User talk:A Train
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The Signpost: 24 May 2018[edit]
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Replacing the part for the whole. For future reference, is this normal policy?[edit]
Hello. With regards to this thread, is it normal for admins to consider one specific violation at a time (or in this case, a tangent of a specific violation such that even the violation itself went ignored)? Evidently, it seems multiple PA violations, as well as RS, NPOV, FRINGE, and 3RR violations went ignored, while only a tangent of one specific violation was considered. One could say this is comparable to a criminal committing break-in, rape, murder, and robbery, but the criminal is only charged with breaking a plate. For future reference, do admins as a matter of policy consider only one violation (or a tangent of a violation) at a time even if a post contains quite a number of reported violations? Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SeriousSam11 (talk • contribs) 17:34, 24 May 2018 (UTC)
- Mate, drop the stick. When you notice that absolutely no one agrees with you, that's usually a good moment to re-examine your position. A Traintalk 00:03, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
- "No one agrees" being you and the accused. Just to make it clear, are you stating that calling me a "genocide denier" (for civilly correcting incorrect fringe-theory information), a "lunatic" (in response to being proven wrong by hard factual data), among other personal attacks is okay? Breaking other rules, including 3RR where there's no subjectiveness, is okay? Are you saying that breaking 5 different rules repeatedly is acceptable? I'd appreciate straight-forward answers to these questions, because it appears that sometimes rules are enforced and sometimes they're not. What I'm understanding from you is that I can call someone a lunatic for no reason, and you would be fine with that.
- I'd just like to understand what the policy is, as it appears to be subjective, and ignoring all violations and focusing on a specific tangent of one (and still misinterpreting it) is particularly disingenuous. I'd imagine that even if an admin does not enforce the rules, they would still be able to explain them. SeriousSam11 (talk) 07:33, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
- SeriousSam11, here's a working link to the archived ANI discussion. I strongly suggest that you read it again. Several experienced users (ie, not just me and "the accused" — there's a term you stop using if you want to be taken seriously) chimed in. Not a single one of them found any merit in your accusations. Several of them suggested to you that you stop digging yourself deeper.
- Bullet points for maximum clarity:
- None of the experienced uninvolved editors at ANI (including but not limited to @John from Idegon, Tarage, and NinjaRobotPirate:) thought that your accusations of racism had any merit. All of them suggested that you drop the stick and walk away.
- You have repeatedly made a claim that TTAAC has broken 3RR without supplying diffs to that effect.
- You brought a content dispute to ANI. That is not what ANI is for. (That 'is' what Wikipedia:Dispute resolution is for, btw.)
- I did you a favour by closing your ANI report before it led to your block for disruption. If you continue tilting at this particular windmill, casting aspersions at me and others, then I will bring us back to the previous course.
- Please take a time out and return to Talk:Halabja chemical attack with an open mind, and re-consider your position in light of the policies that other editors are citing. Wikipedia is a collaborative project, and if you can't meaningfully collaborate with users who don't hold the same opinions as you, then you will have a very difficult, frustrating time here.
- Thanks for your energy and enthusiasm, but you really need to redirect it in a direction that isn't wasting other volunteers' time. A Traintalk 09:09, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
- Let me go one step further. Drop it or I'll go back to ANI and ask for a topic ban. --Tarage (talk) 09:42, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
- That's the thing. I have been collaborating well. Aside from me is a user who responds to factual data and evidence in response to unreliable sourcing and conjecture, with 1) personal attacks, 2) RS/NPOV/FRINGE/OR violations, and 3) edit warring (I did supply the diff where the user started edit warring on the thread, unless you're asking for something else entirely) that has proven to be less than ideal.
- This focus on racism is misleading. The user was making personal attacks, whether or not you consider any racist undertones. And assuming someone's nationality/ethnicity in conjunction with an insult is almost always regarded as having racial undertones. Why would the user automatically assume I am Iraqi (then followed by an insult)? Again, the racist undertones are just a tangent to things such as "genocide denier" and "lunatic" among other things, which are insults and which still seem to go ignored. If a user responds to enhancing the reliability and NPOV of an article with insults, that's certainly absurd.
- Having worked with current and former Reddit employees and also 2 former admins here, the difference in moderation is apparent, to say the least. Here, it appears everything in a case can be ignored except a small, misconstrued part of the overall case. There, everything is taken into consideration, especially on the largest (default) subreddits where I have moderated. Having played and being told I've played an integral role in building up the fourth most trafficked site in the US is certainly not a small matter.
- Tarage: I cannot say I am surprised that a user very well-known on this site for attacking people has to chime in. Are you also stalking me? I advise to re-consider this behavior. Your activities on Wikipedia are largely relegated to attacking users and making threats. If you get your kicks from bashing people in order to assuage whichever maladies you may be suffering from, this isn't the place for it.
- In any case, I have dropped the matter. I was simply asking for clarification on site policy, and I received about as decent a response as could be expected. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SeriousSam11 (talk • contribs) 20:24, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
- I'd just like to understand what the policy is, as it appears to be subjective, and ignoring all violations and focusing on a specific tangent of one (and still misinterpreting it) is particularly disingenuous. I'd imagine that even if an admin does not enforce the rules, they would still be able to explain them. SeriousSam11 (talk) 07:33, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Appealing a block[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Appealing a block. Legobot (talk) 04:30, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
Kelvin Al-Kasil Roy and Kelvin Roy[edit]
Thanks for removing the links to Goldmoney from Draft:Kelvin Al-Kasil Roy and Kelvin Roy. Just so you know, the two do not represent the same person. IPs have been copying the draft article on top of Kelvin Roy the past year.--Auric talk 14:32, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
- Thanks for letting me know, Auric. I closed the Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Goldmoney AfD and had the automated script unlink all the backlinks, so if I did anything above and beyond there it was through sheer coincidence. If you're having any sustained problems with IP editors at that article let me know and I can semi-protect it if appropriate. A Traintalk 16:35, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
Deletion of the article Pedro Perebal[edit]
Hi. In the Pedro Perebal afd your deletion explanation was "Insufficient sourcing for a BLP, and a textbook WP:BLP1E as User:Joe_Roe argues". Can you tell me what is your threshold for sufficient sourcing for BLP? And how do you apply WP:BLP1E (notability for one event) if the reason I created the article was due to the subject's notability for its achievement of learning by himself several languages being a security guard and not because he is related to any event? Thinker78 (talk) 02:57, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Thinker78, I'm sorry your article was deleted — I know myself how frustrating that can be.
- BLP concerns are taken very seriously and trump almost everything else on Wikipedia. To understand how BLP1E applies, you need to think about this from the perspective of the media coverage (which all comes from a brief period of time), and not Mr Perebal's process of learning languages (which took many years). If you think of the references that the article used, they all arose from a single period of publicity from early April to early May, as the story of Mr Perebal's achievement percolated through the media around the world.
- If Mr Perebal runs for president of Guatemala in 2019, or if he writes a best-selling book on self-improvement through language learning, then there will be substantial media coverage of him beyond just that about the one event that made him briefly famous. Put it another way, it is too soon to know if Mr Perebal will be a noteable figure in the future.
- All the best, A Traintalk 08:41, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Thanks for the reply. Can you clarify what would be sufficient sourcing for BLP for you? And you keep mentioning "an event". What event are you talking about? Thinker78 (talk) 19:11, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Hi Thinker78. The event we're talking about is the round of media interviews and human interest stories about Mr Perebal that appeared roughly around April-May 2018. If, in the future, there is additional significant media coverage of Mr Perebal for another reason, then you would have a slam dunk case for writing an article about him. A Traintalk 19:16, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- I really think you are misusing the term "event" in this one. It doesn't appear very reasonable saying that media interviews are an event that made Perebal notable, of course media interviews make people notable but saying that the media interviews themselves are an event that made people notable is stretching it past the breaking point in my view. Perebal is notable because he learned many foreign languages by himself working as a security guard in Guatemala in a seedy part of town. That makes him notable and that's why he got the round of media interviews. He is not a participant in any event that made him notable. Thinker78 (talk) 19:27, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- My friend, I've been around for a little while and closed more than a couple of AfDs. I'm pretty sure I've got this one right. But you seem quite committed to this article. If you want, I will reopen the AfD for another week and restore the article so folks can look it over.
- If you opt for this, I would not get your hopes up. I would be very surprised if the discussion suddenly swung towards keeping the article, and you're just going to be disappointed all over again. But I'm happy to leave it up to you. Do you want me to re=-open and relist the discussion? A Traintalk 20:20, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- That would be nice. Well, yes, if you give me the option to reopen the afd discussion I take it. I think transcribing this talk page discussion there would be helpful to other editors too. But tbh you left me wondering about your reasoning for labeling the subject as related to an event. I try not to take dogmatic positions but I thoroughly defend the positions I take and I challenge other's positions. If I feel my position is untenable I change opinion and adopt the other person's position. You can see an example of that in this Requested move discussion in the talk page of the article Cold-stimulus headache, discussion in which I worked many hours, between pondering, writing and investigating, ultimately changing my opinion. Thinker78 (talk) 04:17, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
- I really think you are misusing the term "event" in this one. It doesn't appear very reasonable saying that media interviews are an event that made Perebal notable, of course media interviews make people notable but saying that the media interviews themselves are an event that made people notable is stretching it past the breaking point in my view. Perebal is notable because he learned many foreign languages by himself working as a security guard in Guatemala in a seedy part of town. That makes him notable and that's why he got the round of media interviews. He is not a participant in any event that made him notable. Thinker78 (talk) 19:27, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Hi Thinker78. The event we're talking about is the round of media interviews and human interest stories about Mr Perebal that appeared roughly around April-May 2018. If, in the future, there is additional significant media coverage of Mr Perebal for another reason, then you would have a slam dunk case for writing an article about him. A Traintalk 19:16, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Thanks for the reply. Can you clarify what would be sufficient sourcing for BLP for you? And you keep mentioning "an event". What event are you talking about? Thinker78 (talk) 19:11, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
Herath[edit]
Hi there. I understand. There has been so much back and forth over this topic for so long that I'm refusing even to get involved now. Bobo. 18:52, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Yeah, I don't blame you. I have no specific interest in the subject matter but I was coincidentally involved in some of the AfD's last year and I remember how acrimonious it got. Be well, Bobo. A Traintalk 19:10, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
Thank you![edit]
Thanks for reviewing the AfD of Jasmine Directory. Even if I do have a decent experience of editing on Wikipedia I don't want to touch the article ever again to avoid any possible issues. All my proposals went through using the edit request template and obviously I plan to do so in the future as well when needed. The live version of the page is reviewed by a few independent editors (diff) and ce, cleanup, NPOV were addressed as well. So, I was wondering if you could remove the COI and notability tag, because I suppose I am not allowed to (I'd prefer not to edit at all the article). Thank you! Robertgombos (talk) 21:11, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Robertgombos, it's great that you understand that it's better not to edit in areas where you have an interest or even the appearance of one. Given that I closed the AfD maybe it's better if someone else assesses the tags on the articles. All the best, A Traintalk 23:15, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- Sure, thanks! Robertgombos (talk) 23:16, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
Change to "Cubans"[edit]
Source: cartasdecuba.com: article in spanish language: Espana acelerara entrega de ciudadania a los cubanos. The Spanish ambassador in Cuba said "casi 150,000" "almost 150,000". Thanks. Cgx8253.
- User:Cgx8253, thank you very much for getting back to me—after Googling I have found the article in question. It's very important that you start adding links to specific articles that you're citing when you're making edits. Otherwise your fellow volunteers have to burn a lot of their (and your) time asking you for more details and then hunting down the articles to verify that your changes are accurate and come from reliable sources. I'm not trying to discourage you, because I know that you're trying to be helpful, but in fact, many of your edits end up getting removed, and you are actually creating more work for other volunteers.
- Please start including links to your references—even if you don't know how to format them into footnotes, you can just put them between square brackets to make links. Thanks again, A Traintalk 23:12, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
Your edit summary[edit]
I'd hidden the edit summary from this edit of yours. I'm sure you were frustrated and just venting, but it really wasn't appropriate. -- RoySmith (talk) 23:28, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
- You thought “pick another hill to die on” was inappropriate? Have you not heard the expression before? I’m genuinely surprised. A Traintalk 23:33, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
Women in Red June Editathons[edit]
Welcome to Women in Red's June 2018 worldwide online editathons.
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--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 17:15, 29 May 2018 (UTC) via MassMessaging
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Wikipe-tan[edit]
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Akash Ambani - deletion?[edit]
Hello A Train, you closed the discussion as "Delete" and did the link cleanup, but the article itself wasn't deleted. Could you double-check the processing please? Just noticed this minor hickup while scanning through some related articles :). Thank you for looking into this. GermanJoe (talk) 19:58, 31 May 2018 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – June 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2018).
None
Al Ameer son • AliveFreeHappy • Cenarium • Lupo • MichaelBillington
- Following a successful request for comment, administrators are now able to add and remove editors to the "event coordinator" group. Users in the event coordinator group have the ability to temporarily add the "confirmed" flag to new user accounts and to create many new user accounts without being hindered by a rate limit. Users will no longer need to be in the "account creator" group if they are in the event coordinator group.
- Following an AN discussion, all pages with content related to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, broadly construed, are now under indefinite general sanctions.
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- The Wikimedia Foundation's Anti-Harassment Tools team will build granular types of blocks in 2018 (e.g. a block from uploading or editing specific pages, categories, or namespaces, as opposed to a full-site block). Feedback on the concept may be left at the talk page.
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Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style. Legobot (talk) 07:20, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
Hello A Train, I noticed that you closed this AfD as delete and deleted all redirects, talk pages, etc. but not the main page itself. Would you mind taking some time to do so? Regards, JTP (talk • contribs) 14:26, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
- Hey JTP, thanks for catching that. Second time in a week that's happened; I'll file a bug report with the developer of XFD Closer. A Traintalk 15:11, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
Don Greene 1 is likely a sock of Dan Jones 3[edit]
Just wanted to point out that Don Greene 1 (talk · contribs) is likely a sock of Dan Jones 3 (talk · contribs). If you will look at the edit summaries for both users, they seemed to have blanked a number of sock case investigation pages.--IanDBeacon (talk) 20:07, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
- Thanks for that, IanDBeacon; if there's an SPI at some point I'll remember that. A Traintalk 20:28, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
User:A Train, thanks. I've just opened an SPI. Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Dan Jones 3--IanDBeacon (talk) 16:34, 5 June 2018 (UTC)
User Phoenixhill[edit]
Hello,
I ask an intervention for a case of serious conflict of interest.
Recently I edited the pages Templeton Foundation and Fenggang Yang.
There is User:Phoenixhill, who I am 100% sure is Fenggang Yang himself (https://wiki.alquds.edu/?query=Talk:Fenggang_Yang), who continues to delete large sourced parts of the text in Templeton Foundation, a organization with which he is related, and add allegations that academics who have criticised him are "Communists" in the article Fenggang Yang (as written in the talk page of the article, many of them are not Communists at all). Page 1, page 2, his talk page.
He has already been reverted by multiple users. The most disturbing thing is that he insinuates that I am an agent of the Chinese Communist Party and I am "not qualified to make the editing until you have done your reading and homework". I am an unknown independent person who just happens to be knowledgeable in these topics.
Here another discussion about user Phoenixhill (which started from his insinuation that I am a Communist agent).--Amorphophallus Titanum (talk) 23:35, 4 June 2018 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)[edit]
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Update request[edit]
Hi Admin, can you please unlock this module: Module:Location map/data/Nepal, so I can update the location map? Or can you change the location map on this module?--- 👤Raju💌 04:11, 10 June 2018 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Criteria for speedy deletion[edit]
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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/COSCO fleet lists[edit]
Hi. Would you look again at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/COSCO fleet lists. The nom and my support make two clear deletes. Eggishorn's Drafity means remove from mainspace, which equals a delete rather than a keep. Nosebagbear does not make a comment in favour of either keep or delete, he says that notability is an issue, but if sources could be found then he would !vote keep. There are no keep comments, and certainly no keep arguments. Murgatroyd49 is unclear on the process, and is mainly asking questions (such as should he move the list to the main article) - he makes no keep comment or argument, seeming in doubt himself if the list is notable. I put forward policy based arguments which were not rebuted (if you look at Murgatroyd49's comments he is asking for clarification on points I raise, and then makes an error in understanding that we can't rely on primary sources for notability). Numerically it is Delete 2, Draft/Userfy 1, Keep 0. And there is a "reasonable, logical, policy-based argument" for delete - per WP:CLOSEAFD. The main decision to make is to either delete or to userfy to Murgatroyd49's userspace. There are other options available at WP:SOFTDELETE, such as redirecting to the main article (COSCO), though I don't think any of those are appropriate for this situation. I would not object to userifying to Murgatroyd49's userspace. SilkTork (talk) 01:42, 14 June 2018 (UTC)
- I respectfully disagree, SilkTork: I re-read the debate this morning and I think my interpretation of the consensus is correct. A Traintalk 06:24, 14 June 2018 (UTC)
- Disagreement is fine. Would you explain your rationale so I can understand your thinking? If you can point out either a keep vote or a valid keep argument I've missed, we can discuss the matter. If you prefer not to discuss it further, no worries, just let me know and I'll go to WP:DELREV. SilkTork (talk) 08:37, 14 June 2018 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Enforceability of logged voluntary editing restrictions[edit]
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Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Did you know[edit]
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Userfy Ammar Campa-Najjar[edit]
Dear Editor, Would it be possible to userfy the article on Ammar Campa-Najjar so I can bring it back up to speed? Ammar Campa Najjar is a candidate running for Congress in California's 50th District and he already won the primary and the Democratic nomination. Although winning a primary does not automatically make one notable, in this case he is notable because he has a serious chance to win. The article about him that you deleted did not have any BLP violations, and should be userfied so it can be put back up. - User:Narayansg
Please comment on Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)[edit]
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Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Disambiguation[edit]
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July 2018 at Women in Red[edit]
Hello again from Women in Red!
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The Signpost: 29 June 2018[edit]
- Special report: NPR and AfC – The Marshall Plan: an engagement and a marriage?
- Op-ed: What do admins do?
- News and notes: Money, milestones, and Wikimania
- In the media: Much wikilove from the Mayor of London, less from Paekākāriki or a certain candidate for U.S. Congress
- Discussion report: Deletion, page moves, and an update to the main page
- Featured content: New promotions
- Arbitration report: WWII, UK politics, and a user deCrat'ed
- Traffic report: Endgame
- Technology report: Improvements piled on more improvements
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Africa
- Recent research: How censorship can backfire and conversations can go awry
- Humour: Television plot lines
- Wikipedia essays: This month's pick by The Signpost editors
- From the archives: Wolves nip at Wikipedia's heels: A perspective on the cost of paid editing
Please comment on Talk:Alt-right[edit]
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Administrators' newsletter – July 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2018).
Pbsouthwood • TheSandDoctor
Gogo Dodo
Andrevan • Doug • EVula • KaisaL • Tony Fox • WilyD
- An RfC about the deletion of drafts closed with a consensus to change the wording of WP:NMFD. Specifically, a draft that has been repeatedly resubmitted and declined at AfC without any substantial improvement may be deleted at MfD if consensus determines that it is unlikely to ever meet the requirements for mainspace and it otherwise meets one of the reasons for deletion outlined in the deletion policy.
- A request for comment closed with a consensus that the {{promising draft}} template cannot be used to indefinitely prevent a WP:G13 speedy deletion nomination.
- Starting on July 9, the WMF Security team, Trust & Safety, and the broader technical community will be seeking input on an upcoming change that will restrict editing of site-wide JavaScript and CSS to a new technical administrators user group. Bureaucrats and stewards will be able to grant this right per a community-defined process. The intention is to reduce the number of accounts who can edit frontend code to those who actually need to, which in turn lessens the risk of malicious code being added that compromises the security and privacy of everyone who accesses Wikipedia. For more information, please review the FAQ.
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) in your editing toolbar (or under the hamburger menu in the 2017 wikitext editor). This feature can help prevent you from making mistakes when editing complex templates.
- IP-based cookie blocks should be deployed to English Wikipedia in July (previously scheduled for June). This will cause the block of a logged-out user to be reloaded if they change IPs. This means in most cases, you may no longer need to do /64 range blocks on residential IPv6 addresses in order to effectively block the end user. It will also help combat abuse from IP hoppers in general. For the time being, it only affects users of the desktop interface.
- Currently around 20% of admins have enabled two-factor authentication, up from 17% a year ago. If you haven't already enabled it, please consider doing so. Regardless if you use 2FA, please practice appropriate account security by ensuring your password is secure and unique to Wikimedia.
Please comment on Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)[edit]
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Please comment on Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)[edit]
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Please comment on Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)[edit]
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August 2018 at Women in Red[edit]
An exciting new month for Women in Red!
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Latest headlines, news, and views on the Women in Red talkpage (Join the conversation!): (To subscribe: Women in Red/English language mailing list and Women in Red/international list. Unsubscribe: Women in Red/Opt-out list) --Rosiestep (talk) 11:22, 23 July 2018 (UTC) via MassMessaging |
Deletion review[edit]
Hey, one of the pages I created named 'Syed Shah Abdul Haq Gilani' was recently deleted after nomination for speedy deletion. This person who nominated it for speedy deletion had no sort of know-how on the subject and accepted the fact too. It is a request if the page is restored or the content's emailed to me for improvement so I could make a new page regarding the same person.
Thanks! Zaydbinumar (talk) 06:35, 24 July 2018 (UTC)
Deletion review for COSCO fleet lists[edit]
An editor has asked for a deletion review of COSCO fleet lists. Because you closed the deletion discussion for this page, speedily deleted it, or otherwise were interested in the page, you might want to participate in the deletion review. SilkTork (talk) 08:13, 26 July 2018 (UTC)
4th Nomination to delete Artur Balder in English WP[edit]
There is something suspicious happening repeatedly. The same Spanish user 'SAVH' has managed to delete an article that was previously by consensus approved by a board of English WP users and administrators after 4 nominations for deletion (https://wiki.alquds.edu/?query=Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Artur_Balder_(4th_nomination)). The recurring situation has all the odd looks of a persistent 'sham' and 'hate', and I think someone has to do something to clarify this.
If you analyze the voting, at least one of the 'delete' votes comes from the Spanish WP, and had been previously involved in similar polemics in favor and coordination very often with 'Savh'. On the other hand, there are a tone of arguments against the deletion, it is just very strange. The user 'Savh' acknowledges direct contact via twitter with a journalist, and exposes all reasons to delete from a 'de-faming' perspective. I think we should be able to recover the article and clean it if necessary, the WP was born to grow and to be neutral, this is against its purposes.
Savh avoids at all cost for instance to give any credit, nor to mention, any collaboration with Academy-award winner Susan Sarandon in the subject's last film, there are photos of them together, and a trailer out there.
I think the 4th nomination is just another sham, and it is necessary to elevate the action to the attention of administrators, and to examine the article. There is enough traceability of notoriety. For instance, 'obsessed' Savh insist on a fine of 30,000 euros because allegedly Balder said a journalist has 'friends in high places', the news published at El Pais. Well, this is relevant in Spain perhaps, but according to the First Amendment there is no way to sue someone in the USA because of such facts, and these rulings are considers accrding to the Speech Act, 'repugnant to' the constitution of the USA, for here there is wider freedom to criticize a public figure... On the other hand, the same source he cites, El Pais, exposes the 'success' of Balder's children books as back as 2006, and that's not a press release as he suggest, see here: https://elpais.com/diario/2006/06/10/cultura/1149890405_850215.html
SAVH is obviously biased and is, as it states, in direct contact with the journalist that obviously has had problems with Balder. This is not enough to delete any article.
There must be a way to examine and rollback this absurd intromission of Spanish editors obsessed in bringing their own neuras into the English WP fabric.
Do you really think this is just a bureaucrat's job? Avoiding to mention the El Pais 2016 praise of the writer's book, for instance, and focusing from the first sentence of the article in the polemic between him and a journalist? And avoiding mentioning the film with an Academy-award winner actor, but reinforcing the 'lesser' view about the MoMA screenings? Do you really think that this is neutral? Four nominations for deletion by the same subject who is tying to impose its view over and over and a direct conversation on twitter with one of the part looks to you like 'neutral'? --FirstAmendment1 (talk) 21:32, 26 July 2018 (UTC)
Request revisiting deletion of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek article in Oct. 2017[edit]
Clicking through old links in my contributions page, I was stunned to see that the article on The Mansion on Turtle Creek had been deleted for non-notability, as this hotel is a Dallas landmark and has hosted numerous celebrities as well as various presidents and foreign rulers. When I read through the deletion page, it became evident to me what the problem was: the cursory search for evidence of notability was done under the uncommonly-used official name, Rosewood Mansion at Turtle Creek, rather than the name that it has been known by for most of its life as a hotel, The Mansion on Turtle Creek. As a Dallasite, I can certainly see why the unimpressive results from searching the official name would fail to convince an outsider of notability if the person weren't a specialist in luxury hotels or fine dining. The WP policy page about deletion reviews says (a) finding new information subsequent to a deletion is a good basis for requesting a review and (b) before requesting a review, one should try first contacting the administrator who officially determined the deletion. So that's why I'm on your user talk page.
Here's just one example of how the search results differ when the correct name is searched:
- Google Books search for "Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek" = 785 results
- Google Books search for "Mansion on Turtle Creek" = 5880 results — that's a 650% increase
Now let's take industry indicators of notability:
- Zagat ranked The Mansion as best hotel in the United States in the 1992, 1995, and 1997 surveys — an AP story printed in the Los Angeles Times from 1995 notes that in that year, best-in-US meant it beat out the Hotel Bel-Air in LA (which the Rosewood company later bought) as well as the Four Seasons hotels in Chicago, NYC, and Boston, and that the then-touted Plaza Hotel of NYC and Trump fame hadn't gotten into the Top 100 that year or even the Top 10 for NYC. Zagat said the Mansion received 28 out of 30 points that year, calling it "European elegance with old-fashioned Texas hospitality and ... top honors in dining, location, and style." ("Executive travel: Plaza Hotel falls off Zagat's Top 100 list: Lodging: no NY hotel made survey's fab five, which includes L.A.'s Bel Air", Los Angeles Times, April 20, 1995)
- In 1990 The Mansion received the Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award -- here's how Texas Monthly writer Skip Hollandsworth tells it (in a 1992 story about how people in London were NOT responding kindly to the parent company, Rosewood, buying London's most expensive hotel):
- "In Dallas society, of course, Rosewood is treated with almost godlike reverence. With part of the money she received as beneficiary of a trust established by her late father, oilman H. L. Hunt, Caroline Rose Hunt founded the company in 1979 to create small, elegant hotels. Her first effort was the Mansion on Turtle Creek, which garnered a national reputation: It received the coveted Mobil Travel Guide Five Star Award in 1990, and last year it was named by the U.S. Zagat survey as the best hotel in the country. The always-packed Mansion Restaurant alone has taught the sometimes rowdy Dallas rich more about fine wine and haute cuisine than any other establishment in the history of the city. Social climbers have been known to bribe the maître d’ to be seated at the restaurant’s highly visible front tables." (emphasis mine -- "Beyond luxury: a Texas company has shocked London by taking over one of the world’s most expensive hotels—only a block from Buckingham Palace", Texas Monthly, June 1992)
To all this, we could add the famous folks who've stayed and/or dined there, either in its prior life as the 1920s mansion of cotton baron Sheppard King (FDR and Tennessee Williams, among others) or after it became a hotel (Larry Hagman and the cast of Dallas while filming various seasons of the show; presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush; Crown Prince Abdullah (later King Abdullah), who rented the entire hotel, including one room just for his TVs (!); Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. We could add the fact, mentioned above in the Texas Monthly piece, that it was the pet project of Caroline Hunt, an entrepreneur and heiress that The Dallas Morning News says was "once considered America's richest woman" (see this October 2017 article by business columnist Cheryl Hall) and was the foundation of the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts empire that she sold in 2011 for $799 million.
Don't get me wrong — I've got no personal connection to the hotel, just a fondness for Dallas history. And while I haven't yet looked back at the original article, when I do, I'm quite prepared to find it sounds as gushing as one of the deletion voters said ... certainly that was the case with the Neiman Marcus article's mention of Stanley Marcus back in 2005 when I first discovered there was no article on him at all. Some careless person had done a copyvio of a timeline from the NM web site, including how "the retail and fashion worlds mourned the death of Stanley Marcus" in 2002. Some wag on the talk page for the NM article thought that was absurd, simply because s/he had never heard of him. I was inspired to go start an article about him, since he was one of my dad's business idols, and pretty soon, I had 200+ pages of material found online to back up the claim, a trove of material I'm still working on distilling for the article all these years later in an effort to move it from Good Article to Featured.
Something similar is true of the 69 pages about The Mansion that I've put together in Word just in the last few hours, working only from WP:RS material, and that length is despite the fact that for many of those articles, I only pulled a paragraph or two. I think it's highly likely some of the material in the deleted WP article will turn out to be stuff from press releases and so on, but I can definitely make a good case that there's plenty of verifiable, reliable, secondary-source material on which to base a solid case for notability. So may I create the article again? Lawikitejana (talk) 11:06, 31 July 2018 (UTC)
- Update: I've now discovered what you probably already knew, that there isn't any (apparent) way to see what the article looked like before deletion. I'm hoping if you let me re-create, there will be a way to see if there's any usable material in the prior version(s). Lawikitejana (talk) 11:25, 31 July 2018 (UTC)
- Still waiting for a response. Lawikitejana (talk) 19:05, 7 August 2018 (UTC)
The Signpost: 31 July 2018[edit]
- From the editor: If only if
- Opinion: Wrestling with Wikipedia reality
- Discussion report: Wikipedias take action against EU copyright proposal, plus new user right proposals
- Featured content: Wikipedia's best content in images and prose
- Arbitration report: Status quo processes retained in two disputes
- Traffic report: Soccer, football, call it what you like – that and summer movies leave room for little else
- Technology report: New bots, new prefs
- Recent research: Different Wikipedias use different images; editing contests more successful than edit-a-thons
- Humour: It's all the same
- Essay: Wikipedia does not need you
Request for help[edit]
Article Ayman Sadiq is redirecting again and again without a valid reason. Reason why there'll be an article of this topic. 1. He has won Queen's Young Leader Award. 2. Forbes 30 under 30. WP:ANYBIO 3. His website is not just an web. it's an organization, largest online platform of the country. 4. He is an Youtuber himself. 5. A public speaker, visits school,collages among the country. 6. He has wrote a book (have sources). 1 of these 6 is not notable for Wikipedia but together all, he deserve an article on the encyclopedia which make him notable to having an article. I requested that editor to make a move request or make deletion entry rather than redirect the page. he didn't. I don't know how to get help regarding this and discovered you as an administrator. As I read Wikipedia once a day, i think I have right to give my opinion. if the topic doesn't meet Wikipedia notability, Article must be deleted. I'm sorry to disturb you here, but I'll be very happy if you give sometimes on this topic. Thanks.
Administrators' newsletter – August 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2018).
- After a discussion at Meta, a new user group called "interface administrators" (formerly "technical administrator") has been created. Come the end of August, interface admins will be the only users able to edit site-wide JavaScript and CSS pages like MediaWiki:Common.js and MediaWiki:Common.css, or edit other user's personal JavaScript and CSS. The intention is to improve security and privacy by reducing the number of accounts which could be used to compromise the site or another user's account through malicious code. The new user group can be assigned and revoked by bureaucrats. Discussion is ongoing to establish details for implementing the group on the English Wikipedia.
- Following a request for comment, the WP:SISTER style guideline now states that in the mainspace, interwiki links to Wikinews should only be made as per the external links guideline. This generally means that within the body of an article, you should not link to Wikinews about a particular event that is only a part of the larger topic. Wikinews links in "external links" sections can be used where helpful, but not automatically if an equivalent article from a reliable news outlet could be linked in the same manner.
- The WMF Anti-Harassment Tools team is seeking input on the second set of wireframes for the Special:Block redesign that will introduce partial blocks. The new functionality will allow you to block a user from editing a specific set of pages, pages in a category, a namespace, and for specific actions such as moving pages and uploading files.
September 2018 at Women in Red[edit]
September is an exciting new month for Women in Red's worldwide online editathons!
| ||
Latest headlines, news, and views on the Women in Red talkpage (Join the conversation!):
(To subscribe: Women in Red/English language mailing list and Women in Red/international list. Unsubscribe: Women in Red/Opt-out list) --Rosiestep (talk) 01:55, 26 August 2018 (UTC) via MassMessaging |
The Signpost: 30 August 2018[edit]
- From the editor: Today's young adults don't know a world without Wikipedia
- News and notes: Flying high; low practice from Wikipedia 'cleansing' agency; where do our donations go? RfA sees a new trend
- In the media: Quicksilver AI writes articles
- Discussion report: Drafting an interface administrator policy
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
- Special report: Wikimania 2018
- Traffic report: Aretha dies – getting just 2,000 short of 5 million hits
- Technology report: Technical enhancements and a request to prioritize upcoming work
- Recent research: Wehrmacht on Wikipedia, neural networks writing biographies
- Humour: Signpost editor censors herself
- From the archives: Playing with Wikipedia words
Administrators' newsletter – September 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (August 2018).
None
Asterion • Crisco 1492 • KF • Kudpung • Liz • Randykitty • Spartaz
Optimist on the run → Voice of Clam
Interface administrator changes
Amorymeltzer • Mr. Stradivarius • MusikAnimal • MSGJ • TheDJ • Xaosflux
- Following a "stop-gap" discussion, six users have temporarily been made interface administrators while discussion is ongoing for a more permanent process for assigning the permission. Interface administrators are now the only editors allowed to edit sitewide CSS and JavaScript pages, as well as CSS/JS pages in another user's userspace. Previously, all administrators had this ability. The right can be granted and revoked by bureaucrats.
- Because of a data centre test you will be able to read but not edit the wikis for up to an hour on 12 September and 10 October. This will start at 14:00 (UTC). You might lose edits if you try to save during this time. The time when you can't edit might be shorter than an hour.
- Some abuse filter variables have changed. They are now easier to understand for non-experts. The old variables will still work but filter editors are encouraged to replace them with the new ones. You can find the list of changed variables on mediawiki.org. They have a note which says
Deprecated. Use ... instead
. An example isarticle_text
which is nowpage_title
. - Abuse filters can now use how old a page is. The variable is
page_age
.
- The Arbitration Committee has resolved to perform a round of Checkuser and Oversight appointments. The usernames of all applicants will be shared with the Functionaries team, and they will be requested to assist in the vetting process. The deadline to submit an application is 23:59 UTC, 12 September, and the candidates that move forward will be published on-wiki for community comments on 18 September.
October 2018 at Women in Red[edit]
Please join us... We have four new topics for Women in Red's worldwide online editathons in October!
| ||
(To subscribe: Women in Red/English language mailing list and Women in Red/international list. Unsubscribe: Women in Red/Opt-out list) --Rosiestep (talk) 14:46, 28 September 2018 (UTC) via MassMessaging |
The Signpost: 1 October 2018[edit]
- From the editor: Is this the new normal?
- News and notes: European copyright law moves forward
- In the media: Knowledge under fire
- Discussion report: Interface Admin policy proposal, part 2
- Arbitration report: A quiet month for Arbcom
- Technology report: Paying attention to your mobile
- Gallery: A pat on the back
- Recent research: How talk page use has changed since 2005; censorship shocks lead to centralization; is vandalism caused by workplace boredom?
- Humour: Signpost Crossword Puzzle
- Essay: Expressing thanks
Administrators' newsletter – October 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (September 2018).
Justlettersandnumbers • L235
Bgwhite • HorsePunchKid • J Greb • KillerChihuahua • Rami R • Winhunter
Interface administrator changes
Cyberpower678 • Deryck Chan • Oshwah • Pharos • Ragesoss • Ritchie333
Guerillero • NativeForeigner • Snowolf • Xeno
- Following a request for comment, the process for appointing interface administrators has been established. Currently only existing admins can request these rights, while a new RfC has begun on whether it should be available to non-admins.
- There is an open request for comment on Meta regarding the creation a new user group for global edit filter management.
- Partial blocks should be available for testing in October on the Test Wikipedia and the Beta-Cluster. This new feature allows admins to block users from editing specific pages and in the near-future, namespaces and uploading files. You can expect more updates and an invitation to help with testing once it is available.
- The Foundations' Anti-Harassment Tools team is currently looking for input on how to measure the effectiveness of blocks. This is in particular related to how they will measure the success of the aforementioned partial blocks.
- Because of a data centre test, you will be able to read but not edit the Wikimedia projects for up to an hour on 10 October. This will start at 14:00 (UTC). You might lose edits if you try to save during this time.
- The Arbitration Committee has, by motion, amended the procedure on functionary inactivity.
- The community consultation for 2018 CheckUser and Oversight appointments has concluded. Appointments will be made by October 11.
- Following a request for comment, the size of the Arbitration Committee will be decreased to 13 arbitrators, starting in 2019. Additionally, the minimum support percentage required to be appointed to a two-year term on ArbCom has been increased to 60%. ArbCom candidates who receive between 50% and 60% support will be appointed to one-year terms instead.
- Nominations for the 2018 Arbitration Committee Electoral Commission are being accepted until 12 October. These are the editors who help run the ArbCom election smoothly. If you are interested in volunteering for this role, please consider nominating yourself.
Get ready for November with Women in Red![edit]
Three new topics for WiR's online editathons in November, two of them supporting other initiatives
Continuing: | ||
Latest headlines, news, and views on the Women in Red talkpage (Join the conversation!): (To subscribe: Women in Red/English language mailing list and Women in Red/international list. Unsubscribe: Women in Red/Opt-out list) |
--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 18:40, 14 October 2018 (UTC) via MassMessaging
The Signpost: 28 October 2018[edit]
- From the editors: The Signpost is still afloat, just barely
- News and notes: WMF gets a million bucks
- In the media: Bans, celebs, and bias
- Discussion report: Mediation Committee and proposed deletion reform
- Traffic report: Unsurprisingly, sport leads the field – or the ring
- Technology report: Bots galore!
- Special report: NPP needs you
- Special report 2: Now Wikidata is six
- In focus: Alexa
- Gallery: Out of this world!
- Recent research: Wikimedia Commons worth $28.9 billion
- Humour: Talk page humour
- Opinion: Strickland incident
- From the archives: The Gardner Interview
Precious anniversary[edit]
![]() | |
"I do my level best to be responsible with the admin tools" | |
---|---|
... you were recipient no. 1760 of Precious, a prize of QAI! |
--Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:28, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
Two years now! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:07, 29 October 2019 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – November 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2018).
- A request for comment determined that non-administrators will not be able to request interface admin access.
- A request for comment is in progress to determine whether the Mediation Committee should be closed and marked as historical.
- A village pump discussion has been ongoing about whether the proposed deletion policy (PROD) should be clarified or amended.
- A request for comment is in progress to determine whether pending changes protection should be applied automatically to today's featured article (TFA) in order to mitigate a recent trend of severe image vandalism.
- Partial blocks is now available for testing on the Test Wikipedia. The new functionality allows you to block users from editing specific pages. Bugs may exist and can be reported on the local talk page or on Meta. A discussion regarding deployment to English Wikipedia will be started by community liaisons sometime in the near future.
- A user script is now available to quickly review unblock requests.
- The 2019 Community Wishlist Survey is now accepting new proposals until November 11, 2018. The results of this survey will determine what software the Wikimedia Foundation's Community Tech team will work on next year. Voting on the proposals will take place from November 16 to November 30, 2018. Specifically, there is a proposal category for admins and stewards that may be of interest.
- Eligible editors will be invited to nominate themselves as candidates in the 2018 Arbitration Committee Elections starting on November 4 until November 13. Voting will begin on November 19 and last until December 2.
- The Arbitration Committee's email address has changed to arbcom-en
wikimedia.org. Other email lists, such as functionaries-en and clerks-l, remain unchanged.
ArbCom 2018 election voter message[edit]
Hello, A Train. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 2 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.
The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.
If you wish to participate in the 2018 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
ArbCom 2018 election voter message[edit]
Hello, A Train. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 3 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.
The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.
If you wish to participate in the 2018 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
December 2018 at Women in Red[edit]
The WiR December editathons provide something for everyone.
Continuing: | ||
Latest headlines, news, and views on the Women in Red talkpage (Join the conversation!): (To subscribe: Women in Red/English language mailing list and Women in Red/international list. Unsubscribe: Women in Red/Opt-out list) |
The Signpost: 1 December 2018[edit]
- From the editor: Time for a truce
- Special report: The Christmas wishlist
- Discussion report: Farewell, Mediation Committee
- Arbitration report: A long break ends
- Traffic report: Queen reigns for four weeks straight
- Gallery: Intersections
- From the archives: Ars longa,vita brevis
Please comment on Template talk:Infobox family[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Template talk:Infobox family. Legobot (talk) 04:23, 2 December 2018 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – December 2018[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2018).
Al Ameer son • Randykitty • Spartaz
Boson • Daniel J. Leivick • Efe • Esanchez7587 • Fred Bauder • Garzo • Martijn Hoekstra • Orangemike
Interface administrator changes
- Following a request for comment, the Mediation Committee is now closed and will no longer be accepting case requests.
- A request for comment is in progress to determine whether members of the Bot Approvals Group should satisfy activity requirements in order to remain in that role.
- A request for comment is in progress regarding whether to change the administrator inactivity policy, such that administrators "who have made no logged administrative actions for at least 12 months may be desysopped". Currently, the policy states that administrators "who have made neither edits nor administrative actions for at least 12 months may be desysopped".
- A proposal has been made to temporarily restrict editing of the Main Page to interface administrators in order to mitigate the impact of compromised accounts.
- Administrators and bureaucrats can no longer unblock themselves unless they placed the block initially. This change has been implemented globally. See also this ongoing village pump discussion (permalink).
- To complement the aforementioned change, blocked administrators will soon have the ability to block the administrator that placed their block to mitigate the possibility of a compromised administrator account blocking all other active administrators.
- Since deployment of Partial blocks on Test Wikipedia, several bugs were identified. Most of them are now fixed. Administrators are encouraged to test the new deployment and report new bugs on Phabricator or leave feedback on the Project's talk page. You can request administrator access on the Test Wiki here.
- Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee Elections is open to eligible editors until Monday 23:59, 3 December 2018. Please review the candidates and, if you wish to do so, submit your choices on the voting page.
- In late November, an attacker compromised multiple accounts, including at least four administrator accounts, and used them to vandalize Wikipedia. If you have ever used your current password on any other website, you should change it immediately. Sharing the same password across multiple websites makes your account vulnerable, especially if your password was used on a website that suffered a data breach. As these incidents have shown, these concerns are not pure fantasies.
- Wikipedia policy requires administrators to have strong passwords. To further reinforce security, administrators should also consider enabling two-factor authentication. A committed identity can be used to verify that you are the true account owner in the event that your account is compromised and/or you are unable to log in.
- Shock Brigade Harvester Boris (Raymond Arritt) passed away on 14 November 2018. Boris joined Wikipedia as Raymond arritt on 8 May 2006 and was an administrator from 30 July 2007 to 2 June 2008.
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Biography[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Biography. Legobot (talk) 04:24, 10 December 2018 (UTC)
Please comment on Talk:Neil deGrasse Tyson[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Talk:Neil deGrasse Tyson. Legobot (talk) 04:23, 18 December 2018 (UTC)
January 2019 at Women in Red[edit]
January 2019, Volume 5, Issue 1, Numbers 104-108
January events:
|
The Signpost: 24 December 2018[edit]
- From the editors: Where to draw the line in reporting?
- News and notes: Some wishes do come true
- In the media: Political hijinks
- Discussion report: A new record low for RfA
- WikiProject report: Articlegenesis
- Arbitration report: Year ends with one active case
- Traffic report: Queen dethroned by U.S. presidents
- Gallery: Sun and moon, water and stone
- Blog: News from the WMF
- Humour: I believe in Bigfoot
- Essay: Requests for medication
- From the archives: Compromised admin accounts – again
Please comment on Talk:Paul Ryan[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Talk:Paul Ryan. Legobot (talk) 04:24, 26 December 2018 (UTC)
Happy New Year![edit]
Thanks for your contributions to Wikipedia, and a Happy New Year to you and yours! North America1000 14:34, 1 January 2019 (UTC)
- – Send New Year cheer by adding {{subst:Happy New Year}} to user talk pages.
Administrators' newsletter – January 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (December 2018).
- There are a number of new or changed speedy deletion criteria, each previously part of WP:CSD#G6:
- G14 (new): Disambiguation pages that disambiguate only zero or one existing pages are now covered under the new G14 criterion (discussion). This is {{db-disambig}}; the text is unchanged and candidates may be found in Category:Candidates for speedy deletion as unnecessary disambiguation pages.
- R4 (new): Redirects in the file namespace (and no file links) that have the same name as a file or redirect at Commons are now covered under the new R4 criterion (discussion). This is {{db-redircom}}; the text is unchanged.
- G13 (expanded): Userspace drafts containing only the default Article Wizard text are now covered under G13 along with other drafts (discussion). Such blank drafts are now eligible after six months rather than one year, and taggers continue to use {{db-blankdraft}}.
- The Wikimedia Foundation now requires all interface administrators to enable two-factor authentication.
- Members of the Bot Approvals Group (BAG) are now subject to an activity requirement. After two years without any bot-related activity (e.g. operating a bot, posting on a bot-related talk page), BAG members will be retired from BAG following a one-week notice.
- Starting on December 13, the Wikimedia Foundation security team implemented new password policy and requirements. Privileged accounts (administrators, bureaucrats, checkusers, oversighters, interface administrators, bots, edit filter managers/helpers, template editors, et al.) must have a password at least 10 characters in length. All accounts must have a password:
- At least 8 characters in length
- Not in the 100,000 most popular passwords (defined by the Password Blacklist library)
- Different from their username
- User accounts not meeting these requirements will be prompted to update their password accordingly. More information is available on MediaWiki.org.
- Blocked administrators may now block the administrator that blocked them. This was done to mitigate the possibility that a compromised administrator account would block all other active administrators, complementing the removal of the ability to unblock oneself outside of self-imposed blocks. A request for comment is currently in progress to determine whether the blocking policy should be updated regarding this change.
- {{Copyvio-revdel}} now has a link to open the history with the RevDel checkboxes already filled in.
- Following the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections, the following editors have been appointed to the Arbitration Committee: AGK, Courcelles, GorillaWarfare, Joe Roe, Mkdw, SilkTork.
- Accounts continue to be compromised on a regular basis. Evidence shows this is entirely due to the accounts having the same password that was used on another website that suffered a data breach. If you have ever used your current password on any other website, you should change it immediately.
- Around 22% of admins have enabled two-factor authentication, up from 20% in June 2018. If you haven't already enabled it, please consider doing so. Regardless of whether you use 2FA, please practice appropriate account security by ensuring your password is secure and unique to Wikimedia.
Invitation to join WikiProject Brands[edit]
Hello, A Train.
You are invited to join WikiProject Brands, a WikiProject and resource dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of brands and brand-related topics. |
February 2019 at Women in Red[edit]
February 2019, Volume 5, Issue 2, Numbers 107-111
February events:
|
The Signpost: 31 January 2019[edit]
- Op-Ed: Random Rewards Rejected
- News and notes: WMF staff turntable continues to spin; Endowment gets more cash; RfA continues to be a pit of steely knives
- Discussion report: The future of the reference desk
- Featured content: Don't miss your great opportunity
- Arbitration report: An admin under the microscope
- Traffic report: Death, royals and superheroes
- Technology report: When broken is easily fixed
- News from the WMF: News from WMF
- Recent research: Ad revenue from reused Wikipedia articles; are Wikipedia researchers asking the right questions?
- Essay: How
- Humour: Village pump
- From the archives: An editorial board that includes you
Administrators' newsletter – February 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2019).
Interface administrator changes
- A request for comment is currently open to reevaluate the activity requirements for administrators.
- Administrators who are blocked have the technical ability to block the administrator who blocked their own account. A recent request for comment has amended the blocking policy to clarify that this ability should only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as account compromises, where there is a clear and immediate need.
- A request for comment closed with a consensus in favor of deprecating The Sun as a permissible reference, and creating an edit filter to warn users who attempt to cite it.
- A discussion regarding an overhaul of the format and appearance of Wikipedia:Requests for page protection is in progress (permalink). The proposed changes will make it easier to create requests for those who are not using Twinkle. The workflow for administrators at this venue will largely be unchanged. Additionally, there are plans to archive requests similar to how it is done at WP:PERM, where historical records are kept so that prior requests can more easily be searched for.
- Voting in the 2019 Steward elections will begin on 08 February 2019, 14:00 (UTC) and end on 28 February 2019, 13:59 (UTC). The confirmation process of current stewards is being held in parallel. You can automatically check your eligibility to vote.
- A new IRC bot is available that allows you to subscribe to notifications when specific filters are tripped. This requires that your IRC handle be identified.
Hello A Train: An invitation for you to check out the Sustainability Initiative, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of the Wikimedia projects. If you're interested, please consider adding your name to the list of supporters, which serves to express and denote the community's support of the initiative. Thanks for your consideration! North America1000 09:55, 5 February 2019 (UTC)
March 2019 at Women in Red[edit]
March 2019, Volume 5, Issue 3, Numbers 107, 108, 112, 113
Please join us for these virtual events:
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The Signpost: 28 February 2019[edit]
- From the editors: Help wanted (still)
- News and notes: Front-page issues for the community
- Discussion report: Talking about talk pages
- Featured content: Conquest, War, Famine, Death, and more!
- Arbitration report: A quiet month for Arbitration Committee
- Traffic report: Binge-watching
- Technology report: Tool labs casters-up
- Gallery: Signed with pride
- From the archives: New group aims to promote Wiki-Love
- Humour: Pesky Pronouns
Administrators' newsletter – March 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2019).
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- The RfC on administrator activity requirements failed to reach consensus for any proposal.
- Following discussions at the Bureaucrats' noticeboard and Wikipedia talk:Administrators, an earlier change to the restoration of adminship policy was reverted. If requested, bureaucrats will not restore administrator permissions removed due to inactivity if there have been five years without a logged administrator action; this "five year rule" does not apply to permissions removed voluntarily.
- A new tool is available to help determine if a given IP is an open proxy/VPN/webhost/compromised host.
- The Arbitration Committee announced two new OTRS queues. Both are meant solely for cases involving private information; other cases will continue to be handled at the appropriate venues (e.g., WP:COIN or WP:SPI).
- paid-en-wp
wikipedia.org has been set up to receive private evidence related to abusive paid editing.
- checkuser-en-wp
wikipedia.org has been set up to receive private requests for CheckUser. For instance, requests for IP block exemption for anonymous proxy editing should now be sent to this address instead of the functionaries-en list.
- paid-en-wp
- The Arbitration Committee announced two new OTRS queues. Both are meant solely for cases involving private information; other cases will continue to be handled at the appropriate venues (e.g., WP:COIN or WP:SPI).
- Following the 2019 Steward Elections, the following editors have been appointed as stewards: Base, Einsbor, Jon Kolbert, Schniggendiller, and Wim b.
Please comment on Talk:Aurora, Illinois shooting[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Talk:Aurora, Illinois shooting. Legobot (talk) 04:23, 10 March 2019 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Criteria for speedy deletion[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Criteria for speedy deletion. Legobot (talk) 04:47, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard. Legobot (talk) 04:30, 18 March 2019 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Did you know[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Did you know. Legobot (talk) 04:32, 21 March 2019 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Criteria for speedy deletion[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Criteria for speedy deletion. Legobot (talk) 04:31, 25 March 2019 (UTC)
April 2019 at Women in Red[edit]
April 2019, Volume 5, Issue 4, Numbers 107, 108, 114, 115, 116, 117
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--Rosiestep (talk) 18:12, 27 March 2019 (UTC) via MassMessaging
Please comment on Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia:Reliable sources/Noticeboard. Legobot (talk) 04:31, 28 March 2019 (UTC)
The Signpost: 31 March 2019[edit]
- From the editors: Getting serious about humor
- News and notes: Blackouts fail to stop EU Copyright Directive
- In the media: Women's history month
- Discussion report: Portal debates continue, Prespa agreement aftermath, WMF seeks a rebranding
- Featured content: Out of this world
- Arbitration report: The Tides of March at ARBCOM
- Traffic report: Exultations and tribulations
- Technology report: New section suggestions and sitewide styles
- News from the WMF: The WMF's take on the new EU Copyright Directive
- Recent research: Barnstar-like awards increase new editor retention
- From the archives: Esperanza organization disbanded after deletion discussion
- Humour: The Epistolary of Arthur 37
- In focus: The Wikipedia SourceWatch
- Special report: Wiki Loves (50 Years of) Pride
- Community view: Wikipedia's response to the New Zealand mosque shootings
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Template namespace[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Template namespace. Legobot (talk) 04:28, 1 April 2019 (UTC)
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Please comment on Talk:Voodoo Doughnut[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Talk:Voodoo Doughnut. Legobot (talk) 04:31, 4 April 2019 (UTC)
Please comment on Wikipedia talk:Notability (academics)[edit]
The feedback request service is asking for participation in this request for comment on Wikipedia talk:Notability (academics). Legobot (talk) 04:32, 7 April 2019 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – April 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (March 2019).
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- In Special:Preferences under "Appearance" → "Advanced options", there is now an option to show a confirmation prompt when clicking on a rollback link.
- The Wikimedia Foundation's Community health initiative plans to design and build a new user reporting system to make it easier for people experiencing harassment and other forms of abuse to provide accurate information to the appropriate channel for action to be taken. Please see meta:Community health initiative/User reporting system consultation 2019 to provide your input on this idea.
- The Arbitration Committee clarified that the General 1RR prohibition for Palestine-Israel articles may only be enforced on pages with the {{ARBPIA 1RR editnotice}} edit notice.
- Two more administrator accounts were compromised. Evidence has shown that these attacks, like previous incidents, were due to reusing a password that was used on another website that suffered a data breach. If you have ever used your current password on any other website, you should change it immediately. All admins are strongly encouraged to enable two-factor authentication, please consider doing so. Please always practice appropriate account security by ensuring your password is secure and unique to Wikimedia.
- As a reminder, according to WP:NOQUORUM, administrators looking to close or relist an AfD should evaluate a nomination that has received few or no comments as if it were a proposed deletion (PROD) prior to determining whether it should be relisted.
Userfication of the deleted article Mitsubishi F-3[edit]
Dear Administrator,
I would like to request the deleted article, Mitsubishi F-3, to be moved to my user page. The F-3 is a future Japanese stealth fighter currently in development. A while back I created the article but it was nominated for deletion, Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Mitsubishi F-3, because there was a lack of information regarding its current development (namely the manufacturer, Mitsubishi is only speculated). The other editors declared the article WP:TOOSOON (which I also agree). However, I believe there is still potential for this topic in future when more information is available and I wish to access the information from this article so in the future I can create a better F-3 article based on improvements and changes from the deleted one. In addition, some of the editors have stated that the information within the deleted article can be used for the existing Mitsubishi X-2 (a tech demonstrator designed to study and develop technologies for the F-3). Thus, I would also like to use the information from the Mitsubishi F-3 to expand upon an Mitsubishi X-2. Thank you for taking the time to read my request. I edit things that come to mind (talk) 22:56, 9 April 2019 (UTC)
There is a dispute on the TPG[1][2] and was told you were pinged for input, so just wanted to make sure you were in fact aware of the discussion taking place. Best. Rhode Island Red (talk) 16:19, 24 April 2019 (UTC)
May you join this month's editathons from WiR![edit]
May 2019, Volume 5, Issue 5, Numbers 107, 108, 118, 119, 120, 121
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--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 16:16, 27 April 2019 (UTC) via MassMessaging
The Signpost: 30 April 2019[edit]
- News and notes: An Action Packed April
- In the media: Is Wikipedia just another social media site?
- Discussion report: English Wikipedia community's conclusions on talk pages
- Featured content: Anguish, accolades, animals, and art
- Arbitration report: An Active Arbitration Committee
- Traffic report: Mötley Crüe, Notre-Dame, a black hole, and Bonnie and Clyde
- Technology report: A new special page, and other news
- Gallery: Notre-Dame de Paris burns
- News from the WMF: Can machine learning uncover Wikipedia’s missing “citation needed” tags?
- Recent research: Female scholars underrepresented; whitepaper on Wikidata and libraries; undo patterns reveal editor hierarchy
- From the archives: Portals revisited
ArbCom 2019 special circular[edit]
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Administrators must secure their accounts
The Arbitration Committee may require a new RfA if your account is compromised.
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This message was sent to all administrators following a recent motion. Thank you for your attention. For the Arbitration Committee, Cameron11598 02:25, 4 May 2019 (UTC)
Administrator account security (Correction to Arbcom 2019 special circular)[edit]
ArbCom would like to apologise and correct our previous mass message in light of the response from the community.
Since November 2018, six administrator accounts have been compromised and temporarily desysopped. In an effort to help improve account security, our intention was to remind administrators of existing policies on account security — that they are required to "have strong passwords and follow appropriate personal security practices." We have updated our procedures to ensure that we enforce these policies more strictly in the future. The policies themselves have not changed. In particular, two-factor authentication remains an optional means of adding extra security to your account. The choice not to enable 2FA will not be considered when deciding to restore sysop privileges to administrator accounts that were compromised.
We are sorry for the wording of our previous message, which did not accurately convey this, and deeply regret the tone in which it was delivered.
For the Arbitration Committee, -Cameron11598 21:03, 4 May 2019 (UTC)
Administrators' newsletter – May 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2019).
- A request for comment concluded that creating pages in the portal namespace should be restricted to autoconfirmed users.
- Following a request for comment, the subject-specific notability guideline for pornographic actors and models (WP:PORNBIO) was removed; in its place, editors should consult WP:ENT and WP:GNG.
- XTools Admin Stats, a tool to list admins by administrative actions, has been revamped to support more types of log entries such as AbuseFilter changes. Two additional tools have been integrated into it as well: Steward Stats and Patroller Stats.
- In response to the continuing compromise of administrator accounts, the Arbitration Committee passed a motion amending the procedures for return of permissions (diff). In such cases,
the committee will review all available information to determine whether the administrator followed "appropriate personal security practices" before restoring permissions
; administrators found failing to have adequately done sowill not be resysopped automatically
. All current administrators have been notified of this change. - Following a formal ratification process, the arbitration policy has been amended (diff). Specifically, the two-thirds majority required to remove or suspend an arbitrator now excludes (1) the arbitrator facing suspension or removal, and (2) any inactive arbitrator who does not respond within 30 days to attempts to solicit their feedback on the resolution through all known methods of communication.
- In response to the continuing compromise of administrator accounts, the Arbitration Committee passed a motion amending the procedures for return of permissions (diff). In such cases,
- A request for comment is currently open to amend the community sanctions procedure to exclude non XfD or CSD deletions.
- A proposal to remove pre-2009 indefinite IP blocks is currently open for discussion.
June events with WIR[edit]
June 2019, Volume 5, Issue 6, Numbers 107, 108, 122, 123, 124, 125
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--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 17:41, 22 May 2019 (UTC) via MassMessaging
The Signpost: 31 May 2019[edit]
- From the editors: Picture that
- News and notes: Wikimania and trustee elections
- In the media: Politics, lawsuits and baseball
- Discussion report: Admin abuse leads to mass-desysop proposal on Azerbaijani Wikipedia
- Arbitration report: ArbCom forges ahead
- News from the WMF: Wikimedia Foundation petitions the European Court of Human Rights to lift the block of Wikipedia in Turkey
- Technology report: Lots of Bots
- Essay: Paid editing
- From the archives: FORUM:Should Wikimedia modify its terms of use to require disclosure?
Administrators' newsletter – June 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2019).
Andonic • Consumed Crustacean • Enigmaman • Euryalus • EWS23 • HereToHelp • Nv8200pa • Peripitus • StringTheory11 • Vejvančický
- An RfC seeks to clarify whether WP:OUTING should include information on just the English Wikipedia or any Wikimedia project.
- An RfC on WT:RfA concluded that Requests for adminship and bureaucratship are discussions seeking to build consensus.
- An RfC proposal to make the templates for discussion (TfD) process more like the requested moves (RM) process, i.e. "as a clearinghouse of template discussions", was closed as successful.
- The CSD feature of Twinkle now allows admins to notify page creators of deletion if the page had not been tagged. The default behavior matches that of tagging notifications, and replaces the ability to open the user talk page upon deletion. You can customize which criteria receive notifications in your Twinkle preferences: look for Notify page creator when deleting under these criteria.
- Twinkle's d-batch (batch delete) feature now supports deleting subpages (and related redirects and talk pages) of each page. The pages will be listed first but use with caution! The und-batch (batch undelete) option can now also restore talk pages.
- The previously discussed unblocking of IP addresses indefinitely-blocked before 2009 was approved and has taken place.
- The 2019 talk pages consultation produced a report for Phase 1 and has entered Phase 2.
July events from Women in Red![edit]
July 2019, Volume 5, Issue 7, Numbers 107, 108, 126, 127, 128
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--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 16:39, 25 June 2019 (UTC) via MassMessaging
The June 2019 Signpost is out![edit]
- Discussion report: A constitutional crisis hits English Wikipedia
- News and notes: Mysterious ban, admin resignations, Wikimedia Thailand rising
- In the media: The disinformation age
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
- Special report:
Did Fram harass other editors?*(deleted – talk)
- Traffic report: Juneteenth, Beauty Revealed, and more nuclear disasters
- Technology report: Actors and Bots
- Recent research: What do editors do after being blocked?; the top mathematicians, universities and cancers according to Wikipedia
- From the archives: Women and Wikipedia: the world is watching
- In focus: WikiJournals: A sister project proposal
- Community view: A CEO biography, paid for with taxes
Administrators' newsletter – July 2019[edit]
News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2019).
28bytes • Ad Orientem • Ansh666 • Beeblebrox • Boing! said Zebedee • BU Rob13 • Dennis Brown • Deor • DoRD • Floquenbeam1 • Flyguy649 • Fram2 • Gadfium • GB fan • Jonathunder • Kusma • Lectonar • Moink • MSGJ • Nick • Od Mishehu • Rama •