User talk:Shadowjams

Welcome!

i hope you read thru the introduction i.e the first few lines before tagging the article on Snana Yatra about lacking an intro or lead (Sidsahu (talk) 08:43, 27 January 2009 (UTC))[reply]

First up, I'll refer you here to read the policy on blocking users.

As I said on the user page of the most recent anonymous IP address being used by Fodient, whether or not the edits are legitimate is not the issue. He's been blocked from editing. That's his punishment for whatever he's done to disrupt Wikipedia. If he's allowed to edit anyway, it's not very much of a punishment, is it? -Dewelar (talk) 09:23, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Risking being too direct, the second sentence of the blocking policy says Blocks are used to prevent damage or disruption to Wikipedia, not to punish users. It is not much of a punishment, and that is the point. This particular edit seems to be constructive, which is the point. Tell me if I'm missing the big picture with this user. If, for example, the category he's using has been disreputed, that would be relevant. But a player with a doping category seems ok. (Duplicated on talk Shadowjams (talk) 09:33, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fair point. That was a bit of a flippant response on my part, but keep in mind that I've been dealing with this user literally all night.

So, let's approach it from the idea of containing damage. Assuming you've read Fodient's talk page, you have seen a fairly extensive history of damage-causing behavior, including the addition of copyrighted material to pages and the inclusion of uncited malicious rumors on biography pages, both pretty solid no-nos. However, since his block, he has engaged in further disruptive behavior. While block evasion and sockpuppetry might be considered somewhat meta-disruptive, he has also resorted to personal attacks on the admin who banned him. See the edit summary here for an example. So, I'd say he's shown that if he's allowed to continue editing, he will continue to behave in a disruptive manner, and that is what we want to prevent from happening.

Does that make a bit more sense? -Dewelar (talk) 09:42, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, and I completely understand your exasperation. It's a bit of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, and I understand the temptation completely. Excuse my flippancy too. I'd seen these doping tags all night and I thought this might be removed by a big fan. Let me know if I can help with this user's disruptions in the future. Shadowjams (talk) 09:48, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is that, a bit. It gets to the point where, when you're dealing with a vandal like this person, everything they do becomes tainted by their past behavior, so it's maybe best to just undo whatever they've done. If it's relevant, someone else will come along and re-add it.

The categories are also redundant, given that, for instance, Tom Evans (baseball) is already in the category Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses, so does he really also need to be in a doping cases category as well?

As for how to help...well, if it's something that's major, or if it's a person who's already been warned repeatedly (like this person), sometimes the best thing to do is just to file a report at Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism. Usually that gets a response pretty quickly. However, you really shouldn't do that unless it's an urgent issue.

On a smaller scale, there's a whole bunch of other information over at Wikipedia:Vandalism, including guidance on what to do about different types of vandalism, and warning templates you can add to people's talk pages if you see them doing something that's out of line. Feel free to ask me any questions, too. -Dewelar (talk) 10:00, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why are you putting this template? I've given the resources. Timpul my talk 10:02, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi! How long do you plan to edit the R. Venkataraman page? The inuse is meant as a notice for people who wish to edit the page and avoid edit conflicting with other users. Please remove the tag if you're not editing the article. Thanks! =Nichalp «Talk»= 11:20, 27 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]