en User talk:Vertium Archives 2017 1

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Biography feedback requested

Your input is requested about an RFC regarding Donald Trump. Here is a link directly to that RFC. The lead of that biography currently says, "Many of his statements in interviews, on Twitter, and at campaign rallies have been controversial." The RFC proposes to insert the words "or false" at the end of that sentence. Thank you in advance for participating. If you have the time, there is a second RFC at that talk page which proposes to instead add the words "or hyperbolic".Anythingyouwant (talk) 00:46, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 September 2016

News and notes: AffCom still grappling with WMF Board's criteria for new chapters

Special report: Olympics readership depended on language

In the media: Librarians, Wikipedians, and a library of Wikipedia coverage

WikiProject report: Watching Wikipedia

Featured content: Entertainment, sport, and something else in-between

Traffic report: From Phelps to Bolt to Reddit

Technology report: Wikimedia mobile sites now don't load images if the user doesn't see them

Recent research: Ethics of machine-created articles and fighting vandalism

Blog: Upload of free photos from Swiss library underway

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The Signpost: 29 September 2016

News and notes: Wikipedia Education Program case study published; and a longtime Wikimedian has made his final edit

In the media: Wikipedia in the news

Featured content: Three weeks in the land of featured content

Arbitration report: Arbcom looking for new checkusers and oversight appointees while another case opens

Traffic report: From Gene Wilder to JonBenét

Technology report: Category sorting and template parameters

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New newsletter for Notifications

Hello

You are subscribing to the Notifications newsletter on English Wikipedia.

That newsletter is now replaced by the monthly and multilingual Collaboration team newsletter, which will include information and updates concerning Notifications but also concerning Flow and Edit Review Improvements.

Please subscribe!

All the best, Trizek (WMF) (talk) 10:51, 29 September 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 14 October 2016

News and notes: Fundraising, flora and fauna

Discussion report: Cultivating leadership: Wikimedia Foundation seeks input

In the media: A news columnist on the frustrations of tweaking his Wikipedia bio

Technology report: Upcoming tech projects for 2017

Featured content: Variety is the spice of life

Traffic report: Debates and escapes

Recent research: A 2011 study resurfaces in a media report

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The Signpost: 4 November 2016

News and notes: Finally, a new CTO; trustee joins Quora; copyright upgrade impending

In the media: Washington Post continues in-depth Wikipedia coverage

Wikicup: WikiCup winners

Discussion report: What's on your tech wishlist for the coming year?

Technology report: New guideline for technical collaboration; citation templates now flag open access content

Featured content: Cream of the crop

Traffic report: Un-presidential politics

Arbitration report: Recapping October's activities

Recent research: Why women edit less, and where they are overrepresented; article importance and quality; predicting elections from Wikipedia

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:52, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

ArbCom Elections 2016: Voting now open!

Hello, Vertium. Voting in the 2016 Arbitration Committee elections is open from Monday, 00:00, 21 November through Sunday, 23:59, 4 December to all unblocked users who have registered an account before Wednesday, 00:00, 28 October 2016 and have made at least 150 mainspace edits before Sunday, 00:00, 1 November 2016.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2016 election, please review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:08, 21 November 2016 (UTC)

RC Patrol-related Proposals in the 2016 Community Wishlist Survey

Greetings Recent Changes Patrollers!

This is a one-time-only message to inform you about technical proposals related to Recent Changes Patrol in the 2016 Community Wishlist Survey that I think you may be interested in reviewing and perhaps even voting for:

Further, there are more than 20 proposals related to Watchlists in general that you may be interested in reviewing. (and over 260 proposals in all, across many aspects of wikis)

Thank you for your consideration. Please note that voting for proposals continues through December 12, 2016.

Note: You received this message because you have transcluded {{User wikipedia/RC Patrol}} (user box) on your user page. Since this message is "one-time-only" there is no opt out for future mailings.

Best regards, Stevietheman — Delivered: 01:11, 8 December 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 22 December 2016

Year in review: Looking back on 2016

News and notes: Strategic planning update; English ArbCom election results

Special report: German ArbCom implodes

In focus: Active user page filter prevents vandalism and harassment

Op-ed: Operation successful, patient dead: Outreach workshops in Namibia

In the media: In brief: Coverage of gender gap initiatives, banner fundraising, and more

Featured content: The Christmas edition

Technology report: Labs improvements impact 2016 Tool Labs survey results

Traffic report: Post-election traffic blues

Blog: Wiki Loves Monuments contest winners announced

Recent research: One study and several abstracts

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The Signpost: 17 January 2017

From the editor: Next steps for the Signpost

News and notes: Surge in RFA promotions—a sign of lasting change?

Interview: What is it like to edit Wikipedia when you're blind?

In the media: Year-end roundups, Wikipedia's 16th birthday, and more

Featured content: One year ends, and another begins

Arbitration report: Concluding 2016 and covering 2017's first two cases

Traffic report: Out with the old, in with the new

Technology report: Tech present, past, and future

Recent research: Female Wikipedians aren't more likely to edit women biographies; Black Lives Matter in Wikipedia

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 10:38, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 6 February 2017

Arbitration report: WMF Legal and ArbCom weigh in on tension between disclosure requirements and user privacy

Special report: Wolves nip at Wikipedia's heels: A perspective on the cost of paid editing

News and notes: Official WMF rebuke to Trump policy; WMF secures restricted funds

In focus: WMF strategy consultant brings background in crisis reputation management; Team behind popular WMF software put "on pause"

WikiProject report: For the birds!

Op-ed: How to make editing workshops useful, even if participants don't stick around

In the media: Presidential politics, periodic table, and our periodic roundup of updates

Technology report: Better PDFs, backup plans, and birthday wishes

Traffic report: Cool It Now

Featured content: Three weeks dominated by articles

Forum: Productive collaboration around coordinated protest marches; Media and political personalities comment on Wikipedia at its 16th birthday celebration

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 10:45, 6 February 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 4 November 2016

News and notes: Arbitration Committee elections commence

In the media: Roundup of news related to U.S. presidential election and more

Blog: The top fifteen winning photos from Wiki Loves Earth

Gallery: Around the world with Wiki Loves Monuments 2016

Featured content: Featured mix

Special report: Taking stock of the Good Article backlog

Op-ed: Fundraising data should be more transparent

Traffic report: President-elect Trump

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 09:06, 26 November 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 27 February 2017

From the editors: Results from our poll on subscription and delivery, and a new RSS feed

Recent research: Special issue: Wikipedia in education

Technology report: Responsive content on desktop; Offline content in Android app

In the media: The Daily Mail does not run Wikipedia

Gallery: A Met montage

Special report: Peer review – a history and call for reviewers

Op-ed: Wikipedia has cancer

Featured content: The dominance of articles continues

Traffic report: Love, football, and politics

Blog: WikiIndaba 2017: A continent gathers to chart a path forward

* Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:20, 28 February 2017 (UTC)

Please comment on File talk:Einstein and Locker-Lampson.jpeg

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Please comment on Talk:Laura Prepon

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Please comment on Talk:List of pharmacies

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The Signpost: 9 June 2017

From the editors: Signpost status: On reserve power, help wanted!

News and notes: Global Elections

Arbitration report: Cases closed in the Pacific and with Magioladitis

Op-ed: Wikipedia's lead sentence problem

Featured content: Three months in the land of the featured

In the media: Did Wikipedia just assume Garfield's gender?

Recent research: Wikipedia bot wars capture the imagination of the popular press

Technology report: Tech news catch-up

Traffic report: Film on Top: Sampling the weekly top 10

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Please comment on Talk:Blockbuster LLC

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Please comment on Talk:Ethereum

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Please comment on Talk:List of secret police organizations

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Please comment on Template talk:Locomotives and rolling stock of the Victorian Railways, predecessors and successors

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Please comment on Talk:2017 Portland train attack

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The Signpost: 23 June 2017

News and notes: Departments reorganized at Wikimedia Foundation, and a month without new RfAs (so far)

In the media: Kalanick's nipples; Episode #138 of Drama on the Hill

Op-ed: Facto Post: a fresh take

Featured content: Will there ever be a break? The slew of featured content continues

Traffic report: Wonder Woman beats Batman, The Mummy, Darth Vader and the Earth

Recent research: Utopian bubbles: Can Wikipedians create value outside of the capitalist system?

Technology report: Improved search, and WMF data scientist tells all

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Please comment on Talk:Qaboos bin Said al Said

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Please comment on Talk:Bob Stoops

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The Signpost: 15 July 2017

News and notes: French chapter woes, new affiliates and more WMF team changes

Featured content: Spectacular animals, Pine Trees screens, and more

In the media: Concern about access and fairness, Foundation expenditures, and relationship to real-world politics and commerce

Recent research: The chilling effect of surveillance on Wikipedia readers

Op-ed: Why Task Forces are Dying in 2017

Gallery: A mix of patterns

Humour: The Infobox Game

Traffic report: Film, television and Internet phenomena reign with some room left over for America's birthday

Technology report: New features in development; more breaking changes for scripts

Wikicup: 2017 WikiCup round 3 wrap-up

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Administrators

Hello Vertium,

I hope that we can have a conversation about what you describe as authoritarian administrators on your user page. I would be very pleased if you would consider returning to editing more frequently. That is, of course, your decision entirely. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it`

Hi Jim, (I'm Steve). I very much appreciate the offer of a conversation regarding observations of Administrative behavior by the very few that have made me back away from the project. Trust me, I fully understand that in a somewhat free-for-all environment of a wiki, there's an absolute requirement for people to wield the mop (and sometimes a stick) when things get messy. But in general, I've learned in my many years of doing this and in corporate leadership as well, that more is accomplished with civility and respect than with simple authority. Everyone knows an administrator has power, but no one likes hearing them brag about it, or having them use it rudely. When an administrator takes an action that dissuades a contributor from continuing, or in essence says, "thanks for your suggestion, but we'll do it my way", they seem more on a path of self-aggrandizement than project administration. At the risk of sounding trite, it only takes a few of those episodes to sour the desire to continue.

I don't for a moment believe that my contributions are or have been in any way more significant or important than anyone else's. Most of my editing has been in fighting vandalism, AfD and the former CVUA, to train those eager to fight vandalism to do it properly and educate those wanting to contribute to become more active in the project. I even developed a rubric for the education of vandalism-fighter academy, but one specific administrator announced he was in charge of that. He took elements of it, rolled it out as his own and excluded me from further participation. I found that unreasonable. Lastly, I've discontinued my monetary contributions to the project as well, though I will consider changing that stance if the recent changes to the Foundation leadership prove to be effective in making this a better environment for those of us who don't want to be admins, but want to contribute and feel as though their fellow volunteers at least appreciate it. I maintain great respect for those who work on this project because they believe in it. I have little respect for those who undertake adminship simply for more authority and power.

Again, I really appreciate you reaching out and inviting the dialogue. I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on this. All the best... Vertium ^{When all is said} _{and done} 20:32, 25 July 2017 (UTC)

Hello Steve. I did not choose to be an administrator for authority or power. That being said, I am truly honored by the support I received. I was asked many times to step forward and declined many times, but due to some positive developments with a disabled son, now seemed the right time. I take a very narrow view of administrator power. We delete and undelete articles, protect and unprotect articles, block clearly disruptive editors and unblock them when disruption has stopped, and so on. As I see it, administrators have no special powers regarding content or projects like an "academy", except in the sense that we are by definition pretty experienced editors. I am kind of a "strange beast" right now. I am a brand new administrator who hasn't yet used the toolkit. I spent the past few days thanking people and am now in the midst of an intense period of off-Wikipedia work that will dominate my attention for six days.

I do not donate money to the WMF since I donate so much time. They have plenty of money and need better communication and liason with editors more so than money. Perhaps that can be part of my role. I live near San Francisco and frequently attend WMF events there. Though I do not know the latest Executive Director well, I have met her (Katherine Maher) a few times and like her very much. I know many current and former WMF staffers and morale has definitely improved since Katherine took over.

I have never had a truly bad experience with an administrator but I have heard enough negative stories to be sure that it sometimes happens. The frequency must be hard to quantify since most editors do not spend time documenting their good interactions with administrators. As I transition to my new role, I am going to try to be one of the good guys and hope that I do not become jaded by interaction with trolls and vandals. If you ever see me being rude or abrupt, please let me know. I am alert to your concerns. Thank you. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 05:21, 26 July 2017 (UTC)

I suspected, after reading all the support !votes on your RfA, that you were not likely to be a negative admin. And my vote of neutrality on your RfA was admittedly more of an expression of my overall frustration with the adminship process and the relationship between experienced editors who want to help and the few bad apples amongst the admins. I am always open to dialogue, and even correction if I make an error. And while I concur with your statement that admins should have no special power over projects like the academy, they do in practical terms. And it's easier to back away than argue. My pledge to you, primarily because you took the extra effort to reach out, is to give serious consideration to more active editing. As I said earlier, I do believe in the project, and considering a return is the least I can do to support your new adminship. Thanks and best wishes for your off-WP work efforts! Vertium ^{When all is said} _{and done} 20:25, 27 July 2017 (UTC)