This is a Wikipediauser page. This is not an encyclopedia article or the talk page for an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user whom this page is about may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia. The original page is located at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Arcticocean.
Hello! Contact me by leaving a message at the relevant article talk page or on my user talk page. You can also email me.
I am one of Wikipedia's administrators. If you have questions, comments, or concerns about my actions as an administrator, please raise them with me. I promise to listen carefully and try to address the problem. As the saying goes, feedback is a gift and even if not entirely correct, it's rarely wrong.
Previously, I was a checkuser, appointed from the community to address sockpuppetry and other abuse. I was later elected to terms as an arbitrator, at a time the committee was significantly busier and the time commitment for arbitrators was often excessive. I am less active nowadays, but continue to volunteer regularly as an admin.
Participation in the featured article process is an excellent way to contribute to high-quality content in a supportive capacity. By carefully choosing the articles reviewed, it can also be a good way to improve personal general knowledge and your own writing abilities. The process is welcoming to new reviewers and advice is linked in the section above at 'FA', 'FAC', and 'FAR'.
15:4315:43, 11 July 2026diffhist−420Félix DarfourCopyvio revdel declined: request refers to an already-deleted oldid, and I can't locate any other copyvio content; if deletion is still required, please resubmit request & specify the full range of oldids (RR)
19:2519:25, 20 March 2026diffhist−90Thomas FriedensenSpeedy deletion declined. Criterion G12 does not apply: Not an unambiguous copyright infringement, or there is other content to save (CSDH)
Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers means to "Treat newcomers with kindness and patience". Many experienced editors use patience, but omit the kindness. As a complex website, Wikipedia has a steep learning curve. Someone vandalising it, or writing draft articles about their business, may be a new editor entitled to the anti-biting policy's benefit. Kindness could require assuming that apparently disruptive edits are an effort to "see how this works". Even if the aggregate effect of this approach is that more time is spent dealing with disruptive users, we pay that price for treating newcomers with kindness.
"I know you may have been taught it's polite to use honorifics, but that isn't necessary on the English Wikipedia. No one will think you're rude if you don't call them sir/ma'am, and doing so risks calling women 'sir'." – Valereee(talk·contribs), 15:23, 25 January 2025 (UTC)
"When I am asked why I have volunteered my time for so long, my answer is simple: I believe in our project. I believe in our vision, that of a world in which every person has free access to the sum of all human knowledge. I believe that our work makes the world a better place every day, and as long as I believe that I will dedicate my time and energy to this project." – L235(talk·contribs), 03:40, 5 December 2023 (UTC)
[At the top of a retired user's talk page] "Please use the space below to tell me why you hate my redirects and templates." – Gurch(talk·contribs), 2018
"[Why do I…] keep leaving or retiring, then coming back? … After not editing Wikipedia for a while, I realized that my brain has not been as sharp. Apparently, taking the time to [propose] and make corrections to various aspects of Wikipedia has been stimulating my brain quite a bit. I found that over the past month…, I just have not been as motivated or encouraged to proactively engage in thoughtful conversation or research. …[I]t seems Wikipedia has been a glue… keeping my mind intact". – Steel1943(talk·contribs), 2025
Wikipedians don't care if you withhold a donation, or say that you're going to do so. Assuming that they do indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of Wikipedia and the culture of its community. See also: Wikipedia:Not gonna donate.
The Wikipolitician is a type of experienced volunteer, prone to believing that anybody else cares about positions they have adopted or opinions they have previously articulated. You'll see them comment that they have "repeatedly" voted a certain way or supported a certain change. You'll see them comment that they have done so "for a long time", implying a long-standing position. You'll note a belief that if they support something, that suggests it should be done. They are unaware this is an act of self-indulgence and grandiosity, and inevitably they overestimate their true influence or power. Wikipedia is an online community, comprised of volunteers. None of us rank as senior; at best, some of us have considerable experience, and have perhaps been elected or appointed to do particular duties. That does not mean we have a political system, or that people are forming detailed impressions of anyone's personal policies and positions over time. At most, people know who you are and may have some memory of specific situations where you demonstrated some level of skill or competence. That does not excuse you from a duty in each situation to take decisions fairly, dispassionately, and with the minimum possible fuss. Self-marketing obstructs that. Politicians are not needed on Wikipedia.
MakeRef at Wikimedia Toolforge: generate the right form of citation for a reference, useful for avoiding the need to read Template:Citation/doc, which is surely from one of the circles of hell.
IPA is another probable component of the circles of hell, and https://ipa-reader.com will read out any IPA pronunciation fragment for English and the other major western languages.
https://www.cereproc.com[dead link], the website for proprietary software, provides a free "voice demo" tool that supports Gaelic pronunciation. From the first slide on the carousel on the homepage, select "Gaelic" as the language and Scottish Gaelic as the voice, then type or paste the Gaelic word or sentence to have it read back accurately.
https://dsl.ac.uk is a Scots language dictionary, useful (among many uses) for dealing with works of pre-Union Scotland.
Featured Article Candidate (FAC) assessments: 
FA Review (FAR) and FA Removal Candidate (FARC) reviews: 
