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Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee Elections December 2008/Candidate statements/Jehochman

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I first came to Wikipedia in March of 2005. Several people in my industry, search engine optimization, had told me that Wikipedia was a good place to get some free links. So I tried it,[1] and received a gentle warning.[2] To those of you who don't bite the newbies, thank you.

Wikipedia is a tremendously useful and entertaining website. I enjoy reading articles on many different topics. I also use the encyclopedia as a reference for work, and to help my kids with their homework. My content editing interests currently include German submarines, Russian submarines, shipwrecks, naval battles, computer technology, and whatever else catches my eye.

In October 2007 I became an administrator. My areas of administrative interest include controlling sock puppetry, disruptive editing and harassment. These types of cases frequently end up at arbitration, where I have been a named party in eight cases, more than any other candidate. I believe my experiences, both positive and negative, would bring value to the Committee.

Our Arbitration Committee has performed well in a thankless and difficult job. However, we cannot take for granted that the English Wikipedia community will continue to thrive. Every generation of editors must guard against the destructive forces of blight, including:

  • Vandalism and worse, the addition of misinformation or unreliable information;
  • Parasitic marketers who spam, spin, and whitewash our articles;
  • Sock puppetry and other types of gaming the rules;
  • Harassment, personal attacks, and outing which discourage participation;
  • Cabalism which disenfranchises individual editors and turns some of our articles into battle zones.

I think I can help guard against these threats, and help the Committee not only make the right decisions, but also enhance their reputation within the community. Thank you for your consideration. Please vote. Jehochman Talk 00:18, 10 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]