[WikiEN-l] Re: A Request

Fri Sep 9 08:31:49 UTC 2005

"Cranston Snord" <enviroknot at hotmail.com> wrote 
in message news:BAY108-F12269F3A8D82EC7495DB65D8980 at phx.gbl...
> My wikipedia name is Enviroknot. Up until a few days ago, I did not know 
> why my time at Wikipedia was met with such hostility, persecution, and 
> horrid conduct from plenty of users.

I'm not familiar with precise details either, but that ID is now 
infamous---for whatever reason.

> A recent emailed admission by one A. Nony Mouse and subsequent contact 
> over IRC have explained the situation to me. I was caught up in an 
> experiment that this user conducted using hijacked systems (routers?), in 
> an effort to root out problems in the behavior of certain wikipedia 
> admins, which backfired and caused many users including myself to be 
> falsely accused of being parts of that experiment.

If you were to read this person's messages to this list over the past few 
months, you would hopefully begin to understand just how much bother they 
have managed to stir up.

> I never understood why I was included in a request for arbitration which 
> had nothing to do with me, except that it seems to be a common theme in 
> that users who were involved in any sort of conflict were inevitably 
> accused of being part of this project.

I recall numerous mentions of "Enviroknot sock-puppets". I will freely admit 
to total cowardice in avoiding the situation to the best of my ability.

> I believe if you look back at my edits themselves, instead of trying to 
> lump them in with any conduct you can find, you will see me in a different 
> light.
> For your convenience, here is the link.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Enviroknot

OK, I'm looking. Which bits are supposed to be demonstrating your innocence? 
What date ranges are you editing as opposed to someone else? Or are these 
all you (if so you hardly come out covered in roses, so I'm assuming not)?

> I will be completely honest with you. Up until this point I had completely 
> given up on Wikipedia, to the point of forbidding my students from citing 
> it in their papers as I considered it a completely unreliable source. I 
> had hoped to make it better, and if I have the chance I would do so.
> It is your choice whether you will behave in the good faith which you 
> claim to exercise, or whether you will prove no better than a normal 
> internet message board system.

OK, so you've issued your challenge. If we can keep talking in a sensible 
and civilised fashion, we might be able to get somewhere.

> Cranston Snord, AKA Enviroknot
> P.S. No, it's not my real name, but as an untenured educator I do have to 
> be careful.

I would strongly suggest that you select someone you think appropriately 
trustworthy---Jimbo or Angela spring to mind, or possibly David Gerard as 
the current custodian of the IP check thingamabob---and supply that person 
with your correct identity, with proof, so that further spoofing of your 
identity can be detected.

HTH HAND
-- 
Phil
[[en:User:Phil Boswell]] 