Wikipedia talk:Disruptive user: Difference between revisions

I'm sure the creation of this article will raise eyebrows and draw the cavarly charging in. I apologize ahead of time that I'm not overly familar with the procedures of making policy pages. I purposed this on the Village Pump but only got a very short reply saying that, yes there was such a thing as a Wikipedia Bully, with elements of who these people are covered under personal attacks regulations and the procedures involoving trolls.

We've all seen them. The people that dont vandalize the articles but slam the content, calling the users names, stating that the article itself is garbage, and then slapping VFD notices out of spite or causing disruption on an FAC page.

I would like to propose that this page be examined by other users and perhaps be made into: Wikipedia policy. I was bold in creating it since one of Wikipedia principals is to indeed be bold. Floor is open for further action here. -Husnock 6 July 2005 04:00 (UTC)

I'm not really sure what this proposal is saying. Do we mark their user pages with some bully insignia? Do we tell users to watch out for them? How? Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} July 6, 2005 16:21 (UTC)

I was thinking along the lines of establishing a procedure on how to identify a Wikipedia Bully and then steps to handle such people. The problem with such users is that they dont vandalize pages, but rather attack other users with very harsh words and engage in things like massive VFDs or constant opposition to any FAC that a particular user nominates. -Husnock 6 July 2005 16:39 (UTC)

• Here are my suggestions for this project. Other users can add their input and we add this to the pollicy if it is accepted. A disruptrive user (DU) is nominated on the project page. The DU is told about it and is asked to defend himself. If the community feels that he is not a DU then the case is closed. If it is agreed that he is, a committee (more on that later) decides to either take it to RfC of Mediation Committee. They also may decide to deem the person a vandal or troll. Then they may go straight to ArbCom or the places above. The committee will have four or five members for a later decided term. They will have the following powers: all the things listed above, closing a case against a DU and deciding the outcome, and mediating with the DU if it is deemed usefull to do so. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} July 6, 2005 23:40 (UTC)

Comments regarding suggestion by Howabout1:

• I like that idea and actually proposed something similar quite some time ago, to be known as the "Civility Committee". Such a committee would have the power to declare when a user is behaving improperly on Wikipedia, i.e. engaging in hostile actions towards other users or cuasing problems. They could then warn the user (a requirement before further action would be taken) and refer the user to one of the more serious committees if the actions continued. The delaing with disruptive users should also somehow be incorporated into Dispute Resolution. -Husnock 7 July 2005 22:29 (UTC)

• • On further note, the committee to declare someone a disruptive user I think should be added in the following template to the right. Perhaps under "Member Associations"

Well, berore we make a committee we need some more support. So far it has been just us debating this. I'll advertise this on the village pump. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} July 7, 2005 23:27 (UTC)

I don't see that this serves any need. We already have a Wikipedia:Dispute resolution process. Maurreen 8 July 2005 02:40 (UTC)

Yes, but is there anything there for disruptive users? Would the mediation committee be necissary here? What are we mediating? Sure, we could just go straight there if it was an article, but what about a user? If a user is being insulted, but not to the point of a personal attack, what then? What I am suggesting, I suppose, is a milder form of the Mediation committe. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} July 8, 2005 03:29 (UTC)

There is also Wikipedia:Wikiquette alerts and WP:RFC. Maurreen 9 July 2005 05:55 (UTC)

I happened to notice that page a few minutes after I answered you before. The only problem with it is it is only for constructive critisism, not mediation. As for RfC, if you read my statement above we will use RfC. However with the problem we are addressong, RfC might not help in all places. Even with the community talking to a user, he/she may not back down. Remember, we are addressing a single user here, not a dispute. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} July 9, 2005 15:40 (UTC)

You also might want to vote below. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} 00:03, July 10, 2005 (UTC)

I don't think this page/policy is useful or necessary -- the existing procedures are enough. They don't always work smoothly, but adding another layer of committee, bureacracy and m:instruction creep are not going to make it any smoother, and it's not going to make the "DUs" suddenly more cooperative. — Catherine\^talk 20:21, 10 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Okay. This may not be useful. I have one question, though. Suppose you were in a dispute with a "disruptive user", what would you do. If you have a good replacement for this, then I might reconsider my vote. You might want to vote. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} 22:38, July 10, 2005 (UTC)

More votes are certianly needed. I agree, Request for Comment seems to be a way to handle these kinds of people. Maybe this can be a sort of committee (much like my older "Civility Committee" idea), in that people can be refered to RFC when and if they are causing problems on Wikipedia like overbearing personal attacks, abuse of VFD, and problems on FAC pages. But, regardless of that, more people need to vote on this! :-) -Husnock 22:51, 10 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

This needs a new name. Suggestions are nolonger welcome.

I think the point was well made that calling someone a "Bully", especially those who would be engaging in such behavior anyway, would indeed cause further problems. The name was changed to "Disruptive User" per the comment below. -Husnock 7 July 2005 16:45 (UTC)

Suggestions

1. Wikipedia: Disruptive users.

(3/2/0)

Support

• I support -Husnock 6 July 2005 16:39 (UTC)
• The name has been changed so I support. Howabout1 ^{Talk to me!} July 7, 2005 16:50 (UTC)
• Zscout370 (Sound Off) 23:08, 10 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose

• Oppose -- I think this might have a chilling effect on editors and brew up a host of problems in the direction of name calling. Calicocat 02:03, 11 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]
• Oppose. My reasoning is above. Maurreen 05:58, 11 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Neutral