Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Tadakuni

The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a successful request for adminship. Please do not modify it.

Statement by closing bureaucrat

As this was a moderately close (by the numbers) RfA, I felt I'd be doing the community a disservice if I didn't provide my rationale for why I felt there was sufficient consensus to promote Tadakuni to administrator.

The opposes, on the whole, do outline areas where the candidate could make improvements. Some of the specific areas outlined are a lack of edits in the project namespace, which suggests an ignorance of Wikipedia policy and guideline. However, as other editors have pointed out, there is not necessarily a correlation between the two; I don't want to say that the arguments were negated, as that suggests that the editors were summarily dismissed (which they most certainly weren't), but the community is obviously of two minds on the matter. However, most all participants, most tellingly the opposers and those that were neutral, tended to be vocal about Tadakuni's positive contributions to the project.

Taking all this into consideration, I think it is fair to say there is enough support for the candidate to warrant a promotion. However, I must stress that I believe Tadakuni should find one or two seasoned administrators to use as reference points for any administrative questions he may have to allay the concerns of the opposing editors; the concern over inexperience is a real one, just not dominant enough to warrant a failed RfA. EVula // talk // ☯ // 00:28, 4 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Tadakuni

FINAL (51/19/5); closed by EVula at 00:28, 4 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here: I accept this nomination and thank LordAmeth, both for the nomination and for the assistance he has given me in the past several months. If mad an admin, I hope to use the added capability to better patrol Japan-related (especially Japanese history-related) articles (whose quality is still, in many cases, pitifully lacking compared to other WikiProjects), and improve their quality all around as best I can. Tadakuni (talk) 05:06, 19 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Questions for the candidate

Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Wikipedia as an administrator. It is recommended that you answer these optional questions to provide guidance for participants:

1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?

A: I intend to do what I can to keep WikiProject Japan free of vandals; I'd also like to keep an eye on new articles, especially new history-related articles.

2. What are your best contributions to Wikipedia, and why?

A: I think my best contributions to Wikipedia are the following: Tsugaru clan, Nanbu clan, and Satake clan; I also take pride in having gone through every single article I could find by User:Exiled Ambition and clearing each of copyvio. I consider these my best because in the case of User:Exiled Ambition, I was removing unintelligible gibberish that he'd stolen and poorly reworded; in the case of the clan articles, I believe I have gone above and beyond average in improving and lengthening them. Japanese history content on Wikipedia is generally very poor; for many people who are interested but not able to use Japanese, this is the only information on the internet. That being the case, I am focusing at the moment on quality rather than quantity; my dozens of edits on each of these articles will prove that. Oh, and before the recent developments in the wake of E.A.'s banning, my best contributions to Wikipedia were my extensive edits to Tokugawa Yoshinobu, as well as my extensive overhaul and rewrite of Shimabara Rebellion, which had once been so bad that it made the news.

3. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or have other users caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?

A: In some cases where the other editor has been difficult to work with, I have opted to compromise or just drop the issue entirely (see my interaction with a certain IP user on

Talk:Bushidō). Perhaps the most notable conflict I have been involved in has been with User:Exiled Ambition, who is infamous in some circles for his repeated, blatant copyright infringement and poorly-written pseudo-intellectual gibberish. I tried to work with him, tried to reason with him, tried to suggest things to him for many months; finally, when he would not stop, I notified an admin (User:Hoary) and got the ball rolling on trying to negotiate one last time. When that fell through and he refused yet again, and got more and more angry and hostile (and when I produced evidence

of his plagiarism), we moved to ban. In a nutshell, I tried all avenues of peacemaking and negotiation before moving, with the support of others, to have him removed (which I consider the final option- the "nuclear option," if you will). In the future, I intend to conduct myself similarly, and to work with the support and cooperation of others.

Optional questions from  Asenine 

4. In his daily editing, a newbie user edits a prominent page, and his edit is reasonably trivial. It does not violate any policies, and it contains reliable sources. Unbeknownst to them, the edit they just made was against an overwhelming consensus on the talk page. Disgruntled editors then take action and replace the edited text with their own version which was decided with consensus. Their version, however, does not include any sources at all, and is unverifiable. What should be done to resolve the issue effectively, and which editor is doing the right thing according to policy? In a nutshell: Which is more important, verifiability or consensus?

A: If it's a prominent page, then per

be bold

-- as long as what one posts is verifiable, of course.

Now that some time has passed since you answered this question, perhaps you might want to try again to express yourself in different words? Your rhetorical tactic is evasive in this context. As I see it,

talk) 15:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)[reply

]

5. As an administrator, many inexperienced editors will come to you for advice. Some of them will be highly puzzled as to what is going on, or even angry because of something that has happened to them in the course of their time here. It is important to keep a cool head and handle the situation well, and also be knowledgeable in how to resolve the problem; so I ask - can you give us evidence that you have successfully aided annoyed users in the past?

A:See the recent exchange at User_talk:Tadakuni#Deletion. Howeever, the user was banned soon after as a vandal.

6. Will your current activities continue if you are appointed with the mop and bucket? If not so, which will you drop/be less active in/be more active in/take up?

A:My current activities (i.e., improving Japanese history-related articles) will continue. However (to elaborate where I should have in the original Question 1), I plan on increasing the amount of new article patrolling I do, as well as monitoring and participating in

Wikipedia:ANI

(I have been involved in ANI in the past, and have watched it for awhile).

Optional questions from Nsk92

7. Suppose you come across an IP address that had engaged in serious vandalism for months and had been warned and blocked multiple times before, with blocks ranging from 24 hours to three weeks, and with no constructive contributions to Wikipedia. Suppose you see this IP vandalising again. What would you, as an admin, do and what kind of block, if any, would you issue?

A: Warn them one more time, and then indef block them. There's no reason to put off blocking an IP that has been the source of that much trouble.

Followup: For clarification, can you cite relevant policy or a similar situation to this one as an example of this course of action? I know these questions can get tedious; I'm not looking for a long reply. I am just interested in seeing how you are mapping your intended action to previous action and/or policy you've seen, as a means of making sure we're on the same page.  Frank  |  talk  21:49, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

8. Please describe, in your own words, the meaning of an indef block and describe some circumstances when an indef block may be appropriate.

A: An indef block is something I saw with my own eyes in the case of User:Exiled Ambition; it means, as the name says, that the person is indefinitely blocked, but can contest the block on their talk page if they think it's unfair. An indef block, I feel, is appropriate in cases such as E.A.'s, where the user has been making unconstructive edits or commiting vandalism without ceasing, has been warned about it sufficient times, and people have tried to reason with him/her and tried to help, but have either been spurned or ignored.

Question from

9. Your answer to question one doesn't really show understanding of what admins do, per

WP:ADMIN

. Can you confirm you have read that page, and understand it? Is there anything you'd like to add or modify in your original answer?

How would you like me to confirm...summary in my own words? If this can be clarified, I'll gladly answer your question in full.

General comments

• See Tadakuni's edit summary usage with mathbot's tool. For the edit count, see the talk page.

• Links for Tadakuni: Tadakuni (talk · contribs · deleted · count · AfD · logs · block log · lu · rfar · spi)

Please keep discussion constructive and civil. If you are unfamiliar with the nominee, please thoroughly review Special:Contributions/Tadakuni before commenting.

Discussion

• Just a note, the first three supports were cast before the RFA was transcluded. Useight (talk) 23:50, 26 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support

1. While I have not personally interacted very much with Tadakuni, I am well aware of his excellent work. He has done much to improve articles dealing with Japanese history and samurai. Particularly note worthy is his constant use of references which are often so lacking in other articles. I have only seen quality work with a mature attitude. Wikipedia could hardly go wrong with him as an administrator. Keep up the great work. It is appreciated. Bendono (talk) 07:54, 19 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
2. I enthusiastically support Tadakuni. Based on his many contributions to fields I follow closely, I believe he will be a trustworthy administrator on Wikipedia. Fg2 (talk) 14:25, 20 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
3. He would make a good admin. -- Taku (talk) 01:31, 21 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
4. Support. We need more like this. – 
   iridescent 00:17, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
   ]
5. Support. Tadakuni's committment to improving the quality of Japan-related articles is obvious, and allowing him access to a few extra buttons is unlikely to cause him to go berserk. I also like the way he's not afraid to call a spade a fucking shovel, as in "poorly-writ the project space. The fact that you focus most all of your attention on the 'pedia is great. Most admin tasks aren't that difficultten pseudo-intellectual gibberish". --
   talk) 00:40, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
   ]
6. Support per nom and contribs. Cosmic Latte (talk) 06:29, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
7. Support Maybe he's not 100% on all admin processes, but I doubt he'd mess up and he doesn't sound like he's going to go on a spree of doing dumb things. He's clearly a good user, and I don't see an RfA should fail just to come back in 3 months for some minor details that I believe he'll take to heart and fix. Tombomp (talk/contribs) 09:30, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
8. Support, good article writer. --Aqwis (talk – contributions) 09:56, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
9. What happened to net positives? — Who cares if he hasn't participated in an AfD if he has no intention of working there. The candidate has stated they want to keep WikiProject Japan free of vandals. We need more admins like you—content-focused and well spoken :) —Cyclonenim (talk · contribs · email) 10:07, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
10. Taking the
    (Testify!) 11:36, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
11. Support - if a candidate has no intention of working in AfD, their AfD contributions are irrelevant. Tadakuni isn't going to abuse the tools, works well with others when they aren't sure about something, and is an excellent general contributor. Absolutely no reason why they shouldn't. Ale_Jrb^talk 12:47, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
12. Support, mostly per Iridescent and Malleus. Another fantastic editor with stupid oppose reasons. Keeper ǀ 76 16:34, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

    Keeper, calling the opposes stupid? I'm shocked at you! I've deducted 5 brownie points. Wisdom89 _{(T / ^C)} 16:54, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

    I didn't say which was stupid. No attacks from me. But some are stupid, so if you feel you need to "subtract" more points, sobeit. This is an article writer, not a vandal. Needs the tools to make Wikipedia better. I've never worked with Tadakuni, but even just a brief view of his contribs shows someone that is here for the right reasons and shouldn't have to ask some flake like me to move a page over a redirect or block an obvious vandal. Keeper ǀ 76 17:39, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

13. Support -- Attention to detail is the hallmark of Tadakuni's work; but the more significant effects of Tadakuni's contributions are illustrated in those crisp edits which caused me to ask myself, "Why didn't I think of that?" or "Why didn't I see it that way?" No less important, Tadakuni's willingness to commit to a long-term project is matched by an ability to follow-through on that commitment. The expressed interest in being an administrator becomes a plausible next step. --
    talk) 17:38, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
14. Support There is no adminship topic draft. If someone gets the bit and never wants to to a history merge, why should we insist that they be familiar with the concept of history merging? at no point, ever, ever ever ever ever, will an administrator be forced to close a deletion discussion. We are, of course, empowering him to close that discussion if he wants, but if he doesn't express an interest in doing so immediately, we should judge that on two things: will he (just assuming the male pronoun here) dive right in or learn how the process works first? If he makes a mistake, will he accept criticism and work to rectify it. If the answer to those two questions is yes, then great. If no, then that would be a great reason to oppose. I guess in general I don't buy the "admin experience" argument. I can make >50 reports to AIV (I have), but that doesn't make me any better at actually physically blocking someone. Since 90% of those reports were made by huggle (which now automatically sends a report for vandalism reverted after a final warning), those are even less helpful. Furthermore, experience at things like AIV AREN'T HELPFUL for general admin wonkery. It is an easy up/down to block a user who inserts "poop" into an article after being warned several times not to. We are, in fact,
    proposing to do so with a script. The hard part is getting a complex request where guilt is not cut and dry (or maybe not even present) and assessing that request on its merits. Will the editor make the right decision in THAT situation. Will they block someone on the say-so of someone else? Will they help mediate a content dispute? Will they de-escalate conflicts? None of that has to do with project-space edits. This is a process to see if an editor has gained the trust of the community. A better way to determine if the candidate has earned that trust than counting edits is to look at the content and context of his contributions. Do they show someone who is thoughful, reflective and helpful? That answer appears to be "yes" here. Protonk (talk) 18:07, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]

    ↑What he said. – 

    iridescent 18:24, 27 September 2008 (UTC)↑[reply

    ]

    Yep. Well said Protonk. I have yet to file a report at AIV, and I have yet to respond to someone else's. Good process, mind-numbingly easy I imagine, but good grief. Keeper ǀ 76 18:25, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

15. Support RFA makes me laugh. Here right now on this page we've got one guy being opposed for not writing enough articles, and this guy being opposed because he does write articles. A good contributor is a good contributor no matter their chosen area of expertise, we shouldn't try to force people into areas they're not interested in before they can be admins.
    talk) 18:39, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
16. Net Positive. And I agree with our two headed editor above about the joys of RFA inconsistency. But that's for another day. Pedro :  Chat  20:02, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
17. Support. While you don't have much experience in the projectspace, you've been editing for quite a long time and have done a lot of good for the project. You've got the experience and intelligence to succeed as an admin. Good luck, Malinaccier (talk) 20:19, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
18. Support only 2 edits to AN/I, that alone is proof of common sense. RMHED (talk) 20:24, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
19. Support per Malleus Fatuorum. I enjoyed reading the nanbu clan, also deletion codes can be learned, judgement in deciding what to delete matters and has been displayed. ϢereSpielChequers 20:36, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
20. Support. Personally, I think it's about time we start promoting solid article-writers, rather than those who are most adept at navigating the bureacracies. Also, what Protonk said--no one (outside the fishbowl of RfA, that is) will ever DEMAND that this user (close an AFD, evaluate a GA, close a sockpuppetry case, craft a bot) that he hasn't himself chosen to do--and you know what? I trust that if an admin sees something that needs to be done, and finds himself interested enough to want to try, that he'll LEARN how to do it. People are not static entities--neither are admins. IMHO: if an admin is smart enough not to use tools he/she doesn't understand, or to ask first, then he/she is worthy to be an admin. I think Tadakuni is smart enough. Thus, support.
    Gladys J Cortez 20:45, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
21. Support Demonstrated he's a good editor, and I trust he'll go slowly at first and will ask questions if unsure. --
    how do you turn this on 22:29, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
22. Support I've run into Tadakuni on many Japan-related articles and through those collaborations I"ve come to find him a quality editor who wants to improve the product. While a lack of admin experience would lead me to go neutral/oppose on some, my experience with Tadakuni makes me think he'll ask questions when unsure and learn what he needs to be a good admin. Not already knowing everything related to being an admin is not a bad thing in this case. TravellingCari 23:56, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
23. I have nothing to add which hasn't already been said, but I'm going to let that stop me. Every little helps in adminstuff, just like it does in building articles, and there isn't any of it is rocket science. Tadakuni seems to be a solid, sensible editor, with plenty of experience. Sysopping him would be a net positive, surely. Angus McLellan (Talk) 00:11, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
24. Support: I know that adminship is not considered to be a reward for anything, but removing
    copyvio. from Wikipedia ought to be rewarded. Bwrs (talk) 00:30, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
25. Support. Not a compelling answer to question 1. However Tadakuni has excellent contributions and a reasonable understanding of policy. Axl ¤ [Talk] 16:18, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
26. Support - Net positive.
    talk) 16:22, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
27. Support I see absolutely no indication that this editor will overstep his knowledge when using admin tools. I also have no problems with his lack of WP-space articles because he has not indicated a desire to work in those areas. If he wants the tools to keep articles relating to Japan in good condition and to delete the couple of nonsense/cruft articles about Japan that show up, more power to him. I know I certainly can't tell whether a lot of Japanese-related articles are legit or not and I daresay the vast majority of both editors and admins here can't tell the difference either. Having an active article-writing admin in your area of interest is an invaluable asset to any Wikiproject because you don't have to fully explain the entire situation in order to get what needs to be done done. I know I am extremely thankful that
    WP:VG-related articles start getting hit, and I'm sure Tadakuni will provide similar assistance to other WP:Japan members when they need admin help. Sysopping him will definitely be a positive to the project. Thingg^⊕⊗ 21:01, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
28. Support I see no reason not to. Good luck!
    talk • contribs) 01:29, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
29. Strong support - Lack of edits to the Wikipedia: space looks like a positive to me. We currently have too many admins that do nothing but monger drama in to learn. I became an admin with basically no experience in admin areas. It wasn't a big deal. Now should be no different. So, same as always: Do the candidates contributions leave the impression that he may abuse the tools? No. Is it reasonable to AGF for this one and assume the candidate can be trusted? Yes. Does the candidate appear to be capable of being taught? Yes.
    ^(Talk) 13:26, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
30. I'm
    Mailer Diablo and I approve this message! - 15:15, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
31. Support. Tadakuni is a dedicated user who has made few mistakes. I'm confident he would do well with the tools. VG ☎ 17:24, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
32. Support all seems good to me. - -The Spooky One (talk to me) 23:12, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
33. Support Per Protonk, Thingg, and Jennavecia. Seems strange to me that an RfA for an editor with 12,000 edits, two years' experience, and 80 WP-space edits is in danger of failing, when a candidate with 6,000 edits, one year's experience, and 300 WP-space edits would probably pass with little to no concern about 'experience'. AlexiusHoratius 23:52, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
34. Support Although it's slightly disconcerting to see the lack of namespace edits, admin processes can be learned and taught. Tadakuni is a great editor overall and I feel will make a good administrator. --Banime (talk) 18:57, 30 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
35. Support: Cautious, well intentioned, experienced editor. A combination that does not lead me to worry. Hiberniantears (talk) 20:22, 30 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
36. Support - but Tadakuni, make sure you understand deletion policy before using your admin-ness, okay? - Richard Cavell (talk) 02:12, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
37. Support - Sure, Why not? Seems like a prolific, seasoned editor --Flewis^(talk) 05:41, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
38. Support - good 'pedia builder. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 08:28, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
39. Support - We need more article building administrators. I mean, we are an encyclopedia, right? Tiptoety ^talk 18:44, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
40. Support Changed from Neutral as the applicant has addressed my concerns, and otherwise seems unlikely to abuse the mop. LessHeard vanU (talk) 20:01, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
41. Support. What's wrong with a potential admin wanting to spend their admin time furthering the project they are part of instead of the neverending noticeboards? --Smashville^talk 21:18, 1 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
42. Support. Lot of good commentary above. Has experience with the parts that matter. --JayHenry (t) 05:26, 2 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
43. Support Fundamentals are key. YellowMonkey (choose Australia's next top model) 06:14, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
44. Happy to support in one of my rare RfA contributions; a lack of experience in certain areas is not really relevant, because I believe I could trust this editor to know when to act on their own judgement and when to seek assistance. All the prerequisites of a thoughtful, trustworthy, effective admin appear to be present. EyeSerene^talk 12:28, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
45. Support - trustworthy editor. PhilKnight (talk) 17:38, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
46. Support. No problems here.
    Tan | 39 18:47, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
47. Support Good editor
    talk) 19:56, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply
    ]
48. Support If successful, take it cautiously when you are acting in an area you do not have experience of. Overall am confident candidate will not misuse the tools. Davewild (talk) 20:54, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
49. Support - user comes across as sensible and I am confident he will take it slowly in unfamiliar areas. There is nothing so magical about adminship that cannot be learned by someone with decent judgment and the ability to ask when unsure. WJBscribe (talk) 20:58, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
50. Seems experienced enough. Just make sure you stick to the areas you're most familiar with, and if you decide to branch out, just take it slowly. Acalamari 22:16, 3 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
51. Support—I'm not particularly swayed by the arguments presented in the opposition. Having poor edit summary usage is a matter of ticking a box in the prefs and that problem is fixed. For AfD experience, it's not like he's going to close them. As WJBsribe said above, closing an AfD can be learned on the job very easily. Finally, Tadakuni can, and will make good use of the tools. It's false that article writers have no need for the tools; whether it's a history merge, a semi-protection in case of heavy vandalism, deleting a self-uploaded fair-use image that will no longer be used in the article, or even auto-patrolling a new article, saving a new page patroller time, they are still simple tasks that can be done by a trusted article writer, instead of an editor solely dedicated to cleaning backlogs. We need more admins, and all admins; we need every type of admin, not only backlog-cleaners, who will make at least 50 actions a day. Maxim_(talk) 00:03, 4 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]