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1 October 2018

 

Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-10-01/From the editors


2018-10-01

John McCain's death generates over 7 million hits, followed by historical low

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By Igordebraga and Stormy clouds
This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Stormy clouds (August 26 to September 1), Igordebraga/Stormy clouds (September 2 to 8), Stormy clouds (September 9 to 15), and Stormy clouds/Igordebraga (September 16 to 22). Prepared for The Signpost by Acorri.

Courage is not the absence of fear (August 26 to September 1)

Bar graph listing the most popular Wikipedia articles from August 26 to September 1
Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (August 26 to September 1, 2018)

Once again, we have a report dominated by death. The omnipresent, inescapable reaper, bound to strike down each and every person reading this with the same ferocious, fearsome, fatal fall. The looming specter, lurking in the shadows of our collective existence, waiting for the moment to capitalise upon our unpreparedness, and unwillingness to let go of life. This week's report in particular is spearheaded by one prominent death—that of Senator John McCain, whose demise has propelled not only his own (former) BLP to an enormous viewcount, but also those of his extended family. Various subjects interject between the McCain bios, from the ongoing sporting bonanza over in Asia to the latest young adult hit streaming on Netflix. Owing to McCain's seismic impact on Wikipedia views, the report is considerably more lopsided than normal, but that neither detracts from nor diminishes its inherent intrigue.

For the week of August 26 to September 1, 2018, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia were:

Rank Article Class Views Image Notes
1 John McCain 6,187,238
We begin with the biggest news of the week, and the fourth-highest views of the year—the death of John McCain, one of the most prominent members of the United States Senate and leaders of the Grand Old Party over the past few decades. McCain first rose to fame following his torturous tenure as a prisoner of war of North Vietnam, and subsequently climbed up the political ranks. He was denied the head job by a certain charismatic Democrat, and he never served in a cabinet position either, but rather remained a massively influential voice in the Senate, especially in recent years as he rejected Trumpian proposals on issues such as healthcare. Diagnosed with glioblastoma last year, the news of his passing was perhaps an inevitability in the interim, yet this didn't prevent him making seismic waves in terms of page views amongst the dogged denizens of Wikipedia, whose intrigue led them to tunnel through various familiar links, including McCain's widow Cindy (#2), and divorced wife Carol (#3).
2 Cindy McCain 1,308,386
3 Carol McCain 1,193,628
4 2018 Asian Games 1,152,563
Aside from the aforementioned death of a senator, the other recurrent story at the apex of this iteration of the report is the Asian Games, which have drawn to a close as of the time of writing. Held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, the games shone a spotlight upon the very best Asian athletes, as—like the alchemists of yonder—they transformed their blood, sweat, and tears (along with their incredible athletic aptitudes) into some precious metals. Evidently, their sporting endeavours engrossed a cohort of our readers, landing the event in the top 5 once again.
5 Meghan McCain 1,148,650
As with a large number of massive deaths, McCain's demise seems to have inspired a large amount of link-clicking, as readers and editors of Wikipedia click through all the family members of a deceased person, discovering all they can on a curiosity-fuelled binge. In the case of Meghan, McCain's daughter, they would have discovered her burgeoning television career, which has thus far culminated with a gig co-hosting The View alongside Whoopi Goldberg and company.
6 2018 Asian Games medal table 1,042,412
A list recounting all of the medals awarded to the participants of #4. With an astonishing 289 medals, it was China who reigned supreme. This shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise to avid fans of the Games, given that they have achieved this feat on ten consecutive occasions. Perhaps more impressive was the fact that 46% of their medals were of the aureate inclination, which bodes well for Chinese prospects in the next games, which they will host in Hangzhou.
7 India at the 2018 Asian Games 982,059
Once again, a large amount of the attention paid towards the Asian Games came from India, as people from Uttar Pradesh to Kerala browsed the information superhighway to check up on their country's progress. India only placed eighth on the medal table, so one has to imagine that the swarm of page views stems not from their performance, but from the fact that the nation has the second most anglophones worldwide. Nonetheless, there were some highlights, such as the victory of Rohan Bopanna (pictured) and his partner Divij Sharan in tennis.
8 Deaths in 2018 771,880
People die.[citation needed] Some of those people have attracted attention from reliable sources, and have Wikipedia articles. Upon their deaths, their names coalesce and convene on a list for the deceased. The morbid among us love this list, and ensure that it never leaves the Top 25. Bad news sells, after all. The numbers observing this week's voyage down the Styx was especially buoyant courtesy of #1.
9 Aretha Franklin 726,044
The musically inclined on Wikipedia are evidently still reeling from the death of the "Queen of Soul", as she still attracts swathes of views a fortnight past her untimely passing. However, in a very odd convergence of topics, the Special One inadvertedly honoured Franklin's legacy during a ridiculous meltdown following his team's 3–0 defeat to 'arry and Co. Personally, I think that all any of us can ask for in our prayers is a little respect when we're at home.
10 Crazy Rich Asians (film) 722,067
Hollywood doesn't exactly have a spotless record when it comes to the portrayal of minorities on the silver screen. This has been particularly true of roles of Asian origin. Just ask Cowboy Khan or Puck the Stereotype for evidence. Nonetheless, diversity pays these days, and the latest surprise hit has proven this once more, as Warner Bros. makes significant bank off the back of the film, which looks likely to three-peat at #1 in the box office. No word on its quality, as it isn't out in the Emerald Isle just yet, but my more stately friends have assured me that it is quite entertaining.
Full report

My tea's gone cold, I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all (September 2 to 8)

Bar graph listing the most popular Wikipedia articles from September 2 to 8
Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (September 2 to 8, 2018)

Yet another week led by mourning. Along with holdover John McCain (#6) and the never-leaving death list (#9), the top two entries are actor Burt Reynolds, dying after a long life at 82 (and bringing along two exes) and rapper Mac Miller, gone too soon at 26 (bringing along an ex, #8, some loony fans turned against). Hip hop also makes itself present with Eminem (#10) and a young rapper he's now on a beef with (#7). The rest, we'll split them in threes: protesters are recognized (#3), executives are judged, and judges are protested; the US Open ends for women (#4) while European football starts a new tournament; TV is present through BET, Netflix, and Amazon Prime; India learns about a holiday inspiration, watches movies, and decriminalizes homosexuals; and the US celebrates a holiday watching scary (#5) and funny movies.

For the week of September 2 to 8, 2018, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia were:

Rank Article Class Views Image Notes
1 Burt Reynolds 4,068,946
Burt Reynolds was an icon of Hollywood manliness in the 1970s and 1980s, starring in hits such as Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit (while also having this hilarious cameo in Mel Brooks' Silent Movie). In the 1990s, he experienced a brief resurrection with Boogie Nights that even earned him an Academy Award nomination. And now his storied career ends with his death at the age of 82 due to a heart attack.
2 Mac Miller 3,812,212
Celebrated rapper Mac Miller died of a possible drug overdose, a few months short of becoming another musician who died at 27. Not that hip hop departures usually get to that age—XXXTentacion earlier this year being a sad example of this—as they brag about living dangerously (see also: this list).
3 Colin Kaepernick 1,244,891
Believe in something.
Even if it means sacrificing everything.
4 Naomi Osaka 1,243,354
The first Japanese tennis player to win a Grand Slam, namely the US Open, is a woman who is multi-ethnic to the extreme: along with a name and complexion that show she's biracial Japanese (her father is Haitian), Osaka was raised in the United States.
5 The Nun (2018 film) 1,202,025
A great case for those who think Hollywood sequels, prequels, and whatnot sometimes get a little too far: a scary nun who appeared in one scene of The Conjuring 2 followed the steps of Annabelle and got its own picture. Reviews have been unflattering, finding it full of many sins (boo!) of the horror genre (along with that of being unintentionally funny), but it still handily recouped its $22 million budget in just its opening weekend with $57 million, enough to both top the box office and be the largest opening of The Conjuring Universe.
6 John McCain 1,045,213
The late war-hero-turned-politician—who, along with a long tenure as senator, was the Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election—had his memorial services held this week.
7 Machine Gun Kelly (rapper) 942,841
After Eminem (#10) had a diss track on Machine Gun Kelly, "Not Alike", the Cleveland rapper replied to the Rap God with a track called "Rap Devil". Time will tell if bad things will ensue for MGK.
8 Ariana Grande 822,927
As if mourning the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller (#2) wasn't bad enough for this pop singer, ill-tempered fans decided to blame her for the rapper's death. Unlike the ones calling her "Mac Killer", Ms. Grande has been thoughtful and civilized about the matter.
9 Deaths in 2018 786,247
It's a shame we have to die, my dear
No one's getting out of here alive
10 Eminem 766,293
Twenty years after introducing Slim Shady in "My Name Is", Marshall Matters showed he's still atop the rap genre with the surprise release of new album Kamikaze, full of diss tracks on just about everybody—including people much younger than Em such as Machine Gun Kelly (#7). It also included a rap based on the Marvel anti-hero Venom, tied to the upcoming movie.
Full report

The Court of the Rising Sun (September 9 to 15)

Bar graph listing the most popular Wikipedia articles from September 9 to 15
Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (September 9 to 15, 2018)

While incorporating some notable deaths, this week's iteration of the Top 25 Report is not entirely consumed by them, a nice change of pace from recent weeks. Rather, it is the action at Flushing Meadows, and a controversy embroiling tennis' biggest female name, which takes centre court. Further down, the list is populated with a veritable cornucopia of visual treats, from blockbuster releases to streaming delights. Google also contributes an engrossing entry, which almost excuses them for their surveillance of us all, while Eminem's return makes the list feel less empty. Finally, of course, the shadow of 9/11 weighs heavily over the report too. More diversity than recent reports ensures that this one is intriguing. Enjoy.

For the week of September 2 to 8, 2018, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia were:

Rank Article Class Views Image Notes
1 Naomi Osaka 2,104,708
Sport makes its way atop the report again, forcing me to reminisce of heady days of yonder. Simpler times, before a string of high-profile deaths took over. Osaka became the first Japanese victor of a Grand Slam, triumphing over her heavily favoured opponent (#9) in straight sets amidst controversy, and thus claiming pride, glory, and fame in Flushing Meadows; this propelled gargantuan views on her article, lifting the sportswoman to #1.
2 Mac Miller 1,587,222
And now from rising stars to fallen ones, we return to the land of the deceased with the 26-year-old rapper behind hits such as 100 Grandkids and an ode to el futuro Presidente. Having died of an apparent drug overdose, just missing on an infamous illustrious club, hip-hop fans flocked toward his article, while his more heinous and repugnant fans took it as an opportunity to harass his ex-girlfriend.
3 September 11 attacks 1,565,391
Franklin Delano Roosevelt infamously declared December 7 to be a "date that will live in infamy". For the modern generations, that date is September 11. Very few people will ever forget first hearing of the incident that felled two towers, and cost nearly 3,000 people their lives. The 20th century was changed irrevocably and profoundly by the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, its ramifications clearly persisting as far as the fall of the Berlin Wall. History will come to see 9/11 in a similar fashion, the catalyst for the War on Terror, a war whose consequences are still playing out, even with the malevolent mastermind gone. A day that changed America forever; a day that proved the Big Apple was strong; a day that will live forever in infamy, lest we ever forget—as such, with the seventeenth anniversary falling during the week, it is scarcely surprising to see it here.
4 The Nun (2018 film) 1,277,971
After a duo of films about a doll made a tidy return, Warner Bros. returned to the well to conjure another box office hit. The film itself is supposedly less superb than its receipts would indicate, reliant on lazy scares and melodrama (habits horror movies should shake). From my perspective, a possessed and demonic novitiate is far from the scariest thing related to the convent.
5 The Predator (film) 880,436
Speaking of mediocre Hollywood releases, we have the newest installment in the apex sci-fi franchise. The unstoppable, well, predator, returns to the silver screen some thirty years after it tormented the T-800 and—despite the immense talent on show, and the solid reputation of the director—the flick has underwhelmed both financially and critically. Guess we don't all get to the choppa.
6 M. Visvesvaraya 758,439
M. Visvesvaraya, an engineer from India, appears on the list courtesy of Google (it was always going to be Google or /r/TIL) as the search engine giant devoted a doodle to the genius responsible for many monumental civil engineering triumphs across India, from the Krishna Raja Sagara dam to the flood defence system of Hyderabad. Most of his work centred on the Mysore State, earning him both a knighthood and the Bharat Ratna.
7 Deaths in 2018 737,098
Ever a constant on the report, the reaper slices into the Top 10 once more as yet another raft of people were ferried down the Stygian way this week. And, as ever, swathes of people checked in on the list of the fallen, bolstered in terms of views by the demises of #2 and #10.
8 Elon Musk 729,998
Elon Musk has taken a few reputational knocks in recent months. Following the Tham Luang cave rescue, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO controversially referred to one of the cave divers as a "pedo". More recently, he smoked a joint during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, sending Tesla shares into a tailspin (from which they have recovered), despite the increasing legality of the drug stateside. All of this contributed to an inordinately high amount of views on the billionaire genius' article.
9 Serena Williams 614,288
Serena, with 23 Grand Slam titles to her name as a solo player, is indisputably the greatest female tennis player of her generation. Thus, it came as a shock that she lost on home turf clay to #1. Despite only managing to claim six games over the two sets, much of the attention after the game fell not on Osaka's shoulders, but on the very public disagreement between Williams and umpire Carlos Ramos, which culminated in Ramos awarding penalty points against Williams for off-court coaching from Patrick Mouratoglou, and subsequently breaking her racket. This led Williams to proclaim Ramos a "liar" and a "thief", and to cite sexism as a cause for his perceived biases. This, like a net, split the tennis community right down the centre.
10 Burt Reynolds 603,183
Hollywood lost a great last week as Burt Reynolds succumbed to cardiac arrest at the age of 82, and the ramifications of his death were still rippling this week, seeing him make the Top 10. The actor, famed for his captivating turn in Smokey and the Bandit amongst many other renowned flicks, was one of the largest stars in Hollywood for a generation, and will be sorely missed.
Full report

Wikipedia Hits the Mat (September 16 to 22)

Some weeks are slow, but this one was so bad views-wise that for the first time since 2014 the report is topped by something with less than 800,000 views. And said #1 is a wrestling event, and there are some more violent sports entries as well (#8 and #14 are boxers, #15 and #20 American football players). Otherwise, readers sought predators of the sexual (#5, #7) and alien hunter kind (#6), rap arguments (#3), scary movies and TV, India spicing things up a bit with TV (#3) and cricket, movies in theaters (#10) or having their trailers released (#9), Elon Musk still on the news, and some stuff that you just can count on appearing—holidays, Netflix, and, of course, death (#2).

For the week of September 16 to 22, 2018, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia were:

Rank Article Class Views Image Notes
1 Hell in a Cell (2018) 754,131
The tenth edition of this wrestling event (though not the only one to feature said cage) was held in San Antonio, Texas.
2 Deaths in 2018 730,409
Things are so slow that the only constant was people checking our obituary.
3 Machine Gun Kelly (rapper) 706,982
This is as big as you're gonna get, so enjoy it
Had to give you a career to destroy it
4 Anup Jalota 635,774 This popular Indian singer is on the current edition of the popular show Bigg Boss.
5 Christine Blasey Ford 560,826
The latest step in at least delaying the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination (#7) was given by this psychologist and professor, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault back when they were in high school.
6 The Predator (film) 559,729
Hunter, hunted, which are you?
Diablo, come again
To make trophies out of men

The extraterrestrial big-game hunter—whose appearance is described in the movie as "an alien Whoopi Goldberg" (in Brazil, we compare him to Carlinhos Brown) and who has already butted heads with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny Glover, Adrien Brody, and the Alien—returned to theaters in a production that wasn't DIY, but still made by Black & Dekker. Full of blood, quips, and action, but a bit weird in its plotting, The Predator has split critics and fans while also struggling a bit in the box office ($40 million in the US and $94 million worldwide, against a budget of $88 million). As a fan of those movies, I hope it isn't the end for this ugly mofo.

7 Brett Kavanaugh 550,921
In the words of Samantha Bee "I can't believe this needs saying, but it's never okay to try to rape somebody (#5)—not even in high school! Not even if you're totally gonna be a Supreme Court justice."
8 Gennady Golovkin 546,964
One year after a controversial bout with Canelo Álvarez that ended in a split draw, the Kazakh middleweight world champion fought him again—and lost his titles.
9 Carol Danvers 536,859
The trailer for Captain Marvel was released, giving comic fans a first look at the superheroine played by Brie Larson (pictured).
10 A Simple Favor (film) 505,694
Anna Kendrick (pictured) investigates the disappearance of Blake Lively in this mystery film by Paul Feig (back to directing after the unfairly maligned Ghostbusters, and only his second movie that isn't a comedy), which has been getting positive reviews and good box office. Maybe I'll give it a shot.
Full report

Exclusions

  • These lists exclude the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the Top 25 Report talk page if you wish.


2018-10-01

Knowledge under fire

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By Bri, Eddie891, and Pythoncoder

Wikipedia digitally preserving artifacts lost in National Museum of Brazil fire

Photograph of an immense off-white building behind two rows of palm trees leading to the entrance, a clear blue sky above
The National Museum of Brazil in 2011
Photograph of the same building smoldering under a massive blaze, the black smoke filling the night sky
The National Museum consumed by fire in 2018

Mental Floss reported this month on Wikipedia's effort to "digitally preserve" some of the priceless items destroyed in the recent National Museum of Brazil fire. The effort began with a tweet by the Wikipedia Twitter account encouraging people to do this.

Hundreds of files have already been uploaded and the collection can be browsed here. The article also encouraged people to upload more images and add descriptions to existing ones. — P

Read more about the effort to preserve the contents of the National Museum of Brazil at this month's Wikimedia blog report.

United States Congress

[[File:|center|300px|alt=Separate photographs of Dianne Feinstein on the left and Brett Kavanaugh on the right, both in formal attire at the Senate hearings, their names and positions overlayed across each photograph]]
Wikipedia and the confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh received media attention.

Members of, and goings on in, the United States Congress were heavily in the media this month, particularly over the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Orrin Hatch, Mike Lee, and Lindsey Graham had personal information posted on their Wikipedia pages. Also during the hearing, the page Devil's Triangle (disambiguation) was anonymously edited to add "a popular drinking game enjoyed by friends of judge Brett Kavanaugh." Both edits appeared to come from the Capitol.

  • May, Ashley (28 September 2018). "Devil's Triangle Wikipedia page changes definition during Kavanaugh hearing". News (Politics). USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  • Nelson, Steven (28 September 2018). "Sheldon Whitehouse on Kavanaugh: 'I don't believe a devil's triangle is a drinking game'". News (White House). The Washington Examiner. MediaDC. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  • Papenfuss, Mary (28 September 2018). "Judiciary Committee Members Doxxed During Kavanaugh Testimony". Politics. HuffPost. Oath Inc. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  • Burr, Thomas (27 September 2018). "Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee are victims of online 'doxing' as Wikipedia posts home addresses and phone numbers". News (Politics). The Salt Lake Tribune. Washington. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  • Thebault, Reis (28 September 2018). "Fight over Kavanaugh nomination finds its oddest front yet: Wikipedia pages". Politics. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  • Rodriguez, Jesus (27 September 2018). "Judiciary Republicans' personal information published during Kavanaugh hearing". Congress. Politico. Capitol News Company. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.

See further coverage here and here. — E

In brief

Photograph of a large, multi-storey, and rather blocky office building with a leafless tree out front
55 Savushkina Street, home of the Internet Research Agency troll farm

Other contributors: Bri


Do you want to contribute to "In the media" by writing a story or even just an "in brief" item? Edit next month's edition in the Newsroom or leave a tip on the suggestions page.


2018-10-01

Paying attention to your mobile

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By Evad37
A person holds a mobile phone; in the background are Wikimedia project logos
Wikimedia developers are improving the mobile website.


You can read more about advanced mobile editing and other things the developers plan to work on over the next year; there is also a presentation you can watch.

Making the wikis work better on mobile phones is also something editors can help with. There is a list of recommendations for making content easier to read in the mobile view. You can add things to the page and ask others to help.

In brief

New user scripts to customise your Wikipedia experience

Bot tasks

Recently approved tasks
Current requests for approval

Latest tech news

Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community: 2018 #36, #37, #38, and #39. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available on Meta.

Recent changes
  • There is a new user right for users who can edit CSS and JavaScript for the entire wiki. Before this all admins could edit CSS and JavaScript. This was a security risk. This group is called interface administrators. Administrators can delete user CSS and JavaScript pages. [1][2]
  • There will be an A/B test on the Wikipedia mobile website. It starts this week. It tests how we show templates that show information about an article. The test will last two weeks. [3][4]
  • You can now use different CSS rules for different skins when you edit templates. This is because of TemplateStyles. [5]
  • wp10 in ORES is now called articlequality. [6]
  • When you get a new message on your talk page you get a yellow message in the toolbar. The preference to show or not show this has been removed. [7]
  • When you added or edited a template with the visual editor the input boxes were very big. This has been fixed. The input boxes will now be smaller until you click on them. Then they will change size to fit the text. [8]
  • The Wikimedia Commons mobile app has a new version. Images uploaded using Nearby are now automatically added to the associated Wikidata item. You can browse other images on Commons. You can see your achievements and your upload statistics. It has also fixed some bugs. [9]
  • Advanced item MediaWiki web requests now have a time limit of 60 seconds for GET requests and 200 seconds for POST requests. [10]
  • Special:AncientPages can hide disambiguation pages. [11]
  • The preferences form has changed to use the standard look. If you see any problems please report them on Phabricator. [12]
Problems
  • UploadWizard had problems with campaigns. Users could not upload files. This has now been fixed. [13]
  • You can get a notification when a link is made to a page you created. This has not worked since June. It was fixed last week. [14]
  • Some diffs showed lines in the wrong order. This was fixed last week. [15]
  • Marking a cross-wiki notification as read didn't work every time. The other wiki was not updated. This has now been fixed. [16]
  • <maplink> did not work for a few days. This was because of a bug. This has now been fixed. [17]
  • {{subst:REVISIONUSER}} is used by some templates. For a period edits saved with {{subst:REVISIONUSER}} would save the previous user's name and not your username. This is now fixed. Edits made before the bug was fixed will still be wrong and need to be corrected. [18]
  • When you move a page the title still shows the old page name. The developers are working on fixing this. [19]
  • You could not see the menu on the notifications page on the mobile version. This has now been fixed. [20]
Future changes
Meetings
  • Recurrent item Advanced item You can join the technical advice meeting on IRC. During the meeting, volunteer developers can ask for advice. The meeting takes place every Wednesday from 3:00–4:00 p.m. UTC. See how to join here.

Installation code

Further information: Wikipedia:User scripts § How to install user scripts
  1. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:Enterprisey/up-one-lvl-kbd.js' ); // Backlink: User:Enterprisey/up-one-lvl-kbd.js
  2. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:BrandonXLF/invert.js' ); // Backlink: User:BrandonXLF/invert.js
  3. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:Enterprisey/link-section-edits.js' ); // Backlink: User:Enterprisey/link-section-edits.js
  4. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:Enterprisey/cv-revdel.js' ); // Backlink: User:Enterprisey/cv-revdel.js
  5. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:BrandonXLF/subpages.js' ); // Backlink: User:BrandonXLF/subpages.js
  6. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:BrandonXLF/WhatLinksHere.js' ); // Backlink: User:BrandonXLF/WhatLinksHere.js
  7. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:Danski454/UserLogToolbar.js' ); // Backlink: User:Danski454/UserLogToolbar.js
  8. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:Flooded with them hundreds/sectionremover.js' ); // Backlink: User:Flooded with them hundreds/sectionremover.js
  9. ^ Copy the following code, click here, then paste:
    importScript( 'User:Flooded with them hundreds/PageMoverClosure.js' ); // Backlink: User:Flooded with them hundreds/PageMoverClosure.js


2018-10-01

You can do it! Just say thanks.

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By Barbara Page, Struthious Bandersnatch, OlEnglish, JoeHebda, and Geekdiva
Created in April 2008 by Struthious Bandersnatch and with major contributions from OlEnglish, JoeHebda, and Geekdiva, Wikipedia:Expressing thanks continues to remind us how each other's work is thankless only if we let it be.

Expressing thanks for another user's helpful, generous, or positive actions is an important activity for cultivating community virtues such as civility and WikiPeace. Sending thanks communicates one's attitude towards other users. This page lists common methods for communicating thanks to other users. In its entirety it does not represent a policy or even a guideline; the encouragement of positive behavior is a topic of guidelines and policies such as etiquette, civility, WikiLove, and WikiPeace.

Direct thanks

Part of a Wikipedia help series on
Wikipedia Awards
Awarded by co-founder Jimmy Wales
Awards by WikiProject
Barnstars and other personal awards
Awards by number of edits
See also

A message of thanks is most often directly placed on the other user's talk page. In general, when any change is made to a user's talk page, that user will receive a message notifying him or her of the change the next time he or she views any Wikipedia page.

  • Custom written message: the best method of thanks is often a short written note mentioning the circumstance and gesture you are expressing thanks for.
  • Notifications/Thanks offers a way to give positive feedback on Wikipedia. This feature (added June 2013) lets editors send a 'Thank you' notification to users who make useful edits.
  • {{Smile}} and other templates can be used and provide graphics, standardized text, and a pleasant layout for your message. Some templates permit the customization of the message text and you could also copy the source of the template if you wish to customize it.
  • WP:Awards are a special templates that usually convey a message of thanks or a recognition of a user's virtue. Most awards such as barnstars are granted on individual initiative—any user can give barnstars, not just administrators or bureaucrats—so be bold. A small number of awards are the result of a community process. Many different ones are listed here.

More public gestures

  • To make an announcement of thanks in response to an especially worthy action, you might place a temporary or permanent notice on your own user page.
  • A nice cup of tea and a sit down is both an essay and sort of a forum for appreciating members of the community.
  • Account authority promotion: If the user deserving of thanks initiates a request for adminship or a request for bureaucratship or another community process requesting community input on the user's conduct it would be an appropriate gesture to render your (honest) opinion of the user in that forum.
  • WikiGnome Kudos

Guidelines for expressing thanks

  • If a user's talk page is receiving a large number of thank-you messages, it may be considerate to wait until a "quieter time" to add your own message.
  • If you are expressing thanks in a tense situation, to someone with whom you are having a dispute, or to someone who has otherwise expressed suspicion of you, use caution. While a message of thanks might express good faith or an attitude of compromise, unless it is viewed by the receiving party as entirely sincere, it may arouse further suspicion or be viewed as patronizing. A different demonstration of good faith may be more appropriate.

See also


Editorial comment: Most readers probably enjoy The Signpost and would miss it if it were to disappear. Though hand-wringing abounds, we might all be surprised if we would thank those who have contributed to The Signpost – especially those who contribute on a regular basis. It just might keep it alive. Barbara ✐  ✉

Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-10-01/Opinion


2018-10-01

European copyright law moves forward

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By Bri
Screenshot of the top-half of the English Wikipedia main page with the banner "To all our readers in Germany" at the top
Protest banner on the English Wikipedia seen from a German IP address in July

EU Copyright Directive Article 13

On September 12, the European Parliament approved Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (Article 13), which had received much press back in June – including coverage in The Signpost. Even protest banners on the English Wikipedia displayed for European users, and full shutdowns occurred for some European language Wikipedias. Many comments on the proposed legislation concerned its effect on media largely dependent on many contributors, described as potentially chilling public discussion and putting up barriers to collaborative works by placing the burden for prevention of copyright infringement on the hosting party. The impact of the legislation has yet to be fully reckoned, but it did include carve-outs for non-profit uses intended for platforms such as Wikipedia. Still, we don't know what the downstream effect on commercial users and remixers of the CC-BY-SA content will be.

Brief notes

Additional contributors: Pythoncoder

Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-10-01/Serendipity Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-10-01/Op-ed Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-10-01/In focus


2018-10-01

A quiet month for Arbcom

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By Bri
Photograph of an empty office building
Arbcom's offices mostly empty in August and September

There was no Arbitration Report in the last issue of The Signpost due to no new case requests to report. It seems this month is not much different.

New requests for case

Other notes

Additional contributors: Pythoncoder


2018-10-01

Pencils are mandatory

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By Barbara Page

You will want to get out your printer and pencils to participate in this month's article. The pencil works better if you chew on the end of it. Good luck! Answers will appear next issue.

Black-and-white crossword puzzle

Across

Photograph of a large orange pencil being gripped by the right hand of a man with a notepad nearby
Too large to sharpen but highly effective
Official logo of the Wikipedia Teahouse
(This is a clue)
Wikipedia's globe logo with two crossed mops in the foreground
Two administrators discussing
the answer to 13 down
  1. The house where new editors go when they have questions about creating an article about themselves or their company
  2. How many pillars are there?
  3. Where Jimbo now lives
  4. What we all do (begins with E)
  5. Such pretty pictures
  6. What WP stands for
  7. Cool tool when you want to get your edit count stratospheric
  8. Write this when you want people to know what you think
  9. A topic- or article-specific consequence of being naughty
  10. A rarely used tool of appreciation
  11. Discuss grants and other Wiki things in this project
  12. Most populous English-speaking country
  13. Three times you are out
  14. A toddler's plaything or the consequences you can face when you are very, very naughty
  15. The other English Wikipedia
  16. Have a good idea? Ask for one of these!
  17. Shocking facts about improved articles
  18. Entertainment, drama and sentencing all in one place

Down

  1. Don't do this to newcomers (but it's OK after about 1,000 edits, slather them in barbeque sauce and toss them on the grill)
  2. When two editors keep reverting each other, they have started an edit _____.
  3. Girly biography Project, Women in _____
  4. A foundation that tricks students into contributing to Wikipedia
  5. Being sharp or sarcastic
  6. Cranky and irritable
  7. Make one of these when you are typing the same thing over and over
  8. An old name for administrator
  9. Entertainment and drama that is article specific
  10. Large sea creatures without the letter H
  11. Where the Village discusses anything and everything
  12. Private canvassing
  13. The highest rating possible for an article
  14. Grooviest way to add categories to an article or a toasted feline
  15. Funny guy
  16. What you want to be
  17. An article that is pretty darn short
  18. The WikiProject that no one talks about


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