Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/Herostratus/Interview

Ego: First of all, I'd like to thank you for coming here.

Superego: Of course. I'd never miss an appointment. I had the devil's time getting him here on time, though.

Id: I'm here, OK?

Ego: So, let's start right in. Why do you want to be an admin?

Superego: Well, we feel that it’s important to contribute to the community, and

Id: Oh blah blah blah. Because it’s an honor, duh. Why do YOU want to be an admin?

Ego: Uh, I’m asking the questions here.

Id: Oh, c’mon.

Ego: Well, I must admit your point, after all RFA is the only formal validation in Wikipedia, for most people, and a rite of passage. The "no big deal" thing is hogwash. But back to you guys. What duties to you expect to perform as an admin?

Superego: Well, I’d be good at closing AFD’s I guess. I think I could rescue more speedies. I’ve done some speedy watch and rescued near as many as I’ve made, but not being able to see ones that have been deleted is frustrating.

Ego: Are there any downsides to being an admin?

Id: Yeah, work.

Superego: Well, it might make deletion review work harder, actually. Deletion review is not supposed to be about content, and I’d be tempted there I guess.

Id: Oh, God. You can be such an egregious prig sometimes, you know that?

Ego: Guys, please.

Superego: I dunno. I guess it might take away from article work, not that I do that much now.

Ego: What’s your take on the Great Userboxen War?

Superego: Well, I’ve seen a lot of people with hardened positions. Argument is supposed to change people’s minds. I don’t think that’s happened much, it’s just sniping from entrenched positions. I myself considered the various points of view, and my position has evolved from pretty much a pro-userboxer to being against some major classes of userboxes. I don’t see that many people considering each case as it comes, as I try to do. But out-of-process deletions are, to quote Tallyrand, worse than a crime, they are a mistake. They frost me, and I sometimes jump in with a snark when that happens. Otherwise I stay away.

Id: It’s boooooring.

Superego: Yeah. And it’s depressing to see a bunch of people who know basically zero about how organizations work bloviating like they were Peter Drucker. On both sides. Waste of time.

Ego: Is there anything you’re particularly proud of regarding your work on Wikipedia?

Superego: Well, founding the Pedophile Article Watch, and working some in that area, even though I don’t really like doing it and it doesn’t win me any popularity contests. I think it’s important, because Wikipedia articles come up so high on searches now.

Id: For me, um… well, corresponding with A.J Weberman, I’ve never corresponded with an actual celebrity before.

Superego: He’s no celebrity, dork.

Id: Maybe not. Um, I guess, finally digging up the identity of the George Reeves guy after several people had been misled, which finally got him to desist. Writing.articles, some of which are good. Some of my graphics.

Superego: Yeah, I can agree with you for once. Most of the articles aren’t really that good, though.

Id: Oh, and getting astronomy information into an article on a breath mint.

Superego: That was stupid. And anyway, it’s a candy mint.

Id: It’s a breath mint.

Ego: My understanding is that it’s two mints in one. But let’s move on. Is there any reason you think that you shouldn’t be an admin?

Id: Yeah, there are too many damn admins. Plus, you have to hang with a lower class of people, y’know?

Ego: Uh, I’ll take that as a joke…

Id: Take it however you want to.

Superego: People can look at User:Herostratus/hate mail and judge for themselves, if they want to.

Ego: What was your worst Wiki moment?

Superego: Submitting an Request for Arbitration that was dismissed out of hand as “The silliest RfA ever, and that’s going some.”

Ego: Wow.

Superego: It was a learning experience.

Ego: Moving on here… to finish up, a few personal questions. Is there anything about yourself, personally, that you’d like to share with the readers?

Superego: Good Lord, no. Are you kidding? Take a look at User:Herostratus/george reeves mail – and that’s nothing compared to the emails, which are chillingly more threatening, and credible. I’d never reveal identifying personal information. And I think admins who do are playing a dangerous game. I don’t see how you can be an effective vandal fighter if your real identity is known.

Id: We have an IQ of 146.

Superego: Oh my God. Do you really that that statement is going to win us votes? Plus, it's not even true, fool.

Id: Whatever.

Ego: If your RFA succeeds, how will you celebrate?

Id: Strangle and eat a chimpunk, I guess.

Superego: Rearrange all the objects on my desk to precisely face geographic north.

Ego: Boxers or briefs?

Superego: Uh, I’m not sure that that’s an approp…

Id: Tighty whities. From K-Mart. He buys them.