[Wikipedia-l] Blocked, insulted, and pissed

[Toby Bartels]

Eli wrote in part:

>============================================================
>User is blocked
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

>Your user name or IP address has been blocked by PierreAbbat. The reason given is this:
>Vandalized World Trade Center, William I of England. Removed large section of Napoleonic Code,

>You may contact the administrator to discuss the block.

>Return to Main Page.
>============================================================

>"Vandalizing the World Trade Center" may be an unfortunate, unthinking choice
>of words, but I am still deeply offended.

Indeed it is an unfortunate, unthinking choice of words.
I'm glad to see that Pierre didn't in fact use those words.

>(As for removing large sections of the Napoleonic Code: there are large
>sections of the IRS Code and the US Code I should like to delete and replace,
>but under our Constitution my opinion on this doesn't matter--when we vote
>Tuesday, DC will once again choose a Non-Voting Delegate to Congress.)

Again, nobody mentioned anything about
"removing large sections of the Napoleonic Code".
But I realise that you're joking; it's a nice pun.
Especially when Pierre is ignoring the subject,
it's easy to pretend that he's ignoring articles too.
At least you had the presence of mind
to not be offended by your own pun this time.

</grumpy response>
<pleasant response>

>I think you need to rethink the practice of blocking dynamic IP numbers.  Not
>everyone lives in an area served by cable modems or DSL.  Many of those who do
>cannot afford the additional expense of a high speed connection that is always
>on.

Now you have definitely got a point.
Many adminsitrators block IP addresses routinely
but fail to unblock them in a reasonable amount of time
or even to check to see if they are dynamic.
Yours is the second time that
this problem has come to the attention of the list
(the first time, several regulars were blocked).
If we must block IPs, then we need to do so more intelligently!

>The message advises me to "contact the administrator to discuss the block."
>This is nice.  It would have been nicer if a hyperlink to the administrator's
>"mailto:" address were included.  Unlike most websites, the Wikipedia home
>page offers no hyperlink to the webmaster.  This is why I joined and wrote to
>this list.  Probably there is a better place for this msg.  If so, please
>forward this, and tell me.

The list is actually pretty appropriate; we'all are the webmasters.
The easiest way to allow people to contact administrators
would be to include a link to [[Wikipedia:Adminstrators]],
where the individual administrator's user page can be found.
Not every administrator has a readable email address there,
but I do, and I've now marked myself for attention on that page.
(Other administrators that publish their email addresses can join me.)

>There are four things that need fixing here:  my access to Wikipedia,

Already done by Brion.

>your handling of dynamic IP addresses,

Definitely needs to be a priority.

>an easy way to contact the Wikipedia webmaster or administrator,

A link to [[Wikipedia:Administrators]] will be a useful kludge for now.

>and DC's voting rights.

I like your licence plates, even if that jerk Bush won't use them.


-- Toby