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Credible editing

I am Tim Wilson (Australian politician). I feel the page about me relies too heavily on columns, op-eds, primary sources and other weak sources to add erroneous or bias information. A lot of the page was written by Playlet, who was recently blocked again as a prior sockpuppet user and was involved in a political opponent's campaign. I am not allowed to explain the details, due to the rules against "outing".

I have complained about the page about me a few times, however I have no way of knowing which editors that respond are impartial, or which may be another Playlet account or members of his political advocacy group. Sometimes editor(s) with similar interests as Playlet respond within hours. I was hoping you might be willing to review the page with BLP in mind, because I know with confidence that you are a random, impartial editor with no affiliation to Playlet, his advocacy group, or Australian politics in general, so I can trust whatever feedback you give.

Thank you for your time and considering my request. Stay well. TimWilsonMP (talk) 00:50, 18 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, TimWilsonMP. I am sorry about your recent election loss. I have worked as a volunteer in many election campaigns over the years, and once worked as a (poorly) paid campaign manager for an insurgent mayoral candidate who did much better than local pundits predicted, but still lost. So it goes.

Although I know relatively little about Australian politics, I have a sense of the general contours and am aware that the Labor Party now has a narrow majority government. As for your campaign, I was already aware of some of the Wikipedia controversy about someone editing inappropriately in support of your opponent. I deeply dislike shenanigans (is that Australian English?) like that on Wikipedia concerning election campaigns, and it is to your credit that you are editing under your own name, disclosing your conflict of interest. Having a COI does not disqualify you from editing, although you need to tread carefully. I recommend that you refrain from editing your biography directly, except for reverting overt and obvious vandalism that any reasonable person would agree was vandalism.

As for your request for assistance, my activities here on Wikipedia fall into three "buckets" if you will. I am a content editor, I am an administrator and I am someone who offers guidance and advice to less experienced editors at places like the Help desk, the Teahouse and here on my talk page. Bucket 1 conflicts with bucket 2 at the article level. In other words, if I immerse myself with the content, adding certain things and deleting certain things and criticizing certain specific things about the content, then I am involved and cannot act as an administrator. So, since I have relatively little understanding of the nuances of Australian politics, but without bragging too much, pretty deep knowledge of Wikipedia's policies and guidelines and behavioral and cultural norms, I think that it would be best for me to refrain from editing the article content. If it became necessary, I could then use my tools as an administrator. Those include blocking disruptive editors and protecting articles. The third bucket I can use at any time, as long as I give neutral and accurate advice about how Wikipedia works behind the scenes.

Your Wikipedia biography shows signs of what is often called civil POV pushing. Articles are supposed to be neutrally written but skilled biased editors can over time, gradually skew an article to reflect the subject in an overly negative (or overly positive) light. I see that especially in how your article discusses your political positions. A tactic called cherrypicking is not appropriate. I will say right now that, based on what is in the article currently, there seems to be an element of that in your biography. The list of political positions seems to be skewed towards a selection of "hot button" issues, subtly framed to make you look bad. Your stances on less divisive issues that maybe were more broadly popular with your electorate do not seem to be included. I do not know for sure and that comment is based on a hunch. I agree with some of your positions and disagree with others, but obviously I am not an Australian and have not studied these things in depth. I say that only to make it clear that I will not act as your political advocate. My goal, is as always to improve the encyclopedia and prevent unnecessary and inappropriate damage to the reputations of living people.

Ironically, and I hope that this does not hurt your feelings, but you may have an easier time of things in dealing with your Wikipedia biography at this time, because you lost the election. In other words, editors who were motivated to skew your biography because they wanted to see you defeated may be less motivated because you lost and their work is done. I hope that does not sound overly cynical.

So, how should you proceed? If you have not already done so, please carefully read Wikipedia:Dispute resolution. If there are any overt falsehoods or misrepresentations mow in the article, please identify them to me and I will give you very specific advice. Please also read about Edit requests, which is a procedure that has the advantage of drawing experienced uninvolved editors into the discussion. Edit requests should not be sweeping and broad. Instead, they should focus on a discrete chunk of well-referenced content change, since that will be easier for an uninvolved editor to evaluate. A long series of successful Edit requests can reshape a problematic article into a more neutral article. Keep neutrality in mind. If experienced editors perceive that you are trying to transform your biography into a promotional puff piece, they will not cooperate with you. The ultimate technique for dealing with an intractable dispute is the Request for comment process, which also draws in uninvolved, neutral editors. That requires a very carefully formulated request, accompanied by solid evidence.

It is late dinner time here in California where I live, so I need to cook for my wife and I. I could have written far more, but I will say that I am willing to discuss this article with you on an ongoing basis. I hope that what I have written is useful to you. Cullen328 (talk) 03:41, 18 July 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for the feedback @Cullen328. Elections are elections. No stress on that front. But appreciate the thoughts.

Keen to keep talking. To give an insight from my perspective, there has been a continued effort to target my page and it is clearly curated by some to downplay substantive matters or elevate trivial ones, and then wherever mentioned to give a selective representation.

There are just out and out errors. For example, There is this sentence: "During his time at the IPA, Wilson was a vocal critic of the Human Rights Commission and called for the abolition of the Commission". The reference ignores a simple fact: I never called for the abolition of the Commission. It then provides a reference of someone asking me a question about the views of others to which I did not respond. This is a deliberate attempt to mislead. It is a common practice that often requires heavily investigating the source to establish what is occurring. Often those authoring the content rely on misunderstandings of others, but use it as the basis of fact.

To put this matter into context:

1. I worked for an organisation called the Institute of Public Affairs.

2. Others that were employed there wrote an article arguing, amongst other matters, that the Human Rights Commission should be abolished.

3. I was not an author of this article and never made such comments.

4. I was asked about these comments by media when appointed as Australia's Human Rights Commissioner.

5. I ignored the comments of others and did not engage in the discussion.

6. That is then used as the basis for elevating that I hold those views and are attributed to me, and then used as a reference.

7. At the end of it I am attributed to have "called for the abolition of the Commission" when the reference point does not support this, but the authors rely on people not looking at the source content and significantly scrutinising it.

Other examples on misleading could include my views on China which include reference to one person's criticism about the level of action I am prepared to take, but has chosen to ignore that I marched on the streets of Hong Kong [1]. I think after joining protests on the streets of Hong Kong and being attacked by the CCP's propaganda outfit [2] would make the weight of these views challenging.

This is a common practice: to us other's opinions to delegitimise my views or actions. They have mostly been inserted from a now banned user.

In addition most sections completely overlook anything other than points of criticism. I will use the example as Australia's Human Rights Commissioner. It simply includes reference to my appointment, then a media story about expenses and then a story about documents sought under freedom of information. It completely ignores the actual work I did as Commissioner, ranging from leading a major reform process with Australia's indigenous leaders for them to be able to use their land for economic development described as a "watershed meeting" [3] to leading a nation wide review of laws and practices that discriminate against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity which then led to State-based reform [4]. For most of my adult life I have been a campaigner on LGBT issues from a human rights perspective (which includes freedom of religion as well), but if you read the section on LGBT issues you would have a radically different perspective.

The complete ignoring of my record as Human Rights Commissioner appears in my time in Parliament as well. From ignoring major events from my involvement in the marriage equality campaign (I was one of a handful of MPs that was given a specific trophy for their contribution to the marriage equality campaign and were dubbed the "Rainbow Rebels" by the media [5]), to being one of a handful of MPs that defied their own government to stop the ratification of an extradition treaty with China [6] - again directly repudiating a latter allegation on the page.

I could go on, and on. But I will spare you the extent of what has gone on. That a user has now been banned at least highlights that there was a significant and persistent intent behind the editing of my page. I genuinely appreciate your engagement on the page and your honest assessment and would welcome any feedback. Stay well. TimWilsonMP (talk) 23:35, 21 July 2022 (UTC)TimWilsonMP (talk) 23:29, 21 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, TimWilsonMP. Based on what you have written above, I would make several very specific formal edit requests on the talk page. These should be in the form "change wording A to wording B", accompanied by specific reliable sources formatted as references. Recent comments on the talk page indicate that there are several editors receptive to such changes. As for the blocked editor. I doubt that he will be back, but if he tries, I will block him. Cullen328 (talk)

My ban

Yes its only been a few days and I'm remorseful. I've gone through and looked at each article of 10+ articles that i believe i could possibly add to their wikiproject banners which was brought up late in the discussions that if those edits were a positively made constructively made through cosmetically improves it. To me, it would be a positive edit in those ones i have looked through.

Regards, adamdaley 49.186.72.89 (talk) 06:28, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello. You are evading your block by coming to my talk page from an IP address. You must stop. UTRS is your only option. You will not be permitted to resume disruptive editing. Cullen328 (talk) 16:23, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

Happy Fifth Adminship Anniversary!

Wishing Cullen328 a very happy adminship anniversary on behalf of the Wikipedia Birthday Committee! Chris Troutman (talk) 13:02, 23 July 2022 (UTC)

Thank you, Chris troutman Cullen328 (talk) 15:03, 23 July 2022 (UTC)

Question from Nonoko11 (16:04, 25 July 2022)

Hello, Cullen!

Could you please help me? I think I screwed up. I'm creating a page for a portuguese publishing company, but the title stayed as "Draft:Edições Velha Lenda" instead of "Edições Velha Lenda".

How can I correct this?

Thank you. --Nonoko11 (talk) 16:04, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Nonoko11. This is the English language Wikipedia and we only accept articles written in the English language. Since your draft is written in Portuguese, submit it to the Portuguese Wikipedia instead, which is a separate project. Cullen328 (talk) 16:12, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Oh! My bad! And thank you! Nonoko11 (talk) 16:22, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Truther1776forlife

I'm very close to blocking them for NOTHERE, based on their edits and the rather obvious message in their name. Waiting to just give them enough WP:ROPE at this point. RickinBaltimore (talk) 17:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, RickinBaltimore. If they continue on the same path, a block is inevitable. Cullen328 (talk) 17:26, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Temporary block of Hobbitschuster didn't have much impact

Hi Cullen328, the block of Hobbitschuster (talk · contribs) has ended, and I'm seeing another wave of unsourced content added to multiple articles. I can take this to AIV or ANI, if you prefer. There will probably need to be another round of reversions, as well. Thanks, 2601:19E:4180:6D50:0:0:0:F5BD (talk) 19:22, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, IP editor. Thanks for letting me know. I have indefinitely blocked Hobbitschuster. Cullen328 (talk) 20:22, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Thank you. Cheers, 2601:19E:4180:6D50:0:0:0:F5BD (talk) 20:42, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

TPA

Hi Cullen328. Could you please revoke talk page access for a user you blocked, Linux Hint BD? They have repeatedly spammed on their talk page and despite warnings, show no intention of stopping. Thanks. --Drm310 🍁 (talk) 15:09, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

Never mind, it's already been done by Sdrqaz. Cheers. --Drm310 🍁 (talk) 15:14, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

2O request on block where I have tenuous COI

Hi Cullen. The machinations of Wikipedia seem to keep leading me back to you. Thanks for wading into the chaos at Jesse Cox (YouTuber). I was going to take a crack at that, but then realized that I have a tenuous COI with Jonathan M. Katz, the alleged plagiarism victim. (He was nominated for the Michael Kelly Award in 2011. I, then 15, attended the award ceremmony as child of the award's eponym, and chatted with Katz briefly.) If I'd known you were going to jump in I would have stayed entirely hands-off, but, not knowing that, an NLT block against MathasGames seemed common-sense, and besides went in the opposite direction of any ostensible COI, so I went ahead with that and resolved to ask another sysop for a second opinion. I was wondering if I could prevail upon you for that? Happy to take to AN or XRV for review if you think a broader audience necessary. -- Tamzin^{[cetacean needed]} (she|they|xe) 06:42, 28 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Tamzin. I blocked two edit warriors and then got distracted by the real life need to take sheets and pillowcases out of the dryer and make the bed. I am sorry that I did not look a bit further back into the edit history where this particular edit warrior was making legal threats. I endorse your block without hesitation. If I am reading your personal reference correctly, you have my belated condolences. 2003 was a bad year for me too. My sister's life partner died, then my mother in law. A few months later, my dad died followed two weeks later by my father in law. And my younger son had his bar mitzvah right in the midst of the deaths of both of his grandfathers. It was a very difficult year.

In addition, I just want to say that you seem to be doing very good work as an administrator and I wish you well. Cullen328 (talk) 07:10, 28 July 2022 (UTC)

Just wanted to point out that like User:Yoshi24517 who you blocked, User:Crboyer is also at 6RR on the same article, making six reverts within about 10 minutes, and failing to discuss anything on the talk page. Also I'm sure it's none of my business, but my condolences about your child's grandparents, my child lost their grandfather and it's been super rough so I understand some of that. - Aoidh (talk) 07:26, 28 July 2022 (UTC)

Zikhronam livrakha, Jim. And the same to Aoidh. If there's one thing I learned as a kid, from my own experience and then later meeting others who'd lost parents, it's that there's no right age to lose a parent. Or a grandparent. Or anyone, really. Each is just its own particular unique kind of grief.

As to more worldly affairs, good to hear you concur in the block, and it means a lot to know that you appreciate my work so far. I've enjoyed working alongside you, and look forward to continuing to do so. -- Tamzin^{[cetacean needed]} (she|they|xe) 08:00, 28 July 2022 (UTC)

oi!

I see meaning one has taken over the language. When, say it ,I usually mean meaning 2, Vey iz mir should be understood even if not stated. Deepfriedokra (talk) 12:21, 28 July 2022 (UTC)

( Tulluu salaalee) fi. (moggaasa maqaa salaale)

  Tulluun salaalee , Godina salaalee (Shawaa kaabaa)

aanaa giraar jaarsoo, ganda illaamu,arjoo salaalee jedhamu keessaatti kan argamu yoo ta'u, handhuura oromiyaa, magaala finfinnee irraa gara kaabatti, km :(110) fagaatee kan argamuu fi magaala guddoo godinichaa irraa ykn magaalaa fiichee irraa km :( 16)

fagaatee kan argamu yoo ta'u, kanaaf haalli qilleensaa naannawaan tulluu kanaa jireenya uummataatif mijataa akka ta'e ragaalen gara garaa ni mul'isu.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Well Addisu Taabore (talk • contribs) 06:52, 29 July 2022 (UTC) 

Hello, Well Addisu Taabore. This is the English language Wikipedia. We cannot accept contributions in other languages. Cullen328 (talk) 15:06, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

Verily, it is greek indonesian to me. Deepfriedokra (talk) 15:27, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

Deepfriedokra, I thought that it was Oromo, but what the heck? Cullen328 (talk) 15:29, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

By Jove! It is Oromo! Deepfriedokra (talk) 15:55, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

Your thanks

No no, thank you for giving the user a DS alert earlier. Bishonen | tålk 16:27, 29 July 2022 (UTC).

Article 'Apache Age' replied at Liz's

Hello, Cullen328. Liz suggested to leave quiry about my article in your user talk. First of all, I appreciate for your explain about my question through Liz's user talk. If you don't mind I would like to ask an advice from you. I believe 'Global Newswire' was an independent source while all other references were managed by Apache software Foundation in my article. Please advice more specificcally what was independent source and what was not. I really don't want to make problem about article. Please give an advice. Thank you. Sellme4001 (talk) 04:00, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Sellme4001. I am sorry, but Globe Newswire is not an independent, reliable source. It is a press release distribution service. They send out whatever a company pays them to send out. Cullen328 (talk) 16:18, 22 July 2022 (UTC)

I don't know what's the relationship between Global Newswire and Apache Software Foundation, one of the largest open source organizations in the world. The press release was for announcing the Apache AGE's graduation to a Top-Level Project, I suppose the contents of the article should be taken into consideration since you can't pay to graduate as a Top-Level Project.

Please indicate / advise the sources that can be considered independent Sellme4001 (talk) 05:25, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

Sorry to be slow to reply, Sellme4001. An acceptable independent souce is one that devotes significant coverage to the topic (Apache Age in this case) without being paid to do so by the company or prompted to do so by press releases or any marketing or public relations activity by the company. Cullen328 (talk) 01:32, 30 July 2022 (UTC)

for a new user

Hi Jim, I am a new user and don't even know how to contribute or making of a user's page and also others things. Hope you guide me. Fifa1991 (talk) 10:08, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

just the facts

Hi Jim, I am a new user. Don't even know many things. So if you could guide me throughout. And how the improvement can be possible for. Fifa1991 (talk) 10:13, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

(talk page watcher) Please see WP:User page Deepfriedokra (talk) 12:10, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

@Fifa1991: (forgot to ping) Deepfriedokra (talk) 12:10, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

A Selfish Request....

Hello Jim, I was wondering if I might inquire about rollback rights? Sadly, my Wikipedia time is often quite curtailed, and recently I keep coming across clear vandalism (or close enough) consisting of multiple edits. I often don't have the time (or energy) to disentangle, and I figure this might be an appropriate rollback usage. All that said, if I am not a good candidate or am somehow procedurally out of order, not a problem. Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Cheers. Dumuzid (talk) 19:34, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Dumuzid. I have granted you the rollback right. Please read WP:ROLLBACK and use it carefully, only for obvious vandalism. Thank you for the work you do. Cullen328 (talk) 19:46, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

Many thanks Jim. I promise to wield my new-found power with appropriate discretion! Cheers. Dumuzid (talk) 19:48, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

John Johnson (reporter)

Hello Jim! We hope you and your family are well. Just noticed the top of John’s Wikipedia page says “may require cleanup” and “Needs Sections.” Could you please help? Thank you for your time. Ann & John Johnson73 (talk) 00:18, 1 August 2022 (UTC)

Thank you SO much Mike! Enjoy your summer! Johnson73 (talk) 02:32, 1 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Ann. I am Jim. Happy to be of assistance. My wife and I are fine. We have moved from the Napa Valley to our brand new retirement home in the Sierra Nevada foothills. We live only a few miles away from our 4-1/2 year old granddaughter and her parents so that is great. I am pleased to help improve the article about your husband. Please give him my best regards. Cullen328 (talk) 02:53, 1 August 2022 (UTC)

My apologies Jim.

Congratulations to you and your wife! It must be wonderful to see your granddaughter on a regular basis.

John says hello and thank you. Johnson73 (talk) 20:42, 1 August 2022 (UTC)

Can you assist with a WP:NOTAFORUM issue on Talk:2022 monkeypox outbreak

Editor Chez224 is trying to create a forum with the Talk:2022 monkeypox outbreak#Absolutely absurd and made up statistics. section. I am coming to you because you previously deleted one of their edits with a WP:NOTAFORUM link in the edit summary[7]. Can you step in because I have done reminders and it is still continuing. Elijahandskip (talk) 04:23, 2 August 2022 (UTC)

General question about Wikipedia

Do you believe there is a liberal bias on Wikipedia?Lynxicat (talk) 16:48, 2 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Lynxicat. I see that yours is a new account and that you have asked five editors this question in a few minutes. In my opinion, this is inappropriate behavior and so I will decline to answer. Cullen328 (talk) 16:54, 2 August 2022 (UTC)

Editing from mobile

Hello @Cullen328 -- thanks for talking about your experience editing from mobile on Clovermoss's talk page. Like you recommended, I wanted to continue the conversation here. In my capacity at WMF, I work with the Web, Editing, and Growth teams -- they are the teams that shape much of the user experience of editing in the web browser, both on desktop and mobile. And so we are always trying to figure out how to help all kinds of people participate in editing. I think it's great that you get so much done on your Android device through the desktop site, and I read your essay about how you do it. I have some follow-up questions, if you have time:

• I know you explain how you find it easy to use the desktop site from mobile. Though much is easy, what do you find difficult and that you wish was easier?
• Do you also think that talk page discussions work well on mobile with the desktop site? (and do you use the new Discussion Tools?)
• Do you regularly look at your Watchlist or Recent Changes feeds? Do you experience any issues using those feeds?
• Do you use multiple browser tabs and switch back and forth? I'm imagining that if you're adding a reference from Google Books, perhaps you have Google Books open in one tab and Wikipedia open in another? Is it cumbersome to toggle back and forth?
• Are there other apps or websites that you think work really well on mobile? What do you appreciate about them?

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you. MMiller (WMF) (talk) 23:30, 3 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, MMiller (WMF). Thanks for reaching out.

• I do not have any significant difficulties editing from my phone using the desktop site. I think of my phone as a miniature computer and the desktop site works just fine for me.
• I participate extensively in talk page discussions with no significant problems. I have tried the new reply tool, and find that for me, the old way of participating in talk page discussions works just fine and is familiar. So, I am sticking with the old way under the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
• I am a very active editor and look at my Watchlist multiple times a day. For what it's worth, I have 38,803 pages on my Watchlist. It works just fine on my phone. I do not look at Recent Changes very often, but when I do, it seems to work fine.
• Yes, I use multiple browser tabs and switch back and forth without any problems. Sometimes I have two or three Wikipedia pages open in different tabs. I might be drafting a response to another editor in one tab, verifying what that editor said elsewhere in another tab, and copying some policy language in a third tab. At the moment, I have nine tabs open on my phone. Some are very current and others have to do with long term research that I am doing.
• I use lots of apps and websites. I have owned a small business for 29 years and use Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps (including navigation), Google Books, Google Scholar, Google News and so on in my business and in my Wikipedia work. I am active on Facebook. I subscribe to three newspapers and read them with my phone. I am active on Facebook. I used to be very active on Quora but concluded that it was a waste of time. I occasionally watch YouTube videos but not too much.

I hope that my comments are helpful. Cullen328 (talk) 00:16, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Thank you, @Cullen328, very helpful. A follow-up question about the other apps and websites you use: do you tend to use the mobile apps and mobile sites for those, or do you also find that the desktop sites for things like Gmail, Google News, Facebook, Quora are better than their mobile counterparts? If you use the mobile versions of those things, I wonder why those mobile versions work well for you, but Wikipedia's mobile site does not -- maybe we can identify the key places for improvement. MMiller (WMF) (talk) 00:23, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Frankly, MMiller (WMF), when I am using those other websites on my phone, I have no idea whether or not I am on a mobile site or a desktop site. The various Google tools seem to work pretty much the same on my phone and my computer. There are a few limitations with Gmail. I have a custom Gmail letterhead with the logo of my business, my address, toll free number and contractor's license number that shows when I write emails from my desktop. I have not been able to figure out how to generate that from my phone, so I use my desktop computer for interaction with new customers. In contrast, I am acutely aware of the differences between the desktop and mobile Wikipedia sites any time I try the mobile site. Although I know that there have been some improvements in the mobile site, I continue to see it as clearly inferior to the desktop site, from the point of view of serious Wikipedia editors deeply involved with collaborative editing to build a free encyclopedia. As for new editors, I believe that the shortcomings of the mobile site are an ongoing impediment to their ability to become fully productive members of the editing community. Cullen328 (talk) 00:43, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Got it -- thanks for explaining. I'll let you know if I have other questions, and please ping me if you have other thoughts about mobile editing in the future! MMiller (WMF) (talk) 02:03, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Question from Restrictedtechnically (10:36, 4 August 2022)

Hello Cullen328,

Who can edit? --Restrictedtechnically (talk) 10:36, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Restrictedtechnically. Anyone who follows Wikipedia's Policies and guidelines. Cullen328 (talk) 15:32, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Question from Aaa232355 (19:41, 4 August 2022)

Hello, Cullen

I need help moving an article to the draft space and changing it’s name. Thank you. --अथर्व कॉल (talk) 19:41, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Aaa232355. Which article? Please be specific. Cullen328 (talk) 19:53, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

This one, Homoxylon rajmahalense अथर्व कॉल (talk) 19:54, 4 August 2022 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – August 2022

News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2022).

Administrator changes

Valereee

Anthony Appleyard (deceased) • Capitalistroadster • Samsara

Guideline and policy news

• An RfC has been closed with consensus to add javascript that will show edit notices for editors editing via a mobile device. This only works for users using a mobile browser, so iOS app editors will still not be able to see edit notices.
• An RfC has been closed with the consensus that train stations are not inherently notable.

Technical news

• The Wikimania 2022 Hackathon will take place virtually from 11 August to 14 August.
• Administrators will now see links on user pages for "Change block" and "Unblock user" instead of just "Block user" if the user is already blocked. (T308570)

Arbitration

• The arbitration case request Geschichte has been automatically closed after a 3 month suspension of the case.

Miscellaneous

• You can vote for candidates in the 2022 Board of Trustees elections from 16 August to 30 August. Two community elected seats are up for election.
• Wikimania 2022 is taking place virtually from 11 August to 14 August. The schedule for wikimania is listed here. There are also a number of in-person events associated with Wikimania around the world.
• Tech tip: When revision-deleting on desktop, hold ⇧ Shift between clicking two checkboxes to select every box in that range.

---

• Discuss this newsletter
• Subscribe
• Archive

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:44, 5 August 2022 (UTC)

smdh

Someone is subtexting an agenda, but it is not Dan. -- Deepfriedokra (talk) 01:52, 7 August 2022 (UTC)

Deepfriedokra, if they are taking bets in Las Vegas on "short Wikipedia editing career" or "long Wikipedia editing career", my money is on the first option. Cullen328 (talk) 01:59, 7 August 2022 (UTC)

Need Help

Could you recommend someone to help me write a biography on Ashok Sahni, an Indian Paleontologist? अथर्व कॉल (talk) 20:11, 5 August 2022 (UTC)

I am sorry, Aaa232355. I have no expertise in this area. Cullen328 (talk) 02:01, 7 August 2022 (UTC)

No problem just happy that I got the reply :) अथर्व कॉल (talk) 11:38, 7 August 2022 (UTC)

Query

Hello, Jim,

I see that you blocked User:VoteLaborman for promotional editing. It looks like User:Cteblmoc picked up the torch, working on this wannabe-politician's article and even responding to messages on VoteLaborman's talk page in response to notices. I know you don't have checkuser goggles but I thought I'd bring this to your attention in case you saw some "duck" similarities.

I hope you had a pleasant weekend! Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 05:10, 8 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Liz. My weekend has been quite good and I hope that yours has been as well. I have never claimed to be a skilled sockpuppet detective but I do not need to be Hercule Poirot or own X-ray glasses to figure out what's going on when someone runs out of a bank wearing a fake mustache and carrying a pistol with large stacks of dye stained currency jammed into their pockets. Indefinitely blocked. Cullen328 (talk) 05:29, 8 August 2022 (UTC)

Look at this edit on the Chicago Mayor's Election. It was later removed. But I think we can expect other volunteers from this campaign to work on drafts of this guy. That's two registered accounts and an IP already. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 05:40, 8 August 2022 (UTC)

Liz, one might expect even minor candidates for mayor in a city as big as Chicago to get a little bit of routine coverage in reliable local sources. In this case, I can't find anything. The article can be semi-protected if this crew persists. Cullen328 (talk) 05:50, 8 August 2022 (UTC)

Okparanta edits

Could you please explain why my edits on Chinelo Okparanta (which cover a controversy written about in an international, respected publication (The New Yorker)), warrant the message you posted in my Talk page? Heebiggreen86 (talk) 20:30, 9 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Heebiggreen86. You are editing biographies of living people in a very problematic way. You have been warned several times. You are on notice that the next infraction will probably result in a block. Read that notice and that policy very carefully. Cullen328 (talk) 21:20, 9 August 2022 (UTC)

Vattakara (film)

Vattakara (film) sir my page have good reviews and references but a person is vandalizing it is please correct it Monhiroe (talk) 16:18, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Monhiroe. I see a copyright violation by you in the article history and improper removal of a AfD tag by you. I see no vandalism. You appear to be the source of the problems with that article. Cullen328 (talk) 16:25, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Yes.That copyrighted material was removed by the Wikipedia administrator. now it's ok. some one added again tag Monhiroe (talk) 16:28, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Monhiroe, the tag must stay until the AfD debate is over. Do not remove it again. Cullen328 (talk) 16:31, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Feedback request: Biographies request for comment

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Potential Article

I've been on the Board of a Baltimore non-profit, Research Associates Foundation, that recently closed down after 25 years. It has provided small ($2500) grants to more than 60 local activist groups over that time. I'd like to write a Wikipedia article about RAF but I see that this might be inconsistent with your guidelines since I've been involved with the group. Please Advise.

Fred 2601:14D:4003:35D0:6C36:F07:9637:2AD6 (talk) 18:48, 13 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Fred. Please read Conflict of interest and Your first article and Articles for creationCreation. It is difficult for a new editor to write an acceptable article, but if you are careful to follow all the relevant policies and guidelines, it is possible. Your very first and most important step is to assemble at least three or four reliable independent sources that devoted significant coverage to the foundation. Feel free to return with more questions but be aware that I will be traveling much of the day today. Cullen328 (talk) 18:56, 13 August 2022 (UTC)

Question from Daniel kavumu (21:25, 13 August 2022)

How can appload images --Daniel kavumu (talk) 21:25, 13 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Daniel kavumu. Please read Wikipedia:Image use policy and Wikipedia:Uploading images. The most important thing is to be very careful about copyright. A large majority of images that you can find online are restricted by copyright. Cullen328 (talk) 02:34, 14 August 2022 (UTC)

Adam Neumann

Hi Cullen328. I noticed that you occasionally edit biographies and are in WP:Judaism, so perhaps you would be interested in taking a look at my recent edit request on the talk page of the BLP of the Jewish-Israeli founder of WeWork, Adam Neumann. I hope you agree with my request and can implement it as you see fit. Thanks for helping out. Carlos for Neumann (talk) 10:56, 14 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Carlos for Neumann. I sew that two highly experienced editors, Writ Keeper and Barkeep49, are discussing your edit request. Accordingly, I will decline to get involved myself. Cullen328 (talk) 16:03, 14 August 2022 (UTC)

Smartphone/catch-as-catch-can IP editing

Good morning! You’re the person I trust most to clue me in on what I’m missing here!

I tend, as a Nevadan, to keep odd hours and edit from my iPhone at random casino cafés (which sounds thoroughly clichéd and juvenile, but I’ll be 51 this coming weekend and as an insomniac it’s one of the things I love about my adopted hometown)!

I keep getting shut out of talk pages when I try to use my phone—WP-wide, and also for individual articles—despite having been granted an IP block exemption.

Is the block exemption that narrowly drawn? Or is this issue that technologically complicated?

Do I just need to give up and haul my laptop around if I want to do anything outside of article space? Is that even going to solve the problem?

I absolutely will not argue with a proposition that every IP range in southern Nevada is crawling with vandals!

It just would be nice to be able to do my food-article compound-modifier-hyphenation schtick FROM MY PHONE, and be able to make talk-page comments re: same FROM MY PHONE. And if anyone knows what I’m cluelessly missing, you do! Thank you! Julietdeltalima (talk) 11:46, 15 August 2022 (UTC) Julietdeltalima (talk) 11:46, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

(perfect example: I wanted to edit that post to remove the superfluous extra signature, and there’s not any pen-nib-in-a-square to click, and I can’t figure out any mechanism to effectuate that at all, and you’ll forgive me for this rant but I’M NOT STUPID?! dang!

But that’s on me: it’s an app v. Safari issue that I have the candlepower to resolve if I take the time and read helpful essays.

The constant IP blocks, though, are a thing I kindly ask for insight above my metaphorical “pay grade” to winkle around. Thanks!) Julietdeltalima (talk) 11:59, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Julietdeltalima. I am not sure that I can help you but I will try. Let me start out by saying that I use Android phones and I do not use apps to edit Wikipedia. Accordingly have no experience with the iPhone app experience. Plus, I edit mostly from sedate California towns like American Canyon and Grass Valley, as opposed to Sin City. I suggest that you try the desktop site on your iPhone to see if you get improved performance. I also have little experience of getting caught up in an IP range block. It happened once about ten years ago and a helpful administrator took care of things and there were no further problems. I am an administrator myself now, but I am not at all skilled in IP ranges and doing exemptions. I suggest that you discuss the IP rangeblock collateral damage issue with the administrator who granted the exemption or bring it up at Village pump/technical where people skilled with such issues hang out. Good luck! Cullen328 (talk) 16:22, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Julietdeltalima, I noticed that Yamla was the administrator who gave you a one year IP rangeblock exemption on August 5. Also, early Happy Birthday greetings. Cullen328 (talk) 16:29, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Apalachee

That editor has a major COI and says they are here to correct false information. Doug Weller talk 20:23, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Doug Weller. Yes, I know that. If they persist, I intend to pageblock them. Or you can do it if you want. Cullen328 (talk) 20:31, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

Probably better if you do it so it’s done by a different admin. Thanks Doug Weller talk 20:45, 15 August 2022 (UTC)

They continue. I'm searching for reliable sources as the band should be in the article. Doug Weller talk 09:08, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

Beginner wanting to edit General Karl Von Graffen page

Hi Jim, You replied to my inquiry. I only know a few of the basics of using the code. I've only edited a paragraph or added a photo. I have a transcription of the German wiki article on General Karl von Graffen and I want to edit the very brief English wiki page to add it. I am sure I will botch it up. Also there are dozens of links that I'm sure should be added. I'm doing this for the Granddaughter of the General. I discovered that my Father was present when her Grandfather surrendered to the Americans on 2 May 1945. So I wanted to update the English page. Could you recommend someone who would like to help me with this project?? Steve GearDown (talk) 14:24, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, GearDown. I would be happy to take a look at your draft translation, but when I looked at your contributions, I did not see it. If your translation is off-Wikipedia, you should move it here, to your sandbox. You need to find an experienced German speaking editor to assist. Gerda Arendt is a native German speaker and a very helpful person who works on classical music articles. I have no idea if an article about general would interest her, but perhaps she could recommend someone else. Cullen328 (talk) 16:11, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

I believe the Granddaughter obtained a good translation. It contains a lot of facts that appear very well written even though it may not be exactly equivalent to the German version.

I need to learn about making a Draft and/or using this Sandbox.

I can paste the English text for anyone to review. Now I need to find the Sandbox.

Steve GearDown (talk) 16:42, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

GearDown, I thought you were doing the translating, but you wrote I believe the Granddaughter obtained a good translation. That is a problem. The translator would be the copyright holder for the translation unless the daughter paid both for the translation and the copyright, in which case she is the copyright holder. You cannot upload other people's copyrighted material to Wikipedia. Please clarify. Cullen328 (talk) 16:54, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Okay. She provided the text to me. I just tried entering the info in my Sandbox. Some of the tabulated items under PROMOTIONS and CAREER are run together with no line breaks. This is above my head.

I hope that page didn't go PUBLIC, yet. If it did please let me know so maybe it be reset. GearDown (talk) 16:58, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Who is the copyright holder, GearDown? Cullen328 (talk) 17:02, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

It was sent to me by the Granddaughter of the General. I do not own it.GearDown (talk) 17:12, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

In order to use this translation, it must be freely licensed by the copyright holder. Find out from the granddaughter if she paid for the copyright. If not, the translator is the only person who can freely license it for use on Wikipedia, and it must be attributed to the German Wikipedia. Cullen328 (talk) 17:18, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Thanks. I did NOT realize the German version had to match the English version. Could the granddaughter sign-in to Wikipedia and become an Editor and then be credited with the translation? I doubt she will want to do that. Just trying to understand the connection between the two pages and the legal restrictions. I will "log-out" for now. GearDown (talk) GearDown (talk) 17:51, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

GearDown, you did not mention that his granddaughter has recently published a book about her grandfather. Now, we have Conflict of interest issues to deal with as well. Cullen328 (talk) 17:29, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

GearDown, nobody said that it had to match the German version, but if that version is even partly the source of the translation, then it must be attributed. If the granddaughter does not own the copyright to the translation, then how can she be credited for it? This is a legal matter and it must be done correctly. Plus, the granddaughter has an obvious conflict of interest as the author of a recently published book about Karl von Graffen, and simply should not be editing that article directly, although she could make suggestions at Talk: Karl von Graffen. Cullen328 (talk) 18:01, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Late to this: I'll watch, but it's close to midnight here, and I'm no expert in the topic nor in copyrights issues. If the German article is free from copyright issues, we can simply translate it, but that's a big if. Yesterday I wanted to translate the article of a conductor and found that the German was word for word from his manager's website. What we can also do is write our own article on the many sources, ignoring the German. (That's what I began for the conductor.) Kusma might be interested in this matter. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:28, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

The German article was originally based on a self-published source (author=publisher...) but this edit adds a reliably looking source (but no inline citations). I don't think it is possible to do a decent job on this article without access to something like ISBN 3-7648-2488-3. With attribution, Angela Findlay's book is probably a decent source as well. For someone with access to some of these sources and an interest in WWII military history (so definitely not me) it should be easy to write a decent article. If you translate the German article, you still have to track down these sources because it is unclear what is from where and to allow you to add proper inline citations. —Kusma (talk) 22:02, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

Thank you very much for your insights, Gerda Arendt and Kusma. Cullen328 (talk) 22:58, 20 August 2022 (UTC)

I think I'm beginning to understand the conflicts of interest. I only had two classes of Business Law in college and that was 30 years ago.

Just wanted to help a lady tell about her grandfather---the good and the bad.

I will not pursue any further work on this page. GearDown (talk) 03:45, 21 August 2022 (UTC)

TPA

Hi there. Would you say that this deserves revoking talk page access? --Drm310 🍁 (talk) 03:46, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Thanks for the notification, Drm310. That type of insult has less impact on me than water rolling off a duck's back. It is a personal attack, though. If I revoked TPA, I might get accused of retribution. If you wish, you can make a report at WP:ANI or you can ask for help from any unininvolved active administrator. Cullen328 (talk) 03:53, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Question from Hollenbeck50790 (11:33, 24 August 2022)

Can a person build a working workshop from scratch? And if so How do I build a Electrical workshop that will work use photos,videos and written informatiom. --Hollenbeck50790 (talk) 11:33, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Hollenbeck50790, yes it is possible but I do not have expertise in that area of construction. Good luck. Cullen328 (talk) 15:33, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Question from Hollenbeck50790 (11:14, 24 August 2022)

Whereabouts is Salem's Lot ? --Hollenbeck50790 (talk) 11:14, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Hollenbeck50790. It is a fictional town in Maine. See Jerusalem's Lot (Stephen King). Cullen328 (talk) 15:30, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Thank you Jim, I was not awair that was A stephen King book. I really was thinking of the Witches trial, I guss the reason I asked this Question: is becauseI only heard stories about how the witch hunters Who were called The Jessuites; and were serposose to be a secreat society.But in my owm oppion they were Men who were tired of the Woman they were marred to and in order to get a devorce at that time was to say they were witches because they were bewitched this setting them free from the Law. So the Men can be with another Woman was this very act of accusing them of being witches and since then a lot of conflict of someone who want to have the study of herbs & spices to see how the human body would respond to these types of things...This was back in the Early 1800 A.D. 4.71.42.138 (talk) 17:26, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Hollenbeck50790, I think that you are referring to the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693, which took place in Massachusetts not Maine. The Jesuits were not involved in any way. Massachusetts was dominated by the Puritans at that time. Cullen328 (talk) 17:39, 24 August 2022 (UTC)

Username with a single character: .ٖ

Jim, can you take a look at ِ.ٖ (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log)? It appears to be a single character Username or one made up of two diacritical marks. I was inclined to UAA it as disruptive but the two edits made as of this writing look constructive. I did use the Welcome template that asks users of non-Latin names to provide a transliteration into Latin characters. Blue Riband► 00:50, 26 August 2022 (UTC)

John Pelham

I'd appreciate if you could revert your last edit to that page. There is no consensus because I have only just opened up the topic. I think we should wait for a few days to see if a consensus - whether it's for or against the 'rebel traitor' phrasing - forms. The edit war just finished and I don't want another one to happen. Everyone with opinions on the phrasing should chip in on the talk if they like Stephanie921 (talk) 04:20, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

Stephanie921, no, I will not revert my edit. I utterly despise the CSA personally but this type of commentary violates the Neutral point of view unless reliable sources consistently describe Pelham that way. Do not make a point in the opening sentences of the article. Reveal the facts through neutral, well referenced prose in the body of the article. If the referenced text in the body of the article does not call him a "rebel traitor", then the lead section should not. The purpose of the lead is to summarize the body, not to add unreferenced negative language. Wikipedia is not a place to right great wrongs. Cullen328 (talk) 04:35, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

Question from AlShaybani (15:03, 27 August 2022)

Hello. I edited an article adding a statement that was publicly released by one of the individuals mentioned in one article. The edit was reverted due to "conflict of interest", even if I had just added a public document that was released by the individual and that is relevant to the topic. How to deal with that? --AlShaybani (talk) 15:03, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, AlShaybani. You have a clear and obvious conflict of interest, which you admitted in your edit summary to 2022 International Court of Justice judges election. You are editing on behalf of another person. That is very problematic behavior. Please read WP:MEATPUPPET. Another problem is that you tried to add this person's entire statement, but you did not attribute the source of the statement. That fails verifiability, a core content policy. How can a reader verify the accuracy of the statement? Also, such a lengthy direct quite is a copyright violation. Also, the article does not include lengthy statements by the other candidates, so this adds undue weight to one candidate. The article should be based mostly on secondary sources, not primary sources like candidate statements. Cullen328 (talk) 16:48, 27 August 2022 (UTC)

In Flames edit war

First I would like to say sorry about the edit warring. I was only trying to restore the version that other editors were agreeing upon. I'm not sure you know of WP:GWAR but editors like Stojo bruv will dismiss consensus or talking it out on a talk page. They will ignore reverts because they think they're in the right - that they know everything. He was most likely the same IP address range that made the same edits (and was blocked) and made an account to escape that. Now, I am making a topic on In Flames to try to pull in other editors to the dispute. Again, Stojo bruv hasn't shown any reliable sources that the band is melodic death metal again and is pushing his point of view without any confirmation. Just trying to show you what the problem was and I'll hope that other editors will catch on soon. Thank you. FireCrystal 04:08, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, FireCrystal. I am very familiar with genre warring, but in the end, it is just another variety of edit warring. Those who edit war against genre warriors are just another variety of edit warriors. That behavior is damaging to the encyclopedia. As for the lack of sources about "melodic death metal" (whatever the heck that is), what is wrong with this source? Cullen328 (talk) 04:37, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

When I meant sources of melodic death metal I meant if they were melodic death metal now and not then because they stopped playing that genre but it seems with Stojo bruv's edit, that they're back at it again only very recently. No sources for that have been found. FireCrystal 04:47, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

FireCrystal, an encyclopedia article about a band ought to cover the entire history of the band, not just its current incarnation. Accordingly, every verifiable genre that they have played belongs in the article, as I see it. Cullen328 (talk) 05:19, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

Of course! I agree with you. I just don't think you get what I mean though. FireCrystal 07:08, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

FireCrystal, I know nothing about either the band or the genre, and it is my opinion that there is way too much hairsplitting about genres. But the main message I have been trying to convey is that you need to refrain from edit warring. Cullen328 (talk) 07:14, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

I don't wish to confuse you further on the topic and wish to move on. I understand and will heed the warnings about edit warring. It just happens sometimes. By the way, Stojo bruv has continued genre warring as we speak. FireCrystal 07:44, 28 August 2022 (UTC)

FireCrystal, I have indefinitely blocked Stojo bruv because they continued with their disruptive behavior after being warned. Cullen328 (talk) 21:28, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

I have to say, I stumbled by, and got a mistaken impression at first. For a moment, I thought we had a WP:GWAR about the band GWAR, and I was mildly impressed. Cheers. Dumuzid (talk) 21:35, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

LOL, Dumuzid. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I know quite a bit about hard rock bands of the 60s and 70s, but know very little about heavy metal. For example, I had never heard of GWAR until your post. Cullen328 (talk) 21:47, 29 August 2022 (UTC)

Mikhail Lomtadze

Hello! I turn to you, as an experienced member of Wikipedia for advice. The list of Articles for Deletion that you found and helped to keep by improving is amazing. Could you help, by deed or advice, please? Please see the article about Mikhail Lomtadze. Now there is an active discussion about deletion or preservation. Deviloper (talk) 06:26, 31 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello, Deviloper. To me, that article looks like an overtly promotional "biography" that is probably the result of paid/COI editing efforts. I think that you will find that experienced uninvolved editors have "seen it all" to use the common metaphor, and can easily see through hollow pretenses of neutrality. The bottom line is that Wikipedia is not a venue for promotional activity of any kind. Cullen328 (talk) 06:41, 31 August 2022 (UTC)

FYI rope

See here. Thanks. BilCat (talk) 00:50, 1 September 2022 (UTC)

Hello, BilCat. I have given that editor a lengthy block as I promised previously. Cullen328 (talk) 01:33, 1 September 2022 (UTC)

Thanks. The words they used don't bother me as such, but they certainly violated NPA, and ignored your warning. BilCat (talk) 01:36, 1 September 2022 (UTC)

Yes, BilCat, insults like this just roll like water off a duck's back for me, and I would not have blocked only for this f-bomb. But this editor clearly did not take on board my warning of two months ago, and so their belligerence clearly intended to intimidate another editor earned them a three month long block. Cullen328 (talk) 01:45, 1 September 2022 (UTC)

I totally understand. BilCat (talk) 01:47, 1 September 2022 (UTC)