OTRS/Volunteering

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Volunteering for OTRS The OTRS team always welcomes new volunteers to help with answering tickets. Nonetheless, to ensure the quality of service and given the confidential nature of the work, there is a selective application procedure. The OTRS administrators are a group of highly-trusted and experienced volunteers who assess your application to join the OTRS team. When assessing an application, they familiarize themselves with your work on the Wikimedia projects to ensure that you are suitable as an addition to the OTRS team. It therefore takes some time before you receive a response regarding your application. How do I volunteer? If you are interested in volunteering, please read OTRS/Recruiting for information about what the job entails. Feel free to join #wikimedia-otrsconnect to ask any questions that you might have with regard to Wikimedia OTRS. Before applying, please ensure that you are: Willing to work on difficult, sensitive, and at times hostile messages Courteous, skilled at resolving disputes, friendly – even in the face of hostility – sensitive to the needs of outsiders, and have exemplary discretion Willing to provide identification to the Wikimedia Foundation if necessary, considering the access to nonpublic data policy 16 years of age or older Please review the list of queues prior to submitting your application, and apply for all of those queues where you think you'd be able to help. Notes The OTRS team is especially interested in users who are entrusted with any special tools on local projects (sysop, bureaucrat, checkuser, etc.), though this is not an absolute requirement. Please also add links to help desk posts, talk pages, or other discussions you think are relevant. Language skills – other than English – are also highly appreciated. Additional help in language queues is highly needed and we'd like to know if you are able to help in any other language. If you already have access to OTRS, and you'd like to get access to additional queues, you typically don't need to apply here. Ask on otrswiki:Administrator requests. German-speaking volunteers If you'd like to volunteer for the info-de queue, please apply locally by following the instructions at de:Wikipedia:Support-Team#Mitarbeit im Support-Team. Dutch-speaking volunteers If you'd like to volunteer for the info-nl queue, please apply below and send an email to contact-nllists.wikimedia.org for the team to assess your application.

Please click here to add your application and also send an e-mail to volunteers-otrswikimedia.org linking to your application on this page and giving your age. Please do so each time you apply.

Cindamuse

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: English
• Your most active user talk page(s): [1]
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: info-en, Permissions

I'd like to help out on OTRS because I believe that I can be an asset to the team. I have been editing Wikipedia and supporting Wikimedia for several years. I am able to respond to messages sent to OTRS approximately ten hours or more a week. At various times throughout my time working with WMF and WP projects, I have been involved in GLAM, the Teahouse Project, Women's History WikiProject, and the Global Education Program. I have served as the moderator of the Gender Gap mailing list for over a year. I spend quite a bit of time fighting vandalism and patrolling new pages. While working in this capacity, I have often come across individuals that are frustrated to find that their article has either been deleted or flagged for issues. I consider myself highly knowledgeable about the BLP policy and issues involving legal threats and libel.

I have experience arbitrating disputes in my real life, having worked in state government and human resources management for over 20 years. I have a high regard for maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information. My professional background includes working for the State Employment Security Division as Job Service Specialist and Unemployment Insurance Arbitrator, where my focus included facilitating disputes between the employee and employer. I have also served as a local Mental Health Ombuds and the Mental Health Commissioner for the State Mental Health Division, where my focus often included working in collaboration with the State Ombuds Office. My experience in dispute and conflict resolution is extensive in working through issues between mental health patients and caregivers, and between employees and employers, encompassing extensive experience mediating difficult and hostile situations in person and through written correspondence. Decisions and rulings I have made have been presented in accordance with a full understanding of state and federal law.

Overall, my interest in volunteering to serve OTRS is based on my professional background and desire to support the WMF and the editing community in a greater capacity. I’ve often been told that I am one of the kindest editors on Wikipedia, bringing a sense of reason and a positive attitude in my approach. I'm always looking for ways to help others acclimate to the community and believe that I can be an asset to the OTRS team. (see [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]) --Cindamuse (talk) 08:23, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

Fæ

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: English
• Your most active user talk page(s): Commons:User talk:Fæ
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: Permissions

I have two years experience of quietly helping with a large number of OTRS queues. I resolved several hundred enquiries, complaints and problems in my time as a OTRS volunteer, pretty much relying on my skills from two decades in quality management. There was never any problem, complaint or issue raised about my activities as an OTRS volunteer, but my access apart from the UK chapter queue was removed in July 2012, with the reason given that "after the English Wikipedia Arbitration Committee published its findings in your case, we have determined to remove your general OTRS access", it was also made clear that "You are welcome to reapply for these queues on meta-wiki for fresh evaluation in the future should your ban be lifted on the English Wikipedia." My ban on the English Wikipedia was lifted after my first and only appeal at the beginning of February 2013. I have never been blocked on any other project.

I applied for OTRS access 3 months ago and this was declined with the rationale that "Given the recent issues on-wiki, we think it would be best if we allow a bit more time before we would move forward on re-issuing your access. I would recommend re-applying in a few months." No OTRS related reason for the rejection was given.

I still have OTRS access for my work with the UK chapter. I previously had access to info-en, info-en (quality) and the permissions-commons queues. I would be happy to discuss any issue or problem relating to my performance or activities as an OTRS volunteer in the past, or expectations for the future, should there be any that can be identified. Considering I am currently one of the highest volume contributors on Wikimedia Commons, I believe I have a lot to offer in support of tickets to OTRS in relation to copyright and validation or deletion of more difficult enquires relating to media uploads to that project.

I enjoyed quietly helping behind the scenes with OTRS support, for both the general public and long term contributors. I was part of the WMUK team that took a lead in running a highly successful OTRS workshop in 2012, and at that time I felt that we were making significant progress in increasing the quality of our efforts as volunteers and attracting new volunteers from the UK network of contributors. As a long standing bot user and batch uploader, I was able to add tickets in more complex situations such as larger batch uploads to Wikimedia Commons relating to GLAM projects. I was deeply saddened at the surprise decision to remove my ability to volunteer for Wikimedia in this way, I would hope that I am allowed to help out again with the OTRS backlogs and this mostly unrecognised and unrewarded type of volunteering. --Fæ (talk) 10:00, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

TheOriginalSoni

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: English, Hindi
• Your most active user talk page(s): English wikipedia talk page
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: info-en, permissions-en

I'd like to help out on OTRS because I believe I have the calm and demeanor to deal with the rigours of this work. For the last few weeks, I have been a regular helper at the Wikipedia en-help IRC channel, and have also dabbled occasionally in answering questions at the en-Teahouse. I believe that throughout my stay here for the previous few months, I have maintained my cool reasonably well both on-wiki and on the IRC and have been taking steps to prevent biting of newcomers on either place.

Since most of my dealing with newcomers has been on the IRC in the recent past, I am willing to offer any sort of logs on the same that I can give to whoever will be reviewing my case, assuming that's permissible to the IRC channel policy. I think I would be an asset to this OTRS squad through my willingness to learn, but mostly my calm nature when replying to even potentially hostile respondants. --TheOriginalSoni (talk) 01:14, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

I've worked with and talk with TheOriginalSoni a lot recently. He strikes me as having the attitude and will to be a perfect OTRS agent. ·addshore· ^{talk to me!} 10:35, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

• Comment Soni understands that the WMF projects are about collaboration and that it works best in a supportive and helpful envoronment. He is one of the few people at enwp that always AGFs no matter what trhe situation. I've had very limited interaction with Soni, but I've noticed him helping out all around enwp especially the village pumps and en:WP:WER where he is well-respected. His work with inexperienced users is laudable. He explains things clearly and consisely and always follows up to make sure that they understand. He leads by example and I expect many well-respected members of the community can attest to his friendly nature. I would encouarge the OTRS admins to speak with some of the regulars at en:WP:WER about Soni to find out more. Thanks. 64.40.54.139 05:00, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Fredddie

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: English
• Your most active user talk page(s): [7]
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: info-en, permissions

I'd like to help out on OTRS because I am willing to learn new tasks for the benefit of the community. I have been on enwp since 2005 and Commons since 2008 and have no scars on either record. I am easy to reach; I respond quickly to emails and am on IRC. My background is retail management, so I have plenty of experience expecting the unexpected, not getting worked up over small stuff, not taking anything personally, and most importantly, treating everyone with fairness and respect. —Fredddie™ 07:44, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

• I've worked with Fredddie since 2008 or so and have no concerns about him having OTRS access, and I think he would be a good OTRS agent. --Rschen7754 07:46, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

rlevente

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: Hungarian-N, English-2
• Your most active user talk page(s): [8]
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: info-hu, Permissions-hu

I'd like to help out on OTRS because I would like to support on licencing images on huwiki. I edit Wikipedia since two years, and I experienced on uploading, licencing and using pictures in articles. I am administrator of huwiki so I have practice on communicating with people. --Rlevente (talk) 22:04, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

Support, I think he'd be a great addition to the OTRS team. Rlevente does great job on huwiki. --Pallerti^{Rabbit Hole} 22:56, 15 June 2013 (UTC)

Support, Rlevente is an outstanding editor and administrator of the Hungarian Wikipedia. He is to be trusted implicitly. I'm sure he'd be a gain for the OTRS team. Hungarikusz Firkász (talk) 21:43, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

á

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: Finnish, English–2, Swedish–2
• Your most active user talk page(s): [9]
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: Permissions

I have been administrator on Commons since 2009 and think I could be a helping hand to the permissions queue. /á^(!) 17:14, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Support - at this moment nobody deals with permissions-FI tickets. We can use the help of á. Jcb (talk) 20:20, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Support, fi language need help. Experienced user, sysop on commonswiki. Alan ^(talk) 23:23, 17 June 2013 (UTC)

Jmvkrecords

• Babel/Languages you can reply in: Spanish-N, French-4, English-2, and Portuguese-2.
• Your most active user talk page(s): w:es:Usuario Discusión:Jmvkrecords
• Email sent?: Yes
• Queues you would like access to: info-es

I'd like to help out on OTRS because I have some time to contribute with the Wikimedia Fondation's projects, and I want to do it :). I know that some people can be impolite, but since lasts 15 years I've worked with the costumer service.

I'm not a sysop, bureaucrat or checkuser, but I have some experience on eswiki patrolling recent changes, checking recent created articles, and answering the page "Informes de error", a page used by readers to send us error reports. With ~27.000 editions, I think I know our guidelines, like Assume good faith. I know that being part of OTRS is a responsibility, and not a prize. I know too that I have the capacities to give a hand with you. Best regards! --Jmvkrecords ⚜ (Intra Talk) 22:30, 18 June 2013 (UTC)