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Revision as of 19:55, 12 September 2008 editLudwigs2 (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers19,240 edits let's shift from 'facts' to perceptions.← Previous edit Revision as of 20:04, 12 September 2008 edit undoLudwigs2 (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers19,240 edits →Accusations of tag teaming: tweaks, and removing a bit of deadwoodNext edit →
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== Accusations of tag teaming == == Accusations of tag teaming ==
Calling someone a member of a "tag team" is ], especially if said on an article talkpage, where it is always better to comment on content, and not on contributors. Even characterizing edits as tag-teaming should be done carefully. If an editor believes that "tag teaming" is a problem on an article, they need to frame their concerns in terms of a general trend in editing activity, rather than to make accusations against specific editors or groups of editors. It is generally not necessary to use the word "tag teaming" in order to deal with a dispute, though the term may be an effective shorthand when describing the situation in a neutral forum. Even so, an accusation of tag teaming against an editor does not give other editors any extra rights or privileges to revert, or to act outside of policy when dealing with that editor or their edits. It is always better to comment on content rather than on contributors, so calling someone a member of a "tag team" should be avoided. Use of the term on article talk pages should be descriptive, noting how proper development of the article is being impeded by multiple editors working in tandem, and editors should frame their concerns in terms of a general trend in editing activity, rather than as accusations against specific editors. Accusations of tag teaming - obviously - do not give any extra rights or privileges to revert, or to act outside of policy when dealing with those editors or their edits.


Suspected tag teaming should be dealt with by sticking to ] and other relevant Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines, and by going through the normal ]. Where at all possible, ] and start from the assumption that there is ''not'' a tag team. Suspected tag teaming should be dealt with by sticking to ] and other relevant Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines, and by going through the normal ]. Where at all possible, ] and start from the assumption that there is ''not'' a tag team.

Revision as of 20:04, 12 September 2008

See also: Misplaced Pages:Cabals, Misplaced Pages:Assume bad faith, and Misplaced Pages:Civil POV pushing Essay on editing Misplaced Pages
This is an essay.
It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Misplaced Pages contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.		Shortcuts

Tag teaming (sometimes also called a "Travelling Circus") is a controversial form of meatpuppetry in which editors work together in a way that is disruptive to an article or project, usually in order to promote a particular agenda or point of view against consensus. Editors working as a tag team circumvent the normal process of consensus, by organizing their edits so that they can sidestep policies and guidelines (such as 3RR and NPOV) while insisting that other editors follow them, or by marshaling support artificially in order to blockade, obfuscate, or overwhelm discussions.

Misplaced Pages encourages and depends on cooperative editing to improve articles, and most editors who work together are not a tag team. Assume good faith, and remember that consensus-editing is Misplaced Pages working correctly, and not a cabal ganging up on you.

Accusations of tag teaming are likely to be viewed as uncivil. Care should be made to frame suspicions in an appropriate way.

Tag team versus consensus-based editing

In consensus-based editing, a number of editors, sometimes with differing viewpoints, work together to craft an article that is fully compliant with Misplaced Pages's core content policies, such as neutrality (WP:NPOV), no original research (WP:NOR) and verifiability (WP:V). Editors may sometimes revert article changes that violate Misplaced Pages's core content policies; this is not tag-teaming. A tag team is formed when a group of editors coordinate their edits in a way that is disruptive to an article or to the project.

Tag team characteristics

Signs that may point to tag-teaming include:

  • Consensus-blocking, and continually challenging outside opinions. Even if voices from the wider community come in to show a differing community consensus, tag-teamers may refuse to "let the matter drop" at article talkpages. When the community's attention has been diverted to other matters, tag teams may continue to bring up the same matters again and again, to try and create the appearance of a new consensus. Note that simple refusal to compromise is not evidence of tag teaming; editors should not compromise to allow changes that violate Misplaced Pages's core policies.
  • False claims of consensus. Oftentimes, a tag team will encourage disparate users to parrot support or opposition for a particular proposal made by other members of the tag team to make it appear that consensus has happened when in fact it has not. Then, when other users notice the proposal and take sides opposed to the tag team, the tag team members will respond by claiming an extant consensus.
  • Feet dragging and stonewalling. Tag team members will often revert consensus changes and insist that more talking needs to happen on the talk page. This plays into a tag team's tendentious, disruptive editing style and preserves a preferred version of an article. When discussion is attempted, tag team members will respond with circular argumentation and a continual ignoring of points made by those they oppose. Sometimes they will simply write affirmations of support for other tag team members in order to make it appear that a community consensus resists the consensual changes. However, this behavior does not always imply a tag team. If consensus favors content that violates Misplaced Pages policies, then the information should nonetheless be removed.
  • Harassment and intimidation tactics. Tag-teams are often not interested in explanations or reasonings behind other editors' edits, and may not engage in good faith discussion about their own edits. Members of a tag team may resort to ad hominem arguments against dissenting editors, or even against the authors of reliable sources. Nevertheless, describing an editor as a member tag team is considered a personal attack. Furthermore, consensus-based editors acting in good faith are only human – they may lash out after extended provocation.
  • Reluctance to work towards compromise, or to follow Misplaced Pages dispute resolution processes. Tag teams are usually reluctant to request opinions from the wider community, as that would upset the appearance of consensus that they are attempting to portray on a particular article.
  • Frequent reverts of opinions opposed to their own. Tag teams will often work together to revert anything that they disagree with, rather than try to work towards compromise. They may show reluctance to incorporate new sourced perspectives in an article, and will instead get an article the way they want it, and then insist that nothing new should be added from then on, because it "violates consensus." Note that reversions are also a step in the consenus-gathering cycle. Editors also often revert changes that violate Misplaced Pages's policies and guidelines.

Goals of tag teams

Potential goals of tag teams may include:

  • Pushing a POV in disregard of the neutral point of view policy either by giving too little or too much exposure to a specific viewpoint as determined by applicable Misplaced Pages policies, or by imposing or blocking edits that advance or suppress particular points of view. This may involve editing in concert to whitewash an article by excluding all criticisms, giving undue weight to a minority viewpoint, or excluding everything except uniformly positive or uniformly negative information.
  • Revenge or personal vendetta, driven by a real or imagined grievance can be a powerful motivation.
  • Support of a team leader. Tag team members may show up to support anything that their leader does, without question. Some team members may have absolutely no knowledge of the actual topic being discussed, they are just interested in supporting their friend against perceived adversaries.

Accusations of tag teaming

It is always better to comment on content rather than on contributors, so calling someone a member of a "tag team" should be avoided. Use of the term on article talk pages should be descriptive, noting how proper development of the article is being impeded by multiple editors working in tandem, and editors should frame their concerns in terms of a general trend in editing activity, rather than as accusations against specific editors. Accusations of tag teaming - obviously - do not give any extra rights or privileges to revert, or to act outside of policy when dealing with those editors or their edits.

Suspected tag teaming should be dealt with by sticking to consensus and other relevant Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines, and by going through the normal dispute resolution processes. Where at all possible, assume good faith and start from the assumption that there is not a tag team.

False accusations of tag-teaming

One of the difficult things about recognizing tag-teaming, is that it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between inappropriate meatpuppetry, and consensus-based editing which is faced with a lone POV pusher claming that there is a tag team in operation.

What should you do if accused of being a member of a tag team?

  • Stay calm
  • Stay civil
  • Avoid personal attacks
  • Keep discussions based on the content of the article, and not on the contributors.
  • Stay fair. A common problem on Misplaced Pages is when editors point out policy infractions from opposing editors, but ignore or condone the same infractions from editors on "their side". This kind of behavior may be regarded as "tag-teamish", even if it isn't a specific tag team. So to avoid even a perception of being a tag team, ensure that policies and guidelines are being adhered to equally. If you see someone being uncivil even if they're on your side, point it out to them, and ask for calm. This can be an excellent way to de-escalate the dispute, as the "friendly" editor may be more likely to listen to you if they see you as an ally, and the "opponent" editor may calm down if they see that policies are being enforced equally. This goes not just for incivility, but other policies as well. For example, if the "opponent" editor is being chastised for adding information without sources, then it's essential that all other editors are also held to the same standard of using sources.

Ultimately, don't worry if false charges are made (or what you feel to be false changes). Just stay calm and civil, abide carefully by all policies, treat everyone fairly, and the truth of the matter should be obvious to outside observers.

Remedies

It is often not immediately possible to determine whether users are acting as a tag team or are truly engaged in consensus-based editing. However, it is particularly important to maintain a cool, calm attitude, since tag teams often try to generate emotional reactions to confuse the issue at hand.

As the concept of tag-teaming is not well defined, no sure method can be recommended for identifying or dealing with a suspected tag team. The following strategies have been proposed:

  • Engage in good faith discussion to determine whether or not participants are communicating fairly and effectively. Assume good faith, try to build consensus, and work through the normal dispute resolution process.
  • In the case of a content dispute, strict application of core content policies such as WP:NPOV, WP:RS, WP:V, and WP:NOR is of paramount importance. It can help when an outside reviewer is able to discern mainstream, notable, and fringe points of view, and reliable and unreliable sources; this often requires that the reviewer be familiar with the subject matter of the article. However, civility is an essential part of the Misplaced Pages code of behaviour and should be maintained.
  • Ask for additional outside opinions at relevant noticeboards, such as the reliable sources noticeboard, to determine a wider consensus. Ideally, you will be able to attract the opinions of reviewers who are familiar with the subject matter, and will be able to discern mainstream, notable, and fringe points of view.
  • Don't go after the team as a whole, but focus on specific policy violations by individual editors. Concerns about user conduct can be addressed in requests for comments, WP:AN/I and other such boards.
  • Check if the article is in an increased supervision area, by reviewing the categories at Misplaced Pages:General sanctions. Look also to see if any of the editors are under specific sanctions, at Misplaced Pages:Editing restrictions.
  • Request an administrator's attention, perhaps by posting at WP:ANI. If an affected article can be placed on probation or closer admin supervision, it will be more difficult for a tag team to be effective.

Note that if there are two, or more, groups of editors supporting specific versions of an article or group of articles, or even a group of editors claiming to be fighting a tag team, any or all of these groups may end up acting as a disruptive tag team, so be cautious. A group of editors opposing a tag team must be careful to stay within policy, and must make genuine good faith efforts to build consensus, and to seek outside opinions. The methods of tag teaming should never be used to combat perceived tag teaming; Misplaced Pages is not a battleground.

Suggestions for administrators

Sometimes the best way to deal with a tag team, is to obtain the attention of an administrator. Admins may:

  • Identify the key participants in an article or topic area
  • Examine accusations that are being made. It is particularly important that any accusations be accompanied with evidence. Admins should also review the diffs to ensure that they back up the accusations.
    • Editors who have a history of making false accusations, should be treated as disruptive, and warned, banned, or blocked.
  • Check contribution histories, to see if any of the potential tag-teamers are sockpuppets or throwaway accounts
    • Tag-team editors can sometimes be identified because they spend very little time actually editing articles, and instead simply jump from dispute to dispute, usually in the same topic area.
  • Check block logs
  • Check to see if policies are being enforced fairly. If a group of editors is insisting that the rules need to be enforced only on "opposing" editors, and not on editors on "their side", then this is also a tag-teaming type of behavior. Policies must be enforced evenly.

See also

Notes

  1. Controversial as there is no consensus regarding the merits of this essay in namespace, with some editors opposed to the very idea that "tag team" is a valid concept, see Misplaced Pages:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:Tag team

External links

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