User:Phlox/sysop proposal

This is a query soliciting support for a sysop application I may soon make on genealogy, but might be of interested to those wondering if they should grant sysop status for my bot to do maintenance activities on their site (such as bulk deletions).

I am considering applying for getting sysop flag for my account on Genealogy wikia. I am wondering if you would support my application.

I personally don't think there should be a lot of sysops, and I don't think of it as a badge or being in the club. As far as I'm concerned, it just means you can do stuff like edit Common.css or delete articles created by vandals. I haven't needed to do anything sysop-like until recently. Examples of issues I feel I can efficiently address:
 * Sluggish improvement of infrastructure- There are a bunch of extensions that we need to have enabled, and that isn't getting done. In the Watercooler Forum, I put in a request for the googlemaps extension 2 weeks ago, everyone agrees we should have it, but though it was promised to that it would be "looked into", we still don't have it.  It would take me about 30 minutes.
 * Style sheet debugging is difficult if I cannot edit Common.css. My first request was very simple (requesting a simple copy to Common.css) took 2 or 3 weeks to get performed.  Some things work only if in Common.CSS, othertimes only if it they are in the global monobook.css.  It's spooky, but a fact of life.  We need someone with Sysop access that understands this esoteric subject.  I think I understand it more than anyone on this wikia.
 * Ditto javascript. I expect to be doing this more in the future to address the issue of making things as simple as possible for newcomers.
 * Bot tasks. It's necessary to protect pages like lists of files proposed for deletion from vandals. Someone has to unlock these when they are open to everyone to edit, and locked when the list is finalized prior to a bot run.
 * Richard Norton, Bill and Robin do a lot of work but can't be everywhere. Today the calendar on the home page is broken.  I see a locked template that needs fixing and a day goes by before I can fix it because Robin doesn't get here until the evening.  By the time he gets back to me I forget what needed fixing.   I have watched vandalization occuring, but was powerless to stop it.  Fortunately, a staff member enabled DanTman temporary sysop powers to deal with it, but this is a load on wikia adminstration that was suffered only because we didn't have enough trusted contributors on hand that could deal with it.

Qualifications:
 * I am a long time heavy contributor to Commons, and besides active participation in activities like Category Maintenance and CopyViolation identificaiton, have also written guidelines, one of which is being considered a Commons Policy (Category naming for places).
 * I can be trusted not to abuse sysop powers or use it as a symbol of authority to advance positions I advocate. Everyone has an equal say and I strongly support that.  I also do have not problem carrying our and enforcing practices collectively agreed upon regardless whether I happen to disagree with them.  I am familiar with wiki practice and highly supportive of its collaborative philosophy and culture.  For example, the category naming discussions on Commons were particularly heated due to some nationalist issues, but I was able to handle them in an even handed manner guide the discussion towards concensus positions with both sides feeling their POVs were for the most part being accomodated.
 * I am familiar with wikimedia engine inner workings and have set up and operated my own site using it.
 * I am an advanced template writer, and can fix the most esoteric of templates.
 * Professional retired software engineer- (shrink wrapped sofware- millions of users- that kind of stuff). If I don't know about a technical subject, I can quickly master it.
 * Have written elaborate Python programs for conducting Bot operations
 * Participate in helping other wikia with technical issues.
 * Heavy contributor at Commons and Genealogy. At genealogy, near 20K edits- 5K of those manual.

Sorry to be longwinded- just wanted to fully describe my reasons and qualifications.

~  Ph l o x  21:28, 1 November 2007 (UTC)