Requests for comment/The meatpuppeting attack to the LMO wikipedia - Corrective actions requested

The following request for comments is closed. I think it best to consider this matter closed with no action taken. PeterSymonds (talk) 21:31, 3 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]


The meatpuppeting attack to the LMO wikipedia - Corrective actions requested edit

I apologize, I know that Wikipedia is not a Forum ([1]), but only now I have an idea clear enough of what happened in the LMO wiki. I also know that the word "meatpuppet" should be used with great care ([2]). A related but incomplete RFC is here: [3]; it was originally a request to the stewards ("It needs an ONU observer on the LMO wikipedia").

In this RFC the word "meatpuppet" is used according the main definition given in the page ([4]):

Editors of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia use "meat puppet" to deprecate contributions from a new community member if the new member was (allegedly) recruited by an existing member only to back up the recruiting member's position.

On the LMO wikipedia, in the days 2-4-5 december 2007, a lot of people accessed for the first time the LMO wiki, immediately or after few minutes voted 5 new administrators [5] and then disappeared. According to the cited definition, these voters should be considered meatpuppets. The 5 admins "elected" in that way were: Fabexplosive, Snowdog, Barbapedana, DracoRoboter and Remulazz.

In the following, the election of the 5 admins will be analyzed in detailed way and at the end, will be required/proposed corrective actions.

Analysis of the meatpuppeting action edit

Analisys of the Fabexplosive's election
The election of Fabexplosive has already been analyzed here ([6]) and here ([7]), so the details will not be repeated. The summary of the Fabexplosive's election to admin is as follow:

  • he has been candidate to admin after 3 edits [8] ;
  • on 2/4/5 dec 2007 the meatpuppets (as definition) voted him;
  • on 9 dec 2007 he had the admin rights, after about 20 edits.

He were not voted by the LMO community, but by people that came from away. Having accepted their votes and continuing to back up them, Fabexplosive should be considered a meatpuppeter.


Analisys of the Snowdog's election
The admin Snowdog was not elected by te community, but by people that came from away. Let we analyze the election of Snowdog, as we can see there: [9]. The votes of 20 people on the total of 23 (87% of the votes) were as follow:

  1. Dracoroboter - [10] - his vote is his 5th edit
  2. Fabexplosive - [11] - his vote is his 5th edit
  3. Xaura - [12] - first edit on 20:01, 2 dic 2007, voted immediately, WORLD RECORD
  4. Ilario - [13] - first edit on 20:01, 2 dic 2007, voted immediately and then disappeared
  5. Marcok - [14] - first edit on 20:06, 2 dic 2007, voted after 4 minutes and then disappeared
  6. Paginazero - [15] - his vote is his 4th edit and then disappeared
  7. Veneziano - [16] - first edit on 20:53, 2 dic 2007, voted after 22 minutes after and then disappeared
  8. Tanarus - [17] - his vote is his 4th edit
  9. Balabiot - [18] - first edit on 10:06, 4 dic 2007, voted after 5 minutes
  10. bramfab(=Barbapedana) - [[19]] - first edit on 08:48, 3 dic 2007, voted after 1 day, 7 hours and 52 minutes
  11. .snoopy. - [20] - his vote is his 4th edit and then disapeared
  12. Nemo - [21] - first edit on 17:14, 4 dic 2007, voted after 38 minutes
  13. M7 - [22] - his vote is his 3rd edit and then disapeared
  14. Olando - [23] - first edit on 13:40, 5 dic 2007, voted immediately, WORLD RECORD and then disappeared
  15. giacumìn - 9-dec 10:41 - 19th edit, 7th vote! [24] - his vote is his 6th edit
  16. Civvi - [25] - first edit on 10:58, 5 dic 2007, voted after 03:36
  17. Lusum - [26] - first edit on 20:34, 5 dic 2007, voted immediately and then disappeared
  18. Kiado - [27] - first edit on 17:13, 5 dic 2007, voted after 04:02
  19. Ripe - [28] - first edit on 20:31, 6 dic 2007, voted immediately and then disapeared
  20. Loroli - [29] - first edit on 20:32, 6 dic 2007, voted immediately and then disapeared


Analisys of the Barbapedana's election
The admin Barbapedana was not elected by te community, but by people that came from away. Let we analyze the election of Barbapedana, as we can see there: [30]. The votes of 11 people on the total of 13 (84% of the votes) were as follow:

  1. Tanarus - [31] - his vote is his 9th edit
  2. Fabexplosive - [32] - his vote is his 8th edit
  3. Dracoroboter - [33] - his vote is his 40th edit
  4. Balabiot - [34] - first edit on 10:06, 4 dic 2007, voted after 5 minutes
  5. .snoopy. - [35] - his vote is his 9th edit
  6. Nemo - [36] - first edit on 17:14, 4 dic 2007, voted after 38 minutes
  7. Olando - [37] - first edit on 13:40, 5 dic 2007, voted immediately, WORLD RECORD and then disappeared
  8. Xaura - [38] - his vote is his 11th edit
  9. Loroli - [39] - first edit on 20:32, 6 dic 2007, voted after 5 minutes
  10. Ripe - [40] - first edit on 20:31, 6 dic 2007, voted after 12 minutes
  11. giacumìn - [41] - his vote is his 20th edit, but is the 8th vote


Analisys of the DracoRoboter's, Remulazz's, Flavio05's and Kemmòtar election
Also DracoRoboter [42] and Remulazz [43] were elected in the same days, by the same people and in the same way as Fabexplosive, Snowdog and Barbapedana, but they already resigned from admins, so their election will not be analyzed. Anyway, they should be considered meatpuppeters (as definition). Remulazz, particularly, resigned a few hours after I criticized for the first time the election of Fabexplosive [44]. Flavio05 [45] and Kemmòtar [46] were only confirmed, they were already administrator, so the votes of the meatpuppets don't have any influence.


Corrective action requested (proposed) edit

As demonstred, according to the main definition of "meatpuppet", in december 2007 happened a meatpuppet attack on the LMO wikipedia. The proposed/requested corrective actions are the following:

  1. Fabexplosive is now trying to be elected bureaucrat on the lmo.wiki [47]. For now he collected only 2 votes, from DracoRoboter and Remulazz, already involved in the meatpuppeting attack. I request that, if Fabexplosive will ask the bureaucrat rights, the bureaucrats rights will not be given to him, because he should be considered a meatpuppeter;
  2. Being demonstrated that Fabexplosive were elected admin during a meatpuppeting attack, Fabexplosive should resigne from administrator;
  3. Barbapedana. Does Barbapedana know that he was elected during a meatpuppeting attack? Barbapedana should resigne from administrator;
  4. Snowdog. Does Snowdog know that he was elected during a meatpuppeting attack? Snowdog should resigne from administrator;
  5. Nick1915. Till now, Nick1915 backed up the meatpuppets (as definition) and meatpuppeter. Nick1915 should follow better the Steward_policies, where it says "Stewards should always be neutral". Nick1915 should stop to back up the meatpuppets (as definition) and meatpuppeters.

Yattagat 19:06, 3 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

About the "temporary sysop" Snowolf. Corrective action required edit

The user lmo:user:Snowolf required the "temporary sysop flag" on 9-dec-2007, writing "vorrei richiedere la flag temporanea di sysop qui su lmowiki per dare una mano nell'eliminazione in corso" ([48]). Snowolf was appointed "temporary admin" on 12-dec-2007 ([49].

One of the meatpuppeters (as definition), Remulazz, greeted Snowolf as "capo" = "chief" ([50], "Salve capo. Volevo solo ringraziarti ...").

Corrective actions required/suggested:

  1. Did Snowolf forget to leave the adminship? A "temporary flag" is granted only for the time required to do the work. The "elimination action" is finished many months ago, and Snowolf is inactive [51]. Snowolf should leave the temporary adminship;
  2. Does Snowolf know that the meatpuppeters considered him as "chief" ? Does Snowolf want to be a "meatpuppets chief"? Snowolf should resigne from administrator.

Yattagat 21:26, 10 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have never been notified of this RfC before, not in 2008 nor since. I saw this only recently when it was linked as reason to oppose me during the steward elections. If the user would have notified me back in 2008 thru a simple email, I would have resigned my temporary sysop flag immediately, as it was no longer needed. I also don't think there's much to say about the joking remark made by Remulazz on my talk page so many years ago. As this section proposes as remedy only the removal of my sysop flag on lmowiki, I would ask that somebody mark it as closed given I haven't held such flag in over two years. Snowolf How can I help? 17:59, 28 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]