User talk:J Milburn/archive45

WikiCup 2017 July newsletter
The third round of the competition has finished in a flurry of last minute activity, with 288 points being required to qualify for round 4. It was a hotly competitive round with all but four of the contestants exceeding the 106 points that was necessary to proceed to round 4 last year. Coemgenus and Freikorp tied on 288, and both have been allowed to proceed, so round 4 now has one pool of eight competitors and one of nine.

Round 3 saw the achievement of a 26-topic Featured topic by MPJ-DK as well as 5 featured lists and 13 featured articles. PanagiotisZois and SounderBruce achieved their first ever featured articles. Carbrera led the GA score with 10, Tachs achieved 17 DYKs and MBlaze Lightning 10 In the news items. There were 167 DYKs, 93 GARs and 82 GAs overall, this last figure being higher than the number of GAs in round 2, when twice as many people were taking part. Even though contestants performed more GARs than they achieved GAs, there was still some frustration at the length of time taken to get articles reviewed.

As we start round 4, we say goodbye to the fifteen or so competitors who didn't quite make it; thank you for the useful contributions you have made to the Cup and Wikipedia. Remember that any content promoted after the end of round 3 but before the start of round 4 can be claimed in round 4. Remember too that you must claim your points within 10 days of "earning" them (some people have fallen foul of this rule and the points have been removed).

If you are concerned that your nomination, whether it be for a good article, a featured process, or anything else, will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on WikiCup/Reviews. It would be helpful if this list could be cleared of any items no longer relevant. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Godot13, Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth 05:38, 30 June 2017 (UTC)

Help Needed: On the Topic of Collaboration
Hello Milburn. I just wanted to thank you for your help expanding the article on The Hideous Sun Demon. I was wondering If you would be willing to help me with expanding another article. One of my current projects is working on expanding the article on the film Begotten and my goal it to get it to FA class status. I have been working on it for a while now but I need help correcting and expanding it and I was wondering if you would be willing to help. I am working on the article in my sandbox at the moment so any fixes and expansion will need to be made on that page. Please let me know if you are interested.--Paleface Jack (talk) 16:08, 29 June 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the message. Interesting proposal; I'll get back to you. I note that there's an issue with shared sandboxes when it comes to attribution; we may need to do a selective history merge or something. The other possibility is creating a new sandbox specifically for the film, and then we can all contribute and merge the two histories later. Josh Milburn (talk) 16:21, 29 June 2017 (UTC)

Hello John. I've already fixed that issue with the sandbox and all the information has been transferred to a separate userspace which I will link here. Looking forward to collaboration with you and others! :)--Paleface Jack (talk) 17:13, 4 July 2017 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

 * Thanks! I don't know whether its because I'm a philosopher or just finicky (maybe they aren't unrelated...) but it really peeves me when I see it used in the wrong way! Josh Milburn (talk) 20:33, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – July 2017
News and updates for administrators from the past month (June 2017).

Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Happyme22 • Dragons flight
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Zad68

Guideline and policy news
 * The RFC discussion regarding WP:OUTING and WMF essay about paid editing and outing (see more at the ArbCom noticeboard archives) is now archived. Milieus #3 and #4 received support; so did concrete proposal #1.

Technical news
 * Fuzzy search will soon be added to Special:Undelete, allowing administrators to search for deleted page titles with results similar to the search query. You can test this by adding ?fuzzy=1 to the URL, as with Special:Undelete?fuzzy=1. Currently the search only finds pages that exactly match the search term.
 * A new bot will automatically revision delete unused file versions from files in Category:Non-free files with orphaned versions more than 7 days old.

Miscellaneous
 * A newly revamped database report can help identify users who may be eligible to be autopatrolled.
 * A potentially compromised account from 2001–2002 attempted to request resysop. Please practice appropriate account security by using a unique password for Wikipedia, and consider enabling two-factor authentication. Currently around 17% of admins have enabled 2FA, up from 16% in February 2017.
 * Did you know: On 29 June 2017, there were 1,261 administrators on the English Wikipedia – the exact number of administrators as there were ten years ago on 29 June 2007. Since that time, the English Wikipedia has grown from 1.85 million articles to over 5.43 million.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:59, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

Nadodi Mannan
Hello, Josh. Its been a while. How's everything going with yourself? The 1958 Tamil film Nadodi Mannan is my next attempt at GA. It's nominated for GAN. Do let me know if you are interested or not in reviewing the article by pinging me. Thanks. — Ssven2  Looking at you, kid 08:13, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

Quercus asymmetrica
Thanks Josh - Apologies for using the wrong procedure - 'move' function now noted. Q. asymmetrica is the correct spelling - checked on 2 data-bases. Quercus asymetrica was actually a bit of an orphan - I came across it by chance, linked it correctly with the Cyclobalanopsis sub-genus and tried to preserve all the original information on the new page: together with additional information. Roy Bateman (talk) 13:32, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 15 July 2017
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Withdrawing GAN
Hey, sorry Mr Milburn, but I'm withdrawing the GAN for inanimate whose. Are there any formalities? Curly "JFC" Turkey 🍁 ¡gobble! 07:11, 20 July 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm very sorry to hear that, but I will respect your wishes. Perhaps it's something you could come back to in a few weeks when things have simmered down a little. It's a great article and a great topic, and not at all far from GA-ready. Josh Milburn (talk) 00:23, 22 July 2017 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – August 2017
News and updates for administrators from the past month (July 2017). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Anarchyte • GeneralizationsAreBad • Cullen328 (first RfA to reach WP:300)
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Cprompt • Rockpocket • Rambo's Revenge • Animum • TexasAndroid • Chuck SMITH • MikeLynch • Crazytales • Ad Orientem

Guideline and policy news
 * Following a series of discussions around new pages patrol, the WMF is helping implement a controlled autoconfirmed article creation trial as a research experiment, similar to the one proposed in 2011. You can learn more about the research plan at meta:Research:Autoconfirmed article creation trial. The exact start date of the experiment has yet to be determined.
 * A new speedy deletion criterion, regarding articles created as a result undisclosed paid editing, is currently being discussed (permalink).
 * An RfC (permalink) is currently open that proposes expanding WP:G13 to include all drafts, even if they weren't submitted through Articles for Creation.

Technical news
 * LoginNotify should soon be deployed to the English Wikipedia. This will notify users when there are suspicious login attempts on their account.
 * The new version of XTools is nearing an official release. This suite of tools includes administrator statistics, an improved edit counter, among other tools that may benefit administrators. You can report issues on Phabricator and provide general feedback at mw:Talk:XTools.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:11, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 5 August 2017
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Astronomica FAN
A few months ago, you left some very helpful comments on the FAN page for the article Astronomica. Unfortunately, in the middle of the nomination, I realized that I had neglected part of a peer-review, and so I withdrew the nomination. Since then, I have implemented those changes and had the article copy-edited, and today I just re-nominated the article at FAN. I was wondering if you could leave a few comments as before? I assure you that the article is much better now! Thanks!-- Gen. Quon   (Talk)   15:17, 15 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes, my pleasure! Josh Milburn (talk) 17:20, 15 August 2017 (UTC)

Sergio Cotta
Hi Josh, I think the birth and death dates were already in, when I started a on the article. It is very hard to find any biographical information on the man. Apparently he was quite brilliant from one source I have, but I don't if it is the language barrier, but salient knowledge is slim and the Italian WP article, not a fantastic amount of information. Ah, the date in the infobox is wrong and still to be updated. I'll fix that later today. If you fancy help, I would welcome the help. Any bio information or reference that details his army career, or indeed any help, I would be grateful. Bob. scope_creep (talk) 09:28, 21 August 2017 (UTC)
 * My writing in abysmal. scope_creep (talk) 13:05, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

September 2017 at Women in Red
--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 21:19, 28 August 2017 (UTC) via MassMessaging

Sergio Cotta
Hi Josh, I have almost finished that article, if you want to take a look at it, and see if there is anything still needing done. There is a wee bit still to do, at the end sections, but its mostly done, apart from references, which are slim. I have a question at the Humanties reference, over an entry in the academic career section of the article, if you fancy taking a look at it. It is regarding the Institute he worked at, and if we have an article on it. Reference_desk/Humanities. scope_creep (talk) 13:04, 31 August 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks a lot for the note; I will definitely drop by, but I'm a little busy at the moment! Josh Milburn (talk) 17:38, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

WikiCup 2017 September newsletter
Round 4 of the WikiCup has ended and we move forward into the final round. In round 4, a total of 12 FAs, 3 FLs, 44 GAs, 3 FLs, 79 DYKs, 1 ITN and 42 GARs was achieved, with no FPs or FTs this time. Congratulations to Peacemaker67 on the Royal Yugoslav Navy Good Topic of 36 items, and the 12 featured articles achieved by Cas Liber (5), Vanamonde93 (3), Peacemaker67 (2), Adityavagarwal (1) and 12george1 (1). With a FA scoring 200 points, and bonus points available on top of this, FAs are likely to feature heavily in the final round. Meanwhile Yellow Evan, a typhoon specialist, was contributing 12 DYKs and 10 GAs, while Adityavagarwal and Freikorp topped the GAR list with 8 reviews each. As we enter the final round, we are down to eight contestants, and we would like to thank those of you who have been eliminated for the useful contributions you have made to the Cup and Wikipedia. The lowest score needed to reach round 5 was 305, and I think we can expect a highly competitive final round.

Remember that any content promoted after the end of round 4 but before the start of round 5 can be claimed in round 5. Remember too that you must claim your points within 10 days of "earning" them. If you are concerned that your nomination will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on WikiCup/Reviews Needed. It would be helpful if this list could be cleared of any items no longer relevant. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to reduce the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck, and let the best man (or woman) win! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Godot13, Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth 06:26, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

Prose review
Hi Josh, would you like to review the prose of my FAC here? One of the coordinators requested to have it looked over by another editor, and I thought you fit the bill. Hoping for your acceptance, SLIGHTLY  mad   06:44, 1 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Hi Slightlymad; I'm pretty busy at the moment, but I could try to take a look in a few days. No promises at this stage, sorry! Josh Milburn (talk) 07:34, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – September 2017
News and updates for administrators from the past month (August 2017). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Nakon • Scott
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Sverdrup • Thespian • Elockid • James086 • Ffirehorse • Celestianpower • Boing! said Zebedee

Guideline and policy news
 * ACTRIAL, a research experiment that restricts article creation to autoconfirmed users, will begin on September 7. It will run for six months. You can learn more about the research specifics at meta:Research:Autoconfirmed article creation trial, while Wikipedia talk:Autoconfirmed article creation trial is probably the best venue for general discussion.
 * Following an RfC, WP:G13 speedy deletion criterion now applies to any page in the draftspace that has not been edited in six months. There is a bot-generated report, updated daily, to help identify potentially qualifying drafts that have not been submitted through articles for creation.

Technical news
 * You will now get a notification when someone tries to log in to your account and fails. If they try from a device that has logged into your account before, you will be notified after five failed attempts. You can also set in your preferences to get an email when someone logs in to your account from a new device or IP address, which may be encouraged for admins and accounts with sensitive permissions.
 * Syntax highlighting is now available as a beta feature (more info). This may assist administrators and template editors when dealing with intricate syntax of high-risk templates and system messages.
 * In your notification preferences, you can now block specific users from pinging you. This functionality will soon be available for Special:EmailUser as well.

Arbitration
 * Applications for CheckUser and Oversight are being accepted by the Arbitration Committee until September 12. Community discussion of the candidates will begin on September 18.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:35, 1 September 2017 (UTC)

Bacon
Thanks for the detailed review and pointers there. Never been to Belfast myself, but Head II is a pretty convincing reason to spend 5 hours in a car - his paintings are very physical and impressive to see first hand. Ceoil (talk) 13:10, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * I'm pleased to see the article promoted, and commend you on your work! I read for a doctorate at Queen's Belfast, which is right next to the Ulster Museum, so I visited several times. Fine art isn't really my area, but I do recall that they had a few pieces by famous artists. I understand that there is actually a fairly considerable art scene in Belfast; lots of little galleries that host regular wine receptions, but I didn't visit any personally. Josh Milburn (talk) 17:11, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Wine receptions you did'nd attend? I am dissapoint. Ceoil (talk) 17:17, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Well, when you put it like that, maybe it is time I got into fine art... Josh Milburn (talk) 17:42, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Next time you are in Cork we'll go free wheeling. Ceoil (talk) 18:03, 3 September 2017 (UTC)

Peer review/FA tips
Hi, I found your name on Mentoring for FAC and was wondering if you would be willing to give some pointers on the main Papal conclave article, which is currently at GA status. I started a peer review for it at Peer review/Papal conclave/archive1. I'm sure the article needs a fair amount of work before getting to FA, but as I've never done the process before, I have no idea where to begin. TonyBallioni (talk) 16:39, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the message; I'd love to take a look at this! I'm a little busy right now, but GAC can be fairly slow, so hopefully there's no harm in waiting for a few days. In the mean time, I note that has had some recent success at FAC with an article on Christian theology (namely, Peter Martyr Vermigli), so he may be a good person to talk to, as well. Josh Milburn (talk) 17:18, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the response. Yes, no rush. I wasn't thinking of nominating it immediately, more of trying to figure out where to even start. Any help from either you or Jfhutson would be much appreciated. TonyBallioni (talk) 17:23, 3 September 2017 (UTC)
 * Apologies for misreading your original message. I'll definitely find time to come by the peer review and offer some suggestions with an eye towards prep for an FA nomination! Josh Milburn (talk) 17:43, 3 September 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 6 September 2017
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Invitation to Admin confidence survey
Hello,

Beginning in September 2017, the Wikimedia Foundation Anti-harassment tool team will be conducting a survey to gauge how well tools, training, and information exists to assist English Wikipedia administrators in recognizing and mitigating things like sockpuppetry, vandalism, and harassment.

The survey should only take 5 minutes, and your individual response will not be made public. This survey will be integral for our team to determine how to better support administrators.

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The Signpost: 25 September 2017
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Women in Red October editathon invitation
--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 15:54, 25 September 2017 (UTC) via MassMessaging

Nomination for deletion of Template:CNG
Template:CNG has been nominated for deletion. You are invited to comment on the discussion at the template's entry on the Templates for discussion page. Ten Pound Hammer • (What did I screw up now?) 06:11, 27 September 2017 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – October 2017
News and updates for administrators from the past month (September 2017). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Boing! said Zebedee • Ansh666 • Ad Orientem
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Tonywalton • AmiDaniel • Silence • BanyanTree • Magioladitis • Vanamonde93 • Mr.Z-man • Jdavidb • Jakec • Ram-Man • Yelyos • Kurt Shaped Box

Guideline and policy news
 * Following a successful proposal to create it, a new user right called "edit filter helper" is now assignable and revocable by administrators. The right allows non-administrators to view the details of private edit filters, but not to edit them.
 * Following a discussion about mass-application of ECP and how the need for logging and other details of an evolving consensus may have been missed by some administrators, a rough guide to extended confirmed protection has been written. This information page describes how the extended-confirmed aspects of the protection policy are currently being applied by administrators.

Technical news
 * You can now search for IP ranges at Special:Contributions. Some log pages and Special:DeletedContributions are not yet supported. Wildcards (e.g. 192.168.0.*) are also not supported, but the popular contribsrange gadget will continue to work.

Arbitration
 * Community consultation on the 2017 candidates for CheckUser and Oversight has concluded. The Arbitration Committee will appoint successful candidates by October 11.
 * A request for comment is open regarding the structure, rules, and procedures of the December 2017 Arbitration Committee election, and how to resolve any issues not covered by existing rules.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:23, 2 October 2017 (UTC)

POTD notification
Hi Josh,

Just to let you know, the Featured Picture File:Zierliche Koralle Ramaria gracilis.JPG is scheduled to be Picture of the Day on October 27, 2017. If you get a chance, you can check and improve the caption at Template:POTD/2017-10-27. Thank you for all of your contributions! — Chris Woodrich (talk) 01:15, 14 October 2017 (UTC)

November editathons from Women in Red: Join us!
-Megalibrarygirl (talk) 16:19, 21 October 2017 (UTC) via MassMessaging

The Signpost: 23 October 2017
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Halloween cheer!


Happy Halloween!

Hello J Milburn: Thanks for all of your contributions to improve Wikipedia, and have a happy and enjoyable Halloween!   –  Adityavagarwal (talk) 07:17, 29 October 2017 (UTC) Send Halloween cheer by adding {{subst:Happy Halloween}} to user talk pages with a friendly message.

Administrators' newsletter – November 2017
News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2017). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Longhair • Megalibrarygirl • TonyBallioni • Vanamonde93
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Allen3 • Eluchil404 • Arthur Rubin • Bencherlite

Technical news
 * The Wikimedia Foundation's Anti-Harassment Tools team is creating an "Interaction Timeline" tool that intends to assist administrators in resolving user conduct disputes. Feedback on the concept may be posted on the talk page.
 * A new function is now available to edit filter managers that will make it easier to look for multiple strings containing spoofed text.

Arbitration
 * Eligible editors will be invited to submit candidate statements for the 2017 Arbitration Committee Elections starting on November 12 until November 21. Voting will begin on November 27 and last until December 10.
 * Following a request for comment,, and  will serve as the Electoral Commission for the 2017 ArbCom Elections.

Obituaries
 * The Wikipedia community has recently learned that (William Allen Peckham) passed away on December 30, 2016, the same day as . Allen began editing in 2005 and became an administrator that same year.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:50, 2 November 2017 (UTC)

WikiCup 2017 November newsletter: Final results
The final round of the 2017 WikiCup is over. Congratulations to the 2017 WikiCup top three finalists:
 * First Place -
 * Second Place -
 * Third Place -

In addition to recognizing the achievements of the top finishers and everyone who worked hard to make it to the final round, we also want to recognize those participants who were most productive in each of the WikiCup scoring categories:
 * Featured Article – Cas Liber (actually a two-way tie with themselves for an astonishing five FAs in R2 and R4).
 * Good Article – Adityavagarwal had 14 GAs promoted in R5.
 * Featured List – and  both produced 2 FLs in R2
 * Featured Pictures – improved an image to FP status in R5, the only FP this year.
 * Featured Topic – has the only FT of the Cup in R3.
 * Good Topic – Four different editors created a GT in R2, R3 and R4.
 * Did You Know – Adityavagarwal had 22 DYKs on the main page in R5.
 * In The News – had 14 ITN on the main page in R2.
 * Good Article Review – completed 31 GARs in R1.

Over the course of the 2017 WikiCup the following content was added or improved on Wikipedia: 51 Featured Articles, 292 Good Articles, 18 Featured Lists, 1 Featured Picture, 1 Featured Topics, 4 Good Topics, around 400 Did You Knows, 75 In The News, and 442 Good Article Reviews. Thank you to all the competitors for your hard work and what you have done to improve Wikipedia.

Regarding the prize vouchers - please send  an email from the email address to which you would like your Amazon voucher sent. Please include your preference of global Amazon marketplace as well. We hope to have the electronic gift cards processed and sent within a week.

We will open up a discussion for comments on process and scoring in a few days. The 2018 WikiCup is just around the corner! Many thanks from all the judges. If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. ,, and MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 11:42, 2 November 2017 (UTC)

Picture review
As you are the the original nominator, I have created Featured picture candidates/delist/Robinhunicke at thatgamecompany photoshoot, August 2009.jpg.--Vaypertrail (talk) 02:38, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

WikiCup 2018
So the 2017 WikiCup has come to an end. Congratulations to the winner, to the other finalists and to all those who took part. 177 contestants signed up, more than usual, but not all of them submitted entries in the first round. Were editors attracted by the cash prizes offered for the first time this year, or were these irrelevant? Do the rules and scoring need changing for the 2018 WikiCup? If you have a view on these or other matters, why not join in the WikiCup discussion about next year's contest? , and. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:59, 17 November 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 November 2017
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Administrators' newsletter – December 2017
News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2017). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Joe Roe
 * Gnome-colors-view-refresh.svg JzG
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Ericorbit • Perceval • Thingg • Tristanb • Violetriga

Guideline and policy news
 * Following a request for comment, a new section has been added to the username policy which disallows usernames containing emoji, emoticons or otherwise "decorative" usernames, and usernames that use any non-language symbols. Administrators should discuss issues related to these types of usernames before blocking.

Technical news
 * Wikimedians are now invited to vote on the proposals in the 2017 Community Wishlist Survey on Meta Wiki until 10 December 2017. In particular, there is a section of the survey regarding new tools for administrators and for anti-harassment.
 * A new function is available to edit filter managers which can be used to store matches from regular expressions.

Arbitration
 * Voting in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections is open until Sunday 23:59, 10 December 2017 (UTC). There are 12 candidates running for 8 vacant seats.

Miscellaneous
 * Over the last few months, several users have reported backlogs that require administrator attention at WP:ANI, with the most common backlogs showing up on WP:SPI, WP:AIV and WP:RFPP. It is requested that all administrators take some time during this month to help clear backlogs wherever possible. It should be noted that AIV reports are not always valid; however, they still need to be cleared, which may include needing to remind users on what qualifies as vandalism.
 * The Wikimedia Foundation Community health initiative is conducting a survey for English Wikipedia contributors on their experience and satisfaction level with Administrator’s Noticeboard/Incidents. This survey will be integral to gathering information about how this noticeboard works (i.e. which problems it deals with well and which problems it struggles with). If you would like to take this survey, please sign up on this page, and a link for the survey will be emailed to you via Special:EmailUser.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:58, 2 December 2017 (UTC)

The Signpost: 18 December 2017
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Seasons' Greetings
...to you and yours, from the Great White North! FWiW Bzuk (talk) 16:34, 24 December 2017 (UTC)

DYK nomination of Diddle Diddle Dumpling (Inside No. 9)
Hello! Your submission of Diddle Diddle Dumpling (Inside No. 9) at the Did You Know nominations page has been reviewed, and some issues with it may need to be clarified. Please review the comment(s) underneath your nomination's entry and respond there as soon as possible. Thank you for contributing to Did You Know! The Bushranger One ping only 02:04, 25 December 2017 (UTC)

New Year's resolution: Write more articles for Women in Red!
--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 18:13, 27 December 2017 (UTC) via MassMessaging

Administrators' newsletter – January 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (December 2017). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Muboshgu
 * Gnome-colors-view-refresh.svg Anetode • Laser brain • Worm That Turned
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg None

Bureaucrat changes
 * Gnome-colors-view-refresh.svg Worm That Turned

Guideline and policy news
 * A request for comment is in progress to determine whether the administrator policy should be amended to require disclosure of paid editing activity at WP:RFA and to prohibit the use of administrative tools as part of paid editing activity, with certain exceptions.

Technical news
 * The 2017 Community Wishlist Survey results have been posted. The Community Tech team will investigate and address the top ten results.
 * The Anti-Harassment Tools team is inviting comments on new blocking tools and improvements to existing blocking tools for development in early 2018. Feedback can be left on the discussion page or by email.

Arbitration
 * Following the results of the 2017 election, the following editors have been (re)appointed to the Arbitration Committee:, , , , , , ,.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 02:37, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

Featured article candidates/Anbe Sivam/archive1
Hello, Josh. I have nominated my first solo FAC. Do let me know if you wish to leave comments at the FAC by pinging me. Thanks. — Ssven2  Looking at you, kid 15:01, 4 January 2018 (UTC)

DYK for Diddle Diddle Dumpling (Inside No. 9)
Gatoclass (talk) 00:04, 11 January 2018 (UTC)

Thank you for the help

 * My pleasure; I've left some comments on the talk page. It's a really nice little article, and I'm a big fan of articles of this sort.
 * Something I've been puzzling on for a while... We tend to cover fictional content so, so badly. Even right now, there's Equestria at GAC, and that needs to be completely rewritten, not promoted to GA status! I came across something interesting recently: take a look at Jessica (The Merchant of Venice). Obviously a highly notable topic, and (thanks to the work of ) a strong article. When the article was created, though, it didn't look great, and people were calling for its deletion in good faith. But there's almost always opposition to the deletion of an article on even the most obscure Dungeons & Dragons deity or Transformers robot, and we have hundreds (thousands?) of such articles! I think part of the problem is that fiction is pretty hard to write about, and it isn't always a fan who's best placed to do the writing... Josh Milburn (talk) 11:13, 14 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the kind words. But if I can chime in on this, the problem is that most articles on modern fictional topics—fictional characters and creatures being the exemplar—just really aren't notable. Jessica, and other Shakespearean characters, are in a somewhat unique position for the simple reason that scholars have had four centuries to study and write about them; and scholars have studied and written about them for those centuries; and it's been a prestigious field from the start, and so has attracted good scholars of high regard that have been able to get published both as monographs and in prestigious journals (in fact, has several journals dedicated to the field). The same is not true for the vast majority of fictional topics; not even for most other authors and playwrights that are held in a similar type of regard as Shakespeare (the bard is entirely unique in this respect).Thus, most such fictional topics suffer from "notability relativism": if your point of reference is not the kind of coverage a Shakespeare topic receives, the sheer volume of popcultural references to whatever Pokémon is the issue du jour will give the impression of non-trivial coverage in "reliable sources" (also a relative term). Absent a common point of reference, and when combined with volume and intensity of fans rallying in defence, we end up with exactly the situation you describe.In order to improve this, we need to stop biting so many newcomers and get rid of our toxic personalities (which, in my view, is the universal recipe for all that ails Wikipedia). Maybe then we'll be able to attract and retain the editors that are capable of writing about fictional topics from a broader perspective than your average fan of any given topic can muster. Right now I think we're losing Awadewits and Qp10qps to attrition much faster than we can recruit s. --Xover (talk) 14:15, 14 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the ping, and this is a very interesting discussion. I am definitely not the best when it comes to writing fictional content (i.e. I believe that I still have a lot to learn and improve upon in my approach and technique), but they are some of my favorite articles to work on. That is probably the academic nerd in me coming out lol. Hopefully, we will get more editors and contributors in the future to work on these sorts of articles and lists, but as stated above, they are very difficult to write, with consideration to notability concerns. I agree with Xover's attitude that it is best to create a more nurturing community to help users recognize where they can improve in their own edits and projects. Thank you for the link to the "Jessica" article; a lot of wonderful work has been put into it! One day, I would like to work on an article for a Shakespearean character, but I always get intimidated by the large amount of academic commentary out there. Maybe one day lol. It would be great if we can somehow hold a large discussion/forum on this topic as I agree with J Milburn that this subject area could use more attention from the Wikipedia community. Aoba47 (talk) 18:27, 14 January 2018 (UTC)

Your GA nomination of Private View (Inside No. 9)
The article Private View (Inside No. 9) you nominated as a good article has been placed on hold. The article is close to meeting the good article criteria, but there are some minor changes or clarifications needing to be addressed. If these are fixed within 7 days, the article will pass; otherwise it may fail. See Talk:Private View (Inside No. 9) for things which need to be addressed. Message delivered by Legobot, on behalf of Aoba47 -- Aoba47 (talk) 01:21, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 16 January 2018
 * Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:27, 16 January 2018 (UTC)

Jessica(Merchant of Venice) listed at Redirects for discussion
An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Jessica(Merchant of Venice). Since you had some involvement with the Jessica(Merchant of Venice) redirect, you might want to participate in the redirect discussion if you have not already done so. Steel1943 (talk) 22:13, 17 January 2018 (UTC)

Academic papers
Hi Josh. I'm planning to bring the Species article first to A-class and then FA, and I was wondering if you could provide me academic sources which would give it a significant boost? Regards, Slightlymad 08:25, 20 January 2018 (UTC)
 * I can help with finding and accessing sources, but I'm afraid I won't have the time to write anything; have you made a start on the search? Josh Milburn (talk) 09:16, 21 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Yes I have. Fortunately, another editor was able to hand me several dissertations as well as articles that analyzes the film in-depth. I will get to them once I'm done with overhauling sections ranging from Production to Reception, as I feel some stuff are still missing. In any case, I've opened up a peer review for the article and I would like to hear your thoughts on it. At the moment, I'm trying to consult an editor if he has a copy of this ancient 1997 DVD by chance, as it includes a booklet that I could use in the article. Slightlymad</i> 09:42, 21 January 2018 (UTC)

DYK for Private View (Inside No. 9)
Gatoclass (talk) 01:49, 22 January 2018 (UTC)

Inside No. 9: Séance Time
Hi. I didn't listen to the audio commentary, but in my copy of the episode, the credits have the character played by Dan Starkey credited as Clive. I can provide screen capture if you want. It's the HD streaming version, so it might have been changed at a later point. Kumagoro-42 (talk) 12:04, 22 January 2018 (UTC)
 * That's very odd- I'm sorry for reverting you when there was genuine ambiguity. Do you think this is better? It reflects what is said in the source, but doesn't contradict the information you have access to! Josh Milburn (talk) 19:07, 22 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Sure, seems good. Kumagoro-42 (talk) 08:52, 23 January 2018 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – February 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2018). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg None
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Blurpeace • Dana boomer • Deltabeignet • Denelson83 • Grandiose • Salvidrim! • Ymblanter

Guideline and policy news
 * An RfC has closed with a consensus that candidates at WP:RFA must disclose whether they have ever edited for pay and that administrators may never use administrative tools as part of any paid editing activity, except when they are acting as a Wikipedian-in-Residence or when the payment is made by the Wikimedia Foundation or an affiliate of the WMF.
 * Editors responding to threats of harm can now contact the Wikimedia Foundation's emergency address by using Special:EmailUser/Emergency. If you don't have email enabled on Wikipedia, directly contacting the emergency address using your own email client remains an option.

Technical news
 * A tag will now be automatically applied to edits that blank a page, turn a page into a redirect, remove/replace almost all content in a page, undo an edit, or rollback an edit. These edits were previously denoted solely by automatic edit summaries.

Arbitration
 * The Arbitration Committee has enacted a change to the discretionary sanctions procedure which requires administrators to add a standardized editnotice when placing page restrictions. Editors cannot be sanctioned for violations of page restrictions if this editnotice was not in place at the time of the violation.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:52, 4 February 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 5 February 2018
<div class="hlist" style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> * Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 05:12, 5 February 2018 (UTC)

My comments about Wikipedia Signpost/2014-08-13/Op-ed
Hello, I'm Hanamanteo from Indonesian Wikipedia. I see that there is fact about Indonesian Wikipedia explained in this Signpost. Actually, I want to inform you (and many users here) about bad and problematic system of FA, GA, and FL in Indonesian Wikipedia.
 * In FA and FL, there is criteria about red link. As Crisco said, it's prohibited to requesting article whoch have too many red links in FAC and FLC. However, sometime, article which have too many red links is promoted to be FA. In GA, there isn't criteria about red link. But, sometime, article which have too many red links isn't promoted to be GA due to too many red links. I don't know why.
 * I see, there is new 'unwritten' criteria said that "an article which translated from start-class article in English Wikipedia isn't suitable for GA in Indonesian Wikipedia". (see this GAC)
 * Now, there are too many FAs and FLs which have bad translation and bad (perfected) spelling.
 * ... and many more.

I know the problem: many users don't know the criteria. So, it's such a big problem that must I (and many users) solve it. If you want to pick up this story into Signpost, no problem. Don't hesitate to ask me if you are curious about Indonesian Wikipedia. Cheers. Hanamanteo (talk) 07:34, 8 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Hi, thanks for the note. It is interesting to hear about your experience on the Indonesian Wikipedia; I only included a mention of it in the Signpost article on the recommendation of . I am not currently involved with the Signpost, so don't imagine that I will be writing any further articles soon, but thanks for the suggestion! Josh Milburn (talk) 20:00, 8 February 2018 (UTC)
 * Ah, don't worry, I don't force you to pick up this comments into Signpost soon. Actually I just want to let you know how acute this problem (one of so many problems) in Indonesian Wikipedia, and I must recognize that I have to learn more about Wikipedia, especially Indonesian Wikipedia. Yeah, I don't too understand FAC, GAC and FLC criteria in Indonesian Wikipedia, that's why I'm grateful while there is a user which give the critical comments in a FAC/GAC/FLC. (this is rare case in Indonesian Wikipedia; usually many users just give a support without any critical comments) Hanamanteo (talk) 07:25, 9 February 2018 (UTC)
 * As I've mentioned elsewhere, I think... there is no guarantee that explicit criteria are followed in Id-Wiki processes. The article on Soedjatmoko was shot down on a "fame" consideration (rather than notability), the equivalent of a "Who?" !vote in ITN. But @Hanamanteo, this op-ed is close to four years old... I expect quite a few things have changed, for better or for worse. — Chris Woodrich (talk) 09:16, 9 February 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 20 February 2018
<div class="hlist" style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> * Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:11, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – March 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2018). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg Lourdes†
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg AngelOfSadness • Bhadani • Chris 73 • Coren • Friday • Midom • Mike V
 * † Lourdes has requested that her admin rights be temporarily removed, pending her return from travel.

Guideline and policy news
 * The autoconfirmed article creation trial (ACTRIAL) is scheduled to end on 14 March 2018. The results of the research collected can be read on Meta Wiki.
 * Community ban discussions must now stay open for at least 24 hours prior to being closed.
 * A change to the administrator inactivity policy has been proposed. Under the proposal, if an administrator has not used their admin tools for a period of five years and is subsequently desysopped for inactivity, the administrator would have to file a new RfA in order to regain the tools.
 * A change to the banning policy has been proposed which would specify conditions under which a repeat sockmaster may be considered de facto banned, reducing the need to start a community ban discussion for these users.

Technical news
 * CheckUsers are now able to view private data such as IP addresses from the edit filter log, e.g. when the filter prevents a user from creating an account. Previously, this information was unavailable to CheckUsers because access to it could not be logged.
 * The edit filter has a new feature  that edit filter managers may use to check if one or more strings are all contained in another given string.

Miscellaneous
 * Following the 2018 Steward elections, the following users are our new stewards:, , , ,.

Obituaries
 * Bhadani (Gangadhar Bhadani) passed away on 8 February 2018. Bhadani joined Wikipedia in March 2005 and became an administrator in September 2005. While he was active, Bhadani was regarded as one of the most prolific Wikipedians from India.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 03:00, 2 March 2018 (UTC)

WikiCup 2018 March newsletter
And so ends the first round of the competition, with 4 points required to qualify for round 2. With 53 contestants qualifying, the groups for round 2 are slightly smaller than usual, with the two leaders from each group due to qualify for round 3 as well as the top sixteen remaining users.

Our top scorers in round 1 were:


 * 🇺🇸 Aoba47 led the field with a featured article, 8 good articles and 42 GARs, giving a total of 666 points.
 * 🇩🇪 FrB.TG, a WikiCup newcomer, came next with 600 points, gained from a featured article and masses of bonus points.
 * 🇮🇳 Ssven2, another WikiCup newcomer, was in third place with 403 points, garnered from a featured article, a featured list, a good article and twelve GARs.
 * 🇺🇸 Ceranthor, 🇮🇳 Numerounovedant, Carbrera, 🇳🇱 Farang Rak Tham and 🇷🇴 Cartoon network freak all had over 200 points, but like all the other contestants, now have to start again from scratch. A good achievement was the 193 GARs performed by WikiCup contestants, comparing very favourably with the 54 GAs they achieved.

Remember that any content promoted after the end of round 1 but before the start of round 2 can be claimed in round 2. Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on WikiCup/Reviews.

If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to help keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Godot13 (talk), Sturmvogel 66 (talk), Cwmhiraeth (talk) and Vanamonde (talk) 15:27, 2 March 2018 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Faryl album cover.jpg
Thanks for uploading File:Faryl album cover.jpg. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described in section F5 of the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. --B-bot (talk) 18:13, 4 March 2018 (UTC)

Featured article candidates/Hydnum repandum/archive1
As a tip of the wiki-hat to Sasata, I punted this one over the FAC-line....though like many mushroom articles there is a sound of crickets chirping at FAC.....Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 10:25, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Encryption (Album Cover).jpg
Thanks for uploading File:Encryption (Album Cover).jpg. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described in section F5 of the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. --B-bot (talk) 18:08, 8 March 2018 (UTC)

Help with FAC (Source Review)
Hello again! I hope that you are having a wonderful week so far. If possible, I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me with my current FAC by providing a source review? I understand if you do not have the time or energy to do so, but I just felt like asking. Either way, good luck with all of your projects on and off Wikipedia. Aoba47 (talk) 04:30, 27 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the note; I'll stop by for a source review in a few days, if no one gets to it first. Josh Milburn (talk) 18:25, 28 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Thank you! Aoba47 (talk) 18:47, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

Signpost issue 4 – 29 March 2018
<div class="hlist" style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> * Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:49, 29 March 2018 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – April 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (March 2018). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg 331dot • Cordless Larry • ClueBot NG
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Gogo Dodo • Pb30 • Sebastiankessel • Seicer • SoLando

Guideline and policy news
 * Administrators who have been desysopped due to inactivity are now required to have performed at least one (logged) administrative action in the past 5 years in order to qualify for a resysop without going through a new RfA.
 * Editors who have been found to have engaged in sockpuppetry on at least two occasions after an initial indefinite block, for whatever reason, are now automatically considered banned by the community without the need to start a ban discussion.
 * The notability guideline for organizations and companies has been substantially rewritten following the closure of this request for comment. Among the changes, the guideline more clearly defines the sourcing requirements needed for organizations and companies to be considered notable.
 * The six-month autoconfirmed article creation trial (ACTRIAL) ended on 14 March 2018. The post-trial research report has been published. A request for comment is now underway to determine whether the restrictions from ACTRIAL should be implemented permanently.

Technical news
 * There will soon be a calendar widget at Special:Block, making it easier to set expiries for a specific date and time.

Arbitration
 * The Arbitration Committee is considering a change to the discretionary sanctions procedures which would require an editor to appeal a sanction to the community at WP:AE or WP:AN prior to appealing directly to the Arbitration Committee at WP:ARCA.

Miscellaneous
 * A discussion has closed which concluded that administrators are not required to enable email, though many editors suggested doing so as a matter of best practice.
 * The Foundations' Anti-Harassment Tools team has released the Interaction Timeline. This shows a chronologic history for two users on pages where they have both made edits, which may be helpful in identifying sockpuppetry and investigating editing disputes.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:23, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

Survey Invite
I'm working on a study of political motivations and how they affect editing. I'd like to ask you to take a survey. The survey should take no more than 1-2 minutes. Your survey responses will be kept private. Our project is documented at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Wikipedia_%2B_Politics.

Survey Link: http://uchicago.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9S3JByWf57fXEkR?Q_DL=56np5HpEZWkMlr7_9S3JByWf57fXEkR_MLRP_eniShoQAa3EJrJr&Q_CHL=gl

I am asking you to participate in this study because you are a frequent editor of pages on Wikipedia that are of political interest. We would like to learn about your experiences in dealing with editors of different political orientations.

Sincere thanks for your help! Porteclefs (talk) 23:15, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

Cryptic crosswords
I suppose the Times crossword is the most famous of cryptics, but the setter's name is never given, so you don't know what you're up against. I quote from Paul Jennings: it is "a push-over on some days, all anagrams and quotes from Gray’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard, and then they suddenly slip in one aimed at some mad vicar, a Senior Wrangler in 1911, and a sometime Classics don ... and even he has to give the whole morning to it." I'm a Guardian man, and you can do their crosswords online free of charge. They are as classy as the Times, and have the great advantage of being signed, so you know your enemy. The great and sorely missed Araucaria was a fiend in human shape, not for beginners, and Bunthorne took no prisoners either. If you start with one of Rufus's it's a painless way in. And online you can press the "Reveal this" button if you're stuck on a clue – very useful for the beginner. That said, some of the most intellectually formidable people I know just can't get on with cryptic crosswords: it's a question of whether your mind is attuned to word play and low cunning.  Tim riley  talk    09:00, 8 April 2018 (UTC)

Nomination of Portal:Fungi for deletion
A proposal has been made to delete Portal:Fungi, which you have made significant contributions to, as well as all other portals on English Wikipedia. You are welcome to contribute to the discussion if you'd like, which is located at Village pump (proposals). Thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia. North America1000 12:17, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

Precious five years!
--Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:38, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

Dungeons & Dragons (album) scheduled for TFA
This is to let you know that Dungeons & Dragons (album) has been scheduled as today's featured article for 19 May 2018. Please check that the article needs no polishing or corrections. If you're interested in editing the main page text, you're welcome to do so at Today's featured article/May 19, 2018. Ealdgyth - Talk 16:16, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 26 April 2018
<div class="hlist" style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> * Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:50, 26 April 2018 (UTC)

WikiCup 2018 May newsletter
The second round of the 2018 WikiCup has now finished. Most contestants who advanced to the next round scored upwards of 100 points, but two with just 10 points managed to scrape through into round 3. Our top scorers in the last round were:


 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Cas Liber, our winner in 2016, with three featured articles
 * Iazyges, with nine good articles and lots of bonus points
 * 🇮🇳 Yashthepunisher, a first time contestant, with two featured lists
 * SounderBruce, a finalist last year, with seventeen good topic articles
 * 🇺🇸 Usernameunique, a first time contestant, with fourteen DYKs
 * Muboshgu, a seasoned competitor, with three ITNs and
 * Courcelles, another first time contestant, with twenty-seven GARs

So far contestants have achieved twelve featured articles between them and a splendid 124 good articles. Commendably, 326 GARs have been completed during the course of the 2018 WikiCup, so the backlog of articles awaiting GA review has been reduced as a result of contestants' activities. As we enter the third round, remember that any content promoted after the end of round 2 but before the start of round 3 can be claimed in round 3. Remember too that you must claim your points within 14 days of "earning" them. When doing GARs, please make sure that you check that all the GA criteria are fully met; most of the GARs are fine, but a few have been a bit skimpy.

If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article nominations, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on WikiCup/Reviews Needed (remember to remove your listing when no longer required). Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Godot13 (talk), Sturmvogel 66 (talk), Vanamonde (talk) and Cwmhiraeth (talk) 06:10, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – May 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (April 2018). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg None
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Chochopk • Coffee • Gryffindor • Jimp • Knowledge Seeker • Lankiveil • Peridon • Rjd0060

Guideline and policy news
 * The ability to create articles directly in mainspace is now indefinitely restricted to autoconfirmed users.
 * A proposal is being discussed which would create a new "event coordinator" right that would allow users to temporarily add the "confirmed" flag to new user accounts and to create many new user accounts without being hindered by a rate limit.

Technical news
 * AbuseFilter has received numerous improvements, including an OOUI overhaul, syntax highlighting, ability to search existing filters, and a few new functions. In particular, the search feature can be used to ensure there aren't existing filters for what you need, and the new  function can be used when checking multiple namespaces. One major upcoming change is the ability to see which filters are the slowest. This information is currently only available to those with access to Logstash.
 * When blocking anonymous users, a cookie will be applied that reloads the block if the user changes their IP. This means in most cases, you may no longer need to do /64 range blocks on residential IPv6 addresses in order to effectively block the end user. It will also help combat abuse from IP hoppers in general. This currently only occurs when hard-blocking accounts.
 * The block notice shown on mobile will soon be more informative and point users to a help page on how to request an unblock, just as it currently does on desktop.
 * There will soon be a calendar widget at Special:Block, making it easier to set expiries for a specific date and time.

Arbitration
 * The Arbitration Committee is seeking additional clerks to help with the arbitration process.

Obituaries
 * (Craig Franklin) passed away in mid-April. Lankiveil joined Wikipedia on 12 August 2004 and became an administrator on 31 August 2008. During his time with the Wikimedia community, Lankiveil served as an oversighter for the English Wikipedia and as president of Wikimedia Australia.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 07:05, 2 May 2018 (UTC)

Wiki Loves Food
Hello! After the successful pilot program by Wikimedia India in 2015, Wiki Loves Food (WLF) is happening again in 2018 and this year, it's  going International. To make this event a grand success, your direction is key. Please sign up here as a volunteer to bring all the world's food to Wikimedia. Danidamiobi (talk) 08:41, 7 May 2018 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:The Bill poster.jpg
Thanks for uploading File:The Bill poster.jpg. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described in section F5 of the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. --B-bot (talk) 17:40, 8 May 2018 (UTC)

Nicholas Hoult
Hey Josh, I was wondering if you'd want to take a look at my current FAC and offers comments. Let me know, thanks. <small style="background:#132639;padding:2px"> Vedant <small style="background:#FFD200;padding:2px"> Talk  15:42, 12 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Hey, Josh. Any plans yet? <small style="background:#132639;padding:2px"> Vedant <small style="background:#FFD200;padding:2px"> Talk  08:23, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Sorry I didn't acknowledge this. I can't make any promises right now; it's a pretty busy time for me at the moment, but I'm definitely doing my best to make some time for reviewing activities. Josh Milburn (talk) 09:25, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
 * That's alright, good luck with what's keeping you busy! Thank you for the response. <small style="background:#132639;padding:2px"> Vedant <small style="background:#FFD200;padding:2px"> Talk  09:28, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

TFA
Thank you for Dungeons & Dragons (album), your first FAC! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:00, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the message; I'm not sure the article would pass so easily today, but I remember how proud I was to get my first star! Josh Milburn (talk) 09:28, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
 * I remember mine as well, and then it was on invitation by the two who had done the work, while I had mainly just pruned and corrected. My first solo was Erschallet, ihr Lieder, written for Pentecost (tomorrow) but a god motto for every day ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:52, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

GA Review Request
Hi ,

Can you please review my (Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala) for GA? Thank you, Siddiqsazzad001    <Talk/>   14:16, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
 * I'm a little pressed for time at the moment. The article has only been in the queue for a couple of weeks; I appreciate that it's a pain, but we need to be patient at GAC! Josh Milburn (talk) 17:56, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

The Signpost: 24 May 2018
<div class="hlist" style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> * Read this Signpost in full * Single-page * Unsubscribe * MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:18, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

Women in Red June Editathons
--Megalibrarygirl (talk) 17:15, 29 May 2018 (UTC) via MassMessaging

Administrators' newsletter – June 2018
News and updates for administrators from the past month (May 2018). Administrator changes
 * Gnome-colors-list-add.svg None
 * Gnome-colors-list-remove.svg Al Ameer son • AliveFreeHappy • Cenarium • Lupo • MichaelBillington

Guideline and policy news
 * Following a successful request for comment, administrators are now able to add and remove editors to the "event coordinator" group. Users in the event coordinator group have the ability to temporarily add the "confirmed" flag to new user accounts and to create many new user accounts without being hindered by a rate limit. Users will no longer need to be in the "account creator" group if they are in the event coordinator group.
 * Following an AN discussion, all pages with content related to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, broadly construed, are now under indefinite general sanctions.

Technical news
 * IP-based cookie blocks should be deployed to English Wikipedia in June. This will cause the block of a logged-out user to be reloaded if they change IPs. This means in most cases, you may no longer need to do /64 range blocks on residential IPv6 addresses in order to effectively block the end user. It will also help combat abuse from IP hoppers in general. For the time being, it only affects users of the desktop interface.
 * The Wikimedia Foundation's Anti-Harassment Tools team will build granular types of blocks in 2018 (e.g. a block from uploading or editing specific pages, categories, or namespaces, as opposed to a full-site block). Feedback on the concept may be left at the talk page.
 * There is now a checkbox on Special:ListUsers to let you see only users in temporary user groups.
 * It is now easier for blocked mobile users to see why they were blocked.

Arbitration
 * A recent technical issue with the Arbitration Committee's spam filter inadvertently caused all messages sent to the committee through Wikipedia (i.e. Special:EmailUser/Arbitration Committee) to be discarded. If you attempted to send an email to the Arbitration Committee via Wikipedia between May 16 and May 31, your message was not received and you are encouraged to resend it. Messages sent outside of these dates or directly to the Arbitration Committee email address were not affected by this issue.

Miscellaneous
 * In early May, an unusually high level of failed login attempts was observed. The WMF has stated that this was an "external effort to gain unauthorized access to random accounts". Under Wikipedia policy, administrators are required to have strong passwords. To further reinforce security, administrators should also consider enabling two-factor authentication. A committed identity can be used to verify that you are the true account owner in the event that your account is compromised and/or you are unable to log in.

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Archive Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:00, 1 June 2018 (UTC)