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Arbcom

Yours has often been a voice of reason on those chaotic case pages. It's time you got yourself on the committee. --Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 01:25, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

Hehe, there's an echo here so I endorse the same view.
 — Berean Hunter (talk) 01:35, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
Not that you have the free time for that nonsense, but I agree, you'd be an excellent choice. Gamaliel (talk) 01:38, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
Agreed. There's been more than a few occasions where I've thought "this could use some HJ outside the box thinking". Your ability to arrive at new, creative, solutions would be surely appreciated. - Ryk72 'c.s.n.s.' 02:32, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
You have also been cast into the pit of despair over here at User_talk:Dennis_Brown#ARB-itrary_break_.28get_it.3F.29 , by User:Beeblebrox and User:Irondome. I also don't mind piling on. 75.108.94.227 (talk) 04:48, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
I also think you would be a good choice for election to the committee. Your ideas and solutions can only make it better over there. Rcsprinter123 (warn) 10:47, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
Harry on Arbcom. Heh. :) WormTT(talk) 10:52, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
You should run. BMK (talk) 14:49, 11 November 2015 (UTC)
The current candidate pool is depressing. As is often the case, many of the early filers are protest candidates or are grossly unqualified. One has already been removed for not yet having 500 mainspace edits. I know better than most what it's like to bean arb, and I won't sugar coat it, it pretty much sucks. But it sucks less the more we have qualified, intelligent people on the committee. Newyorkbrad isn't there any more. Worm isn't there anymore. On the other hand, some other arbs who were a bit... abrasive aren't there anymore and there is looking to be a big turnover this year, presenting a chance to change the tenor of arbcom proceedings. Also, I don't want to run again and if you do I feel less pressure to do so... Beeblebrox (talk) 19:40, 11 November 2015 (UTC).
I just want to second (or third, or whatever number we are up to now) the statements by BMK et. al., in particular the first sentence in Beeblebrox's message. --kelapstick(bainuu) 02:31, 12 November 2015 (UTC)
Ahem. User:Beeblebrox, please read WP:NPA. We do not "bean arbs" as a disciplinary measure, nor as a stress-relief tactic!  :-)     HJ_Mitchell, since you are unwilling to put yourself into the wonderfully calming and personally rewarding role of arbness -- perhaps worried about being bean'd -- mayhap you will offer up some names of those you know, who ought to run? Kelapstick is running, and Kudpung and Drmies have tossed in their hats, and at least two of the sitting arbs are up for re-election. There is at least one non-admin who has a shot, which is a rarity. But who else? Or maybe, whom else? 75.108.94.227 (talk) 18:27, 14 November 2015 (UTC)
Well, I'm writing my voter guide in another tab, but since you asked ... Ben is worthy of moral support for being brave enough to go first, and I think he'd be a reasonable arb. Timtrent is in with a shot and seems sensible and thoughtful enough to do the job justice; but I think it's unlikely that we'll get our first non-admin arb. Kirill shouldn't struggle, and we need the institutional memory. Callan is an obvious choice, though I wonder who on earth is going to do all the things he currently does. Opabinia will hopefully bring the same calm and common sense but light-hearted approach to ArbCom that she does to WT:RFA. Chris could be an exceptional arb given more time to settle into the role (but in the interests of full disclosure he's a good friend IRL). I'm pleased to see that Molly's running again despite the tumult the committee has seen in the last year or so; I don't always agree with her, but I've never doubted her integrity, and she's articulate enough to explain her position. I'm glad that Chris (another Chris, and another RL friend!) got his nomination in on time this year. I could see my way to supporting Hawkeye. Drmies could potentially be a brilliant arb; I suspect he'd hate it as much as I would, and would constantly wish to be back in the trenches, but unlike me I suspect he'd be good at it. And finally (for the moment, anyway) Emily I think would make an excellent arb and would be very good at explaining things that people can't or won't understand, using small words and without losing her temper; it's also useful to have such an excellent article-writer on the committee, as it brings a perspective that you don't get from admins jaded by years of dealing with vandals and trolls and all the other stuff. There are others, notably Kevin, whom I might well have happily supported if I didn't already have my nine. Interesting (and relieving) to see that the candidate pool has deepened in the last 24 hours or so. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 20:10, 14 November 2015 (UTC)
  • I don't know about brilliance, Harry. I'm asking myself constantly if I'm doing the right thing, if I won't embarrass myself and Wikipedia. I'm just not that good at things that have such rigid and complicated procedures. Yesterday I saw a motion to close on the Neelix page, with the objection that such a close would shut down all open motions--no idea what or where the "open motions" were. I was in the SGA at Alabama (yes sir, first one after they were allowed back on campus) and hated Roberts Rules. I like discussion, and I like some structure, but that's a lot of structure. (Phew, Mississippi State missed that field goal!). Anyways, Harry, go for it, and thanks not only for your kind words but your extensive commentary. Drmies (talk) 21:27, 14 November 2015 (UTC)

IMHO, yourself, Carrite, Sitush, Giano, Eric Corbett & members of GGTF, should be running for Arbcom. GoodDay (talk) 14:56, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

That would certainly be entertaining! HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 18:23, 12 November 2015 (UTC)
Entertaining is a polite word! I don't think any of those individuals want to devote their time to basically administrative work and email meetings. Liz Read! Talk! 23:33, 12 November 2015 (UTC)
  • I entirely understand your attitude, but there's no question, as of now, that more plausible candidates are needed, with 9 places going. Johnbod (talk) 18:34, 12 November 2015 (UTC)
  • The perspective brought from knowing Harry in real life, and having spent a year on the committee means I can safely say that Harry would not make a good arbitrator. He doesn't deal well with bull excrement, time wasters, or committees - all of which are a key parts of the arbcom experience. That's not to say he's a bad editor or admin - far from it - but his skills are better applied where he is currently applying them and he wouldn't have the time to do that if he was on arbcom. Thryduulf (talk) 20:35, 14 November 2015 (UTC)

Are you around?

I'd like some help with a page move if you are. - JuneGloom07 Talk 00:47, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

@JuneGloom07: Fire away. I'm working on various things, but I expect I'll be about for another hour. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 00:54, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
Awesome. Could you possibly move User:JuneGloom07/Ricky to Ricky Sharpe (Home and Away), but from this point? I kinda don't want all that page move/protection stuff in the history, but I understand if it can't be done. I ended up finishing the article offline after all my drafts were targeted, so it won't stay like that. - JuneGloom07 Talk 01:14, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
Sure, done. The only way to remove that stuff from the history is the old-fashioned delete and partially restore trick (which is what we used to do for really nasty vandalism before we had revdel), but that's easily done and shouldn't be controversial. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 01:24, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
You are brilliant, thank you! - JuneGloom07 Talk 01:55, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

International reactions AFD

Thanks for fighting the good fight on this article. I've been arguing against this useless information for a while and have several of these bookmarked that I'd love to delete, but there's just too many people who think that because other lists of reactions exist, they deserve to exist for every event. I think bringing them to AFD when readership isn't so high like now may be a good idea, or suggesting partial mergers and being bold to trim the repetition. Reywas92Talk 22:34, 14 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, I came here to make the same point. It's just provocative and counterproductive to AFD this now. Better to wait six months (and I expect by then you will have forgotten about this spin-off as well). Thincat (talk) 11:37, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
I don't think it's provocative or counter-productive. It's usually better to address articles that don't have a place in an encyclopaedia as soon as possible after their creation. That every single keep vote in the AfD fell foul of one or even multiple arguments to avoid and that nobody even attempted to explain how the list wasn't indiscriminate or the reactions as a body were notable, instead relying on sheer numbers, would seem to bear this out. I'd bet that the article will still be there in six months, and will still be an indiscriminate collection of quotes that say nothing meaningful with a few bits of prose about the notable consequences of the event which should be in the main article. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 19:56, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

Renew PC? --George Ho (talk) 07:40, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, thanks. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 20:14, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 11 November 2015

Carbs

I was wandering through the Hong Kong airport, sleep deprived after a 15 hour flight from Toronto, and I saw your guide. I near fell over laughing at your comment about feeding my kids something other than carbs. Cheers, and thanks for the laugh Harry. --kelapstick(on the run) 08:11, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

You're welcome. I like would-be arbs to have a sense of humour! ;) HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 21:33, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Question

Hi HJ, how ya doing? I see you blocked Jytdog, and seeing as he is the sole reason I am embroiled in the GMO ArbCom case, I can't help but wonder if his now-infamous email(s) (strike my misunderstanding) actions involve me in any way. If not, what else can you tell me, and us, about this remarkable development? I have had my email disabled for many years, but if the information is urgent, I can arrange a way to be contacted if you think it's material I need to know. Thanks for taking action, as I have felt that Jytdog was a scary character for quite a while, and this latest news seems to confirm that. Best wishes! Jusdafax 20:28, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

I don't know anything about any emails from Jytdog, I'm afraid. As for the block itself, you'll have to forgive me but there's very little I can say publicly. If you want to email me and ask specific questions, I might be able to give Magic-8-Ball-style answers. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 20:49, 17 November 2015 (UTC)
Well, as I say, I was added to the case after the initial Parties were named, as a spite move by Jytdog only minutes after I added my statement. If I am not involved in your block (on further examination it appears to be about now-redacted outing of personal information) then I don't need to know anything further at present, though I suggest a careful review of Jytdog's edit history may be in order. Thanks again. Jusdafax 21:00, 17 November 2015 (UTC)
As far as I'm aware, the issues that led to Jytdog's block did not involve you. I know that's cryptic and full of caveats, but that's about as much as I can tell you. You can always email me (hjmitchell at ymail dot com if you don't want to use the Wikipedia system) if you're still concerned and I'll do my best to help. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 21:31, 17 November 2015 (UTC)
I'm standing back for now. Thanks for the clarification, and your work. Jusdafax 21:44, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Edit request

The pages WP:GS/GG and WP:GS/GG/E both belong in the Category:Obsolete Wikipedia general sanctions. Specifically, the WP:GS/GG page should be taken out of the Category:Wikipedia general sanctions. As you're the one that protected the pages, I was wondering if I could ask for your assistance in this regard? Just a bit of tidying up. RGloucester 22:17, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

Seems uncontroversial enough. Done. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 22:23, 17 November 2015 (UTC)
Much obliged. RGloucester 22:24, 17 November 2015 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXVI, November 2015

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Thanks

Thanks for your reply. I suppose it's inappropriate because it deals with outing information. I saw this recommendation too I thought I'd comment on. It strikes me as disappointing, because I interpret it as saying "even if ArbCom wronged you, don't expect an apology or any corrective steps". But if ArbCom is aggrieving good editors, then that seems to be a major problem with no solution. Any ideas? Thanks again for your time. Best. Biosthmors (talk) pls notify me (i.e. {{U}}) while signing a reply, thx 17:25, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

Your voter guide

Hello. When I transclude your voter guide (and the others) into a single page (to facilitate reading and comparisons), the resulting page becomes a member of the [[Category:Wikipedia Arbitration Committee Elections 2015 voter guides]]. To correct that, the Category in your page should be protected by a pair of <noinclude>...</noinclude>. In the Main space, I would have done that by myself. In your Userspace, I think it is polite to ask your permission. Pldx1 (talk) 09:26, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 November 2015

Hi, would you consider semi-protecting Tropes vs. Women in Video Games? It's been a periodic target since it was created, and I see no benefit to keeping an Anita Sarkeesian-related article open to editing by anons and new accounts.--Cúchullain t/c 20:10, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

(talk page stalker) Done. Gamaliel (talk) 20:16, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks Gamaliel.--Cúchullain t/c 20:36, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
Thanks Gamaliel. I've watchlisted it as well so there's an extra pair of eyes on it. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 23:04, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

NoCal

Are you still looking at that SPI at all? is there anybody else I should contact? nableezy - 21:48, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

Forgive me for bothering you if you are busy, but can you either look at this or tell me you're not going to? nableezy - 06:51, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
Yes, please do. This one is bad. Zerotalk 08:46, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
Looking now. No promises, though. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 13:15, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
@Nableezy: I'm not really convinced on Firkin Fling Fox, and given the CU finding of "inconclusive", I don't think there's enough evidence. I'm happy for you to try to persuade me, or to monitor and re-open the SPI if more evidence emerges. As for When Other Legends Are Forgotten, I'd say there's a good chance that's not their first account; there are some things that are consistent with NoCal but other things that make me wonder. Feel free to email anything you have that might make your mind up, and I'll elaborate on my doubts. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 13:56, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
All right, I'm compiling evidence and I'll email sometime this next week. Thanks, nableezy - 16:07, 24 November 2015 (UTC)

Hi HJ. Any chance you can comment? When Other Legends Are Forgotten is fairly active. --NeilN talk to me 15:35, 27 November 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 25 November 2015

The Signpost: 02 December 2015

Admins

Here's something interesting you might have missed. Its talk page is even more interesting. If you have time, you may wish to add your 2p. Beeb made some salient observations. Don't worry, it's not a poll or an RfC or anything. --Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 01:57, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

Always nice to know what the armchair generals think we should be doing on the front line, safe in the knowledge that they'll never be in the firing line. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 02:31, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

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

On behalf of the Military history WikiProject's Coordinators, we would like to extend an invitation to nominate deserving editors for the 2015 Military historian of the year and Military history newcomer of the year awards. The nomination period will run from 7 December to 23:59 13 December, with the election phase running from 14 December to 23:59 21 December. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:06, 7 December 2015 (UTC)

This Month in GLAM: November 2015





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Dated SPI

You might want to close these (or you might not). All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 14:16, 12 December 2015 (UTC).

The Signpost: 09 December 2015

Surrey

Do you think WP:Emergency should be notified of this? Have you done so already? Huon (talk) 00:22, 13 December 2015 (UTC)

Considering the guy's other edits, I'm certain it's just a kid messing around (and the IP address geolocates to the other side of the planet). If you'd sleep better for it, by all means notify the emergency team, but my personal opinion is that it's just silliness and not worth sweating over. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 00:37, 13 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 16 December 2015

Season's Greetings!

Use {{subst:Season's Greetings}} to send this message

Free Wikihotel in Medway

There is no better way to spend and evening than doing some serious wikitonguewagging boring the locals. Eight minutes walk from SOO, (itself 30minutes on the HS1 line from STP) and two minutes from the chippy. Free wikipedia badge for all visitors. -- Clem Rutter (talk) 09:38, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Renew PC? --George Ho (talk) 21:22, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Best wishes for the holidays...

Season's Greetings
Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season, and all best wishes for the New Year! Adoration of the Shepherds (Poussin) is my Wiki-Christmas card to all for this year. Johnbod (talk) 10:26, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

The Bugle: Issue CXVII, December 2015

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Merry Christmas!

Hey mate, hope you have a 'swell Christmas there at your place. I'm fine here, though 'tis a drag the ISP my folks and I are subscribed to is, to say the least, abysmal. Blake Gripling (talk) 06:56, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

Merry Christmas!

HJ Mitchell, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and hope your day is full of the true spirit of the day.
Plus, good food, good family and good times. :) Have a Great Day! :) - NeutralhomerTalk01:40, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

Spread the joy of Christmas by adding {{subst:User:Neutralhomer/MerryChristmas}} to their talk page with a friendly message.

Wishing you all the best . . .

Merry Christmas, HJ, and may your holidays be merry and bright . . . . Cheers. Dirtlawyer1 (talk) 05:22, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

Talkback

Hello, HJ Mitchell. You have new messages at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/NoCal100.
Message added 01:52, 26 December 2015 (UTC). You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.

Vanjagenije (talk) 01:52, 26 December 2015 (UTC)

--Rubbish computer (Merry Christmas!: ...And a Happy New Year!) 16:27, 26 December 2015 (UTC)

Mail

You've got some. 😊Atsme📞📧 18:09, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

OTRS check

Hi, Harry. I’m requesting a check on OTRS ticket # 2011062310013714 for the photo File:Scott Sheldon 3rdBaseman.jpg. It relates to a this mass deletion request at FFD. We’ve been dealing with a massive case of deception on WP involving User:Sinclairindex, their socks and the creation of numerous dubious articles and images related to a walled garden for a Warren Chaney. (For example, see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Warren Chaney.) The final stage is deleting the remaining images at Wikipedia and Commons — but this one photo is somewhat unrelated to the others, appears to be legitimate and is the only one under consideration to keep. Could you give me some indication on whether or not this photo permission is from the same source as others uploaded by that user? Thanks. CactusWriter (talk) 17:26, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

Per above, please apply a paranoid level of scrutiny. Chuckle. This image seems innocent enough, but we're aggressively distrusting anything that hasn't been put under a microscope. The uploader engages in sophisticated deceptions that pass routine scrutiny, and has constructed his own universe using multiple identities across a multitude of websites. Alsee (talk) 11:27, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

HJ Mitchell, any chance you will be able to take a look at this or should we be asking elsewhere? CactusWriter (talk) 00:04, 29 December 2015 (UTC)
@CactusWriter and Alsee: Apologies, I looked the other day but forgot to get back to you. The ticket appears to be from the subject of the photograph rather than the photographer, and there's no explanation as to how the subject might have come to hold the copyright. I'm also not entirely convinced that he understands that the license applies to anyone and not just to Wikipedia. That may be grounds for deletion in itself, but there doesn't seem to be anything nefarious about it. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 22:00, 29 December 2015 (UTC)
Thanks, Harry. CactusWriter (talk) 22:25, 29 December 2015 (UTC)

The Signpost: 30 December 2015

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Best wishes for a wonderful 2016!---- WV 23:43, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

2016

Happy New Year 2016!
Did you know ... that back in 1885, Wikipedia editors wrote Good Articles with axes, hammers and chisels?

Thank you for your contributions to this encyclopedia using 21st century technology. I hope you don't get any unneccessary blisters.
   – Cullen328 Let's discuss it 03:46, 31 December 2015 (UTC)

Happy New Year, HJ Mitchell!

Spread the WikiLove; use {{subst:Happy New Year 2016}} to send this message

Happy New Year, HJ Mitchell!

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

Page number needed

Hello, and happy new year. Would you kindly add to your new citation the page number on which this info appears? http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Leslie_Stuart&type=revision&diff=697636436&oldid=660694953 -- Thanks! Ssilvers (talk) 06:06, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

As soon as the book arrives in the post, which should be in the next week or so, I'll go back through and add in page numbers and any more details; the information I have so far is from a Google Books preview which didn't have page numbers and omitted chunks of pages (sod's law that most of the handful of pages I want to read are in the omitted section!). Happy new year to you, as well. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 16:25, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

Query re false death dates

Hi, as a general rule, if a user deliberately introduces a false death date to an article, e.g. if someone said Joe Bloggs died today or tomorrow, is the revision of this eligible for revdel as grossly insulting, degrading or offensive content? I thought this could sometimes be the case, as doing so could be done as a way to harass an individual. Thanks, Rubbish computer (Merry Christmas!: ...And a Happy New Year!) 22:33, 2 January 2016 (UTC) Rubbish computer (Merry Christmas!: ...And a Happy New Year!) 22:33, 2 January 2016 (UTC)

It depends on the context, but I've been known to revdel death hoaxes under RD2 before. It's a judgement call based on how much harm is likely to be done to the subject, which is mostly subjective. If you have a diff you want me to look at, feel free to shoot me an email or send it to the oversight queue. Best, HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 23:11, 2 January 2016 (UTC)
Okay, thanks. Rubbish computer (Merry Christmas!: ...And a Happy New Year!) 23:45, 2 January 2016 (UTC)

NoCal100

Hey HJ, I didn't receive an e-mail from you. Your e-mail usually end up in my spam folder because of the ongoing problem between Google and Yahoo!, but it wasn't there. Resend?--Bbb23 (talk) 01:07, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

@Bbb23: That's odd (and I do wish Google and Yahoo would work out their differences; I've been using that address for a long time and it's hard to get something nice and concise like that these days!). I've sent you another email directly (the first one I sent through WP). HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 01:55, 3 January 2016 (UTC)
I got the second one. I'll respond momentarily.--Bbb23 (talk) 02:05, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Mitchell, on 1 de outubro de 2014, you changed the publishing parameters for "Chronic fatigue syndrome" for this reason I can't add references for the phrase "...also be referred to as systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID),..."; in this vein, can you be so kind as to tell me how can I insert ( <ref>[http://news.sciencemag.org/health/2015/02/goodbye-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-hello-seid Goodbye chronic fatigue syndrome, hello SEID] by Jon Cohen on 10 February 2015 (SCIENCEINSIDER)</ref> ) or, please, insert the ref. yourself in order to maintain the publishing parameter that you set. Thanks. Luizpuodzius (talk) 17:00, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

@Luizpuodzius: There's no reason you shouldn't be able to edit it yourself. It's on pending changes, which means that edits by brand new accounts or unregistered editors need to be approved before they show up, but even that shouldn't affect you—you have enough edits and your account is old enough that your edits should just go straight through. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 17:25, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

The Signpost: 06 January 2016

Peer Review Request - Jonathan Mitchell

http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Wikipedia:Peer_review/Jonathan_Mitchell/archive1

Also, it's very unlikely that the article might be deleted despite the message, so I would like to see your feedback regardless please. Ylevental (talk) 08:24, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

Hi Ylevental, that's not really my area of expertise. I mostly write about military history and architecture and a few other subjects, so I don't think I'd be the best person to review that article. Your best bet might be to find similar articles and ask the editors who have contributed to them. HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 13:52, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

Could you take a peek at this?

Hi HJ, I tried to ping you about this:

User_talk:Robevans123#A_problem_shared...,

but I don't think it went through (it didn't get to Redrose64 either, who I also pinged). Cheers Robevans123 (talk) 19:34, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

Vbuzz1984 sandbox deletions

Did I handle User talk:Vbuzz1984/sandbox and User:Vbuzz1984/sandbox correctly, or should I just have asked at RevDel without the speedy G10? Meters (talk) 22:13, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

@Meters: You handled it fine. Optimally, you could have emailed the oversight team rather than tagging it. But I would expect any admin to know that sort of thing needs to be sent to the oversight team, so the only real difference it makes is that reporting it directly means I don't have to undelete it to suppress it (there's a bug in the software that means deleted revisions can only be suppressed one by one, whereas oversighters can suppress the entire history by ticking an extra box when deleting a page). HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 01:27, 8 January 2016 (UTC)
Thanks. I'll know better for next time. Meters (talk) 01:30, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

Relevance?

Stating a person's dating history isn't required, but I can tell you the hundreds of articles that have a person's dating history stated. It's not gossiping or insulting them at all. It IS under personal life, I'll find a different source, but if it doesn't damage anyone's reputation or career, why is it such a bad thing. Kalope (talk) 06:04, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

Comment

Not only are edit summaries like this one in breach of WP:CIVIL, they may expose you to ridicule as it seems you do not know what an adjective is. --John (talk) 07:55, 8 January 2016 (UTC)

This Month in GLAM: December 2015





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Please could you help me understand a rangeblock?

Hello! this is a polite and friendly chat, because I want to understand "rangeblocks". I'm not in anyway suggesting the block was wrong or that I think you've done anything wrong. Recently 82.132.192.0/18 was blocked for 72 hours because vandalism. (And it's been extended to 2 weeks by another admin.) Those are dynamic IPs for a UK mobile / cellphone ISP -- GiffGaff (and they use the o2 network). Because they're dynamic I can see that blocking individual IPs is pointless; people just turn their phone off and on and get a new IP. But still, 16,000 IPs for 2 weeks seems a bit long. Especially since account creation was also blocked. So, please could you help me understand the levels of vandalism coming from those IPs that would trigger such a block? And please could you help me understand (although it wasn't you who did it) why the block was extended from 72 hours to 2 weeks? Again, I'm not trying to pick an argument, and I don't think what you did was wrong. I just want to learn more about this kind of thing. (Just for clarity: I have made many edits from those IPs. Most are still there. As far as I know none were reverted as vandalism, although some have been reverted by people who disagreed with my changes. I didn't revert back, I used the talk pages if I thought it was important. As an editor I've never been blocked or warned for anything.) Kind regards DanBCDanBC (talk) 22:55, 11 January 2016 (UTC)

Hi @DanBCDanBC:, you're almost certainly not the person the block is intended for. I agree with you that it's an extreme measure, but it is an absolute last resort. We usually try blocking individual IP addresses and smaller subranges first. In cases of fairly trivial vandalism we sometimes just play whack-a-mole or semi-protect the affected articles. Unfortunately GiffGaff/O2 and mobile networks in general are frequently abused by malicious editors. At least two or three prolific sockpuppeteers have been known to use that range, including one recently whose edits had to be oversighted. It's far from an ideal solution, but the cost:benefit ratio unfortunately comes out strongly in favour of the block. I presume Mike V extended it on the basis that the problems aren't going to go away in a few days but felt that anything longer than two weeks was hard to justify. Best, HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 10:33, 12 January 2016 (UTC)

Help decide the future of Wikimania

The Wikimedia Foundation is currently running a consultation on the value and planning process of Wikimania, and is open until 18 January 2016. The goals are to (1) build a shared understanding of the value of Wikimania to help guide conference planning and evaluation, and (2) gather broad community input on what new form(s) Wikimania could take (starting in 2018).

After reviewing the consultation, we'd like to hear your feedback on on this survey.

In addition, feel free to share any personal experiences you have had at at a Wikimedia movement conference, including Wikimania. We plan to compile and share back outcomes from this consultation in February.

With thanks,

I JethroBT (WMF) (talk), from Community Resources 23:46, 12 January 2016 (UTC)

DYK for Gerrards Cross Memorial Building

Materialscientist (talk) 02:31, 13 January 2016 (UTC)

mail

Hi HJ. Im not sure if you missed the last message but I sent a new one. If you would rather not deal with it thats all good, Ill open another SPI. nableezy - 19:59, 13 January 2016 (UTC)

Potts

Hi HJ.

Thanks for the feedback on the Potts VC trust.

Re the embedded links I noted from what is already there that the best way to show external sites is via References etc... however each time I tried to edit the References section I just was put off .. I just could not work out how to do it. So as a temporary approach to help me to develop it I included the links in the way I did.

I will persist with the other approach.

Also fully agree re block of text and I have some very relevant images I can now include - old and new... once I have suzzed out how to get them in.

I will amend the user name in the way you suggest.

Best wishes

Richard Bennett - Trooper Potts VC Memorial Trust

Hi Richard, I've made a few tweaks to the article to demonstrate. I can go back through and tidy it up at a later date, the important bit is that you have a reference for all the information. You can't edit the references section directly, you have to put the citation between <ref></ref> tags. I also added a couple of section headers to break the text up a bit; they're only rough so feel free to change them or move them about as you go. As for images, try the Commons Upload Wizard; it's quite user-friendly. You'll need to know the copyright status of the images though—we can only take them if they're out of copyright or the photogrpaher/artist/etc agrees to release them. If email is easier, you can reach me at hjmitchell at ymail.com or via Special:EmailUser/HJ Mitchell. Best, HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 01:59, 14 January 2016 (UTC)