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The Bugle: Issue CVII, February 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 22:50, 20 February 2015 (UTC)

WP:Co-op: Presentation at Wikimania 2015

Hey Kirill Lokshin. I've put in a submission for a presentation at Wikimania 2015 called Is Two the Magic Number?: The Co-op and New Editor Engagement through Mentorship. I'll be talking about the state of finding help spaces on en.wiki and how our new mentorship space, The Co-op, factors into that picture. Reviewing will begin soon and I'll need your help to be able to present our work. Please review our proposal and give us feedback. If you would be interested in seeing this presentation, whether you are attending or not, please add your name to the signup at the bottom of the proposal (you do not need to attend Wikimania to express interest in presentations). I, JethroBT drop me a line on behalf of Wikipedia:Co-op.

(Opt-out Instructions) This message was send by Jim Carter through MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:19, 25 February 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 February 2015

A report from the external research firm Lafayette Practice has declared that the Wikimedia Foundation is the "largest known participatory grantmaking fund." Several concerns have been raised with the report, the phrase being used (participatory grantmaking), the now-former Wikipedia article on that phrase, and an alleged conflict of interest by WMF staff members.
Doc James tells us that "The one good thing that has come out of all of this is that Wikipedia’s content passing a major textbook publisher review processes is some external validation of Wikipedia’s quality."
Andrew McMillen's February 3 profile of and his quest to rid Wikipedia of the phrase "comprised of" has been one of the most widely circulated and commented upon media stories about the encyclopedia recently.
Eleven articles and twenty pictures were promoted in the week covered by this report.
The Gallery is an occasional Signpost feature highlighting quality images and articles from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons based on a particular theme, as well as an article you could help improve. This week, we feature subjects that are "far from home".
An odd juxtaposition this week, as interest in Fifty Shades of Grey coincided with the observance of the Chinese New Year and the annual festival of penance, Ash Wednesday.
A monthly roundup of Wikimedia-related research
This week's project is on a youth activity, one of the largest in the world; its project is commensurately large, containing around 136 active editors. It's WikiProject Scouting, a group of editors whose remit is everything relating to the Scouting movement, which has around 42 million members worldwide and celebrated the centenary of its founding only eight years ago.
Editor's note: the Blog will be a recurring Signpost section that will highlight a recent post from the Wikimedia blog, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. This week's installment is written by Philippe Beaudette, the Foundation's Director of Community Advocacy, and focuses on planning for the future of the Wikimedia movement.

The Signpost: 25 February 2015

A report from the external research firm Lafayette Practice has declared that the Wikimedia Foundation is the "largest known participatory grantmaking fund." Several concerns have been raised with the report, the phrase being used (participatory grantmaking), the now-former Wikipedia article on that phrase, and an alleged conflict of interest by WMF staff members.
Doc James tells us that "The one good thing that has come out of all of this is that Wikipedia’s content passing a major textbook publisher review processes is some external validation of Wikipedia’s quality."
Andrew McMillen's February 3 profile of and his quest to rid Wikipedia of the phrase "comprised of" has been one of the most widely circulated and commented upon media stories about the encyclopedia recently.
Eleven articles and twenty pictures were promoted in the week covered by this report.
The Gallery is an occasional Signpost feature highlighting quality images and articles from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons based on a particular theme, as well as an article you could help improve. This week, we feature subjects that are "far from home".
An odd juxtaposition this week, as interest in Fifty Shades of Grey coincided with the observance of the Chinese New Year and the annual festival of penance, Ash Wednesday.
A monthly roundup of Wikimedia-related research
This week's project is on a youth activity, one of the largest in the world; its project is commensurately large, containing around 136 active editors. It's WikiProject Scouting, a group of editors whose remit is everything relating to the Scouting movement, which has around 42 million members worldwide and celebrated the centenary of its founding only eight years ago.
Editor's note: the Blog will be a recurring Signpost section that will highlight a recent post from the Wikimedia blog, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. This week's installment is written by Philippe Beaudette, the Foundation's Director of Community Advocacy, and focuses on planning for the future of the Wikimedia movement.

Co-op: Mentor profiles and final pilot prep

Hey mentors, two announcements:

  1. You can now make your profile at The Co-op! Please set up your mentor profile here as soon as you are able, as the pilot begins on March 4th. It isn't very involved and should only take a minute. If you need more info about what the different skills mean (e.g. writing, communication), please refer to these descriptions.
  2. Profile creation, invitations, and automated matching of editors, profile creation, that will be coordinated through HostBot and a few gadgets may not be ready for our pilot, and will have to be done manually until they are ready. In preparation for the pilot, please read over these instructions on how we will be manually performing these tasks until the automated components are ready. I, JethroBT drop me a line on behalf of Wikipedia:Co-op.

(Opt-out Instructions) This message was send by Jim Carter through MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:41, 1 March 2015 (UTC)

Editing for Women's History in March

Hello,

I am very excited to announce this month’s events, focused on Women’s History Month:

  • Sunday, March 8: Women in the Arts 2015 Edit-a-thon – 10 AM to 4 PM
    Women in the Arts and ArtAndFeminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Free coffee and lunch served!
    More information • RSVP on Meetup
  • Wednesday, March 11: March WikiSalon – 7 PM to 9 PM
    An evening gathering with free-flowing conversation and free pizza.
    More information • RSVP on Meetup (or just show up!)
  • Friday, March 13: NIH Women's History Month Edit-a-Thon – 9 AM to 4 PM
    In honor of Women’s History Month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is organizing and hosting an edit-a-thon to improve coverage of women in science in Wikipedia. Free coffee and lunch served!
    More information • RSVP on Meetup
  • Saturday, March 21: Women in STEM Edit-a-Thon at DCPL – 12 PM
    Celebrate Women's History Month by building, editing, and expanding articles about women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields during DC Public Library's first full-day edit-a-thon.
    More information • RSVP on Meetup
  • Friday, March 27: She Blinded Me with Science, Part III – 10 AM to 4 PM
    Smithsonian Institution Archives Groundbreaking Women in Science Wikipedia Edit-a-thon. Free lunch courtesy of Wikimedia DC!
    More information • RSVP on Meetup
  • Saturday, March 28: March Dinner Meetup – 6 PM
    Dinner and drinks with your fellow Wikipedians!
    More information • RSVP on Meetup

Hope you can make it to an event! If you have any questions or require any special accommodations, please let me know.


Thanks,

James Hare

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, remove your name from this list. 02:25, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 04 March 2015

We received a large amount of feedback in our survey indicating that our readers found the idea of contributing to the Signpost difficult due to our opaque internal structure.
The Wikimedia Foundation released their Quarterly Report last week covering the three months October to December of 2014.
Last week, my colleagues on the Signpost produced a news report covering a minor controversy about a report commissioned by the Wikimedia Foundation. Written by the staff of The Lafayette Practice, a French research firm, it proclaimed the WMF as a leader in the practice of participatory grantmaking.
The Report this week is dominated by the Academy Awards, taking the top 4 spots and 13 of the Top 25.
In the first of what the author hopes will become a regular feature of the Arbitration report, the Signpost speaks to veteran arbitrator Newyorkbrad, who recently retired from the committee after almost seven years of arbitrating. The Signpost was keen to hear his thoughts on his time on the committee and on the past, present, and future of ArbCom.
Before being indefinitely blocked, User:FergusM1970 made more than 4600 edits on the English Wikipedia, spread over eight years. In the last two years, he was paid to edit several articles for clients that included the Venezuelan energy company Derwick Associates. We spoke with him about his experiences.
Numerous news outlets are reporting that the domain loser.com now redirects to the Wikipedia article for rapper Kanye West. Page views on West's Wikipedia article skyrocketed to almost 250,000 views on March 2, up from less than 19 thousand the previous day.
Two featured articles, four featured lists, and 38 featured pictures were promoted this week..
The Signpost has arranged to mirror Tech news from Meta-Wiki to supplement the long-form tech coverage in our infrequent Technology report..
Black History Month is celebrated annually in the United States in February, to commemorate the history of the African diaspora. For this occasion, Wikipedians worked together to honor black history and to address Wikipedia's multicultural gaps in the encyclopedia, hosting Wikipedia edit-a-thons throughout the United States, from February 1 to 28, 2015.

The Signpost: 11 March 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation gave the Signpost an advance copy of the results of a survey of English Wikipedia readers regarding Wikimedia fundraising, due for official release today.
The community has arranged a number of commemorative initiatives focused on the gender gap, under the banner "WikiWomen's History Month".
ThinkProgress tech reporter Lauren C. Williams wrote a long article on how the Gamergate controversy has spilled over onto Wikipedia.
In an effort to protect and maintain the privacy of Wikipedia's thousands of editors, the Wikimedia Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the United States' National Security Agency, Department of Justice, and the Attorney General.
A dull week, with only three new entries in the top 10; a UFC champion, a Google Doodle and a Hindu festival involving people throwing powder at each other (though that does sound fun).
Six featured articles, three featured lists, and forty featured pictures were promoted this week.
I continue to be excited about the Core Contest because I see it as a way of encouraging the expansion of broad articles that are typically neglected by our article improvement incentives.

The Signpost: 18 March 2015

We announce with sadness and gratitude that Signpost publication and newsroom manager Pine will be stepping back to focus on other Wikipedia and Wikimedia-related endeavors.
This process is now entering its long-awaited final phase with the upcoming SUL finalization, scheduled for April 15, less than a month away. ... Wikimedia Foundation chief talent and culture officer Gayle Karen Young announced her retirement from the Foundation this week. Young will be replaced in that role by interim chief operating officer Terry Gilbey. According to the Foundation's job description for the title as it was applied in the past, Gilbey will be in charge of "overall administration and business operations of the Wikimedia Foundation."
On March 13, Kelly Weill of Capital New York revealed that numerous Wikipedia edits originated from 1 Police Plaza, the headquarters of the NYPD. Most of the attention has focused on a number of their edits to articles about incidents of alleged police brutality and controversial police practices.
The publication of the Wikimedia survey findings on fundraising questions came three months after significant concerns were voiced about the design and wording of the December 2014 fundraising banners and e-mails.
Four featured articles, four featured lists, and thirty-five featured pictures were promoted this week.
If not for Kayne West's dubious repeat at #1, the 2015 Cricket World Cup (#2) would have made the top spot, albeit in a generally slow news week.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:34, 21 March 2015 (UTC)

.

The Signpost – Volume 11, Issue 12 – 25 March 2015

Last week the WMF announced the release of its long-awaited open-access policy.
Once when I was young, growing up in the 1990s, my father pulled his collection of railroad slides out from the basement, set up his projector, and shared a glimpse into American railway history with our family.
Four featured articles, three featured lists, and twenty-two featured pictures were promoted this week.
The Wikipedia Commons annual Picture of the Year contest has concluded, with 6,698 people voting, its largest participation yet.
This week's list is reminiscent of lists from the early days of this project: a preponderance of famous faces, Reddit threads, and Google Doodles.
The authors attempt to answer the question "Who are the most important people of all times?" Their findings clearly show that different Wikipedias give different prominence to different individuals.
A university gives a top Wikipedia editor free and full access to the university library's entire online content—and the Wikipedia editor, who is unpaid and not on campus, then creates and improves Wikipedia articles in a subject area of interest to the institution.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:25, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CVIII, March 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 09:36, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost, 1 April 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation this week released a State of the WMF report, a 38-page "snapshot" of where it is and where it wants to go in the future.
TruthRevolt targets another editor; edit stage right; the Nine Best Hoaxes to Have Hit Wikipedia
Six featured articles, first featured lists, and twenty-four featured pictures were promoted this week.
The Report is more of a mix of random topics than usual this week. The top spot is taken by Bhutanese passport, a Wikipedia article which contained a crazed spoken word version which drew widespread attention.
The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) will announce later today that it will begin accepting edits by mail for all of the projects under its scope, including Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons.
The Wikimedia Commons' annual Picture of the Year contest has concluded. The first 53 top-voted entries were disqualified because they were all nude.

The Signpost: 01 April 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation this week released a State of the WMF report, a 38-page "snapshot" of where it is and where it wants to go in the future.
TruthRevolt targets another editor; edit stage right; the Nine Best Hoaxes to Have Hit Wikipedia
Six featured articles, first featured lists, and twenty-four featured pictures were promoted this week.
The Report is more of a mix of random topics than usual this week. The top spot is taken by Bhutanese passport, a Wikipedia article which contained a crazed spoken word version which drew widespread attention.
The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) will announce later today that it will begin accepting edits by mail for all of the projects under its scope, including Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons.
The Wikimedia Commons' annual Picture of the Year contest has concluded. The first 53 top-voted entries were disqualified because they were all nude.

The Signpost: 08 April 2015

Wikipedia has been gravitating towards a vehicle for business and product promotion for too long.
March saw a number of high-level hirings and executive reorganizations in the Wikimedia Foundation.
The venerable CBS news program 60 Minutes profiled Wikipedia and the Wikimedia community.
How appropriate that the theme of Easter week would be resurrection from the dead.
Four featured articles, seven featured lists, and 23 featured pictures were promoted this week.
With Holy Week having recently drawn to a close, it is an apt time to examine WikiProject Christianity, which was created in 2006, and boasts over 200 active members.
The Committee has voted on the 2015 appointments to the Functionary team.
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.

Upcoming attractions in DC

Hello!

Here are some upcoming DC meetups in April and May:

  • Tuesday, April 14: National Archives Hackathon on Wikipedia Space with American University – 2:30-5pm
    See the latest work on the Wikipedia Space exhibit in the new NARA Innovation Hub and brainstorm on new ideas for a public exhibit about Wikipedia
  • Friday, April 17: Women in Tech Edit-a-thon with Tech LadyMafia – 5-9pm
    Team up with Tech LadyMafia to improve Wikipedia content on women in the history of technology.
  • Saturday, April 25: April Dinner Meetup – 6 PM
    Dinner and drinks with your fellow Wikipedians!
  • Friday, May 1: International Labour Day Edit-a-Thon – 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
    An edit-a-thon at the University of Maryland

Hope to see you at these events! If you have any questions or require any special accommodations, please let me know.


Cheers,

James Hare

To remove yourself from this mailing list, remove your name from this list. 22:17, 13 April 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 15 April 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation's vice president for engineering, Erik Möller, will leave the WMF on April 30.
Time profiles Lila Tretikov, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, and paints a grim picture of the challenges faced by Tretikov and the encyclopedia.
Later this month, everyone will be able to use the same user name on every wiki, thanks to Single-User Login.
If it wasn't for Easter, Fast and Furious related articles would have taken the top four spots this week. The latest installment of the movie franchise, Furious 7, tops the chart for the second straight week.
Six featured articles, four featured lists, and fourteen featured pictures were promoted this week.

The Signpost: 22 April 2015

A Signpost investigation of the released data has revealed Sony's corporate practices regarding Wikipedia and uncovered what appears to be undisclosed advocacy editing of Wikipedia by Sony employees and possibly by others.
Wikipedia appears to have been drawn into the drama of the upcoming, hotly contested UK general election.
The Affiliates Committee this week announced the organization of a community referral for comment, currently open on the meta-wiki, to address upcoming changes to the way that the Affiliations Committee will review movement-affiliated user-groups in the future.
2015 will see through the biennial community election for the three community-elected seats on the Board of Trustees—the "ultimate corporate authority" of the Wikimedia Foundation and the level at which the strategic decisions regarding the Wikimedia movement are made.
Six featured articles and fifteen featured pictures were promoted this week.
Couch potatoes rule this week, as 9 of the top 10 slots were taken by either movies, TV, or sports.
The Gallery is an occasional Signpost feature highlighting quality images and articles from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons based on a particular theme.

The Bugle: Issue CIX, April 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 06:33, 26 April 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 April 2015

Esino Lario is set to host Wikimania 2016, but volunteers and others have raised a host of concerns that raise serious questions about the town's suitability for hosting such a large conference.
The evaluations reveal that in the last three years, WLM has possibly fallen victim to its own success and seen diminishing returns.
David Coburn, a Member of the European Parliament for the Scotland region for the UK Independence Party, was blocked from editing Wikipedia on April 6.
Ten featured articles, nine featured lists, and twenty-eight featured pictures were promoted this week.
Though the continued predominance of movies, TV, and sports noted in last week's report largely continues, three additional topics joined the Top 10 this week.
Reader demand for some topics (e.g. LGBT topics or pages about countries) is poorly satisfied, whereas there is over-abundance of quality on topics of comparatively little interest, such as military history.

Assistance for article about Kai Holst to good or featured

I am trying to find someone that would be interested in helping me having the article about Kai Holst become either good or featured. If this is not within your area of interest I would be happy if you had some suggestions for me. If you could use some time on it I would in exchange for example offer to translate one of your articles in full for inclusion into the Norwegian Bokmål/Riksmål version of Wikipedia. Ulflarsen (talk) 18:21, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 May 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation this week announced the winning grantees in March's "Inspire" grant-making campaign.
Seven articles, three lists, and ten pictures were promoted to "featured" status this week. The second round of the WikiCup has ended.
artnet and The Next Web report (May 6) that the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is releasing a hundred images of works in its collection under Creative Commons licences in conjunction with a May 19 editathon.
Elections have begun for five community members of the Funds Dissemination Committee, the Foundation's volunteer body for judging and recommending millions of dollars worth of annual grants to affiliates in the movement. The election lasts just eight days, from Sunday 3 May until 23:59 UTC on Sunday 10 May, so at the time of publication, voters will need to act promptly.
Like colliding ocean liners, rousing entertainment and harsh reality merged ungainly in this week's top 10 list. The much heralded pay-per-view pummeling of Manny Pacquiao by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. dominated the list's top slots, giving this list one of its highest total view counts in months.

Hello from the team at Featured article review!

We are preparing to take a closer look at Featured articles promoted in 2004–2010 that may need a review. We started with a script-compiled list of older FAs that have not had a recent formal review. The next step is to prune the list by removing articles that are still actively maintained, up-to-date, and believed to meet current standards. We know that many of you personally maintain articles that you nominated, so we'd appreciate your help in winnowing the list where appropriate.

Please take a look at the sandbox list, check over the FAs listed by your name, and indicate on the sandbox talk page your assessment of their current status. Likewise, if you have taken on the maintenance of any listed FAs that were originally nominated by a departed editor, please indicate their status. BLPs should be given especially careful consideration.

Thanks for your help! SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:12, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

Please respond at Wikipedia talk:Unreviewed featured articles/sandbox#Pinging next round; thanks! SandyGeorgia (Talk) 15:12, 12 May 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 13 May 2015

Three community-elected seats on the Board of Trustees—the ultimate governing authority of the Wikimedia Foundation—will be decided by Wikimedians in the election to be held 17–31 May.
This week has been a busy one for the Wikidata project, with nearly simultaneous Wikidata contests, both organized by Wikimedia Sweden, now underway.
Casual viewers may think I've posted the same list twice. But no, readers just happen to be really interested in May 2's Big Fight. In fact, last week was just the weigh-in and the trash talk. This week, the numbers actually increased.
Grant Shapps, who was the co-chairman of the UK's Conservative Party until this week, has been accused of maliciously editing the Wikipedia biographies of his party's rivals.
There is a public misconception of Wikipedia: that any anonymous editor can edit Wikipedia at any time, and cannot be tracked or identified.
Eight articles, one list, and five pictures were promoted to featured status on the English Wikipedia in a slow week.

The Bugle: Issue CX, May 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 23:03, 20 May 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 20 May 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation's bi-annual Board of Trustees election is open for voting. Of the ten seats on the board, three are elected representatives of the global Wikimedia community—you.
The article counts of many Wikimedia wikis suddenly changed on 29 March 2015: as the Signpost reported at the time, sixty-five wikis fell below milestones tracked at the Wikimedia News Meta page, and three increased to new milestones.
The list is topped this week by Danish scientist Inge Lehmann, thanks to a Google Doodle celebrating her 127th birthday. Lehmann discovered in 1936 that the Earth has a solid inner core. It is sometimes surprising to realize how recently such basic scientific knowledge of the Earth, which we now take for granted, was discovered.
Wikipedia editors logging in on May 19 found themselves walking into an unexpected amount of anti-vandal work to keep the site in line with its extensive biographies of living persons policy. A plethora of Wikipedia articles related to the United States House Committee on Appropriations, and the fifty-one representatives serving on it, have been hit by a raft of anonymous editors making often vulgar edits referencing "chicken fucker," or more creative combinations: "sexual conduct", "sexual congress", "fornicator", "intimate relations", or "trysts with chickens."
Three articles, seven lists, and seven pictures were featured on the English Wikipedia.
Jimmy Wales and five others accepted the 2015 Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University on May 17. The prize comes with US$1 million, ten percent of which goes to doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships.
This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing WikiProject Molecular and Cellular Biology, which has come a long way since our last interview in 2008. Like most projects, it has a long member list, but only a small subset of that group regularly contributes. With 28 featured articles and 58 top-importance start class ones, the project has clearly had some success, but has a ways to go. We talked to three regular project contributors.
The Arbitration Committee has an unusually large case load at present. Although perhaps not on a par with the high-profile, multi-party cases seen towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year, with five open cases the arbitrators are likely to be kept busy for the next several weeks.

The Signpost: 27 May 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation recently switched to a quarterly report structure to better align reporting with the generally quarterly planning and goal-setting processes.
British media reports on Wikipedia editing to articles of Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prior to the May 7 United Kingdom general election from IP addresses assigned to Parliament.
To many, Internet Relay Chat is an old relic, but not to Wikipedia. Wikipedia currently has an IRC help channel designated to help and assist editors with editing Wikipedia.
Fifteen featured articles, four featured lists, and six featured pictures were promoted this week.
Wikipedia's articles on drugs are pretty good – good enough to impress even doctors. A new research study adds some substance to that impression.
As usual for the time of year, pop culture rules this week. The start of summer vacation in the US means a focus on summer movies, particularly blockbuster sequels Avengers: Age of Ultron, Pitch Perfect 2 and Mad Max: Fury Road.
...allegedly. In a post to wikitech-l, Steven Walling pointed out that the TV show CSI: Cyber had used a screenshot of MediaWiki's HTML output and claimed it was responsible for blowing up printers.

The Signpost: 03 June 2015

The Wikimedia Foundation's volunteer election committee has announced the election results for the three vacant seats on the Board of Trustees. Dariusz Jemielnak, James Heilman, and Denny Vrandečić are set to take up their two-year terms on the Board. They will replace the three incumbents, all of whom stood this time unsuccessfully: Phoebe Ayers, Samuel Klein, and María Sefidari.
Caitlyn Jenner—the American hero of the 1976 Olympics, a film actor, and prominent member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians—may now be the most famous openly transgender person in the world.
Since the dawn of Wikipedia, or at least since 22 December 2005, the template named Persondata has existed.
Two featured articles and ten featured pictures were promoted this week.
Over the past few weeks, developers have been working on improving Wikimedia's performance when users connect to it using SPDY.
Wikipedia appears to be the single most used website for health information globally, exceeding traffic observed at the NIH, WebMD, WHO et al..
More UK government vandalism; legend has it; minding the gender gap
The traffic report is nothing unusual this week, with a Google Doodle for astronaut Sally Ride topping the list, the accidental death of famous mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. at #2, and the normal fare of recent popular American movies and television.

The Signpost: 10 June 2015

This week saw the publication of the Chapter-wide Financial Trends Report 2013, a now-completed research project that examines the finances and outlays of the 36 movement-affiliated chapters.
"Happy families are all alike," Leo Tolstoy said, "but unhappy families are unhappy after their own fashion."
UK media covers Wikipedia Arbitration case; Lila Tretikov visits Israel.
Four featured articles, two featured lists, one featured topic, and twenty-eight featured pictures were promoted this week.
Today it was announced that Wikimedia sites are going to become HTTPS only, finishing up 10 year effort of rolling out HTTPS.
The Medical Translation Project, an ambitious attempt to improve and translate Wikipedia’s medical content from English into other languages, began in 2012.

WikiProject X Newsletter • Issue 4

Newsletter • May/June 2015

Hello friends! We have been hard at work these past two months. For this report:

The directory is live!

For the first time, we are happy to bring you an exhaustive, comprehensive WikiProject Directory. This directory endeavors to list every single WikiProject on the English Wikipedia, including those that don't participate in article assessment. In constructing the broadest possible definition, we have come up with a list of approximately 2,600 WikiProjects. The directory tracks activity statistics on the WikiProject's pages, and, for where it's available, statistics on the number of articles tracked by the WikiProject and the number of editors active on those articles. Complementing the directory are description pages for each project, listing usernames of people active on the WikiProject pages and the articles in the WikiProject's scope. This will help Wikipedians interested in a subject find each other, whether to seek feedback on an article or to revive an old project. (There is an opt-out option.) We have also come up with listings of related WikiProjects, listing the ten most relevant WikiProjects based on what articles they have in common. We would like to promote WikiProjects as interconnected systems, rather than isolated silos.

A tremendous amount of work went into preparing this directory. WikiProjects do not consistently categorize their pages, meaning we had to develop our own index to match WikiProjects with the articles in their scope. We also had to make some adjustments to how WikiProjects were categorized; indeed, I personally have racked up a few hundred edits re-categorizing WikiProjects. There remains more work to be done to make the WikiProject directory truly useful. In the meantime, take a look and feel free to leave feedback at the WikiProject X talk page.

Stuff in the works!

What have we been working on?

  • A new design template—This has been in the works for a while, of course. But our goal is to design something that is useful and cleanly presented on all browsers and at all screen resolutions while working within the confines of what MediaWiki has to offer. Additionally, we are working on designs for the sub-components featured on the main project page.
  • A new WikiProject talk page banner in Lua—Work has begun on implementing the WikiProject banner in Lua. The goal is to create a banner template that can be usable by any WikiProject in lieu of having its own template. Work has slowed down for now to focus on higher priority items, but we are interested in your thoughts on how we could go about creating a more useful project banner. We have a draft module on Test Wikipedia, with a demonstration.
  • New discussion reports—We have over 4.8 million articles on the English Wikipedia, and almost as many talk pages as well. But what happens when someone posts on a talk page? What if no one is watching that talk page? We are currently testing out a system for an automatically-updating new discussions list, like RFC for WikiProjects. We currently have five test pages up for the WikiProjects on cannabis, cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and Ghana.
  • SuggestBot for WikiProjects—We have asked the maintainer of SuggestBot to make some minor adjustments to SuggestBot that will allow it to post regular reports to those WikiProjects that ask for them. Stay tuned!
  • Semi-automated article assessment—Using the new revision scoring service and another system currently under development, WikiProjects will be getting a new tool to facilitate the article assessment process by providing article quality/importance predictions for articles yet to be assessed. Aside from helping WikiProjects get through their backlogs, the goal is to help WikiProjects with collecting metrics and triaging their work. Semi-automation of this process will help achieve consistent results and keep the process running smoothly, as automation does on other parts of Wikipedia.

Want us to work on any other tools? Interested in volunteering? Leave a note on our talk page.

The WikiProject watchers report is back!

The database report which lists WikiProjects according to the number of watchers (i.e., people that have the project on their watchlist), is back! The report stopped being updated a year ago, following the deactivation of the Toolserver, but a replacement report has been generated.


Until next time, Harej (talk) 22:20, 17 June 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 17 June 2015

The Princess of Asturias Foundation announced that Wikipedia would be the recipient of the 2015 Princess of Asturias award in the category of International Cooperation.
The Arbitration Committee delivered its final decision in a case that reached the attention of the UK national press.
This would end a long-standing tradition in many countries that the skyline and the public scene should belong to everybody.
We need to be ever-diligent in ensuring that articles remain of high quality.
The rollout of HTTPS only has now been completed across all Wikimedia wikis.
We interviewed an Australian veteran who deployed to the region as a peacekeeper and now writes articles on the region's history to help him understand what he encountered there.
A more than usually severe outage Wikimedia Labs occurred after a massive database corruption implosion on June 17.
Six featured articles, seven featured lists, and seven featured pictures were promoted this week.
Author's note: This might be a violation of WP:BEANS; read at your own risk.
It wouldn't be the WikiProject report if we didn't feature an Australian topic once in a while, so this week we're looking at the left side.

The Bugle: Issue CXI, June 2015

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Your Military History Newsletter

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If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 13:38, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Co-op Pilot Results & Mentoring

Hey there! The Co-op has been on a hiatus for a bit, but we are planning on opening up shop again soon. When you're able, please read over and respond to this update on our talk page. We have favorable results from our final report regarding the pilot, and we are interested in seeing who is available to mentor when we reopen our space and begin to send out invites again. Thanks, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:16, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

This message was sent by I JethroBT (talk · contribs) via Mass Message. (Opt-out instructions)

The Signpost: 24 June 2015

Over more than a decade of weekly publication, The Signpost has accumulated an incredibly lengthy and detailed record about the issues, controversies, successes, and failures of the English Wikipedia community and the movement at large.
The Wikimedia Foundation's Language Engineering team plans to introduce Content Translation—a tool that makes it easier to translate Wikipedia articles into different languages—as a beta feature on the English Wikipedia.
During 2009–2011 Google ran the Google Translation Project (GTP), a program utilising paid translators to translate most popular English Wikipedia articles to various Indian language Wikipedias.
Four articles and nine pictures were promoted to featured status this week.
One paper looks at the topic of Wikipedia governance in the context of online social production.
This past week saw the kick-off of the 2015 MediaWiki architecture focus of improving our content platform.
The Board of Trustees is the "ultimate corporate authority" of the Wikimedia Foundation and the level at which the strategic decisions regarding the Wikimedia movement are made ...
The Hürriyet Daily News reports that the Turkish Wikipedia has posted banners on the top of the encyclopedia to warn users that a number of articles are being blocked by the Turkish government.
After six years of work, a residency in the Canadian Rockies, endless debugging, and more than a little help from my friends, I have made Print Wikipedia.
Clausewitz' pithy summary of warfare as "politics by other means" seems to be the motto of some Wikipedia editors.

The Signpost: 01 July 2015

This week The Center for Internet and Society published a promotional blog post highlighting the heritage of the center's creation of the Train the Trainer program.
A week now remains until the vote, expected on 9 July, when the European Parliament will express either its approval, disapproval, or lack of opinion on the question of freedom of panorama in the European Union.
Here to share their wisdom are Dodger67, Penny Richards, LilyKitty, and Mirokado of WikiProject Disability
Four featured list and twelve featured pictures were promoted this week.
For the week of June 21 to 27, 2015, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the most viewed pages.
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.
Like many editors of the world's largest encyclopedia, Karanacs was browsing the site's articles and found that they were of relatively poor quality—and that the traditional narrative she'd learned was not necessarily accurate.

The Signpost: 08 July 2015

It seems like a good time to discuss the various communications channels available to community members.
Lila Tretikov this week posted an email to the wikimedia-l mailing list announcing the final publication of the Wikimedia Foundation's 2015 annual plan.
The mayor of Esino Lario warns that Wikimedia 2016 is "at risk of disappearing".
It's July 4 weekend and on this list that means only one thing: Wimbledon. Sure, the American Independence Day gets noticed too, but it can't hold a candle to that staggeringly British sporting event.
12 featured articles, 2 featured lists, and 15 featured pictures were promoted this week.
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.

The Signpost: 15 July 2015

"How long will this take?" This is one of the first questions new clients ask. They come to us because the Wikipedia entry about the company at which they work is wrong, incomplete, or even just outdated. The answer varies ...
However coy they may be about it in public, Americans love to win. And when they do, they make no secret of it.
We return this week with an interview with a historical project that's still fairly active, WikiProject Former countries.
In The Register, Andrew Orlowski reports that three weeks ago, Grant Shapps filed a request with Wikimedia UK (WMUK) under the Data Protection Act 1998 "for all data relating to him".
The Wikimedia Foundation is pleased to announce the release of our latest transparency report.
Wikimania 2015 is underway in Mexico City, and one of its sessions—a scheduled follow-up to the annual Wikimedia Conference that was held in Berlin in May—is good reason to provide a retrospective of that Conference.
One featured article, seven featured lists, and 14 featured pictures were promoted this week.
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community

Frederick Wiknic 2015

In one of the previous years you either attended or expressed interest in attending the Frederick Wiknic. I'd like to invite you to come to this year's Wiknic, which will be held on Sunday 2 August 2015 at 12:00 PM at Baker Park in Frederick, Maryland. You can find more information on the events meetup page. Zell Faze (talk) 22:55, 20 July 2015 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXII, July 2015

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The Signpost: 22 July 2015

We want to take a moment to ask you to consider contributing to the Signpost.
Wikimania features remarks from some leading players from the Wikimedia Foundation as well as the free knowledge movement.
WMF's Executive Director, Lila Tretikov, gave the opening plenary address.
Three novelists "have found a way to control the Wikipedia narrative" by using the annotation website Genius to annotate their own Wikipedia articles.
Summary:When I was a kid, being a nerd meant wanting to go to Pluto.
WikiProject Politics of the United Kingdom
Three featured articles, two featured lists, and 29 featured pictures were promoted this week.
46 years ago this week, humanity set foot on the Moon.
Community technical news.

WikiProject Women

Hi, I see you recently joined Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red. I've made a proposal to merge this project into Wikipedia:WikiProject Women at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Women in Red, so we can not only cover missing articles but focus on general quality of women's biographies. If interested please put your name down on the WP:Women page at the bottom.♦ Dr. Blofeld 09:06, 29 July 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 July 2015

An RFC proposes to create a "Bureaucrats' Admin Review Committee" (BARC) composed of bureaucrats empowered to remove adminship rights.
Two years ago, I discovered that I was on the autism spectrum.
An article argues that Wikipedia displays some key characteristics of a collective intelligence process.
"Editors representing rival political tribes [are] frequently attempting to impose their respective narratives as the official version of one or another cultural controversy."
Five featured articles, five featured lists, and sixteen featured pictures were promoted this week.
For the first time since this list began, India-related topics have claimed both the top two slots.

The Signpost: 05 August 2015

That particular artists would be omitted through oversight or happenstance is reasonable, but that one of the world's leading publishers of art books is completely unaware of their major omissions is startling.
The public interest in remembering the facts about trials and convictions is, in my view, at least as strong as any "right to be forgotten."
VisualEditor is now on slow roll-out on the English Wikipedia.
The Report checks in with WikiProject Templates.
The Indian government has launched an investigation into the source of Wikipedia edits regarding Jawaharlal Nehru that caused outrage in that country.
Death is no stranger to this list, but it has never cast such a pall as this week, when for the first time half the slots in the top 10 were devoted to it, including the top 3.
Three featured articles, seven featured lists, and twenty-two featured pictures were promoted this week.
What if there was a gathering place on Wikipedia for newer editors to find a mentor?

Salon + Wiknic

Hi. I have a few questions for you, as James seems a bit too frazzled to discuss.

  • What happened with the July 2015 Salon?
    • Can the August 2015 Salon be scheduled?
  • Should we plan a D.C. Wiknic for 2015?

I'm contacting you as I believe you're still relatively involved with Wikimedia DC. If there are others I should be contacting in addition/instead, please feel free to ping them! --MZMcBride (talk) 15:53, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

@MZMcBride: The August WikiSalon will be scheduled shortly. As far as the Wiknic is concerned, most of the core Wikimedia DC folks are out of the area on travel at least through the end of Wikimania, so having it in July may not be feasible from a logistics standpoint. I'll chat with James and see if we can plan for a date in August instead. Kirill [talk] 16:09, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
Sweet, thanks!
James was a bit worried about a D.C. Wiknic being too hot or too rainy (which is understandable given D.C.'s recent awful weather), but I think we have plenty of options to make the Wiknic a fun event. It's one of my favorite events of the year, so I just want to make sure we don't miss it. Fletcher's Cove might be an exciting venue, if we wanted to hold the Wiknic in a spot other than Meridian Hill Park. I'm happy to help coordinate if you two are busy. I realize that July is kind of consumed by Wikimania and surrounding events. A Wiknic in August sounds fine to me. --MZMcBride (talk) 01:32, 13 July 2015 (UTC)
@MZMcBride: I've talked to James, and he's fine with doing something in August. However, he probably won't have enough bandwidth to organize the event himself, so it'll largely be up to us to put something together. What are your thoughts on location? Does it make sense to move away from Meridian Hill Park this year, or should we stick with it? Kirill [talk] 22:32, 20 July 2015 (UTC)
The location doesn't really matter to me. Meridian Hill Park is convenient and easy, but we could just as easily meet in Dupont Circle or wherever.
In terms of dates, do you have any preference for a Saturday or Sunday in August? The first and second weekends of August aren't great for me... what about Saturday, August 15 or Sunday, August 16?
I'm not sure a whole lot of bandwidth is really needed to gather a bunch of nerds in a park. This needs a sign-up page to coordinate food/drinks/picnic-y things (napkins, cups, plates) and it needs to be announced via talk page message, the mailing list, Meetup.com(?), and maybe geonotice (is that still a thing?). Once we have a date, time, and location nailed down, I can spend a few minutes doing the rest. --MZMcBride (talk) 05:04, 21 July 2015 (UTC)
@MZMcBride: Sunday, August 16 would be a good date for me as well. I vaguely recall that we had some complaints about the crowded nature of Dupont Circle, so let's plan on doing it at Meridian Hill Park. Any thoughts on the time? Kirill [talk] 14:40, 21 July 2015 (UTC)
There's usually a pretty decent amount of shade in the park. So maybe 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.? --MZMcBride (talk) 20:30, 21 July 2015 (UTC)
@MZMcBride: 12 to 3 sounds reasonable to me. Kirill [talk] 00:35, 23 July 2015 (UTC)

Cool. Page created: Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Wiknic/2015. We just need to publicize it now. --MZMcBride (talk) 19:05, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

I was about to hand-deliver the invites until I realized that Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Invite/List is enormous. I need you or James to use Special:MassMessage to send this out. Here's some text: 

[[File:Wiknic logo.svg|right|100px]]
Hi. The Washington, D.C. [[WP:WIKNIC|Wiknic]] will take place on Sunday, August 16 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at [[Meridian Hill Park]]. If you're interested in attending, please '''[[Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Wiknic/2015|sign up here]]'''. Hope to see you there! --~~~~

<small>If you no longer wish to receive event invites, please remove yourself from [[Wikipedia:Meetup/DC/Invite/List|this list]].</small>
{{subst:clear}}

I don't really care about Meetup.com, but maybe one of you all want to set that up as well? I'll send an e-mail to the Wikimedia DC mailing list later. --MZMcBride (talk) 19:04, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

Women in Red

Formal merge proposal
There is currently a merge discussion at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Women in Red#Formal merge proposal. As you are a member of WiR, this is a courtesy notification in case you want to join in the discussion. Thank you. Rosiestep (talk) 02:43, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

Shinsi

Deletion of Shinsi has been requested by User:Ogress for being a "a random place-name from Korean mythistory". You have partaken on this subject in the past, and I ask that you partake on the current discussion of its deletion here[1]. Thank you. Cydevil38 (talk) 11:44, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 12 August 2015

Superprotect was a novel page protection level implemented on August 10 last year, without warning.
The Atlantic discusses "The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia—for Pay".
The community speaks out on paid editing.
Our ongoing Wikimanía coverage.
The charts are led this week by UFC women's champion Ronda Rousey, who won her last match at UFC 190 (#9) in 34 seconds.
Watch out for icebergs.
Wikimedia technical news.
During World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz was a major threat to Allied convoys travelling across the North Atlantic and Arctic Sea.

The Signpost: 19 August 2015

Nothing makes Wikipedians more angry than a discussion of gender and feminism on Wikipedia.
A new article in PLOS ONE about Wikipedia's science coverage has attracted media attention.
This week's featured content.
Tony the Tiger tours New York City.
It's a long way from the leafy bowers of Greenwich, Connecticut to the concrete barrens of Compton, California.
Community technical news.
Wikipedia is capable of covering news like any news agency.

The Bugle: Issue CXIII, August 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 11:45, 22 August 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 26 August 2015

Does the data mean good news for the encyclopedia?
The Russian Wikipedia is blocked, more blocks may be on the on the horizon.
Should paid event staff supplement the work of volunteers?
The Wikimedia Foundation's grant structure.
This week's featured content.
The recently closed Arbitration Enforcement case.
A look at the research presented at the OpenSym 2015 conference.

You're invited! Women in Red World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Leadership

You are invited! → World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Leadership ← Come and join us remotely!
World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Leadership
Dates: 7 to 20 September 2015

The Virtual Edit-a-thon, hosted by Women in Red, will allow all those keen to improve Wikipedia's coverage of Women in Leadership to participate. As it is a two-week event, inexperienced participants will be able to draw on the assistance of more experienced editors while creating, translating or improving articles on women who are (or have been) prominent in leadership. All levels of Wikipedia editing experience are welcome. RSVP and find more details →here← --Ipigott (talk) 09:20, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

Category:Uncategorized military articles

Category:Uncategorized military articles, which you created, has been nominated for possible deletion, merging, or renaming. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the Categories for discussion page. Thank you. DexDor (talk) 21:44, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

You're invited! Smithsonian APA Center & Women in Red virtual edit-a-thon on APA women

Asian Pacific American Women World Virtual Edit-a-thon
"The Smithsonian APA Center invites you to attend the 2nd annual Wikipedia APA an editathon for cultural presence, which will be held during the month of September 2015. We are thrilled to invite you to Wikipedia APA, an editing event for improving and increasing the presence of cultural, historic, and artistic information on Wikipedia pertaining to Asian Pacific American ("APA") experiences. The second Wikipedia editathon dedicated to APA content, this project will occur as physical events during September 2015... as well as remotely, with participants taking part from all throughout the world."
Did you Know that 15% of the biographies on Wikipedia are about women? Not impressed? WiR focuses on "content gender gap". If you'd like to help contribute articles on women and women's works, we warmly welcome you! WiR will be hosting one of this world virtual edit-a-thon. The 3-day event will focus on improving Wikipedia's coverage of Asian Pacific American women and their works (books, paintings, and so on).

--Rosiestep (talk) 03:23, 1 September 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 02 September 2015

Nearly 400 accounts blocked in largest paid-editing bust ever.
The WMF collaboration team announced this week that Flow will no longer be under active development.
A conflict regarding fundraising banners on the Italian Wikipedia is resolved.
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 16 August to 24 August.
Also vital statistics regarding Ja Rule.
The late-summer smash success of Straight Outta Compton remains the chief talking point of the English-speaking world, interrupted only by the welcome return of a Google Doodle.
Community technical news.

Invitation to subscribe to the edit filter mailing list

Hi, as a user in the edit filter manager user group we wanted to let you know about the new wikipedia-en-editfilters mailing list. As part of our recent efforts to improve the use of edit filters on the English Wikipedia it has been established as a venue for internal discussion by edit filter managers regarding private filters (those only viewable by administrators and edit filter managers) and also as a means by which non-admins can ask questions about hidden filters that wouldn't be appropriate to discuss on-wiki. As an edit filter manager we encourage you to subscribe; the more users we have in the mailing list the more useful it will be to the community. If you subscribe we will send a short email to you through Wikipedia to confirm your subscription, but let us know if you'd prefer another method of verification. I'd also like to take the opportunity to invite you to contribute to the proposed guideline for edit filter use at WP:Edit filter/Draft and the associated talk page. Thank you! Sam Walton (talk) and MusikAnimal talk 18:22, 9 September 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 09 September 2015

The National Library is now releasing some of the nation's most treasured collections to Wikimedia Commons for everyone to use and enjoy.
Tony1 interviews a prolific featured content participant, Ian Rose.
Fram tells us why DYK is a problem.
First bot-created article generated from Wikidata; the Orange Bar of Doom has finally met its doom; active editor numbers still on the rise; arbitrator to resign; ne templates added in wake of Orangemoody case
This week's theme in popular articles revolved entirely around mass media productions.
section begin "tech-newsletter-content"
A recap of Wikipedia in the media this week

Request for clarification of an ArbCom decision you participated in

Hi. I have filed a Request for clarification of Remedy 2.2 of WP:ARBRAN, concerning a topic ban placed on User:Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ). Since you were a member of ArbCom at the time, any insights you may wish to share about the committee's thinking would be welcome. Thanks. BMK (talk) 21:49, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

Five minutes to help make WikiProjects better

Hello!

First, on behalf of WikiProject X, thank you for trying out the WikiProject X pilot projects. I would like to get some anonymous feedback from you on your experience using the new WikiProject layout and tools. This way, we will know what we did right, and if we did something horribly wrong, we can try to fix it. This feedback won't be associated with your username, so please be completely honest. We are determined to improve the experience of Wikipedians, and your feedback helps us with that. (You are also welcome to leave non-anonymous feedback at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject X.)

Please complete the survey here. The survey has two parts: the first part asks for your username, while the second part contains the survey questions. These two parts are stored separately, so your username will not be associated with your feedback. There are only nine questions and it should not take very long to complete. Once you complete the survey I will leave a handwritten note on your talk page as a token of my appreciation.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you, Harej (talk) 17:49, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

Hello! Just sending a reminder to complete the survey linked above. (This is the only reminder I'll send, I promise.) Let me know on my talk page if you have any questions. Thank you!!! Harej (talk) 22:18, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 16 September 2015

On Wikipedia's commitment to open access and its obligations to readers and editors.
WMF CFO to depart, notifications come and go, and questions about the possible editing by a recently arrested terrorism suspect.
Probably not. Also, Whitehall still editing Wikipedia.
This week's featured content.
No particular trends to spot in this week's top article traffic.
Community technical news.

The Bugle: Issue CXIV, September 2015

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Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 05:09, 20 September 2015 (UTC)

WikiProject Military history coordinator election

Greetings from WikiProject Military history! As a member of the project, you are invited to take part in our annual project coordinator election. If you wish to cast a vote, please do so on the election page by 23:59 (UTC) on 29 September. Yours, Ed [talk] [majestic titan] 05:20, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 23 September 2015

PETA launches a copyright lawsuit over the infamous photograph.
No, really, just stop.
This week's featured content.
This time of year features the Latin Grammy Awards, so here for an interview are WikiProject Latin music.
This week, drug lord and wannabe Bolivar Pablo Escobar was joined by a whole host of somewhat more primetime-friendly political insurgents.
Community technical news.

You're invited! Women in Red World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Architecture

You are invited! Join us remotely!

World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Architecture

  • Dates: 15 to 25 October 2015
  • Location: Worldwide/virtual/online event
  • Host/Facilitator: Women in Red (WiR): Did you know that only 15% of the biographies on Wikipedia are about women? WiR focuses on "content gender gap". If you'd like to help contribute articles on women and women's works, we warmly welcome you!
  • Sponsor: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in association with Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation, Women in Design, and Wikiproject Women Wikipedia Design
  • Event details: This is a virtual edit-a-thon hosted by WiR in parallel with a series of "physical" Guggenheim edit-a-thons. It will allow all those keen to improve Wikipedia's coverage of women in architecture and design to participate. The campaign aims to further the goals of Ada Lovelace Day for STEM, and Art+Feminism for art, in a field that by its nature combines both. As the virtual edit-a-thon stretches over a week and a half, inexperienced participants will be able to draw on the assistance of more experienced editors while creating, translating or improving articles on women who are (or have been) prominent in this field. All levels of Wikipedia editing experience are welcome.
  • RSVP and learn more: →here←--Ipigott (talk) 15:22, 3 October 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 September 2015

A year of fundraising and a controversial decision.
More Wikipedia editing in the news.
Low numbers of active admins and high standards for adminship make a troubling combination.
A look at newly published Wikipedia research.
Community technical news

WikiConference USA

Round two?

Contacting you because you're listed as the chair of the conference committee. Montanabw tells me that I've somehow managed to block the entire conference. I don't recognise the block in question, so I've left a request for help at WP:ANI, asking anyone to unblock immediately. My apologies to everyone for whatever's the problem, although I suspect that it's an autoblock; maybe you're again looking over someone's shoulder? Nyttend (talk) 23:46, 10 October 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 07 October 2015

Kazakhstan and Wikipedia: A marriage made in hell.
English speakers, like most of humanity, are primarily a northern-hemispheric people, and as autumn draws close and the days grow shorter, as a group we tend to huddle around our flickering screens and remember what matters: TV, movies, sports and, of course, crazy doomsday prophecies.
Some of Wikipedia's newest featured content.
These winners of the Wiki Loves Monuments Pakistan 2015 contest were shared with the Social Media mailing list recently.
A new case was opened for ArbCom as the Genetically modified organisms case was accepted and opened on 28 September.
A reproduced version of the Wikimedia tech newsletter.
A summary of Wikimedia's mentions in the media

The Bugle: Issue CXV, October 2015

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Your Military History Newsletter

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If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 21:46, 15 October 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 14 October 2015

We believe that human interaction can only make Wikipedia stronger.
Three days at the US National Archives.
The news coverage we usually see about Wikipedia is neither in-depth, nor specialized, nor systematic.
Everyone's talking about money.
For the second consecutive week, the most viewed article had less than one million views, the only two weeks that has happened in all of 2015.
This week's featured content.
Community technical news.
On September 25, 26 and 27, Wikimedia Spain celebrated its third Wikimedia Conference at the Colegio Mayor Universitario Isabel de España in Madrid.

History of South Africa

An IP has been adding a work by Stan Winer, South Africa and the Politics of Risk,[2] to the Further Reading list of History of South Africa. Considering your participation in World War II Arbcom case back in 2010,[3], I thought you might wish to be informed. Edward321 (talk) 23:31, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

Mistake in diffs

I just wanted to point out that both diffs given in this post have the same link. I think you meant for two links. HighInBC 20:31, 22 October 2015 (UTC)

@HighInBC: Ah, good catch. Thanks! Kirill Lokshin (talk) 20:32, 22 October 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom

You are involved in a recently filed request for arbitration. Please review the request at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case#Block of Eric Corbett and, if you wish to do so, enter your statement and any other material you wish to submit to the Arbitration Committee. As threaded discussion is not permitted in most arbitration pages please ensure that you make all comments in your own section only. Additionally, the guide to arbitration and the Arbitration Committee's procedures may be of use.

Thanks, Black Kite (talk) 19:32, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

For doing your job

The thankless barnstar
For doing what is expected of an admin in a manner 100% consistent with policy and getting yelled at for it I award you The thankless barnstar. HighInBC 23:57, 24 October 2015 (UTC)
Agreed here, what is disappointing is that Yngvadottir leapt to unblocking Eric [4] before you could post your full reasoning about it. [5] Even if it was justified it was a leap before you look move. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 01:29, 25 October 2015 (UTC)

arbcom enforcement

The enforcement provisions of GGTF clearly state, "An uninvolved admin may remove any comments that breach this remedy, and impose blocks as necessary " (emphasis mine). You've made a determination a topic ban has taken place [6] but have failed to remove the comments. Lacking such removal its hard to see how blocking Eric could be considered "necessary." Please remove the comments from Wale's talk page as you see fit and reverse your inappropriate block; the drama caused by casting him in the role of martyr will greatly exceed any benefit to the project such a block will generate. You recused yourself from the Civility Enforcement case -- do you see that as consistent with the requirement of "An uninvolved admin"? NE Ent 02:12, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

My interpretation of the enforcement provisions differs from yours. In addition to the wording you mention, the amended topic ban clause references the standard procedure for enforcement of restrictions; consequently, my opinion is that the standard provisions for imposing blocks apply independently of the authorization to remove breaching comments, and that I may choose to not remove the comments when enforcing the remedy. If you feel strongly that I am required to remove the comments, you are very welcome to ask the Arbitration Committee for a clarification on the matter; if they determine that your interpretation of the remedy is the correct one, I will of course comply.
My recusal in the Civility enforcement case was due to a matter entirely unrelated to Eric's participation there, and is therefore not relevant to the present matter.
With regard to your request that I reverse the block, I must unfortunately decline to do so. This is not Eric's first (or second) block for breaching this particular remedy, and neither warnings nor shorter blocks have managed to elicit compliance with his restriction. We therefore have no choice but to proceed with longer blocks, in the hopes that Eric will find following the rules less unpleasant than spending extended periods of time blocked. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 02:32, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

Not that you will listen, but the block is simply overkill here when a warning would have made more sense. Given the totality of the discussion, and the disruption caused by Eric in that discussion (zero), and that he was mentioned FIRST, going for a month long block is simply out of per-portion to the problem. Had he started the discussion or became a problem, then I would have agreed, but I'm asking you to reconsider. The "involved" issue aside, it just isn't a good use of the block button. Dennis Brown - 2¢ 02:27, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

Please see my response to NE Ent above. Given the prior history of non-compliance with this particular restriction, I believe that a month-long block is the appropriate next step. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 02:33, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
Given this was such a borderline infraction, is there any particular reason it wasn't taken to AE to get input from other admin? Again, if he was belligerent, I would have agreed with the block, but this is such a slight case, unusual compared to his other blocks, that it begs for some discretion. Blocking him longer for what appears to be such a minor infraction looks bad, to be frank, or at best, mindlessly bureaucratic. Like a block simply because we can, without regard to circumstances. Frankly, I'm more concerned with prose and humans than rules, but I simply don't see such a huge violation that AE should be ignored. Yes, AE isn't required, but don't you want input from other admin or is there something I'm missing here? Dennis Brown - 2¢ 02:38, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
As you yourself point out, AE isn't required. I think I have sufficient experience with arbitration remedies to be able to deal with such a clear-cut violation of a bright-line restriction without assistance from other administrators. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 02:44, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

I can't see how the term "borderline" could apply. Any reasonable reading of the diffs shows that there were clear violations of the topic ban. Nothing borderline about it. HighInBC 03:54, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

  • This same exact thing was said towards the last two admin who blocked Eric for violating his topic ban. Please stop blasting Kirill for doing his job as an admin by enforcing something, and focus instead on what caused all of this in the first place. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 14:36, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
  • Just what did cause it? Unfounded allegations against Eric, and the shameful accusation that he was an admin here, then a pretty dire attempt to goad him into a response somewhere that gave an excuse for a block. There was nothing beneficial to the WP project about that, it was simple hounding. Andy Dingley (talk) 15:00, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
  • So an editor gets ripped a new one, in a thread full of false accusations prompted by an article full of half-truths and whole errors, and isn't allowed to defend themself. Great work: your dogmatic interpretation of what an admin ought to do will serve Wikipedia's women well. Drmies (talk) 15:47, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
    • Yo, Drmies. We go back a long time. Regardless of your opinion on the block, Kirill is one of the Good Admins© on the site. Let's not denigrate him. IMHO it was a clear violation of the topic ban. This isn't a good situation for anyone, but if the topic ban's line shouldn't be drawn here, where should it be? We're on a slippery slope. Ed [talk] [majestic titan] 16:21, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
      • Don't confuse sarcasm with denigration, Ed. If anyone was denigrated it was Eric, in the press and on Jimbo's talk page. Maybe you can block the editor who called him a misogynistic scourge--that should be enough of a personal attack to warrant a block. That's where the slippery slope is, though that's an understatement. But that's enough out of me. Drmies (talk) 16:51, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
        • Or how about, "the best way to not get blocked over your ArbCom restrictions is to not break them"? Stop coddling and protecting EC like he's a 14-year-old and maybe, just maybe he'll stop acting like one. RO(talk) 17:07, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
      • I've never knowingly encountered Kirill before – but I have now 8-( Andy Dingley (talk) 17:10, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

This is my sad observation that long-time editors got burned off and cannot or would not control their temper (like, "I don't give a shit what you think about me"). Especially in the situation like this. I see it as a painful symptom of wikipediholism. Therefore I would view this block of EC not a punishment, but a "involuntary retreat" to cool down and realize that Wikipedia is not. I give my condolences to EC and express a deep sorrow about what happened. Unfortunately Wikipedia do not have strong mechanisms of reward while quite apt at punishment. Staszek Lem (talk) 18:26, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

You know, there are times when IAR can apply. This was one. I say, reduce the length of the block to a week and remind him that the restrictions include defending himself against false, misleading and even inaccurate accusations. When someone is mentioned in a magazine of national circulation in the USA, but with false accusations (and wrongly being described as an admin, when, in fact Corbett is emphatically not an admin), then drama erupts - complete with exaggerated and outright false accusations, it would take someone superhuman to not respond. This may have been a "bright line" breach, but really, it wasn't even close to the most obnoxious thing Corbett has ever done; he was remarkably restrained, actually, especially for him and considering the gravity of what was done to him in the Atlantic hatchet job. Montanabw(talk) 18:41, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
EC doesn't need yet another reminder; he knew what he was doing. Here's all the proof you need of that: ([7]). RO(talk) 18:44, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
Indeed. The idea that Eric didn't know that his comments would violate the restriction is difficult to reconcile with the fact that Eric explicitly said as much beforehand. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 19:27, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
You are going after the horse here, not the rider steering it. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 18:44, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
@Montanabw: Even if, hypothetically speaking, we were to accept that the Atlantic article contained some inaccuracies about Eric to which he was in some way "entitled" to respond, I think you must agree that such a hypothetical "right to respond" can be extended only to responses concerning those inacuracies, and not to general participation in the underlying discussion. Eric did, in fact, make a number of comments addressing what he perceived as false accusations against himself ([8], [9], [10]). He was not, in fact, blocked for those comments.
What did prompt me to block Eric were comments that were quite unrelated to anything the article said about him personally, but which were, rather, attempts to deny the existence of the gender gap in principle. Such comments cannot possibly be regarded as an "excusable" breach of the restriction under our hypothetical "right to respond", and thus warrant no special IAR dispensation. Further, such remarks are not in and of themselves a minor or borderline violation of the restriction; rather, insofar as Eric has been banned from commenting on the gender gap or processes designed to address it, denying that one exists in the first place breaches the restriction in the most fundamental way possible. Consequently, I see no reason whatsoever to extend any special consideration to Eric in this matter. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 19:27, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
It did give the appearance that he was blocked for the first set, though I'll grant a nod that you do have a case for minor application of the second. IMHO, I would have slapped him with 72 hours, not a month, and thus most of this drahmah could have been avoided. Bottom line is simple, he's not going to change his mind or his position, nor will he even personally appeal a block, but a short block that makes everyone cool off for a day or two usually reduces the drama without raising the specter of the absurdity of the whole GGTF mess, which was botched from beginning to end. Montanabw(talk) 21:16, 24 October 2015 (UTC)
But ArbCom decided to use escalating blocks, so one month was the next step, as this is EC's seventh block for breaking his sanctions since they were put into place. RO(talk) 21:23, 24 October 2015 (UTC)

Kirill, letting you know that I am about to unblock Eric Corbett. Having read the Atlantic piece with alarm - and tried in vain to get through moderation to post a comment noting its inaccuracies - I have to agree with the above arguments. The Arbitration Committee's sanction muzzling Eric has proven itself unfair and counterproductive to the encyclopedia. I am fully aware that this will probably trigger my desysoping. I believe those who supported my RfA did so because they judged I would use the tools for the benefit of the project. This is my implementing that judgement. Yngvadottir (talk) 19:23, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

Wait so Eric is on a topic ban but he is allowed to bend and break the rules of it? What is the use of having topic bans in the first place then? - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 19:29, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
(ec)Well, that block lasted one whole day. That'll teach him not to violate his topic ban. It seems like the admins who always insist on unblocking Corbett who suffer collateral damage, not Corbett himself. Liz Read! Talk! 19:32, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
This is just nuts, I agree that Eric should have the right to defend himself but also agree with Kirill that he went past that. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 19:34, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
"It seems like the admins who always insist on unblocking Corbett who suffer collateral damage, not Corbett himself." That makes no sense. (Why s/ EC suffer anything because an admin chooses to unblock him?!) IHTS (talk) 03:00, 25 October 2015 (UTC)

Just FYI, saying nothing about it directly one way or another, you have seen that the block has been lifted by Yngvadottir, right? John Carter (talk) 19:34, 23 October 2015 (UTC)

@John Carter: Yes, it's mentioned just a few comments up. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 19:37, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
That is a very courageous and I believe wise decision. Why are there no additional rulings in these ARBCOM procedures which explicitly ban any discussions in high profile talk spaces which would be likely to goad a colleague under a T/Ban to respond? A severe boomerang should be the consequence. Irondome (talk) 19:39, 23 October 2015 (UTC)
  • Eric Corbett was deliberately baited to respond. As the high profile page concerned is controlled by Jimbo and monitored by the Foundation, and the enforcement officer was Kirill Loshkin, we can only draw one conclusion. So don't expect any great results from discussion here. Giano (talk) 09:34, 25 October 2015 (UTC)

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WikiProject X Newsletter • Issue 5

Newsletter • October 2015

Hello there! Happy to be writing this newsletter once more. This month:

We did it!

In July, we launched five pilot WikiProjects: WikiProjects Cannabis, Evolutionary Biology, Ghana, Hampshire, and Women's Health. We also use the new design, named "WPX UI," on WikiProject Women in Technology, Women in Red, WikiProject Occupational Safety and Health. We are currently looking for projects for the next round of testing. If you are interested, please sign up on the Pilots page.

Shortly after our launch we presented at Wikimania 2015. Our slides are on Wikimedia Commons.

Then after all that work, we went through the process of figuring out whether we accomplished our goal. We reached out to participants on the redesigned WikiProjects, and we asked them to complete a survey. (If you filled out your survey—thank you!) While there are still some issues with the WikiProject tools and the new design, there appears to be general satisfaction (at least among those who responded). The results of the survey and more are documented in our grant report filed with the Wikimedia Foundation.

The work continues!

There is more work that needs to be done, so we have applied for a renewal of our grant. Comments on the proposal are welcome. We would like to improve what we have already started on the English Wikipedia and to also expand to Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata. Why those? Because they are multilingual projects and because there needs to be better coordination across Wikimedia projects. More details are available in the renewal proposal.

How can the Wikimedia Foundation support WikiProjects?

The Wikimedia Developer Summit will be held in San Francisco in January 2016. The recently established Community Tech team at the Wikimedia Foundation is interested in investigating what technical support they can provide for WikiProjects, i.e., support beyond just templates and bots. I have plenty of opinions myself, but I want to hear what you think. The session is being planned on Phabricator, the Wikimedia bug tracker. If you are not familiar with Phabricator, you can log in with your Wikipedia username and password through the "Login or Register: MediaWiki" button on the login page. Your feedback can help make editing Wikipedia a better experience.


Until next time,

Harej (talk) 09:03, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Admin's Barnstar
Regardless of whether or not we agree with the decision, we should commend any administrator willing to make a tough, unpopular call that he or she knows will result in disagreement or abuse. Gamaliel (talk) 02:00, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
I find it interesting that the same anti-fan club appear every time: Gamaliel, Alanscottwalker, Chillum/HighinBC etc. I'm just waiting for Ironholds to show up. These are the people that moan about the Corbett fan club but they are as much as club as that. And it stinks.
For the record, you'll note that I do not get involved in every Corbett drama and I have on several occasions intervened to prevent escalation. The rest of you, including Kirill (who almost certainly has been subject to lobbying in DC) are just vindictive kow-towers to Jimbo's "moral ambitiousness" crusade, which has fuck all to do with building an encyclopaedia and everything to do with creating a libertarian utopia. That you are mostly based in the US says it all: it is cultural imperialism of a type that only the US practice nowadays. - Sitush (talk) 13:50, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
The fact that I support an admin who is being abused for the horrific crime of treating Eric by the same standards as anyone else under a topic ban only shows that I don't want my fellow admins abused for doing their job. I think if you actually did your homework you would find my position more nuanced. I have in the past defended Eric on multiple occasions. I may defend him again if he is in a position worth defending, but in this case the facts are obvious. Next time you lump me into a group do some research first please. HighInBC 15:05, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
I submitted an AE request regarding a comment by Corbett exactly once (when, mind you, I could have easily just blocked him myself) and for that crime I've been put on the Eric Corbett Enemies List. This is exactly how his supporters have gamed the system, by attempting to personalize sanctions enforcement and isolate and harass individual administrators to prevent any action against him. It's not that Corbett is breaking the rules, it's that individual admins are out to get him. Sure. Eventually people will start looking at that long enemies list you are compiling and that already ridiculous idea will seem less and less plausible. Gamaliel (talk) 14:36, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
What long list? You regular comment on or around Corbett drama, seemingly always in opposition. It isn't necessarily about who makes the complaint (which in recent months has often been EvergreenFir on-wiki and quite probably is her off-wiki on this occasion). You and your ilk are as much part of the problem as any of the so-called fan club. And Kirill is very likely not uninvolved: he is a WP organisation officeholder in DC, where many of the most shrill who seek to reduce the perceived gender gap hang out, and a participant in the gender gap-inspired Women Scientists project.
I'm all for improving the encyclopaedia but you lot have a very warped sense of what constitutes improvement. No matter: I will soon be gone, along with several others, and you can watch the entire Indian caste area fall into utter chaos, making it one more aspect where the project will be going backward rather than forward. Some improvement! - Sitush (talk) 14:58, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
Prior to Kirill's block, aside from the single AE submission I don't recall ever commenting about Corbett drama. I have been outspoken about issues of systemic bias and so forth, but what Eric Corbett has to do with, say, WikiProject Women Scientists, outside of some feverish anti-feminist conspiracy theory, I have no idea. As for the Indian caste articles, you might recall at AE I supported tougher rules against SPAs that should help editors working there. Gamaliel (talk) 15:04, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
@Sitush: There is no point in arguing. People have their opinion, some join Eric's cabal and some group-up against that cabal, this happens everywhere, in real life as well. I don't know which group is hero/villain but people got the liberty to choose any of them. And some may stick to either of the group, everytime, whatever happens. Jim Carter 15:15, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
Jim, please keep out of it - I don't need to read the platitudes of another WP:WER-like do-gooder. Gamaliel, your both your memory and your logic seem to be faulty. Like your mate Bernstein, you're good with words and shit with reality, playing some sort of MMPORG and lawyering like mad instead of getting on with what matters. So be it: I've had a bellyful of the hypocrisy here. And your support for the recent ARCA proposal, which is irrelevant to this conversation, means little because the one person it would really have helped won't be here. I absolutely guarantee you that the already nightmarish caste stuff will just implode, not because of your thoughts in the ARCA thing but because of your thoughts elsewhere. Creating rules is bloody pointless if you drive off the people who are actually doing the damn work here, and that includes Eric. But doubtless it suits those who prefer social engineering to content. Before I completely lose my temper with your cabal, I'm signing off for the day. Perhaps for good. - Sitush (talk) 15:20, 25 October 2015 (UTC)
There is no cabal. HighInBC 15:07, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
Timbo's Rule 19. Having underwent the RFA process through no fault of my own...I can say this with authority: "Yes, Virginia, there is a cabal." Carrite (talk) 18:24, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
I have to agree with Gamaliel here, although, honestly, I supposed some might say the same thing about Yngvadottir. It took guts to make the block, and we definitely need more admins who have the guts to make calls they know will be unpopular. We do have at least a few cabals of supporters of individual problem editors, and standing up to any of them can be and often is hard. I just wish that there had been a bit more communication first, or, honestly, that Eric had maybe been willing to actually appeal a block for once. John Carter (talk) 18:56, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

Vested contributors arbitration case opened

You were recently listed as a party to a request for arbitration. The Arbitration Committee has accepted that request for arbitration and an arbitration case has been opened at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Vested contributors. Evidence that you wish the arbitrators to consider should be added to the evidence subpage, at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Vested contributors/Evidence. Please add your evidence by November 5, 2015, which is when the evidence phase closes. For a guide to the arbitration process, see Wikipedia:Arbitration/Guide to arbitration. For the Arbitration Committee, L235 (t / c / ping in reply) via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:24, 29 October 2015 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar
This barnstar is sort of the kiss of death, but I regard doing what is right as an uncommon virtue Hawkeye7 (talk) 11:42, 29 October 2015 (UTC)

Vested contributors retitled Arbitration enforcement 2

The Arbitration Committee has accepted that request for arbitration and an arbitration case has been opened at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Arbitration enforcement 2. Evidence that you wish the arbitrators to consider should be added to the evidence subpage, at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Arbitration enforcement 2/Evidence. Please add your evidence by November 5, 2015, which is when the evidence phase closes. For this case, there will be no Workshop phase. For a guide to the arbitration process, see Wikipedia:Arbitration/Guide to arbitration. For the Arbitration Committee, Liz Read! Talk! 14:03, 29 October 2015 (UTC)

Suggestion

This is purely a suggestion that you are free to disregard in whole or in part. It would be incredibly helpful if you posted a statement that you now understand that your block of Eric Corbett was excessive and that you regret the resulting kerfuffle. You could also state that you do not wish Yngvadottir to be desysopped. The ongoing fight is destructive to the Wikipedia community. We need to avoid these, and excuse mistakes by well-meaning editors and admins, rather than running people off the project.

You know what Eric's issue is, don't you? If you aren't fully clued in, email me. In this situation he was not reverting to prior form. In past days I would have supported banning him, but I can't support a ban for this particular incident. Every person has a fundamental right to reply when people talk about them, wherever that conversation occurs. This is a right that cannot be curtailed by a topic ban. If folks don't want to hear from Eric, don't mention him. Jehochman Talk 16:26, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

Did I not have precisely the same right of reply last January, when I was blocked for a comment on that page, in a thread bearing my name, regarding international discussion of my writing about Wikipedia? Where were you then? Oh, wait.... MarkBernstein (talk) 20:25, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
Did I block you? Jehochman Talk 08:53, 30 October 2015 (UTC)
And two weeks ago EC implied I was a lunatic ([11]), and his supporters made damn sure I wasn't allowed to comment at his talk page without fear of a block. RO(talk) 20:42, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
Was I involved in that? Why do you grind axes here? One wrong doesn't justify a second one for the sake of consistency. Jehochman Talk 08:53, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 October 2015

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I remember

2013. Your arbitrator colleagues had worded an absurd restriction, preventing Andy from adding an infobox even to an article he created, and you were among the brave to insert one, remember? - Did you ever read my steps to avoid blocking by thoughts and talk? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:11, 26 October 2015 (UTC)

I made the steps a template. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:26, 28 October 2015 (UTC)

In the first arb case about arbitration enforcement (a contradiction in terms, as kindness enforcement would be), I made some suggestions:

Thoughts before enforcing arbitration or asking for it

Sanddunes Sunrise.jpg

I dream of a Wikipedia where AE is not needed and offer small steps in the direction. Imagine you see something I did which you think breaches my restrictions.

  • You reflect if it really needs correction. You have the option to decide no.
If yes:
  • You talk to me if I am aware of a breach and willing to revert or correct.
If no:
  • You look really hard if the situation is a breach. I could tell you examples where it wasn't but want to be gentle with people who easily say "It's a clear violation".
If you think yes:
  • You reflect if a correction via AE is worth the amount of time it takes. Please stay away if no.
  • Only then you file or act.
  1. I have seen "peanuts" arrive at AE, and I suggest to make the step "talk to the user in question before you file" mandatory.
  2. Once filed, I think that a time for comments of 24 hours is not asking too much in cases where Wikipedia is not at stake. The key question should be: will pursuing the request will help Wikipedia? Dispute resolution might offer a better approach.
  3. I suggest that admins who are known to be close to the filer or the other editor stay away from closing.
  4. I suggest to seriously think about a different sanction than blocks. I was close several times and always thought that a block wouldn't be my loss but Wikipedia's, One day blocked may equal to one article not expanded to GA, or several stubs not created, several incidents of vandalism not managed. I hope you don't expect me to change my mind because of a block ;)

I read today "If we would grant each other the presumption that we are acting in good faith, we could dispense with some of the drama ...".

Gerda Arendt 30 June 2015

Do I have to repeat them in the second? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:59, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

Arbitration evidence phase closing

Kirill Lokshin, this is just a note to alert you that Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Arbitration enforcement 2/Evidence phase will be closing in 2 days. If you would like to add any additional evidence or respond to statements made by others, you have until November 5th. Thank you. Liz Read! Talk! 15:27, 3 November 2015 (UTC)

Kirill Lokshin, the Evidence phase has been extended and will now end on November 10, 2015. Liz Read! Talk! 23:15, 3 November 2015 (UTC)

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You're invited! Women in Red World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Science

You are invited! Join us remotely!

World Virtual Edit-a-thon on Women in Science

  • Dates: 8 to 29 November 2015
  • Location: Worldwide/virtual/online event
  • Host/Facilitator: Women in Red (WiR) in collaboration with Women scientists: Did you know that only 15% of the biographies on Wikipedia are about women? WiR focuses on "content gender gap". If you'd like to help contribute articles on women and women's works, we warmly welcome you!
  • Sponsor: New York Academy of Sciences
  • Event details: This is a virtual edit-a-thon hosted by WiR in parallel with a "physical" event during the afternoon of Sunday, November 22 in New York City. It will allow all those keen to improve Wikipedia's coverage of women in science to participate. As the virtual edit-a-thon stretches over three weeks, new participants will be able to draw on the assistance of more experienced editors while creating, translating or improving articles on women who are (or have been) prominent in the field. All levels of Wikipedia editing experience are welcome.
  • RSVP and learn more: →here←

--Rosiestep (talk) 02:47, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Essay templates

I have proposed two templates at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Essays/Templates, and would appreciate comments. Because no one seems to have noticed, I have chosen to notify several editors who have edited the project page. -- {{u|BullRangifer}} {Talk} 01:20, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

Oversight Request

Can I bother you for a favor? I was RC patrolling about 2 days ago and noticed this edit, which I emailed the oversight group for consideration and have yet to hear back them. I think that's a little too much information to have on Wikipedia in an article space, so I'm hoping you will know what should be done with the edit. TomStar81 (Talk) 23:26, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

@TomStar81: I've passed this along to the oversight folks, and it's now been suppressed. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 00:10, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

Arbitration proposed decision posted

Hi Kirill Lokshin, in the open Arbitration enforcement 2 arbitration case, a remedy or finding of fact has been proposed.  Please review this decision and draw the arbitrators' attention to any relevant material or statements. Comments may be brought to the attention of the committee on the proposed decision talk page. For a guide to the arbitration process, see Wikipedia:Arbitration/Guide to arbitration. For the Arbitration Committee, Liz Read! Talk! 18:41, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Your vanity is showing

Just a heads up and kind of on a personal note, but I've long been of the opinion that people who post photos of themselves on Wikipedia, whether a part of an article or their personal page are putting their vanity on display. If you think your face belongs here then you probably are too personally involved and in my mind are suspect in any of your decisions here. Zedshort (talk) 16:02, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

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A barnstar for you!

The Original Barnstar
Thank you for all of your help tagging articles for WikiProject Women's Health! Keilana (talk) 22:29, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

On harrassment

Hi Kirill, I have a question if I may. A few years ago when WP:EEML came to light you essentially supported those who were behind one of the worst displays ever seen on Wikipedia. Giano will attest to that, as will your own words at Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Eastern_European_mailing_list/Proposed_decision/Archive_1#Guilt_by_association. So I am kind of curious as to your own comments for the upcoming election on which you base your position around harassment. Can you tell us why in the last 6 years your stance has gone from openly supporting the harassers and their harassment to opposing harassment? Would be interested in your answer here! Ping: Nick 101.186.36.211 (talk) 17:35, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

  • Thanks for the ping. It will come as no surprise to Kirill that I won't be voting for him. However, regarding WP:EEMl, that all seems a long time ago and there's little point in dragging up very historic arguments. Otherwise, one sinks to the level of those trying to involve me in this latest Eric fiasco. Giano (talk) 17:55, 16 November 2015 (UTC)
I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that I supported—essentially or otherwise—the harassment exposed during the EEML case. My objection at the time (which I raised in the discussion you link to) was to a proposed motion that would have sanctioned everyone on the mailing list simply for being part of the list, without determining whether each individual had done something warranting sanction or giving them an opportunity to defend themselves. I cannot recall having any particular problem with the rest of the proceedings, and don't believe I commented on them further once it became clear that the particular motion in question wasn't going to pass. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 18:51, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXVI, November 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 03:25, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

A request for assistance

I don't believe we've had the pleasure of speaking before, but I'm RGloucester. I have a particular interest in cataloguing and detailing the history of the system of "sanctions" now used on Wikipedia. As it is now, there is a great deal of confusion over what different kinds of sanctions are, and even Arbitrators have shown to be confused by the endless terminology (as an example, a certain Mr Davies thought some time ago that "general sanctions" referred only to community sanctions). Having done some research on the subject, I believe I understand the system. As such, I intend to write a history of the system so as to allow people to understand clearly how the different types of sanctions arose, and what the various terms involved mean. The starting point for this project is located User:RGloucester/Sanctions. Knowing that you are the one that essentially codified the system, I was wondering if you could help me in this cataloguing, detailing how the system arose, &c. This would be greatly appreciated, and would contribute to a great reduction in confusion amongst the editors of this project. If you can help, take a look at my draft. I await your reply. RGloucester — ☎ 03:50, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

Signpost inquiry

Hi, I've emailed you on a matter related to your election candidature. Tony (talk) 06:24, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

Kirill, a reminder that if you're going to participate in the survey, we'll need your responses reasonably soon. Tony (talk) 02:57, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 November 2015

Our annual election coverage.
Icelandic Wikipedia hits 400K articles; how do Wikipedia editors stay neutral?
Discussions around the encyclopedia.
Updates on the Committee. You know, besides the election.
The week in Featured Content.
Paris and Diwali.

Thank you

Thank you for all your talk page edits where you have applied the Womens' Health template. It is what I consider to be a tedious task but an important one. Best Regards,

  Bfpage |leave a message  11:52, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability 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, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:04, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 November 2015

Wikidata is set to become the main open data repository worldwide.
Updates on the Wikimedia Foundation.
The worldwide community wins a prestigious award while the Russian community struggles with government interference.
Scholarly research about Wikipedia and related projects.
Featured content
The week's most read articles.
Another long-running case has been closed, while the voting process for this year's Arbitration Committee Elections has begun.
Community technical news.
The suit concerns copyright claims related to 17 images of the museum’s public domain works of art.

Did you drop out of the ArbCom race?

I received notice of the ArbCom election on November 24. I posted my three questions to you the next day, and I see many others posted questions before mine. You have not participated on your candidate discussion page (Ok, not much happening there anyway) or answered any questions on your question page in the past ten days, which was before I even knew these elections were happening. Do you have enough votes without needing us first-time voters who got late notice? Have you abandoned your campaign? I hope not, because I like you as a candidate. Voting isn't over until December 6. I have been trying like heck to get to know the candidates, and you are not the only one who has been ignoring those of us who were invited late into this process. I like you as a candidate (you have made gutsy, principled decisions in the past), but I don't like being ignored either. What does that say about you as a candidate when you stop participating during the last two weeks of a campaign, when all of us first-time voters finally got our notices that we can vote? Have you given up? Dcs002 (talk) 01:26, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

@Dcs002: My apologies for missing your questions; I've now answered them. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 02:00, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
Thanks for your replies to my questions. I did vote for you. I guess I wanted you to know this wasn't just a drive-by snarking, if that's how I came across. I can't imagine why anyone would want that job, but since you want it, good luck in the polls! Dcs002 (talk) 21:05, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
The only candidate not to respond to the Signpost's survey. Pretty disappointing. I voted against him. Tony (talk) 08:12, 4 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 02 December 2015

Issues of quality and verifiability threaten the project.
How the community can have its say on two important matters.
Concerns about Wikidata and WMF fundraising.
The new Netflix series heads the list.
Newly promoted featured content.
Community technical news.

Nominations for the Military history WikiProject historian and newcomer of the year awards now open!

On behalf of the Military history WikiProject's Coordinators, we would like to extend an invitation to nominate deserving editors for the 2015 Military historian of the year and Military history newcomer of the year awards. The nomination period will run from 7 December to 23:59 13 December, with the election phase running from 14 December to 23:59 21 December. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:05, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

A beer for you!

Congratulations on your re-election as an arbiter! Hawkeye7 (talk) 19:39, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

Congratulations (and you've got email)

Welcome back to the 2016 Arbitration Committee. A few moments ago, you should have received an email from me asking you such simple questions as what email address you want to use for committee business. Welcome! Courcelles (talk) 19:52, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

@Courcelles: Received and responded. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 19:55, 9 December 2015 (UTC)
Congratulations! :-) Smallbones(smalltalk) 21:05, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

You never answered my questions, you know. Being an arbitrator is a big responsibility, so you should expect that your actions will be under very close scrutiny going forward. Everyking (talk) 01:08, 10 December 2015 (UTC)


Congratulations, amigo! I'm happy for you! --Rosiestep (talk) 03:12, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 09 December 2015

The three scrutineers announced the results, a little more than three days after the close of voting.
A response from Wikidata.
Another election, another series of edit wars.
The top 25 images.
Another death tops the report this week.
This week's featured content.
Community technical news.

Season's Greetings

File:Xmas Ornament.jpg

To You and Yours!

FWiW Bzuk (talk) 15:30, 19 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 16 December 2015

Creating content in the sky.
Jimmy Wales finds his words edited on the Internet.
Keeping up with the committee.
Featured content
Tackling content gaps through collaboration.
More data, more problems.
A look back at October.

ANI Incident Austrian Empire

Dear Kirill Lokshin,

please check on incident and the Austrian Empire/Talk page:Hungary and Kingdom of Hungary 1526-1848/Talk page:Austrian Empire 1804-1867 and their content. I seek compromise without altering historical accuracy. Thank You (KIENGIR (talk) 00:29, 21 December 2015 (UTC))

Selection in Arbitration Committee

Hello Kirill Lokshin, congratulations on your appointment to the WP:AC. I am sure that you will serve the committee to the best of your abilities. Keep up the good work. Cheers, Arun Kumar SINGH (Talk) 18:08, 15 December 2015 (UTC)

Since the results were announced, you've made only one edit, Kirill. That's one edit in 11 days. Why the sudden change in editing patterns? As an incoming arbitrator, you surely realize that the community expects a certain level of engagement. Do you think you have the time and/or dedication to fulfill the job you've been elected to do? Everyking (talk) 00:54, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Yo Ho Ho

Doc James (talk · contribs · email) is wishing you Seasons Greetings! Whether you celebrate your hemisphere's Solstice or Christmas, Diwali, Hogmanay, Hanukkah, Lenaia, Festivus or even the Saturnalia, this is a special time of year for almost everyone!

Spread the holiday cheer by adding {{subst:User:WereSpielChequers/Dec15b}} to your friends' talk pages.

Thanks for all you have done this year :-) Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 22:53, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Controversial uses of tools

When an action is so controversial that ArbCom splits on it, [12] that's too controversial. It's easy to get comfortable over time, so I hope you will reflect on this. Have a nice holiday and make sure to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens at least twice. Jehochman Talk 13:50, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXVII, December 2015

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 05:06, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

Arbitration enforcement 2 case closed

You are receiving this message because you are a party or offered a preliminary statement and/or evidence in the Arbitration enforcement 2 case. This is a one-time message.

The Arbitration enforcement 2 arbitration case (t) (ev / t) (w / t) (pd / t) has been closed, and the following remedies have been enacted:

1.1) The Arbitration Committee confirms the sanctions imposed on Eric Corbett as a result of the Interactions at GGTF case, but mandates that all enforcement requests relating to them be filed at arbitration enforcement and be kept open for at least 24 hours.

3) For his breaches of the standards of conduct expected of editors and administrators, Black Kite is admonished.

6) The community is reminded that discretionary sanctions have been authorised for any page relating to or any edit about: (i) the Gender Gap Task Force; (ii) the gender disparity among Wikipedians; and (iii) any process or discussion relating to these topics, all broadly construed.

For the Arbitration Committee, Kharkiv07 (T) 02:41, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

Discuss this at: Wikipedia talk:Arbitration Committee/Noticeboard#Arbitration enforcement 2 case closed

Merry Christmas and happy new year

Merry Christmas and happy new year. (:

--Pine✉

The Signpost: 30 December 2015

In a monumental move, the Board ousted one of its own
The latest news from ArbCom
A report covering material promoted from 13 to 26 December
In a development that should surprise no one, Star Wars takes the first place prize
We review the top ten stories that defined the Wikimedia movement in 2015
The latest news coverage from around the movement
Christmas time is here.

Signpost Arbitration interview request

Excuse me. I am lead writer for the Signpost's "Arbitration Report" and am wondering if you would be interested in answering some interviews questions as a newly elected Arbitrator. The questions will be asked through email, unless answering them here would be a more suitable choice. GamerPro64 22:37, 29 December 2015 (UTC)

@GamerPro64: Sure, I'd be happy to. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 22:40, 29 December 2015 (UTC)
Hello, Kirill Lokshin. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.
@GamerPro64: I don't appear to have received it, unfortunately. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 14:05, 30 December 2015 (UTC)
I re-sent it to you but I keep getting my email unsubscribed here. Is there any way to fix that issue? GamerPro64 16:54, 30 December 2015 (UTC)
@GamerPro64: I'm not sure. When I enter your username to Special:EmailUser, it tells me that you don't have a valid email address. Presumably you've gone through the usual email confirmation stuff?
In any case, please feel free to email me directly at kirill.lokshin@gmail.com instead. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 17:06, 30 December 2015 (UTC)
I forgot to reconfirm a second time. I'm gonna try this one more time before directly emailing you. GamerPro64 17:10, 30 December 2015 (UTC)
Nevermind. Just directly sent you the questions. GamerPro64 17:13, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

Happy New Year, Kirill Lokshin!

Happy New Year!

Kirill Lokshin,
Have a prosperous, productive and enjoyable New Year, and thanks for your contributions to Wikipedia. Liz Read! Talk! 23:31, 31 December 2015 (UTC)


Send New Year cheer by adding {{subst:Happy New Year fireworks}} to user talk pages.

Happy New Year 2016!

Happy New Year 2016
Hey Kirill! Happy New Year. I hope 2016 is a productive year that brings you some peace and joy, too. I, JethroBT drop me a line 09:22, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 January 2016

Trouble with the Board of Trustees
Wikipedia's science articles are "effectively incomprehensible"
Current Committee decisions
Featured content
Current academic research on Wikipedia and related projects
Sports!
Community technical news

The Signpost: 13 January 2016

A look at movement coverage "in the media"
Liam Wyatt shares his thoughts in "community view"
Our co-editor-in-chief, Gamaliel, shares his thoughts on the 15th anniversary of Wikipedia
William Beutler discusses problems inside the WMF.
James Heilman talks about why he was removed from the WMF board.
What was the most-viewed article of 2015? Read to find out!
WE LOVE PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY!
A look at community objections to a new Board trustee
Jeff Elder talks sports vandalism on the Wikimedia blog
A review of the featured content promoted this week
We sat down with both incoming and outgoing arbitrators to get their thoughts on the committee.
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.

WikiProject X Newsletter • Issue 6

Newsletter • January 2016

Hello there! Happy to be writing this newsletter once more. This month:

What comes next

Some good news: the Wikimedia Foundation has renewed WikiProject X. This means we can continue focusing on making WikiProjects better.

During our first round of work, we created a prototype WikiProject based on two ideas: (1) WikiProjects should clearly present things for people to do, and (2) The content of WikiProjects should be automated as much as possible. We launched pilots, and for the most part it works. But this approach will not work for the long term. While it makes certain aspects of running a WikiProject easier, it makes the maintenance aspects harder.

We are working on a major overhaul that will address these issues. New features will include:

  • Creating WikiProjects by simply filling out a form, choosing which reports you want to generate for your project. This will work with existing bots in addition to the Reports Bot reports. (Of course, you can also have sections curated by humans.)
  • One-click button to join a WikiProject, with optional notifications.
  • Be able to define your WikiProject's scope within the WikiProject itself by listing relevant pages and categories, eliminating the need to tag every talk page with a banner. (You will still be allowed to do that, of course. It just won't be required.)

The end goal is a collaboration tool that can be used by WikiProjects but also by any edit-a-thon or group of people that want to coordinate on improving articles. Though implemented as an extension, the underlying content will be wikitext, meaning that you can continue to use categories, templates, and other features as you normally would.

This will take a lot of work, and we are just getting started. What would you like to see? I invite you to discuss on our talk page.


Until next time,

Harej (talk) 02:53, 20 January 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 20 January 2016

The continuing controversy over a new Board appointment.
Is Wikimedia taking the right approach?
The news media remembers we're still around.
A cheery week.
Newly promoted content.
A talk with MediaWiki developer : Magnus Manske.

The Bugle: Issue CXVIII, January 2016

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 11:23, 26 January 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 27 January 2016

Participate in the new strategy initiative.
Newly appointed trustee leaves following a community outcry.
Board turmoil gets the attention of journalists.
Current research involving Wikipedia.
Some things never change.
Newly promoted content.

The Signpost: 03 February 2016

Help us continue to publish on a weekly (-ish) basis.
New member María Sefidari joins the Board of Trustees.
James Heilman speaks out about the events leading up to his dismissal from the Board.
Examining the issues at the heart of recent Board disputes.
A survey released, another major departure from the Foundation.
More cases, more problems.
Some sort of sporting contest tops this week's traffic.
Newly promoted content.

February events and meetups in DC

Greetings from Wikimedia DC!

February is shaping up to be a record-breaking month for us, with nine scheduled edit-a-thons and several other events:

We hope to see you at one—or all—of these events!

Do you have an idea for a future event? Please write to us at info@wikimediadc.org!

Kirill Lokshin (talk) 16:40, 10 February 2016 (UTC)

You're receiving this message because you signed up for updates about DC meetups. To unsubscribe, please remove your name from the list.

Hello

Hello, as you created the Italian War of 1551–59 article, you may be able to resolve a doubt of mine. It says that the war beteween england and france was between 56-59, but this source[13] gives it as 57-60. Do you know id it's right?

Thx Dona Deda (talk) 17:20, 13 February 2016 (UTC)

@Dona Deda: Looking at Phillips & Axelrod's Encyclopedia of Wars, while the direct fighting between England and France was concluded in 1559 with the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, the contemporaneous conflict in Scotland, which involved French troops supporting Mary of Guise, continued into 1560 (see Siege of Leith and Treaty of Edinburgh). Kirill Lokshin (talk) 18:56, 13 February 2016 (UTC)
thanks a lot. Dona Deda (talk) 19:01, 13 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 10 February 2016

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:28, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 17 February 2016

Examining the impact of the knowledge engine
A new column that examines the articles that are helping to fight systemic bias
One article, three lists, and five images attained featured status this past week
The biggest annual event in America takes over Wikipedia viewership
The news for the nerd inside of us
The American Supreme Court justice's impact on the life of a Wikipedia editor

WikiProject X Newsletter • Issue 7

Newsletter • February 2016

This month:

One database for Wikipedia requests

Development of the extension for setting up WikiProjects, as described in the last issue of this newsletter, is currently underway. No terribly exciting news on this front.

In the meantime, we are working on a prototype for a new service we hope to announce soon. The problem: there are requests scattered all across Wikipedia, including requests for new articles and requests for improvements to existing articles. We Wikipedians are very good at coming up with lists of things to do. But once we write these lists, where do they end up? How can we make them useful for all editors—even those who do not browse the missing articles lists, or the particular WikiProjects that have lists?

Introducing Wikipedia Requests, a new tool to centralize the various lists of requests around Wikipedia. Requests will be tagged by category and WikiProject, making it easier to find requests based on what your interests are. Accompanying this service will be a bot that will let you generate reports from this database on any wiki page, including WikiProjects. This means that once a request is filed centrally, it can syndicated all throughout Wikipedia, and once it is fulfilled, it will be marked as "complete" throughout Wikipedia. The idea for this service came about when I saw that it was easy to put together to-do lists based on database queries, but it was harder to do this for human-generated requests when those requests are scattered throughout the wiki, siloed throughout several pages. This should especially be useful for WikiProjects that have overlapping interests.

The newsletter this month is fairly brief; not a lot of news, just checking in to say that we are hard at work and hope to have more for you soon.

Until next time,

Harej (talk) 01:44, 24 February 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 February 2016

The Board of Trustees may be deciding the direction of the Foundation.
Parting words from a WMF employee,
Another grim week in traffic statistics.
Wiki Loves Africa photo competition focuses on continent’s varied fashion traditions from north, south, east, and west.
Committee motions and business.
Newly promoted featured content.
Community technical news.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:04, 25 February 2016 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXIX, February 2016

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 14:14, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

DC Chat interface on Meta

Hi Kirill. Pharos and I noticed the cool chat feature you have over on Meta for your upcoming A+F event. Is this an IRC? Wanted to find out more information on this interface. It's so great! -- Erika aka BrillLyle (talk) 16:48, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

Ah, nevermind, I can see it's https://www.rumbletalk.com/.... All the best, Erika aka BrillLyle (talk) 16:49, 3 March 2016 (UTC)
@BrillLyle and Pharos: As you've already discovered, it's an embedded RumbleTalk chat. The chat feature is actually something new we're trying at our upcoming edit-a-thons, as we've had a number of requests from remote attendees for a way to ask questions during events.
One thing to keep in mind if you're interested in doing something similar: setting up the embedded chat window requires making changes to the site JavaScript files. We're hosting ours on wikimediadc.org, where we have full control over the site, so it's not an issue; but if you want to use it on Meta or Wikipedia, you'll need to convince the local administrators to let you make the needed changes, which might not be all that easy. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 19:19, 3 March 2016 (UTC)
Thanks so much Kirill Lokshin....! -- Erika aka BrillLyle (talk) 19:24, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

March events and meetups in DC

Greetings from Wikimedia DC!

Looking for something to do in DC in March? We have a series of great events planned for the month:

Can't make it to an event? Most of our edit-a-thons allow virtual participation; see the guide for more details.

Do you have an idea for a future event? Please write to us at info@wikimediadc.org!

Kirill Lokshin (talk) 16:29, 6 March 2016 (UTC)

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The Signpost: 02 March 2016

A tumultuous time at the Wikimedia Foundation
Newly promoted articles and images.
Politics and wrestling top the traffic statistics.
Current academic research about the encyclopedia and related projects.
The WMF reports on incoming requests.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:00, 8 March 2016 (UTC)

WIR A+F

Hoping you enjoyed the recently-held in-person Art+Feminism meetup,
we cordially invite you continue your participation by joining the
worldwide virtual online event
hosted by Women in Red.
March 2016 (Women's History Month)

(To subscribe, Women in Red/Invite list. Unsubscribe, Women in Red/Opt-out list) --Rosiestep (talk) 14:43, 10 March 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 09 March 2016

Controversy, change, and everything between.
Perhaps we're turning over a new leaf as a front-runner in the fight for equality?
A look at the future of our parent foundation.
This week's featured content
Finally, a break for the vandalism fighters!
Your detailed look at one of Wikipedia's largest contests.
By night, she smites trolls on the Internet with positive punishment: for each harassing email she receives, one Wikipedia article on a woman in science is created.
Wherein I am STILL fucking angry about systemic bias and am highlighting kick-ass articles we created and improved this month in our never-ending quest to fix it.
The Oscars, Super Tuesday, and Super Saturday"

The Signpost: 16 March 2016

Parties could not agree on extending the 2009 agreement.
Two board members on stage at the popular yearly event.
The road ahead for the WMF.
Wikipedia news sparks editing disagreements.
Featured content
An interview with a MediaWiki developer.
Time to move abroad.
The popular podcast returns.
A Deutschland anniversary.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:13, 19 March 2016 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXX, March 2016

Full front page of The Bugle
Your Military History Newsletter

The Bugle is published by the Military history WikiProject. To receive it on your talk page, please join the project or sign up here.
If you are a project member who does not want delivery, please remove your name from this page. Your editors, Ian Rose (talk) and Nick-D (talk) 12:15, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 23 March 2016

The Signpost speaks with the incoming WMF interim executive director.
The outgoing ED to be honored at Davos.
Piracy and controversy.
Are readers exhausted?
All of us can do better.
The week in newly promoted content.
Motions from the Committee.
Discussing the upcoming Italian Wikimania.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:24, 27 March 2016 (UTC)

April Fools? Nope! Welcome to the Women Scientists worldwide online edit-a-thon during Year of Science

Join us!

Women Scientists - worldwide online edit-a-thon -
a Year of Science initiative

(To subscribe, Women in Red/Invite list. Unsubscribe, Women in Red/Opt-out list) --Rosiestep (talk) 01:59, 1 April 2016 (UTC) via MassMessage

The Signpost: 1 April 2016

A surprise political announcement.
Police haul away some article content.
Rock out to this interview with project editors.
¿Quién es más macho?
.
Set your Wayback Machine.
Current research about Wikimedia projects.
A roundtable discussion about current Wikimedia issues.
Using hashtags to track the results of Wikimedia outreach.
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:12, 1 April 2016 (UTC)

Please contact me

Dear @Kirill Lokshin: I just sent an email through Wikipedia. Please contact me through email.

Hello, Kirill Lokshin. Please check your email; you've got mail!
It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.

Geraldshields11 (talk) 13:26, 7 April 2016 (UTC)

template request

Hi Kirill. We haven't met, so Hi! Um.... I noticed that you are the person who created the Template:WikiProject banner shell. I wonder if one could, and if you can, create a similar thing for Template:Connected_contributor. The reason I am asking is that sometimes there are very, very many connected contributors, like at Talk:European Graduate School and it takes up too much space. If this is not possible, please let me know, and if it something you don't want to or can't work on, that's of course fine, just let me know and I can ask others who've worked on the banner shell, or anybody else to whom you might direct me. I know nothing about this template coding stuff. ack. (I'm watching here, so you can reply here). Thanks! Jytdog (talk) 09:34, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

@Jytdog: The connected contributor template is a little different from WikiProject banners in that there's a single template which lists all of the contributor entries, rather than one template per entry (as is the case with WikiProjects). In order for something like {{WikiProject banner shell}} to work, each contributor's entry would need to be its own template, which I'm not sure would be desirable (or would actually reduce the space the templates take up, for that matter).
The other option would be to make {{Connected contributor}} itself collapsible in some fashion. This wouldn't be difficult to implement in principle, but might be a controversial change in practice, as it could make it more difficult to find the contributors' names. I can put together some mock-ups if you're interested. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 01:32, 11 April 2016 (UTC)
Thanks so much for getting back to me on that! Very nice of you. I was exploring before seeking consensus... Let me see if there is interest from others - and will come back to you. Thanks again Jytdog (talk) 01:35, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

Wikimania?

Greetings, Kirill. I was planning to go to Wikimania with my wife (I'm giving a presentation there), but it is now questionable that she will be able to make it because of work. Are you going? I'd rather travel with someone. Cheers! bd2412 T 00:12, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

@BD2412: Unfortunately, I'm not going to be at Wikimania this year. Kirill Lokshin (talk) 01:24, 11 April 2016 (UTC)
Thanks for letting me know - you'll be missed. If you know anyone local who is going, send them my info. Cheers! bd2412 T 04:12, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 14 April 2016

They do have plenty of time on their hands
More turnover in the foundation
Copyright laws, prisoners, and the future of technology
Featured content
American politics seem to have finally bored people
The drought is finally over!
A look at political satire, brought to you by Wikipedia and Commons
* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:46, 14 April 2016 (UTC)

WikiProject X Newsletter • Issue 8

Newsletter • March / April 2016

This month:

Transclude article requests anywhere on Wikipedia

In the last issue of the WikiProject X Newsletter, I discussed the upcoming Wikipedia Requests system: a central database for outstanding work on Wikipedia. I am pleased to announce Wikipedia Requests is live! Its purpose is to supplement automatically generated lists, such as those from SuggestBot, Reports bot, or Wikidata. It is currently being demonstrated on WikiProject Occupational Safety and Health (which I work on as part of my NIOSH duties) and WikiProject Women scientists.

Adding a request is as simple as filling out a form. Just go to the Add form to add your request. Adding sources will help ensure that your request is fulfilled more quickly. And when a request is fulfilled, simply click "mark as complete" and it will be removed from all the lists it's on. All at the click of a button! (If anyone is concerned, all actions are logged.)

With this new service is a template to transclude these requests: {{Wikipedia Requests}}. It's simple to use: add the template to a page, specifying article=, category=, or wikiproject=, and the list will be transcluded. For example, for requests having to do with all living people, just do {{Wikipedia Requests|category=Living people}}. Use these lists on WikiProjects but also for edit-a-thons where you want a convenient list of things to do on hand. Give it a shot!

Help us build our list!

The value of Wikipedia Requests comes from being a centralized database. The long work to migrating individual lists into this combined list is slowly underway. As of writing, we have 883 open tasks logged in Wikipedia Requests. We need your help building this list.

If you know of a list of missing articles, or of outstanding tasks for existing articles, that you would like to migrate to this new system, head on over to Wikipedia:Wikipedia Requests#Transition project and help out. Doing this will help put your list in front of more eyes—more than just your own WikiProject.

An open database means new tools

WikiProject X maintains a database that associates article talk pages (and draft talk pages) with WikiProjects. This database powers many of the reports that Reports bot generates. However, until very recently, this database was not made available to others who might find its data useful. It's only common sense to open up the database and let others build tools with it.

And indeed: Citation Hunt, the game to add citations to Wikipedia, now lets you filter by WikiProject, using the data from our database.

Are you a tool developer interested in using this? Here are some details: the database resides on Tool Labs with the name s52475__wpx_p. The table that associates WikiProjects with articles and drafts is called projectindex. Pages are stored by talk page title but in the future this should change. Have fun!

On the horizon
  • The work on the CollaborationKit extension continues. The extension will initially focus on reducing template and Lua bloat on WikiProjects (especially our WPX UI demonstration projects), and will from there create custom interfaces for creating and maintaining WikiProjects.
  • The WikiCite meeting will be in Berlin in May. The goal of the meeting is to figure out how to build a bibliographic database for use on the Wikimedia projects. This fits in quite nicely with WikiProject X's work: we want to make it easier for people to find things to work on, and with a powerful, open bibliographic database, we can build recommendations for sources. This feature was requested by the Wikipedia Library back in September, and this meeting is a major next step. We look forward to seeing what comes out of this meeting.


Until next time,

Harej (talk) 01:29, 20 April 2016 (UTC)

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