News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2018).

Administrator changes

None

Chochopk • Coffee • Gryffindor • Jimp • Knowledge Seeker • Lankiveil • Peridon • Rjd0060

Guideline and policy news

• The ability to create articles directly in mainspace is now indefinitely restricted to autoconfirmed users.
• A proposal is being discussed which would create a new "event coordinator" right that would allow users to temporarily add the "confirmed" flag to new user accounts and to create many new user accounts without being hindered by a rate limit.

Technical news

• AbuseFilter has received numerous improvements, including an OOUI overhaul, syntax highlighting, ability to search existing filters, and a few new functions. In particular, the search feature can be used to ensure there aren't existing filters for what you need, and the new equals_to_any function can be used when checking multiple namespaces. One major upcoming change is the ability to see which filters are the slowest. This information is currently only available to those with access to Logstash.
• When blocking anonymous users, a cookie will be applied that reloads the block if the user changes their IP. This means in most cases, you may no longer need to do /64 range blocks on residential IPv6 addresses in order to effectively block the end user. It will also help combat abuse from IP hoppers in general. This currently only occurs when hard-blocking accounts.
• The block notice shown on mobile will soon be more informative and point users to a help page on how to request an unblock, just as it currently does on desktop.
• There will soon be a calendar widget at Special:Block, making it easier to set expiries for a specific date and time.

Arbitration

• The Arbitration Committee is seeking additional clerks to help with the arbitration process.

Obituaries

• Lankiveil (Craig Franklin) passed away in mid-April. Lankiveil joined Wikipedia on 12 August 2004 and became an administrator on 31 August 2008. During his time with the Wikimedia community, Lankiveil served as an oversighter for the English Wikipedia and as president of Wikimedia Australia.

Dear RickinBaltimore

I have shortened the Draft:Medhananda very much and added verifiable References. And then I submitted it on March 7th. Could you please have a look, whether the article is really submitted now? Because I have had no echo since then. And if the article is still not ready to be published, could you please give me the name of a person I could ask what to do next? Thank you GoldenerBall GoldenerBall (talk) 08:33, 2 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-02T08:33:00.000Z","author":"GoldenerBall","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-GoldenerBall-2018-05-02T08:33:00.000Z-Draft:Medhananda","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-02T12:46:00.000Z-GoldenerBall-2018-05-02T08:33:00.000Z"]}}-->

It still doesn't seem to fix the issues with notability that were posted on the denied draft message from November. The best thing you can do, is try to resubmit the article through the AFC process and see what is said there to help improve the article. Also, you can go to the WP:HELPDESK for suggestions on how to improve the page there. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:46, 2 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-02T12:46:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-02T12:46:00.000Z-GoldenerBall-2018-05-02T08:33:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Do you think you can hide this and the other revisions? --24.180.251.38 (talk) 17:03, 2 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-02T17:03:00.000Z","author":"24.180.251.38","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-24.180.251.38-2018-05-02T17:03:00.000Z-Revisions...","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-02T17:38:00.000Z-24.180.251.38-2018-05-02T17:03:00.000Z"]}}-->

Someone beat me to it actually. RickinBaltimore (talk) 17:38, 2 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-02T17:38:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-02T17:38:00.000Z-24.180.251.38-2018-05-02T17:03:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Just in case the ping didn't get through - FlightTime (open channel) 19:24, 15 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-15T19:24:00.000Z","author":"FlightTime","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-FlightTime-2018-05-15T19:24:00.000Z-Joe_Perry_1","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-15T19:27:00.000Z-FlightTime-2018-05-15T19:24:00.000Z"]}}-->

Got it. Sorry about that. RickinBaltimore (talk) 19:27, 15 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-15T19:27:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-15T19:27:00.000Z-FlightTime-2018-05-15T19:24:00.000Z","replies":["c-FlightTime-2018-05-15T19:31:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-15T19:27:00.000Z"]}}-->

Thanx. (no need for apologizes :) ). - FlightTime (open channel) 19:31, 15 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-15T19:31:00.000Z","author":"FlightTime","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-FlightTime-2018-05-15T19:31:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-15T19:27:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

You may wish to revoke talk page access.--Cahk (talk) 07:09, 16 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-16T07:09:00.000Z","author":"Cahk","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Cahk-2018-05-16T07:09:00.000Z-User_talk:Thebest123123xxxx","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-16T11:54:00.000Z-Cahk-2018-05-16T07:09:00.000Z"]}}-->

Thanks for that, I've done so. RickinBaltimore (talk) 11:54, 16 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-16T11:54:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-16T11:54:00.000Z-Cahk-2018-05-16T07:09:00.000Z","replies":["c-JarrahTree-2018-05-17T10:23:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-16T11:54:00.000Z"]}}-->

I think we have another one :( - sigh - with atrocious spelling whatsmore [1] JarrahTree 10:23, 17 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-17T10:23:00.000Z","author":"JarrahTree","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-JarrahTree-2018-05-17T10:23:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-16T11:54:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-17T12:19:00.000Z-JarrahTree-2018-05-17T10:23:00.000Z"]}}-->

I deleted the user's page for U5 and I'll keep an eye on their edits. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:19, 17 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-17T12:19:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":4,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-17T12:19:00.000Z-JarrahTree-2018-05-17T10:23:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hi Rick, I was about to create a redirect when i saw that an article on Marco Börries already existed, but was deleted by you some while ago. From the reasoning you gave (A7) I take it that the article was badly referenced not showing notability. However, Marco Börries is (or has been) clearly influental in the software industry as founder of StarDivision and a number of other companies. We really should have an article about him. So, unless the formerly existing article was junk, I think it should be restored and improved (so that we don't have to restart from scratch). If it lacked references, we can easily lift a few from the German WP article about him (de:Marco Börries), but it should also be relatively easy to find more references. --Matthiaspaul (talk) 10:09, 21 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-21T10:09:00.000Z","author":"Matthiaspaul","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Matthiaspaul-2018-05-21T10:09:00.000Z-Marco_B\u00f6rries","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-21T11:42:00.000Z-Matthiaspaul-2018-05-21T10:09:00.000Z"]}}-->

I wouldn't be opposed to a rewrite of the article, however the page deleted was written completely in German, not English. I'm not sure if restoring that makes any sense. You're of course free to recreate the page with the sourcing you have now. RickinBaltimore (talk) 11:42, 21 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-21T11:42:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-21T11:42:00.000Z-Matthiaspaul-2018-05-21T10:09:00.000Z","replies":["c-Matthiaspaul-2018-05-21T12:29:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-21T11:42:00.000Z"]}}-->

I see. Restoring an article in German language, of course, doesn't make sense - it is likely that it was a copy of the German WP article, anyway, so the contents could be recreated from there. I don't have the time for it right now, but might go for it in the future. Thanks. --Matthiaspaul (talk) 12:29, 21 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-21T12:29:00.000Z","author":"Matthiaspaul","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-Matthiaspaul-2018-05-21T12:29:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-21T11:42:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

on User talk:Bbb23 if you're around... —SerialNumber54129 ^{paranoia /cheap sh*t room} 12:20, 21 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-21T12:20:00.000Z","author":"Serial Number 54129","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Serial_Number_54129-2018-05-21T12:20:00.000Z-LTA","replies":["c-Serial_Number_54129-2018-05-21T12:28:00.000Z-Serial_Number_54129-2018-05-21T12:20:00.000Z"],"displayName":"\u2014SerialNumber54129"}}-->

Ah, you delegated it, eh  ;) thanks both. —SerialNumber54129 ^{paranoia /cheap sh*t room} 12:28, 21 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-21T12:28:00.000Z","author":"Serial Number 54129","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-Serial_Number_54129-2018-05-21T12:28:00.000Z-Serial_Number_54129-2018-05-21T12:20:00.000Z","replies":[],"displayName":"\u2014SerialNumber54129"}}-->

Thanks for blocking that user. Would you mind also rev-del'ing this edit summary as well: [2]. 92.97.122.248 (talk) 14:39, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-25T14:39:00.000Z","author":"92.97.122.248","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-92.97.122.248-2018-05-25T14:39:00.000Z-Thanks","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-25T14:44:00.000Z-92.97.122.248-2018-05-25T14:39:00.000Z"]}}-->

Got it. RickinBaltimore (talk) 14:44, 25 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-25T14:44:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-25T14:44:00.000Z-92.97.122.248-2018-05-25T14:39:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

• 5.151.28.192 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log)

Immediately after their fourth block in a row, 5.151.28.192 (who you may recall dealing with from WP:ANI not too long ago) went right back to their previous behaviour. NinjaRobotPirate has been dealing with this user's sock puppets. DarkKnight2149 21:08, 28 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-28T21:08:00.000Z","author":"Darkknight2149","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Darkknight2149-2018-05-28T21:08:00.000Z-He's_at_it_again","replies":["c-NeilN-2018-05-28T21:15:00.000Z-Darkknight2149-2018-05-28T21:08:00.000Z"],"displayName":"Dark"}}-->

(talk page watcher) Blocked again. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 21:15, 28 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-28T21:15:00.000Z","author":"NeilN","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-NeilN-2018-05-28T21:15:00.000Z-Darkknight2149-2018-05-28T21:08:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hi Rick, Could you block Free School Meals Scheme as they're the Furdai sock, Thanks, –Davey2010^Talk 13:30, 31 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-31T13:30:00.000Z","author":"Davey2010","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Davey2010-2018-05-31T13:30:00.000Z-Furdai_sock","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-31T13:32:00.000Z-Davey2010-2018-05-31T13:30:00.000Z"]}}-->

Got it, but you know *cough* You'd be good at this too *cough*. :) RickinBaltimore (talk) 13:32, 31 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-31T13:32:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-31T13:32:00.000Z-Davey2010-2018-05-31T13:30:00.000Z","replies":["c-Davey2010-2018-05-31T19:59:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-31T13:32:00.000Z"]}}-->

Haha thanks, If I'm honest I'm generally hopeless when it comes to socks today was a rare moment but thanks for that :), Anyway thanks for dealing with that, Take care, –Davey2010^Talk 19:59, 31 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-05-31T19:59:00.000Z","author":"Davey2010","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-Davey2010-2018-05-31T19:59:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-05-31T13:32:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2018).

Administrator changes

None

Al Ameer son • AliveFreeHappy • Cenarium • Lupo • MichaelBillington

Guideline and policy news

• Following a successful request for comment, administrators are now able to add and remove editors to the "event coordinator" group. Users in the event coordinator group have the ability to temporarily add the "confirmed" flag to new user accounts and to create many new user accounts without being hindered by a rate limit. Users will no longer need to be in the "account creator" group if they are in the event coordinator group.
• Following an AN discussion, all pages with content related to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, broadly construed, are now under indefinite general sanctions.

Technical news

• IP-based cookie blocks should be deployed to English Wikipedia in June. This will cause the block of a logged-out user to be reloaded if they change IPs. This means in most cases, you may no longer need to do /64 range blocks on residential IPv6 addresses in order to effectively block the end user. It will also help combat abuse from IP hoppers in general. For the time being, it only affects users of the desktop interface.
• The Wikimedia Foundation's Anti-Harassment Tools team will build granular types of blocks in 2018 (e.g. a block from uploading or editing specific pages, categories, or namespaces, as opposed to a full-site block). Feedback on the concept may be left at the talk page.
• There is now a checkbox on Special:ListUsers to let you see only users in temporary user groups.
• It is now easier for blocked mobile users to see why they were blocked.

Arbitration

• A recent technical issue with the Arbitration Committee's spam filter inadvertently caused all messages sent to the committee through Wikipedia (i.e. Special:EmailUser/Arbitration Committee) to be discarded. If you attempted to send an email to the Arbitration Committee via Wikipedia between May 16 and May 31, your message was not received and you are encouraged to resend it. Messages sent outside of these dates or directly to the Arbitration Committee email address were not affected by this issue.

Miscellaneous

• In early May, an unusually high level of failed login attempts was observed. The WMF has stated that this was an "external effort to gain unauthorized access to random accounts". Under Wikipedia policy, administrators are required to have strong passwords. To further reinforce security, administrators should also consider enabling two-factor authentication. A committed identity can be used to verify that you are the true account owner in the event that your account is compromised and/or you are unable to log in.

Hi Rick, you voted accept in the Andrevan case request. Yet you are listed as inactive at WP:AC?--Bbb23 (talk) 02:47, 8 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-08T02:47:00.000Z","author":"Bbb23","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Bbb23-2018-06-08T02:47:00.000Z-Arbitration","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-08T02:54:00.000Z-Bbb23-2018-06-08T02:47:00.000Z"]}}-->

I'm not going to be around very much next week, on vacation, so I will be slow to respond. If needed I can pop in to comment or discuss, but my connecting will be sporadic. RickinBaltimore (talk) 02:54, 8 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-08T02:54:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-08T02:54:00.000Z-Bbb23-2018-06-08T02:47:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hello, RickinBaltimore. 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. Qwirkle (talk) 21:15, 22 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-22T21:15:00.000Z","author":"Qwirkle","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Qwirkle-2018-06-22T21:15:00.000Z-You've_got_mail","replies":[]}}-->

Rick, I made an entry several years ago for Expertscape, which you deleted. I'd like to know if we could have someone write an acceptable entry for the website, which is being cited with some frequency in Wikipedia and has been referenced as a reliable and unbiased resource for healthcare information(including the book Patient's Playbook by Leslie Michelson). It uses the PubMed database to identify medical expertise using a rather sophisticated algorithm.

BTW, I'm also a Baltimore guy.

Thanks,

Brendan

PS - I've since posted an entry, but my hope is that someone who knows what they're doing can come in and fix it. I've no idea what I'm doing here and am not even certain you're able to read this...

B4chex11 (talk) 22:49, 14 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-14T22:49:00.000Z","author":"B4chex11","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-B4chex11-2018-08-14T22:49:00.000Z-You've_got_mail","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-15T14:10:00.000Z-B4chex11-2018-08-14T22:49:00.000Z"]}}-->

I have read over your request, I was going to restore the previous draft, as it was eligible for WP:REFUND, but see you have begun to work on recreating it. What I can recommend is leave a comment at the Teahouse, where a number of experienced editors, not just myself, can give you pointers on creating the page. RickinBaltimore (talk) 14:10, 15 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-15T14:10:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-15T14:10:00.000Z-B4chex11-2018-08-14T22:49:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Great. I'll do that. Thank you. B4chex11 (talk) 14:11, 20 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-20T14:11:00.000Z","author":"B4chex11","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-B4chex11-2018-08-20T14:11:00.000Z-You've_got_mail","replies":[]}}-->

A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Christine Jax is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Christine Jax until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. Dr. Fleischman (talk) 19:35, 26 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-26T19:35:00.000Z","author":"DrFleischman","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-DrFleischman-2018-06-26T19:35:00.000Z-Nomination_of_Christine_Jax_for_deletion","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-26T19:43:00.000Z-DrFleischman-2018-06-26T19:35:00.000Z"],"displayName":"Dr. Fleischman"}}-->

Thanks for the heads up. I just recreated the page as a redirect many moons ago. RickinBaltimore (talk) 19:43, 26 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-26T19:43:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-26T19:43:00.000Z-DrFleischman-2018-06-26T19:35:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Not sure what issue Made In Norfolk has with you, but maybe it has to something to do with all of the other "Made in XXXX" user accounts they are editing per Special:Contributions/Made In Norfolk. -- Marchjuly (talk) 06:12, 27 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-27T06:12:00.000Z","author":"Marchjuly","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Marchjuly-2018-06-27T06:12:00.000Z-User:Made_In_Norfolk","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:40:00.000Z-Marchjuly-2018-06-27T06:12:00.000Z"]}}-->

Yeah that's a rather interesting sockfarm that was using those userpages as a webhost for their WWE game it looks like. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:40, 27 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-27T12:40:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:40:00.000Z-Marchjuly-2018-06-27T06:12:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:41:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:40:00.000Z"]}}-->

There's a LOT to this it looks like. I'm going to file a SPI request on it. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:41, 27 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-27T12:41:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:41:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:40:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T14:36:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:41:00.000Z"]}}-->

And the sock farm has been blocked. RickinBaltimore (talk) 14:36, 27 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-27T14:36:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":4,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T14:36:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T12:41:00.000Z","replies":["c-Marchjuly-2018-06-27T22:10:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T14:36:00.000Z"]}}-->

It did seem rather obvious, that they were doing something they shouldn't have been doing. -- Marchjuly (talk) 22:10, 27 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-06-27T22:10:00.000Z","author":"Marchjuly","type":"comment","level":5,"id":"c-Marchjuly-2018-06-27T22:10:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-06-27T14:36:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2018).

Administrator changes

Pbsouthwood • TheSandDoctor

Gogo Dodo

Andrevan • Doug • EVula • KaisaL • Tony Fox • WilyD

Bureaucrat changes

Andrevan • EVula

Guideline and policy news

• An RfC about the deletion of drafts closed with a consensus to change the wording of WP:NMFD. Specifically, a draft that has been repeatedly resubmitted and declined at AfC without any substantial improvement may be deleted at MfD if consensus determines that it is unlikely to ever meet the requirements for mainspace and it otherwise meets one of the reasons for deletion outlined in the deletion policy.
• A request for comment closed with a consensus that the {{promising draft}} template cannot be used to indefinitely prevent a WP:G13 speedy deletion nomination.

Technical news

• Starting on July 9, the WMF Security team, Trust & Safety, and the broader technical community will be seeking input on an upcoming change that will restrict editing of site-wide JavaScript and CSS to a new technical administrators user group. Bureaucrats and stewards will be able to grant this right per a community-defined process. The intention is to reduce the number of accounts who can edit frontend code to those who actually need to, which in turn lessens the risk of malicious code being added that compromises the security and privacy of everyone who accesses Wikipedia. For more information, please review the FAQ.
• Syntax highlighting has been graduated from a Beta feature on the English Wikipedia. To enable this feature, click the highlighter icon () in your editing toolbar (or under the hamburger menu in the 2017 wikitext editor). This feature can help prevent you from making mistakes when editing complex templates.
• IP-based cookie blocks should be deployed to English Wikipedia in July (previously scheduled for June). This will cause the block of a logged-out user to be reloaded if they change IPs. This means in most cases, you may no longer need to do /64 range blocks on residential IPv6 addresses in order to effectively block the end user. It will also help combat abuse from IP hoppers in general. For the time being, it only affects users of the desktop interface.

Miscellaneous

• Currently around 20% of admins have enabled two-factor authentication, up from 17% a year ago. If you haven't already enabled it, please consider doing so. Regardless if you use 2FA, please practice appropriate account security by ensuring your password is secure and unique to Wikimedia.

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Aspening (talk) 17:41, 11 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-07-11T17:41:00.000Z","author":"Aspening","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Aspening-2018-07-11T17:41:00.000Z-You've_got_mail_2","replies":[]}}-->

Hey, I noticed the G7 request at User:Renamed user teygvimdjc to delete a userpage with a sock notice. I don't see a policy reason it necessarily needs to be declined given they are now unblocked, but given the history of socking, and the recent rename, I thought I should ping you about it to see what you think... Monty₈₄₅ 02:35, 13 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-07-13T02:35:00.000Z","author":"Monty845","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Monty845-2018-07-13T02:35:00.000Z-G7_Request_for_Userpage_of_editor_you_unblocked_with_a_Sock_notice_on_it","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-07-16T12:31:00.000Z-Monty845-2018-07-13T02:35:00.000Z"],"displayName":"Monty"}}-->

Looks like it was deleted already. Honestly I don't see an issue with this, the user is no longer blocked, and is not socking. Add to this they have posted they are retired, and I dont see it as a big deal. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:31, 16 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-07-16T12:31:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-07-16T12:31:00.000Z-Monty845-2018-07-13T02:35:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

This is a WP:SELFBLOCK request, can you re-block this IP address, as this IP address is shared across loads of people that will only cause vandalism again. 2A02:B80:0:94:0:0:0:90 (talk) 09:09, 16 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-07-16T09:09:00.000Z","author":"2A02:B80:0:94:0:0:0:90","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-2A02:B80:0:94:0:0:0:90-2018-07-16T09:09:00.000Z-Self-block_request","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-07-16T12:32:00.000Z-2A02:B80:0:94:0:0:0:90-2018-07-16T09:09:00.000Z"]}}-->

Since IP addresses can be used by multiple people, a self-block on an IP isn't feasible. If there continues to be activity to warrant a block, one will be done of course. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:32, 16 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-07-16T12:32:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-07-16T12:32:00.000Z-2A02:B80:0:94:0:0:0:90-2018-07-16T09:09:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Why did you revert my edit?LumaNatic (talk) 17:29, 2 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-02T17:29:00.000Z","author":"LumaNatic","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-LumaNatic-2018-08-02T17:29:00.000Z-Revert_edits","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-02T17:30:00.000Z-LumaNatic-2018-08-02T17:29:00.000Z"]}}-->

That was a mis-click that I reverted immediately, my apologies for that. RickinBaltimore (talk) 17:30, 2 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-02T17:30:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-02T17:30:00.000Z-LumaNatic-2018-08-02T17:29:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Was wondering why you reverted [3] as it seemed with in seconds of my posting.-Serialjoepsycho- (talk) 23:07, 3 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-03T23:07:00.000Z","author":"Serialjoepsycho","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Serialjoepsycho-2018-08-03T23:07:00.000Z-Revert_inquiry","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-03T23:14:00.000Z-Serialjoepsycho-2018-08-03T23:07:00.000Z"],"displayName":"-Serialjoepsycho-"}}-->

Because I fat fingered my mouse LOL. Sorry about that. I swear I hit cancel too when prompted if I wanted to revert and it still did. RickinBaltimore (talk) 23:14, 3 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-03T23:14:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-03T23:14:00.000Z-Serialjoepsycho-2018-08-03T23:07:00.000Z","replies":["c-Serialjoepsycho-2018-08-03T23:58:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-03T23:14:00.000Z"]}}-->

If it helps I'm slow. I typed this out and posted and then went back and it was undone.-Serialjoepsycho- (talk) 23:58, 3 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-03T23:58:00.000Z","author":"Serialjoepsycho","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-Serialjoepsycho-2018-08-03T23:58:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-03T23:14:00.000Z","replies":[],"displayName":"-Serialjoepsycho-"}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2018).

Administrator changes

Sro23

KaisaL • Ymblanter

Guideline and policy news

• After a discussion at Meta, a new user group called "interface administrators" (formerly "technical administrator") has been created. Come the end of August, interface admins will be the only users able to edit site-wide JavaScript and CSS pages like MediaWiki:Common.js and MediaWiki:Common.css, or edit other user's personal JavaScript and CSS. The intention is to improve security and privacy by reducing the number of accounts which could be used to compromise the site or another user's account through malicious code. The new user group can be assigned and revoked by bureaucrats. Discussion is ongoing to establish details for implementing the group on the English Wikipedia.
• Following a request for comment, the WP:SISTER style guideline now states that in the mainspace, interwiki links to Wikinews should only be made as per the external links guideline. This generally means that within the body of an article, you should not link to Wikinews about a particular event that is only a part of the larger topic. Wikinews links in "external links" sections can be used where helpful, but not automatically if an equivalent article from a reliable news outlet could be linked in the same manner.

Technical news

• The WMF Anti-Harassment Tools team is seeking input on the second set of wireframes for the Special:Block redesign that will introduce partial blocks. The new functionality will allow you to block a user from editing a specific set of pages, pages in a category, a namespace, and for specific actions such as moving pages and uploading files.

The template Template:Anarion family tree was deleted by you:

• 17:31, 23 July 2018 RickinBaltimore (talk | contribs | block) deleted page Template:Anarion family tree (G6 met, housekeeping work (TW))

The reason given was G6. Which of the WP:G6 reasons do you think it met? -- PBS (talk) 11:17, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T11:17:00.000Z","author":"PBS","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-PBS-2018-08-06T11:17:00.000Z-Template:Anarion_family_tree","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T12:01:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T11:17:00.000Z"]}}-->

See Wikipedia:Templates_for_discussion/Log/2018_July_9#Template:Anarion_family_tree. The page was deleted per consensus, and tagged for cleanup. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:01, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T12:01:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T12:01:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T11:17:00.000Z","replies":["c-PBS-2018-08-06T17:59:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T12:01:00.000Z"]}}-->

(1) What makes you think that there was a consensus there? (2) Even if there was which of the WP:G6 reasons does this come under? -- PBS (talk) 17:59, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T17:59:00.000Z","author":"PBS","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-PBS-2018-08-06T17:59:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T12:01:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:01:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T17:59:00.000Z"]}}-->

The discussion was closed as a delete (not by myself). As this was a closed deletion discussion (from a while back), it was simple housekeeping. If you feel it's in error, WP:DELREV would be the way to go. RickinBaltimore (talk) 18:01, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T18:01:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":4,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:01:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T17:59:00.000Z","replies":["c-PBS-2018-08-06T18:44:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:01:00.000Z"]}}-->

You are responsible for your actions. "simple housekeeping" needs to be justified, by making sure you follow policy. If someone asked you to delete the main page would you do it? I doubt it! So why did you did you do it in this case? -- PBS (talk) 18:44, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T18:44:00.000Z","author":"PBS","type":"comment","level":5,"id":"c-PBS-2018-08-06T18:44:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:01:00.000Z","replies":["c-PBS-2018-08-06T18:45:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T18:44:00.000Z"]}}-->

Which of the WP:G6 reasons does this come under? -- PBS (talk) 18:45, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T18:45:00.000Z","author":"PBS","type":"comment","level":6,"id":"c-PBS-2018-08-06T18:45:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T18:44:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:56:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T18:45:00.000Z"]}}-->

It was a page deleted as a result of a discussion, and was part of a clean up of pages, closed by discussion. If you feel that discussion was in error, again I'd say have a review done. RickinBaltimore (talk) 18:56, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T18:56:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":7,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:56:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-06T18:45:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

I'll have to continue the discussion with you at a later time PBS, just learned of some news I need to go off Wiki for for a period. I apologize to end this abruptly. RickinBaltimore (talk) 18:58, 6 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-06T18:58:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:58:00.000Z-Template:Anarion_family_tree","replies":["c-Hhkohh-2018-08-07T15:10:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:58:00.000Z"]}}-->

Closer comment: Template was restored by another admin and discussion was relisted Hhkohh (talk) 15:10, 7 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-07T15:10:00.000Z","author":"Hhkohh","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-Hhkohh-2018-08-07T15:10:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-06T18:58:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T12:18:00.000Z-Hhkohh-2018-08-07T15:10:00.000Z"]}}-->

Thank you, and again my apologies to PBS for the abrupt departure. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:18, 8 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-08T12:18:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T12:18:00.000Z-Hhkohh-2018-08-07T15:10:00.000Z","replies":["c-PBS-2018-08-08T13:44:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T12:18:00.000Z"]}}-->

All's well that ends well. You had no reason to apologise for anything, Wikipedia is not a job and there is absolutely no reason why real-life should not intervene. I for one do not expect a reply to a question within minutes, or hours, or even a day, although waiting a week can start to become tedious. -- PBS (talk) 13:44, 8 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-08T13:44:00.000Z","author":"PBS","type":"comment","level":4,"id":"c-PBS-2018-08-08T13:44:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T12:18:00.000Z","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T13:47:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-08T13:44:00.000Z"]}}-->

No problem, just didn't want to just vanish without a comment. RickinBaltimore (talk) 13:47, 8 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-08T13:47:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":5,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T13:47:00.000Z-PBS-2018-08-08T13:44:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hi. Last year you deleted and salted Lars Kroijer, one reason being G5. A similar article was recreated at Lars Kroijer (author). Does it have the same issues? Thanks. Tassedethe (talk) 23:36, 7 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-07T23:36:00.000Z","author":"Tassedethe","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Tassedethe-2018-08-07T23:36:00.000Z-Lars_Kroijer","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T12:17:00.000Z-Tassedethe-2018-08-07T23:36:00.000Z"]}}-->

It differs to me enough that G5 wouldn't apply in this situation. While still leaning to the promotional side, it IS written better than the deleted article. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:17, 8 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-08T12:17:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-08T12:17:00.000Z-Tassedethe-2018-08-07T23:36:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

When I saw this in #wikipedia-en-unblock ^connect: [4] TonyBallioni (talk) 03:03, 17 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-17T03:03:00.000Z","author":"TonyBallioni","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-TonyBallioni-2018-08-17T03:03:00.000Z-Made_my_night","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-17T12:38:00.000Z-TonyBallioni-2018-08-17T03:03:00.000Z"]}}-->

Sometimes you just have to pick the low hanging fruit. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:38, 17 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-17T12:38:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-17T12:38:00.000Z-TonyBallioni-2018-08-17T03:03:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hi. You banned an IP yesterday for edit warring on Yoshi's Island and they're doing it again under a different IP. If you have any time, could you take a look? Cheers! Popcornduff (talk) 10:25, 24 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-24T10:25:00.000Z","author":"Popcornduff","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Popcornduff-2018-08-24T10:25:00.000Z-Block_evasion","replies":[]}}-->

Oh, and I see they've reported me for vandalism. Popcornduff (talk) 10:28, 24 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-24T10:28:00.000Z","author":"Popcornduff","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Popcornduff-2018-08-24T10:28:00.000Z-Block_evasion","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-24T12:27:00.000Z-Popcornduff-2018-08-24T10:28:00.000Z"]}}-->

Was going to take care of it, but it looks like someone beat me to it. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:27, 24 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-24T12:27:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-24T12:27:00.000Z-Popcornduff-2018-08-24T10:28:00.000Z","replies":["c-Popcornduff-2018-08-24T16:03:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-24T12:27:00.000Z"]}}-->

Are you sure about that? The IP is still edit warring on Yoshi's Island. Popcornduff (talk) 16:03, 24 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-24T16:03:00.000Z","author":"Popcornduff","type":"comment","level":3,"id":"c-Popcornduff-2018-08-24T16:03:00.000Z-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-24T12:27:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hi, I notice that you have made the Band page Fake Obsession admin creation only for multiple page creations. Can I just say that I apologise for this and ask that the block for creating this page is lifted due to inexperience on my behalf. I am now aware of being able to create a draft page where i can slowly improve the article which is what I thought i was doing here. I have done plenty of research over the last few days an I am now more familiar with Wikipedia guidelines for inclusion in the encyclopedia.

Kind Regards — Preceding unsigned comment added by GUY7ON (talk • contribs) 11:19, 31 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-31T11:19:00.000Z","author":"GUY7ON","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-GUY7ON-2018-08-31T11:19:00.000Z-Fake_obsession","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-31T12:54:00.000Z-GUY7ON-2018-08-31T11:19:00.000Z"]}}-->

Since you are working on the Draft version of the page, I would suggest you let it go through the articles for creation process. Once reviewed, if it's deemed to be fine to publish, we can remove the editing restriction and re-create the page. RickinBaltimore (talk) 12:54, 31 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-31T12:54:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-31T12:54:00.000Z-GUY7ON-2018-08-31T11:19:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Thank you, I have started the draft and this has popped up - "This article may have been created or edited in return for undisclosed payments, a violation of Wikipedia's terms of use. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies." Can you help?

This was place by another editor as a concern that there was payment made to edit this article. Is this the case at all? RickinBaltimore (talk) 18:22, 31 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-31T18:22:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-08-31T18:22:00.000Z-Fake_obsession","replies":[]}}-->

Absolutely not, everything you see there is my own work 100% — Preceding unsigned comment added by GUY7ON (talk • contribs) 20:18, 31 August 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-08-31T20:18:00.000Z","author":"GUY7ON","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-GUY7ON-2018-08-31T20:18:00.000Z-Fake_obsession","replies":[]}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (August 2018).

Administrator changes

None

Asterion • Crisco 1492 • KF • Kudpung • Liz • Randykitty • Spartaz

Optimist on the run → Voice of Clam

Interface administrator changes

Amorymeltzer • Mr. Stradivarius • MusikAnimal • MSGJ • TheDJ • Xaosflux

Guideline and policy news

• Following a "stop-gap" discussion, six users have temporarily been made interface administrators while discussion is ongoing for a more permanent process for assigning the permission. Interface administrators are now the only editors allowed to edit sitewide CSS and JavaScript pages, as well as CSS/JS pages in another user's userspace. Previously, all administrators had this ability. The right can be granted and revoked by bureaucrats.

Technical news

• Because of a data centre test you will be able to read but not edit the wikis for up to an hour on 12 September and 10 October. This will start at 14:00 (UTC). You might lose edits if you try to save during this time. The time when you can't edit might be shorter than an hour.
• Some abuse filter variables have changed. They are now easier to understand for non-experts. The old variables will still work but filter editors are encouraged to replace them with the new ones. You can find the list of changed variables on mediawiki.org. They have a note which says Deprecated. Use ... instead. An example is article_text which is now page_title.
• Abuse filters can now use how old a page is. The variable is page_age.

Arbitration

• The Arbitration Committee has resolved to perform a round of Checkuser and Oversight appointments. The usernames of all applicants will be shared with the Functionaries team, and they will be requested to assist in the vetting process. The deadline to submit an application is 23:59 UTC, 12 September, and the candidates that move forward will be published on-wiki for community comments on 18 September.

The reverted edit is a personal attack [5] that was made after the closure had been already made. Why you restored it? GenuineArt (talk) 18:16, 13 September 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-09-13T18:16:00.000Z","author":"GenuineArt","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-GenuineArt-2018-09-13T18:16:00.000Z-Editing_after_closure","replies":[]}}-->

I think User talk:Намсыр is the same guy as User talk:Галдан Адучиев.I have concern about it. How do I put a template that says sockpuppet? Because you can change your IP address. Thanks. Huff slush7264 20:54, 24 September 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-09-24T20:54:00.000Z","author":"Huff slush7264","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Huff_slush7264-2018-09-24T20:54:00.000Z-\u041d\u0430\u043c\u0441\u044b\u0440","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-09-24T20:57:00.000Z-Huff_slush7264-2018-09-24T20:54:00.000Z"]}}-->

I don't see a need to tag them as a sockpuppet, as it can be a "badge of honor" for some vandals. It's evident that the two accounts are linked (and a few others that I see on Jimbo's page as well)> Vandalism like that just needs the simple touch. RickinBaltimore (talk) 20:57, 24 September 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-09-24T20:57:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-09-24T20:57:00.000Z-Huff_slush7264-2018-09-24T20:54:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (September 2018).

Administrator changes

Justlettersandnumbers • L235

Bgwhite • HorsePunchKid • J Greb • KillerChihuahua • Rami R • Winhunter

Interface administrator changes

Cyberpower678 • Deryck Chan • Oshwah • Pharos • Ragesoss • Ritchie333

Oversight changes

Guerillero • NativeForeigner • Snowolf • Xeno

Guideline and policy news

• Following a request for comment, the process for appointing interface administrators has been established. Currently only existing admins can request these rights, while a new RfC has begun on whether it should be available to non-admins.
• There is an open request for comment on Meta regarding the creation a new user group for global edit filter management.

Technical news

• Partial blocks should be available for testing in October on the Test Wikipedia and the Beta-Cluster. This new feature allows admins to block users from editing specific pages and in the near-future, namespaces and uploading files. You can expect more updates and an invitation to help with testing once it is available.
• The Foundations' Anti-Harassment Tools team is currently looking for input on how to measure the effectiveness of blocks. This is in particular related to how they will measure the success of the aforementioned partial blocks.
• Because of a data centre test, you will be able to read but not edit the Wikimedia projects for up to an hour on 10 October. This will start at 14:00 (UTC). You might lose edits if you try to save during this time.

Arbitration

• The Arbitration Committee has, by motion, amended the procedure on functionary inactivity.
• The community consultation for 2018 CheckUser and Oversight appointments has concluded. Appointments will be made by October 11.
• Following a request for comment, the size of the Arbitration Committee will be decreased to 13 arbitrators, starting in 2019. Additionally, the minimum support percentage required to be appointed to a two-year term on ArbCom has been increased to 60%. ArbCom candidates who receive between 50% and 60% support will be appointed to one-year terms instead.
• Nominations for the 2018 Arbitration Committee Electoral Commission are being accepted until 12 October. These are the editors who help run the ArbCom election smoothly. If you are interested in volunteering for this role, please consider nominating yourself.

Just before this edit you set this:

(Changed protection level for "Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science": Persistent vandalism ([Edit=Require autoconfirmed or confirmed access] (expires 04:10, 13 October 2018 (UTC)) [Move=Require administrator access]

Nonetheless, an IP (190.90.140.43) has been really going nuts on the page, followed immediately after by Sinebot each time. Somebody deleted all these edits, but it is curious... Wnt (talk) 21:06, 13 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-10-13T21:06:00.000Z","author":"Wnt","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Wnt-2018-10-13T21:06:00.000Z-IP_resistant_to_your_protection_scheme?","replies":[]}}-->

Why did you delete the redirect page Alight Solutions? Sure, it was originally an attack page, but then I edited it to be a simple redirect to Aon Hewitt, which is the current name of Alight Solutions. Trigger happy admins are the main reason why I don't do Wikipedia much anymore... 85.76.78.76 (talk) 17:06, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-10-31T17:06:00.000Z","author":"85.76.78.76","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-85.76.78.76-2018-10-31T17:06:00.000Z-Alight_Solutions","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-10-31T17:08:00.000Z-85.76.78.76-2018-10-31T17:06:00.000Z"]}}-->

You're more than welcome to recreate it as a redirect to Aon Hewitt. The deletion removes the attack material from public view. It didn't reach the level of revision deletion, but deleting the page and recreating as a redirect is fine with me. RickinBaltimore (talk) 17:08, 31 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-10-31T17:08:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-10-31T17:08:00.000Z-85.76.78.76-2018-10-31T17:06:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2018).

Administrator changes Sir Sputnik Kudpung • Liz • Lourdes Everyking • Jackmcbarn Interface administrator changes Dinoguy1000

CheckUser changes AGK • Ivanvector • Stwalkerster • TonyBallioni Oversight changes Amorymeltzer • Oshwah • TonyBallioni • Vanamonde93 Keilana

Guideline and policy news

• A request for comment determined that non-administrators will not be able to request interface admin access.
• A request for comment is in progress to determine whether the Mediation Committee should be closed and marked as historical.
• A village pump discussion has been ongoing about whether the proposed deletion policy (PROD) should be clarified or amended.
• A request for comment is in progress to determine whether pending changes protection should be applied automatically to today's featured article (TFA) in order to mitigate a recent trend of severe image vandalism.

Technical news

• Partial blocks is now available for testing on the Test Wikipedia. The new functionality allows you to block users from editing specific pages. Bugs may exist and can be reported on the local talk page or on Meta. A discussion regarding deployment to English Wikipedia will be started by community liaisons sometime in the near future.
• A user script is now available to quickly review unblock requests.
• The 2019 Community Wishlist Survey is now accepting new proposals until November 11, 2018. The results of this survey will determine what software the Wikimedia Foundation's Community Tech team will work on next year. Voting on the proposals will take place from November 16 to November 30, 2018. Specifically, there is a proposal category for admins and stewards that may be of interest.

Arbitration

• Eligible editors will be invited to nominate themselves as candidates in the 2018 Arbitration Committee Elections starting on November 4 until November 13. Voting will begin on November 19 and last until December 2.
• The Arbitration Committee's email address has changed to arbcom-enwikimedia.org. Other email lists, such as functionaries-en and clerks-l, remain unchanged.

It looks like you accidentally deleted Talk:Human body/Archive 1. Hddty. (talk) 16:59, 15 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-11-15T16:59:00.000Z","author":"Hddty.","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Hddty.-2018-11-15T16:59:00.000Z-Archive","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-11-15T19:13:00.000Z-Hddty.-2018-11-15T16:59:00.000Z"]}}-->

Deletion? What deletion? :) RickinBaltimore (talk) 19:13, 15 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-11-15T19:13:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-11-15T19:13:00.000Z-Hddty.-2018-11-15T16:59:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Hello, RickinBaltimore. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 3 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

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

If you wish to participate in the 2018 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-11-19T18:42:00.000Z","author":"MediaWiki message delivery","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-MediaWiki_message_delivery-2018-11-19T18:42:00.000Z-ArbCom_2018_election_voter_message","replies":[]}}-->

News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2018).

Administrator changes

Al Ameer son • Randykitty • Spartaz

Boson • Daniel J. Leivick • Efe • Esanchez7587 • Fred Bauder • Garzo • Martijn Hoekstra • Orangemike

Interface administrator changes

Deryck Chan

Guideline and policy news

• Following a request for comment, the Mediation Committee is now closed and will no longer be accepting case requests.
• A request for comment is in progress to determine whether members of the Bot Approvals Group should satisfy activity requirements in order to remain in that role.
• A request for comment is in progress regarding whether to change the administrator inactivity policy, such that administrators "who have made no logged administrative actions for at least 12 months may be desysopped". Currently, the policy states that administrators "who have made neither edits nor administrative actions for at least 12 months may be desysopped".
• A proposal has been made to temporarily restrict editing of the Main Page to interface administrators in order to mitigate the impact of compromised accounts.

Technical news

• Administrators and bureaucrats can no longer unblock themselves unless they placed the block initially. This change has been implemented globally. See also this ongoing village pump discussion (permalink).
• To complement the aforementioned change, blocked administrators will soon have the ability to block the administrator that placed their block to mitigate the possibility of a compromised administrator account blocking all other active administrators.
• Since deployment of Partial blocks on Test Wikipedia, several bugs were identified. Most of them are now fixed. Administrators are encouraged to test the new deployment and report new bugs on Phabricator or leave feedback on the Project's talk page. You can request administrator access on the Test Wiki here.

Arbitration

• Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee Elections is open to eligible editors until Monday 23:59, 3 December 2018. Please review the candidates and, if you wish to do so, submit your choices on the voting page.

Miscellaneous

• In late November, an attacker compromised multiple accounts, including at least four administrator accounts, and used them to vandalize Wikipedia. If you have ever used your current password on any other website, you should change it immediately. Sharing the same password across multiple websites makes your account vulnerable, especially if your password was used on a website that suffered a data breach. As these incidents have shown, these concerns are not pure fantasies.
• Wikipedia policy requires administrators to have strong passwords. To further reinforce security, administrators should also consider enabling two-factor authentication. A committed identity can be used to verify that you are the true account owner in the event that your account is compromised and/or you are unable to log in.

Obituaries

• Shock Brigade Harvester Boris (Raymond Arritt) passed away on 14 November 2018. Boris joined Wikipedia as Raymond arritt on 8 May 2006 and was an administrator from 30 July 2007 to 2 June 2008.

Hi RickinBaltimore. You might want to fix your latest addition which currently reads: Seeing all that has transpired here, I 'Aceept. Best, Voceditenore (talk) 15:32, 3 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-12-03T15:32:00.000Z","author":"Voceditenore","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Voceditenore-2018-12-03T15:32:00.000Z-Arbitration\/Requests\/Case","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-12-03T15:50:00.000Z-Voceditenore-2018-12-03T15:32:00.000Z"]}}-->

See I swore I counted three there. Thanks! RickinBaltimore (talk) 15:50, 3 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-12-03T15:50:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-12-03T15:50:00.000Z-Voceditenore-2018-12-03T15:32:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->

Sorry, talking about you behind your back! ——SerialNumber54129 16:15, 6 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-12-06T16:15:00.000Z","author":"Serial Number 54129","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Serial_Number_54129-2018-12-06T16:15:00.000Z-Buy_you_off_with_a_beer?!","replies":["c-RickinBaltimore-2018-12-06T16:30:00.000Z-Serial_Number_54129-2018-12-06T16:15:00.000Z"],"displayName":"\u2014\u2014"}}-->

Heh, bribery will get you....well yeah. RickinBaltimore (talk) 16:30, 6 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]__DTELLIPSISBUTTON__{"threadItem":{"timestamp":"2018-12-06T16:30:00.000Z","author":"RickinBaltimore","type":"comment","level":2,"id":"c-RickinBaltimore-2018-12-06T16:30:00.000Z-Serial_Number_54129-2018-12-06T16:15:00.000Z","replies":[]}}-->