Wikimedia Forum/Archives/2015-11

x-wiki rule for sock puppets

Is there an x-wiki rule that says I can or cannot edit with different accounts in different wikis? For example, I'd like to continue to use this name in most of the wikis, but register another account that uses kanji and hiragana name specifically for Japanese wiki projects. Will that be fine? Bluedeck 03:57, 2 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, you can link from one account to the others, then it will be clearer. But you always have to log-in and log-out, if you edit in another wiki, that will be more difficult for you. You can also use just different signatures with those characters instead, it's easier. --Winternacht (talk) 22:16, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

Strategy tests for reading department

Hi all, Headsup that the reading department of Wikimedia Foundation, recently shared a draft of reading strategy tests, you might want to have a look :-). Thanks,--Melamrawy (WMF) (talk) 15:41, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

How to stop getting spam?

I have long come to the realisation that nothing that I have to say regarding any issues whatsoever will be considered or thought about, because people will just yell "you are on the wrong side of history, so shut up", "your values are old fashioned", "go rot in a corner" etc. etc.

So how do I stop getting notifications for surveys for which I know my response will have no impact?

It really gets me down when I keep receiving these things in my e-mail and banners and all of that. It is akin to shouting in my face "You don't matter, so get lost".

How can I stop being pestered with e-mails and pop-ups with stuff like "The Wikimedia Foundation would like to inform you that it is currently in the process of grinding your gears. Would you like to comment? The Wikimedia Foundation would really like you to take time out of your day to fill out a survey in which your answers will be hand-waved away and ignored! By the way, if we don't get the results which we desire, we will keep pestering you and everyone else until we do. So do yourself a favour and tell us what we want to hear."

It's very irksome, and has tempted me to leave these projects altogether. Tharthan (talk) 20:39, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

*BUMP* So no one is going to answer me? Thanks for nothing. Tharthan (talk) 15:17, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

If you have some recommendations on surveys specifically, you can edit Survey best practices. Nemo 15:58, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for the heads up! Tharthan (talk) 19:13, 7 November 2015 (UTC)

Community Wishlist Survey

Hi everyone!

The Community Tech team at the Wikimedia Foundation is focused on building improved curation and moderation tools for experienced Wikimedia contributors. We're now starting a Community Wishlist Survey to find the most useful projects that we can work on.

For phase 1 of the survey, we're inviting all active contributors to submit brief proposals, explaining the project that you'd like us to work on, and why it's important. Phase 1 will last for 2 weeks. In phase 2, we'll ask you to vote on the proposals. Afterwards, we'll analyze the top 10 proposals and create a prioritized wishlist.

While most of this process will be conducted in English, we're inviting people from any Wikimedia wiki to submit proposals. We'll also invite volunteer translators to help translate proposals into English.

Your proposal should include: the problem that you want to solve, who would benefit, and a proposed solution, if you have one. You can submit your proposal on the Community Wishlist Survey page, using the entry field and the big blue button. We will be accepting proposals for 2 weeks, ending on November 23.

We're looking forward to hearing your ideas!

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:30, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

www.wikipedia.org portal

Hi there,

As you may be aware, for a long time the portal for Wikipedias, https://www.wikipedia.org, has had its HTML that serves the page hosted and updated on Meta. The page is protected so that only Meta administrators can change it, so proposed changes are made at the /temp page. Maintaining the portal has been done largely by hand by @Mxn: with help from others on the /temp page.

After in-person discussion with Mxn and an investigation on Phabricator, the Wikimedia Foundation’s Discovery team is moving the www.wikipedia.org portal’s HTML from Meta to Wikimedia’s Git repository where it can be maintained and updated in a sustainable, long-term way. The Discovery team will continue to work with Mxn on maintaining the portal; it is not taking ownership or control over the portal. The Wikimedia community will still have access to make changes to the portal; if you can use Gerrit and are trusted to make a patch, you’ll likely get access to the repository. If you cannot do this, it can be done for you upon request; just as the /temp page functioned.

This change will have many long-term benefits. Hosting the portal as proper code on Git can allow for full automation of the portal, keeping it accurate and up-to-date without human intervention. Event logging can be used on the portal, which will allow those that work on how making Wikimedia more accessible to figure out how the portal is being used in a proper manner. As of right now, 4% of all language Wikipedia search traffic goes through that portal, yet little to nothing is known about how it is being used. The portal can also be used to test tweaks to the portal to make it more useful to those who are searching the projects.

It is understood that taking the portal from Meta to Git has a the consequence of moving a community page away from the community control a wiki provides. The Discovery team would like to be very clear that it recognizes this view, and reiterates that maintaining the page through Git will be continue to be participatory with the community.

The very beginnings of the improvements to the portal are started on the aptly named Wikipedia.org Portal Improvements page. More will be added to it as more structure is built into the maintenance, the page is still is a work in progress. There is information documented about some of the initial research plans with the portal at Research:Portal experiments.

If you have further comments or questions about this initiative, they are best directed to portal improvements talk page or the technical task on Phabricator. Happy editing to you. Keegan (WMF) (talk) 23:50, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

On the one hand it does sound, well, sound but on the other hand it's great complicating for users. E.g. it takes me a browser even mobile one in order to make a change to a wiki page. The only way to make a gerrit-patch I know is via Linux and that's when I am 99% time Windows user (tried from Windows once but got problems on the way to it). So it takes me downloading a Linux distro and making a bootable stick, rebooting via it which is at least 2 hours of time on my PC in order to make a single change I could have requested in 3m via wiki page. And I at least know this irrational way of doing this which I cannot say about many users (while just html knowledge is rather trivial thing). I am not actually active contributor to the portal (though I believe I requested changes once or twice to wn or wq portal) but I have a feeling that it might be a problem not just for me. --Base (talk) 00:08, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

As I've said in several places already, I think it's incredibly inappropriate to change the current www.wikipedia.org implementation without first matching its existing functionality. Introducing a major functionality regression—no longer having automatic deployments of the HTML—while adding no new features and while making the updates process more difficult for volunteers is piggishly hasty and unacceptable, in my opinion. --MZMcBride (talk) 00:57, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

Solution in search of problem, imo. - Amgine/^{meta wikt wnews blog wmf-blog goog news} 01:03, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

Wikimania 2016 scholarships ambassadors needed

Hello! Wikimania 2016 scholarships will soon be open; by the end of the week we'll form the committee and we need your help, see Scholarship committee for details.

If you want to carefully review nearly a thousand applications in January, you might be a perfect committee member. Otherwise, you can volunteer as "ambassador": you will observe all the committee activities, ensure that people from your language or project manage to apply for a scholarship, translate scholarship applications written in your language to English and so on. Ambassadors are allowed to ask for a scholarship, unlike committee members.

Wikimania 2016 scholarships subteam 10:47, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

Wikimedia Highlights from October 2015

Here are the highlights from the Wikimedia blog in October 2015.

• Wikipedia’s global impact recognized with Spain’s Princess of Asturias Award ceremony
• Creating change one step at a time: Miguel Zuñiga Gonzalez
• Your October milestones include Wikidata’s 15 millionth item
• District court grants government’s motion to dismiss Wikimedia v. NSA, appeal expected
• Making Chinese Wikipedia more ethnologically diverse

About · Subscribe/unsubscribe, 20:03, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Spam filter totally broken?

Trying to edit Electric Blanket, but getting a spam filter notice. All I'm doing is deleting text, and site is reporting a "Spam filter notice." Instructions say, "To save your changes now, you must go back and remove the blocked link (shown below), and then save." However, there is no blocked link shown. Screenshot

I just tried to edit another unrelated entry and am getting the same error! I am logged into Wikipedia; I've edited plenty of times before without trouble. WTF! Anyone?? Buehler?

The blacklisted link could be anywhere on the entire page. It is not necessarily in the material that you added. WhatamIdoing (talk) 18:43, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

Pagetriage Extension (Approve Edit??)

Hello. I have read wikipedia use this extension with new page and edit funktion. But the download version on mediawiki have only the newpage funktion. How i can use pagetriage with "edit approved" funktion,too?

The extension "Flaggedrevs" use both funktion. I like this with pagetriage. Wikipedia make this,too.

Many thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.187.107.147 (talk) 23:04, 13 November 2015

Are you running a private wiki (for example, for a business)? Or do you want to use these tools on Wikipedia? Whatamidoing (WMF) (talk) 18:49, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

wikiwise / wikimaxim

Hello everybody,

how about creating a wiki for wordly wisdom?

For example: negative emotions are a part of live. And then explaining the maxim with examples, stories, etc.

I'm looking forward to your input.

Skydiver2

Is it similar to WikiBrain? Ruslik (talk) 20:32, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

No, it isn't. It's more like ancient wisdom, wisdom from psychologists or anybody that can provide wisdom based on a story/stories or example(s). Not in the form of a book but rather one to two pages of a book. I know two german internet sites providing such wisdom.

Azwikipedia

This discussion should be continued on the Stewards'_noticeboard. Green Giant (talk) 11:25, 26 July 2015 (UTC)

(I wrote about it. But there was no reaction ?! The reason I am writing again. Please avoid vandalism.)

User:sefer azeri' is engaged in vandalism: 1 (Reliable sources wiped out.), 2 (Without any major wiped out the picture., , ) , 3 (Fraud. Map changed. 100 years have reduced the state's history.), 4 (Insult.)... Requires block it for at least a year. But it was never punished for their work. Sortilegus always supported him. He is also engaged in vandalism: 1 (Reliable sources wiped out), 2 (The name of the state, has been removed.), 3 (Reliable sources wiped out)... Wertuose always supported him. He is also engaged in vandalism: 1 (Picture of the article - az:Bakı xan sarayı), is deleted.. 2 (insult; Əxlaqsız ifadələrə görə...) and 3. The 3 users blocked me, without any reason! We do not have arbitration and appellate courts. Therefore, administrators dictator. No one can give me an answer?! To whom should I complain? Perhaps now would be the reaction?. -Idin Mammadof talk 08:24, 11 July 2015 (UTC)

Aydinsalis, this is the wrong place to ask. The only people who could intervene are the stewards but the might be unable to do so if the wiki has other active admins/bureaucrats or dispute resolution channels. If you have been left no other option (and I really mean "no other option"), then you could try asking at the Stewards' noticeboard, but make sure you read the notice at the top. Green Giant (talk) 17:40, 11 July 2015 (UTC)

Per Green Giant, you can left that RfC on Stewards Noticeboard.--AldNonymous^Bicara? 19:21, 11 July 2015 (UTC)

Thank you very much. -Idin Mammadof talk 18:15, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

Aldnonymous and Green Giant, I wrote. There is no reaction. But then what do I do? -Idin Mammadof talk 10:03, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

Vandalism continues..., User:sefer azeri writes: "atan haqqında yazdığın məqaləni də sildim bu da sənə paz olsun ... çox göt-baş atsan onun qəzeti haqqında məqaləni də sənin qəzetin haqqında məqaləni də siləcəm ... nə istəyirsən elə" (To displease you, I will do everything.). -Idin Mammadof (talk) 16:26, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Vandalism continues... and vandalism continues...!!! Ladies and Gentlemen !!! How long the vandals, remain unpunished ?! How long the vandals, the administrator will be ?! --Idin Mammadof (talk) 21:55, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

In these edit the person says "deleted due to copyright infringement"[1][2]. Were these images copied and pasted from another source? Or were they taken by you personally? Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 14:34, 8 August 2015 (UTC)

It belongs to me. They are stored in my personal library. There is no copyright infringement. They have been removed without any reason. They removed without discussion. Also, this page also deleted. Thanks. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 20:55, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Did you make the image yourself? Please note that simply owning a copy of an image is not the same as owning the copyright of an image. Green Giant (talk) 21:02, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

There is no problem. I am the author. Documents belongs to me. I am the author of photos. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 22:07, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Can you email the image in question as I am unable to see it? Also you said that you took the picture with your own camera? Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 09:56, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Yes, I photographed their own picture. Web pages belonging to me, these photos are available: 1, 2 Thanks. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 10:18, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

So this was published in 1933 [3] You do not own the content in question but it should be in the public domain as it is so old. This document is from 1993 [4] Unless that is your signature on the bottom you do not own it. The person who wrote the document or the government owns it. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 11:23, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

As I said and you acknowledge, there is no copyright infringement: 1. That is the official document (Letter of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.)), according to our laws, in the public domain. I am the author of photos. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 8:08, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Agree the first one appears okay. But were does it say government documents are public domain? I do not see it here [5] Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 12:29, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

You see through autotranslator. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 12:37, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

I found: Article 7. Objects not covered by copyright protection, (page 15). --Idin Mammadof (talk) 12:45, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Yes that indeed says state documents are not covered by copyright. Have requested the deleting admin comment here [6] Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 12:56, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. For it have requested the deleting admin comment here. No results. Is there another way to solve the problem? Vandals will not be punished? --Idin Mammadof (talk) 13:10, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

We need to give them some time to respond. Also they are not a "vandal". They are deleting stuff as they see it as a copyright infringement. I am waiting to hear their side of the story. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 13:14, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

This is not the first time? I can show 100 cases. They will not let me in the Azerbaijani Wikipedia, as well as other users. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 13:28, 13 August 2015 (UTC)

• Deleted pictures and articles have already been restored: [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13] . Pay attention always deletes the same person. The vandalism is not it? Why not remain unpunished?
• At the same time, they are also with no discussion deleted by sefer azeri: az:Söhrab Arabov, az:Rövzət Dəmirçizadə, az:Məhyəddin Abbasov, az:Nəsib Muxtarov (arxeoloq). I think it will be restored. With your help this happen. Please pay attention to it. They will not let me in the Azerbaijani Wikipedia, as well as other users. Thank you in advance. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 22:01, 14 August 2015 (UTC)
  • • Yes they have been restored which is good. I have asked why these further pages have been deleted here [14]. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 23:27, 17 August 2015 (UTC)
      • As a rule should have been discussed before. Encyclopaedic articles. For example, it is a complete encyclopedic . -Idin Mammadof (talk) 9:01, 18 August 2015 (UTC)
        • Have requested they link to the deletion discussion here [15] Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 16:10, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

So far, there was no discussion. Now I began. Articles must be restored first. But I still have not recovered, only 1 article has been restored. In this article, the photo has not been restored yet: [16].--Idin Mammadof (talk) 17:26, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

Okay yes I see that. Will give the admin more time to response. Can you provide a link to the discussion that resulted in your ban? Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 18:06, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. "Can you provide a link to the discussion that resulted in your ban?" - I did not understand, you want to know the reason for this? I have not breached any rules. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 18:17, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

I am wondering if their was a discussion that resulted in your ban. And if so can you post it. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 18:26, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

I created this article. Protested. But they could not delete the article. They blocked me. They are a group. Receive a salary from the state. They do not allow us to. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 18:38, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

• Content that meets at least one of the criteria for speedy deletion (Müzakirə edilmədən silinən məqalələr):
  • Advertising or other spam without any relevant or encyclopedic content (Reklam və spam xarakterli məqalələr);
  • Blank pages (Information pages are not). (Boş məqalələr (çox qısa və heç bir informasiya daşımayan məqalələr (məsələn, Filankəs - rejissor)) (Ən sadə məzmun qaydası: Məqalə başlıqdan və bu başlığı çox sadə şəkildə də olsa ifadə edən ən azı bir cümlədən ibarət olmalıdır.));
  • Vandalism, including inflammatory redirects, pages that exist only to disparage their subject, patent nonsense, or gibberish (Vandalizm nəticəsində yaradılmış məqalələr);
  • Misspell the name of the article. For example ( az:Fizuli instead of, az:Fizuli) (Məqalə başlığı səhv yazılmış yönləndirilən məqalələr (məsələn, Fizuli));
  • Written on the same subject, if another article (Eyni və ya çox yaxın məzmuna malik başqa məqalənin mövcud olması);
  • Articles that cannot possibly be attributed to reliable sources, including neologisms, original theories and conclusions, and articles that are themselves hoaxes (Məzmunu mötəbər mənbələrlə əsaslandırılması mümkün olmayan məqalələr, o cümlədən istifadəçilərin mənbələrə əsaslanmayan özfəaliyyəti);
  • Articles in other languages (Digər dillərdə yazılmış məqalələr).

Under these rules, the articles can not be deleted: [17], [18], [19].

In addition, I would like to mention:

• 1.Sohrab Arabov [20], [21]
• 2.Rövzət Dəmirçizadə [22]
• 3.Nəsib Muxtarov [23], [24]. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 13:13, 20 August 2015 (UTC)

Deleted articles have already been restored:az:Söhrab Arabov, az:Rövzət Dəmirçizadə, az:Məhyəddin Abbasov, az:Nəsib Muxtarov (arxeoloq). But now the deletion is discussed. No reason given. These pages will not edit anonymous az:Vikipediya:Kənd meydanı, az:Vikipediya:İdarəçilərə müraciət, az:Vikipediya:Silinməyə namizəd səhifələr, az:Nuxa qalası, az:Nuxa qəzası, az:Şəki dövləti. They want to be I could not edit anonymous, and I could not have to complain. So I can not complain that they want to lock me global. For this nachili private discussions. The same individuals: User:Wertuose, User:Sortilegus, User:sefer azeri. But not yet found any reason not bud. If they though an appeal to the Steward, let them come here. If they are right, what are afraid?! --Idin Mammadof (talk) 15:20, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

The vandalism continues. Again, the pictures are deleted without discussion ([25], [26] They belong to the opposition. For this reason deleted.). Some, after being restored. But some still have not been recovered ( [27] ). Worst of all is that such things happen regularly. We are angry, we are wasting our time, but it is happening again. All intellectuals went out. How long this situation will last? Please help. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 13:16, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

• It wiped out the pages again: az:Söhrab Arabov, az:Rövzət Dəmirçizadə, az:Məhyəddin Abbasov, az:Nəsib Muxtarov (arxeoloq). There is no reason for the deletion. There are two articles in the English language: en:Nasib Mukhtarov, en:Mahyaddin Abbasov. --Idin Mammadof (talk) 17:31, 12 September 2015 (UTC)

Sefer azeri yesterday pleaded with me unjustly block. Sefer azeri recently had 6 articles indisputably clear. Because he had created Aydinsalis substances. Hasan that when the complainant had brought back again the other administrators Article 2 of them. Then Aydinsalis 4 article "deletion candidate pages" pulled pane debate. That there is a debate as it is written in the pages it may take up to 15 days. 4 article that has opened the debate over the 15 days after the idea had reported only four people in the discussion. 20 days after the start of the debate. Sefer azeri and Keete 37 makes it nearly always the same review to any discussion of an argument, are deleted without reason and the principles he commented. Sefer azeri immediately "deleted unanimously decided to say" that archive discussion.[28] I took back the debate from the archive "this election is not the place," I said. "We're doing this in the election here, you" was decided unanimously "to say the debate concludes," I said. "Secondly not finish first in this debate, because I said you are neutral in this debate." You're the delete Articles "I said." The decision you should not give any manager, "I said.[29] Sefer azeri blocks show the grounds that I did vandalism pleaded with.--Samral (talk) 06:05, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

I blocked 10 times. 9 Sefer azeri did. Is it coincidence that so? I appeal to all administrators [30]. None of them did not answer. It's not just me. Many users refer pleaded with him to receive the status administration [31], [32], . But almost none received no reply.--Samral (talk) 06:08, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

• Dear META. They violated general principles of Wikipedia, and it is constantly going on. Vandalism is legal, and you do nothing? I still have to wait? Is it true that you never look at my complaint? I want to believe that you will defend the principles of Wikipedia, albeit belatedly. --Idin Mammadof 9:39, 23 September 2015 2015 (UTC)

• I would like to inform you, account of Urek Meniashvili blocked. This person, is the sysop of the Azerbaijani Wikipedia - User: sefer azeri. That the sysop, there are a lot of user accounts (User:Urek Meniashvili, User:Gulüstan and User: Sefer ibrahim). User: Sefer ibrahim also blocked here because of fraud: [33] . Is vandal. I think that these user can use these accounts - User: Sortilegus, User: Keete_37, User:Wertuose and User:Verman1, on these systems any time. Can you verify this? Thanks in advance. -- --Idin Mammadof 15:34, 4 October 2015 (UTC)

• I have written here, I wanted to help. I have not received any response. The discussion is not over yet. Please pay attention to the issue. --Idin Mammadof 21:36, 13 November 2015 (UTC)

The users also blocked indefinitely. Without any reason: [34], [35], [36] --Idin Mammadof 20:47, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

HR:User:Kubura

As you can see here https://hr.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Razgovor_sa_suradnikom:VS6507&action=history this admin user on hr wiki is harassing me because of the nationality. Stewards, please react. --VS6507 (talk) 15:44, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

something about IP's mass creation, and title blacklist

Moved from Meta:Requests for help from a sysop or bureaucrat.--Syum90 (talk) 11:09, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

There exists a float IP, he is a long term cross wiki who created thounsands of no meanful articles about numbers (see also Vandalism reports#Long term cross wiki no meanful number articles mass creation). The administrator in Min Nan Wikipedia has set a title blacklist to ban IP creating articles which title contains numbers (zh-min-nan:MediaWiki:Titleblacklist), but it seems didn't work. can you fix it?--122.90.81.243 10:37, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

In addition, I think we need a float to prevent IP and new users from mass creating articles which title contains numbers. And we also need a filter, tag "title contains numbers created by new users" when new users create article which title contains numbers.

Role account for Wikimedia projects

This is a role account used by Cambridgeshire City Council.

Also used by Amy Childs and The Only Way Is Essex cast members.

Any questions, please email us at webteam@cambridge.gov.uk

Cambridgeshire City Council --Alcon595w (talk) 11:41, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Have you read role account? Killiondude (talk) 18:56, 12 November 2015 (UTC)

Shouldn't we close them? --Ochilov (talk) 01:46, 26 November 2015 (UTC)

Your input requested on the proposed #FreeBassel banner campaign

This is a message regarding the proposed 2015 Free Bassel banner. Translations are available.

Hi everyone,

This is to inform all Wikimedia contributors that a straw poll seeking your involvement has just been started on Meta-Wiki.

As some of your might be aware, a small group of Wikimedia volunteers have proposed a banner campaign informing Wikipedia readers about the urgent situation of our fellow Wikipedian, open source software developer and Creative Commons activist, Bassel Khartabil. An exemplary banner and an explanatory page have now been prepared, and translated into about half a dozen languages by volunteer translators.

We are seeking your involvement to decide if the global Wikimedia community approves starting a banner campaign asking Wikipedia readers to call on the Syrian government to release Bassel from prison. We understand that a campaign like this would be unprecedented in Wikipedia's history, which is why we're seeking the widest possible consensus among the community.

Given Bassel's urgent situation and the resulting tight schedule, we ask everyone to get involved with the poll and the discussion to the widest possible extent, and to promote it among your communities as soon as possible.

(Apologies for writing in English; please kindly translate this message into your own language.)

Thank you for your participation!

Posted by the MediaWiki message delivery 21:47, 25 November 2015 (UTC) • Translate • Get help

"preference language" for anons

Tracked in Phabricator:
Task T58464

so, registered users can select a language in preferences, and whenever they open a page (say XXXXX), and the corresponding XXXXX/<preference language> exists, it will be opened instead of XXXXX.

i think we can do something comparable for anons, which will help a lot: whenever an anon opens a page, we look at the document.referrer javascript variable, and if it came from a specific language mediawiki project, and the subpage for this language exists, redirect to it.

this becomes more and more meaningful, as more and more help/user manual pages migrate to meta (such as visual editor guide).

currently, when an anon editor in any mediawiki project, in any language, presses the ? icon in visual editor, they arrive at Help:VisualEditor/User_guide (i.e., the English version of the guide), and not the appropriate subpage for their langage, even when it exists.

true, every wiki could locally edit the mediawiki:Visualeditor-help-link "system message", but it seems a bit back-assward. my suggestion will solve this issue for *all* help page hosted on meta, for *all* languages. maybe someone wants to add "getAnonLang()" utility function that can be used similar to mw.user.options.get('language') that will look at referrer address. it will not work 100% of the time, but it will work in a whole lot more cases than the "none", which is the current state.

peace, קיפודנחש (talk) 02:12, 27 November 2015 (UTC)

Spam on English Wikisource

For the past three days, the English Wikisource has been bombarded by spam-only account posting spam, creating spam pages, and blanking other content. The modus operandi is that a new account is created, and begins adding spam. Account names are usually (a) typewriter gibberish, or (b) a spammy name including a prodcut and phone number. The pages edited are usually high profile, and newly created pages have a spammy name, usually including the name of a software company and phone number.

The spammer(s) are persistent, creating new accounts every 5-15 minutes, all day long.

I can see no evidence of this activity at English Wiktionary, at Wikispecies, or at other language Wikisource projects. How do we get help to deal with this? --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:56, 28 November 2015 (UTC)

We have the same problem mediawiki 1, 2, 3 :( .--Grind24 (talk) 21:11, 28 November 2015 (UTC)

Yes, looks like the same pattern. --EncycloPetey (talk) 22:45, 28 November 2015 (UTC)

You should probably 1) alert your local checkuser (who happens to be a steward) so that he can identify and globally block any involved IP range if possible; 2) propose a global abusefilter at SRM (if the request is not noticed here). Nemo 23:06, 28 November 2015 (UTC)

Proposition: Letting individual Wiki projects decide on their own whether they want to ban IP edits

Good morning.

According to my own experience, smaller Wiki projects like the Cantonese Wikipedia, which is one of my two home projects (the other one being the Incubator), are more susceptible to consistent IP vandalism. For example, on Cantonese Wikipedia, there had been multiple discussions regarding whether the Cantonese Wikipedia should completely ban IP edits. Therefore, I strongly propose that individual Wiki projects should be granted the right and ability to decide whether their projects want to completely ban IP edits and, should they decide to completely ban IP edits on their projects, to enforce the ban without having to go through Meta. 【粵語文學大使殘陽孤侠】粵維辭典起錨！ 20:29, 27 November 2015 (UTC)

No. Founding principles. Nemo 22:58, 28 November 2015 (UTC)

With respect, the founding principles of, for example, the French Republic, limited human rights and political rights to male citizens. The laws of the First, the Second and the Third Republics all confirmed that. Then what happened? The French Committee of National Liberation finally found this out-dated and extended the suffrage to female citizens in this 1944 decree. Founding principles might be carved in stones, but when the time comes, amendments are needed, especially in this case of letting individual Wiki projects decide whether they want to disable IP edits. 【粵語文學大使殘陽孤侠】粵維辭典起錨！ 06:07, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

You may learn phab:T94388 to request disable IP edits on mobile, however, IP edits from computer should never be disabled as per above. --Liuxinyu970226 (talk) 06:43, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Cedric tsan cantonais, "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit." - what happens to that line then? Nice analysis above but sadly NO. ~ Nahid ^Talk 08:56, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Anyone can still edit Wikipedia. They just need to register. Besides, just in case I haven't been clear enough, I'm not asking Wikimedia to completely ban IP edits right now, but merely to let individual Wikis decide whether they want to ban IP edits on their respective individual Wikis. Since this is a fundamental issue, it can't be done without good consensus of more than 80% voters voting for it.【粵語文學大使殘陽孤侠】粵維辭典起錨！ 16:50, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Nemo, the page here on Meta you are referring to, is just someone's opinion. Registration-less editing does not appear, to my knowledge, in the WMF's Terms of Use. In small wikis it can make a lot of sense to allow only editing after registration. No person is excluded from participation if registration is obligatory, but it can help the regular editors in pursuing the goal to produce a viable wiki encyclopedia. Ziko (talk) 11:48, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

The page is marked as policy since ages. Nemo 12:38, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Interesting. That page does seem to play kind of fast-and-loose with things. I see it claims that Wikinews does not rely on NPOV. Afaik (as a long-standing English Wikinewsie), that's deeply false. It's true en.wn and en.wp have differing neutrality policies, so that each project can do stuff it considers neutral that would be considered glaringly non-neutral on the other, but if we were going to give an example of a project that "doesn't rely on" it I would have thought it would be Wikiversity — a project I don't contribute to, so I'd ask the opinion of someone from there before committing to the assertion. --Pi zero (talk) 13:31, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Indeed, the "exceptions" section is mostly commentary. I clarified that point and removed examples which are not separately explained in detail. Nemo 13:46, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Thanks. :-)

Regarding the status of that page. Although I admit to being rather torn about the central topic of this thread — how difficult should it be to ban IP editing — since I'm a champion of local control while also recognizing that banning IP editing altogether is a pretty extreme step, I note that the page is evidently descriptive rather than prescriptive. It was, evidently tentatively, put in Category:Global policies by Quiddity on 13 September 2006, which makes some sense to me on the grounds that it's about policy; but I would't call that marked as policy. It appears to be about policy on various projects, in a non-comprehensive way. There are, after all, exceptions, and no attempt made (nor called for, imho) to provide a comprehensive list of exceptions. --Pi zero (talk) 15:56, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

By definition, a policy doesn't need to list all exceptions. :) Regardless of what the initial intention might have been, the consensus on that page is that it's indeed a global policy. --Nemo 17:01, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Hey Nemo - how can you change that page? It exists for ages! Ziko (talk) 20:49, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

Deactivate the translation extension

Hi there,
is there any possibility to deactivate the translation extension for a page? Especially as the page is still under construction, it is quite annoying to update the translation tags constantly. Any ideas? --Cornelius Kibelka (WMDE) (talk) 10:45, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

Answered at Meta:Babel#Deactivate the translation extension.--Syum90 (talk) 10:55, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

A vision for the sisterhood

It's been suggested to me I should put this on meta for wider exposure of the ideas, so I've done so: User:Pi zero/Vision for the sisterhood. I've been laboring for several years to implement the means for this vision of where I believe the sisterhood needs to go; still developing on en.wn atm, though I hope to reach a major milstone in the implementation and start porting it to en.wb soon. --Pi zero (talk) 18:56, 30 November 2015 (UTC)