cyberstalking.
> >
> >
> > Er, you're asking: why would victims of cyberstalking not conduct a
> > discussion in the venue they're being stalked in?
> >
>
>
> No, I was asking why people who were trying to develop the Wikipedia
> Anti-Harassment and Anti-Stalking program were doing so off-site.  Hardly
> any of the victims were at the tea party; it was by invitation only, and if
> you didn't get the invite you didn't know the party was happening.

Indeed.  I haven't been directly involved in a harassment or stalking
incident (yet; I figure that as long as I'm an active editor here my
number's bound to come up eventually), but I'd like to be of use in
the creation of a real Anti-Harassment and Anti-Stalking incident,
because it's a Big Serious Deal.  The seriousness of the issue, and my
depth of caring about it, are also why I the current main advocates
for victims of harassment annoy me so much; they handle their own
cases poorly *and then turn around and encourage others to emulate
their errors.*  This is then compounded by displays of hostility
towards anyone fool enough to question whatever the current approach
is.  Unlike the entire rest of the project, this is not an area we can
give amateur opinions in and let our mistakes work themselves out; for
the vast majority of victims, there <s>will</s> should be only one
incident, and only one chance to get it right.

For the serious cases that are our real concern, we need involvement
of professional law enforcement more than amateur sleuthing,
restraining orders more than whack-a-mole blocks, and we need people
to know when and how to invoke these things.  Right now, our standard
modus operandi is to blither around like drunken giants until things
blow up out of control.  We need to do better.