Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee Elections January 2006/Candidate statements/Carbonite

Greetings, I'm Carbonite. I've been an editor since November 2004 (originally as User:Carrp) and an admin since March 2005. I think the ArbCom is absolutely essential to Wikipedia's success and I want to help in every way that I can. I'll fully admit that I'm not an especially gifted writer, but I am determined, fair and analytic. As a programmer and statistician I try to approach every issue logically and attempt to see all sides. All decisions would be based solely on that case's facts and merits.

The ArbCom can and should be improved in many ways. Most importantly, as Wikipedia evolves, so must the ArbCom. Although I believe that increasing the number of arbitrators is an important component of this growth, it's certainly not the only part. Streamlined procedures must put in place for all aspects of the ArbCom's duties. Far too often, cases will sit for weeks or even months before being resolved.

It's crucial to always keep in mind that Wikipedia is about building an encyclopedia. Dispute resoltion is about removing obstacles that stand in the way of achieving that goal. When a user is consistently taking more from the project than they're contributing, and all attempts to rectify this have failed, it's the place of the ArbCom to decide what's best for the project. If a user can or will not change their behavior so that it creates a net postive for the project, restrictive measures would be necessary. This may include a ban on editing certain pages, a revert limitation or various forms of parole (for personal attacks, removing comments, etc..) In extreme cases or in cases where previous measures were ineffective, a ban would be in order.

I would be honored to serve on the ArbCom and welcome any questions on my talk page or through my email link. Thank you for your consideration. Carbonite | Talk 14:29, 6 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Some questions being asked of all the candidates by jguk[edit]

Q: How old are you and what do you do? (If student, please state what subjects you are studying.)

A: I'm 28 years old. I'm an analyst/developer for a small publishing company in Boston.

Q: How many hours a month do you think you will need to be a good Arbitrator and are you really willing to put in the time?

A: The amount of time required to be a good Arbitrator depends mainly on the quantity and complexity of cases. The ArbCom is currenly overwhelmed with cases, with 10 requests, 12 in the evidence phase, and 5 in the voting phase. I would estimate that an average of one hour per day (30 hours per month) would be necessary. If I were to be elected, I would make the necessary time commitment.

Q: If chosen, you will need to arbitrate on disputes arising from the creation or revision of articles. Experience of creating and revising articles yourself, particularly where it has involved collaboration, is very valuable in understanding the mindset of disputants who come to arbitration. With reference to your own edits in the main article namespace, please demonstrate why you think you have the right experience to be a good arbitrator.

A: Coming soon

Q: Please list out what other Wikipedia usernames you have edited under.

A: My original username was Carrp. I edited under this name from November 2004 - March 2005.

Arbcom is overworked and no fun. Please review these discussions: [1][2] [3] Come up with a short list of suggestions for ways you would endorse for improving the arbitration process. Bonus points for actually managing to create new policy. Dragons flight 07:55, 11 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

What experience do you have that would be relevant? Have you dealt with the Arbcom or Mediation committee yourself? Have you been part of an RFC (involving either yourself or others)? A lot of arbcom tasks involve reading a lot of less-than-brilliant prose and writing concise opinions; do you have any experience in Wikipedia or in other venues that might relate?