User talk:Fergie

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Be Bold!

[[User:Sam Spade|Sam Spade Arb Com election]] 12:40, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Since joining Wikipedia recently I have learnt an awful lot, and one of those things is the value of teamwork. It has become increasingly apparent to me that there are absolutely tons of people out there devoted to editing the Scottish articles, but we communicate only haphazardly. To begin to attempt to remedy this, I have initiated a notice board for all Scoto-fans!

You can find it using this shortcut: WP:SCOWNB (yes, I know that it ain't very "short", but our nordic neighbours had first call on WP:SWNB).

Please sign up and post notices, or at least Watch the page.--Mais oui! 15:25, 22 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure I agree with all your removals from the sport utility vehicle article. While you're correct in that the techologies you removed are not unique to SUVs, many of them have found especially high application in SUVs - I'm thinking particularly stability control - in order to respond to safety concerns with the SUV type specifically. I am going to re-add some of the info in different form, focussing specifically on their application to the SUV. —Matthew Brown (T:C) 20:13, 8 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I didn't intend to revert your changes (to the 'SUVs in remote areas' section). I think the system messed up; I started editing after your edit to the 'recent improvements' section and only changed that area. I should have got an edit conflict warning when I tried to save, but did not. I have no idea why not. My apologies for the inadvertent revert; your changes to that other section seem fine. —Matthew Brown (T:C) 11:26, 9 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Added a link from the Consumer's Union site about SUV stability control improvements to the talk page. I'll see what else I can dig up about it specifically. —Matthew Brown (T:C) 11:48, 9 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your questions. I have now answered them. David | Talk 23:02, 7 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Fergie, I am starting a project to overhaul and balance the article on Waldorf ed. I would like to invite you to take part because of your ongoing contributions to the page. Please le me know at my Talk page if you would like to participate. Wonderactivist 16:38, 25 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Fergie, I have seen yor ongoing work as a positive on the page and understand your concerns. With the project I hope to move the fighting off of the Wiki page, and with the help of administrators and "invitations to comment" I hope to foinally resolve this to being a fair, balanced, Wikipage. I still would welcome you if you should change your mind about the project. Thanks for writing and for your valuable input. Lucie Wonderactivist 14:54, 28 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Fergie, I know you weren't necessarily interested, but I just want to again invite you to join the project - just in case. The project page has been moved to its proper Wiki place (I am here a year and still a newbie really), User:Wonderactivist/Waldorf Project Team Page. I really think you have a whole lot to offer this project amnd with the help of unbiased Wiki editors, I believe we can end the ongoing edit wars that have been the waste of so much time for so many really good people. Please do join us, we're currently talking about the introduction. Wonderactivist 02:25, 1 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Fergie, Thanks SO much for your help so far on the Waldorf project. I am sending each project member a copy of the note I am sending to the administrators about our project. I remain very optimistic that this project can make a big difference in the quality of the Waldorf page as experienced by the Wiki reader. I am pasting the letter below my signature and invite feedback on my Talk. Wonderactivist 04:26, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

Dear Longhair and Cormaggio, Thank you immeasurably for your help with the Waldorf project so far. As you will note below, I am planning shortly to move the project pages to within alt ed - just want to clarify structure first. It is currently at User:Wonderactivist/Waldorf Project Team Page

With your admin experience, and the amount of back-n-forth this article has undergone - actually speeding up since the proposed project - I would like your opinion on strategies to manage the project if you should have time.

I see two major issues:

1 there are "sides" within the group instead of a single focus on creating a good article. While this is somewhat to be expected, I also expected a greater level of professionalism. Is there a known strategy to begin to turn this around?

2 Unbelievably, I think,we have actually reached almost a consensus on the Introduction. I would like to focus on this positive and if possible have it become a springboard for examining just one section at a time.

3 On the current project page, a format for the article has been proposed, while the person actually rewrote the whole article, I propose taking just the OUTLINE - the section names - and beginnning with agreeing upon the sections.

Other than the administrative questions, my project strategy will be to set up two pages within the alt ed project:

1 to lay out a structure - outline only - for the page 2 to finalize with formal agreement, the introduction. 3 ONLY begin work on the next section when we have agreed upon the above two, then moving just one section at a time.

My hope is that it will disarm the ongoing wars over fine points and pet projects.

What is your opinion?

And thank you from the bottom of my transplanted Texas heart! Wonderactivist 04:14, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

I have been giving a lot of thought to your input about one Waldorf problem being that most of the editors are editing only Steiner-related pages and are not true Wikipedians. I other words working for self-interest instead of to improve Wiki. I have seen elsewhere on Wiki as a restriction for adding links, that an editor must have worked on three non-related articles and been a Wikipedian for a few months...or something like that. It may be that upon completion of the project, and with consensus from project members, we would set up a similar restriction for editing Waldorf. I have no idea how doable that is. Just appreciate your insight. Wonderactivist 05:15, 4 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I really only mentioned it as something to keep in mind. My experience has been that single issue editors eventually lose interest and move on. If a particular rule is valid for Wikipedia, then it is valid for the Waldorf Education page. I advocate that everybody involved aquaints themselves with the rules and enforces them as much as possible. Although this can seem like a hopeless task, it does work in the long run.--Fergie 12:18, 4 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The links to trial transcripts that happen to reside on the Waldorf Answers site are unproblematic; the material is relevant, accurate and too long to include in Wikipedia itself (see WP:External links#What_should_be_linked_to). What is your problem with this???—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Hgilbert (talk • contribs) earlier.

You need to review this section: WP:External_links#Links_normally_to_be_avoided, points 1, 2 and 3. In any case, it seems that the files in question should be uploaded to wikisource or linked to in their 'natural habitat'.--Fergie 20:49, 8 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Fergie. Thanks for your message. I've been asked to keep an eye on the Waldorf article by concerned editors, and have been doing so as my spare time allows. Other administrators have been asked also and are helping out as required.

I can only act in accordance with Wikipedia policies, and I trust to date I've been doing so. Edit warring is never good for any article, which is why Waldorf education was protected earlier today by myself. Article protection forces discussion to talk pages and brings an immediate stop to edit warring, but it's not a permanent solution. The solution requires a consensus to be reached on the content of the article, as I trust you already know.

I'm happy to receive any reports of behaviour you consider unconstructive or against policy - all I ask is that you provide this information by way of a diff so I can clearly see the edit(s) concerned without having to wade through a ton of information.

I don't want to enter the content debate and wish to remain entirely neutral. That said, I will "get tough" as you say on editors who edit in a fashion which causes disruption to other serious editors attempting to do some good work. Blocks have been handed out at that article before and will continue if disruption occurs. I'm keeping an eye on things as time allows, and your message does help to clear things up and help sort through this mess (for the want of a better word). If there's any way I can help the article progress, please let me know. -- Longhair 09:13, 8 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for uploading Image:Sportsklubben rye logo.gif. The image has been identified as not specifying the source and creator of the image, which is required by Wikipedia's policy on images. If you don't indicate the source and creator of the image on the image's description page, it may be deleted some time in the next seven days. If you have uploaded other images, please verify that you have provided source information for them as well.

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This is an automated notice by OrphanBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. 11:07, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Longhair,Cormaggio, and Fergie, I know there's already been so much controversy surrounding it, but plan to proceed with the Waldorf project. Thank you all so much for your help so far.

I have organized the pages better, centering on the page Longhair set up at Wikipedia:WikiProject Waldorf Project and have a proposal on the table for how to proceed in a very focused, organized fashion. I truly believe that this is the only way the project can progress. I would like to invite your ideas and comments on the organizational structure, and the proposals, and anything else! Wonderactivist 17:42, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Oops! I stand thoroughly corrected. For the Waldorf project, I have actually sought out the opinions of one admin, one unbiased Wikipedian, and one involved, yet highly experienced and demonstrated-to-be-fair Wikipedian.

Cormaggio has made an excellent point: several of the ongoing editors of the Waldorf page have chosen not to take part in this project. It may be that mediation is a better choice. I am happy to spearhead a project, but just as happy to turn it over to mediators. Considering the conflict you have witnessed in the past month, which do you recommend? Personally, I would just like for the edit wars to stop and for the page to be just a bit more stable. Wonderactivist 20:48, 11 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

With advice from an admin, I have taken the next step in the Waldorf project and invite your opinions or alternative suggestions for a first formal proposal. In the face of the ongoing conflict it will be necessary to work especially hard toward NPOV and to establish groundrules before we can begin our real editing work. I invite you to be part of that process at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Waldorf_Project_Proposals Wonderactivist 14:31, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just wanted to let you know that two proposals have passed on the Waldorf project and two more - one based on Fergie's starting place - have been set out for discussion here. Feedback has been given that the project has been going slow. I apologize as I had hand surgery a week ago, but truly nothing should wait for one person. If we each check in once or twice a week, we should be able to get through the article in a month or two. I would appreciate your valuable insights on the proposals and timing. Wonderactivist 12:06, 28 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Waldorf Edits In clicking around to user pages to send the note, I have seen that the edit wars are truly still raging - they just have moved from the Waldrof page to user pages. As a result, I do not advise speeding up this project - time will be well-spent hashing out the disagreements civilly, with the result being a better page for Wikipedia and its readers. The problem with this page, overall, has been each person's need to push their own agenda without taking time to consider other viewpoints. Please do not resume your edit wars on the page. Wonderactivist 12:25, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Waldorf_Project"

I note that you have replaced the "advert" tag on the Waldorf education page. Two questions: 1) What specifically is not cited or presented from a one-sided point of view 2) Comparing this with the Montessori page, for example ("A Montessori classroom is quiet, bright, clean, well-maintained and attractive"), there is much more care in language on the Waldorf page; words like "generally", "aims to", and so on make clear what are goals and what common elements not necessarily universally found. What more are you really seeking here? Hgilbert 18:57, 25 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please give specifics!!! Note that much information about daily practice of the schools and some quotes are there because 'critics' insisted that they be so that people know the reality of Waldorf education and Steiner's philosophy, not because 'promoters' are seeking to fill the article with this. Hgilbert 13:36, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This user page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. If you want to revive discussion regarding the subject, you might try contacting the user in question or seeking broader input via a forum such as the village pump.

Wikipedia:Requests for mediation/OpenNote is deprecated. Please see User:MediationBot/Opened message instead.

A Request for Mediation to which you are a party has been accepted. You can find more information on the mediation subpage, Wikipedia:Requests for mediation/Rudolf Steiner. For the Mediation Committee, Essjay (Talk) This message delivered by MediationBot, an automated bot account operated by the Mediation Committee to open new mediation cases. If you have questions about this bot, please contact the Mediation Committee directly.

I'm looking for people who have developed effective methods of working on Wikipedia. I've created a Virtual classroom for Wikipedians to learn, teach, and share advanced wiki-skills. I was wondering if you would like to stop by and take a look. Right now the participants are engaged in a show and tell of their user interfaces (the tools we use to navigate and work on Wikipedia, including programs, extensions, scripts, settings, etc.). I hope you'll drop in to share and compare. Interiot, Rich Farmbrough, and CBDunkerson have been kind enough to help get things started by describing the interfaces they use. User:Interiot has even completed a new Firefox extension to make navigating Wikipedia easier. It is available in the announcements section on the Virtual classroom page.  The Transhumanist   12:21, 14 November 2006 (UTC) [reply]