Wikipedia:Association of Members' Advocates

[[:|WP:AMA]]

style="background:#dfffdf"| The Association of Members' Advocates (AMA) [formerly The Office of Members' Advocates (OMA)] is a Wikipedian voluntary association based upon principles of human rights and committed to protecting due process, fundamental justice or fairness and the principle of audi alteram partem in dispute resolution. Membership is open to anyone who wishes to help members with the dispute resolution process, especially at the mediation and arbitration stages. The AMA is an independent association and is not subject to any committees or other external controls. You do not need to be a member of Wikipedia to join. AMA members without Wikipedia user accounts are encouraged to put alternate contact and identity information on the Member Statements page (see link to right).

AMA Membership Meeting

After some discussion an effort is being undertaken to conduct meetings to discuss the activities of the association, its members, and to develop more of a structure, if the members decide that is necessary; including the schedule for future elections of the coordinator as discussed in the poll below. Some discussion has been held on Wikipedia:AMA Membership Meeting plans.

The first AMA IRC Meeting was held on Sunday January 23, 2005 at 19:00 UTC on freenode.net IRC channel #AMA. Attending were Wally, Sam Spade, Toby Bartel and alex756 (the coordinator). The log and agenda of the first meeting can be found here: Wikipedia:AMA IRC Meeting log (1-23-05).

The second AMA IRC Membership meeting was held on Sunday January 30, 2005 at 19:00 UTC on freenode.net IRC channel #AMA. Attending were Wally, Metasquares, Anthere, Sam Spade, and alex756 (coordinator). The log of the second meeting can be found here: Wikipedia:AMA IRC Meeting log (1-30-05).

The third AMA IRC Membership meeting was held on Saturday February 12, 2005 at 17:00 UTC on freenode.net IRC channel #AMA. Attending were Sam Spade, Grunt (observer), Wally, Anthere, Angela (observer), jag123 (observer), and alex756 (coordinator). The log of the third meeting can be found here: Wikipedia:AMA IRC Meeting log (2-12-05).

Notice of the next meeting will be posted here.

Call for election

In early January 2005 a poll was called for an election. The results of the poll were 10 for, 1 against, out of 30 possible votes. Please visit the Wikipedia:AMA Coordinator Election page for further information on this poll. For information on the first election to be held on Wikipedia (we are proud of that): Wikipedia:AMA 2004 Coordinator Election.

AMA Coordinator

Our first coordinator is Alex756, elected April 30th 2004 until his successor is elected by vote of the membership of the association (there was some discussion about it being for an initial six month term but there was never any clear rule adopted regarding future election procedures) . Further information about the AMA Coordinator can be found here. If you like leave a message on Alex756's talk page: THE COORDINATOR (you can also send him an email from there).

Information for users who want an advocate

Advocates can assist with many issues you may encounter in Wikipedia, especially in resolving disputes. Typically, advocates advise and/or represent one party to a dispute. If you want the services of an advocate, you may contact any advocate listed below directly, or post a request for assistance. You can request an advocate at any stage of the process.

The nature and scope of assistance depends on consultation between you and the advocate. There is no "right" to have an advocate, and the advocate does not have to agree to represent you, but the AMA will make every effort to find a suitable advocate for you. We will try to preserve your privacy and maintain the type of confidentiality expected of counseling professionals (e.g. physicians, attorneys, etc.). However, advocates are not necessarily trained professionals. Also, please note that due to the open nature of Wikipedia, we cannot guarantee that communications with the AMA or individual advocates will remain confidential. Some individuals here may be lawyers or social workers and may have an independent duty to keep your communications with them confidential.

An advocate can assist you in presenting your case in mediation or arbitration. Because mediation is a consensual process, the involvement of an advocate in the actual process may depend on the approval of the other party and the mediator. Advocates can also help gather information and discuss your case with you on a more informal basis. In the latter case their identity does not have to be revealed to anyone if you wish the consultation to remain anonymous.

Rules of the Association

At present, the rules are provisional and incomplete. Further discussion on the rules is pending. Meanwhile, the following guidelines have been adopted:

A user should decline to act as mediator in a case where the user has previously acted as an advocate.
A user should decline to act as advocate in a case where the user has previously acted as a mediator.
A user should decline to act as a mediator if that user has recently acted as an advocate for or against one of the parties in the mediation.
When participating in mediation, users who are both advocates and mediators should state clearly the capacity in which they are acting.
Users who are also arbitrators should not serve as advocates while they are members of the Arbitration Committee. (This is to avoid putting arbitrators in the position of deciding cases in which they have already supported one side.)

Joining the Association

With the exception of arbitrators, anyone may join who is interested in resolving disputes and reducing conflict on Wikipedia. Advocates should be willing to comply with the guidelines stated above. To join, add yourself to the list below. If you wish, you may add a *brief* statement on the Member Statements page. If you are looking for an advocate, please go to Wikipedia:AMA Advocates accepting inquiries.

Current members (alphabetical order)