This is an archive of past discussions with User:Johnny Au. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.
Earlier this year, the Editing team ran a large study of the Reply Tool. The main goal was to find out whether the Reply Tool helped newer editors communicate on various wikis. The second goal was to assess whether the comments that newer editors made using the tool needed to be reverted more frequently than comments newer editors made with the existing wikitext page editor.
The key results were:
Newer editors who had automatic ("default on") access to the Reply tool were more likely to post a comment on a talk page.
The comments that newer editors made with the Reply Tool were also less likely to be reverted than the comments that newer editors made with page editing.
These results give the Editing team confidence that the tool is helpful for editors.
Looking ahead
The team is planning to make the Reply tool available to everyone as an opt-out preference in the coming months. This has already happened at the Arabic, Czech, and Hungarian Wikipedias.
You can turn on "Discussion Tools" in Beta Features now as it becomes available in the English Wikipedia for those interested. After you get the Reply tool, you can change your preferences at any time here.
Given that the List of COVID-19 deaths in South Africa article is kept, there is no stopping someone like me from creating a similar article for deaths in Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa article could be split up into separate articles like how it is done for COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, complete with separate timeline articles and for various jurisdictions. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 16:10, 9 January 2022 (UTC)
I would support the splitting of the article in that manner. It can be one article for the statistics, one article for the timeline, and one article for prominent jurisdictions. I do not know if there is a consensus against creating a list of deaths by country, but lists of COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, Canada, France, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, most of which are countries that have more COVID-19 deaths than South Africa, do not exist. I have not seen any previous attempt to create any of those. If there is a consensus against creating articles like those, then I do not see a reason why List of COVID-19 deaths in South Africa should exist. LSGH (talk) (contributions) 17:00, 9 January 2022 (UTC)
I strongly agree regarding splitting articles by statistics, timeline, and specific jurisdictions (and if those specific jurisdictions get bloated, then split further, which had been done with Ontario (with timeline articles split by year, an article pertaining to vaccination, an article pertaining to the provincial government response in that province, and articles pertaining to specific cities (Toronto and Ottawa) and regional municipalities (Peel Region and York Region, both being populous suburban regional municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area))). The only reason why I had the COVID-19 deaths in South Africa article be added to AfD in the first place is that the other countries don't have an equivalent list. If consensus opposes the creation of articles pertaining to COVID-19 deaths in various other specific countries (especially those that you have listed), then it would no doubt be hypocritical. I have no problems with the List of COVID-19 deaths in South Africa article existing if there are equivalent lists for a few other countries and the differences between the country-specific lists and the world list are the inclusion of appropriate administrative divisions and references in the country-specific lists to prevent duplication. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 02:06, 10 January 2022 (UTC)
When I have the time, which will be determined, I might create the List of COVID-19 deaths in Canada article based on the South Africa article. After all, there's no deadline and the pandemic is far from over. Once again, if the Canada article were to be deleted, then the South Africa article needs to be deleted as well for consistency's sake. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 14:45, 5 March 2022 (UTC)
Toronto Transit Commission fares
I edited the Special fare arrangements section of the Toronto Transit Commission fares article and gave a tongue-lashing to a certain numbered-name editor to stop their disrupting editing, not realizing it was you modifying their edits. Sorry; as you don't fit the description of a disruptive editor. But you did restore some inaccurate/redundant things they said that I removed like saying transfers are 'free' to connecting 905 transit if the Zone 2 fare was paid, even though those transfers aren't then free by definition, and 'legacy' tickets rather than just tickets.
Somewhat related (didn't check that until after the edit was saved and haven't reverted it yet) was the removal of the mention of the fare-paid terminals at stations part of the Transfers section. This is a notable tidbit to transfers not being valid for surface routes that serve the station as such terminals make transfers unneeded at many stations anyways (as well as bringing up the fact such terminals exist). Transportfan70 (talk) 18:41, 27 April 2022 (UTC)
@Transportfan70: I have only made very minor changes to the article (like adding or removing a comma where appropriate or cleaning up the grammar). I have not restored anything controversial. It's just that my edits came together with the disruptive edits. Let me ping Joeyconnick as well for some clarification. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:17, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
Sorry... what am I being pinged for? I made a major revert recently to get rid of the continued garbage edits by Alex (Brampton) (and edits by an IP that are clearly also by him as they include the same craptastic errors over and over)... sorry if I caught some good edits there but otherwise there was no way to clean up the mess he constantly leaves. I used to try to correct things but now I just generally revert unless his changes are exceedingly minor. —Joeyconnick (talk) 07:46, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
I don't know where to start, you've done lots of amazing things to Wikipedia (especially articles about Canada)! This is why I have chosen to give this barnstar to you as a big THANK YOU!
The Special Barnstar
I've given you this barnstar for a lot of reasons, working hard, removing vandalism, showing lots of kindness, etc. Congrats on being written about by a media organization, you deserve it for this amazing work you've done to shape Wikipedia! DinosaurTrexXX33(chat?)23:07, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
I humbly accept the barnstar and added it to my growing barnstar collection, especially given that I haven't received a new barnstar in almost a decade (despite me being mentioned by a major media outlet (the Toronto Star daily newspaper to be more specific) in between). Thank you so much for awarding me the Special Barnstar, DinosaurTrexXX33, as well as mentioning the fact that I was mentioned in a major media outlet. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:19, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
PS: You may need to refresh the page or wait for the right version with upward sloping text to appear as this isn't the version that's supposed to be here. Transportfan70 (talk) 19:46, 18 August 2022 (UTC)
So what's the deal regarding the map? I made a tweak and would like to overwrite the file. Also, are there any free or cheap vectorization programs available online? Transportfan70 (talk) 00:43, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
The map looks amazing! There's Inkscape, which is free. Figma is also free (though it has premium subscription options). Affinity Designer is among the best Adobe Illustrator alternatives out there (and Affinity Designer is C$75, though it goes on sale at times, such as Black Friday). I personally use Affinity Designer (and Illustrator). However, for the purposes of drawing diagrams, Clip Studio Paint isn't recommended, despite having vectorized lines (Clip Studio Paint is better suited for drawing comics (both manga and Western-style)). Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 14:14, 25 August 2022 (UTC)
I uploaded the black map but find I don't really like the look of the pics in articles as it doesn't look any different from the .png version until you click on it. I made a white version but many of the station names went all over the place after uploading (but it looks perfect in fullscreen). How do I fix it?
Other than that, how do you feel about the white version?
So you have no idea or solution as to the actual cause? IMO, it sounds like an uploader issue (i.e. "not allowed in SVG files", not a file problem. Do you work with .svg files yourself? Transportfan70 (talk) 00:55, 14 September 2022 (UTC)
I have downloaded it, saved it, and the same problems you described also happened to me on both Affinity Designer and Adobe Illustrator. It is recommended that you draw the entire system entirely from scratch without importing any assets that can screw up. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 14:05, 14 September 2022 (UTC)
I finally got it! I replaced the names with versions made in Paint.net and copypasted them as static objects which stayed put. I was able to copypaste them directly from Paint.net and didn't need to put them in a folder first. Didn't expect to able to do that between separate programs Transportfan70 (talk) 02:50, 16 September 2022 (UTC)
I strongly agree, especially given that mobile app versions of Wikipedia have a dark mode. The standard desktop browser version however does not have a dark mode available by default (and is only accessible via installing browser extensions or by installing skins on the userpage, neither of which can easily be done on shared devices). Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:03, 17 September 2022 (UTC)
The new [subscribe] button notifies users when someone replies to their comments. It helps newcomers get answers to their questions. Users reply sooner. You can read the report. The Editing team is turning this tool on for everyone by default. You will be able to turn it off in your preferences.
Hi there, Johnny Au, and thanks for all the great work on stats you've been doing. I was nevertheless intrigued by your comment on Wikipedia:Size of Wikipedia, "Note the small drop in article count from late August 2022 to early September 2022." I could not find any data or graphs to illustrate this. Could you be more explicit?--Ipigott (talk) 13:07, 26 September 2022 (UTC)
Is this connected to the word count of 17,806,773 for 1 September as compared to an average of well over 20 million in previous months? Is there any explanation for this?--Ipigott (talk) 13:20, 26 September 2022 (UTC)
I'd like to extend a cordial invitation to you to join the Fifteen Year Society, an informal group for editors who've been participating in the Wikipedia project for fifteen years or more.
@Chris troutman: I humbly accept the one-year belated invitation. Thank you so much. I have put the society's icon on the top of my user page and here on the top of my user talk page. It is a great pleasure to join the Fifteen-Year Society. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 03:02, 22 December 2022 (UTC)
Wow. +1 to the above. This is a stunning level of dedication. I hope this does not put too much pressure on you to keep up the streak. :) Mz7 (talk) 08:31, 20 January 2023 (UTC)
@Legoktm: Thanks for the barnstar. I have added it to my growing collection. It is hard to believe that I am the record holder for the longest consecutive edit streak on any Wikipedia. Since late 2007 even! I must be the most persistent Wikipedian ever, more so than any bot even. I am unsure if that merits a Guinness World Record though as Wikipedians are generally not given much love, especially from the folks running Guinness World Records (as the vast majority of Wikipedia users are not Wikipedians as Wikipedians make edits, regardless of being registered or not, though all Wikipedians are Wikipedia users). Despite me participating in the SOPAboycott on January 18, 2012, it did not break my streak as the streak is based on UTC rather than Eastern Standard Time as used in Toronto. Only one other Wikipedian has the current streak predating the SOPA boycott as of this reply. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 17:34, 20 January 2023 (UTC)
I have applied for the Guinness World Record anyways after recommendations from my manager at work and from Annie Rauwerda of Depths of Wikipedia using Google Meet. It's always worth a try. I will wait at least 12 weeks (until around late May 2023) for a reply from the people in charge of reviewing records for Guinness World Records and it would be great if the record is considered legitimate. There is no guarantee I would receive a Guinness World Record certificate and official recognition. If I get certified, then it's great. If not, oh well. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 01:04, 3 March 2023 (UTC)
The show went well. I received a standing ovation as well when she gave me a shout-out regarding my record and the fact that there is a Toronto Star newspaper article on me. The article is linked at the top of my user talk page. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:16, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
I loathe being the bearer of bad news, but Guinness World Records officials declined my world record request because they deem it "uncompetitive," given that others are not interested in usurping my record, as well as the possibility for bots to hold the record who obviously have zero interest in holding the record. It is an unfortunate fact of life. At least I have an unofficial world record. On a more general note, I did not specifically set out to have the longest active editing streak record. I just so happen to have the record. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:09, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
If you haven't seen already, WikiConference North America will conveniently be in Toronto this year in November. I think people would love to hear from you what and how you edit, what your routine is like, what keeps you going, etc. if you'd be interested in speaking :-) (If that's too daunting I'd be happy to collaborate on a proposal together or something else!). Legoktm (talk) 16:51, 24 July 2023 (UTC)
@Legoktm: I have taken a look and I am interested in registering. However, the registration page is currently down. Let me know when it is back up. No, I will not register on Musk's bird website just to receive a notification when the registration page is back up. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:16, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
@Legoktm: I am attending the conference today and tomorrow, though I am staying for only a few hours, mostly to say hello and attend some talks I am interested in, given that I have other commitments. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 14:59, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
@Johnny Au: Are you inside the library right now? Or still outside? I'll try to find you. (Feel free to email me if you don't want to post it publicly) Legoktm (talk) 15:10, 11 November 2023 (UTC)
Thank you so much for giving me this fluffy red kitten. My current streak is almost half my current age, given that I was born in the late 1980s. By the way, I have automated the kitten's feeding process and made it convert all bodily waste into energy. Oh, and this kitten is now immortal as long as I maintain my record editing streak. To prevent this kitten from dying, I have to make at least one edit on the English Wikipedia per day based on UTC. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 12:11, 27 April 2023 (UTC)
WikiCelebrate
Celebrating... You!
A star among stars. Thank you for your endless contributions to our movement and beyond. We celebrate you today and everyday.
University of Toronto has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 01:58, 14 September 2023 (UTC)
It is an unfortunate fact that it is no longer a good article and has been delisted as a result, given the lack of major cleanup edits other than my own mostly minor edits. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 03:08, 1 October 2023 (UTC)
Hi, Johnny! As many people have already noticed, your editing streak is absolutely amazing. And worth celebrating! I would like to invite you to be part of WikiCelebrate project, as someone who is celebrated. You can find the details at the page, but is just a simple way of telling the movement about amazing Wikimedians. If you would like to be one of the Wikimedians we celebrate there, please drop me an email: nszafranwikimedia.org. It would be great to tell the movement more about your wiki-work (It makes a difference, for example, because of you I feel more motivated to edit regularly on my volunteer account!). Thank you for the awesome work that you are doing! NSzafran-WMF (talk) 15:18, 22 June 2023 (UTC)
I replied to the e-mail you sent me, NSzafran-WMF. I have also filled out the online form, clarified about myself and my role on Wikipedia, and included a recent photograph of myself that can be uploaded to Commons (in a nod to the 2015 Toronto Star article about myself and my contribution to the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team article, I wore a Majestic Toronto Blue Jays T-shirt and a New Era Jays baseball cap as seen on the right). Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 15:47, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
I have also added my photo to the top of my userpage because I am now considered notable within the Wikipedia community (but not notable enough for a Wikipedia article yet, despite there being a few non-WMF-affiliated reliable sources about myself as linked at the top of the page, including the Toronto Star article about myself). Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:28, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
Hi Johnny. Thanks again for attending the last Toronto WikiClub in January! If you want to help plan the next meeting, please add your name in the designated section of the WikiClub page. Please do not worry if you are not interested in the organizing aspect. We will keep everyone informed once the meetup is scheduled through the WikiClub page.
SophieWMCA (talk) 16:16, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
Thanks for the offer, but I would wait and see first. It depends on where and when the meetup is scheduled as I have many real-life commitments outside of Wikipedia. There's also the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, despite it being on a Monday and being at least ten kilometres outside Toronto's city limits on land and I have plans to go to West Harbour GO station in Hamilton by GO Train on the Lakeshore West line to see the eclipse as Hamilton is easily accessible from Toronto by GO Train. Not just that, but there may be various Pokémon Go events I would like to attend. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 00:13, 6 March 2024 (UTC)
The next meeting may not occur in the foreseeable future due to lack of interest and communication from Wikipedians who attended the previous meeting, including myself. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 01:00, 8 May 2024 (UTC)
@Félix An: I accept your apology. Thanks. You contribute well to the project. Just remember that self-promotion is highly discouraged on Wikipedia for the same reason why the photo of myself wearing Toronto Blue Jays-branded clothing does not belong in the Toronto Blue Jays article; it belongs on my userpage however. Your photo however would belong on your userpage as it is about you. I have no problems with the photo itself, actually. It would look good on your userpage and only your userpage, nowhere else though. Johnny Au (talk/contributions) 13:12, 5 April 2024 (UTC)
A barnstar for you!
The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
Congrats on 6,000 consecutive days of editing! Well, at least according to this tool. From 2007 to 2024; 16 whole years of editing! Have a nice day and keep up the good work. WolverineXI(talk to me)07:17, 14 April 2024 (UTC)