User talk:AmandaNP/Archives/2012/October
The Signpost: 01 October 2012
Does Wikipedia Pay? is a Signpost series seeking to illuminate paid editing, paid advocacy, for-profit Wikipedia consultants, editing public relations professionals, conflict of interest guidelines in practice, and the Wikipedians who work on these issues by speaking openly with the people involved. This week, a scandal centering around Roger Bamkin's work with Wikimedia UK and Gibraltarpedia erupted ... In light of these events, opinions on how to avoid future controversy are as important as ever. ... The Signpost spoke with Jimmy Wales to better understand how he views the paid editing environment and what he thinks is needed to improve it.
Following considerable online and media reportage on the Gibraltar controversy and a Signpost report last week, the Wikimedia UK chapter and the foundation published a joint statement on September 28: "To better understand the facts and details of these allegations and to ensure that governance arrangements commensurate with the standing of the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimedia UK and the worldwide Wikimedia movement, Wikimedia UK's trustees and the Wikimedia Foundation will jointly appoint an independent expert advisor to objectively review both Wikimedia UK's governance arrangements and its handling of the conflict of interest."
Five articles, three lists, and nine images were promoted to "featured" this week.
The Toolserver is an external service hosting the hundreds of webpages and scripts (collectively known as "tools") that assist Wikimedia communities in dozens of mostly menial tasks. Few people think that it has been operating well recently; the problems, which include high database replication lag and periods of total downtime, have caused considerable disruption to the Toolserver's usual functions. Those functions are highly valued by many Wikimedia communities ... In 2011, the Foundation announced the creation of Wikimedia Labs, a much better funded project that among other things aimed to mimic the Toolserver's functionality by mid-2013. At the same time, Erik Möller, the WMF's director of engineering, announced that the Foundation would no longer be supporting the Toolserver financially, but would continue to provide the same in-kind support as it had done previously.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series, we spent some time bonding with WikiProject James Bond. The project is in the unique position of having already pushed all of its primary content to Good and Featured status, including all of Ian Fleming's novels, short stories, and every film that has been released. Work has begun in earnest on the article Skyfall for the release of the new Bond film later this month. The project could still use help improving articles about Bond actors, characters, gadgets, music, video games, and related topics
GOCE September 2012 drive wrap-up
The Signpost: 08 October 2012
Wikipedia in education is far from a new idea: years of news stories, op-eds, and editorials have focused on the topic; and on Wikipedia itself, the Schools and universities projects page has existed in various forms since 2003. Over the next six years, the page was rarely developed, and when it did advance there was no clear goal in mind.
On this day five years ago, the WikiProject Report debuted as a new Signpost column with an overview of WikiProject Biography. Today, we're celebrating two milestone: five years of the WikiProject Report and the tenth birthday of our first featured project. WikiProject Biography is by far the largest WikiProject on Wikipedia, with over one million articles under the project's scope. As a comparison, WikiProject Biography is three times larger than Wikipedia's second largest project, and if WikiProject Biography were split into its 14 subprojects and work groups, it would still make the list of the 20 largest WikiProjects... four times.
This week the Signpost interviews Arsenikk, an editor of six years who has brought sixteen lists through our featured list process, mostly regarding transportation in Norway but also about the 1952 Winter Olympics and World Heritage Sites in Africa. Arsenikk tells us about why he joined the project, what moves him, and how editors can join the sometimes daunting world of featured lists.
The Wikimedia Foundation's engineering report for September 2012 was published this week on the Wikimedia Techblog and on the MediaWiki wiki, giving an overview of all Foundation-sponsored technical operations in that month (as well as brief coverage of progress on Wikimedia Deutschland's Wikidata project, phase 1 of which is edging its way towards its first deployment). Three of the seven headline items in the report have already been covered in the Signpost: problems with the corruption of several Gerrit (code) repositories, the introduction of widespread translation memory across Wikimedia wikis, and the launch of the "Page Curation" tool on the English Wikipedia, with development work on that project now winding down. The report also drew attention to the end of Google Summer of Code 2012, the deployment to the English Wikipedia of a new ePUB (electronic book) export feature, and improvements to the WLM app aimed at more serious photographers.
Current discussions on the English Wikipedia include ...
Poop patrolHi DeltaQuad, I'm ready for a poop patrol run whenever you are. Also I was wondering whether you could tweak the code to include portal and template space when it runs? Currently it just covers mainspace, but provided the safe page list could accept portal:page name I think this would be a worthwhile extension. Ta, ϢereSpielChequers 13:55, 27 March 2012 (UTC)
Re: Spam farm![]() You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template. ![]() You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template. SPI![]() You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template. ![]() You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template. 69.206.128.0/17I just got a WP:UTRS request from an innocent user who was caught in this rangeblock. Since it's such a large range, could you reconsider? If there is a typical behavioral pattern, an edit filter may be more appropriate, and has the advantage of being suitable for an indefinite block on a certain pattern. -- King of ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ 07:38, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
SPI: TremoloKid and his naughty friendsYou may like to have a look at this talk with Fisher Queen from my TP realised in August 2012, for more info on TremoloKid and Ghuzz. (Sure, they stopped all activity since I sent them to SPI.) All the best. --E4024 (talk) 17:49, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
YGM![]() You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{YGM}} template. — Elockid (Talk) 19:47, 16 October 2012 (UTC)
The Signpost: 15 October 2012There is wide agreement among English Wikipedians that the administrator system is in some ways broken—but no consensus on how to fix it. Most suggestions have been relatively small in scope, and could at best produce small improvements. I would like to make a proposal to fundamentally restructure the administrator system, in a way that I believe would make it more effective and responsive. The proposal is to create an elected Administration Committee ("AdminCom") which would select, oversee, and deselect administrators.
This week saw a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal on editorial debates in Wikipedia. The story focused on the title-naming dispute surrounding the Beatles article, and specifically the RfC on whether the 'the' in the band's name should be capitalized or not.
On the English Wikipedia, five featured articles, ten featured lists, and four featured pictures were promoted, including USS Lexington, a ship built for the United States Navy that, although ordered in 1916 as a battlecruiser, was converted to an aircraft carrier. It was sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea during the Second World War.
The volunteer-led Wikimedia Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) and interested community members are looking at Wikimedia organization applications worth about US$10.4 million out of the committee's first full year's operation, in just the inaugural round one of two that have been planned for the year with a planned budget of US$11.4M.
A trial of the first phase of Wikimedia Deutschland's "Wikidata" project–implementing the first ever interwiki repository—may soon get underway following the successful passage of much of its code through MediaWiki's review processes this week.
This week, we experimented with WikiProject Chemicals. Started in August 2004, WikiProject Chemicals has grown to include over 10,000 articles about chemical compounds. The project has a unique assessment system that omits C-class, Good, and Featured Articles. As a result, the project's 11 GAs and 9 FAs are treated as A-class articles. WikiProject Chemicals is a child of WikiProject Chemistry (interviewed in 2009) and a parent of WikiProject Polymers.
Page Curation newsletter - closing up!Hey all :). We're (very shortly) closing down this development cycle for Page Curation. It's genuinely been a pleasure to talk with you all and build software that is so close to my own heart, and also so effective. The current backlog is 9 days, and I've never seen it that low before. However! Closing up shop does not mean not making any improvements. First-off, this is your last chance to give us a poke about unresolved bugs or report new ones on the talkpage. If something's going wrong, we want to know about it :). Second, we'll hopefully be taking another pass over the software next year. If you've got ideas for features Page Curation doesn't currently have, stick them here. Again, it's been an honour. Thanks :). Okeyes (WMF) (talk) 11:59, 17 October 2012 (UTC) Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/TremoloKidI need just a little more information from you at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/TremoloKid before I can close the case.—Kww(talk) 18:07, 17 October 2012 (UTC)
AboutABotGreetings DeltaQuad: A question was raised [1] which you are well able to ensure a best answer is given. For me, a couple additional questions have developed; particularly: Is there any sub-page where your bot maintains an additional log of it's reports? More specifically to identify locations that may require oversight suppression. Additionally, is there any way to prevent the need to hide so many consecutive revisions when circumstances like today's exist? Thank you for considering these as well. Best regards - 76Strat String da Broke da (talk) 09:40, 18 October 2012 (UTC)
WikiProject:Articles for Creation October - November 2012 Backlog Elimination DriveWikiProject Articles for creation Backlog Elimination Drive
![]() WikiProject AFC is holding a one month long Backlog Elimination Drive! Awards will be given out for all reviewers participating in the drive in the form of barnstars at the end of the drive. EdwardsBot (talk) 00:08, 22 October 2012 (UTC) 92.51.192.0/18Just got a WP:UTRS request about this. I think the problem is that Digiweb is not only a web host, but also a household broadband provider. Could you reduce to it a narrower range or make it anon-only? -- King of ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ 04:11, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
The Signpost: 22 October 2012
Unlike the long-running disputes that have characterised attempts to reform the RfA process on the English Wikipedia, the German Wikipedia's tradition of making decisions not by consensus but knife-edged 50% + 1 votes has led to a fundamentally different outcome. In 2009, the project managed to largely settle the RfA mode issue in 2009 indirectly.
One clarification request concerns the civility enforcement case – specifically, Malleus Fatuorum's perceived circumvention of his topic ban. It has resulted in thousands of bytes spent in vitriolic discussions, multiple blocks, and "no confidence" motions against the Arbitration Committee and one arbitrator, among other ramifications.
Planning for Wikivoyage's migration into the WMF fold built up steam this week following a statement by WMF Deputy Director Erik Möller about what the technical side of the migration will involve. Wikivoyage, which split from sister site Wikitravel in 2006, is hoping to migrate its own not-inconsiderable user base to Wikimedia, as well as much of its content, presenting novel challenges for Wikimedia developers
Current discussions on the English Wikipedia include...
It is well known that women are underrepresented in the sciences, and that high-achieving female scientists have often been excluded from authorship lists and passed over for awards and honours solely on the basis of gender. Also significant has been the underplaying in the academic literature, news reporting, and online, of women's current and historical contributions to science.
The WikiProject Report normally brings tidings from Wikipedia's most active, inventive, and unique WikiProjects. This week, we're trying something new by focusing on Wikipedia's dark side: the various regional and national WikiProjects that are dead or dying. How can some tiny municipalities and exclaves generate highly active, cross-language, multimedia platforms be successful while the projects representing many sovereign countries and entire continents wallow in obscurity? Today, we'll search for answers among geographic projects large and small, highly active and barely functioning, enthusiastic about the future and mired in past conflicts.
Eleven articles, including one on Franz Kafka, three lists, one image, and one portal were promoted to 'featured' status this week.
Re: Speedy deletion declined: Carrone![]() Message added 10:31, 24 October 2012 (UTC). You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template. trail of evidence[2] Removal of see also's which pertain to Pakistan and adds ones which pertain to India. [3] Nangparbat sock. Goodbye. Darkness Shines (talk) 09:29, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
SPI on user:Logical 1Per your request, I've made a case on the SPI on user:Logical 1 here: [[4]]. Thank you. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 12:35, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/BunzilHey there DeltaQuad, thanks very much for your eyes on this one. :) I noted there that I'd still appreciate evaluation from an admin for blocks on all those named accounts due to obviously strong behavioral evidence, I assume hopefully within a reasonable amount of time an admin will swing by to take a look at that? I'm only noting that due to ongoing investigation into spamming of the various subjects involved. Cheers, — Cirt (talk) 22:53, 27 October 2012 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Pending changes/Provisional policyCan you unprotect Wikipedia:Pending changes/Provisional policy. It is too far out of line with the consensus from later RfCs to ever become the policy. Please mark it as historical after unprotecting. There's a current discussion at WT:PC on finalizing the draft policy that's on WP:PC Gigs (talk) 08:11, 28 October 2012 (UTC)
The Signpost: 29 October 2012
The first round of the Wikimedia Foundation's new financial arrangements has proceeded as planned, with the publication of scores and feedback by Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC) staff on applications for funding by 11 entities—10 chapters, independent membership organisations supporting the WMF's mission in different countries, and the foundation itself. The results are preliminary assessments that will soon be put to the FDC's seven voting members and two non-voting board representatives. The FDC in turn will send its recommendations to the board of trustees on 15 November, which will announce its decision by 15 December. Funding applications have been on-wiki since 1 October, and the talk pages of applications were open for community comment and discussion from 2 to 22 October, though apart from queries by FDC staff, there was little activity.
This week, we're checking out ways to motivate editors and recognize valuable contributions by focusing on the awards and rewards of WikiProject Military History. Anyone unfamiliar with WikiProject Military History is encouraged to start at the report's first article about the project and make your way forward. While many WikiProjects provide a barnstar that can be awarded to helpful contributors, WikiProject Military History has gone a step further by creating a variety of awards with different criteria ranging from the all-purpose WikiChevrons to rewards for participating in drives and improving special topics to medals for improving articles up to A-class status to the coveted "Military Historian of the Year" award.
The TimedMediaHandler extension (TMH), which brings dramatic improvements to MediaWiki's video handling capabilities, will go live to the English Wikipedia this week following a long and turbulent development, WMF Director of Platform Engineering Rob Lanphier announced on Monday ... Wikidata.org, a new repository designed to host interwiki links, launched this week and will begin accepting links shortly. The site, which is one half of the forthcoming Wikidata trial (the other half being the Wikidata client, which will be deployed to the Hungarian Wikipedia shortly) will also act as a testing area for phase 2 of Wikidata (centralised data storage). The longer term plan is for Wikidata.org to become a "Wikimedia Commons for data" as phases 2 and 3 (dynamic lists) are developed, project managers say.
Thirteen articles, ten lists, nine images, one topic, and one portal were promoted to featured after peer reviews.
A paper in the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, coming from the social control perspective and employing the repertory grid technique, has contributed interesting observations about the governance of Wikipedia.
Editing disputeI'm engaged editing dispute in {{International field hockey}}. I'm discuss in the talk page, 3 days, no one reply, when i refer to {{International football}} to fix, my edit reverted and i received 3RR warning. To say, it keep revert only and never discuss. Is that right? --Aleenf1 16:51, 31 October 2012 (UTC)
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