User talk:CyrillicNews

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Maybe this will help
In situations like this, I find that this essay helps: User:WLU/Generic_sandbox --Ronz (talk) 19:40, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

New messages
&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello! 08:29, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

What I'd like to know in particular
First, thanks for adopting me. Don't hesitate to tell me if my questions get to be too much (I'm notorious for asking lots of detailed questions and annoying people by doing so and I'd rather not annoy you). I promise I'll never take offense; just give me some idea of how much is too much and I'll try not to exceed that threshold.

Second, I'm brand spanking new (in the sense of a newborn; not in the original sense) to WP. I have a great deal of experience with learning in general (30 years or so), but almost none at all in the WP community. And although I've read what I suspect are some important things, I'm sure there's a vast amount that I'm still missing and I'm hoping you might be able to suggest a set of priorities for what to read first because at this point, I'm sure the list of things I should read would be overwhelming if I even knew what it was. Thanks to Ronz, I have read User:WLU/Generic_sandbox and many of the pages linked to in that essay.

But my main confusion point now is regarding standard communications procedures between editors. I read this but I'm still not sure I understand. I write to you (what I guess amounts to an email message of sorts) on my talk page, and you write to me on your talk page? (I am watching your talk page thanks to something you wrote there that I guess was meant for adoptees---did you do that with ?). Is that right? But talk pages are totally public, right? And what about wikimail(?) (is that right?)? Is that the generally preferred way of engaging in private communication in this community? Am I correct in thinking that these two modes of communication are analogous to a public forum post and a private message (PM), respectively, in a forum like phpBB? Or a message to the mailing list and a message to an individual on that list, respectively, in a LISTSERV? I think I sent you a message in wikimail before posting on your talk page. Did you get that?

And penultimately, I hope you can see from this message that I've been reading a great deal just on wiki formatting. I'm trying to demonstrate that I know I should be reading existing material before asking someone like you. But there's just so much existing material! Just trying to avoid any faux pas while not being too timid. :)

And lastly, since you adopted me, and since I don't know what the words in your username mean, I wonder if you'd confirm for me: am I right in thinking that Mizu onna sango translates to Water woman coral? Just a curiosity point. There's no particular meaning to my username. I'm trying to become multilingual and learning the Cyrillic alphabet was on my mind at the moment I created a WP account. The username Cyrillic was taken, so I just added News in case that was available. CyrillicNews (talk) 18:57, 10 January 2009 (UTC)


 * For a new user, I can fully understand the amount of questions you have about Wikipedia and the use thereof! Don't worry about asking your questions; I'll try to address them as best I can.&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks. :) I'm gonna try to use wiki formatting to reply in the manner that I'm accustomed to doing in email.  If that's a faux pas (say, because one shouldn't modify anyone else's comments than one's own on a talk page), then please tell me as much.  I'm replying in point-by-point manner (even though you didn't do this) because I think it makes it easier to understand (and I'm not actually modifying your comments, just interspersing my replies amongst them), but again, if that's counter to WP practices, just say so.&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * First, the way one answers comments from another person is generally your choice. Most users state on their talk page that they would prefer discussion to be handled one way or another&mdash;I prefer to do most things on my talk page.&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Did I misunderstand then? (checks...)  Yep. :-/ I guess I misunderstood the statement,
 * 'If I left you a message: please answer on your talk page, as I am watching it.'
 * from the
 * box near the top of your talk page.
 * But, if you'd like to stay here, that would be fine as well, it's your choice.
 * No, it's not that I'd like to stay here. I continued this conversation here (after starting it on your talk page) with the thought process (that I now see is mistaken): 'Well, she did (on her talk page, but still, it was a message to me) leave me a message (in response to my request that she adopt me), so I guess that template is asking me to answer her message on my talk page.  Sorry for the mistake.  I see now that a better comprehension of that template would have been something like: 'The conversation should ensue on whatever page it started (assuming of course that it started on somebody's talk page).'  That's a great example of just how little I understand about WP, but I'm learning; thanks for being patient.  I guess I should thank Reliable Forever for pointing out my mistake (thanks RF!) and drawing your attention to my misplaced reply.&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * talkback is one of many, many templates, which are usually transcluded onto a page. They can do anything from giving a simple smile to a fellow Wikipedia member, as you have, to changing the appearance or overall feel of a Wikipedia article. The talkback template is mainly used to notify users of new messages on the talk page of the person who placed it, so their purpose is to direct those who see it to the relevant person's page. Essentially, User ABC places the text on User XYZ's talk page and saves the changes. User XYZ then sees the template, and clicks the link that says 'new messages', to see what ABC said in response to their queries, etc. Talk pages are definitely public, (don't do anything on there you wouldn't want posted on the front cover of the NY Times, simply put) but sometimes when XYZ isn't expecting any replies from ABC, it's best to notify them just to make sure they see it.&mdash; Mizu onna sango15  Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia talk pages are really quite different from forum Private Messages (they're not private, you don't receive any automatic notice of replies unless they are on your talk page, and so on). I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'WikiMail', though, unless you mean special:emailuser, which allows one to send an email to a Wikipedian who has the feature enabled in their prefs. I didn't get your mail message yet&mdash;I'll check again later today, though, just in case.&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I learned the term, 'wikimail' (as I used it above) from you on this page where you used the term (though capitalized as a proper noun) in the first sentence on that page. Now that I know a bit more about it, I guess it's just a kind-of web form for someone to use to send an actual email in such a manner that the recipient's email address is not revealed to the sender (no doubt to protect us all from spam et. al.).  So if you haven't gotten my message yet... perhaps your email address on record in your wiki account goes to another email account than the one you normally use?  You do mention there that, "...I don't check my Wikimail address frequently."&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Generally, WikiSmiles are posted on the talk page of whomever you are giving it to. :-) But it's not as if you're expected to know that off the bat! And, I suppose you could place it on your own talk page, although the latter method is the main way to do it. Most users welcome smiles, so don't worry about annoying someone unless they say so explicitly. Users who don't want them almost always post a note at the top of their talk page as a request to opt out of such template messages. Thank you for the smile!&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * You're quite welcome, and thank you for the detailed reply and for adopting me. I clearly needed both.  And while we're on the subject of WikiSmiles, was it inappropriate of me to have (now that you've seen it) removed it above?  I know everything gets archived here, but I've read policies about archiving versus deleting, et. al.  Just how strictly are these enforced for talk pages?&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * By the way, you're right about my username; did you guess by the kanji on my user talk? I thought it'd be useful to have an alphanumeric name&mdash;15 is my lucky number, also.&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * No, the kanji didn't help me (although I'd like to learn kanji in addition to the cyrillic alphabet). I just googled for the words until I found what looked like the probable translations.  I'm glad to have learned the additional detail you added to your talk page about onna-no-hito tho'.&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Please excuse any typographical errors I may have made here; I'm having just a little bit of trouble with the keyboard today. ;-) &mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Didn't notice any (does that make me a bad editor? ;) poor attention to detail... )...&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Hope that helped some, feel free to ask about anything you misunderstand.&mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  15:39, 11 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes, it did help, and thanks again. Please let me know if/when you get that wikimail message I sent you too.  I'm gonna see if I can turn on that feature for my page too as I like the option of communicating outside of public talk pages so all my faux pas are not right out there in public for everyone to amuse themselves with. ;)&mdash;CyrillicNews (talk) 21:35, 12 January 2009 (UTC)


 * This time I'll leave it, but no&mdash;you shouldn't ever really break up a post and then reply to each section as one would in an email. Like I said, WP is quite a bit different than a forum (you can't just 'quote' a post) or email. But, it's not really a big deal. :-) Just remember next time to reply to my message in one whole piece.


 * One shouldn't really ever modify any comments one they are posted, unless it's seriously screwing up the layout of the page. Some editors get really personal if you do that, so it's safest to err on the side of caution and not do it at all. I do admit to having changed a few things in my posts every once in a while, though&mdash;do what you have to do, but remember that it is frowned upon, usually.


 * As for my mail, though, I got it. You should get the re: soon, if not already. And no, it's not my general email inbox. A lot of us just register a new mail account so there aren't as many letters being received in one single box. It's just a matter of personal preference.


 * There's nothing wrong with removing the smiley, since it was on your user talk in the first place. But if it were on mine, that would be somewhat inappropiate. That's another thing; editing pages in the userspace that are not under your username is discouraged, unless of course it's to add a deletion template. Read up on WP:USERPAGE, WP:MOS, WP:MYSPACE, WP:5P, and WP:V, these will help you a lot with Wikipedia policies. Let me know if you have questions about any of these. &mdash; Mizu onna sango15 Hello!  04:04, 18 January 2009 (UTC)