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I'm getting weary of drinking from the Eternal Firehose of Sewage: the spammers, the POV pushers, the infantile "I know what I know and mere facts shouldn't get in my way" pseudo-vandals, the "I've got to tell everybody about my YouTube vids/blog/band/game mod/gossip and Wikipedia isn't letting me play", the "Wikipedia is mean to me when I try to sell my overpriced vitamins" whiners. My paying jobs are all endangered, and the only "thanks" I get is the occasional trouting when I step over the line (and yes, I occasionally do, I confess it). I just read a blog where the whiner said we should have 50 million articles here, and notability was an evil plot to inconvenience him!!!! I've trimmed back my watchlist to a mere 9,946 articles.

Know what I mean? I'm not complaining about you, really, just to you. I'm a historian by training; what I'd really like to do is get a grant to sit in a research library (like the American Geographical Society map collection here in Milwaukee, or the Wisconsin Historical Society's in Madison) and use their resources to expand and create articles on their subject matters. Instead, I watch for the "Reagan was a Nazi spy" graffitists and the Username:BuyMyPenisEnhancer idiots. The gray t-shirt I got that one time is beginning to look like pretty paltry reward. --Orange Mike | Talk 14:07, 13 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Sure, I get it. Really, I do. Maybe it's time to put down the tools for a while and write some articles? Something to reinvigorate you? Philippe Beaudette, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 22:13, 13 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

I'm working on some legislators; for me, that's fun - what a wonk! --Orange Mike | Talk 01:26, 14 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

I am a Wikipedian, who is studying the phenomenon on Wikipedia. I need your help to conduct my research on about understanding "Motivation of Wikipedia contributors." I would like to invite you to a short survey. Please give me your valuable time, which estimates only 5 minutes. cooldenny (talk) 19:12, 14 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Hi,

Could you clarify the status of Choose Your Own Adventure? From reading through the talk-page, I can't tell whether it is still under WP:Office protection or if it is permitted to request unprotection.

It is not listed on Wikipedia:Office_actions#Currently_under_scrutiny, but that could be a mistake.

Thanks, Rasmus (talk) 06:29, 18 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Choose Your Own Adventure is no longer under office protection. Standard editing rules apply, but we're asking people to make conscious and deliberate choices. - Philippe Beaudette, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 07:22, 18 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Thanks for the fast response! Rasmus (talk) 07:27, 18 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Thanks for the taking the time to both notice and comment on my contribution of Rescue of Bat 21 Bravo. Sincerely appreciated. Even if I didn't get the T-shirt.

Since you are with the Wikimedia Fdn, and you say you want to help represent the vast majority of WP editors who only rarely contribute, I thought I'd bring something to your attention. This is about why editors don't contribute or quit. As an editor, I am someplace in the middle: a regular contributor (10K+ edits over 4+ years) but not obsessed by it. I have recently been taken with Wyatt Earp, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and related events and characters. Both of these articles were full of WP:POV and WP:OR and completely lacking WP:RS a couple of months ago. Articles about Wyatt Earp are present on many language versions of WP. I could not believe that the article about such a key figure in American pioneer history was so bad. I've worked diligently to become familiar with the many, complex sides of this historical figure, not a trivial task. I finally thought it was ready for GA, and to my surprise Wyatt Earp was readily approved by one editor, and them almost immediately delisted by an admin, TonyTheTiger. He also quickfailed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral because it was missing citations.

I confess I was discouraged by the delisting and quickfail without the opportunity to immediately fix the article. TonyTheTiger (ranked #51) and other experienced admins get articles into GA with one hand tied behind their back. It's an everyday thing. Even for someone like me it's a bit of a tendentious process I engage in with some trepidation. TonyTheTiger's actions were callous and ungracious, bordering on lacking good faith IMO. I hope I'm not whining.

I don't know what you can do to educate admins but I know WP has suffered from a loss of editors. I personally know two experienced Admins who have retired due to abuse by other admins. I would like to suggest that the standard of don't bite the newcomer ought to include extending a more generous dose of good faith to those who've been around a bit longer. — btphelps ^{(talk) (contribs)} 19:16, 18 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Many thanks. It means a lot. All best! --Manway 19:54, 18 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Thanks a lot, though I really haven't done anything worthy. AshLin (talk) 02:33, 19 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

As an OTRS admin and colleague of Jalexander (talk · contribs), would you be able to help me at User talk:Jalexander#Anne Aghion? If File:Anne Aghion- Photo.jpg has an acceptable license, I believe it should be undeleted. Jalexander has been unresponsive to my queries for over a month. Thanks, Cunard (talk) 18:55, 19 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Also, would you apply to MSGJ (talk · contribs)'s question at Talk:Choose Your Own Adventure#Office rotection lifted? Cunard (talk) 18:56, 19 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

I have responded on Choose Your Own Adventure.

As to Jalexander, I am his supervisor for work done within the role that he exercises for WMF, but not for work done as an individual, and I tend to keep a very strict separation between the two. So, no, I will not get involved, I'm sorry. This is to avoid the appearance of responsibility by the Wikimedia Foundation for work done by him as an administrator and a volunteer. That could be perceived as making him an agent of the Wikimedia Foundation while acting as a volunteer, which would place our legal status in some jeopardy. Philippe Beaudette, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 23:56, 19 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Thank you for your clarification at Choose Your Own Adventure. I did not know that you were Jalexander's supervisor. I asked you to get involved solely to restore the image if it had the correct licensing. Cunard (talk) 17:39, 20 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

Dear Philippe, thanks for your kindness and encouragement. I'm not well educated nor speak english well. I really like the spirit of wikipedia, but so many articles really harassing human intelligent . If you want to know , my nationality called Humanity , My people are honorable, decent, compassionate , respectable, graceful, in short ,what human should be. Blaming a nation or claiming glory of humanity by some people who invented "nation" is beyond my understanding. Philippe, if you don't mind to guide me i'll really appreciate. Thanks again Philippe now i wil put 4 tilde , i hope it's working  :) JustGideon (talk) 12:33, 20 April 2011 (UTC)Reply

		The Modest Barnstar
		Thanks for your recent contributions! -129.49.72.78 (talk) 19:12, 29 April 2011 (UTC)Reply