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User:Chrislk02/darkside

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I have seen the dark side of Wikipedia. Those of you who have not seen it may think that I am being paranoid, and just jabbering on about unfounded statements; however you have my assurance that what I have seen is real. And to tell the truth, I wish I had not seen the part of Wikipedia that I saw. I will admit, I was a naïve editor, and whenever I saw essays about the problems with Wikipedia I shrugged them off as nonsense by disgruntled editors. I wrote articles, I blocked vandals, I settled disputes - all with the good of this project in mind. My actions, both as an administrator and an editor, were based on Wikipedia's policies, the policies that I abided by and likewise, expected the rest of the community to abide by as well. So, here it is, the darkside of Wikipedia; The darkside is the fact that the rules do not apply to certain people. If a new editor or perhaps a semi-established editor started throwing around assertions of trolling to good faith edits, and their pattern of behavior showed chronic patterns of incivility, their actions would be dealt with, at the least by a warning. The fact is, some editors don't get warnings, some editors don't get blocks, they have other editors who back them up and support them through name-calling, personal attacks and other uncivil actions. It was my fear that this essay would take a horribly negative note, and while this topic causes me much stress to dwell over, I spent several hours contemplating it. It is my realisation that there is nothing that can be done about the dark side of Wikipedia. Chasing after it, looking for it, trying to rid this project of said editors will do nothing but have us stoop to their level, making us no better than they are. The more I thought about the few that game the system, the more I started thinking about the many that don't. These that stand for what is right, uphold the system fairly, abide by the rules of this community for its better functioning should be the standard. When it becomes less than the standard, it is my belief that those who do stand with their heads held high are the heroes of this community. Those who are concerned about any editor who is down, no matter who they are. Those who let fairness and civility judge what they do, not the quickest way to put everybody around them down, or to win an argument. It is my belief that there is a dark side of Wikipedia, however the light side of Wikipedia is so much stronger. Instead of dwelling anymore on the darkside that I have seen, I would like to take a minute to honor who I see as the heroes of this project:

  • Husond - An editor I look up to and have the utmost respect for
  • Phaedriel - Undoubtedly the most beloved Wikipedian of all time
  • Ryan Postlethwaite - An editor and administrator who in my opinion always tries to stand for what is right
  • Alison - Another editor and administrator whom I have no doubt has the best interests of the project and, by extension, its participants on the forefront of her mind while working here on this project
  • Gwernol
  • Guinnog

This list is a short and at best, cursory look at the amazing editors that I work with daily.

Hero of the Wiki Award Recipients

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While there are many heros of this project, when I notice exceptional heroism, I award a hero of the wiki award. Below are recipients of this award. I generally try to award one a week.

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