Thomasfan Interview
Thomasfan is a highly valued admin on the Thomas Wikia, he recently decided to take leave from his position as an Admin as the workload was getting too much. When he announced both on the Forum and the Announcements page on the Wikia there was a flood of messages wishing Thomasfan the best for the future and thanking him for his work, it was amazing to see so many pages of gratitude, it must have been a pleasing way for him to leave his position! We have conducted an interview with him via email and here you can read about Thomasfan and his own thoughts and opinions. He is best known for his pioneering work of turning the Wikia from a spam filled inaccurate jumble to the fantastic place it is today and for that we cannot thank him enough, but don't just take our word for it, take a look at the Wikia's own bio of him.
Thomasfan's Bio on the Wikia
For those of you who may be slightly less familiar with the work of Thomasfan here is his bio from the Thomas Wikia.
"Thomasfan is another "old timer" (if you say 4 years is old). He is definitely a valuable asset to the wiki. He went through all the edits once a day and makes sure they are in perfect shape. Because of Thomasfan, we don't have to worry about spam building up as he will make sure vandalism or spam is gone within a day. He is also willing to lend a helping hand when needed, especially to our new users. He also tries to keep the Wikia up to date with the latest features available to us and has written the better part of our current rules (with help and approval from the other admins of course). While he doesn't come onto the chat box as often as he'd like, he's always up for a good discussion - especially in the subjects of religion and politics. He has taken a leave from his position as admin, although he will visit the chatbox and check in on us when he can."
The story really begins long before I even joined Wikia. Goldenbear, one of the oldest admins, had taken a very long leave from the Wikia and it was soon overrun with spam and vandalism. Then ZEM came along during one of the times Goldenbear was away and he started to clean up the spam. Not long after that, he was granted admin right by Wikia for doing so much work.
But to really answer the question, I became an admin due to my initial dedication to helping clean up the spam. There was quite a lot of it at the time, so I felt I should help out as best I could! So that's what I did for several months. If I saw anyone spam, I'd revert the edit. When something wasn't very clear, I edited it to clarify the statement. After awhile, ZEM told me that he thought I'd make a good admin. The problem was that he wasn't able to grant admin rights to anyone as only bureaucrats can do that. Anyway, ZEM contacted Wikia themselves and was granted bureaucratic right. He then made me an admin and I was so excited when that happened! I immediately took to being an admin and loved it so much I stayed for nearly five years!
What have you done for the Wikia?
This is a very tough question! Edits, spam patrol, blockings; that's the everyday stuff. Aside from that, I did many other things. I took on the role of head admin when ZEM left, so I was sort of in charge for most of the time I was an admin. It was my idea to set up the video of the week template for the homepage, but I don't consider that a great feat. Actually, most of what I did I don't think was anything anyone else couldn't do! I honestly can't think of much that I did on the Wikia that was really so extraordinary. I didn't consider myself as any different from anyone else. I was just another user, another fan of Thomas having fun making the Wikia a great resource. I wasn't anything special.
What was special was promoting others to the staff. Adding the others on as admins and chatmods is the only thing I ever did as admin that I feel made a difference. Then again, talking to the other users was special too. I never thought much of it at the time, but since leaving, I've received so many thank yous just because I talked to everyone! It's novel to me that that's what people like me for. They say that most other heads of websites don't do that. I can't imagine not doing that! If I ever return to the Wikia or ever come to be in charge of another website, I'll still talk to everyone. It's the only way to make everyone feel as if they belong. It's common kindness. It's what I love doing.
Have you enjoyed your time as an Admin?
Of course I did! Not everything was fun and games, and there were some times when I felt I couldn't cope, but I did love doing it! As I said, the best part was talking to everyone. That's one of the reasons I really to like our chat feature. It gave me a way to talk to several people at once, and it was very enjoyable! Had many good times on there!
Oh, a lot of things really. The edit load had become too much for me to handle. That was a big factor. Then there was the fact that I was tired of certain parts of the fandom. It was actually that one that gave me my revelation that I should leave the Wikia. When I realized that I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore, I made my decision then and there that I wanted to leave! But there are two other reasons why I left. One of them is that I just wanted to have more time for other things. The Wikia really eats up a lot of time! The other was that I had prepared my leaving. Had I not prepared for it, I don't think I would have left when I did. I probably would have stayed a few months longer. When I made Toby7, SkarloeyRailway, and Oliverandtoad13 admins, I had told a few people that was going to leave. I promised to stay on long enough to get Toby7, SkarloeyRailway, and Oliverandtoad13 settled into their new roles, and I feel that I've done that. They have the hang of things and will do marvelously!
What do you plan to do on the Wikia in the future, will you struggle to take a more laid back role?
I basically just want to have some more free time for myself. I have several projects going, and it will be nice to complete even just a few of them! One thing I'll be doing is writing several bits for SteamTeam's many shows on YouTube. Other than that, I have my own writings to attend to, but I'll hold off on revealing those!
I thought I wouldn't be able to keep away from the Wikia! But aside from doing some minor changes and answering messages, I haven't done much there at all! Soon enough, I think I'll be taking long breaks from visiting the Wikia - Something that I know many will be upset to hear!
What do you do outside of the internet?
Eat, sleep, breathe. You know, typical human things. :P (Sorry, I had to make a joke. :P) Seriously though, I do some reading and writing when I can. Watch what I'm sure is far too much television. :P I try my hand at modelling from time to time, but I'm not all that good. Do a touch of drawing as well. Of course, that's when I have time. I'm usually far too busy to do any of that! :P
What first got you interested in Thomas?
Are you still interested in Thomas?
How did you become Admin for the Thomas Wikia?
But to really answer the question, I became an admin due to my initial dedication to helping clean up the spam. There was quite a lot of it at the time, so I felt I should help out as best I could! So that's what I did for several months. If I saw anyone spam, I'd revert the edit. When something wasn't very clear, I edited it to clarify the statement. After awhile, ZEM told me that he thought I'd make a good admin. The problem was that he wasn't able to grant admin rights to anyone as only bureaucrats can do that. Anyway, ZEM contacted Wikia themselves and was granted bureaucratic right. He then made me an admin and I was so excited when that happened! I immediately took to being an admin and loved it so much I stayed for nearly five years!
What have you done for the Wikia?
This is a very tough question! Edits, spam patrol, blockings; that's the everyday stuff. Aside from that, I did many other things. I took on the role of head admin when ZEM left, so I was sort of in charge for most of the time I was an admin. It was my idea to set up the video of the week template for the homepage, but I don't consider that a great feat. Actually, most of what I did I don't think was anything anyone else couldn't do! I honestly can't think of much that I did on the Wikia that was really so extraordinary. I didn't consider myself as any different from anyone else. I was just another user, another fan of Thomas having fun making the Wikia a great resource. I wasn't anything special.
What was special was promoting others to the staff. Adding the others on as admins and chatmods is the only thing I ever did as admin that I feel made a difference. Then again, talking to the other users was special too. I never thought much of it at the time, but since leaving, I've received so many thank yous just because I talked to everyone! It's novel to me that that's what people like me for. They say that most other heads of websites don't do that. I can't imagine not doing that! If I ever return to the Wikia or ever come to be in charge of another website, I'll still talk to everyone. It's the only way to make everyone feel as if they belong. It's common kindness. It's what I love doing.
What made you decide to leave the Wikia?
Oh, a lot of things really. The edit load had become too much for me to handle. That was a big factor. Then there was the fact that I was tired of certain parts of the fandom. It was actually that one that gave me my revelation that I should leave the Wikia. When I realized that I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore, I made my decision then and there that I wanted to leave! But there are two other reasons why I left. One of them is that I just wanted to have more time for other things. The Wikia really eats up a lot of time! The other was that I had prepared my leaving. Had I not prepared for it, I don't think I would have left when I did. I probably would have stayed a few months longer. When I made Toby7, SkarloeyRailway, and Oliverandtoad13 admins, I had told a few people that was going to leave. I promised to stay on long enough to get Toby7, SkarloeyRailway, and Oliverandtoad13 settled into their new roles, and I feel that I've done that. They have the hang of things and will do marvelously!
What do you plan to do on the Wikia in the future, will you struggle to take a more laid back role?
I basically just want to have some more free time for myself. I have several projects going, and it will be nice to complete even just a few of them! One thing I'll be doing is writing several bits for SteamTeam's many shows on YouTube. Other than that, I have my own writings to attend to, but I'll hold off on revealing those!
I thought I wouldn't be able to keep away from the Wikia! But aside from doing some minor changes and answering messages, I haven't done much there at all! Soon enough, I think I'll be taking long breaks from visiting the Wikia - Something that I know many will be upset to hear!
What do you do outside of the internet?
Are you at college?
Yep! Just finished my third semester. (I think they're called "terms" in the UK. Correct me if I'm wrong!) Been doing very well too! Had straight A's the first two semesters. (Grades for the latest semester will be in on Friday. ;))
What first got you interested in Thomas?
I honestly don't know the answer to this question! I think I may have been born with a Thomas toy or something! :P The earliest Thomas memory I have is of receiving a Wooden Railway Circle Set for either Christmas or my birthday. I was either 2 or 3 then, but I'm sure I was a fan of Thomas before then! (I wouldn't have gotten the set if I wasn't. :P)
Are you still interested in Thomas?
Yes! I'm really looking forward to S17 and King of the Railway later this year! Only a few weeks away for S17 too! :D
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