User:Dylan620/Adoption/Vicenarian/lesson1

What is vandalism?
Vandalism is the malicious removal or insertion of content in a deliberate attempt to damage Wikipedia. Example diffs include, , , , , and.

How to fight vandalism
Vandalism can be fought using multiple methods.
 * WP:UNDO - The "Undo" button is the most basic form of fighting vandalism. It can take a few moments to load, and is, AFAIK, the slowest form of reverting vandalism. There is an advantage to the undo button, however; you are able to set your own custom edit summary whenever you use it.
 * WP:TW - Twinkle is a fairly efficient method of fighting vandalism. There are three main settings for reverting content using Twinkle:
 *  Rollback (AGF)  marks the edit being reverted as made in good faith. This allows you to set a custom edit summary.
 *  Rollback  is the regular version of Twinkle's reversion feature. It allows you to set a custom edit summary.
 *  Rollback (VANDAL)  marks the edit being reverted as deliberate vandalism. Unlike the other two Twinkle reversion settings, this version does not allow you to set a custom edit summary.
 * You can enable Twinkle by copying  into your monobook.js. In order to customize Twinkle, please copy down the individual codes shown here.
 * WP:RBK - Rollback is a tool that allows you to revert vandalism with a single click of the mouse. It's a powerful tool, and should be used with caution. It can be tested by new users to the tool at WP:NAS/R. You can request to be granted the rollback tool at Requests for permissions/Rollback, but be aware that without sufficient vandal-fighting experience, you will likely not be granted the tool.
 * WP:HG - Huggle is one of the most efficient methods of fighting vandalism on all of Wikipedia. An interface individual from that of Wikipedia, Huggle reverts and warns in a single click of the mouse. You will need the rollback user right if you are to be able to download Huggle. Huggle is a very powerful tool, so use it with caution.

Where to find vandalism
If you want to search for vandalism to revert, it's best to look in Special:RecentChanges.

Vandalism warnings

 * uw-vandalism1: General note (usually for a first warning).
 * uw-vandalism2: Caution (usually for a second warning).
 * uw-vandalism3: Warning (after user continues vandalism after at least two requests to stop).
 * uw-vandalism4: Final warning (if the vandal continues to vandalize after this final warning, s/he will be blocked from editing).
 * uw-vandalism4im: Only warning (if the vandal continues to vandalize after this only warning, s/he will be blocked from editing. Please only issue an only warning to vandals in exceptional situations, such as this).

My recommendations
While it is entirely optional, I would recommend requesting rollback after about a week (although you can shoot for it in a slightly shorter time span if you wish) of vandal fighting. Just please remember that vandal fighting is DEFINITELY not the only activity you could do; at times during the day, you may wish to fight vandalism, while at other times during the day, you may wish to correct typos or build articles. Good luck, Vicenarian! :D --  Dylan 620  Efforts · Toolbox 17:23, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

Comments and/or questions by the adoptee
Thank you for the sage advice, as always. You're right, UNDO is so slow that I find other users with Twinkle and Huggle have taken care of vandalism I find before I can even finish clicking. I don't mean to complain, it's a good thing! I have, however, found new page patrolling to be rewarding - marking pages that are not meant to be and welcoming newcomers. All while trying not to bite of course. :) Vicenarian (talk)