Wookieepedia:Requests for user rights/RFA archive/Tommy-Macaroni (second nomination)

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

Tommy-Macaroni (27 users/0 users)

Two-week deadline from first request. Voting ends on October 10, 2024.

Support
  1. Tommy has a good head on his shoulders and really understands the wiki and its history. He served the community well as admin before, and he's only grown since then, so I have no doubt he'll do the same this time. I would love to work alongside him to keep leading this community to a bright, inclusive, and productive future. Welcome back, friend. :) Master FredceriqueCommerce Guild(talk) (he/him) 15:39, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  2. Extremely happy to see Tommy return in such a capacity, he was and remains a fantastic editor, admin, and leader within the community. And if there's anything Wookieepedia needs, it's certainly a good therapist. Ayrehead02 (talk) 15:43, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  3. Slay! NanoLuukeCloning Facility 15:45, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  4. I've known Tommy for the better part of a decade now and I do not hesitate in casting my vote in support of returning him to adminship. But I want to talk about one thing in particular that has earned him my everlasting respect. In the past three and a half years a lot of new folks have joined us, so there might be some who remember this, but Tommy was the only remaining bureaucrat when Tope and Culator were finally ousted in early 2021 over the longstanding toxic and authoritarian culture Tope perpetrated, and their actions around a debate on repealing transphobic policies that had consumed our website at the time. The wiki was already in severe chaos over the controversy going on, and with the stroke of a pen Tommy had become the sole person in what is considered our most senior leadership position. It was Tommy who had to organise new BC votes and spoke to many of us to gather our thoughts, and Tommy who had to shepherd us through the immediate post-Tope era as many contentious debates, long suppressed, finally began to be subjects of open and fierce discussions among the community. I've always admired Tommy for his admirable leadership in this chaotic period, and I am glad to see that we have reached a point in time where he feels comfortable taking up the mantle of adminship again. I cannot think of any candidate more qualified to be the next administrator. Fan26 (Talk) 16:01, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  5. I will be echoing much of the same points raised by others above and no doubt many more below too. I first properly engaged with Wookieepedia's community in 2020 and joined the review boards in the tumultuous early months of 2021, and Tommy stood out to me as someone on the review boards and the administration who actively engages with the community. That was quite rare then, and I knew in short order that Tommy is not only capable but committed. Most importantly, as we have seen through 2021, Tommy understands the value of community and trust. I know now that adminship can be very stressful, and Tommy not only got our community to start coming to terms with crises and heal—he inspired us to move forward in a fresh and happier direction, to let go of beloved site features and build on what we have as one community. What's not to love? I would be honoured to work alongside Tommy on the admin team. OOM 224 (he/him/they) 16:44, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  6. grunny@wookieepedia:~$ 16:50, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  7. CometSmudge (talk) 16:52, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  8. —spookywillowwtalk 16:54, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  9. Hmph. Despite his image crimes, I suppose. Welcome back! Cade GalacticRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit Calrayn 17:07, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  10. Imperators II(Talk) 17:08, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  11. Lewisr (talk) 18:02, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  12. For as long as I've been editing, Tommy stands out as a knowledgeable and supportive member of the community. It's been great to have you back around, and having you back as admin will be even better. Congrats! Wok142 (talk) 18:17, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  13. <-Omicron(Leave a message at the BEEP!) 18:55, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  14. 01miki10 Open comlink 19:05, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  15. Zed42 Wolfpack emblem (talk) 21:55, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
  16. Bonzane10 Bonzane10-Sig 03:44, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
  17. JediMasterMacaroni(Talk) 07:04, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
  18. Good to have you back Tommy! Braha'tok enthusiast Hello there 09:36, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
  19. The wook can always use more admins. -Darth Soda CIS roundel (Talk) 10:37, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
  20. Mor9347 (talk) 11:15, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
  21. ThrawnChiss7 Mitth symbol Assembly Cupola 14:23, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
  22. Commander Code-8 Hello There! 02:15, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
  23. I'm a newer user here, and I was always surprised how an experienced user like Tommy wasn't an admin yet. I guess the time has come... execute order SUPPORT! Loki-Is-Cool Jedi symbol 06:01, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
  24. Xd1358 (Talk) 20:28, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
  25. Rakhsh (talk) 16:35, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
  26. Pog. NBDani TeamFireballLogo-Collider(they/them)Yeager's Repairs 17:25, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
  27. あざした (talk) 14:36, 10 October 2024 (UTC)
Oppose
Optional candidate Q&A
Hi everyone, it seems I'm once again the trailblazer for self-nominations. In my RFR in April, I mentioned that I would like to return to being an administrator but would like time to get back into the swing of things. Well, it's been several months and I've spent time reviewing policy changes and the like that I missed since 2021, while also reimmersing myself in the site generally, and I think I'm ready to step back up. It's been over five years since the last time we did this, and I like to think I've grown up quite a lot. With my academic career complete and me now settled into my job as a therapist, I think I'm now in a much more stable position for this role. I believe my retirement from all roles in 2021 was fourfold: burnout from basically having a role in every corner of the site (BC, SAN bodies, social media, bot, etc) and biting off more than I could chew, a reduced interest in Star Wars in general (again, probably fuelled by burnout from the site), difficulty managing Wookieepedia in addition to my degree, and lingering negative associations about the site and my own role in the wake of the Tope situation. All of these have since been resolved one way or another, and I certainly don't intend to take on as much responsibility this time around. So, with that being said and with the (very outdated) question set below, I would be delighted for you to consider me to be an administrator again.
  1. Why do you want to become an administrator?
    • Simply to continue making the site and community a better place. Becoming an administrator would grant me access to tools to better help the site, and it would also distinguish me as a trusted and experienced user to help others.
  2. In your opinion, what is the role of an administrator?
    • I'm actually quite happy with my answer from my last RFA: "[An admin] should be both willing to assist and help fellow users but also to carry out sanctions against those who would harm the site. Furthermore, access to more technical tools helps us to maintain the site in general, beyond the editing patterns of other users."
  3. In your view, do administrators hold a technical or political position?
    • It's inherently both. The power admins hold makes it a political position, and the tools we have access to also make it a technical role. Ultimately though, an admin is just an extension of the community, working within the parameters set out by consensus. Thankfully, the role has changed a lot for the better since my original RFA.
  4. How do you feel admins should use their power/stand in comparison with other users?
    • I also like my previous answer to this: "There is a reason the admins' votes aren't worth more than a user's in a CT or TC. Admins are not supposed to be 'more important' in any way but perhaps to be looked up to for fair and reasoned logic in the face of a dilemma by other users to consolidate their own opinion." I would also add that if an action is time sensitive, then an admin can and should act quickly to protect the site's interests (for example, banning someone from Discord if they're posting hateful content). However, for most matters, it is always good to make important decisions with the involvement of other users and with due consideration to ensure the decision is the correct one. Ultimately, all admin activity needs to adhere to site policy.
  5. Have you been in any conflicts over editing in the past or do you feel other users have caused you stress? How have you dealt with it and how will you deal with it in the future?
    • Heh, yes once or twice. I mean, for the two users that caused me the most stress, I green-lit their global ban, but I don't expect that to be the norm. But yes, especially during my previous tenure as an admin, I dealt with a lot of disputes. What I did then and will continue to do so is to remain calm, to rationally communicate with the other party to explain why the dispute has occurred and what can be done differently in the future, normalise the situation, ensure that they understand what has happened and why, hear their side of the story, and ultimately be fair and unbiased while protecting the community and site.
  6. Of your articles or contributions to Wookieepedia, are there any with which you are particularly pleased, and why?
    • In a way, I think my biggest impact on the site is enabling the aforementioned bans, which is sad in a way, but sometimes that's the role an admin must play. But in terms of articles, I'm happy with all of my SANs and look forward to having time for more impressive projects. I also killed the Knowledge Bank and the Mofference so there's that.
  7. What sysop chores do you anticipate helping with?
    • Clearing out CSDs, archiving, continuing to use rollback, moving images, etc. Just never botting again. For my sanity.
  8. How important is it for you to be involved in things such as CT, FA, GA, and other community-centered items that involve discussion and voting?
    • Well, I'm primarily active in the SAN sphere for a reason, I think such community-centred spaces are the essence of the site.
  9. Do you think admins performing actions (I.e. deletions, blocks, etc.) for reasons not covered on policy should be sanctioned/punished? If so, how?
    • It may be a case of starting a CT to make the action policy, but if the action wasn't policy for a reason, always engage in conversation first. Speak to the admin, find out why they did that, and whether they know it was the wrong decision. If it's a first-time thing, just a conversation and verbal agreement to cease such actions, but for repeat cases then it may be a case of bringing it to RFRUR. Community and policy are essential to our site, so ignoring them may suggest an individual is unfit to be an administrator.
  10. What is your policy, if any, of welcoming new users? Should you welcome a new user, do you look at their contributions beforehand? What about anonymous IPs?
    • Be friendly, add the welcome template, calmly and nicely explain any errors and point to where learn new stills. And always suggest Discord to really get them into the community if they would like.
  11. How would you react if someone undeleted an article you'd mistakenly speedied? Under what circumstances would you consider it appropriate to undelete an article mistakenly speedied by another administrator, if any, and how would you approach this task?
    • To quote my previous: "We all make mistakes, and I would be grateful to someone who spotted my error. I would never restore a deleted article (that wasn't deleted as an obvious mistake) out of the blue without contacting the original deleter first."
  12. How would you react if your user page was vandalized? Under what circumstances would you block the offender? Is there anything else that you would do in this situation?
    • If we're talking about hate speech or the like, a ban would be warranted. If not, I would reach out to discuss the matter with the user, to find out whether I'd upset them.
  13. Under what circumstances would you consider blocking an established user?
    • "Just because a user is established doesn't mean they are exempt from the rules. They should be treated the same as any other user, which may include a blocking is the offence was serious enough." And I believe my track record shows I'm not afraid to ban well-established users who have worked against the community and site.
  14. If you could change any one thing about Wookieepedia, what would it be?
    • I want to smell it. Imagine if different pages had different smells. How cool would that be!
  15. Would you look at a glass to be half-empty or half-full?
    • I'm a natural optimist but try to make myself a realist.
  16. Do you feel the current blocking policy is too restrictive, not restrictive enough, or OK as it is?
    • There could always be some guidance on lengths of time for blocks and more use of partial blocks, but it's pretty good as is.
  17. How do you feel about people who already have some influence on other Star Wars communities (TheForce.net, StarWars.com) trying to change policies here?
    • So long as it's not via sock- or meat-puppetry, if someone is eligible to vote, then they're allowed to, regardless of other positions they may happen to hold.
  18. How many clones do you think fought in the Clone Wars? (Note: You are wrong no matter what answer you give.)
    • I don't care.
  19. Who is the most awesome Jedi of all time? (Note: The only correct answer is Kyle Katarn.)
  20. What's more important to you: consensus or policy?
    • Policy is a result of consensus, so in a way, they're the same. Neither is more important than the other; they coexist to maintain the foundation of the site.
  21. Have you had any previous leadership experience (in your community, on the web, etc.)?
    • Yes, I operated with rollback from 2018, I was made an administrator in 2019, and I became a bureaucrat in 2021 (and for that summer operated as our sole BC). I was also a member of all three review bodies for many years, I've hosted Mofferences, ran the Twitter account, operated a bot, etc.
  22. What is your attitude towards users who have quit the site or have been banned, but still continue to attempt to influence the site in any way?
    • "I have no issue with users who have quit and rejoined[, and] I have no issues with users who wait out their ban and then resume non-disruptive editing. After all, if we didn't want banned users to return everyone would get a perma-ban. However, users who avoid their ban with sock puppets or come back from their ban with a vengeance and resume disruption should not be given lenience and steps should be taken to remove those whose intentions are to only cause issues."
  23. What is your wiki philosophy?
    • "To be perfectly honest, I've never really looked into those 'Inclusionist' or 'Mergist' ideas. Each situation is different, so perhaps it's best not to just stick a label on a thought and try to apply it to situations [with different demands]." However, I would add that the community-driven nature of wiki is something I highly value, if that counts as a "philosophy." Tommy-Macaroni (he/they) 15:26, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
Comments
  • Self-nomination. Tommy-Macaroni (he/they) 15:26, 26 September 2024 (UTC)