This is a sadly common pattern among smaller WMF sites: a single editor or a 
group of self-supporting editors gains a foothold in the power structure and 
abuses the trust we put in admins. Just as in real life, this is typically 
accompanied by a xenophobic push, and a snowballing effect that ensures a grip 
on power. 

This degradation of the original wiki ethic is all too evident in at least one 
of the smaller English-language sites, so just what we might expect to find if 
we were to lift the linguistic veil over the many small sites in other 
languages makes one's spine shiver.

Per Nathan, yes, specifics need to be stated, and as far as possible without 
emotion ... just the facts, and as briefly as possible. 

Understandably, the Foundation will try to stay out of any community "dispute" 
unless it becomes so toxic it can't be ignored in an interwiki sense. However, 
I think there's a role for WMF community relations staff to advise distressed 
parties and to be made aware of major conflicts on WMF sites – aside from 
anything else, we have yet to see legal action by a party who claims to be 
injured by other editors on a site, and that's something we would all like to 
forestall.

Tony

 








On 29/10/2013, at 5:12 AM, Nathan wrote:

> Hi Dalibor,
> 
> Could you describe what type of aid you are looking for, and how you think
> it fits with the overall governing ethos of Wikimedia projects? (For
> example, if you ask for WMF staff to intervene, would you argue that the
> WMF can and should intervene in project disputes when one side makes a
> request?).
> 
> Thanks,
> Nathan
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