GuildWiki talk:Requests for arbitration/Stabber and esan vs F G

Let me be the first to say, that as an avid contributor, I have been watching(reading) this little dispute play out. Since I have been here, I have seen some minor quarrels, but nothing of this magnitude. Although a complete stranger to those involved, I would have to say that anyone that read any of this dispute is dissappointed in those individuals. GuildWiki should be a place of accurate information, mature discussions, and making sure others do not tarnish what we are working hard to do here. This should not be a place of quarreling between contributors, name calling, ban threats, and the like. I agree with Tanaric as he stated, "If you can't handle reasonable discussion on the Internet, we don't need you."

With that said, I know I have placed Bans on some anon users and reverted their vandalism. While I, and most others, do it the way it was intended and try to help the admins, the Ban template can also be used to threaten someone. That never crossed my mind until this debate. I am 100% in agreement with Tanaric in not allowing non-admins to use the Ban template. Having been apart of many forums and admin some, I expect to see this type of behavior again, although I always hope I never do. --Gares Redstorm 22:22, 9 May 2006 (CDT)
 * There's no point in not letting regular users using the ban template. We admins simply ban, we never use the template. -PanSola 03:24, 10 May 2006 (CDT)

Ban template issue
My personal thoughts on the ban template. First let's look at what this template actually says, the text of it: This user is a candidate for (temporary) blocking, because: 

See the history of article "" for evidence.

If you disagree with this user's privileges being (temporarily) removed, please explain why on their talk page.

Administrators, remember to check the user's contributions :: Check | Ban * Fields inside <>'s show user entered fields.

Essentially what this is is a request for admins to look at this user's contributions (the word links to the user's contributions whose page the template is posted on), especially the article mentioned. And then, if the admin feels that it is warrented, to ban them. If the admin does not feel a ban is warrented, then the admin should remove the template. No where does the notice state that, "You will be banned," and it gives a place where other users, including the user who is the subject of the notice to post their opinions.

Now IMO this is an asset for the admins. There are, what, four of us who are on here with any regularity? 84-175, Karlos, PanSola and myself. I don't know about the other three, but I personally don't have time to go through all the entries in Special:recentchanges, especially now, when in the time between when I go to bed and when I get up, we have more than 500 entries (altho, to be fair roughly 100 of these entries last night were about this Stabber/F G thing). Personally when I go through Category:Candidates for banning, I check the article linked to the notice and look to see what that user did in said article, usually I will check to see what, if any other contributions the user has made, and to see if they have been banned before or not (all these options are available as links in the template). If I think it is warrented, I will ban them for an amount of time I feel is appropriate, if I don't think it is, I'll remove the template.

As for Tanaric's comment about "I'd rather instruct than ban any day, regardless of how much more difficult instructing often is.", please don't take offense at this, but WTF? Please instruct me what sort of instruction is necessary for a user who wipes out an article and replaces it with, "I hate niggaz!"? Add to that the fact that we only see you on here once in a blue moon, usually when someone has had a run in with someone else, and that comment really comes off as holier than thou (note, I'm not saying that you aren't here often, but you don't make your presense known).

On Administrators Tanaric stated:
 * 84.175, Karlos, Rainith and PanSola are on the wiki daily to fight vandalism, block users, delete pages, and respond to general user requests. (This comment has been edited since it was originally written it to reflect the current admins, but not the "responsiblilites" that they have)
 * Tanaric is on slightly less often, and does the above jobs when there's anything left for him to do. Additionally, if you have non-technical issues which you wish an admin to intervene in, such as interuser disputes or policy/tradition questions, he's usually willing to help.

The Ban template is one tool that we (the afforementioned administrators) use to help us with with the fighting of vandalism, blocking of users, deleting of pages, and the responding to general user requests. If people feel that a change in name to the ban template is needed, fine, although I think   is much easier to type than   .

Any users who feel that they could be "targeted" by another user that they are having a dispute with and that they will be blocked for not doing anything shouldn't worry. I very much doubt that any of the 4 above mentioned admins (myself included) is going to block someone because of a request like this without doing due dilligance. In fact, I don't think I've ever had a complaint from anyone who I blocked because of a request. But I can think of at least 2 people that I blocked (that was not requested by another user, just an edit that I saw that looked like vandalism to me) that it turns out were unjust.

Blah, like most of my posts that go on for more than a paragraph, this has wandered further than I had intended. Short and sweet, keep the ban template, rename it if you must, reword what shows when it is applied to a page if you feel that is necessary, but keep the functionality there. --Rainith 23:04, 9 May 2006 (CDT)


 * I actually agree with you; I didn't mean to be unclear in the arbitration request. I had actually typed a few more paragraphs about the ban template, but deleted them, figuring they were redundant and that nobody but you four would care. Lesson learned. :)  The only remaining line from that paragraph is this:


 * I would not be against a very specific "anonymous vandal" template, as that is theoretically a help to the admins that keep tabs on that sort of thing.


 * ...which both deprecates myself for rarely doing anything involving wiki maintenance and acknowledges that the ban template's original goal was to help us categorize vandals when nobody was monitoring Recentchanges.


 * That said, I think that, while the template is 99% of the time used in that context, it has the potential to be abused. Logging in to see that message on your talk page isn't pleasant, regardless of how unjustified it is. It has the potential to scare away new users. It has the power to cause users that regularly patrol Recentchanges, and whom regularly place the ban template on anon vandal pages, to think of themselves as mightier than the average GuildWikian. Most deviously, it has the power to make other users think of said vandalwatchers as "more than users."


 * There is definitely a need for a template to mark vandals.  would be sufficient. But a template that, even in name, purports to cause the banning of users isn't appropriate, and the "you messed up so you get a tempban" mentality that has evolved alongside it (NOT among us admins, but among some users) needs to be squelched. A user that sees another user messing up (ESPECIALLY non anons, but even anon users that aren't obvious vandals) should post a message with some advice; they shouldn't be posting a  notice.


 * I didn't mean to imply that any admin bans based on the template without checking the important info first. I know that none of you would; I recommended all of you as admins because I trust you'll do the job right! :)


 * &mdash;Tanaric 23:31, 9 May 2006 (CDT)


 * In this particular case, the anon that Stabber nominated for banning did not even want to discuss thing on the talk page. That anon user fundamentally disagree with the Revert Once Policy, as illustrated in him accusing me of barging into his and Stabber's little revert war.  The anon user (and Stabber) would not have stopped the revert war had Rainith not protected the article.  I don't believe bans are being used as threats at all on GuildWiki, nor do I feel there is a "oh no if I mess up I might get banned" mantality spreading or being encouraged by the current use of ban templates.  The only improper thing regarding usage of ban templates was F G's presumption that, after he nominated someone for banning, and if no one come to the nominated user's defense, then he can proclaim that user to be banned.  That was a singular incident. -PanSola 03:22, 10 May 2006 (CDT)


 * FWIW I was going to name the ban template like wikipedia:Template:Vandal  Skuld   08:18, 10 May 2006 (CDT)


 * I 'll abstain from any comments in the Stabber-vs-FG debate. Anybody who knows my history on this wiki will understand that I made a resolution to stay out of any fights. :)
 * As for the ban request template, I think it should not be deleted, however, the use of the template should strictly be limited to cases of vandalism, and the template should be changed accordingly. --Tetris L [[Image:TurningL sml.gif]]  04:15, 10 May 2006 (CDT)


 * All of the points I do want to comment on can be found here. --Xeeron 07:55, 10 May 2006 (CDT)


 * Tanaric wrote, "I had actually typed a few more paragraphs about the ban template, but deleted them, figuring they were redundant and that nobody but you four would care. Lesson learned." Correct. :D The GuildWiki is a great idea and I would not be helping unless I thought so. Its a convenient way for others to find the information they seek and a very good learning tool about the game Guild Wars. While I do not think of this place as a "home", I do strive in any way I can to make this a better place. If that means voicing my opinion on a particular matter, then that's what I'll do. It also means I will spend hours in The Falls to find that particular boss so I can get a screen of him and his SoC.


 * If the Ban Template is used for the right reasons, sure keep it. I know if I had a quarrel with someone on this forum and was threatened to be banned or even saw a Ban request on my page, I would be highly upset. I, myself, do not use the Ban Template to feel like a "god", I use it to make admins aware of a possible vandal, and a vandal they usually are. I do, however, hate that when an Admin is not on and a vandal is going around deleting or defacing articles and all you can do is follow them and revert their damage until they get tired or an Admin comes on and Bans them. That is not how I want to spend my time here, but if it needs to be done, then so be it.


 * Rainith writes, "I don't know about the other three, but I personally don't have time to go through all the entries in Special:recentchanges..." That is where normal GuildWikians come in, to share the load and help the overworked Admin staff here. Not only do these Admins have to do the enforcing and protection of the GuildWiki, but they also do things to improve to the content. For examples, I have seen Rainith adding missing and new content from GuildWars that we do not have yet, PanSola doing what he does? What do you do again, play with templates? :P Just kidding. He helps to create and improve standards on the GuildWiki pages. So our are doing the job of two, not counting their real life responsibilities. I applaude them for that.


 * After having had thought about the situation for a night now, I would say keep the Ban Template, as Admins should and do review the activites of the possible vandal before making a judgement. I would, however, like to bring up that if a user threatens another with a Ban or adds the Ban Template to a User Page out of malice or what-have-you, that person should be punished. That is childish behavior and should not be allowed in, what I believe, is a mature site. --Gares Redstorm 08:01, 10 May 2006 (CDT)

PanSola's response - Agree, but some things are overlooked.
1. "About the comments in question" include in Tanaric's arbitration does not seem to cover F G's reply to esan. At least, "Stabber asked him for his opinion on this matter" definitely does not cover that latter reply. Additionally, I in principle disagree with "F G can say whatever he wants on his own talk page." We acknowledge free speech, but that does not mean literally ANYTHING is allowed. Specifically, I strongly believe that if a GuildWiki user should type something that constitute personal attacks on another individual, even if it's on the user's own user page, that there be nothing for the administrators to do. A direct implication of "User can say whatever s/he wants on her/his own talk page" means uncontrolled flame war is allowed.

In this particular incident, I do not consider F G to have crossed over the line. I just disagree on the general principle Tanric stated.

2. A point of irony I have noticed. F G claimed Stabber threatened to ban the anon user. As far as my observasion goes, Stabber simply flagged the anon user as a candidate for banning. There were no threats involved, and there where no assumption of administrator rights/authorities/status implied by Stabber. It was a pretty routine "I saw a violation of policy, I'll flag that user" on Stabber's part, without realizing that she herself also took part in violiating the policy. Later F G flagged Stabber as a candidate for banning.

The irony was that, a short period of time after F G flagged Stabber, he proclaimed that, because nobody has came to Stabber's defense, Stabber should be banned. The "short period of time", as far as I can tell comparing insert of ban template and "no one has come to her defense", was 4 MINUTES.

In this entire drama I see one single individual who have overstepped the lines of regular user vs admin, and that wasn't Stabber.

The above are topics I felt Tanric did not touch upon in the arbitration. In the end however, I don't see anything that needs to be done, as the conflict has been resolved by the involved parties no longer engaging in communication. -PanSola 03:17, 10 May 2006 (CDT)


 * Am I to understand that in the case of F G Vs Stabber, that Tanric has ruled that F G was not out of line because he can say whatever he likes on his talk page? That's rubbish in my opinion., I'm not going to prove a point by putting a whole lot of religious/race hate material on my user page (hell I've just got onto the Gem list, couldn't jeopardise that!) but if I did it should be removed and some warning or ban placed against me by an admin. What's the point of having user talk pages if we can say whatever we like on them, piss off whomever we like because we have no accountability there? I disagree with the assertion that the "conflict has been resolved", I don't consider both parties leaving the GuildWiki to be a sucessful resolution. Stabber was personally attacked, her character came under fire and her real life person was brought into disrepute. I'm off to put a comment on her talk page but as I see it you can be a long time good contributor here but if you come under fire in a totally unacceptable way, expect to get hung out to dry. --Xasxas256 09:09, 10 May 2006 (CDT)
 * As I mentioned on one of the talk pages, I have a high threshold for insults, and I apologize if my tolerance/apathy caused discomfort or offended people. -PanSola 09:14, 10 May 2006 (CDT)


 * If F G had gone to Stabber's talk page unannounced and posted attacks, I'd have considered this differently. That said, Stabber came to F G's page and asked for his opinion of her. I cannot make a policy that his opinion must be positive. Furthermore, he expressed that opinion in the nicest way possible. He didn't flame her, he didn't trivialize her accomplishments. He simply stated that he believed she was a net negative, and gave his reasons why. Whether or not you agree with him shouldn't be a matter of administrative arbitration.


 * Xasxas, I have no problem with you posting religious or hate material on your user page. In fact, if other users attacked you on your talk page for doing so, I'd intervene on your behalf! As long as you don't negatively affect the wiki proper (i.e., don't blank a page and write "I hate niggers," as Rainith so delicately put it :)), there's no reason you can't express your own opinions on your own page, regardless of what those opinions are.


 * That said, if you started going to OTHER user talk pages, and posted "I hate blacks" there with no provocation, I'd consider you in the wrong.


 * PanSola, admittedly, I didn't see those later replies, as I was working off an older revision of the page. Oops!  Nevertheless, I stand by my decision: I think users ought to be able to say what they like on their own talk pages.


 * &mdash;Tanaric 16:09, 10 May 2006 (CDT)