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A barnstar for you!

The Technical Barnstar
Thanks for the edit you made to Module:Protected edit request for me! Would not have been able to do it myself. cymru.lass (talkcontribs) 03:36, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

Excelencia in Education

Hi Kevin, I saw your message after I emailed you. Can you indicate which passages are the "significant text that was copied from copyrighted sources."? That would be very helpful. Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Venndiagram8 (talkcontribs) 14:47, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

I have also reposted the article to my sandbox if that is easier for you to indicate what your specific objections are so I can remedy them. This is a very prominent organization in improving enrollment and graduation rates for Latino students. Is that part of your objection? I did look at UNCF's article and tried to model after that. Thanks for any help you can give me.

http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/User:Venndiagram8/sandbox — Preceding unsigned comment added by Venndiagram8 (talkcontribs) 17:55, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

@Venndiagram8: There are two problems of immediate note. The first is that the page is still currently wholly written in a promotional tone. Please see WP:NOTPROMO, WP:NPOV, and (most easy to digest) this essay on what constitutes a neutral point of view. An article can be written from a promotional tone even if all the statements within it are factual. Please also see MOS:WORDS (I suspect these examples will help a lot if you're confused). The second is that the draft currently copies substantial portions of text from multiple copyrighted sources, including [1], [2], and [3], among others. You can see a comparison report here. Each of these reasons is independently sufficient to delete even sandbox articles.
Before you spend more time working on this article, also take a moment to review WP:NCORP, Wikipedia's guideline for which organizations should be included with a Wikipedia article. I haven't assessed whether this organization is notable under that standard, but you should to avoid any situation where you find the article deleted even after the other problems have been fixed. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 09:32, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

THANKS Kevin!! This is very helpful. May I make some significant changes and have you review again? In terms of notability, I think they qualify, so I will proceed adjusting the language and investigating those copyright issues. I will let you know when it is ready. Very much appreciated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Venndiagram8 (talkcontribs) 13:55, 6 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi Kevin, I believe I have successfully neutralized the tone. Because this is a non-profit, I wasn't really thinking about "promotion" when I posted so thanks so much for your detailed explanation. Double checking the copyright issues now too. If you have a second, I would really appreciate your taking a look at my sandbox again. Specific question - I copied the format for other similar "minority" advancement nonprofits which is why I included "recognition". Is it okay to leave that or is that too "promotional" as well. Thx! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Venndiagram8 (talkcontribs) 17:44, 8 November 2018 (UTC)

@Venndiagram8: I generally refrain from reviewing drafts on which I have previously taken action. To obtain review from an independent reviewer, copy the following code to the top of the draft: {{subst:submit}}. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 00:20, 10 November 2018 (UTC)

Thanks for all your help! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Venndiagram8 (talkcontribs) 13:14, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Old SPI

Hi, Kevin,

I was doing some work and found an old SPI case that seems to have fallen through the cracks and not archived: Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/RafikiSykes. I didn't know what to do about it so I just thought I'd alert you and as a clerk you'd know what steps to take. Thanks! Liz Read! Talk! 19:41, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

@Liz: Hey Liz, good to hear from you! I'm afraid that the SPI case backlog is (always) somewhat backlogged; there are a number of cases as/old/er as this case. I'd be happy to take a look when I can on this case Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 20:05, 7 November 2018 (UTC)
Well, thanks for looking into it, Kevin. I look at so many old SPI case archives that I was surprised to find one that old that hadn't been retired. I understand about backlogs though, they don't seem as urgent as current cases. Thanks! Liz Read! Talk! 04:19, 8 November 2018 (UTC)

User talk:L325

When I say an account is a checkuser verified abuser of multiple accounts, it's based on my own work. --jpgordon𝄢𝄆 𝄐𝄇 22:38, 10 November 2018 (UTC)

@Jpgordon: D'oh! Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 22:59, 10 November 2018 (UTC)

Edit-a-thon Invitation

Kevin, we're having another Edit-a-thon at UNI! We'll be focusing our editing efforts on people of color. We would love to have you and any other IA Wikipedians join us. Here is a link to the event in the Outreach Dashboard. --ActionableIdeas (talk) 17:11, 13 November 2018 (UTC)

@ActionableIdeas: I will unfortunately be out of town (I currently attend an out-of-state university) but I'm sending this to all the Iowa Wikipedians I know Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 22:17, 13 November 2018 (UTC)
That's wonderful! Thank you, Kevin! --ActionableIdeas (talk) 16:06, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Hi there, I'm pleased to inform you that I've begun reviewing the article Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College you nominated for GA-status according to the criteria. This process may take up to 7 days. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have during this period. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Barkeep49 -- Barkeep49 (talk) 00:02, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Napue v. Illinois

The article Napue v. Illinois you nominated as a good article has failed ; see Talk:Napue v. Illinois for reasons why the nomination failed. If or when these points have been taken care of, you may apply for a new nomination of the article. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of White whirlwind -- White whirlwind (talk) 18:21, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Shouldn't it be <10/0/2>?--Bbb23 (talk) 18:27, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Apologies

I guess I knew you something. Sorry about that I just wanted to teach him how providing a source work and I really need a break here to refresh myself. I haven’t been the best here lately. I don’t want to cause more issues here. I take a break here for the time being. Sorry for any damage A.R.M. 03:32, 18 November 2018 (UTC)

ArbCom 2018 election voter message

Hello, L235. 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)

I fixed User:Enterprisey/links-in-logs.js to work for sysops too, and added some CSS fixes as well. You may want to redirect or something, although What Links Here doesn't show any backlinks so I don't think it's that important. Enterprisey (talk!) 23:08, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

@Enterprisey: You're the best! Thanks!! <3 Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 23:57, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 1 December 2018

Administrators' newsletter – December 2018

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

Administrator changes

readded Al Ameer sonRandykittySpartaz
removed BosonDaniel J. LeivickEfeEsanchez7587Fred BauderGarzoMartijn HoekstraOrangemike

Interface administrator changes

removedDeryck 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

Arbitration

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


Peace Dove Christmas

Peace is a state of balance and understanding in yourself and between others, where respect is gained by the acceptance of differences, tolerance persists, conflicts are resolved through dialog, peoples rights are respected and their voices are heard, and everyone is at their highest point of serenity without social tension.
Happy Holidays. ―Buster7  23:50, 10 December 2018 (UTC)

Wikipedia Day 2019

There's discussion at Wikipedia talk:Meetup/Minnesota of a celebration in the Twin Cities on January 19. It would be great if that fits your schedule. Jonathunder (talk) 00:35, 12 December 2018 (UTC)

@Jonathunder: I'm sorry, I'll be out of town then – I'll actually be hosting a Wikipedia Day event where I'm at, though! Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 00:46, 12 December 2018 (UTC)

Getting back to you, and hoping you can help

Kevin,

On or about Nov 10, I wrote a note to Oshwah on his talk page, to which you responded.

At the time, I was upset about being triple-banned for edits I made that I thought belonged. The ubiquitous NorthBySouthBaranof explained to me where my edits were inappropriate, and you chimed in as well, although without his imperious tone.

Indeed, I made mistakes, although I would maintain that mistakes should not be a cause for a ban. The mistakes in my edits were legitimate errors - they were not intentional vandalism.

It's been about 38 days since my 30 day ban.

I went back to the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez page, and added that which I intended to add last time, except I was more careful this time around.

My edit remained for a whopping 15 minutes.

An editor with the handle "Tsumikiria", the same person who attacked me 38 or so days ago and referred me for banning, reverted all my edits there, for which his basis was not just false, they were and are, I dare say, anti-Semitic.

I added content which was sources by three provided links: 1. CBS News 2. The Times of Israel 3. The Jerusalem Post "Tsumikiria" not only reverted my edits, he sent me a message accusing me of "disruptive editing", of making "defamatory" claims, and threatened another block.

And here is his reasoning, I kid you not:

"we know Israeli media criticize anyone criticizing israel (sic)" 

Um, CBS is not Israeli media. The other two organs are respected, centrist publications, one of which (Times of Israel) has an Arab language publication. (See Wikipedia's respective articles on each publication.)

Furthermore, the Israeli media articles linked contain quotes from named Americans, both on the right and on the left. Even if Tsumikiria's false accusation were true, it would be irrelevant.

Can you please go to the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez page and see for yourself? I am just an editor, same level as Tsumikiria, albeit I'm the one with lousy computer skills. Can you please jump in on behalf of truth, justice, and the American way? Or, failing that, for a fair and open Wikipedia?

Thank you, Vcuttolo (talk) 11:53, 16 December 2018 (UTC)

Merry Merry

Happy Christmas!
Hello L235,
Early in A Child's Christmas in Wales the young Dylan and his friend Jim Prothero witness smoke pouring from Jim's home. After the conflagration has been extinguished Dylan writes that

Nobody could have had a noisier Christmas Eve. And when the firemen turned off the hose and were standing in the wet, smoky room, Jim's Aunt, Miss. Prothero, came downstairs and peered in at them. Jim and I waited, very quietly, to hear what she would say to them. She said the right thing, always. She looked at the three tall firemen in their shining helmets, standing among the smoke and cinders and dissolving snowballs, and she said, "Would you like anything to read?"

My thanks to you for your efforts to keep the 'pedia readable in case the firemen chose one of our articles :-) Best wishes to you and yours and happy editing in 2019. MarnetteD|Talk 02:08, 19 December 2018 (UTC)

Happy holidays!

Happy Holidays!
May your winter holidays be filled with joy, laughter and good health. Wishing you all the best in 2019 and beyond.

--Cameron11598 (Talk) 06:08, 24 December 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 December 2018

Merry Christmas and happy 2019

Merry Christmas and happy new year! I was happy to see you have a successful RfA during 2018. I hope you will edit more happily in 2019 Hhkohh (talk) 12:13, 25 December 2018 (UTC)

Yo Ho Ho

Section break

Not a violation of a stupid restriction [4] How about answering the question instead of removing my question and threatening me. Legacypac (talk) 20:44, 28 December 2018 (UTC)

Legacypac, I have not followed this case at all (in fact, I didn't even know it existed until I saw the post on your talk page) but you really need to back off. It's gotten to the point where even someone without a clue about the case is starting to wonder what the heck you're doing. Primefac (talk) 20:54, 28 December 2018 (UTC) (talk page stalker)

Happy New Year, L235!

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

Administrators' newsletter – January 2019

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

Guideline and policy news

  1. G14 (new): Disambiguation pages that disambiguate only zero or one existing pages are now covered under the new G14 criterion (discussion). This is {{db-disambig}}; the text is unchanged and candidates may be found in Category:Candidates for speedy deletion as unnecessary disambiguation pages.
  2. R4 (new): Redirects in the file namespace (and no file links) that have the same name as a file or redirect at Commons are now covered under the new R4 criterion (discussion). This is {{db-redircom}}; the text is unchanged.
  3. G13 (expanded): Userspace drafts containing only the default Article Wizard text are now covered under G13 along with other drafts (discussion). Such blank drafts are now eligible after six months rather than one year, and taggers continue to use {{db-blankdraft}}.

Technical news

  • Starting on December 13, the Wikimedia Foundation security team implemented new password policy and requirements. Privileged accounts (administrators, bureaucrats, checkusers, oversighters, interface administrators, bots, edit filter managers/helpers, template editors, et al.) must have a password at least 10 characters in length. All accounts must have a password:
  1. At least 8 characters in length
  2. Not in the 100,000 most popular passwords (defined by the Password Blacklist library)
  3. Different from their username
User accounts not meeting these requirements will be prompted to update their password accordingly. More information is available on MediaWiki.org.
  • Blocked administrators may now block the administrator that blocked them. This was done to mitigate the possibility that a compromised administrator account would block all other active administrators, complementing the removal of the ability to unblock oneself outside of self-imposed blocks. A request for comment is currently in progress to determine whether the blocking policy should be updated regarding this change.
  • {{Copyvio-revdel}} now has a link to open the history with the RevDel checkboxes already filled in.

Arbitration

Miscellaneous

  • Accounts continue to be compromised on a regular basis. Evidence shows this is entirely due to the accounts having the same password that was used on another website that suffered a data breach. If you have ever used your current password on any other website, you should change it immediately.
  • Around 22% of admins have enabled two-factor authentication, up from 20% in June 2018. If you haven't already enabled it, please consider doing so. Regardless of whether you use 2FA, please practice appropriate account security by ensuring your password is secure and unique to Wikimedia.

2019


Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht

Happy 2019 -

begin it with music and memories

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:10, 1 January 2019 (UTC)

Please check out "Happy" once more, for a smile, and sharing (a Nobel Peace Prize), and resolutions. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:24, 12 January 2019 (UTC)

You are cordially invited to Stanford University to celebrate Wikipedia's birthday

Join us in celebrating Wikipedia's 18th birthday at Stanford University!
Wikimedia Community logo
I am delighted to invite you to the 2019 Wikipedia Day party at Stanford, which will be held on Tuesday, January 15, 2019, at 5:00-8:30pm.

There will be pizza, cake, and refreshments; both newcomers and experienced Wikimedians are welcome! We will have a beginner track with tutorials, and an advanced track with presentations, lightning talks, and tips and tricks. Admission is free, and you do NOT have to be a Stanford University student to attend.

Details and RSVP here • register here

See you soon! All the best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c)
(Subscribe/Unsubscribe to this talk page notice here) | MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:40, 5 January 2019 (UTC)

The article Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College you nominated as a good article has failed ; see Talk:Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College for reasons why the nomination failed. If or when these points have been taken care of, you may apply for a new nomination of the article. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Barkeep49 -- Barkeep49 (talk) 20:22, 6 January 2019 (UTC)

You missed a rangeblock from October?

Here, you claim to have rangeblocked the IPs for the 45.116.0.0/16 range, but that didn't happen. Maybe you were too busy and missed it? ([5], [6]) This range is still making sock edits and vandalistic edits along with disruptive editing, such as unsourced additions. - R9tgokunks 22:26, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

@R9tgokunks: I'm not totally sure what I was doing in Oct but I'm afraid I don't have the time at the moment to look into this further – it's a really busy time for me. Large/long rangeblocks normally require a CU consult. SPI or another admin is probably the best next step. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 00:12, 19 January 2019 (UTC)

Beta cluster

Hey. I made an account, but I messed up a bit. Can you please:

  • Rename "DannyS712 tes" to "DannyS712 test" (forgot the t)
  • Grant me (DannyS712) admin and iadmin (and importer? so that I can import the script... idk)

thanks, --DannyS712 (talk) 19:49, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

I got the rights, but can you rename my test account? --DannyS712 (talk) 20:13, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@DannyS712: It seems to have hung: [7]. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 21:00, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@L235: Should I just wait? Or is it okay if I make a new test account on beta, and just ignore the tes one... sorry, I'm just really picky for consistency like that --DannyS712 (talk) 21:02, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@DannyS712: Yeah, please feel free to create another test account. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 21:03, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@L235: Then can you cancel the rename? It won't let me create the account because "Username entered already in use" --DannyS712 (talk) 21:10, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
I don't think I can; I don't see a button on the interface to do so. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 21:11, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@L235: Or can you give be beaurocrat for a day to mess with just my account and try to figure it out? If not, thats totally fine --DannyS712 (talk) 21:11, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
Bureaucrats can no longer rename users. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 21:24, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@L235: Then whatever user group it is... like how are you renaming me? --DannyS712 (talk) 21:32, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
The ability to make local renames was entirely disabled. Is it fine to use another account? Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 21:39, 21 January 2019 (UTC)
@L235: I would, but for some reason it hasn't sent me any email confirming my main account, and I don't want to just create another account if I have no way to recover it. I suggest removing my rights until the beta cluster finally emails me, to mitigate any risk of my account being compromised (and yes, I used a password I had never used before, but still) --DannyS712 (talk) 21:43, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

Bengal cat/Temp

I created a temporary "bengal cat" page which I was editing for copyright violations. I woke this morning top find it gone. Please advise. (Lubbad85 (talk) 14:37, 27 January 2019 (UTC))

I am having some difficulty in sorting the issues. My goal is to get the Bengal Cat page up and make it encyclopedic. I have done extensive edits, and apparently over-quoted material for the article. The latest example you have alerted me to is the (cfa.org/breeds/breedsab/bengal.aspx reference). In that instance I can erase the offending reference. I do hope to leave one reference to the relevant CFA "Breed Standard" in the infobox. Is there an area where a temp Bengal Cat page can exist. Thank you (Lubbad85 (talk) 15:12, 27 January 2019 (UTC))

I will create the "Bengal cat/Temp" page and try to go section by section to create a new article using the previous versions as a guide. I hope that this is an appropriate use of the page. Please alert me if this is not procedure. All my best (Lubbad85 (talk) 16:17, 27 January 2019 (UTC))

Hi Lubbad85, thanks for your work on this. The best thing to do is to wait for a copyright expert at CP to clean and stubify the article, and then work on it there. It seems that much of the article has long contained copyright violations, so writing a clean version based on the current article leaves you easily liable for copyright infringement, as happened here. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 18:35, 27 January 2019 (UTC)

The Signpost: 31 January 2019

Administrators' newsletter – February 2019

News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2019).

Administrator changes

added EnterpriseyJJMC89
readded BorgQueen
removed Harro5Jenks24GraftR. Baley

Interface administrator changes

removedEnterprisey

Guideline and policy news

  • A request for comment is currently open to reevaluate the activity requirements for administrators.
  • Administrators who are blocked have the technical ability to block the administrator who blocked their own account. A recent request for comment has amended the blocking policy to clarify that this ability should only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as account compromises, where there is a clear and immediate need.
  • A request for comment closed with a consensus in favor of deprecating The Sun as a permissible reference, and creating an edit filter to warn users who attempt to cite it.

Technical news

  • A discussion regarding an overhaul of the format and appearance of Wikipedia:Requests for page protection is in progress (permalink). The proposed changes will make it easier to create requests for those who are not using Twinkle. The workflow for administrators at this venue will largely be unchanged. Additionally, there are plans to archive requests similar to how it is done at WP:PERM, where historical records are kept so that prior requests can more easily be searched for.

Miscellaneous

  • Voting in the 2019 Steward elections will begin on 08 February 2019, 14:00 (UTC) and end on 28 February 2019, 13:59 (UTC). The confirmation process of current stewards is being held in parallel. You can automatically check your eligibility to vote.
  • A new IRC bot is available that allows you to subscribe to notifications when specific filters are tripped. This requires that your IRC handle be identified.

Ninetieth Minnesota State Senate v. Dayton

Hello! I stumbled across the standing review offer on your user page and was wondering if you might be interested in taking a look at Ninetieth Minnesota State Senate v. Dayton. It's a Minnesota Supreme Court case, but I submitted it for peer review over a month ago and have yet to receive a reply. If the article isn't of interest to you or you don't have time at the moment, don't worry about it. In any case, I'm in no hurry. Thanks for your time! ebbillings (talk) 21:30, 4 February 2019 (UTC)

@Ebbillings: Sure, it's on my to-do list – it might be a bit before I get to it though Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 05:47, 6 February 2019 (UTC)

Hey

Hi. How are you doing? Hope all is well and fine. I just gave Kb03 NPR on permanent terms. If that's not alright with you (as I noticed you had given NPR on a temporary basis), feel free to revert my right addition. Thanks, Lourdes 04:27, 6 February 2019 (UTC)

 You are invited to join the discussion at User talk:DannyS712 test/chance.js. DannyS712 (talk) 08:30, 11 February 2019 (UTC)

Eastern Europe and Balkans

It looks like you forgot to finish archiving the Eastern Europe and Balkans clarification request --Guerillero | Parlez Moi 05:39, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

@Guerillero: Are you referring to this and this or something else? Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 06:06, 18 February 2019 (UTC)
It is still at ARCA --Guerillero | Parlez Moi 07:03, 18 February 2019 (UTC)
Ah. Due to a procedural change in the past few months, we keep it, hatted, on the ARCA for about 24 hours after closure. See the procedures. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 07:20, 18 February 2019 (UTC)

Diff: [8]

My apologies. I get a little archive happy sometimes. My problem is that it doesn't seem to work all the time (as in I don't see "|Archive"), so I get a little too excited when I see it pop up. I won't make that mistake again! Thank you! :D ―MattLongCT -Talk- 20:26, 27 February 2019 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 February 2019

Hello

Hello Kevin! I am a grad student working under Angela. We are hosting another edit-a-thon on March 8th for Women and LGBT+ Diversity on Wikipedia. Here's our Outreach Dashboard: [9]. We also have one on April 19th for diversity, the Outreach Dashboard: [10]. I will share the meet up page with you soon once it is completed! Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Madsekad (talkcontribs) 17:56, 4 March 2019 (UTC)

@Madsekad: Sorry I haven't responded until now! I hope your editathon went well. I'm now based out of Stanford, California, for the academic year, so I'm afraid I won't usually be able to make it to UNI events. Best of luck on your April event! Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 04:12, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – March 2019

News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2019).

Guideline and policy news

Technical news

  • A new tool is available to help determine if a given IP is an open proxy/VPN/webhost/compromised host.

Arbitration

  • The Arbitration Committee announced two new OTRS queues. Both are meant solely for cases involving private information; other cases will continue to be handled at the appropriate venues (e.g., WP:COIN or WP:SPI).
    • paid-en-wp@wikipedia.org has been set up to receive private evidence related to abusive paid editing.
    • checkuser-en-wp@wikipedia.org has been set up to receive private requests for CheckUser. For instance, requests for IP block exemption for anonymous proxy editing should now be sent to this address instead of the functionaries-en list.

Miscellaneous


A kitten for you!

Hi, would sure connect soon. Cheers!

Eyitayo Alimi (talk) 16:08, 9 March 2019 (UTC)

thats a nice kitten you got there. can i pat Elitematterman (talk) 15:26, 15 March 2019 (UTC)

Wikipedia_talk:Requests_for_adminship/Archive_252

Wikipedia_talk:Requests_for_adminship/Archive_252 uh looks like the content you re-added was actually spam. note Special:Contributions/Editwithcare Hydromania (talk) 06:22, 17 March 2019 (UTC)

Yep, I was mistaken -- was about to block. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 06:23, 17 March 2019 (UTC)

Women in Red April Events

April 2019, Volume 5, Issue 4, Numbers 107, 108, 114, 115, 116, 117


Hello and welcome to the April events of Women in Red!

Please join us for these virtual events:


Other ways you can participate:


Subscription options: Opt-in (EN-WP) / Opt-in (international) / Unsubscribe

--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 20:33, 22 March 2019 (UTC) via MassMessaging

The Signpost: 31 March 2019

Ban of user:ItchyJunk

Hello, I observed your recent block of User:Itchyjunk and I believe it was a hasty ban that was unnecessary. the user came to IRC looking for assistance which was rendered. We discussed a citation that needed fixing and the user acted boldly and tried to assist. If the username is offensive, then I highly suggest helping the user with a username change (Like User:ItchyJ or something) rather than handing out a block. Please remember that We should not bite newcomers, some of whom might need a little guidance. The Pony Toast 🍞 (Talk) 20:45, 6 April 2019 (UTC)

@The Pony Toast: I think you're correct that the NOTHERE aspect of the block can no longer be sustained based on the user's attempts to engage. Once I saw the user was on IRC, I left a link to Special:GlobalRenameRequest and noted that would be the way forward. Any admin is welcome to lift the block once the username aspect is dealt with. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 01:33, 7 April 2019 (UTC)
@PonyToast: fix ping ^ Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 01:33, 7 April 2019 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – April 2019

News and updates for administrators from the past month (March 2019).

Technical news

Arbitration

Miscellaneous

  • Two more administrator accounts were compromised. Evidence has shown that these attacks, like previous incidents, were due to reusing a password that was used on another website that suffered a data breach. If you have ever used your current password on any other website, you should change it immediately. All admins are strongly encouraged to enable two-factor authentication, please consider doing so. Please always practice appropriate account security by ensuring your password is secure and unique to Wikimedia.
  • As a reminder, according to WP:NOQUORUM, administrators looking to close or relist an AfD should evaluate a nomination that has received few or no comments as if it were a proposed deletion (PROD) prior to determining whether it should be relisted.

A barnstar for you!

The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar
Thank you for what you're doing to protect the Notre-Dame de Paris page. ThomasBur (talk) 09:19, 16 April 2019 (UTC)

ARBPIA edit notice

Hi, I've found that even some experienced editors are confused by Template:ArbCom Arab-Israeli editnotice and its documentation. It is hard work to wade through Wikipedia:ARBPIA3 to sort out the decisions from the argument. Can I suggest that the notice instead links to the summary at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Index/Palestine-Israel articles? That way, people who just want to see what the current restrictions are (i.e., most editors) will see them immediately. Also, the documentation looks out of date. It refers to the ARBPIA restriction, but there are several. Then it says "Note that a lack of this template is not an indication that the article is not subject to the restriction", but arbcom has retracted that in the case of the General 1RR restriction. Thanks. Zerotalk 04:52, 20 April 2019 (UTC)

@Zero0000: Thanks for the note! I've updated the documentation. WP:A/I/PIA is already linked to in the text of the notice, but I agree that it's awfully hard to find. How would you suggest changing it? Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 05:52, 20 April 2019 (UTC)
Thanks. Since WP:ARBPIA3 is linked in the fine print at the end of the notice, I suggest that the sentence "This is due to an arbitration decision, and in accordance with the most recent active arbitration case remedies, which authorised discretionary sanctions for edits and pages relating to the Arab–Israeli conflict." be simplified to "This is due to arbitration decisions which authorised discretionary sanctions for edits and pages relating to the Arab–Israeli conflict." with the same links as now. Cheers. Zerotalk 07:27, 20 April 2019 (UTC)
I have no objection :-) Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 07:40, 20 April 2019 (UTC)

Congrats

Just wanted to say congratulations on your successful RfA. You've come a long way since you expressed never wanting that specific hat. Heh.
I'm glad you're one of the first people I got to know really well on here, Kevin. You've been a constant help and a true friend, truth be told. Thanks for everything you've done.
And knowing your work thus far, just as a regular editor and also as a clerk, I know you're up to the task. As I said before, you were always a help to me.
And like I stated (way back when), when I once encouraged you to run for admin, you're well-suited to the task. You're patient, and know policy through and through.
Feel free to get in touch, Kev. :)

Symmachus Auxiliarus (talk) 22:52, 21 April 2019 (UTC) (Quinto Simmaco)

@Symmachus Auxiliarus: Thanks for your note, Symmachus! It's always good to hear from you! Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 01:36, 22 April 2019 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 April 2019

ArbCom 2019 special circular

Icon of a white exclamation mark within a black triangle
Administrators must secure their accounts

The Arbitration Committee may require a new RfA if your account is compromised.

View additional information

This message was sent to all administrators following a recent motion. Thank you for your attention. For the Arbitration Committee, Cameron11598 02:59, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

Administrator account security (Correction to Arbcom 2019 special circular)

ArbCom would like to apologise and correct our previous mass message in light of the response from the community.

Since November 2018, six administrator accounts have been compromised and temporarily desysopped. In an effort to help improve account security, our intention was to remind administrators of existing policies on account security — that they are required to "have strong passwords and follow appropriate personal security practices." We have updated our procedures to ensure that we enforce these policies more strictly in the future. The policies themselves have not changed. In particular, two-factor authentication remains an optional means of adding extra security to your account. The choice not to enable 2FA will not be considered when deciding to restore sysop privileges to administrator accounts that were compromised.

We are sorry for the wording of our previous message, which did not accurately convey this, and deeply regret the tone in which it was delivered.

For the Arbitration Committee, -Cameron11598 21:03, 4 May 2019 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – May 2019

News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2019).

Guideline and policy news

Technical news

  • XTools Admin Stats, a tool to list admins by administrative actions, has been revamped to support more types of log entries such as AbuseFilter changes. Two additional tools have been integrated into it as well: Steward Stats and Patroller Stats.

Arbitration

  • In response to the continuing compromise of administrator accounts, the Arbitration Committee passed a motion amending the procedures for return of permissions (diff). In such cases, the committee will review all available information to determine whether the administrator followed "appropriate personal security practices" before restoring permissions; administrators found failing to have adequately done so will not be resysopped automatically. All current administrators have been notified of this change.
  • Following a formal ratification process, the arbitration policy has been amended (diff). Specifically, the two-thirds majority required to remove or suspend an arbitrator now excludes (1) the arbitrator facing suspension or removal, and (2) any inactive arbitrator who does not respond within 30 days to attempts to solicit their feedback on the resolution through all known methods of communication.

Miscellaneous


This user

Sk8erPrince I don't know what to do about this situation. He keeps holding a grudge against me. I really want to make up with him. I admit that I made very very rude comments previously but now I apologize. Sincerely, Masum Reza 17:01, 14 May 2019 (UTC)

@Masumrezarock100: Sorry I didn't respond until now. As I see has been mentioned on your talk page, sometimes you're going to have problems with other users. Everyone does. The best thing to do is to walk away and not try to force additional interaction, which can be seen as harassment by the other user and as disruption by the community. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 00:31, 18 May 2019 (UTC)

The Signpost: 31 May 2019

Administrators' newsletter – June 2019

News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2019).

Administrator changes

removed AndonicConsumed CrustaceanEnigmamanEuryalusEWS23HereToHelpNv8200paPeripitusStringTheory11Vejvančický

CheckUser changes

removed Ivanvector

Guideline and policy news

  • An RfC seeks to clarify whether WP:OUTING should include information on just the English Wikipedia or any Wikimedia project.
  • An RfC on WT:RfA concluded that Requests for adminship and bureaucratship are discussions seeking to build consensus.
  • An RfC proposal to make the templates for discussion (TfD) process more like the requested moves (RM) process, i.e. "as a clearinghouse of template discussions", was closed as successful.

Technical news

  • The CSD feature of Twinkle now allows admins to notify page creators of deletion if the page had not been tagged. The default behavior matches that of tagging notifications, and replaces the ability to open the user talk page upon deletion. You can customize which criteria receive notifications in your Twinkle preferences: look for Notify page creator when deleting under these criteria.
  • Twinkle's d-batch (batch delete) feature now supports deleting subpages (and related redirects and talk pages) of each page. The pages will be listed first but use with caution! The und-batch (batch undelete) option can now also restore talk pages.

Miscellaneous


it's a long time later so I'm not sure if it matters

but "decision" here Enigmamsg 15:11, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

@Enigmaman: Sorry, I'm not quite sure what this is responding to? Is there anything you'd like me to do with this? Thanks, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 00:41, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
It was a typo in what you wrote. I was going to fix it but then I realized someone might get upset if I did. Enigmamsg 00:43, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
@Enigmaman: Ah, thanks for the fix. Seems to have originated with this edit. Best, Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 03:31, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

ACC tool access request approved

Thank you for your interest in the account creation process. I have verified that you have signed the confidentiality agreement for nonpublic personal data and approved your request.

You may now access the interface here. Before you begin handling requests, please ensure you have read and understood the account creation guide and username policy to familiarize yourself with the process.

Please subscribe yourself to the private ACC mailing list following the instructions on that page. I also advise that you also join us on IRC #wikipedia-en-accounts connect where a bot informs us when new account requests come in and you can get real time advice on how to handle requests.

Please note failure to correctly assess requests will result in suspension of tool access. Account creation is not a race, and each one should be handled diligently and thoroughly. Releasing personally identifying information (such as IP and email addresses), whether intentionally or unintentionally, is treated very seriously and will generally result in immediate suspension.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me or any other tool admin if you have any questions. Thank you for participating in the account creation process. Again welcome! — JJMC89(T·C) 03:00, 22 June 2019 (UTC)

The June 2019 Signpost is out!

Administrators' newsletter – July 2019

News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2019).

Administrator changes

removed 28bytesAd OrientemAnsh666BeeblebroxBoing! said ZebedeeBU Rob13Dennis BrownDeorDoRDFloquenbeam1Flyguy649Fram2GadfiumGB fanJonathunderKusmaLectonarMoinkMSGJNickOd MishehuRamaSpartazSyrthissTheDJWJBscribe
1Floquenbeam's access was removed, then restored, then removed again.
2Fram's access was removed, then restored, then removed again.

Guideline and policy news

  • In a related matter, the account throttle has been restored to six creations per day as the mitigation activity completed.

Technical news

  • The Wikimedia Foundation's Community health initiative plans to design and build a new user reporting system to make it easier for people experiencing harassment and other forms of abuse to provide accurate information to the appropriate channel for action to be taken. Community feedback is invited.

Miscellaneous