User talk:Alastair Stone

September 2023
 Your account has been indefinitely blocked from editing because your account has been used for advertising or promotion, which is contrary to the purpose of Wikipedia. Also, your username indicates that the account represents a business, organisation, group, or web site, which is against the username policy.

If you intend to make useful contributions instead of promoting your business or organization, you may request unblock and a username change. In your reasons, you must: To do this, post the text  at the bottom of your talk page. Replace the text "Your proposed new username" with your new username and replace the text "Your reason here" with your reasons to be unblocked.
 * Disclose any compensation you may receive for your contributions in accordance with the paid-contribution disclosure requirement.
 * Convince us that you understand the reason for your block and that you will not repeat the kind of edits for which you were blocked.
 * Describe in general terms the contributions that you intend to make if you are unblocked.
 * Provide a new username.

Please note that the new username you choose cannot already be taken and in use by another account. You can go here to search and see if the username you'd like to choose is available. If the search returns that no global account with that username exists, that means it is available to be taken.

Appeals: If, after reviewing the guide to appealing blocks, you believe this block was made in error, you may appeal it by adding the text  at the bottom of your talk page. Replace the text "Your reason here" with the reasons you believe the block was an error, and publish the page. Drmies (talk) 00:19, 1 September 2023 (UTC)


 * There is no way that anyone who looks at now-deleted article you wrote will regard that as not-promotional, and that name as somehow not indicative of a connection with the subject. Drmies (talk) 00:51, 1 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I find myself in the uncomfortable position of being hoist on my petard, in a way. As a retired college instructor myself, I would routinely disallow or mark down for Wikipedia articles used as references. It's the height of irony that I'm now blocked from editing/creating on Wikipedia which, obviously, has a more robust system of overlook than it did 8 and more years ago before I retired. It's amusing, but also frustrating.
 * As I understand it, the primary reason for the block was the username which, admittedly, was a stupid choice on my part. I appealed on that basis, but apparently there was more to it, as @331dot 's reply indicated. This is where my frustration comes in, on two points.
 * First, the article was a draft. I'd barely begun, and using the author's website as a reference was simply as far as I'd gotten in adding substantiation. I can easily accept the username issue, but to block a draft that isn't even close to completion feels like a knee-jerk response. I'm trying to make myself see it from the admins' perspective because I'm sure you see bajillions of crap articles but, this is me, so I'm subjectively irked.
 * My second issue of contention is @331dot 's reasoning that self-published books are not 'notable' because anyone can self-publish a book. While true on its face, it's also the exact same reasoning I used to use in disallowing references to Wikipedia articles - anyone can write/edit one. The reasoning is suspect at best, as I've learned the hard way. A book's worth or notability is not based on the fact that it was published by a name house.
 * In any case, I understand and accept the username issue. I'm not a fan of deleting a draft article (especially since I was free-drafting, and now have no way to recover what I'd written...do I?). I'd very much like to continue on Wikipedia under a better username, rather than just an IP address. I haven't attempted to create a new account, under the assumption that my email address and/or IP address would prevent it. Please let me know if that's not the case.
 * And, once more, I am not RL King, have never met her, am in no way associated with Magespace Press. I gain nothing from producing an article about the Stone series; nor do I lose anything by not producing one, I suppose. Though I may try again, assuming I have an account. Alastair Stone (talk) 15:31, 1 September 2023 (UTC)