User talk:MakeChooChooGoNow/Board questioning

What experience do you have for this position?
You seem rather new to Wikipedia, let alone Wikimedia. You are not an admin on any project, you have not volunteer to serve on any committees or such, and you don't claim to have any previous experience with management. While their are no formal prerequisites for the position, how would you convince users that you are qualified for this position? -- Zanimum 17:17, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * For one thing, I am rather good with spelling and grammar. And while I am admittedly inexperienced with this wiki sort of thing, I can learn with time. -- MakeChooChooGoNow 17:37, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Proper spelling and grammar are critical components to Wikipedia. However, how do these skills directly apply to the Wikimedia Foundation (which acts seperately of any of the projects)? While there is certainly a learning curve for whomever is elected, your curve seems much more sudden. Have you heard of Daniel Brandt before? Have you ever investigated how the Arbitration Committee works? How does Brad Patrick's role differ from Jimmy's? What was the controversy on Wikisource that involved me? Where do we have servers located, other than St. Petersberg FL? Which local chapter was sued by the family of a dead person, who was subject of a Wikipedia article? What essential non-wiki process has been backlogged for many months, and caused the hiring of a secretary for the Foundation? These are important questions to know the answer to. --  Zanimum 17:51, 3 August 2006 (UTC)  (PS, I'm not expecting that you answer these on this page, just consider how vast the Foundation is.)

Respect
You say that you will "Help to increase the respectability toward Wikipedia from the public at-large." How do you plan to do this? -- Zanimum 17:19, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Since I cannot influence the actions of others, the simplest way to achieve this would be to defend Wikipedia from detractors, of which I have encountered on more than a few occasions. -- MakeChooChooGoNow 17:40, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Okay, you'd "defend Wikipedia from detractors". How? --  Zanimum 18:02, 3 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Since I work for a living, my options are limited to promotion and publicity. In simple terms, this means getting the word out and recommending Wiki to family and friends. What more can you ask from someone who engages in Wiki as a pasttime simply to expand the boundaries of knowledge? After all, this is but a website -- it neither puts food on the table, nor pays the bills. -- MakeChooChooGoNow 02:31, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Sincerity of desire to become a Board member
Why do you expect people to vote for you when the best you can come up as a motivation is "I am running for the Board because I thought it would an interesting thing to do"? You make yourself sound like a dilettante here who will flit off to the next interesting thing any moment here. --Rhwawn (talk to Rhwawn) 01:55, 5 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Why would it be wrong for me to becmoe a board member? I am a person sitting behind a keyboard just like the rest of you. Wiki is supposed to be a fountain of knowledge, yet I have encountered more counterproductive hostility here than just about anywhere else on the internet. It seems as if this site is populated with power nerds who want to think they're big by trying to belittle others. What many of you people need here is a reality check, and a good kick in the rump. -- MakeChooChooGoNow 02:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)


 * I see you are missing my point. A Board member should not be treating this as a lark. It's fine to be a "person sitting behind a keyboard" if you're just an editor, or even just an admin; you can still be a worthwhile admin/editor even if you log in once a month, and there are quite a few of those. This is not true of Board members: they must deal with weighty long-term issues which ca affect thousands of articles, past and future and present, and cause all sorts of other ramifications. Do you see why a "person sitting behind a keyboard" is not a priori a good choice? And FWIW, the last two sentences of your reply alone would cause me to vote against you, and I hope they will clarify for others your possible utility as a Board member. --Rhwawn (talk to Rhwawn) 02:59, 5 August 2006 (UTC)