[WikiEN-l] Re: Plautus

Thu Feb 26 04:46:43 UTC 2004

Mark Pellegrini wrote:

>Erik wasn't half right when he said Plautus is not reformable. He's driving
>away good users (Evercat and Finlay McWalter, just to name two), and wasting
>enormous amounts of contributor time. If Wikipedia is to become popular on
>the scale that many of us would like to see, the system needs to be
>reformed. Just what does it take to get banned from this place?

I think the underlying problem here is that Jimbo has stepped back a 
bit from his role as "benevolent dictator," referring this kind of 
decision to the arbitration committee. The problem is that the 
arbitration committee can't move quickly enough to deal with problem 
users like this one.

One solution might be to designate a few trusted individuals as 
volunteer "judges" -- people to whom Jimbo in his capacity as 
dictator grants the authority to take action instantly, if they feel 
conditions warrant. The decisions of judges, of course, would be 
subject to review by the arbitration committee, and a judge who 
repeatedly abuses his authority would have it revoked.

As a matter of policy, I think "judges" should not be allowed to 
simultaneously sit on the arbitration committee, so that we have some 
separation of powers.

--Sheldon