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2009-07-03 18:24:45 Welcome to the Wiki. Sorry that you got off to a rough start here on the wiki. We are always looking for ways to improve how new people are introduced to and welcomed within the wiki. If you have suggestions that might help avoid the kind of misunderstanding you walked into please let us know. Interestingly enough the last time I was asking this of someone they were also here to promote their computer repair business. One of the major obstacles when trying to figure out if a new user is here to contribute in a positive manner, or if they are trying to misuse the wiki, is the concept of identity. Some people seem able to establish identity here quickly and are trusted, others cause warning bells to go off and don't get a warm welcome. Sometimes this process can be as quick as their first edit, others seem to get cross threaded with the wiki for a number of reasons. In your case the pattern that people saw caused a defensive reaction. The posting of information about a business followed by the posting of a testimonial from the same IP address raises warning flags around here. We've seen it before and many times, but not all, it has proved to be shady. Hopefully both you and irregularadverb will stick around, establish identity and contribute in positive ways. —JasonAller
2009-07-03 18:47:34 Howdy, Sam. I'm the one who added one of the comments regarding the suspicious review. No worries if you didn't really add fake reviews, but it sure looked like you did, and as Jason notes, it's a pretty common thing for new editors to do. There's just been so many instances of late, including a really insistent fellow who runs another computer repair place. It was like deja vu all over again, if you know what I mean. He didn't understand that a wiki entry isn't owned by the subject of the entry, and it's edited by the entire community, and it took him awhile to realize that this isn't a business listing site, but rather a shared resource that everybody adds to and benefits from. Sorry for any hurt feelings, and welcome to the wiki! —Evan 'JabberWokky' Edwards
2009-07-03 18:52:16 Jason and JabberWokky have already explained why you got the response you did, and again, we do apologize if the positive comment on your business was a genuine one.
Aside from that, it is important for you to understand that the page you created about your business isn't your page in the same way that your own personal website is yours. It belongs to the wiki as a whole, and what remains or doesn't remain on the page is something that is negotiated among the people who care enough to edit the wiki. I am telling you this in the hopes of avoiding future misunderstandings. —CovertProfessor
2009-07-03 22:23:54 You wrote: "Furthermore, I am completely aware of the ownership of the page I created and that it belongs to the community as a whole. There was no reason for you to assume I did not other than your suspicions." Previously, you had written, "In 24 hours, I will be removing all comments on this page, not because I am angry or harbor any sort of ill feelings, but rather that it is not in the best interest of what I'm trying to do here." This earlier comment suggested to me that you did not understand the way that page belonged to the community, and not to you. Thus, I tried to explain to you, as politely as I could, that which comments remain or do not remain is not solely your decision. You have the same input as any other editor.
You seem like a polite, well-spoken person, but I admit that my concerns are still not fully alleviated. Maybe with time I will see that you and your friend are good wiki citizens who contribute to the wiki in many ways. It would also help me if you could explain the inconsistency that William Lewis pointed out — "friend of a friend" versus "friend who is in my room at 1 AM." You don't owe me or anyone else an explanation, of course. I am just saying one reason that I remain skeptical, for now. Still, I am hopeful for the future. —CovertProfessor
2009-07-03 23:06:51 I'm having trouble parsing your words: "I suggest asking the validity and goals of said Wiki to understand if it is in fact a real business that is simply being made aware to the community or something else." You have sort of stepped into an ongoing conversation about how to handle situations like these. In fact when I added the include macro on your page I was continuing a conversation that has been going on for years here with some other editors. To a certain degree when irregularadverb left the comment on the page it helped me reach a decision about how to deal with this sort of situation the next time it arises. The issue will continue to be unresolved for the wiki as a whole, but from now on I'm sticking with using include macros to mark "behavior that fits a pattern" appropriately. I was the person who created the Same IP Address macro, and I stick by my use of the may, because it isn't always proof of mischief. I do feel however that people in general should be warned about comments that purport to be independent, but potentially come from the same source.
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