COLORGRAYdesign

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The Wikipedia tutorial is a good place to start learning about Wikipedia. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my talk page. By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and discussion pages using four tildes, like this: ~~~~ (the software will replace them with your signature and the date). Again, welcome! Unbroken Chain (talk) 23:03, 13 October 2022 (UTC)

Sandbox

Do not place promotional content into the sandbox. Cullen328 (talk) 23:27, 13 October 2022 (UTC)

I was using the general Wikipedia sandbox (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sandbox) to check my link coding and general markup while developing new edits for the Rob Mathes article on Wikipedia (I am a web developer and he has hired me for this purpose). Could you provide some guidance as to how I can proceed to test as I code sections of Rob Mathes's article without it appearing as though I am inserting promotional material? COLORGRAYdesign (talk) 13:58, 14 October 2022 (UTC)

October 2022

You have been blocked indefinitely from editing because it appears that you are not here to build an encyclopedia.

If you think there are good reasons for being unblocked, please read the guide to appealing blocks, then add the following text below the block notice on your talk page: {{unblock|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}}.  Bbb23 (talk) 13:21, 14 October 2022 (UTC)

I would like to appeal this block but it sounds like the correct procedure here would be to request clarification regarding why I was blocked before submitting an appeal, so that is my reason for this reply. I have been unable to determine how my actions could have lead to being blocked, particularly with regard to the determination "clearly not here to build an encyclopedia." My only actions on Wikipedia so far have been to use the general sandbox to test blocks of text I have been marking up for potential use in the Rob Mathes article (Rob Mathes is a living person, I am not Rob Mathes). The main purpose of my tests was to make sure I am using Wikipedia's markup correctly to link to other articles within Wikipedia. Any content I posted to the sandbox would have been entirely in line with or very similar to existing text in the Rob Mathes article, which simply lists his musical achievements, history, associations and awards with citations. Thank you for any clarification you can provide. COLORGRAYdesign (talk) 16:53, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

Now that you've clarified that you're working for Mathes, see WP:PAID and WP:COI.--Bbb23 (talk) 17:44, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

Okay, and thank you for providing guidance regarding being a paid editor. I have reviewed the documents you suggested in depth and understand that I must disclose my client (in this case Rob Mathes) on my user page and I would intend to also make an appropriate disclosure on the talk page of Rob's article as it becomes applicable. Of course, since I am currently blocked I cannot follow through on creating my user page at this time but will do so and add my paid editor information there ASAP should I be unblocked.

Rob Mathes's Wikipedia article is currently rather minimal with respect to his achievements. Between the time it was originally created and today there has been a good deal of published material which we can use to support revisions, including articles in the New York Times, and Rolling Stone along with clear documentation on emmys.com, imdb.com, and allmusic.com. Rob himself has supplied the text of a full revision and in preparation for posting to Wikipedia I have stripped that text of anything that could not be considered a statement of fact. The intention here is to add whole new sections to the existing article, while keeping other sections as-is and I understand that as a paid editor I should not edit Rob's article directly but instead should submit revisions to the talk page of Rob's article, or, if this sort of revision would be considered a "new article" then I should submit it through the articles for creation process.

Please note that I am providing the above information in order to be as transparent as possible and hopefully ensure the best possible chance for being able to complete the objective, which is to successfully update Rob's Wikipedia article.

Please advise on how I should proceed from here. Additionally, it is still unclear to me why I was blocked in the first place and I would very much appreciate the chance to have a better understanding of that from you. COLORGRAYdesign (talk) 20:19, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

Based on your representations, I've unblocked you. It sounds like you understand what you must do and what you must not do. As long as you follow through appropriately, that's fine. If you violate the guidelines, you may be blocked again. I'm not trying to be nasty, just clear.--Bbb23 (talk) 20:35, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

No nastiness assumed! Will it be safe for me to test Wikipedia markup for working sections of a revised Rob Mathes article in my user sandbox? COLORGRAYdesign (talk) 20:57, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

That's fine, but I wouldn't rewrite the entire article. It'll be much easier to suggest changes in smaller pieces.--Bbb23 (talk) 21:11, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

Understood, thanks. COLORGRAYdesign (talk) 23:19, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

I think with respect to due diligence I should press for a bit of clarification here - you still have not disclosed the reason I was blocked in the first place and I am still at a loss as to how to find out on my own. As far as I can tell the block was in response to my using the Wikipedia sandbox to test Wiki markup, but why exactly? I am intent on being a good participant here so knowing what I did wrong would be most helpful. Thanks. COLORGRAYdesign (talk) 16:06, 19 October 2022 (UTC)

• Just in case it wasn't clear after your block, any changes you wish to make the article must be proposed on the article Talk page with {{request edit}}. I've reverted the changes you must made to the article directly.--Bbb23 (talk) 19:48, 19 April 2023 (UTC)