User talk:Girth Summit/Archive 19

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Update on Bodyoaken2 sockfarm

I know it's like, 2 weeks after my initial report of Kafkabade and Mintbolas2 in an SPI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sockpuppet_investigations/Bodyoaken2/Archive), but I recently looked through CentralAuth and noticed that some of the socks have been engaging in some cross wiki abuse shortly after they were blocked (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Mintbolas2), (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAuth?target=Hamsasia). They seem to be making the same types of edits on the other wikis (replacing text with text from Lithuanian Wikipedia).

Just wanted to notify you as you were the checkuser who blocked these socks earlier. -- Shadow of the Starlit Sky 04:00, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, and sorry for the slow response - I'm travelling overseas at the moment, don't have a lot of time for editing. I've been able to link these accounts to a globally locked LTA (Lithuaniaball2), along with a whole bunch of other accounts - I've requested global locks for all of them. Let me know if you see any other similar editing, cheers. Girth Summit _(blether) 10:33, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

Hmm.... should I make an LTA case, then, to document these socks' modus operandi? -- Shadow of the Starlit Sky 22:42, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

No, don't worry about that. Just keep an eye out. Cheers Girth Summit _(blether) 23:25, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

No problem. However, I will continue monitoring for these socks as necessary as you have stated before. -- Shadow of the Starlit Sky 23:33, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

Bakshi

I saw you have mentioned me on ANI, but you seem to have missed what I was reverting. Alt News and The Print are frequently removed by Indian-far right editors who wish to create false balance between those 2 with OpIndia and Swarajya (magazine) the black listed sources.[1] I had asked the user why they made this edit which seemed like whitewashing and I had no response. Abhishek0831996 (talk) 13:54, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

I did not miss what you were reverting - I think that your revert was inappropriate. The person you reverted is an autopatrolled editor in good standing with over 50,000 contributions to in a diverse range of subject areas - you are surely not suggesting that she is an Indian far-right POV warrior? When she made her edit, the content had been in the article for less than a month - the onus was on you to establish consensus on whether or not it should be there. Rather than reverting and leaving what I perceive to be a rude and aggressive message on her user talk page, you should have started a discussion on the article's talk page to try to find consensus for whether and how the sources might be used in the article. Girth Summit _(blether) 14:13, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Suppose you edit science topic, and an editor arrives and removes Lancet journal. Then you will obviously warn the person and expect them to first becoming familiar with the editing ethics of the subject before you will be taking their argument seriously. This happens all the time. The biggest blunder Cullen328 did here was that he kept repeating the same false claim that The Print and Alt News are unreliable sources. I don't see why this type of blunder should be ignored and only Editorkamran should be targeted. Abhishek0831996 (talk) 14:33, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

It's not just about the removal of a source, reliable or otherwise. If an editor, who was exceptionally well-experienced and obviously competent, went to a science article and removed a recently added sentence which was in a questionable part of the article, and which was only partially supported by a citation to the Lancet, then I would not revert them, or warn them about anything. What I would do would be to go to the article's talk page, ask them what their concerns were with the sentence and its placement, and discuss with them how we might make better use of the information in the Lancet source to improve the article. Girth Summit _(blether) 14:45, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

That would be possible only if the next editor has made that argument which never happened. It has been already agreed on ANI that the content was supported by the sources. You will agree too if you read about Bakshi's claims about "history" and his false information that India got independence because of Indian National Army as per The Print article.[2] These claims are known to be false. The content was supported by the sources, and the only dispute now is why it was not discussed on the article body, but the block was made over different reasons. Abhishek0831996 (talk) 15:22, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Just noticed this response. Your hostile post on her talk page caused her to disengage - who would want to collaborate with someone who addresses people as you did? If you had approached her politely, and actually tried to understand her perspective instead of asking sarcastic questions and ordering her not to whitewash articles (a ridiculous accusation), you might have benefitted from her enormous experience, and the article would now be better than it is, and nobody would be blocked. I hope you learn something from this. Girth Summit _(blether) 19:42, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you! I was like, what the heck?

Good to see you on my page. Hope all is well. That edit by "Not welcome at da SD" was totally bizarre, I was going to write "I have no idea who you are, but #1) I wrote the article and #2) my edit removed a hidden error message. I have never performed any action that vandalized the encyclopedia. Clearly, you do not know what you are speaking of", but I see they have been indefinitely blocked. SusunW (talk) 19:08, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Yep - they were running around rapidly reverting people at random and giving them Level 4 vandalism warnings. I noticed them on your talk via my watchlist and thought 'hmm - sounds unlikely'... Probably a bored teenager - pay them no mind. I'm well thanks - enjoying the Easter break, still got a couple of weeks off :) Girth Summit _(blether) 19:11, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

I appreciate you. It was pretty baffling. Enjoy your break. I've been on vacation now for 5,835 days, may actually retire next year. SusunW (talk) 19:14, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

SusunW, disgruntled trolls are nasty creatures. Luckily GS is an expert troll hunter. :) Kiss Kiss --ARoseWolf 19:33, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

ARoseWolf you make me smile. SusunW (talk) 19:39, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

SusunW, you are a phenomenal editor and content creator and I always love reading the articles you create. I smile every time I see you. You are the Su to my . My hair is finally growing back. Hopefully I will be braiding it with wildflowers again soon. --ARoseWolf 20:21, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

ARoseWolf Exactly the same. You warm my heart. I am so happy for that news. My oncologist took me off of all meds last month, so yes, I totally understand. SusunW (talk) 21:00, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Steady, Susun will be unable to get her head through the door! Gog the Mild (talk) 14:11, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Hmm

Greetings, oh mighty one. You may care to keep an eye on User:Aylan2's source free OR contributions. Or, there again, you might not. Ta. Gog the Mild (talk) 14:11, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Minoan geometry

I have recently uploaded the page on minoan geometry is it relevant or not can you check it Cuando de hyiopi (talk) 20:24, 9 April 2023 (UTC)

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Somebody or other

Kyle Idleman was created today. Their first two edits were to blank their userpage and Talk page. Then they made a slew of edits at WP:RFPP asking for protection of political bios, none of which had any merit, apparently under arbitration enforcement (see the user's Talk page). The only other edits also had to do with protection of yet another political article on MelanieN's Talk page. I don't know if this rings any bells for you, but even if it doesn't, it screams sock for me and is enough, IMO, to justify a check.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:14, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for the heads-up; I'm afraid I was drinking a beer in the sunshine after a very pleasant walk along the Galloway coast, and Zzuuzz beat me to it. Girth Summit _(blether) 17:00, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Soz. Have another beer. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 17:05, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

GS, walking and drinking sounds far more enjoyable than checking and blocking. Thanks, zzuuzz.--Bbb23 (talk) 17:12, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

Lol - second beer opened... Girth Summit _(blether) 17:20, 14 April 2023 (UTC)

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Question from IP editor

Hello, why did you remove Karl W. Wilkes' page? I am investigating him and I think he made up everything. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:408:C000:680:4DD0:AFD3:612E:D0B0 (talk) 15:37, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

Hello IP editor. I deleted that page per WP:G5, because it was written by a sockpuppet of a blocked user. I don't understand your second sentence - are you saying that the subject of the article made everything up, or the author of the article? Girth Summit _(blether) 15:53, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

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Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Buevell

What is the difference beween the tags "Mobile edit Mobile web edit" and "Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit"? Is there a difference in the UAs? I never edit with a mobile; nor do I understand what "web edit" means in this context, although I vaguely recall editors mentioning some sort of special website for editing Wikipedia with a mobile.--Bbb23 (talk) 18:13, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

Slightly embarrassing - I don't actually know. I use them as data points, to compare accounts' editing habit, but I don't actually know what causes those flags to appear. I often edit through a mobile - perhaps unwisely, since it usually results in embarrassing typos - but I do it via the misnamed 'Desktop' mode, which seems to result in my edits not being flagged in any way. I assume that if I edited through the standard mobile interface, it would be flagged in some way, but I don't know specifics of how different editing habits result in different flags, or whether it causes a change in UA (my guess is that it shouldn't, but meh??). Perhaps one of our colleagues (pings to random assortment of SPI regulars: Blablubbs, GeneralNotability, Spicy, RoySmith) has some insight? Girth Summit _(blether) 21:50, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

I've also never actually figured out how the various tags map to different bits of software. I mostly treat them like opaque; if user A mostly uses Foo and user B also mostly uses Foo, maybe that's a hint that they're the same person. But I don't put a lot of weight in that. -- RoySmith (talk) 22:00, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

If I recall correctly:

• "mobile edit" = edit was done from a dedicated mobile platform (i.e. mobile-focused skin, or mobile app)
• "mobile web edit" = edit done via mw:minerva (cf. https://en.m.wikipedia.org)
• "advanced mobile edit" = edit done via minerva, with an extra checkbox ticked in your preferences.

Tags are cumulative, so edits from a mobile app will yield "mobile edit, mobile app edit"; edits from minerva will yield "mobile edit, mobile web edit"; edits from minerva with the extra checkbox will yield "mobile edit, mobile web edit, advanced mobile edit". There is a UA difference between mobile web edits and mobile app edits, but UAs do not change when a user switches between mobile and desktop skins, or when they enable minerva's advanced mode. --Blablubbs (talk) 22:07, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

Whoa. I think I need to write this down. Thanks very much.--Bbb23 (talk) 22:42, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you

Sincerely, for your kind words - it's much appreciated. Nikkimaria (talk) 02:10, 21 April 2023 (UTC)

Sorry, I should have responded to this more promptly. Simply: no need to thank me, every word I wrote was heart-felt. You are experienced, talented and, let's face it, excellent. You are also (I think this is what I said) unusually (amongst other DYK reviewers) quite frank, and rather exacting. I personally see that as a good thing, and ever since your first review of my work (Margaret Macpherson Grant) I've thought of you as a hard task-master, but someone I should listen to. Should you change your ways? I think not. Newbs need a certain level of kid gloving, but editors with over 10,000 contributions and an eagerness to engage with the light-touch DYK process (compared to FAC) need to be willing to engage with critical and competent reviews. So yeah - please keep doing what you do, and thank you for doing it. Girth Summit _(blether) 23:14, 22 April 2023 (UTC)

User:Nestofbirdnests is still sockpuppeting

User:Nestofbirdnests is still popping back and harassing me and others’ edits. This time as the name “Brett Rivera”. Block him please. Thanks Fdom5997 (talk) 04:04, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

Looks like they've been dealt with already. Girth Summit _(blether) 09:13, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

Jacobkennedy

This sockmaster is now sockpuppeting as Theeditpolice (talk · contribs), and when the discussion got brought up by Pauline Muley on AukusRuckus' talk page, they got incredibly defensive and started disruptively blanking the conversation. This behavior is also identical to Buger677 (talk · contribs) on the same talk page (1, 2 and 3), a confirmed sock of Jacobkennedy. After being reverted twice by Johnbod and Pauline Muley, a single purpose account by the name of Ikipi (talk · contribs), which is almost definitely yet another sock, appeared to reinforce and disruptively blank the conversion as well. 1.53.222.123 (talk) 03:04, 24 April 2023 (UTC)

• Thanks IP. Guess what, Girth Summit, this goes back ten years. Drmies (talk) 04:00, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
  • Thanks to Pauline Muley, IP 1.53, Drmies, Johnbod: It seems I missed all the to-and-fro on my talk page, which rarely sees such a flurry of activity!
  • Drmies: This sock's disruption, going right back to their earliest incarnation, is still in the process of being cleaned. Each time the master returns with a new puppet, they build on the dregs of their last foray, to continue the factual degradation of these articles. The broad topic area is one I'm only glancingly familiar with, so cleanup can be tricky (for me); and many of the articles are only lightly trafficked, so overall it seems to be an uphill battle to sort. It's incredibly disheartening they've come back before we've managed to clear even 2013's nonsense completely. AukusRuckus (talk) 05:26, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
  • So the reported account is blocked, and the OP's IP is blocked by ST47's bot - anything else needing doing? Girth Summit _(blether) 09:58, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
    • Theeditpolice's account was created in March 2020, and made five edits in the same week: After that, not a peep until 2 days ago. That was the pattern for other puppets of Jacobkennedy, too. Is checking for further sleeper accounts something that can / should be done? AukusRuckus (talk) 14:05, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
      • That check was done--thanks. Drmies (talk) 15:04, 24 April 2023 (UTC)
        • Thanks for letting me know. I imagined it would have been, but not totally up on the workings of SPI. AukusRuckus (talk) 05:09, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Fantastic Services spam

Hi, another UPE account recreated Fantastic Services. I started an SPI at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Fantastic Services. Thanks. Fancy Refrigerator ^(talk) 16:51, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Doesn't look like the same person, and the article is significantly different. I've taken a look, and am not impressed by the content, or the sourcing - it's now at AfD. Girth Summit _(blether) 18:18, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Got it, thanks. Fancy Refrigerator ^(talk) 18:21, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Range block question

Hi Girth Summit (or any friendly talk page stalker). Could I get a second opinion on my block of Special:Contributions/49.237.0.0/18? I don't normally do non-/64 rangeblocks, so I just want to make sure I haven't done something especially boneheaded. The individual I'm trying to block has been floating all around this range (49.237.13.190, 49.237.39.216, 49.237.33.219, etc.) and I can tell from [3] that the /18 is the narrowest range possible, but I know it's a wide range with a fair number of other people affected—some of them constructive, some of them not. My instinct is that the tradeoff is worth it given the substantial disruption and the fact that any innocent editors can just go to WP:ACC, but this is way out of my wheelhouse, so I just wanted to run it past someone more familiar with these things. Hope you're well! Extraordinary Writ (talk) 07:14, 26 April 2023 (UTC)

Hi there. It's not a particularly lengthy block, and if a persistent user is causing disruption that, in your view, outweighs the positive contributions that others are making, then the block is worthwhile (and certainly within your discretion). I'll add two observations: I think it likely that the person who left a message on your talk page complaining about this block from an IPv6 range is the same person that you are targeting with the block. A block on their /36 range is a possibility if they carry on in the same vein from that range. Also, the person in question is themselves familiar with ACC, so don't be surprised if we need to whack a few moles... Girth Summit _(blether) 14:51, 26 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, that's helpful. I think you're right about the IPv6...hopefully he'll get the message eventually, but if not I can try rangeblocking that too. Extraordinary Writ (talk) 17:28, 26 April 2023 (UTC)

After a bit of poking around, feel free to replace 'I think it likely that' with 'I am confident that'. Blocking that particular IP, or even its /64 range, will achieve nothing, but keep an eye on its /36. Cheers Girth Summit _(blether) 18:04, 26 April 2023 (UTC)

DYK for Rutherford's Monument

On 30 April 2023, Did you know was updated with a fact from the article Rutherford's Monument, which you recently created, substantially expanded, or brought to good article status. The fact was ... that the 56-foot-tall (17 m) monument (pictured) to the theologian Samuel Rutherford near his parish church in Anwoth was badly damaged by a lightning strike five years after its construction? The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Rutherford's Monument. You are welcome to check how many pageviews the nominated article or articles got while on the front page (here's how, Rutherford's Monument), and the hook may be added to the statistics page after its run on the Main Page has completed. 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.

 — Amakuru (talk) 00:02, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

Thanks!

Thank you for your kind words. I have been writing and expanding articles on WP since 2006, and I include infoboxes where, for example, a Wikiproject prefers them, but I do not include them in bios where the Lead section does a much more nuanced and contextual job of introducing the subject. You are correct that it is very frustrating to have worked hard to create and maintain an article, and then have people shove an infobox into it who actually have no interest in the article at all, and merely want to insist that all (higher quality) articles mush have them. As I noted in the discussion, this proposed infobox is particularly bad. It includes supposed "associated acts", when this person does not have any such thing, and the inaccurate and ultra-trivial "creator awards". Also, the "subscriber" number is silly, as nearly all of her vlog fans also subscribe to her main channel, and most of them also subscribe to her Miranda Sings channel. The main argument given by the other editor is that he can't be bothered to figure out her age from her birthdate, which is shown in the first line of the article. -- Ssilvers (talk) 20:25, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

WikiProject Yorkshire Newsletter - May 2023

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Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 09:22, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

A quick check?

Yesterday I blocked DaveDagnaw, mainly for promoting Draft:Henok Wendmu. Today Newac333 was created and edited the draft and its Talk page (I've reverted the edits). Based on the unclarified comments on Dagnaw's Talk page about the relationship he has with Wendmu ("I know him from work"), and the fact that they use different editing platforms, I suspect this is meat puppetry rather than sock puppetry, but I was hoping you could check to see. I can open an SPI if you prefer. Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 11:15, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

DaveDagnaw has edited across a bunch of different IP ranges, but they were most recently editing on an IP in the same /16 range that Newac333's edits have all come from. Newac333's UA is very common, but it is identical (including version numbers) to the one that DaveDagnaw most commonly uses. So, what -  Possilikely (a mix between possible and likely), leaning  Likely? Girth Summit _(blether) 11:45, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, I've blocked and tagged based on behavior, timing, and your technical results. More than enough if this were at SPI. BTW, is there any indication that any of the IPs used by Dave belongs to a company?--Bbb23 (talk) 12:15, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

It wasn't jumping out at me as looking like someone who does all their editing from a particular office connection - they used a bunch of different ranges. Girth Summit _(blether) 13:50, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 14:05, 3 May 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/JRM2018

I know the accounts are stale, but you've apparently found the CU data helpful based on the last entry in the archive. I suspect Atingle. Many edits to existing martial artists, creation of new ones, a bunch of newcomer tasks, cross-wiki edits, and clearly focused, although not exclusively, on Muay Thai. Here's a page intersection between Atingle and a JRM2018 sock. As an aside, I've seen other sock farms that Atingle might be a part of, but JRM2018 seems to be the best fit.--Bbb23 (talk) 15:30, 4 May 2023 (UTC)

Interesting. Most of their editing is coming from a new range, but they have made some edits from an IPv4 /24 range that JRM2018 has used extensively in the past. Pretty  Likely in my book. Girth Summit _(blether) 15:39, 4 May 2023 (UTC)

Blocked and tagged. Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 15:46, 4 May 2023 (UTC)

Clearing up some old unblock requests

Working on the backlog at CAT:UNB and came across User talk:Theonetwoandthree which has been sitting around unactioned for a few months. Before I decline, do you have any commentary? It appears from Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Dobhran6ruadh/Archive that they were using an identical IP address to GSYrobot, but I'm looking for clarification so I can respond to the unblock request intelligently. Thanks! Jayron32 16:25, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

Hi Jayron32. Yes, I remember the case. Without going into anything I'm not allowed to talk about, I don't buy their explanation. The IP they were editing out of had only been used by two accounts within the CU window, and they were both editing (rather promotionally) about the same non-notable subjects. It might potentially be two separate people, one can never tell, but I cannot believe that they weren't coordinating - so it would be covered by WP:MEAT. I would be opposed to an unblock. Girth Summit _(blether) 17:59, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

--Jayron32 18:06, 5 May 2023 (UTC)

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Another strange one

I noticed Angerxiety because they just voted at the RfA. I was struck by the edit summary (they use these apparently gibberish edit summaries frequently - possible it's some weird dialect but, if so, I can't identify it) and the username itself. I then looked at their userpage and saw all those alternative accounts. As for their edits to spaces other than userspace, where they spend far too much time, they have created some very odd drafts. Maybe it's just a kid or a troll, or a combination, but it's downright weird. And, regardless, they should stop creating alternative accounts, declared or not. Up to you whether to look deeper.--Bbb23 (talk) 15:16, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

From a brief skim, I'm thinking kid rather than troll. Yes, too much time in userspace, and too many alt accounts, but I don't think anything needs doing. Girth Summit _(blether) 15:27, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

Help needed on sock investigation

Hi Girth Summit,

I hope this finds you well. I've recently filed a sockpuppet investigation on a group of editors I am very suspicious of socking, meatpuppetry, paid editing, and/or building seeming consensus with multiple accounts in AfD. There have been cases of even fishier comments by IPs or logged out editors. Even just a few hours ago, a random IP casted WP:ASPERSIONS on an editor who noted possible sock/meatpuppetry. Could you take a look at this case? I am sure there are more urgent sockpuppetry cases, and reaching out to admins like this may not be fair, but it kind of makes me uneasy to see that it may be too late. Either way, thank you for your time. Aintabli (talk) 19:24, 10 May 2023 (UTC)

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AnaphoreJT

• AnaphoreJT (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

You may want to look at the edits of AnaphoreJT. AnaphoreJT is copying your deletion rationales (you, AnaphoreJT) and nominating MoroccanEd's articles for deletion. That'd be weird behavior for a sock/meat puppet of MoroccanEd, but I've seen weirder things. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 19:12, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for the heads-up. That was Jebli18, who I've tagged as a suspected sock of MoroccanEd. It's possible that they are two different people - the connection was based on editing behaviour, not CU results. I'm not minded to go back and unblock MoroccanEd though, even if they're different from Jebli18 they were definitely doing inappropriate logged out editing to move their declined promotional drafts into article space. Girth Summit _(blether) 09:10, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

MJD

Hey, just a heads up MariaJaydHicky is back.--NØ 14:17, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

Yep - blocked a few. Girth Summit _(blether) 14:41, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

How do I stop getting notifications from a specific page?

I only edited the talk page of Display name 99 only because they replied to me, so I replied back. Had to explain myself and then finally just quit talking.

Considering no new threads have been made for the past few days, is there a way to get rid of notifications I don't want? I do know Wikipedia isn't like a social media site, but I'm curious. WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 15:52, 27 April 2023 (UTC)

Remove it from your watchlist - there's a little star icon near the top of the page that lets you add and remove pages from your watchlist. Girth Summit _(blether) 05:54, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

Ah. I'm only getting notifications because they specifically include my username too, by the way. That's why. WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 15:42, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

Side note: After a quick check, I found out I'm not watching Display name's talk page, so I still get "mentioned" in those notifications. I never really put it on my watchlist? That's why I asked, so I'm not sure if those can be excluded WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 15:44, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

OK, in that case you need to mute notifications from them. Go into your preferences (click on 'preferences' at the top of the page), then click on 'Notifications' on the right hand side. Scroll down, and you will find that you can mute notifications from specific accounts. Best Girth Summit _(blether) 15:53, 30 April 2023 (UTC)

Thank you! Sorry for being late, I hope you don't mind. WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 07:12, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

Chinese imperial eras

Please delete all pages created by banned Ylogm. Thank you. Girth Summit the Dog...😏😏😏😏 2402:800:75AD:D83:D16D:DEBD:7085:E85B (talk) 05:43, 13 May 2023 (UTC)

What does this even mean???? WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 07:13, 15 May 2023 (UTC)

Another "castle" problem

Hello! Please look at Salsta Castle and its talk page. I tried a compromise here, but no luck. --SergeWoodzing (talk) 12:45, 17 May 2023 (UTC)

Hi there. I'm less concerned about that one - there is the question of how to translate the name, and the separate (arguably more important) question of how we describe what it is. There do seem to be a couple of sources there in the English language that call it 'Salsta castle', and while neither of them is a great source, I guess that might suggest that it has a COMMOMNAME in English. (I'm not saying that's definitely the case - what I'd really want to see is how scholarly English-language sources refer to it, if they do). We're describing it as a country house though, which seems appropriate. Castle Howard is not a castle, and I think our article does it justice in that regard by calling it a stately home. I would contend that Drumlanrig Castle is a ducal palace or a stately home rather than a castle; unfortunately that article needs a bit of work (in many areas). I might get round to looking at what Gifford and Hume have to say about it and do some work on that article at some point. Girth Summit _(blether) 12:10, 20 May 2023 (UTC)

Feedback request: Maths, science, and technology request for comment

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IP BLOCK

• f you would be so kind to read my talk page about my IP BLOCK

Never mind another Admin helped me out and took care of it.TucsonDavidU.S.A. 05:16, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Block evasion

Hello Girth Summit - hope you're doing well. Sorry for bothering you, but I thought it would make the most sense to write to you regarding this. Basically, it's about Solavirum. This IP range 5.134.48.0/20, which was being used by them and as a result blocked by you [4] has been pretty active since the block expired. I have interacted with this range a few times myself, and even after its recent block expired, the majority of their edits have still been reverted. In other words, the disruption is still at large, and the IPs in this range are still too much smart for their own good, displaying the behaviour of one who is pretty familiar with Wikipedia [5] [6]. I would greatly appreciate it if another block could be made to this range. HistoryofIran (talk) 19:20, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

Hi HistoryofIran. I've taken a look at that range, and I count 55 edits since the range block expired. I'm certain that some of those edits are not Solavirum; some of them might be however. Would you be willing to compile a list of diffs that you think are probably them, and put this in a report at SPI? (Recording it at SPI is worthwhile - if we do establish that it's them, it would impact any possible WP:SO unblock request, so needs to be recorded and easily accessible). Thanks Girth Summit _(blether) 17:35, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

Gotcha, thanks! --HistoryofIran (talk) 18:12, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

AIV

Hi, saw your note about using AIV rather than reporting socks the way I've been doing it. I have been using Twinkle for that. Is there a way to report via AIV with Twinkle? If not, what you recommend as the best way to report the IP addresses on AIV? Wes sideman (talk) 16:24, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

Yes, Twinkle will do it. Go to the IP's contribs page, click on the Twinkle menu, choose ARV, and an AIV report is the default option. Make a note saying that it's Defeedme avoiding his block - feel free to mention that I recommended AIV rather than SPI. Girth Summit _(blether) 17:22, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll go that route from now on. Wes sideman (talk) 12:28, 2 June 2023 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – June 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2023).

Administrator changes

Ingenuity

• Ddstretch
• Prodego
• Resolute

CheckUser changes

Courcelles

Guideline and policy news

• Following an RfC, editors indefinitely site-banned by community consensus will now have all rights, including sysop, removed.
• As a part of the Wikimedia Foundation's IP Masking project, a new policy has been created that governs the access to temporary account IP addresses. An associated FAQ has been created and individual communities can increase the requirements to view temporary account IP addresses.

Technical news

• Bot operators and tool maintainers should schedule time in the coming months to test and update their tools for the effects of IP masking. IP masking will not be deployed to any content wiki until at least October 2023 and is unlikely to be deployed to the English Wikipedia until some time in 2024.

Arbitration

• The arbitration case World War II and the history of Jews in Poland has been closed. The topic area of Polish history during World War II (1933-1945) and the history of Jews in Poland is subject to a "reliable source consensus-required" contentious topic restriction.

Miscellaneous

• Following a community referendum, the arbitration policy has been modified to remove the ability for users to appeal remedies to Jimbo Wales.

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WikiProject Yorkshire Newsletter - June 2023

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22:56, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

IP- block and assistance

Hi @Girth Summit: I was trying to set up my doppelganger Aafi on this Wiki but it appears that the underlying IP has been blocked. I get an error: "Auto-creation of a local account failed", "The IP address or range ‪2409:40D0:0:0:0:0:0:0/35‬ has been blocked (disabled) by ‪Girth Summit‬". Is there a way to bypass this error and have the local account auto-created here? Regards, ─ The Aafī (talk) 08:21, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

Hi TheAafi. I did indeed block that range. Policy doesn't allow me to tell you why, but it certainly wasn't to cause you an inconvenience! I think that what you need is WP:IPBE - I'm not an expert on setting that up, personally, but there are instructions on how to request it if you follow that link. Best Girth Summit _(blether) 09:38, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

I understand that however I am not sure if I need IPBE because I can edit from my main account. What I need is to locally set my doppelganger account Aafi which doesn't exist yet on English Wikipedia. Had the account existed locally and then affected by the IP block - an IPBE was warranted but it is not now. I do not need to make any edits from that accounts. Anyways, I will ask at Meta-Wiki to help me fix this. ─ The Aafī (talk) 10:01, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

OK - yeah, sorry, this isn't my area of expertise I'm afraid, I hope someone on meta will be able to advise. Girth Summit _(blether) 10:03, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

@Girth Summit, Gladly I was able to login the account today here, and I just set it up. ─ The Aafī (talk) 11:28, 10 June 2023 (UTC)

Feedback request: History and geography request for comment

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Notability

I noticed that a few weeks ago you edited Dorian Rhea Debussy. I've been editing that article for a while, and have been cleaning up after the multiple socks and IP socks. At this point, I'm considering nominating the article for deletion and wonder if you could give me your opinion. Most of the the article is sourced by campus magazines, or by a local magazine called The Buckeye Flame. When national publications are cited, it is just for a quote by this person, and often that is because of their professional role. Any biographical info is from campus magazines. I'm not sure this article passes WP:BASIC or WP:ANYBIO. Your opinion would be appreciated. Cheers. Magnolia677 (talk) 18:59, 12 June 2023 (UTC)

Hey - sorry for the slow response, it's getting towards the end of term and I have a lot of reports to write and similar IRL. That article was originally written by a couple of socks of an LTA; it's had too much attention from other editors like yourself to be eligible for G5, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if the subject was non-notable. I haven't done a deep dive - there are a lot of sources there - but from a quick skim I come away with the same impression as you, they are mostly affiliated sources or trivial coverage, there's nothing that meets the 'independent, secondary and reliable' criteria jumping out at me. Girth Summit _(blether) 16:07, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

Thanks a lot. I'm going to dig a bit more and see if I can find a more detailed biography in a reliable source. Cheers! Magnolia677 (talk) 17:09, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

Hoggardhigh

Hi there, you blocked User:8.48.254.115, an IP sock of User:Hoggardhigh, for 3 months but they are active again today. Happy to swat them again? Mutt Lunker (talk) 16:01, 15 June 2023 (UTC)

Done. Girth Summit _(blether) 16:10, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. Mutt Lunker (talk) 21:02, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

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Gallivanting

Okay, time to atone for your sins. See Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Shāntián Tàiláng and Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Eleutherius. Similarities: (1) Filers are both new users whose only edit is to create an SPI; (2) Filers have no edits at other projects; (3) Filers have colorful usernames. Dissimilarities: (1) The Eleutherius report is long and complex, whereas the other is quite short; (2) CU was requested on the Eleutherius report and not on the other. One other note: the filer of the Shāntián Tàiláng report chose a username similar to the suspected sock. Don't know whether you'll find this enough to compare the two users, but, if nothing else, it permits me to use the word "gallivanting" again.--Bbb23 (talk) 13:51, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

(talk page stalker) Not sure about the Shantian Tailang SPI, but the filer of the Eleutherius SPI is probably a sock of Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Alias the Jester/Archive. And the filer in that case is suspicious too. The whole situation seems to be some kind of extended slapfight between two people with a COI. Spicy (talk) 14:12, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

You never cease to impress me. Fortuitous as GS was the CU on the Jester case.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:09, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

I'm just in from a ten mile hike around the North York Moors, involving a ridiculously steep ascent that really took it out of me - that is proper gallivanting, I suppose. Feet are a bit sore, and need to make dinner. I should have time to look at this tomorrow though - Year 6 are off on their residential week to the Lake District tomorrow (without me), and at the moment my teaching timetable is looking pretty blank. I ought to be getting our geography curriculum sorted out for next year, but I'm sure I can find a bit of time for sock sniffing. Girth Summit _(blether) 18:40, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

If I keep labeling your activities gallivanting, I'm bound to get it right occasionally. Thanks for the timetable and bon apetit!--Bbb23 (talk) 19:54, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

Bbb23, Spicy - I've taken a quick look at this, just some initial thoughts about the filers - brand new accounts opening complicated SPIs is obviously suspect. The filer of the Eleutherius case is on a different network, but geolocation and UA (a common one) would be consistent with previous Alias the Jester socks. The filer of the Shāntián Tàiláng looks different, but they are operating out of an IP that has been used by another account, much older but with a low edit count, which has previously posted reports at the Shāntián Tàiláng case, and also at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Eiskrahablo, if that rings any bells. It's all a bit complicated - I'll need to come back and do some closer reading, will try to get onto it soon. Girth Summit _(blether) 16:01, 19 June 2023 (UTC)

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They're back

User talk:2A02:C7C:FA0B:9B00:E8E9:F6E1:4B9E:6F19 Gog the Mild (talk) 20:39, 24 June 2023 (UTC)

Sorry for the slow response - mad busy, but just a week to go... If you look at the /64 range (just click on the link above and stick '/64' on the end of the URL), they've been sporadically active throughout June. I've blocked that range for six months, let me know if they pop up again on another... Girth Summit _(blether) 16:53, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

Ta. Yep, I have been steadily reverting most of them. Roll on the end of term. Gog the Mild (talk) 17:04, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

I think I got any that you missed. If you see any that have not been reverted, they're from a different /64 range - let me know if you come across any, that's a very narrow range and they are bound to have access to more. Girth Summit _(blether) 17:09, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

Been awhile

Hope all is well. I was working on an article on Nasta Rojc, which led me to Vera Holme and then to her partner, Margaret Ker. Ker is Alice Stewart Ker's daughter. According to this she was born about 1893 (mother's article says 1892), was a student at Liverpool University, and suffragette. Apparently she did manage to get her degree, despite being locked up. She then joined the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service and was abroad until 1923. Maddingly, I only know what this says (I have the full chapter via e-mail from the RX), which is she helped build the orphanage after the war with other SWH veterans and returned to Scotland with Holme and Greenlees in 1923. And there is a tiny bit here after she left the ménage à trois. Just curious if you can find anything on your side of the pond or in the lochs nearby? SusunW (talk) 18:55, 24 June 2023 (UTC)

Hi SusunW - nice to hear from you. Sorry for the slow response, I've been super-busy IRL with the end of the school year, so haven't been around here much the last few weeks. End of term is coming up very soon though, and this looks like an interesting subject - I'll get back to you soon! Girth Summit _(blether) 16:48, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

Good to hear from you. No worries. When you can. My research indicates she may have died in London in 1966, so clearly she's not going anywhere. (My real life has been particularly crazy lately too, but after nearly 2 years of dealing with an ear fungus, and finally surgery to repair his ear drum, my husband and I are coming out the other side of that nightmare. It's baby steps, but the doc says he should be able to finally fly again come September.) Real life always has to take precedence. SusunW (talk) 18:18, 27 June 2023 (UTC)

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New pages awaiting review as of June 30th, 2023.

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WikiProject Yorkshire Newsletter - July 2023

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11:53, 1 July 2023 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – July 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2023).

Administrator changes

Novem Linguae

• Deckiller
• Electionworld
• MBisanz
• Penwhale
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Bureaucrat changes

MBisanz

Guideline and policy news

• Contributions to the English Wikipedia are now released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0) license instead of CC BY-SA 3.0. Contributions are still also released under the GFDL license.

Technical news

• Discussion is open regarding a proposed global policy regarding third-party resources. Third-party resources are computer resources that reside outside of Wikimedia production websites.

Arbitration

• Two arbitration cases are currently open. Proposed decisions are expected 5 July 2023 for the Scottywong case and 9 July 2023 for the AlisonW case.

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Feedback request: All RFCs request for comment

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Obvious block evasion

Whoever's editing from the /64 of 2402:800:6344:2A73:0:0:0:0 seems to have identical obsessions and behaviors to Haiyenslna, aka the Akane Yamaguchi spammer whom you've blocked (or maybe just checked?) in the past. I can file an SPI report if you like, but it seems obvious enough to skip the long-form paperwork. Indignant Flamingo (talk) 00:35, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

On second thought, and after looking at other Akane Yamaguchi obsessive edits, it's all just mobile phone IPs in Vietnam, isn't it? Not much point, then. Sorry to bother you. Indignant Flamingo (talk) 02:20, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

That sure as hell looks like Haiyensina's modus operandi, doesn't it? I've blocked the IP for a month, and added a proforma SPI case to record for future reference. Let me know if you see any similar behaviour. Girth Summit _(blether) 10:32, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Third opinion.

Dear @Girth Summit, I extend my warm greetings to you. I trust this message finds you in good health and high spirits. I am reaching out to seek your esteemed opinion on a matter that seems to be caught in a repetitive cycle. It is my belief that referring to the guidelines outlined in WP:THIRD would greatly assist us in attaining a resolution. Given the importance of maintaining a neutral perspective, I kindly request that, if possible, you take a moment to review the ongoing discussion on my talk page (User_talk:Sir_Calculus). I am sincerely grateful for your time and consideration. With heartfelt appreciation, Sir Calculus (talk) 22:54, 7 July 2023 (UTC)

That's a long discussion, and there appear to be related discussions taking place at a number of different talk pages. I see another administrator has already given you some advice about editing in contentious topic areas, and about edit warring. I'm not keen to spend ages reading through the whole thing to work out what the disagreement is about - is there a specific aspect of the discussion you would like me to comment on? Girth Summit _(blether) 14:10, 10 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi! Thank you for responding. Yes. It is a long discussion no doubt. Can you give your thoughts on WP:RAJ? There is a major disagreement on it. The admins concerned have contributed significantly to WP:RAJ except DaxServer, so that's why I believe a neutral opinion is required.

My main argument is: Why should it be imposed on Pakistani tribe & clan related articles that are not related to Indian castes? The argument other editors are presenting is that it applies to the whole British RAJ Era in the Indian subcontinent, whether the book is written by a native & is based on Native accounts or not, it does not matter. They are not accepting sources that predate the raj period either. And the later sources are not in English, so that's another issue. They have issues with Gazetteers & censuses too. As an admin, who does not have any relation to India or Pakistan, what is your honest opinion on this? Another editor also disagrees with WP:RAJ, so it's not just me. Sir Calculus (talk) 15:54, 10 July 2023 (UTC)

I'm not an expert on the sources in the area, so I'm going to speak in general terms here. The best sources to use on any subject are recent works of scholarship, which have been peer-reviewed by scholars in the field. I would find it extraordinary for there to be a need to cite a source older than, say, 50-60 years, unless it is adding additional support and contextual information to an assertion that is referenced to a more recent work. You can see an appropriate use of an older source at Punic Wars: there is a 1938 source (Rowland Shutt), which is older than I would normally consider using. However, it is used along with two more recent sources (2006 and 2015), so it's probably there for a good reason. Much of what we know comes from the Roman historian Polybius, but nowhere in our article is Polybius cited directly - we rely on modern scholars to interpret historical sources for us, and we then summarise what those modern scholars say. I've done similar things myself in some of the articles I have written - I rely mainly on recent works, but may also include a citation to a historic primary document to add a bit of extra detail - but if anyone objected in a GA or FA review, I would probably take it out, because it really isn't the kind of thing we should be relying on.

So, in general terms, I can not think of any good reason why our articles about any subject should contain information that is referenced to sources as old as, or older than, the Raj period, unless it is also supported by more recent scholarly work. Does that make sense? As an aside, I would say that in DaxServer and Sitush, you have two first-rate potential mentors - if I were a new editor, I would be listening to them and taking their advice on board. Girth Summit _(blether) 19:13, 10 July 2023 (UTC)

@Girth Summit That's the best answer. Thank you for your advice. I will take it.

It is however a bit sad though, since the modern sources in that area exist in Sindhi language, my native tongue, about 404 in number, the sources I have regarding tribal history in Sindh. They're not in English. Tribal history was my main topic of interest, now it seems I will have to abandon it. My primary reason for joining Wikipedia was to improve these tribal articles since most of them aren't taken care of.

There is one more thing I wanted to ask, someone's been following me on my every edit & they're not an Admin. Is there any relevant place on Wikipedia to report this?

I thank you again for your response. I don't regret writing to you. I will follow that advice & will assume good faith from now on even if things don't go well. Sir Calculus (talk) 20:36, 10 July 2023 (UTC)

There is no requirement that sources need to be in the English language. That is preferred, naturally, since our readers are English speakers; it is not a firm requirement however, and provided that they are high quality Sindhi language sources (e.g. books or papers published by established academics) they would be acceptable.

You have not been specific about who you feel is following your editing, so I cannot comment on the specifics. There is some discussion of this at WP:HOUND. Note that the guidance there makes it clear that monitoring someone else's edits is not, in and of itself, problematic. Your account is fairly new, and your editing appears to have caused some waves already - therefore, someone might reasonably make the argument that they were just keeping an eye on your to check for potential disruption. On the other hand, you might feel able to demonstrate that they were doing it to harass or victimise you, which would never be acceptable. If you are confident that it is the latter, you can raise a report at WP:ANI, but I caution you to read WP:BOOMERANG. If you invite other editors to review the situation, and they do so and conclude that you are in fact causing o exacerbating the situation, any report may backfire on you. As I said, I don't know the specifics here, so I make no comment on your particular situation. Best Girth Summit _(blether) 10:14, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for that information. I will keep that in mind. And about the Sindhi language sources, most of them are modern and are reliable and used in universities as well for which I can also provide a reference. I can also provide accurate translations for them. I thank you again for enlightening me. Thanks a lot, brother. Sir Calculus (talk) 10:52, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks

Hey, I didn't know you were a teacher. English? I'm grading discussion posts on the Miller's Tale this morning, for a sophomore survey lit class. Drmies (talk) 13:59, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Primary trained, so a bit of everything. Currently mainly focusing on maths, geography and computing, but taught English for years before that. Not that you'd know it from some of my typos... Girth Summit _(blether) 14:06, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks

Hi, Girth! I dropped by to thank you for the many times you've handled my (sometimes not mind-numbingly important) SPI requests quickly, efficiently and without fuss. In past times I had a good number of discouraging experiences at SPI (probably entirely my own fault, of course), and for a while simply gave up reporting. There seems to have been a sea-change in the last few years, and I think you're part of that. So ... thank you! Regards, Justlettersandnumbers (talk) 20:59, 10 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for noticing! I've been pretty heavily involved at SPI for the last couple of years, and between a few hard-working regulars and myself we've been keeping on top of it most of the time. It's repetitive and often time-consuming work though, so it's hard to maintain enthusiasm long term - I've just come back from a couple of weeks away to find more open cases than I can remember seeing in recent times. Back to the grindstone... Girth Summit _(blether) 10:20, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

It's great to have you back! --Bbb23 (talk) 15:12, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Looks very fishy

Take a look at the filter log of Sunrise600. I don't know what to make of it. Not really relevant, but their userpage is, um, nauseating.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:22, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

ChatGPT? Blocked - obviously a sock, not sure whose. Girth Summit _(blether) 16:29, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Certainly the userpage looks like ChatGPT.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:49, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

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CU justified at ANI

Editors at this ANI discussion have expressed concern about the possibility the user of concern is a previously blocked editor under a new account name.

I provided a summary of issues here. Looking for advice - is WP:CHK warranted? Zefr (talk) 05:44, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi Zefr, I've emailed you some observations (WP:BEANS). I'm not going to run a check based on what I've been able to observe, but if you think there's anything I've overlooked, by all means file an SPI and we can look at what you present. Cheers Girth Summit _(blether) 10:43, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

That was a thorough first assessment. Many thanks for your experience and generous effort. Zefr (talk) 15:20, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

Zerolandteam385

Thank you for finding all these sock puppets. This editor has a long standing problem with creating hoaxes. That said, their recent edits often contain good stuff - I am unsure if they have changed their ways or if they are just trying to lull us into accepting their presence. That being said, if you see me restoring some content that you reverted, such as at Bedford CF, it in no way means that I am opposed to these blocks or that I am part of the problem. I am reading the sources first. Best,  Mr.choppers | ✎  01:18, 13 July 2023 (UTC)

Not a problem - anyone is welcome to reinstate their edits if they check them and stand by them as their own. Girth Summit _(blether) 08:32, 13 July 2023 (UTC)

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Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Rishabisajakepauler

Hi, it's not clear to me whether you ran a check on July 12. What about JahiemJones? This topic area is not my forte, so I may be offbase here.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:31, 15 July 2023 (UTC)

They look different;  Confirmed to Zwap2019 however. Girth Summit _(blether) 07:49, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

Never even heard of that case. Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 11:45, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

User talk:Eventshop

You may wish to revoke TPA. Cahk (talk) 09:41, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Yup. Girth Summit _(blether) 09:46, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Dimaseateffects

Did I get the master right? Thanks for requesting the global lock.--Bbb23 (talk) 13:16, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Yep. Didn't see any others. Girth Summit _(blether) 13:19, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

I assume there's no earlier master? This new one made so many more edits than Davaha and Whopperburgerking.--Bbb23 (talk) 13:23, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Didn't see any. I assume there's some past history, Davaha's lock notice on meta says 'Cross-wiki abuse: Evasion of CWA gblock - continued nonsense', but I don't know what the CWA gblock is. Girth Summit _(blether) 13:46, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, I noticed all that when I blocked Whopper. I thought of asking Amanda, but she's not very approachable. She did globally lock Whopper, though, as I requested.--Bbb23 (talk) 14:30, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Well, they've been locked now too - just says long-term abuse. Someone knows who they are... Girth Summit _(blether) 14:50, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

And someone knows who that someone is... --Bbb23 (talk) 15:04, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

Hello Girth Summit!

In your page it says you used to work in qatar, well i have been living in qatar for 12 years. I would like to know what work in qatar you have done... its an amazing place

Ronwrites (talk) 18:31, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

I went quite a few times, probably added up to a few months. I was working on the Ra's Laffan harbour extension, around 2008ish. Girth Summit _(blether) 18:39, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

It's actually 80 miles from where i used to live, i haven't went there. You must have visited al Khor... Ronwrites (talk) 18:57, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

No, I pretty much went from Doha airport to Ras Laffan, worked for a couple of weeks, then went back to the airport - no tourist stuff. I slept in a portakabin in the on-site labour camp. The amenities were alright though - there was a gym and squash courts, and a bar that provided free booze (only three drinks per night though). Girth Summit _(blether) 19:01, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Nobita456

Thanks. I thought that might be the case but I didn't notice the similar proxies. Doug Weller talk 11:43, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

I've got a script installed that gives me a link to Bullseye next to any IP address that shows up in a page history or in CU results - it's pretty handy, you click on that and get a bunch of information about the IP, including info scraped from Spur - it's pretty useful, let me know if you're interested and I'll figure out which script it is. Girth Summit _(blether) 11:48, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

Yes please, thanks. Doug Weller talk 13:55, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

I think it's this one: User:GeneralNotability/ip-ext-info.js. Let me know if nothing happens... Girth Summit _(blether) 14:10, 19 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. Just to make sure, where do I put this? Doug Weller talk 12:49, 20 July 2023 (UTC)

There are instructions at Wikipedia:User_scripts#How_do_you_install_user_scripts?. I use the automatic installation option, but you can add it manually to your common.js file. Girth Summit _(blether) 12:56, 20 July 2023 (UTC)

Meant to respond earlier. I could swear I'd look for an install button the first time, but looking again I found it where it should be. Installed, not tried yet. Thanks.

Doug Doug Weller talk 14:10, 23 July 2023 (UTC)

No worries. If it's working, you should notice it pretty quickly - lots of little globe icons appearing next to IPs in page histories and the like. Click on one and wait a few seconds for the page to load - you'll see the geolocation on a map, and if you look further down the page there's more information. Expanding the 'spur' section is often very informative. Girth Summit _(blether) 14:26, 23 July 2023 (UTC)

Yes, looks very interesting. Doug Weller talk 18:04, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

Ras mekonnen4334 unlock request

Hello, You blocked my "Ras mekonnen 4334" account a few days ago, and I made a request for unblocking with my reasons. But you don't seem to have seen it so I'll let you know with this message. 2A02:842A:80AC:AD01:58E6:6B52:B6FE:A02B (talk) 10:05, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Sir Calculus

Sorry to mither but I am at the end of my tether. It's certainly WP:TE, arguably WP:CIR, when I am repeatedly having to make the same points. The entire thread, as with so many others involving them, just becomes a merry-go-round of IDHT behaviour. And although they retracted at ANI their claim that I am being racist, they're still banging on about how I seem to be deleting all things Sindhi, which is ludicrous. - Sitush (talk) 14:52, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Having counselled them more than once to listen to what you're saying, I'm probably not in the best position to take administrative action in this case - it might look like partiality. I've tried one more time to get them to rein it in... Girth Summit _(blether) 15:47, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll see what happens. - Sitush (talk) 15:49, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Vandalism clean-up

Hi User:Girth_Summit, thanks for your comment at AIV. It looks like that was definitely the wrong place to report this kind of thing, and it looks like maybe no such place exists? Let me know if there's some place I should leave a comment like that in the future! Obviously, I'm not able to revert multi-page vandalism, but I assume it will get naturally cleaned up by future editors. You mentioned talking to them: is that still the recommended strategy for "old" vandalism like this case? I don't see any evidence they're still editing or would look at their talk page, but I can certainly point them to MOS:BOLD. Suriname0 (talk) 20:41, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Yes - if there is a user who thinks they're helping, but is actually causing problems, then the first resort should be to talk to them. After that, we can handle any remaining issues. Girth Summit _(blether) 21:31, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks! Looks like you all handled it. In the future, I'll avoid making any reports of this type. Suriname0 (talk) 22:06, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Amazing, Fayninja is back with a new sock

And at an Admin's talk page User talk:Abecedare#Fayninja. I've been meaning to say that one of my pet peeves is that when you blank your talk page it looks as though no one has ever posted on it. So a casual visitor to their talk page would assume they weren't blocked. Doug Weller talk 07:45, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Blocked. I know what you mean, but the tag on their userpage and their block log ought to tell anyone who knows what they're doing all they need to know. Girth Summit _(blether) 08:14, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

True. Weird about the IP thing. Glad that was fixed quickly. Doug Weller talk 08:20, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Yeah - I think my session got dropped or something. I was logged in (I must have been, I ran a check to make sure it wasn't a joejobbing troll), then moments later when I posted that I'd been logged out. That has happened to me a few times before, but usually I get a warning along the lines of 'You are about to edit and you're not logged in, you might give away your IP - are you sure?' Didn't get that this time. Girth Summit _(blether) 08:34, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Maybe you should report it at the VP:Technical. Doug Weller talk 16:13, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

I'd always assumed it was at my end - the WiFi connectivity in my house is a bit dodgy. Girth Summit _(blether) 16:41, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

I guess that makes sense. Doug Weller talk 07:19, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

@Girth Summit, after thoroughly studying Wikipedia policies, I feel prepared to return to the platform. I have rejected my proposed free-speech absolutism and will now fully commit to diligently follow (WP:NOPA) policy. This policy is remarkably comprehensive and serves as a guiding light. Instead of locking horns and engaging in conflicts, I will gracefully revert changes made by others, referencing this policy in the edit summary. Furthermore, even though I enjoy conversations, I will refrain from using Wikipedia article talk pages for my chatty mouth (WP:FORUM). In short, this new and improved Fayninja will run with these two fundamental policies. Fayninja2 (talk) 16:16, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

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AlanCity20

They are again at it (2001:861:4041:2560:30E3:32C2:5F0B:5403 (talk · contribs · WHOIS)). Urbanoc (talk) 15:45, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

All the IP range was reported by another editor at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/AlanCity20. --Urbanoc (talk) 15:49, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

WikiProject Yorkshire Newsletter - August 2023

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10:38, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Question regarding WP:CIR and an editor

Howdy,

While I understand normally this is the sort of thing that would be taken to ANI and the like, to put it bluntly I'm inexperienced in regards to ANI and saw it fit to ask you (an active admin there) for advice/input before pursuing any sort of case.

User:Baratiiman seems to have issues that, at least to me, fall under WP:CIR; the bulk of their edits, to a wide variety of pages, seem to indicate a less than stellar handle on English (to the point of needing significant cleanup; I've personally dealt with it semi-frequently at Portal:Current events. Many are poorly-worded/formatted, and they often seem to lack enough relevance for inclusion on the pages affected; they also seem to rarely properly format their sources, instead leaving bare URLs (if a source at all). The same effectively goes for the articles they've created and drafted, with a laundry list of CS1 errors on their talk page serving as further evidence. It also seems they've been blocked once for edit-warring.

In short, am I being far too paranoid on this, or is it worth bringing it to ANI at any point? The Kip (talk) 17:35, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

A quick search of the ANI archives also shows multiple tendentious reports by him, mainly over content disputes, and a report of him from May. The Kip (talk) 17:41, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi The Kip - sorry for the slow response, I'm on holiday with limited time for editing. I haven't look into this editor's contributions, but a couple of things to think about before going down the ANI route. First, have you discussed the issues with them? Or, can you demonstrate that others have tried to discuss the issues but been ignored? Second, do you think you can demonstrate that their contributions are a net negative? Someone not formatting sources properly isn't that much of a problem, especially if someone is prepared to show them how to format them properly (or how to use WP:ReFill); someone who consistently adds stuff that is of no/little value, and which requires a significant amount of work to clean up however, is causing trouble that outweighs the benefit they bring. Consider these questions and, if you think that it is someone who is a net negative and who shows no inclination to improve, go to ANI and make an evidenced report (with diffs). Girth Summit _(blether) 09:15, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

There is a bot putting cs1 warning on my page there is second bot immediately fixing them second later Baratiiman (talk) 17:42, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Sock master returned

Hey Girth Summit. You closed and blocked the previous SPI on Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Andrew5, so I wanted to let you know that I just reported five of the possible socks again. One possible sock commented in a DYK nomination, which is why I am alerting you, so a SPI can be checked before DYK nomination would proceed. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 04:24, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

All blocked, go ahead and remove the comment at the DYK nom. Girth Summit _(blether) 09:21, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Pitzzaboy

Zrhardesty01? Thus far, they've only done fires, including some edited by other socks, so without other earmarks of this master, I'm reluctant to block without technical confirmation. Also, the account registered last January, so they could have been discovered when you ran checks (they didn't edit until yesterday). You're probably gone for the day, but it can wait until tomorrow - something fun to do when you first get up. :-) --Bbb23 (talk) 21:52, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

I'll email you (WP:BEANS) Girth Summit _(blether) 09:40, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

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Zürich

[7] you reverted one of these edits a little while ago. Is this an open SPI? Thanks, Knitsey (talk) 21:58, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

Ah, Ingenuity (talk · contribs) has caught it. Sorry for the bother. Knitsey (talk) 21:59, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

Possible sockpuppetry

Hi again Girth Summit. Sorry for bothering, but if I may ask, whose sock was this? [8] Because I am suspecting the new user editing right now in that very article to be related to it. HistoryofIran (talk) 09:12, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

You may ask, but I'm not permitted to tell you - I can't publicly connect IP addresses to accounts, even when the accounts are blocked. It was an LTA, that's all I can say. That new account is also a sock, but I think it's someone else... Girth Summit _(blether) 09:26, 27 July 2023 (UTC)

Sorry for bothering you again, but it looks like they are socking again, a brand new user just complained about me reverting one of the socks in the talk page of the same article [9]. --HistoryofIran (talk) 13:41, 29 July 2023 (UTC)

Blocked. Girth Summit _(blether) 13:51, 29 July 2023 (UTC)

Sorry for bothering you again, but unfortunately it seems to be continuing [10]. Another brand new user makes their first edit in that very article, and also edited a Turkmen related article [11], just like one of the socks did too [12]. --HistoryofIran (talk) 22:33, 6 August 2023 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – August 2023

News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2023).

Administrator changes

Firefangledfeathers

• AlisonW
• Amberrock
• Closedmouth
• Scottywong

Interface administrator changes

Novem Linguae

Technical news

• The tag filter on Special:NewPages and revision history pages can now be inverted. This allows hiding edits made by automated tools. (T334338)
• Special:BlockedExternalDomains is a new tool that allows easier blocking of plain domains (and their subdomains). This is more easily searchable and is faster for the software to use than the existing MediaWiki:Spam-blacklist. It does not support regex (for complex cases), URL path-matching, or the MediaWiki:Spam-whitelist. (T337431)

Arbitration

• The arbitration cases named Scottywong and AlisonW closed 10 July and 16 July respectively.
• The SmallCat dispute arbitration case is in the workshop phase.

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Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:54, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

sock

Hi there! My apologies for creating an account - I only wanted to use this to talk to you, that's all. I have no other option to the best of my knowledge.

As you may know, I was labelled a sock puppet of a user named @WorldWar1989. There was indeed sock puppetry on my part (after I was blocked on July 16th), but I am not a sock of WorldWar1989. .

I believe I was linked by Checkuser to WorldWar1989 in the first place was because the User “Yue” first presented my case under the WorldWar1989 sock puppet investigation page, linking tenuous similarities between my accounts and WorldWar1989. Therefore, that was how admins got check-user to link me and WorldWar1989. However, later you said “Not sure who this is, but I don’t think this is WorldWar1989.” Another says: “I generally agree with your findings that this is a different user.”

All of those accounts in that investigation page are mine - except for WorldWar1989, Starfish12342, and TheGreatMan1969. I can't comment on the IPs due to privacy policy.

Additionally, when @Yue first raised my case to the WorldWar1989 sock puppet page, he wrote this:

"A few days after TheGreatman1969 is blocked, the user Jumopil is created and makes several edits." He went on to say that account and my mine was about the topic of Viet reunification on a certain page.

However:

1. Mine was not created a few days after TheGreatman1969 was blocked. That account was blocked in May 30; mine was created on July 8th.
2. Just because there's a similar topic discussed does not mean they're socks. And TheGreatman1969 wrote about how the State of Vietnam did not sign anything. On the other hand, mine disputed that it did sign the agreement.

Thank you for hearing me out - have a nice day and kind regards. Skewbrineas (talk) 00:17, 9 August 2023 (UTC)

For more context to the sock puppet situation:

The reasons I keep creating new accounts to edit (before the July 16th block), was because I was very uncomfortable with the idea of someone going through all my edit history. That was the main reason. I believed these accounts were not sock puppets or were never intended to be used sock puppets. For example, I would make a few edits, or an edit, and then I’d discard that and make a new account to continue. I never try do anything abusive with the creation of multiple accounts, and I never have any bad intentions. I do make the occasional editing and social mistake as a new editor, but it’s not the result of sock-puppetry nor out of ill intent.

I remember in an unfinished Talk Page discussion, @Yue commented "don't get why they're pretending to act in good faith when they used three socks to restore edits on the other page; waste of time" even though (1) I'm not pretending and the discussion is actually productive, and unfinished. I already pointed out a flaw in someone's argument, and also had a good response backed with evidence to refute the other person's argument but I was blocked before I could respond. (2) I only restored those few edits because they were backed with strong evidence, which I presented on someone's Talk Page.

However, I understand that while I had no ill intent, I have just recently read community rules which says, “while there are valid reasons to maintain multiple accounts, it is important to maintain accountability and increase community trust, editors are generally expected to use only one account." As newcomer to Wikipedia as an editor, I now understand that in my specific case, it’s important that I stick with one account to maintain accountability to myself and transparency for everyone to see. I do hope everything gets unblocked.

Anyway, I was blocked in July 16th, and all these accounts and deemed a sock puppet. However, afterwards I went ahead and created new accounts and continued to edit. There were things that I wanted to fix and resolve, and I did. A kind editor saw this going on and advised me to (properly) appeal my block. But at the time, I didn’t, because my thinking was this: my edits with these accounts were actually productive - even the editor who advised me saw it. It's not perfect because I can make the rare mistake like any normal person, but I don’t abuse or vandalise anything. And so far I’m not blocked with this new account. How am I a sock? However, I later read the rules, and concluded that these new accounts I created after July 16th are indeed socks, because it constitutes block evasion. This is wrong, and it will not happen again.

Sorry that this is so long, thank you for taking the time to read this. Skewbrineas (talk) 00:51, 9 August 2023 (UTC)

I recognise that you are not Worldwar1989 - I have said as much elsewhere already. You have used multiple accounts to edit war and evade blocks many times however, so you are yourself not permitted to edit here. Read WP:SO for the options available now. Girth Summit _(blether) 11:21, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Cianzera

Kenesarykhan233?--Bbb23 (talk) 13:11, 6 August 2023 (UTC)

How has so much time past since you left this? Too much galivanting. Not sure whether it's Cianzera, but the following are  Confirmed to one another, and all editing the same article, so I will block.

• Nurwalqx (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Qwelion (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Ablaykhan03 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)
• Kenesarykhan233 (talk⁺ · tag · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log · CA · CheckUser(log) · investigate · cuwiki)

Girth Summit _(blether) 11:09, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

I wondered what had happened to you but didn't like to nag. Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 12:29, 13 August 2023 (UTC)

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Recent SPI on Mission Q8

Further to your closure of this SPI, you asked for a report back if there were further accounts.

There was another user who also participated in the repetitive restoration of the unsourced content at Zurich. Of course: it could be just an astonishing coincidence that they have a very similar account name to ORT5000 and that they both self identify as Swiss, but I doubt it. The relevant diffs are [13] and [14]. The account name is ZH8000 in case I screwed the diffs up. It has to be at least worth a look. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 15:48, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Thanks. There are a number of similarities, including an obvious overlap in terms of editing interests. There are some technical differences which mean I'm not able to be certain. If you think that a case could be put together based on behavioural similarities, please raise another case at SPI. Best Girth Summit _(blether) 16:04, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

As both were Swiss, that could explain editing similarities. It's just feasible that Mission Q8 got the idea for the name of the sock account from ZH8000 possibly as a bit of obfuscation. I have not got much else on which I could confidently hang a case.

Thanks for checking anyway. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 17:28, 11 July 2023 (UTC)

Look what we have here. Is it worth my asking for page protection at the relevant page? Seasider53 (talk) 10:52, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

Done. Girth Summit _(blether) 11:12, 12 July 2023 (UTC)

Spidey senses tingling on this one. User page says they're from Switzerland, they're editing about the EU, and they just happened to make an edit on York Minster Lamp Standard, which I edited earlier today. I wonder which article they will eventually try to sneak an edit into soon... Seasider53 (talk) 22:28, 20 July 2023 (UTC)

Yup. I didn't realise that lamp was a listed structure - I walk past it frequently. Will have a closer look next time. Girth Summit _(blether) 07:54, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

I don't know whether this is important, but I noticed that yet another new user Just a Swiss Guy has been making the same edits as Mission Q8; objecting to templates on their user page just as Mission Q8 did and is subjecting anyone who removes the edits to abuse just as Mission Q8 et al did. ZZuuzz has blocked this user as a LTA. It strikes me as highly likely that Mission Q8 et al is in fact this LTA.

My question is: does this need to be actioned or documented anywhere? 86.177.26.80 (talk) 13:56, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

Hi IP editor - those links don't work, and there isn't an account registered under User:Just a Swiss Guy. Can you check the spelling, or just tell me what pages they were editing, so I can take a look? (Although if Zzuuzz has taken action, I doubt there's anything more needing to be done.) Girth Summit _(blether) 11:17, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Actually, never mind - I found the account by looking at Zzuuzz's block log. I don't think there's any more action required there. Cheers Girth Summit _(blether) 11:29, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Strange. I cut and pasted the account name but now I can find no trace of it. Has it been deleted? For some reason, I cannot get the links to user accounts to work. What am I doing wrong (always willing to learn)? 86.177.26.80 (talk) 14:40, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

First, orthography matters with usernames & the g in guy wasn't a capital. Second, you need to type user: before the username when you try to link to it. Note that if you do that, it will trigger a ping to the person you are mentioning. If you don't want to do that (usually with vandals and socks, you don't), use the noping template in curly brackets, like this: Just a Swiss guy. Girth Summit _(blether) 14:44, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Thank you for the quick lesson. I am much obliged. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 16:04, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

The parade of socks has been continuing awhile with actions from various admins, but now there is a new twist with a User:Mission Q8 sock, User:Bravo Basel reinserting the offending unreferenced paragraph at Culture of Switzerland (now blocked as part of the sock parade).

The twist is that yet another sock, User:DuncanHill has taken up repeatedly restoring the offending paragraph (without providing the obligatory referencing, of course) here, here and here. Although I did state that I originally believed that they were making a good faith mistake, they resorted to that other give away characteristic where they accuse others of being a sock because they are deleting the paragraph. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 13:30, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

DuncanHill is a veteran editor of over 17 years tenure, who has made over 140,000 contributions to the project. I think it's pretty unlikely that they are the sock of an LTA who usually uses throwaway accounts. What seems to have happened, from looking at the history of that article, is that you are both trying to revert actual socks, and are disagreeing with each other on which version to revert back to. If it helps resolve that question, I can confirm that Euroswissman, Bravo Basel and Mumbos Jumbos are all the same person, almost certainly the same person who was behind the Mission Q8 account. I have no reason to suspect that DuncanHill, or the person editing out of 86.177.26.80, are connected to the person editing out of those accounts. Girth Summit _(blether) 13:56, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello. I just happened to be passing, saw my username attempted to be spelled above, and sometimes an extra input can clarify things. Girth Summit appears to be spot on. I don't mind saying that the two accounts I blocked are definitely the LTA known as Evlekis (that's probably not their real name but a common moniker - long story). Taking the briefest of looks at Mission Q8, it looks like they are too. (The troll known as) Evlekis frequently relies on people reverting socks to get back to their own socky version. It's a common trap; you have to look before the socks. And DuncanHill is definitely unrelated. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 14:14, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Thank you both for your response. I'm still pretty new at this, but learning all the time. The history at Culture of Switzerland did get kind of messy and it got complicated working out who was who. Probably not helped by the fact that I failed to connect User:Bravo Basel and User:Mumbos Jumbos. Thank you for taking the time to look at this and I apologise for any unintentional misdirection. I would have apologised to DuncanHill but the vitriol in response to your explanation has dissipated any charity in that direction. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 14:37, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Amongst the other things those socks did before being blocked was creating a bunch of pages intended to harass DH - I can understand if he's pissed off. Girth Summit _(blether) 14:42, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Hmm! I was unaware of that. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 14:44, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

We now have User:Reshadp restoring the unreferenced paragraph. Assuming that he is acting in good faith, after all why would he not be confused with the socks et al. I don't want to go round this particular loop again. It might be better, if you pointed out what has been going on. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 17:28, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Wow! that was quick. Thanks. 86.177.26.80 (talk) 17:31, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Hey, apologies for my edit to the page, I was missing the context and should have read the history better :( Reshadp (talk) 17:32, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Deletion of Sword of the Spirit Ministries

Hi User:Girth_Summit, I noticed from my watchlist that the page Sword of the Spirit Ministries was deleted, which was surprising to me as I had remembered it surviving an AFD only a few weeks ago: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sword of the Spirit Ministries. I don't really understand how deletions happen on Wikipedia: where can I go to see why this page was deleted after an AFD closure? Thanks for any help! Suriname0 (talk) 17:27, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

Hi Suriname0 - that article was written by the sock of a blocked LTA - well, by more than one actually, they were operating about five accounts at the time. It didn't have any substantive edits by other users. Two of the socks tainted the AfD discussion as well - two of the keep !votes were from socks. If you're concerned about it, I'd be willing to undelete it and renominate it for deletion, pinging all the users who previously took part, so we can have another discussion where everyone knows all the facts. Girth Summit _(blether) 17:36, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for explaining! I guess I don't really know what's standard in this kind of situation. Not that concerned, but pinging non-sock participants to see if any of them object: User:SomethingForDeletion, User:Central and Adams, User:Pharaoh of the Wizards, User:Oaktree b. Cheers, Suriname0 (talk) 19:42, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

I'm ok with the deletion; if they're are any concerns about the deletion nomination, it should be re-opened, perhaps to keep it all "above board". I'm not fussed about it to be honest. Oaktree b (talk) 19:48, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

I'd like to see it undeleted and go through AfD again. The subject is notable even if the previous discussion was sock-tainted. Thanks for the ping on this!Central and Adams (talk) 22:41, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

 Done. Girth Summit _(blether) 09:34, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

Thank you

Thank you for warning a user about inappropriate links. I was chasing down the spam1 template for their talk page but you got there first. 76.119.40.77 (talk) 12:12, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

If you register an account, you can use WP:Twinkle to do that sort of thing automatically - so searching for the template, you just get a drop-down menu of templates, just a couple of clicks. Let me know if they add that again and I will revoke their ability to do so. Girth Summit _(blether) 12:15, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

SPI clerk in training - clarification

Hi Girth - just wanted some clarification on your comments at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Worldwar1989, specifically the July 26 section. You asked that the cases since July 14 be split off - so that is not including July 14? If so, I will begin checking for the oldest account of this new group and separate them. Thanks. --Drm310 🍁 (talk) 23:27, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

Sorry, I should have been clearer - all the cases including July 14. See my note in the July 19 case - there was an active WorkdWar sock, which hadn't been reported but I found it by searching their usual ranges. Thanks! Girth Summit _(blether) 07:18, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

OK, I will re-check to figure out which is the oldest account and then split off those cases under it. Hopefully by the end of the day I will have time to get that done. Thanks. --Drm310 🍁 (talk) 19:06, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

Request

can you review this article KVN Productions ᵃʳᵘⁿ (talk) 07:01, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

I hope you've been well

Title says all! Hopefully everything's been good. James-the-Charizard (talk to me!) (contribs) 22:25, 17 August 2023 (UTC)

Hey - long time no see. All good here - how've you been? Girth Summit _(blether) 07:19, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

Been quite busy, hence leaving me little time to edit here. But good besides that. James-the-Charizard (talk to me!) (contribs) 16:56, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

Another MrDavr sock

As you have recently dealt with one of MrDavr's many socks, are you able to do so also with MrDavrSock, given that the sockpuppetry is self-evident? Many thanks if so! Dorsetonian (talk) 04:58, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

Looks like Spicy got there first. Girth Summit _(blether) 10:17, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

Many thanks, both! Dorsetonian (talk) 16:18, 21 August 2023 (UTC)

JJ Howland

You recently deleted information about NFL Tight End JJ Howland when he is from tantasqua and you did no research to attempt to find a article. Have a nice day. Fanman61794rc (talk) 06:44, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

Fanman61794rc I did try to find an article (as in, a Wikipedia article) - I searched for 'JJ Howland', 'J J Howland', 'J. J. Howland' and various other permutations - I didn't find one. If we have an article, please provide a link to it. Generally speaking, we only include people in lists of 'people from...' when we have an article about those people. We would also need a reliable source indicating that he attended the school. Girth Summit _(blether) 08:01, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

• Missed an opportunity to use WP:KEEPDECLINEDUNBLOCK there I see  :) SN54129 12:47, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

  Urgh - that's not a shortcut, it's a longcut that I'd definitely spell incorrectly. Girth Summit _(blether) 12:49, 23 August 2023 (UTC)