User:Privatemusings/whyIwasbanned

The arb reasoning is here;

Which basically states that I operated 8 accounts over 3 years.

And also the arbs found that I had edited BLP's inappropriately.

Re: my other accounts - only three of these edited substantially at all, and I both notified many editors I was involved with, and believed this to be explicitly recommended by the 'heated issue' element of the then 'sock' policy. The others were barely used, and created for either fun, silliness, or demonstration. Nobody ever asserted that I made a single deceptive edit.

Re: biographies - I utterly reject that accusation and welcome discussion of it. Fortunately, at the article where my edits were most controversial, Jimbo has recently stepped in advocating the position which I was trying to support - this is great!

My take on how everything played out follows; Various editors have been aware of me for a while, I believe for asking difficult questions, and involving myself in controversial situations - they might put it as 'causing disruption' (a put down I reject). Perhaps for that reason, I have been 'checkusered' more than once over the last year, and the results of that checkuser were shared over some controversial mailing lists.

I believe that the prism effect of those mailing lists led to some people coming to the incorrect conclusion that I was either a 'WR Sleeper Agent' - or more simply just around to cause trouble.

And finally - with regard to my arbitration case, I don't believe it was right, or proper (or certainly not helpful to my cause!) that some sitting arb.s had discussed my case on said mailing list, acted 'on-wiki' in my prior block reviews, and saw no reason to refrain from voting for banning remedies in my case. I think they should have recused.

Regardless though, I'm very happy now that I'm unbanned, having 'served my time' It's great!

I'm cross posting this publicly partly because I've now written up about 5 little messages, and one 'on-the-record' will probably suffice, and partly because I recognise wholly that there may be other views, interpretations, and opinions about me and 'what went on' - and welcome them from wherever they may come!

Jimbo and Guy Chapman had commented on wikback.com in regard to my case in a thread which has been removed for legal reasons - but broadly Jimbo said that he was concerned by my using many accounts, and by my editing at Jonathan King, as well as my approach to 'Giovanni di Stefano' (the article with legal issues in discussing - perhaps best just not to bother...) - and Guy has said that my troubles stem not from using multiple accounts at all, rather from being a 'bull in a china shop' at Giovanni....

all thoughts / comments are welcome - but that's the straight dope according to me.....!