User:Patchbook
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[edit] One Wikipedia Users Experience
I am a new user of Wikipedia, and a retired law enforcement officer. I thought the Wikipedia might benefit from my knowledge and experience and so I contributed a short article. Instead my entry into this wiki world was unfortunately filled with immediate unpleasantness. If you were to search the Wikipedia entries about me by SGGH (and others of his Wikiproject group) I sound like a major threat to human civilization. I was not the only one being treated this way.
The Wikiproject-Law Enforcement group membership were using the badge logo of the FBI and to me as a new user it appeared they were an authority of some type. My further investigation revealed otherwise, and also activity that appeared unlawful. My concerns were forwarded to the Wikipedia Organization Legal Counsel, and the US Attorney to settle the issues, but not without considerable controversy. The group has since removed the FBI badge logo, and put a disclaimer that it is not affiliated with law enforcement.
SGGH even gave other editors awards for the way they handled the situation. I have since been informed that SGGH is only 19 years old and is from the UK, as are many of the group members.
I made many mistakes as a new user, but I shudder to think what a new user without my background would experience. If this is the way a group of persons who claim they are interested in law enforcement behave, then the future is not as bright as I had hoped, and the Wikipedia will likely not succeed. I hope I am wrong.
Patchbook 03:20, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
