Guild Wars 2 Wiki:Requests for adminship/Aquadrizzt

Aquadrizzt

Aquadrizzt (talk • contribs • logs • block log)

Started 04:53, 28 May 2012 (UTC)

I am nominating this editor for adminship. --Lania 04:49, 28 May 2012 (UTC)

I accept the nomination. Aqua (talk) 04:53, 28 May 2012 (UTC)

Status

Unsuccessful. 22:00, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

Candidate statement

Hi everyone, I'm Aqua(drizzt), the first user up for potential promotion to sysop.

I've been present on this wiki for just over two years; my first main space edit was 1 June 2010. Since then, I have worked in virtually every area of the wiki. The current infobox (pre-AlfaR) system, parts of the category system, lots of the templates, one of the (now replaced) main page designs, and lots of icons (pre-Beta) were just some of the things I have done in my two years.

I am an inciter. I like to get things done and I love to see bad systems turn into good systems after months of discussion. Occasionally I am over-zealous in my quest to fix/improve things, but lofty goals aren't a bad thing.

Some of you will recall (and for the reading pleasure of those who don't) this. It was my attempt (at the time) to get things moving and to shake things up, but it was also really too early and that has become immediately apparent to me in retrospect. It blew up after an off-hand comment made here that was subsequently followed by several other users making similar remarks. It was a poor decision on my part to make that comment and I can definitely say I know better now.

To answer the "why do I need tools" question, I will first comment on how very difficult it is to demonstrate a need for something that you can only prove you need by using it properly. As it is an inherently difficult question to answer, I'll try to answer it by saying that I am very perceptive of the atmosphere in which people are contributing and I have, at times, placed suggestions regarding the interactions between users in an attempt to mediate.

I have made mistakes. I have been corrected and I have learned from it. I have become much more mature and level-headed since the last time I did this, and hopefully this will convince you that I should become an admin.

Discussion

• Explanation of why the candidate should or should not retain rights/be given additional rights.
• Aqua's statement isn't exactly flattering, so I would like to point some of his positive points. He is one of the first contributors who have not come here from GW1W or one of the other wikis, and so, unlike us old fossils, he is not encumbered by years of wiki-lawyering or preconceptions of how a wiki should work. In fact, when I think of the "true" GW2W community, as in those who are actually native to this wiki as opposed to just following the flow from somewhere else, Aqua is one of the two users who first come to mind. As such, he has a very good grasp of how this community works; better, in fact, than many sysops who may not necessarily be capable to tell the difference between this wiki and GW1W or GuildWiki. He has the technical knowledge to learn how to use the sysop tools, as his many works in coding show; and he is incredibly active, probably one of the most active users in this community. That being said, I think it's important for the community to remember that the new sysops, of which Aqua could be the first, do not have the experience in the role that others have. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it's to be expected, actually - but some users are likely to be frozen in doubt when given the sysop tools, and others to act a bit too hurriedly. I wouldn't be surprised if Aqua falls into the latter camp (by his own words, he likes to get things done). It's something to watch when/if he's given sysop tools. Erasculio 01:03, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• Aqua has been and continues to be an active contributor across all aspects of the wiki. You might even call him a power user. I think he could make use of the admin tools in one way or another. I like to think of three main categories of admin tasks. There are administrative/mediative tasks, which deal with interpersonal relations and resolving disputes. There are back-end tasks, which deal with adjusting MediaWiki, writing code, etc. Finally, there are janitorial tasks, which would include sweeping Candidates for Deletion and such. Aqua shows promise in all three categories, although mediation is maybe not his strongest aspect given past history. As to being "new blood", I am of two minds about that. On the one hand, it is invaluable (and necessary, even) to have a balanced sysop team comprised of people that actually represent the community, this GW2 wiki. GW2W natives understand their home territory better than us old hands who came from elsewhere. On the other hand, similar to the classic "why not" argument, I don't believe that a user ought to be promoted solely to increase diversity, as it were; "admin affirmative action" just doesn't seem right. A sysop should be able to stand on his or her own merits. However, Aqua isn't just some random nobody who is being picked to represent GW2W, so I think it's safe to say that he would be a positive choice for admin. He has things to learn, but very few sysops are perfect model users before promotion. (And even fewer stay that way.) Vili 点 02:24, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• Aqua is an active and engaged member of the community. He's helpful and useful and friendly. I can't think of any time in the past where I've felt the need to question his actions and can't give you any reasons why he shouldn't get additional responsibilities. -- aspectacle  03:17, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• Oh horror, you actually used sarcasm on this wiki 2 years ago and got chastized for it? To be honest, this wiki is bathing in so much serious seriousness sometimes that i get depressed from it. That alone would be a reason to back up your rfa, but i'd like to do it in a slightly more substantial matter by saying that you seem to be an active, friendly guy who i trust to not put the wiki pages on fire any day soon. And do not use sarcasm ever again, we'll have official forums for that. Other than that, people act as if admins and sysops near godly status, while all they actually do is clean up our mess after us ;-). I think you'll make a fine cleaning lady. --Ee 07:53, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• For some reason, in my guts, I feel that I just don't know Aqua. Anyone who has been here little longer can tell that he's one of the most valuable contributors, especially amongst the so-called new blood, and I've pretty much the same opinion on his abilities with editing and code and his role in community as Erasculio, especially on that there's no reason to believe he couldn't learn how to use sysop tools properly. While I agree with Vili's argument against admin diversity being inherently good thing (quantity does not guarantee quality), I also believe that his "GW2W-native perspective" would benefit the admin team and community. So logically there is little reason for me to doubt Aqua. But, as I said, I simply can't feel that I know him, and as such, I don't feel I can properly trust him, not even as a fellow editor. This probably sounds very silly to those who know him better, but I'm pretty sure there are others here who feel the same – not just about Aqua, but about many other prominent members of community and admin team. I tend to trust people more quickly than others, and I try to assume good faith about every editor I can somehow define at first glimpse. However, I have no idea what kind of decisions Aqua could possibly make as an admin, or even as a regular contributor (I can't even tell whether he is light-hearted or serious person or something in-between), being so all-round as he is. I also have a rather uncomfortable feeling about his previous RFA (I thought there was two? Where's the other, if there ever was? Why there's nothing in Resolved RFAs category?) that he is still trying little too hard to become an admin. To what end, exactly? I'm not sure I'd like to see his editing capacity to be divided to janitorial or bureaucratic tasks in addition to regular, user-level contributing, in which he has and hopefully will continue to excel. Just because someone has become a great contributor doesn't mean that they need to recieve additional responsibility to divide their attention. In fact, it sometimes seems as if his motivation to contribute seems to be driven by his will to become an admin, even if that is not the case. Ultimately, this wiki also needs regular users who are as important contributors and beneficial to community as Aqua is. And finally, I don't think that the candidate made a particularly clear statement on why they should receive admin tools to do something that is already being taken care of rather well, IMHO. Mediggo 08:39, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• I tend to support diversity, and since this wiki has a small admin team, it would certainly be beneficial to have more content-focused users on the admin team. Having certain admin tools does complement content contribution in certain situations. It remains to be seen whether admin duties would divert too much attention away from Aqua's usual activities, which Aqua wouldn't know without being an admin first. Given Aqua's high standing within the community, don't have any reason to oppose. -- ab.er.rant 11:52, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• Ever since the whole reconfirmation process started, I was itching to nominate people that were a big part of the gw2w community. I had about a dozen names initially and I narrowed them down to the final two, who in my view were the least controversial out of that list Aqua and Infinite. The current sysop team is very capable but at the same time the team is also somewhat stale, and lack diversity in their opinions and view point. That issue has become more or less apparent with the current discussions taking place with design changes, wiki politics, etc. I am of the opinion that sysops are not glorified janitors but rather the grease the keeps the gears of the wiki running smoothly or the glue that keeps the wiki from falling apart. In essence sysops are leaders of some level that have gained a lot of community trust to handle the sysop tools w/o abusing them. I think Aqua has vastly matured over the years and I feel he is ready for the sysop seat.
  This part applies to both Aqua and Infinite. These two are untested in the face of blatant trolls and highly disruptive users. But we need sysops that represent “this” community and sysops has to start somewhere and start learning before the seat starts getting warm. It will be too late for them to learn once that community has grown to the point where we need sysops. If we do that, we’ll make the same mistake at GWW of promoting a bunch of questionable people into the sysop role when things got a little out of hand. The drama (shitstorm) that ensued from the sysop or sysops that weren’t ready for primetime was arguably worse than the disruption that they were trying to quell at the moment. The community has a lot of trust in Aqua and Infinite and it’s time to prove themselves to the community that their trust wasn’t misplaced. Also as my opinion is stated here in reply to TEF’s rant, sysops working together is even more important on this wiki compared to GWW, and I think Aqua and Inifinite are both very good team players. --Lania 17:56, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• Aqua is fairly active and known by the recent community. I see him as a serious and respectful contributor, and as I followed various discussions I feel that he's capable to team up with other admins to solve problems where needed. His ways show a judgmental reasoning, and I feel comfortable to support his RFA. -- Cyan 19:02, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
• Aqua's been here for awhile, and he has proved himself to be a respectable and engaged contributor. I would be glad for him to be a sysop, and would, without a doubt, trust him to maintain his positive demeanor.-- shew|make 15:28, 30 May 2012 (UTC)
• Neutral supportive (o.0). Aqua, as attested and seen, has been a constructive presence on this Wiki, and though good (great) user contribution does not necessarily a good sysop make, I believe that his considerable experience as part of the GW2W community makes for potential worth encouraging. I do agree that he is among the greener candidates, as well as one of the more assertive and forward-moving. This may not always be the best combination, but I think that this is where the importance of community history comes in: I am hoping in Aqua's case, in the course that he is granted sysop status, that it would make for a stronger and more balanced team while helping to further develop his own extant skills. Redshift 14:37, 31 May 2012 (UTC)