User blog:Mathmagician/My Side of the Story (From Forum)

This comes from Forum:Wiki Mediation

What Has Transpired, My Point of View
Hero has had more than his fair chance to share his view of events with the community. Now, it's my turn.
 * 1) First of all, the idea to consider a change to the video policy was proposed by me, not Gracey--after reading through some comments on the home page talk.
 * 2) Gracey agreed with my proposal, and established a poll on the Terraria Wiki:Community Portal. The reason it was not put on the front page was most likely because polls have always been placed on the Community Portal before--but you'd have to ask Gracey. In any case, I personally had nothing to do with the creation or placement of the poll (nor have I ever created a poll in all of my 1000+ edits), despite what Hero may say.
 * 3) Afterwards, Gracey, with my backing, created a forum post where people could propose a change to the video policy. This forum post is archived here. The forum post was NOT secretly hidden away, as I clearly pointed out its existence on the front page of the wiki. Hero was immediately notified of its existence. This was no secret. Apparently, Hero would like to make you think it was, because he deleted Gracey's notification from his talk page--twice. Also, Gracey forwarded an email to me signed by Sannse (passed on to her by Tim DaNASCAT after Gracey emailed him), suggesting the creation of the forum post to discuss a change in the video policy. Unless I'm mistaken, the creation of the forum post was specifically recommended by Staff.
 * 4) After adding his viewpoint to the video forum post, he changed his mind and decided to delete it. This action is specifically counter to the recommendation given to Gracey via email by Sannse. Furthermore, in doing so, Hero vastly overstepped his administrative rights. Bureaucrats and administrators DO NOT have the right to tamper with (much less delete) community discussions about policy, simply because they don't like the content contained therein. This action was a blatant violation of the Good Faith Policy, a core concept on all Wikia wikis.
 * 5) Hero removed Gracey's administrator rights and blocked him from editing the wiki. Shortly thereafter, he did the same to me as well.
 * 6) Hero established a new poll on the home page, while Gracey and I remained blocked from the wiki. While the poll was up (for what, maybe a few hours?), he blatantly asked his livestream viewers (screenshot) to go to the wiki and vote on whether he should remain video admin and whether Gracey and I should be permanently banned from the wiki. The results of this poll should be held invalid, as they obviously represent the views of his audience. They are not in any way an accurate representation of this wiki's community. Is there an honest person here who denies this? Polls are by nature easy to manipulate and should not ever be used as the final deciding factor on a wiki. That's why Gracey and I created a forum post in the first place. That's probably also a factor in why Sannse decided to create this forum post. The proper way to resolve issues on a wiki is through written communication.
 * 7) Hero created several blog posts in which he characterized mine and Gracey's conducted while we were blocked from the wiki, without any ability to defend our position. The comments on these blog posts demonstrate that the community is not entirely behind Hero. Furthermore, Hero has been deleting comments on his blog posts as well.
 * 8) Hero's absolutely ridiculous antics have been well documented on Community Central. I highly encourage you to read that forum thread. That thread is more than just a little unchecked emotion. It proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Hero thinks he owns the wiki. I'm sorry, but a single person cannot own a wiki.

Off-Wiki Communications
http://community.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:353340
 * 1) For transparency, I'd like to link to my communications with Sannse regarding this matter. Yes, there were some private emails between us, but there is a lot of communication to be seen over on Community Central: http://community.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:352915
 * 1) The list of users I have contacted regarding this issue outside the wiki, before this ordeal began is very short: Gracey91, Dzylon, The Pathogen. In Dzylon and Pathogen's case, it was to inform them of the private communications between Hero, Gracey and myself over on the For Testing wiki.
 * 2) I have been in contact with the Russian Terraria Community both before and during this incident. Initially, it was to discuss forming a partnership between our wikis. After being banned from the wiki, Gracey and I had to inform them that we couldn't form the partnership--because we were blocked from the wiki. Feel free to google translate this page if you want the details.

Areas of Disagreement

 * 1) I disagree with Hero having exclusive control of the production of video content via his youtube partners. I enjoy some of his videos, as I have said before over on his talk page. But there are a lot of other good youtubers out there, such as Yrimir and TerrariaHelp. I feel that it's in the wiki's best interests to rediscuss our video policy as a community (that's why Gracey and I created that video forum post), hopefully to allow a little bit more freedom in the posting of video content. Hero's videos are certainly welcome on the wiki. I just disagree with him having the final say over the matter.
 * 2) I strongly disagree with Hero's conduct throughout this affair. The rigged voting. Banning me without valid reason (again, I can't defend Gracey's conduct, but what exactly am I guilty of?). Covering up evidence. Additionally, Hero has had run ins with people before. Consider when he stole copyrighted content from Cursed, and then told current Cursed staff member Wynthyst that it wasn't a big deal. Just read his forum post above mine. His conduct is certainly in need of improvement. Hero's a great youtuber. A great person in the Terraria Community. He's done so much for this wiki and the game. But his personal conduct on the wiki is in serious need of improvement.
 * 3) Bad Blood: I disagree with some of Gracey's outlashes at Hero concerning these matters. But, you have to realize that Gracey and Hero have a lot of history together. I do not have any such history with Hero, so I have no reason to hate him and he should have no reason to hate me. In fact, before this incident, Hero and I were getting along just fine (that's just one of several positive communications between us). Gracey can speak for his own conduct. It's not my place to do so.

What Caused All This?

 * 1) This is just my opinion, but I believe the single biggest reason for this incident lies in a private disagreement that Gracey had with Hero over the layout of the front page about a week or two earlier. Gracey became so upset over the incident that he was considering leaving the wiki. I stepped in and intervened in their argument, because I didn't want to see Gracey leave. Tempers were flaring at the time, so I felt it necessary to use some strong words to resolve the issue. In hindsight, there was perhaps a better way I could have handled the issue--but my intentions at least were good.
 * 2) I think that Hero is personally upset with Gracey (and vice-versa), and that Hero banned me because I had the appearances of siding with Gracey against him--when all I really wanted to do was engage the community in a discussion about the video policy. He's unfortunately gone absolutely mad in his attempt to retain control of "his" wiki.

Why I (Mathmagician) Should Be Allowed To Return

 * 1) Aside from the fact that I have the appearances of siding with Gracey over the video policy issue, I have not wronged Hero nor attempted to do so. I do not bear him any ill will. Also, I have made many positive contributions as an editor here, and helped a lot of people with my walkthroughs on my blog. I love this wiki and I have never vandalized it. I also possess some knowledge that few editors or administrators currently on this wiki have, and am fully willing to share this information with others for the benefit of the wiki.
 * 2) What logical basis is there for my removal from the community? Should I be removed simply because the current bureaucrat doesn't like me (again, I'm not even sure what he has against me exactly)? Hero's accusations against Gracey do not apply to me. And whatever accusations he's leveled against me are false at best and slanderous at worst. Please prove what exactly it is that I've done wrong.

How Can We Resolve This
Mathmagician ( talk ♥ blog ) 01:37, February 2, 2012 (UTC)'''
 * 1) Speaking for myself, I am willing to come to terms with Hero and see if we can find a way for the both of us to be on this wiki and contribute to the community together. By the things he's said however, unfortunately Hero doesn't seem willing to work things out with me =(
 * 2) This incident has made it abundantly clear that I cannot trust Hero's conduct as a Wikia user. I request a community discussion about a change in the bureaucratic and administrative structure of this wiki: Either Hero is removed as bureaucrat and replaced, or there is no bureaucrat at all, or a second bureaucrat is appointed to keep Hero's power in check. Again, Hero thinks he runs the wiki. I absolutely cannot approve of his attitude and conduct. It is 1) detrimental for the entire community and 2) profoundly wrong for the wiki to continue to be run in this fashion.
 * 3) I would like to push for a reconsideration of equality in user status in this community. '''All users should be treated as equals and have equal say in all things. Bureaucrats or administrators do not outrank normal users. They're simply normal users with a little extra experience and a few extra buttons to help clean up vandalism and such.