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Administrators' newsletter – February 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2020).

  Guideline and policy news

  • Following a request for comment, partial blocks are now enabled on the English Wikipedia. This functionality allows administrators to block users from editing specific pages or namespaces rather than the entire site. A draft policy is being workshopped at Wikipedia:Partial blocks.
  • The request for comment seeking the community's sentiment for a binding desysop procedure closed with wide-spread support for an alternative desysoping procedure based on community input. No proposed process received consensus.

  Technical news

  • Twinkle now supports partial blocking. There is a small checkbox that toggles the "partial" status for both blocks and templating. There is currently one template: {{uw-pblock}}.
  • When trying to move a page, if the target title already exists then a warning message is shown. The warning message will now include a link to the target title. [1]

  Arbitration

  • Following a recent arbitration case, the Arbitration Committee reminded administrators that checkuser and oversight blocks must not be reversed or modified without prior consultation with the checkuser or oversighter who placed the block, the respective functionary team, or the Arbitration Committee.

  Miscellaneous



Category:Wikipedia books on eukaryotes has been nominated for discussion

 

Category:Wikipedia books on eukaryotes, which you created, has been nominated for possible deletion, merging, or renaming. A discussion is taking place to decide whether this proposal complies with the categorization guidelines. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the categories for discussion page. Thank you. DexDor (talk) 21:51, 29 February 2020 (UTC)

Thank you for notifying me. I have commented at the discussion page. -- Black Falcon (talk) 07:01, 1 March 2020 (UTC)

The Signpost: 1 March 2020

Administrators' newsletter – March 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2020).

  Guideline and policy news

  • Following an RfC, the blocking policy was changed to state that sysops must not undo or alter CheckUser or Oversight blocks, rather than should not.
  • A request for comment confirmed that sandboxes of established but inactive editors may not be blanked due solely to inactivity.

  Technical news

  • Following a discussion, Twinkle's default CSD behavior will soon change, most likely this week. After the change, Twinkle will default to "tagging mode" if there is no CSD tag present, and default to "deletion mode" if there is a CSD tag present. You will be able to always default to "deletion mode" (the current behavior) using your Twinkle preferences.

  Miscellaneous



DYK for Haraguchi Kensai

On 15 March 2020, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Haraguchi Kensai, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that Haraguchi Kensai led the Imperial Japanese Army's 13th Division in the invasion of Sakhalin? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Haraguchi Kensai. You are welcome to check how many page hits the article got while on the front page (here's how, Haraguchi Kensai), and it may be added to the statistics page if the total is over 5,000. Finally, if you know of an interesting fact from another recently created article, then please feel free to suggest it on the Did you know talk page.

— Maile (talk) 00:02, 15 March 2020 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 March 2020

Administrators' newsletter – April 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (March 2020).

  Guideline and policy news

  • There is an ongoing request for comment to streamline the source deprecation and blacklisting process.

  Technical news

  Arbitration

  Miscellaneous

  • The WMF has begun a pilot report of the pages most visited through various social media platforms to help with anti-vandalism and anti-disinformation efforts. The report is updated daily and will be available through the end of May.

Speedy deletion nomination of Category:Australian people of indigenous peoples descent

 

A tag has been placed on Category:Australian people of indigenous peoples descent requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section C1 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because the category has been empty for seven days or more and is not a disambiguation category, a category redirect, a featured topics category, under discussion at Categories for discussion, or a project category that by its nature may become empty on occasion.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason, you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. However, be aware that once a page is tagged for speedy deletion, it may be deleted without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself, but do not hesitate to add information in line with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. UnitedStatesian (talk) 02:45, 1 April 2020 (UTC)

That was me who emptied the category: of its three members, I've removed Category:Australian people of Tibetan descent and Category:Australian people of Basque descent and simply moved Category:Australian people of Indigenous Australian descent as a subcat directly of Category:Australian people by ethnic or national origin. I think it should be obvious by now, but a category for persons of indigenous descent in country X makes sense only if their group is indigenous to that country and not to some other country. Every foreigner in Australia would be indigenous to their own country. – Uanfala (talk) 02:51, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
Thanks for providing this additional context. I agree with your emptying of the category in principle (frankly, I think the Category:People of indigenous peoples descent tree needs to be rethought), but where does that leave Category:Australian people of Indigenous Australian descent in relation to Category:People of indigenous peoples descent by nationality? -- Black Falcon (talk) 03:58, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
Oh the category tree does indeed look a bit odd, but at least excluding the giant American subcategory of Category:People of indigenous peoples descent, the other categories there seem to be constrained to people indigenous to the actual country. As a first thought, I'd imagine Category:Australian people of Indigenous Australian descent can be made a direct child of that category (nevermind that it doesn't quite fit the naming pattern), but yeah, the whole tree might need rethinking. – Uanfala (talk) 12:16, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
In the meantime, then, perhaps Category:Australian people of Indigenous Australian descent should be placed back in this category. As it stands, that category has been disconnected from the People of indigenous peoples descent tree. -- Black Falcon (talk) 17:31, 5 April 2020 (UTC)
@Uanfala: Friendly ping. -- Black Falcon (talk) 04:21, 12 April 2020 (UTC)
Oh, sorry, I don't have an opinion here, or any interest in the topic now that the categories no longer make out the Basque to be indigenous in Australia. Feel free to go forward with any changes you would like to make. – Uanfala (talk) 11:03, 12 April 2020 (UTC)
Alright, then. I have restored the deleted category and re-populated it with Category:Australian people of Indigenous Australian descent. I still think the whole structure of Category:People of indigenous peoples descent by nationality is flawed, but I am not sure how to address it at this moment. Thanks, -- Black Falcon (talk) 16:05, 12 April 2020 (UTC)

The Signpost: 26 April 2020

Administrators' newsletter – May 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2020).

 

  Administrator changes

  GnangarraKaisershatnerMalcolmxl5

  CheckUser changes

  Callanecc

  Oversight changes

  HJ Mitchell

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  Miscellaneous


Help

Hey there, I am new to wikipedia and I have a question that Can you please tell me about what is vital article and how can I nominate for? --Wiki 🎮 Play 10:36, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Hi WikiGamee. Vital articles are considered to be the most important articles in Wikipedia. You can find more details at the FAQ, including details about nominating a new vital article. -- Black Falcon (talk) 02:40, 26 May 2020 (UTC)

Rename discussion for barnstar categories

You've participated in previous barnstar template categories discussion, so I invite you to join a rename discussion for barnstar categories. —⁠andrybak (talk) 19:08, 22 May 2020 (UTC)

Andrybak, thank you for inviting me to join the discussion. I am neutral on the proposal to consolidate "barnstars" to "awards", but I echo Grutness' comment about putting 'Wikipedia' first (and excluding it if the title already includes 'WikiProject'). -- Black Falcon (talk) 02:55, 26 May 2020 (UTC)

The Signpost: 31 May 2020

Administrators' newsletter – June 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2020).

 

  Administrator changes

  CaptainEekCreffettCwmhiraeth
  Anna FrodesiakBuckshot06RonhjonesSQL

  CheckUser changes

  SQL

  Guideline and policy news

  Arbitration

  • A motion was passed to enact a 500/30 restriction on articles related to the history of Jews and antisemitism in Poland during World War II (1933–45), including the Holocaust in Poland. Article talk pages where disruption occurs may also be managed with the stated restriction.

Hello, I need your insight on my draft.

Hello Black Falcon, please review this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Saron_Gebresellassi

I have had many unsuccessful creations in past. This time I chose someone with awards! It's a brief page with lots of content, and references. Although, I am having trouble sorting out the references. Please let me know how can I make this page successful?

StaySafe#

Sincerely, TheNavedKhan (talk) 08:43, 5 June 2020 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 June 2020

Administrators' newsletter – July 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2020).

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  Arbitration


Category:Brazilian sports trophies and awards has been nominated for discussion

 

Category:Brazilian sports trophies and awards has been nominated for possible deletion, merging, or renaming. A discussion is taking place to decide whether this proposal complies with the categorization guidelines. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the categories for discussion page. Thank you. bibliomaniac15 19:14, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – August 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2020).

 

  Administrator changes

  Red Phoenix
  EuryalusSQL
  JujutacularMonty845RettetastMadchester

  Oversight changes

  GB fan
  KeeganOpabinia regalisPremeditated Chaos

  Guideline and policy news


The Signpost: 2 August 2020

The Signpost: 30 August 2020

Administrators' newsletter – September 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (August 2020).

 

  Administrator changes

  Eddie891
  AngelaJcw69Just ChillingPhilg88Viajero

  CheckUser changes

  SQL

  Guideline and policy news

  Arbitration


The Signpost: 27 September 2020

The Signpost: 27 September 2020

Administrators' newsletter – September 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (September 2020).

 

  Administrator changes

  AjpolinoLuK3
  Jackmcbarn
  Ad OrientemHarejLidLomnMentoz86Oliver PereiraXJaM
  There'sNoTimeTheresNoTime

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  Arbitration

  Miscellaneous


Precious anniversary

Precious
 
Three years!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:55, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – November 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2020).

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  Arbitration

  Miscellaneous


The Signpost: 1 November 2020

The Months of African Cinema Contest Continues in November!

 

Greetings,

Thank you very much for participating in the Months of African Cinema global contest/edit-a-thon, and thank you for your contributions so far.

It is already the middle of the contest and a lot have been achieved already! We have been able to get over 1,500 articles created in over fifteen (15) languages! This would not have been possible without your support and we want to thank you. If you have not yet listed your name as a participant in the contest page please do so.

Please make sure to list the articles you have created or improved in the article achievements' section of the contest page, so that they can be easily tracked. To be able to claim prizes, please also ensure to list your articles on the users by articles page. We would be awarding prizes to different categories of winners:

  • Overall winner
    • 1st - $500
    • 2nd - $200
    • 3rd - $100
  • Diversity winner - $100
  • Gender-gap filler - $100
  • Language Winners - up to $100*

We are very excited about what has been achieved so far, but your contributions are still needed to further exceed all expectations! Let’s create more articles before the end of this contest, which is this November!!!

Thank you once again for being part of this global event! --Jamie Tubers (talk) 10:30, 06 November 2020 (UTC)

You can opt-out of this annual reminder from The Afrocine Project by removing your username from this list

ArbCom 2020 Elections voter message

 Hello! Voting in the 2020 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on Monday, 7 December 2020. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

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

If you wish to participate in the 2020 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. If you no longer wish to receive these messages, you may add {{NoACEMM}} to your user talk page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:17, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

The Signpost: 29 November 2020

Administrators' newsletter – December 2020

News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2020).

 

  Administrator changes

  AndrwscAnetodeGoldenRingJzGLinguistAtLargeNehrams2020

  Interface administrator changes

  Izno

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  Arbitration


The Signpost: 28 December 2020

Administrators' newsletter – January 2021

News and updates for administrators from the past month (December 2020).

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  Arbitration


The Signpost: 31 January 2021

Administrators' newsletter – February 2021

News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2021).

  Arbitration

  Miscellaneous


Category:Wikipedian WikiElves has been nominated for merging

 

Category:Wikipedian WikiElves has been nominated for merging. A discussion is taking place to decide whether this proposal complies with the categorization guidelines. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the categories for discussion page. Thank you. * Pppery * it has begun... 21:06, 19 February 2021 (UTC)

The Signpost: 28 February 2021

Administrators' newsletter – March 2021

News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2021).

 

  Administrator changes

  TJMSmith
  Boing! said ZebedeeHiberniantearsLear's FoolOnlyWGFinley

  Interface administrator changes

  AmandaNP

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  • When blocking an IPv6 address with Twinkle, there is now a checkbox with the option to just block the /64 range. When doing so, you can still leave a block template on the initial, single IP address' talkpage.
  • When protecting a page with Twinkle, you can now add a note if doing so was in response to a request at WP:RfPP, and even link to the specific revision.
  • There have been a number of reported issues with Pending Changes. Most problems setting protection appear to have been resolved (phab:T273317) but other issues with autoaccepting edits persist (phab:T275322).

  Arbitration

  Miscellaneous


The Signpost: 28 March 2021

Administrators' newsletter – April 2021

News and updates for administrators from the past month (March 2021).

 

  Administrator changes

  AlexandriaHappyme22RexxS

  Guideline and policy news

  • Following a request for comment, F7 (invalid fair-use claim) subcriterion a has been deprecated; it covered immediate deletion of non-free media with invalid fair-use tags.
  • Following a request for comment, page movers were granted the delete-redirect userright, which allows moving a page over a single-revision redirect, regardless of that redirect's target.

  Technical news

  • When you move a page that many editors have on their watchlist the history can be split and it might also not be possible to move it again for a while. This is because of a job queue problem. (T278350)
  • Code to support some very old web browsers is being removed. This could cause issues in those browsers. (T277803)

  Arbitration


The Signpost: 25 April 2021

The Signpost: 25 April 2021

Administrators' newsletter – May 2021

News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2021).

 

  Administrator changes

  EnchanterCarlossuarez46

  Interface administrator changes

  Ragesoss

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  • The user group oversight will be renamed to suppress. This is for technical reasons. You can comment at T112147 if you have objections.

  Arbitration


Administrators' newsletter – June 2021

News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2021).

 

  Administrator changes

  AshleyyoursmileLess Unless
  HusondMattWadeMJCdetroitCariocaVague RantKingboykThunderboltzGwen GaleAniMateSlimVirgin (deceased)

  Guideline and policy news

  Technical news

  • Wikimedia previously used the IRC network Freenode. However, due to changes over who controlled the network with reports of a forceful takeover by several ex-staff members, the Wikimedia IRC Group Contacts decided to move to the new Libera Chat network. It has been reported that Wikimedia related channels on Freenode have been forcibly taken over if they pointed members to Libera. There is a migration guide and Wikimedia discussions about this.

  Arbitration


Speedy deletion nomination of Category:Impact craters of Portugal

 

A tag has been placed on Category:Impact craters of Portugal indicating that it is currently empty, and is not a disambiguation category, a category redirect, a featured topics category, under discussion at Categories for discussion, or a project category that by its nature may become empty on occasion. If it remains empty for seven days or more, it may be deleted under section C1 of the criteria for speedy deletion.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself. Liz Read! Talk! 15:36, 19 June 2021 (UTC)

The Signpost: 27 June 2021

Speedy deletion nomination of Category:Wikipedia books (books without cover images)

 

A tag has been placed on Category:Wikipedia books (books without cover images) indicating that it is currently empty, and is not a disambiguation category, a category redirect, a featured topics category, under discussion at Categories for discussion, or a project category that by its nature may become empty on occasion. If it remains empty for seven days or more, it may be deleted under section C1 of the criteria for speedy deletion.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself. Liz Read! Talk! 15:21, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

Speedy deletion nomination of Category:Wikipedia books (books without custom colors)

 

A tag has been placed on Category:Wikipedia books (books without custom colors) indicating that it is currently empty, and is not a disambiguation category, a category redirect, a featured topics category, under discussion at Categories for discussion, or a project category that by its nature may become empty on occasion. If it remains empty for seven days or more, it may be deleted under section C1 of the criteria for speedy deletion.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself. Liz Read! Talk! 15:21, 30 June 2021 (UTC)