[WikiEN-l] Thank you RickK

Sun Jul 10 03:28:56 UTC 2005

On 7/9/05, Tony Sidaway <minorityreport at bluebottle.com> wrote:
> Alphax said on July 5:
> 
> > Michael Turley wrote:
> >> I'm always disappointed when I hear of people leaving, but I'd rather
> >> have an unstable person leave because of a failed admin nomination than
> >> promote an unstable person to adminship.  At least this way, the
> >> instability has only driven a single user away.
> 
> > Um, you seem to forget the case of RickK - an unstable admin who left
> and deleted pages when they went...
> 
> This is a great inflated bubble of an argument.
> 
> Firstly we're told that RickK was unstable.  No evidence is presented.
> 
> Secondly we're told that RickK "deleted pages" when he went.
> 
> Well actually all RickK did when he went was delete his user space
> articles.   As he was a member in good standing when he left, he was
> surely entitled to do so.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=delete&user=RickK&page=
> 
> I object strongly to the characterisation of RickK as an unstable
> administrator.  He was one of the best we've had, he worked long and hard,
> and he finally decided he'd had enough.  I wish he would come back, but if
> he's had enough then we should be thanking him for his long and faithful
> service.  Which I do gladly.  Thank you RickK.

If you read back, you will find that I did not refer to RickK as
unstable, because I think that would be quite an overstatement of
certain personality traits.  I want to make sure that no one mistakes
that for my comment.  The accusations that he deleted pages are not
mine, either.

However, to leave in a huff twice over perceived insults indicates a
certain degree of impulsiveness that could be described in other, less
neutral ways depending on one's perception and past interaction with
him.  Between RickK and another admin, I was almost driven from
Wikipedia within days of registering my user name because I perceived
this as a place that was, behind the scenes, not very attractive. 
Tony Sidaway was actually instrumental in keeping me from obsessing
over some of the interpersonal conflicts and directing me toward my
current, much more zen-like attitude toward Wikipedia.

Keeping in mind that administrators are the day-to-day face of
Wikipedia to the general public and the editors at large, especially
new users who arrive every day, I stand by my comments quoted above
regarding my preference of unstable persons leaving rather than being
promoted to adminship.

-- 
Michael Turley
User:Unfocused