User:Morhek/FAQ

As an Administrator experienced user, I get a few questions that crop up a lot. Believe it or not, all of these questions have been asked to me in one form or another, by people of various degrees of intelligence - some have it in plentiful amounts, and are simply curious or have hit a small stumbling block, or need assistance. Others, as you shall see, can only be characterised as mind bogglingly stupid. I'll let you sort the two, though it shouldn't be too hard.

What's Your Story?
I have a userpage. Visit it.

Can I Be Your Friend?
I don't frequent my Friend Requests log as often as other people do. You are perfectly welcome to submit a request, but please do not be offended if I do not accept within the first few months. Some of the current batch have been there for years. I do not put much stock in numbers, and generally prefer quality over quantity. If I have met a person who has a significant amount of qualitative edits, and who has proven that they are a productive and contributing member of Halopedia, then I will probably accept their request, or send one myself.

I Demand You Be My Foe!
No. That feature was removed because it fostered disagreements and enmity. I do not regard myself as having enemies. Such small-minded people as there are, who regard me as their enemy for simply doing my tasks to the best of my ability, are not worth my time.

You're Friends With ___ So You Must Therefore Suck!
That's not a question. That you're making generalisations about me purely based on my online association with someone who has earned your ire is no concern of mine.

Why Do You Like Fidel Castro? Are You A Socialist?
Oh, how the ignorant fear them so. I have personally known two communists (true communists, as opposed to socialists - yes, there is a HUGE difference), who were the nicest people I have ever met - one was a Buddhist fellow student, while the other was my Sixth Form history teacher, as well as a devout christian. If you have a problem with communists, then please don't raise it with me, because I refuse to be drawn into a debate that will only end in "they wants to take over teh worldz". I believe that communism is a failed example of utopian ideals corrupted by dictatorialism, and that while it has something for it on the small scale, it is doomed to fail on the large scale because it is too open to abuse from human nature, lacking sufficient checks and balances, and not robust enough to withstand the pressures of an international community. I'm thoroughly glad that the Iron Curtain has fallen, and once had a teacher who kept a brick from the Berlin Wall wherever he went as an example to his students of how the East Germans overcame the oppression of the Soviet Union.

So no, I am not a communist (though certain creations of mine can't say the same). I'm not going to precisely define all my political views for two reasons - 1, opinions are constantly changing, and If you can persuade me on a particular viewpoint, then I will consider it; and 2, because I'm not a professor of politics. But I guess I would align myself with the Left, rather than the Right. New Zealand has no such thing as what most Americans would define a truly Right-Wing party, or at least if we do they are largely ignored. Both the National and Labour parties are leftist, though National agrees more with Right-wing philosophies in terms of the economy and free markets. I must say, though, I really can't understand some of the things that Americans allow. Your gun laws are woefully lacking - I'm not saying ban them totally, because guns themselves aren't the source of the problem, but it seems far too easy to purchase a weapon for use in a crime. These are things designed to kill people - shouldn't that mean owning one should be regulated, or at least abide by stricter criteria? And any attempt to rectify this problem automatically invokes a clause in your constitution originally intended for when the British Redcoats reared their ugly heads. I have no ill will against anyone of religion, but separation of church and state is important - I realise that, as an agnostic, I may be biased here. Since I'm a male, and automatically disqualified from bearing children, I don't consider myself able to offer an informed opinion on the subject of abortion or womens' rights. I have no prejudice against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and so on. And I believe that if you're going to have a government, then if might as well be one that can put taxpayer money to some good use, rather than squander it on wars and bank bailouts. And the Left just seems so much less...bitter than the Right; Rush Limbaugh and the other radio talk show hosts predicting doom and gloom, the advance of "socialism", the "death of the American way" and hoping Obama fails. I have nothing against Conservatives, despite that. I don't agree with their politics, but I daresay they'd find some of my beliefs equally incomprehensible. My problem lies with the zealots, and there are too many of them on both sides. And all of them seem to have an unhealthy preoccupation with teabags...

What was the other thing? Oh, yes - ole' Fidel! Ah, but just look at him! Gazing into the distance so mournfully that I can almost imagine a tear trickling down the side of his face. Clutching his flag almost possessively, as though unwilling to accept that the days of the glorious revolution are over, holding onto the last vestiges of the Communism he so devoutly believes in...

Are You Available/Willing To Move To ___ To Meet In Person?
If you believe that I am, then I can only conclude that during the brief period of time I had my gmail address available on my social page somebody submitted it to a dating service, and that service has led you here. If you are a real person, then please do not take offense. I have not met you, will never meet you, and have no interest in doing so. As such, it should come as no surprise that I am unwilling to abandon my (admittedly crappy) life in Aotearoa, New Zealand, the Land of the Long White Cloud, to move to wherever your location is. The notion that you would expect someone to go through such great lengths for someone they have never met is quite disconcerting, to say the least.

If you are not a real person, and are merely a bot sending a preprogrammed message intent on scamming me out of my money, then I can only say: GTFO.

You Know Your Xbox Live Profile Isn't Showing, Right?
Yes, I do know. That is because I currently do not possess one. I have enough money troubles without having to pay a Live subscription. I prefer to roam across the internet, finding depth and hilarity where I way, and peruse the realms of webcomics and wiki's, expanding my knowledge. Wikipedia has taught me more than school ever did.

Besides, I actually suck. :(

Are You Available To Come Onto The IRC?
Given that I'm not always on my computer, I may not get the message until hours after you sent it, but as with all requests and messages I will try to respond as soon as I can.

Administrational Questions
 NOTE : ''This section was written before my voluntary removal of administrator status. It remains, because I still like it - otherwise, I have no authority or obligations to assist you in tasks that require an administrator.''

Do You Own Halopedia?
No. Halopedia is a part of Wikia, and is a public user-contributive project. Administrators don't "own" anything, although given the time and effort we invest it's understandable when we become protective of it. We coordinate major projects, offer help and insights to new users, block vandals, and conduct other site-keeping activities, but we don't own Halopedia any more than you do.

How Do I Become A Veteran?
There's a number of things I have to point out before I actually get to answering that. Firstly, being a "veteran" isn't a rank. It isn't conferred by administrators, nor is there a special group that adds your name to a list. Veterancy is more like an indication of activity, prominence, and skill - you either have it, you earn it, or you give up. Secondly, being a veteran doesn't give you any special priveleges - you don't automatically get respect or prestige, no exclusive awards, no points. You kind of have to earn that to BE a veteran.

The actual answer, and I doubt any other Admin could say differently, is; "I don't know." It took a while for me - I joined up in late 2006, joined the Covenant of Halopedia in March 2007, became an administrator in April 2008, and eventually became a Councillor of aforementioned CoH. I'm not entirely sure how that happened - people say that hindsight is 20/20, but mine has always needed spectacles. It was all spur-of-the-moment stuff.

I Need Help!!!
Just tell me what you need help with, and I will attempt to assuage any fears, point you int he direction of Halopedia policy, clear misconceptions up, correct mistakes, and alert relevant authorities as required. I may be busy when you send the request though, so don't expect me to respond right that very moment.

I've Been Banned?!
If you're sending this using the profile you have been banned as, then its likely that you are merely the victim of a glitch that has plagued Halopedia for a while now, where banned IP addresses result in the additional banning of multiple unrelated accounts, sometimes in the dozens. We will try to unban the IP, and reban them in a manner that will prevent it interfering with the status of your account.

If you are sending this using a new profile, then I will do my best to clear up any errors, point out mistakes, point out policy, and so on. If the ban is justified, do not expect me to show favouritism. "I r sorry it wont happn agin" will not result in an instant pardon. Regardless of the outcome, I will also ban the account you created to alert me - that counts as a sockpuppet, and is open to abuse in a number of ways.

Why Did You Do Delete My Page?
In all probability, it was likely down to one of several factors;
 * 1) It violates our Canon policy, and is created by fans and therefore not accepted by Bungie. Such articles would be focussed on fanfiction, fanon, or machinima.
 * 2) It is not notable enough to warrant inclusion. Neptune is a planet in the Solar System, and we know that the Solar System exists in the Halo universe, but because Neptune has not been mentioned there is nothing to include in any article about it.
 * 3) It is offensive material, likely intentional vandalism. The creators will likely be banned.
 * 4) It is speculation, unsupported by any canon material, or more appropriate in the Blogs or Forums.
 * 5) We are not a machinima wiki. Just because we allow articles about Red vs. Blue to exist here does not mean that any machinima is accepted. Rooster Teeth Studios have a unique relationship with Microsoft and Bungie, and are therefore worthy of inclusion. You will notice that we do not allow individual pages for episodes, and we have a link to the Machinima Wiki in the template at the top of the few articles we do have.
 * 6) It is in the wrong namespace, ie; if you create a page about yourself as a user, merely meant as a profile rather an an exercise in vanity, then it will be moved to the appropriate namespace, User:___.

Can You Ban ___(User or IP Address(es))? They're (a) Vandal(s).
Provide a link to their profile and/or contributions page, clarify what actions they did that earned them your scrutiny, and I will investigate. Often it is merely a mistake on the reported individual's part - poor editing, or being unaward of the proper policies and rules in place. If this is the case, I will issue a warning, point out the offending actions, and try to point them in the direction of the needed policies.

If it is a case of intentional vandalism, then the perpetrator will be banned. IP addresses may change over time, so it will usually be for only a few months. If it still has nopt changed, the vandal will most likely have either #, grown up, #, lost interest, or #, lost the will to live and succumbed to the emptiness of their lives that they feel the need to fill with hateful and offensive comments.

If it is a case of harrassment, I will try to intercede. I do not take sides - someone I know will not be treated preferentially. I will try to weigh both sides. Offensive avatars will be removed (if that damned feature ever starts working) and the users banned for a few weeks/days. Vandalism will be rewarded with a few months for IP addresses, and an infinite ban for profiles. Harrassment will result in a short ban, sometimes a few days, for tempers to cool.

Important: I DO NOT BAN WITHOUT A REASON. If it is a faulty reason, try to contact me and I'll try to put it right. Do not just assume I've flipped and decided to vent frustration on you.

WTF You Banned Me! WHATS UR PROBLEM!
My problem is people who think it's funny to vandalise our articles, often adding abusive, sexist, racist, and otherwise intolerable parts to them, and then get uppity when we ban them. Incidentally, friend, your ban is likely infinite. No appeals. Enjoy.