Nomination
Less Unless (talk · contribs) – I’ve been a longtime supporter of Women in Red, and it’s nice to see prolific editors in that project offer their services for adminship.
Less Unless has written over 200 articles and participated in several Women in Red contests, helpfully addressing systemic bias on Wikipedia. She’s also a regular at Articles for deletion, thoughtfully offering good advice on numerous debates on whether or not to keep an article, even when consensus doesn’t go her way like Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Teresa Okure. She’s also participated in WikiProject Cleanup, which I didn’t even know existed, helping to fix up problematic articles.
One of the best things about Less Unless is she’s consistently polite, courteous and welcoming to everyone. She’s happy to admit when she might be wrong, and is always self-reflective and looking for feedback on how to improve as a Wikipedian. That’s a great trait to have an administrator, and added to her content creation and AfD skills, gives me the fullest confidence that she will be trustworthy and responsible with the tools. Ritchie333 (talk) (cont) 14:01, 15 May 2021 (UTC)
- Co-nomination by Barkeep49
I'm really excited to be able to present Less Unless to the community as the type of editor who used to be a regular at RfA but who has been rare in recent years. Namely she just goes about competently building the encyclopedia, in ways that Ritchie has already mentioned, and has a clear need for the tools, for reasons she'll explain below. I first became aware of her, when she completed New Page Patrol School and asked for the reviewer permission. I was pleased to see an editor eager to learn and who learns from mistakes. Since then I have seen an editor who wants to help others, who works hard to use tools responsibly and well, and who is unafraid to ask questions when she doesn't know something. LU has demonstrated more than sufficiently in her time here that she is here to build an encyclopedia and ready to be trusted with the administrative toolset. Best, Barkeep49 (talk) 17:46, 15 May 2021 (UTC)
- Candidate, please indicate acceptance of the nomination here: Thank you, Ritchie333 and Barkeep49. It is an honor to be nominated, and I gratefully accept. I have never edited for pay. This is my only account. Less Unless (talk) 19:12, 15 May 2021 (UTC)
Questions for the candidate
Dear candidate, thank you for offering to serve Wikipedia as an administrator. Please answer these questions to provide guidance for participants:
- 1. What administrative work do you intend to take part in?
- A: Generally, I try to contribute to different areas – content creation, WP:NPP, WP:AfD, WP:RfD, reviewing pending changes and clean up are among the most frequent. Being an administrator, I see myself contributing mostly to AfD and RfD closures as I feel most confident in those areas. I can be of a good use in WP:REFUND having a solid experience in content creation. I will gladly help in other areas; however, I won’t intervene where I don’t feel completely confident – copyright and technical issues would be good examples of what is not my strength.
- 2. What are your best contributions to Wikipedia, and why?
- A: I am most proud of the articles created, especially within the WP:WOMRED. I am a regular there and received several awards such as Mary Wollstonecraft Award and Precious Award. I am also a regular at WP:CLEAN and happy of my input there – a little pleasure of mine is to see an article without any tags which I also try to achieve while reviewing the new ones at WP:NPP.
- 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: I think everyone who has been here at least for a while had people disagree with them. There were points of view that differed from mine – mostly during the AfD discussions, but the communication has always been very civil and we handled it in a friendly manner. Everyone makes mistakes, I’ve always admitted mine and learned from them, like with WP:Articles_for_deletion/Teresa_Okure or Wikipedia_talk:Wiki_Loves_Pride#Flag_transgender_biography_created_this_month.
- Personally, I view any conflict as a possibility to understand each other better and grow. I have a set of personal do's and don’ts for such cases:
- Be respectful – treat others the way you want to be treated. Everyone does the best they can. We never know the reason of a person’s behavior.
- Discuss the subject, not each other.
- Don’t take it personally – it’s not about you. It’s not a place to nurture your ego, but a community of like-minded people with a bigger purpose. Act with regard to the purpose.
- I believe how you say things is almost as important as what you say, especially in written conversation. So, try to avoid jokes, satire, or phrasing that can possibly be misperceived. Be as neutral as possible in your language.
- It’s always important to clarify things that you feel you might have not understood fully.
- These are basically my guidelines in every misunderstanding and they have always worked for me.
You may ask optional questions below. There is a limit of two questions per editor. Multi-part questions disguised as one question, with the intention of evading the limit, are disallowed. Follow-up questions relevant to questions you have already asked are allowed.
- Optional question from Mz7
- 4. Thank you for running! As a follow-up to Q2, are there any particular articles that you are particularly proud of contributing to?
- A:Thank you for the question. The most recent article that I am very satisfied with is Marita Napier - currently I am working on improving it even more to take it to GA. This was my first experience collaborating with another editor Gerda Arendt and I really enjoyed it. The others worth mentioning are Bessie Van Vorst, Ottilie Baader, Amy Mack. I also felt proud creating articles for Azerbaijan/Kazakh/Uzbek women who I feel are less represented. Apart from women's biographies I have also "adopted" Monaco-related topics after a suggestion made by Encyclopædius here. Within this topic I have created many articles among which almost all the biographies of the current members of the National Council of Monaco. Less Unless (talk) 05:21, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from Tim Smith
- 5. If promoted, will you join Category:Wikipedia administrators open to recall?
- A:Thank you for the question. I am definitely open to recall as I believe it is consistent with the core values of the community. Administrators are accountable as they are trusted with an extensive set of tools. If the community decides an administrator for certain reasons lost its trust or can’t perform to the benefit of the community, they should resign. If I am elected, I will list myself under the terms of Wikipedia:Administrators open to recall/Sample process. Less Unless (talk) 06:07, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from DanCherek
- 6. Thanks for running. Was this edit — one of the four times you've used rollback — eligible per WP:ROLLBACKUSE?
- A:Thank you for the question and pointing out this edit. When I rollbacked it I thought it was justified. I have checked the full lineup of the Jingle Ball Tour 2016 and Harry Styles wasn’t there. So, I took it for an act of vandalism. However, from today’s perspective it obviously looks like a hasty decision and a misuse on my part. For this past month I have been reading a lot about vandalism as I often come across problematic edits while reviewing pending changes. Due to this I have gained a better understanding of what constitutes vandalism. At this moment I think the edit was quite ambiguous (could be good-faith, a test, even if vandalism, it wasn’t destructive) but not the case where rollback would be considered eligible.
- Rollback is applied for obviously malicious editing, in one's own userspace or for reverting edits by blocked users - none of which applies to this particular edit. I think the most adequate decision would be to manually revert and provide a summary explaining the reasons. Also, I would drop a personal message to the editor explaining why I undid their changes and offering help and assistance in case they needed any. Less Unless (talk) 15:21, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
- Thanks for the thoughtful response! DanCherek (talk) 15:31, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from EpicPupper
- 7. Which of the 5 pillars would you, in your opinion, remark to me most important?
- A: Thank you for the question. In my opinion the five pillars are all intertwined to serve the bigger purpose. To me it’s a like a car - it needs everything - an engine, gas and breaks, steering and wheels and many other parts. Take any of the components away and it just won’t be able to do what it was meant for. So, I can’t say this or that particular pillar is the most important, it’s the combination that creates Wikipedia as we know it and makes it running. Take one pillar away and it will change everything.
- Being a Free Online Encyclopedia – is the purpose that every idea needs as it builds the direction, NPOV makes a logical follow-up – an encyclopedia without neutrality is an oxymoron. Free content is at the core of the idea – take it away and the community will change drastically. Respect and civility are the base for any type of relationship, especially in such a diverse community. Assuming good faith, acting polite and friendly not only secures more or less smooth interactions, but also helps engaging new valuable editors who may feel lost or even scared in the beginning. “No firm rules” means that discussion, consensus and common sense prevail, it’s not a dictatorship. The community has a set of guidelines as any endeavour should to function, but what’s crucial here is that anyone can join and help, and this what helps the project evolve. When I just started editing, I was really scared that I can unwillingly harm, but after receiving support from several editors who told me to be bold, I felt more confident to continue. Less Unless (talk) 08:30, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from EpicPupper
- 8. Just curious, what is the meaning/origin of your username?
- A:Thank you for cusiosity) My username is a creative attempt of mine to combine word-play with my life motto which is “Don’t look for excuses”, unless... kidding) no unless here). Less Unless (talk) 08:32, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from SunDawn
- 9. Hello! We never meet before but I think your works are great! I intend to ask this question to all admins. While we know that neutrality is one of the most important concepts in Wikipedia, how do you approach contentious situations that are on the opposite spectrum of your religious or political beliefs? (For example: Let's pretend you are Armenian and the case is about Armenian genocide, or pretend that you are conservative and the case is about liberalism) Thank you!
- A:Hello and thank you. The situation you described is very common as we are a very diverse community. The most frequent reasoning in such discussions in my experience is WP:TRUE. And, indeed that may be true, but one of the most important guidelines here is WP:Verifiability and if we drop it in favor of what one believes is true, Wikipedia will turn into a battlefield for truth (philosophers alone have so many different views!). In order to avoid such or similar scenarios, the community elaborated a set of guidelines that proved its efficiency. So, for me it’s the guidelines we should base every discussion on, not personal beliefs.
- Having said that I believe being involved doesn’t necessary mean being subjective. Although COI edits are discouraged on Wiki, having an “insider” can help a discussion if they are willing to put their emotions aside and help by, for example, providing IRS that contain alternative points of view thus adding to another important requirement - due weight. In such way we will be able to provide readers with objective verifiable information presented from a variety of perspectives.
- However, if a person feels they won’t be able to offer objective facts based on the guidelines, or their emotional well-being may be hurt, it’s better to refrain from the discussion. Therefore, it depends on context and a person.
- One of my principles – if you are not well informed about a topic or biased, be careful expressing subjective opinions. It may harm everyone involved – you, your opponent and the discussion. So, when I get involved in such situation, I ask myself if I know enough to provide thoughtful well-reasoned opinions, if not – is there another constructive way I can contribute (doing research, i.e), but also whether I can maintain my emotions and whether what I say helps the discussion.
- Sorry if I rambled for too long) Less Unless (talk) 12:30, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from Nsk92
- 10. On April 27 you !voted 'delete' in Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Murder of Jaslyn Adams, with the "fails notability guidelines per above" rationale. If this AfD were open now, and based on the coverage of the event available now, would you still !vote 'delete'? When, if ever, is it appropriate to have a Wikipedia article about this type of an event? Thanks, Nsk92 (talk) 12:53, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- A: Thank you for the question. With this particular article I would still !vote delete as the coverage in IRS in not the only prerequisite of notability in this case. WP:GNG in the majority of cases can be the only indicator of notability, but with articles about events or crime there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration i.e. per WP:CRIME and WP:EVENT.
- Regretfully, we live in the world where people get murdered every day but while creating an encyclopedia, we should keep a cool head and stick to the guidelines. Is this an event that has changed the society? Has it resulted into something bigger? This particular tragic case unfortunately has no lasting effect per WP:EFFECT. Another thing to remember with these types of articles is the duration of coverage per WP:CONTINUEDCOVERAGE. Having conducted such an analysis I agreed with WP:NOTNEWS brought up by other users and I still hold to this opinion.
- As a comparison, this article Murder of Joanna Yeates meets the requirements for inclusion as it was not only extensively covered but sparkled a vivid discussion in the society and the government about ethics in media (legal action was taken against six newspapers, a new legislation proposed) which has changed the way such events are written about. Less Unless (talk) 15:32, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional questions from Elli
- 11. Would you ever invoke IAR in an administrative capacity, and if so, what potential situation could you imagine yourself doing so?
- A:Thank you for the question. I find it difficult at the moment to imagine a situation where I would definitely invoke IAR. The context, the details - there are so many variables that influence our decisions. Up until now the guidelines formulated by the community were quite comprehensive for me. Also, as one of the main pillars is consensus, I believe any new or alternative proposal can be brought up for discussion and accepted if proved effective.
- To me IAR is not a synonym to “do whatever you want” rather a stimulus to be creative, express your thoughts and offer alternative ideas. If the project is not willing to at least consider new approaches, it won’t grow.Less Unless (talk) 17:22, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- 12. As a (relatively) newer user, would you feel fully confident closing discussions involving, and potentially even blocking, users who may have many more years tenure, and hundreds of thousands of edits, than yourself on the project?
- A:When I read the reasoning of users under a deletion nomination, I don’t usually check their userpage or rights. First and foremost, it’s the rationale that should be taken into account. Years of tenure is definitely an asset as a lot of knowledge comes from the details and experience, however everyone can be mistaken (and it’s ok to make mistakes, that’s how we learn the fastest). Basing a decision on the fact that a user is much older than me would be a very subjective approach. I have seen articles nominated for deletion by admins and saved by other users. Does it mean the admin is a bad admin? No. It just means that everyone can be mistaken.
- In case of a possible block though, I would most definitely seek to involve several other admins to shape a better vision of what has happened and which steps are the most adequate. Less Unless (talk) 17:24, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from User:StarshipSLS
- 13.How will you deal with disputes? — Preceding unsigned comment added by StarshipSLS (talk • contribs) 15:35, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- A:Thank you for the question. I will first and foremost assume good faith, definitely use my do’s and don’ts guide stated in Q3 and stick to the guidelines. Keeping the discussion constructive would be my main focus. If needed, I will ask for help of other users as I believe it’s essential and appropriate in our community.Less Unless (talk) 17:48, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from Sdrqaz
- 14. Hello, Less. Given your stated intention to work in AfDs, how would you close an AfD where there was a tension between the general notability guideline and the relevant subject-specific notability guideline? In your opinion, would meeting an SNG but not meeting the GNG automatically merit inclusion in the encyclopedia?
- A: Thank you for the question. My decision would depend on the subject of the article and specific arguments presented. SNGs should generally help determine if a subject is likely to meet the GNG, they assume the coverage exists and where specifically it is likely to be found. While in most of the cases SNGs are subordinated to GNG, there are exceptions like WP:NPROF, which is an alternative to GNG.
- Generally, all SNGs note that the subject is presumed notable if it can be verified by IRS. However, in some cases it’s the amount of WP:SIGCOV that may differ depending on the subject. For example if the subject meets WP:NPOL as being a member of Cabinet, they are considered notable even if there’s not much SIGCOV. However, if a politician ran for an office but lost and all the extensive coverage is build on this process only – a lot of users consider it a WP:ONEEVENT and !vote delete. These types of discussions in my experience were often closed as no consensus. Another example of discussions where things get heated relate to WP:NSPORT, and the question is if technically meeting a requirement is enough to pass.
- So, it’s really tricky and all about the nuances - every case is unique. There are so many variables here, that it’s quite difficult to answer the question without a specific case.
- As a new administrator, I would refrain from closing particularly controversial discussions, but observe and consult with more experienced sysops.Less Unless (talk) 22:00, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from Steve Smith
- 15. Regarding Erica Rutherford, which you fairly cited in Q3 as a mistake you made, your response to the mistake was to say that you did not intend to insult anybody; I absolutely accept that, but it strikes me as an incomplete response. Can you now explain why what you did was in error, and what you've learned from it?
- A:Thank you for the question. I agree fully, my answer looks incomplete and kind of reserved as I was petrified when I read the message. I instantly forgot all the words and it was the best I could say in that emotional state. One of my biggest priorities in life is freedom - freedom to be who you are no matter what, and I always respect the choices people make. When creating the article, I was using my logic that quit on me. I used “he” for the time in life when Erica was male, and “she” after transition. Another mistake of mine was not to check the appropriate wording.
- What I’ve learned from this situation is 1) always familiarize yourself with the subject and the context; 2) consult with people who know more – I am a huge fan of WikiProjects; 3) double/triple check. Less Unless (talk) 22:04, 17 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from Celestina007
- 16. You already have my support and you are definitely passing this RFA, so congratulations in advance, however I do have a question, When you invariably become an Administrator do you see yourself getting involved in anti spam? that is, would you be willing to combat spamming and undisclosed paid editing?
- A:Thank you for the question and the support. If I become a sysop I'm goint to take it slow. I want to study all the guidelines thoroughly, observe other experienced admins, ask questions I don’t feel quite confident about. To me being a sysop is a big responsibility and I will definitely act with triple caution. If at some point I feel I have profound knowledge in anti-spam and UPE activities (or if anyone agrees to adopt me on these particular issues), I don’t see why I can’t contribute. While spamming is content related and I am more confident about it, dealing with undisclosed paid editing would be new to me, as I am not familiar with the procedures, so I would definitely need some time. Generally, I am willing to help out in any area, provided I gained profound knowledge in it. Less Unless (talk) 15:12, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from 2409:4054:21D:BFD1:406A:4E8F:CBD4:16D
- 17. Somehow, you granted Mass message sender right to some user who has no need for it and who is not much active. Realising you did a mistake, what will you do? Will you revoke right from the user?
- A:Thank you for the question. If anything like this happens, I would first of all consult with other administrators on how to act as at the moment I am not familiar with all the specifics of granting\revoking user rights. Having made one mistake (granting the rights), I would try to avoid any others, so asking a more experienced admin(s) to help would be the best choice as I see it now. Less Unless (talk) 15:14, 19 May 2021 (UTC)
- 18. A newly registered user edits your userpage many times. Everytime they write: You are a lovely admin, keep up your good work!. But they have received {{uw-harrass4im}} warning (after many user told them to not to edit other users userpage) and have been reported to WP:AIV. Suppose you are the first admin looking at the AIV after the request was filed, what will you do?
- A. Thank you for your question. As the user is new, I would definitely reach out to explain our policies regarding userspaces and offer them help. However, at WP:AIV I would choose not to intervene as an involved person – I don’t think it would be appropriate to use my admin tools as this could be perceived as misuse. Instead, I would wait for uninvolved administrators to take a look at the case. Less Unless (talk) 04:15, 21 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional questions from Ineffablebookkeeper
- 19. I hate to seemed nitpicky, but this is something I feel I have to ask. Question 15 comments on your edits over at Erica Rutherford. I'm certain these were good faith, and that you, as a potential administrator contributing to the Women In Red project, have no wish but to improve Wikipedia's diversity of outlook and content. BLPs can be difficult; though Wikipedia policy does not exist to massage the egos of those it may have articles on, it does generally abide by the wishes of an article's subject when it comes to issues such as their date of birth and pronoun choices.
- Your answer to Q.15 included "I always respect the choices people make", but as I'm sure you're aware, a person doesn't get much choice over whether they're transgender or not; the choice is, instead, how they present this to the world, with pronouns being part of this presentation. (You can think of a person's presentation choices - pronouns, appearance, etc. - like a number of horses, wearing hats with 'he/him' and 'goth-femme' on them, tied to a number of posts labelled 'pronouns' and 'presentation', if it helps.)
- Presentation might change, but identity typically doesn't. And, though we have a rule of best thumb - refer to someone as their current pronouns, even when writing about the time before they came out - this can also vary, as personal preferences over pronoun choices and self-referential language can be influenced by, say, the time a person grew up and came out, and, for example, the language considered acceptable at the time having changed over the years, but the language used to describe their identity having stayed the same.
- So, my question is this: you're writing a BLP of an older trans person who has recently come out. They don't use neo-pronouns, but they do describe themselves with the older term "transsexual", and have openly spoken of the time before they came out using their previously-used pronouns. You consult with other editors, but ultimately, the decision on what to write and how to write it falls down to you, as everyone else is swamped under in differently articles and projects. Though you don't feel the need to lay out a precise outline before you start writing about this person, what angle do you approach it with?
- At the same time, you're working on a BLP of a younger trans person, who has openly stated that they commonly use slurs they have reclaimed to describe themselves, but do not use the term 'queer', as they believe it to be an unreclaimed slur, and offensive when used in reference to them. Though they have not spoken about how long they have identified differently - no statements on "I always considered myself to be X", "I started identifying as X at Y age", or "when I look back, I can see that I never identified as Z" - they have also not stated a preference for how they should be referred to when speaking of the time in their life before they came out. Again - everyone else is swamped under writing about ducks or something, criminally vital articles they just cannot put down. Without needing to write up the Iliad on the Talk page before yuu edit, what's your approach?
- A. Thank you for your question as now I have a chance to explain what I meant. I want to clarify this part: "When creating the article, I was using my logic that quit on me. I used “he” for the time in life when Erica presented as male, and “she” after transition." It was my logic when I wrote the article a year ago, it's not what I think now. I did learn back then that gender is not what you can chose but a core part of your personality.
- This whole misunderstanding made me so sad as I feel we have similar priorities and could be supportive to each other. Unfortunately the word "choices" was misleading, but I never meant that being a transgender is a choice. I hope we can work together in the future and create great content.
- As for the question - I would wait until someone replied because I can hardly imagine a situation where I’m the only person who could write that article if I’m a person who isn’t informed enough to do so and don’t have access to advice. Less Unless (talk) 05:40, 21 May 2021 (UTC)
- 20. My other question is what I originally came on here to ask - accessibility. Would you, in the role of administrator and through your involvement with WIR, introduce and attempt to spread word of the basic edits and policies of the accessibility manual of style that other editors could incorporate into their average daily editing - things like the {{transl}} and {{lang}} templates, the removal of false headings and the improvement of using italics and bold where single or double quotes should be? (It would be nice to have more admins where these practices are baked in, is all(!)). Thanks!
- A: I am highly supportive of the accessibility focused efforts and see no reason why I would oppose helping. Basically, it’s what I pretty often deal with at Clean Up. However, I would have to study the technical part of it more precisely as things like modules, scripts, functions and codes are definitely out of my comfort zone.Less Unless (talk) 05:42, 21 May 2021 (UTC)
- Optional question from Oshwah
- 21. What are your thoughts on blocking experienced editors and content creators for repeatedly violating Wikipedia's civility and no personal attack policies? How would you handle these situations when they arise, and how would you determine that these blocks, if made, were done in a preventative measure and not a punitive measure?
- A: Generally, I don’t think admins, experienced, less experienced or IP users should be treated differently. It’s the guidelines that keep it all together, no one has a privilege, anyone can be blocked. But blocking should be the very last measure and should be supported by the broader community.
- I personally feel like at many times blocking can have the opposite effect, as people who repeatedly violate civility guidelines have definitely been warned before and if that didn’t work, why the block will. Especially with those who have been here for a while and know the policies. Moreover, if we block experienced users without doing our best to understand them, we can just lose them. If they cared enough to spend their free time here and contribute, why can’t be spend some time to really talk to them? I believe most of the cases can be resolved by means of communication therefore I would do my best to clarify the situation and discuss it with the user trying to see their point as well. It’s all about the context and details.
- At the moment I don’t have much experience in this particular field, so I before doing anything as responsible as blocking, I would need time to acquire sufficient knowledge and get grasp of details. Less Unless (talk) 05:46, 21 May 2021 (UTC)