[WikiEN-l] Mediation/arbitration

Tue Mar 30 15:38:16 UTC 2004

Mediation and arbitration

3 months roughly

Perhaps time to make a summary/report then...

A : How many requests were done to MC ?

B : How many requests were accepted ? (ie, cases where all disputants agreed to mediation, and agreed on a common mediator)

If A is different of B => why were requests not accepted ?
    Is it because some "regular" users refused mediation with a "troll" ?
        If so, what do we propose to regular users being out of energy due to trolling ?
    Is it because the two could not agree on a common mediator ?
        Should more mediators be involved ?
    Is it because no mediator accepted the case ?
        In this case, why did they refuse ? If the one requesting is a troll, are mediators expected to lose their time with the troll ? What do we do with the troll exhausting us ?

C : How many mediation succeed ?

If C << B, why did mediation failed ?
    Is it because the conflict was just too old and people too bitter ?
        If so, should we try to handle the case sooner ?
    Is it because other people had negative impact on the mediation ?
        If so, how can we protect mediation process ?
    Is it because the mediator is just plain not a good mediator ?
        If so, what should we do ?
    Is it because one of the disputant is a troll ?
        If so, should mediators lose their time and energy on trolls, or use it for issues on which they can help ? Is not providing mediation to a troll and tiring out mediators, just feeding the troll and weakening the community ?

D : On mediations which failed, how many led to request to arbitration ? (excluding those which were spontaneously sent to arbitration due to one of the disputant blewing up)

If C different of D, what happened with the failed mediations which were never followed by arbitration request ? Why were no request for arbitration done ? 

E : On mediations that led to request to arbitration, how many were accepted by the AC (eventually with Jimbo help)

If C different of E, why were requests not accepted ? What happened with the failed mediations which were not accepted by arbitration ? How did the disputants took it ? Are the disputants still fighting ? How many of the disputants left wikipedia ?

F : On mediations that were accepted by arbitration after mediation stamp of approval, how many were actually arbitrated ?

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I know not the exact numbers, but here are I think a couple of relevant points
* perhaps 20 cases were handled, most did not succeed
* the great majority of cases involved at least one person widely perceived as a troll by the wikipedia community, or even a vandal. It means most cases handled were potentially just feeding the trolls, which is generally a bad idea.
* some mediators plain refused handling cases with trolls, were attacked by the trolls for refusing to "assume their duty", and requested to resign
* only the most critical cases of trolling or vandalism were accepted by arbitration or arbitrated. Dispute between regular users were not.

What my feeling is
* MC role is to handle disputes between regular users. Most of these disputes should not go to arbitration. If a mediator fails in one of these disputes, relay should be taken by another, or by a group of mediators. Because I deeply believe all regular users are accessible to logic, to reason and to discussion, hence all cases should be resolvable without arbitration. If all discussion fails, then the issue should be taken by any user or group of user available for help, with light enforcement possibly (hence, not officially by a mediator). Any user should feel like he is empowered to help.

* As it is organised, AC role is typically to handle cases related to very bad behaviors, and intent to hurt the community. It is different from regular disputes. Hence I feel that arbitration should accept to handle cases directly per request from the community, not to wait for a mediator to lose his time and energy over a troll. If a poll (grrrr) reveals that 80% of regular users think User:Bip is a vandal, then the case should go straight to arbitration. Not wander in bureaucracy corridors. If 80% of the wikipedians think User:Bip is a troll, then I also think the AC should accept the case, as it is community request. If they are too busy, then community should decide itself, and apply the sentence.

* Finally, I think troll handling is not the business of MC really. Because just accepting to take care of them is paying attention to them (which is what they want) and weakening the process entirely. It is perhaps even not the business of arbitration (though it would be nice it is). It is the business of the community on the whole. When people see there is an AC and an MC, they feel they are not empowered to gather a team and get rid of the trolls themselves.

And, no, I do not stretch the rules. I just do not like seeing community suffering because of bureaucratic paralysis :-)

Anthere...sorry for having been so long...on her way back to "streching" the rules on fr:...

PS : on the other hand, I am glad that MC and AC slow down processes that are other wise going too quickly on en: right now for my liking  :-))))

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