-----Original Message-----
From: Silas Snider [mailto:swsnider@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, July 6, 2007 11:18 AM
To: 'English Wikipedia'
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] FredBauder"clarifies"onattackkkkk site link policy
</snip>
I hope you make a choice to support our
productive editors and administrators and do what is needful to protect them from
harassment by external sites. I know it is frustrating and offensive to be forced to do
what you would do voluntarily and with insight.
Then why not try a compromise solution? And since when did ArbCom get
the power to determine who our 'productive' editors and admins are,
let alone protect them? When was that added to the mandate?
It is implicit in the mandate. We are creating an encyclopedia. We will support those who
work on the encyclopedia.
If a naive
editor got caught up in a major controversy that is a shame. However, the bold
pronouncements that the "vague" arbitration remedy was void and the ignoring of
warnings argue for a disingenuous breaching experiment. A ban is open to such theater. The
alternative is to open the site to drama, a move which would not have a happy outcome.
This is a false dichotomy that insists on assuming bad faith. The only
reason that we are having the current drama is because of the ban. I
have a feeling that had the ArbCom not blanket-banned a website, we
would never have had any major drama, except possibly that which would
have been instigated by SlimVirgin over any link to WR.
No, we would have many links to a site which trashes our contributors. It is better to
support our contributors.
Also, I think you are taking the 'vague'
comment a little too
personally -- many people in the community think it was a vague
decision in the context in which the edit was made, because of the
ArbCom which apparently cannot make up its mind on whether the ban
applies to all 'Attack Sites' or just ED. It is also undeniable that
she was editing in good faith. To suggest that she should have stopped
because she had been warned is ridiculous. We don't expect our admins
to stop deleting pictures that are under bogus fair use rationales
because they've been warned by someone who doesn't understand policy
do we?
Users who are deleting images under bogus fair use rationals are contributing to the
encyclopedia, a breaching experiment is just more drama. May I point out that her 24 hour
block, which she worked so hard for, has long expired.
A dull site,
devoted to work on the encyclopedia will serve our readers and productive contributors
better.
... Says you. I, and many others, think that it is not only very
valuable for a very restricted class of links, but we also in general
think that the ArbCom, and ArbCom members, should not be throwing
their weight around in content disputes that are not part of an
ongoing case.
Fred
Sincerely,
Silas Snider
When someone asked for clarification on Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration regarding a
remedy, it is our business to clarify it. And in this case, reexamine it.
Bottom line, our priority is to support our contributors and administrators and take
reasonable steps to minimize harassment of them by external websites.
Fred