User talk:Swarm/Archive 7

Complaints about me
Right. Let's get this straight. In the discussion in question there were two points of controversy, and I was right about both of them. I and my view were being attacked. I have every right to defend myself.

One should NEVER be on a last chance when one is right.

HiLo48 (talk) 09:11, 22 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Oh, and re the alleged accusations of ethnocentrism, I would never be so stupid as to name an organisation from my country and expect others from elsewhere to know what it was. I don't think any editor from my country would. Why should editors from any country be allowed to do that without being called on it? HiLo48 (talk) 09:14, 22 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Take this case&mdash;if the concern is an American mentioning the "FDA" might confuse non-Americans, the solution is not to start slinging about accusations of US-centrism. If you feel the need to say something, you should politely remind the user that they should not assume that everyone knows what the FDA is and that they should at least wikilink it. That's it. And, regarding the claim that "being right" somehow gives you an exception to the rules, that's simply not the case. It's a rule of thumb in any dispute: being "right" does not give you any sort of free pass.  Swarm  X 09:54, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

Graduation
Hey! I was wondering if you saw my reply at WT:Adopt-a-user regarding graduation. And I talked with Addihockey10 at User talk:Addihockey10 and he wanted me to ask another user. Baseball  Watcher  04:40, 22 December 2011 (UTC)
 * ✅. Also, a WP:TROUT to myself, for taking so long to fulfill this request. I saw that talkback, but one distraction led to another and before long I had completely forgotten about it. Seriously, I apologize.  Swarm  X 09:41, 22 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Its fine, do I need to take the adoption template on my userpage off? Baseball   Watcher  17:41, 22 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I've taken the liberty.  Swarm  X 22:33, 22 December 2011 (UTC)

Best wishes

 * Thanks, Kudpung, all the best to you as well! (BTW, the temperature here has reached a bone-chilling 75°F.)  Swarm  X

Happy holidays
Hello Swarm, I would like to drop in to say happy holidays to yourself and a very happy and peaceful New Years. I hope you enjoy it from a fellow Wikipedian to another. --   Luke      (Talk)   15:21, 25 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks Luke, and all the best of the season to you as well.  Swarm  X 03:07, 26 December 2011 (UTC)

Re: AbsoluteGleek92
Thanks, but It took almost two months though! He edited obscure articles that no one really watches but for some reason White Chicks is on my watch list and I read a familiar edit summary. He'll most likely will be back. I don't get it, if you are banned from a website, why keep coming back to it? Move on.. — Mike  Allen   00:19, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Hey, better two months than never. I'll never understand the lengths some people will go to sock, though.  Swarm  X 18:14, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Posted
Per: this. The majority of voters is in favour of posting this news fact with the changed blurb. But it still has not been posted. Could you perhaps do the honour? It'll go stale otherwise. Mythic Writerlord (talk) 19:44, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Since I've voted in support, I really can't be the one to post the item. Try Tariqabjotu, he's usually the "dedicated poster".  Swarm  X 20:56, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the tip. Hope he responds swiftly. Although his last edit is from two days ago, so it might be to late when he responds. Mythic Writerlord (talk) 20:57, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Yeah, but even if he's taking a break, there's usually enough admins around to look over the discussions.  Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:00, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm pretty sure a lot of them have seen a consensus being reached, but none of them has bothered to post it thus far. Hopefully now this nomination will get some more attention and one of them will not only notice it, but also add it to the template. Mythic Writerlord (talk) 21:02, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Consensus isn't the only thing that determines posting. Articles must be suitably updated&mdash;if they're not, then they won't be posted.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:05, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * The article is perfectly up-to-date and well-sourced. The layout and illustrations are fine and there are plenty of reliable sources and references. The place and cause of death are all included\updated. It is very much "suitably updated". Mythic Writerlord (talk) 21:17, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

Double sharp
I'm not going to wheel war, but you shouldn't have unblocked. Note the userpage of User:Double sharp. / ƒETCH COMMS  /  05:59, 24 December 2011 (UTC)
 * I saw it, and I considered with the utmost caution as to whether there was a reason not to unblock that account for the requested purpose of converting it to a doppelgänger via a CHU. Doppelgänger accounts are not meant to be used for editing, and I assume Double Sharp understands this as they specifically asked for a temporary unblock. Why? Did something happen? Why was the account re-blocked?  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 20:39, 24 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Actually, now that I'm looking at it, they did exactly what they said they would&mdash;they requested a CHU, then requested a reblock. Am I missing something?  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:37, 24 December 2011 (UTC)
 * It's just a little fishy to me. I'm not sure why they couldn't have simply requested the username change from the original account rather than logging into the doppelganger&mdash;would the crats have denied the request? / ƒETCH COMMS  /  18:17, 25 December 2011 (UTC)
 * No, they almost certainly could have made the request from their main account. Not sure why they didn't. Maybe they simply didn't realize that. Maybe they wanted an opportunity to demonstrate that they could be trusted. I'm actually not sure why this user was unblocked in the first place&mdash;I couldn't find the noticeboard discussion referred to in the unblock rationale. But considering the fact that they were unblocked, and the absence of any concrete basis for concern, I didn't see any harm in assuming good faith by default and accepting their request for a temp unblock.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 07:52, 26 December 2011 (UTC)
 * [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard&diff=prev&oldid=461615492], for reference. Anyway, happy new year! / ƒETCH COMMS  /  16:49, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Ah. So I probably shouldn't have unblocked him, considering the one account restriction he was under. Oh well, no harm done in the grand scheme of the universe, at least. Happy new year!  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 18:07, 27 December 2011 (UTC)
 * The reason was that Changing_username/Simple states that you have to be logged in with your present username when making the request, which I thought referred to the username you wanted changed, so I assumed I had to request it from EucIidthegreek. Double sharp (talk) 08:12, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

user:rast5
User:rast5, who you seem to have blocked before, is back and stalking me in a very disruptive manner. Please take a look.--Andriabenia (talk) 15:35, 29 December 2011 (UTC)

IP 98.165.115.152
You blocked this 2-3 days ago for disruptive editing. It came back out of its block and right away made a revert again (which I did not report and showed tolerance). It has been making personal attacks ever since inspite of repeated warnings (though I was building consensus), at the talk page, Talk:Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, its own talk page and now at User talk:Magog the Ogre. I last suspected it was a WP:DUCK of another (and alternate) but I'm not sure about that. Can you review the personal attacks? -- <b style="color:#060">lTopGunl</b> (<b style="color:#000">ping</b>) 10:25, 30 December 2011 (UTC)

GOCE 2011 Year-End Report
Sent on behalf of the Guild of Copy Editors using AWB on 06:54, 2 January 2012 (UTC)

Protection of page
Hello, Swarm. Can you kindly semi-protect my subpage- User:Dipankan001/Userboxes by me. It's not being vandalized, but it's my testing area, where I do not want others to edit in.Dipankan In the woods? 09:49, 4 January 2012 (UTC)
 * ✅.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 20:12, 5 January 2012 (UTC)

Admin?
When did you get admin status? Anyways, thanks for posting the Syria bombings. Wikifan Be nice 04:15, 9 January 2012 (UTC)
 * He got adminship on October 18, 2011.Jasper Deng (talk) 04:18, 9 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Heh, yep, I slipped through RfA a few months ago. My services haven't really been needed at ITN/C since then, due to the ever-vigilant work of Tariqabjotu. His activity has dropped off recently, though, so I actually got to post something for once. :P  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 22:49, 9 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Well it's nice to see more admins at ITN. Congrats on your successful RFA. Wikifan Be nice  01:23, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

A beer for you!

 * Sorry to see this :(. I hope you do stick around to some degree, and if not, hope you're not gone too long. Have a great break.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 20:23, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

Rollbacker
Thanks for assign me the rollbacker status. Felipeyes? 02:09, 26 January 2012 (UTC)

Requests for comment/F&aelig;
A request for comments has been opened on administrator User:Fæ. You are being notified due to your prior participation in ANI, RfA, or RfC discussions regarding this user. Thank you, MadmanBot (talk) 19:46, 28 January 2012 (UTC)

Thank you.
Thanks. Rollback would be nice, but seldom necessary. Rick Norwood (talk) 18:57, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Online Ambassador, Spring 2012
Hi, Swarm! As you may know, the Wikipedia Education Program has instilled a new set of standards that courses must meet to officially join the program for the semester. As you can see, one of the requirements is that at least one ambassador or professor is a Wikipedian, as this should give students more access to helpful information about contributing to Wikipedia and creating good content. You are listed on the Online Ambassador page; are you still interested in remaining active this semester? Some of these classes will have to remove themselves from the program should they fail to meet these standards, but we would like to ensure that new students are receiving proper support during the editing process. Please let me know if you are still interested in mentoring these students this semester and/or visit the Online Ambassador talk page to select a course that still needs an Online Ambassador. Thank you! JMathewson (WMF) (talk) 00:59, 7 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, I absolutely want to help out. Is there a particular place where an ambassador is needed? If so, just put me where you need me (I'll take four classes). If not, I'll just sign up myself, no prob.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 05:28, 9 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Hey, if you go to the above link (the OA talk page), you can see the classes who still need OA support. If you can really take on 4, that would be amazing! You can just use that list to sign up on their Course Pages, and then they'll be eligible to participate in the program. Thanks, again! JMathewson (WMF) (talk) 06:51, 9 February 2012 (UTC)
 * No problem... is the OA situation bad, in your opinion? I see that the majority of courses still have insufficient OA support. Or do you think most of the classes will eventually be taken care of?  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 02:01, 10 February 2012 (UTC)

Talkback
Sole Soul (talk) 00:08, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Talkback
—<font color="pink" face="Neuropol">cyberpower (<font color="gold" face="arnprior">Talk to Me )(<font color="gold" face="arnprior">Contributions ) 20:38, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

HistoryRapper
Created again, may warrant a block or create protection at this point. Calabe1992 04:00, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Wow, literally recreated it before I could write out my "last warning"! Alright, I was hoping to give them a last chance but I'd say they threw that chance right out the window.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 04:03, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

Block of 217.23.69.206
Could I ask you to take another look at your block of ? I'm not convinced that the recent edits were vandalism. Toddst1 (talk) 02:48, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * It appears that you've gone off-line. I'm going to unblock that editor as the block seems to have been made in error, albeit with the best intent. It's clear that they've been disruptive in the past, but I can't find anything blockworthy in the past 24 hours.  Toddst1 (talk) 03:01, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I see I'm too late, but this looked like your typical subtle POV-pusher/disruptive editor to me, so forgive me for not hesitating to reinstate the anonblock. Their entire recent editing history appears to be largely made up of inserting fact tags where it suits them, inserting unsourced information where it suits them, removing information for no reason where it suits them, and plainly disruptive edits. I entirely expect this pattern of negative editing to continue until they're inevitably re-blocked.
 * TL;DR: Whatevs. Best regards,  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 03:45, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I'll keep an eye out there and reinstate without hesitation as well. Cheers. Toddst1 (talk) 14:27, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Cool, thanks!  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 01:22, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

User:History Records
Just so you know, someone had filed a report at WP:UAA about this user, as a promotional username. The fact he's temporarily blocked means the bots over there have removed the report in question. --  Blanchardb -Me•MyEars•MyMouth- timed 04:13, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Yeah...the person claims they're "representing" a "band" called "History Rappers" (I assume it's a ridiculously false claim). Anyway. They'll probably never return, or they'll attempt to create the page again, in which case they'll be indeffed anyway. No big deal.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 04:18, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I've contacted the admin who maintains the bots at UAA about this issue. That wasn't the first instance I encountered. --  Blanchardb -Me•MyEars•MyMouth- timed 04:27, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * This screed seals it. Indef with no talk page access, or simply remove it, AGF, and try to explain things.Jasper Deng (talk) 04:32, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Hilarious. I honestly wonder if they're that serious about the article, or if they're flat out trolling. Ah well, in any case another admin's beaten me to it with a talk page block and a week-long extension.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 04:44, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * (BTW, here's the youtube channel this is obviously related to. Looks like they're trying to stage a comeback. :P)  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 04:46, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

I was the one who had filed the UAA about this user (for some reason I thought I also saw a different article titled "History Records" that they created? That was when I reported them, figured it was clear enough at that point. Perhaps I was just seeing things. ;) Either way, hopefully this block will do what is needed; although the UAA removal therefore isn't really an issue here, you're right that the bots probably shouldn't remove users who are temporarily blocked. Calabe1992 14:25, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * History Records appears to be an obvious sock of . I've blocked that user and tagged both. Toddst1 (talk) 14:36, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * OK, so the Helperbot issue is moot for this one. Good enough. Calabe1992 14:39, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Todd - I see you tagged User:History Records as indef-blocked, but I don't see that you've done so. Latest block was one week by CET. Calabe1992 15:11, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks for pointing that out. I've fixed it. Toddst1 (talk) 15:34, 14 February 2012 (UTC)

For the record it is written as HistoryRapper. One word, not plural. --Sevencloud7a (talk) 18:35, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Off to SPI we go. Calabe1992 19:58, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Account is a ✅ sock, and no sleepers are currently around, so hopefully we're done for a while. Calabe1992 23:01, 14 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Alright Calabe, thanks, and you too Toddst for taking care of this while I was away. I see I've got a couple of typical emails from the user trying to justify the article's existence/sockpuppetry, but hopefully they'll move on now.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 01:36, 15 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Funny, the book he cites to show notability doesn't even exist on Amazon :) --  Blanchardb -Me•MyEars•MyMouth- timed 11:06, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

MSU Interview
Dear Swarm,

My name is Jonathan Obar user:Jaobar, I'm a professor in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University and a Teaching Fellow with the Wikimedia Foundation's Education Program. This semester I've been running a little experiment at MSU, a class where we teach students about becoming Wikipedia administrators. Not a lot is known about your community, and our students (who are fascinated by wiki-culture by the way!) want to learn how you do what you do, and why you do it. A while back I proposed this idea (the class) to the community HERE, where it was met mainly with positive feedback. Anyhow, I'd like my students to speak with a few administrators to get a sense of admin experiences, training, motivations, likes, dislikes, etc. We were wondering if you'd be interested in speaking with one of our students.

So a few things about the interviews:
 * Interviews will last between 15 and 30 minutes.
 * Interviews can be conducted over skype (preferred), IRC or email. (You choose the form of communication based upon your comfort level, time, etc.)
 * All interviews will be completely anonymous, meaning that you (real name and/or pseudonym) will never be identified in any of our materials, unless you give the interviewer permission to do so.
 * All interviews will be completely voluntary. You are under no obligation to say yes to an interview, and can say no and stop or leave the interview at any time.
 * The entire interview process is being overseen by MSU's institutional review board (ethics review). This means that all questions have been approved by the university and all students have been trained how to conduct interviews ethically and properly.

Bottom line is that we really need your help, and would really appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. If interested, please send me an email at obar@msu.edu (to maintain anonymity) and I will add your name to my offline contact list. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can post your name HERE instead.

If you have questions or concerns at any time, feel free to email me at obar@msu.edu. I will be more than happy to speak with you.

Thanks in advance for your help. We have a lot to learn from you.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Obar --Jaobar (talk) 07:26, 12 February 2012 (UTC)

Young June Sah --Yjune.sah (talk) 21:02, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Capitolfilms.gif
 Thanks for uploading File:Capitolfilms.gif. 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 the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Skier Dude ( talk ) 05:06, 17 February 2012 (UTC)

Mr. Thomas's class
Hi, I'm the RA for the Great Lakes Reaches subregion; would you mind assisting Mr. Thomas with finishing getting his course page set up for JCC? We're trying to meet the Friday deadline. Thanks! <span style="font-family:linux libertine o, times; font-variant:small-caps">Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs) 17:32, 15 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Also, his class is not listed on the MOU for the United States. <span style="font-family:linux libertine o, times; font-variant:small-caps">Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs) 17:47, 15 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, can you clarify a bit? What exactly does he still need to get his course page set up? It looks like it is set up but just not fully filled out.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 02:09, 17 February 2012 (UTC)
 * The course page needs to be fully filled out, including the list of student usernames. The MOU (there's a tab at the top of WP:USEP) is the agreement between all the involved parties-- in this case, it's Mr. Thomas, you, and me. Thanks, <span style="font-family:linux libertine o, times; font-variant:small-caps">Bob the WikipediaN (talk • contribs) 20:31, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

Filter 441
Hi. Can you re-add the filter to the vandalism reporting list again, and block the latest socks of the spammer. Thank you. Sole Soul (talk) 17:19, 18 February 2012 (UTC)
 * You got it.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 18:03, 18 February 2012 (UTC)

My RfA
Thanks for jumping in quickly to support my RfA, which was successful and nearly unanimous. Be among the first to see my L-plate! – Fayenatic L (talk) 13:19, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Just an introduction!
Hello! My name is Sarah Tolstrup and I'm part of the Cognition class that will be assisting Wikipedia. I hope that we will be able to form a quality page.Stolstrup (talk) 05:45, 27 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi Sarah! I'm Joe, and if you need any help at all, feel free to ask anytime. I'm here to help. Best regards,  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 19:10, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Email from Campus Ambassador
<font style="background-color: yellow" color="green">IvyLaw (talk) 19:16, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

You've got mail - Criminal Process Course
<font style="background-color: yellow" color="green">IvyLaw (talk) 19:31, 28 February 2012 (UTC)

Feathers Trial
See my talk page. I'm a little suspicious of this user .Jasper Deng (talk) 23:33, 4 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks
I didn't think I should do it myself. Peridon (talk) 20:30, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
 * No problem. When in doubt, definitely never hurts to wait for a second opinion. Best,  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 23:45, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Leave me a review
Hey, Swarm, it would be nice if you kindly leave me a review here: User:Dipankan001/What have I learnt. Thanking you, Dipankan001. Dipankan says.. ( "Be bold and edit!" ) 06:33, 15 March 2012 (UTC)

help with my wiki article for class
Sorry to bother but my article is doing a funky redirect. I tried to move it into main space out of my sandbox and now all my links aren't working. Any help would be appriciated! Ammeunie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ammeunie — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ammeunie (talk • contribs) 16:38, 27 March 2012 (UTC)

UMASS class - Erikson
Hello Swarm. I am supposed to be writing a page for a court case for my class and can't seem to understand how to even get started. Is there a rule about how much of it needs to be in my own words and how much can be taken from other websites and cited? I'm not even sure how to tell if you respond to these questions. I'll come back here later to see if it worked. Thanks, Irene — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rule (Irene) (talk • contribs) 00:46, 24 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi there Irene. Wikipedia articles should be written in your own words entirely&mdash;content shouldn't be copied or closely paraphrased from sources. All information (or as much as possible) should be reliably sourced. If I can explain anything in more detail for you, please feel free to let me know.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 02:27, 24 March 2012 (UTC)
 * I most certainly was not asked to answer this question and apologize for butting in but I feel that there's an important point to make here. The education programs on Wikipedia are relatively new and the issue of plagiarism hasn't clearly been addressed yet.  Rather, both bodies (the schools and Wikipedia define it well but cases such as this aren't so clear.
 * My point is, copying text to Wikipedia happens and it happens for several different reasons. The text you place on Wikipedia either needs to be your own words, properly quoted and cited under fair use, or come from a free source.  In any of those cases, it still needs to satisfy all of Wikipedia's other policies and guidelines.  Your school, however, might not be as forgiving as Wikipedia and if your school is anything like mine was, that's not a line you want to dance around as it could lead to expulsion.
 * I'm not trying to be scary and certainly not trying to get anyone into trouble but I feel obligated to warn you about pasting text verbatim into mainspace (where articles go). An instructor may deem that plagiarism.  If you ever need help, I'd be happy to do what I can.  Just leave me a message on my talk page, here.  Ol Yeller21  <sup style="color:#827839;">Talktome  14:16, 29 March 2012 (UTC)

Hello Swarm. Well, I think I did it. Could you check out Goldblatt v. Hempstead and see what you think? Thanks, Irene — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rule (Irene) (talk • contribs) 03:01, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Swarm, I never received a response on the course's discussion page or here so I've started asking related Wikiprojects to assist me with determining the notability of the subjects in the articles created by the students of the course which you are the online ambassador for. I'm not really sure how else to deal with this but it seems like the students haven't been made aware of several of Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. That's OK but I don't want to get to harsh with a bunch of students by tagging their articles and/or nominating the article for AfD. We were forced to do that with WP:IEP because of copyvios and it causes a lot of stress for the students and eventually got the project shutdown until several issues could be solved. I'm not saying that's going to happen here but I'd like to be as accommodating as I can be. I'm willing to help but it's hard when I can't even get anyone from the course to respond to me.  Ol Yeller21 <sup style="color:#827839;">Talktome  14:58, 2 April 2012 (UTC)
 * I am related to the course, and your concerns won't go unaddressed. We are not trying to reenact the fiasco of WP:IEP and this is merely an innocent mistake. Maximilianklein (talk) 22:16, 2 April 2012 (UTC)

In The News/Recurring Items
I am posting here to ask for editors to look at In_the_news/Recurring_items and to comment at the talk page to discuss/vote on an amendment to the ITN/R list. I am posting this message on a number of editor's talk pages to encourage debate.

In connection to an ongoing debate on which items can appear on the front page under "In The News", "Recurring Items" are nominated events which require very little debate in the nomination process.

I propose the following amendment to the current ITN/R list. In addition I will put this on the talk page of as many editors as I can find who are contributors to ITN/C

At In_the_news/Recurring_items, I propose the following amendment to section 3:


 * At line 5, delete "and", and add after "territories" the words "and the world's twenty smallest nations".

Section 3, Line 5 would then read:


 * Disputed states, dependent territories and the world's twenty smallest nations should be discussed at WP:ITN/C and judged on their own merits.

I look forward to the debate doktorb wordsdeeds 07:23, 17 April 2012 (UTC)

Bare urls
Hello. I've noticed some of the citations you added for Emergency & I and Travistan  are bare URLS. I just thought I should let you know. Thomsonmg2000 (talk) 14:42, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Hey. Yeah, I've always used a script for adding references&mdash;you put in the reference info and it inserts the citation template for you. As I was adding that info, I discovered that the button for doing that was completely missing so I'd have to do it manually. I saved it with the bare URLs and intended to properly fix the references in another edit, but I got distracted. Worry not, though, I'll fix it ASAP.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 00:21, 18 April 2012 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

 * Hey, no problem. :)  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 01:07, 19 April 2012 (UTC)

American Political Thought Spring 2012
Hi Swarm,

I just brought two new articles live: Galloway_v._United_States and Cabinet_solidarity

Wil you make sure that our class is up-to-date in the leaderboard: http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Education_Program/Fall_2011/Leaderboard_US

Please email me at edward.erikson@gmail.com ASAP to confirm that everyone is adequately represented on the leader board. Thank you!

Ege3 (talk) 12:32, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

getting people kicked of WP to win a content dispute
Hi Swarm,

last december I explained to you how an editor got herself indef blocked (User_talk:Swarm/Archive_6) because of an unfair complaint by another editor.

This time I am in the line of fire from the same editor on the AN/I

Could you have a look if there is anything I did that would require a punitive action ?

Thanks, --POVbrigand (talk) 20:35, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

Deletion of James Hahn (naval officer)
Just asking for clarification nothing more: You marked James Hahn (naval officer) as merge rather than delete on 13 March 2012, following discussion at Articles for deletion/James Hahn (naval officer). On 25 March 2012 the article was converted (by User:Bgwhite) to a redirect, with no merge of content, simply deletion. Would this be normal? Just asking, I have no particular desire to resurrect the article. Jan 1 naD (talk • contrib) 10:13, 15 May 2012 (UTC)

Greetings friend
It has been too long since I last wished you well. Short of that, I have remembered; and often smiled. - My76Strat (talk) 01:44, 21 May 2012 (UTC)

Old friend(?) is back
Hi, Swarm! An old sockpuppeteer is back! Our pal DisneyCSIfan is back, now in the guise of JohnDoe98. He/she has been caught socking and blocked a couple times since we spotted CSIdisney2000, and just keeps coming back. SPI is badly backlogged, and you encouraged me to let you know if any more socks turned up, so here I am. This one popped up a couple weeks ago in an edit war with Musdan77 (who is shaping up to be another sort of problem child) over capitalization of job titles on the article for CSI:Crime Scene Investigation, that eventually wandered to CSI:NY. They were behaving like their position was the only one, neither willing to talk, so I set up a discussion and sent them in to get busy. JohnDoe98 was behaving moderately at the time, but the other editor was aggressive, which lead me to check the edit history. I noticed one of the reverts involved in the war looked familiar and sure enough: 71.38.89.154 was the IP used by CSIDisney et.al. From there, it didn't take long to follow the trail of common edits and watch the increasingly aggressive editing/edit summaries with the signature multiple exclamation points and use of capitals to cinch the deal. We've got us another sock.

If you'd prefer, I'll take it to SPI to at least document the recent sock, but the history there suggests this is a recurring problem and SPI has no effect on his/her behavior. The trick would seem to be to block the IP, but that's your province, of course! Hope all is well otherwise. --Drmargi (talk) 18:42, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Since it looks like you intended to block CSIdisney2000 back in November, I've gone ahead and indeffed them as well. Cheers ​—DoRD (talk)​ 00:10, 30 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Sorry, Drmargi. Obviously I've been pretty inactive lately. Weird that I forgot to actually block CSIdisney2000! Thanks for taking care of it DoRD.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 00:44, 9 June 2012 (UTC)
 * No worries; DoRD did a great job. Good to know you're still with us!  --Drmargi (talk) 01:15, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

An archived comment.
Hello Swarm, you may have missed this archived comment. I wanted to ensure you saw it. Cheers - My76Strat (talk) 04:59, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

Invitation to the April Wikification Drive
Thank you! D is for... (talk) 20:02, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

WikiProject Wikify: July Newsletter and August Drive

 * EdwardsBot (talk) 21:33, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

WikiProject Wikify and the future of wikification
Hi! There is an ongoing proposal at the project talkpage concerning the future of wikification, including possible deprecation of the wikify template which is being discussed at Wikipedia:Templates for discussion/Log/2012 August 10. Your input would be greatly appreciated!

You are receiving this message because you are listed as an active member of the wikify project. To update your status, go here.

Delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) 15:51, 12 August 2012 (UTC) on behalf of Project Wikify

Hello friend
It has been too long. I hope you are well. <font color="#FF4500;">76 Strat String da Broke da (talk) 04:42, 29 August 2012 (UTC)
 * Great to here from you Strat! Indeed it has been too long. I obviously I haven't been active for the past few months, but hopefully I'll be around more in the future. Glad to see you're still around!  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 05:00, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

Psychoanalysis/CBT
Hi Swarm, the Problem is, that I already discussed with CartoonDiablo. See for example here and here. Seems like Diabolo waited till nobodys take a look at the articels and try again to push this table in it. Whats your proposal? -- WSC ® 18:01, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

Thanks
Hi Swarm, just a note to say thanks for dealing with the situation at Veganism. Best, SlimVirgin (talk) 19:31, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

The Olive Branch: A Dispute Resolution Newsletter (Issue #1)
Welcome to the first edition of The Olive Branch. This will be a place to semi-regularly update editors active in dispute resolution (DR) about some of the most important issues, advances, and challenges in the area. You were delivered this update because you are active in DR, but if you would prefer not to receive any future mailing, just add your name to this page. In this issue: Read the entire first edition of The Olive Branch -->
 * Background: A brief overview of the DR ecosystem.
 * Research: The most recent DR data
 * Survey results: Highlights from Steven Zhang's April 2012 survey
 * Activity analysis: Where DR happened, broken down by the top DR forums
 * DR Noticeboard comparison: How the newest DR forum has progressed between May and August
 * Discussion update: Checking up on the Wikiquette Assistance close debate
 * Proposal: It's time to close the Geopolitical, ethnic, and religious conflicts noticeboard. Agree or disagree?

--The Olive Branch 19:32, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free media (File:Doogal poster.jpg)
Thanks for uploading File:Doogal poster.jpg. The media description page currently specifies that it is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, it is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the media 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 media for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of 'file' pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "File" from the dropdown box. Note that all non-free media not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Hazard-Bot (talk) 04:04, 5 September 2012 (UTC)

regarding editor LiamFitzGilbert
i left a message on the Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Edit warring about this editor:
 * for the record, i had a run in with this editor as well, yesterday, over the 1RR on the boycott, divestement and sanctions article. also, i noticed that he has erased from his talk page all previous mentions of his misconduct. and lastly, another editor wrote him today saying that he labeled an edit as minor when it wasn't. Swarm - can you get the message through to LiamFitzGilbert that all of these within two weeks add up to serious.... thanks. Soosim (talk) 10:29, 7 September 2012 (UTC)

User:Matthew Anthony Smith
Hello Swarm. Recently you closed AN3. This was a complaint about edit warring on templates. Now the filer of the 3RR, Ruud Koot, has noticed that MAS is warring to add links to his personal website to a bunch of articles. Here Matthew has added his own link to 18 sections of Comparison of Nvidia graphics processing units. Ruud has left a post on my talk suggesting that a block is now indicated. Please see User talk:EdJohnston and see if you have a recommendation of what to do. You can take over the problem if you wish. Thanks, EdJohnston (talk) 14:34, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Liberalism
I'd love for you to take a look at what is continuing to occur on this article.

My well-sourced, historically correct introduction, is continuing to be repeatedly reverted by Rick Norwood - without ANY DISCUSSION on the Talk page. I've begged him to raise any specific issues, but he just keeps reverting and saying "I've discussed this extensively".... when he hasn't....at all... LiamFitzGilbert (talk) 16:05, 8 September 2012 (UTC)


 * see topic about LiamFitzGilbert, above... Soosim (talk) 07:26, 9 September 2012 (UTC)

Online Ambassador
Hi Joe! Are you interested in being the Online Ambassador for any classes this term? We've got a few classes that are looking for ambassador right now (Canada, US), so if you're up for helping any, please do! Let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like me to pick a course for you.--Sage Ross (WMF) (talk) 14:21, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Burton on Trent
Hello S. Unfortunately our problem editor has gone right back to its disruptive editing when you last block expired. Any assistance you canprovide will be appreciated. MarnetteD | Talk 18:48, 16 September 2012 (UTC)

Template:PRT
There is a problem with the picture in the Template:PRT. The picture of the Portugese flag is replace with a picture of words of some strange language 99.229.41.79 (talk) 00:56, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

WikiProject Good articles (Participant Clean-Up)
Hello, you are receiving this message because you are currently a participant of WikiProject Good articles. Since the creation of the WikiProject, over 200 user's have joined to help review good article nominations and contribute to other sections of the WikiProject. Over the years, several of these users have stopped reviewing articles and/or have become inactive with the project but are still listed as participates. In order to improve communications with other participants and get newsletters sent out faster (newsletters will begin to be sent out monthly starting in October) all participants that are no longer active with the WikiProject will be removed from the participants list.

If you are still interested in being a participant for this WikiProject, please sign your user name here and please help review some articles so we can reduce the size of the backlog. If you are no longer interested, you do not need to sign your name anywhere and your name will be removed from the participants list after the deadline. Remember that even if you are not interested at this time, you can always re-add your name to the list whenever you want. The deadline to sign your name on the page above will be November 1, 2012. Thank-you. 13:35, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

Update for: WikiProject Good articles (Participant Clean-Up)
Sorry for having to send out a second message but a user has brought to my attention that a point mentioned in the first message should be clarified. If user's don't sign on this page, they will be moved to an "Inactive Participants" list rather then be being removed from the entire WikiProject. Sorry for any confusion.--Dom497 (talk)15:24, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

And now for something completely different

 * Ha- thanks, Trusilver. You really do just have to look on and laugh at the absurdity of it all, lest you find yourself in the shower crying in the fetal position.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 18:37, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

You've got mail!
Jasper Deng (talk) 18:06, 30 September 2012 (UTC)

WikiProject Good Articles Newsletter - October 2012
Delivered October 3, 2012 by ENewsBot. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter any longer, please remove your name from this list. → Please direct all enquiries regarding this newsletter to the WikiProject talk page. → Newsletter delivered by ENewsBot (info) · 05:47, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Aaaand.... he's back
Our favorite persistent sockpuppet, User:DisneyCSIfan, is back again, this time as User:Since8-12. He started back up on the Disney Channel page then stayed quiet for a bit, so I wasn't entirely sure it was him/her other than the user name. He's now editing on various iPhone related articles with his trademark emphatic edit summaries full of exclamation points. I'm going to file at SPI to document the newest sock, but wanted to give you a heads up, given the back-up there. Ducks are quacking with great enthusiasm. --Drmargi (talk) 19:18, 30 September 2012 (UTC)
 * N'mind. SPI came though, and found a sleeper.  Do they never learn? --Drmargi (talk) 16:41, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

Help me?
Hi, remember me? You helped resolve the edit war between a user (Drovethrughosts) and I.

Unfortunately, he has moved into my talk page and won't leave. Claims squatter's rights, and that I am ignorant, etc.

I would like him to leave my talk page and stop insulting me, but alas, I have no power or ability to do that. Can you lend a hand? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saw1998 (talk • contribs) 00:37, 6 October 2012 (UTC)

Lifting 0RR
Swarm, you blocked me almost a year ago for violating 1RR restrictions on abortion topics, specifically the article Maafa 21. I promised to adhere to 0RR at that article and was thus unblocked by Spinningspark. Since then I have occasionally edited the article but not reverted.

Today I am requesting that my promise be lifted, that I may again be able to revert once a day, to participate in the normal WP:BRD cycle. I have also asked Spinningspark.

Thanks in advance for the time taken in consideration of this request. Binksternet (talk) 16:08, 6 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Absolutely, I have no objection, and I commend you on the clean block log. Best regards.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 02:09, 9 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks! I appreciate it. Binksternet (talk) 04:14, 9 November 2012 (UTC)

Thanks
That's why you're one of the good guys! --Drmargi (talk) 02:26, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Hey, thank you! We only have your vigilance to thank for catching and reporting that in the first place!  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 02:41, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Let's share the attaboys; you were mighty speeding getting it gone once I did. --Drmargi (talk) 07:18, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Probable sock of 75.51.172.205
Probable sock of the IP you blocked earlier, appears to be a dynamic IP. Is continuing with edits that s/he was blocked for. Definitely recommend blocking the entire range. 05:57, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

More from User:Frost778/75.51.172.205
User:Frost778 has evaded his/her permanent ban by making edits on non-protected pages has has returned with 76.232.253.109 and 67.150.122.222 (see my talk page). His/her edits are extremely tedious to undo because it's regarding a template that is on most of the articles found on the template. I'm wondering if putting a semi-protection on the articles will stop abusive users like this? Thank you.

These are some of the anons s/he used:
 * 75.51.173.37
 * 75.51.172.205
 * 75.51.165.128
 * 75.51.167.12
 * 75.51.165.128
 * 75.51.165.136
 * 75.51.171.188

If this is posted at the wrong place, I'm terribly sorry.

Kentronhayastan (talk) 19:11, 13 November 2012 (UTC)


 * One thing you could do is just put a "cascading protection" onto the template itself, If I'm not mistaken that will protect all the transcluded pages at once. By the way thanks for helping with fighting this block evader, it's one of the worst cases I have ever seen, dramatically lengthening the affected GFDL's. Cheers, Til Eulenspiegel /talk/ 19:34, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 * It seems cascading protection extends to pages that are transcluded onto a particular page, not the other way around. In addition, it won't work with semi-protection anyway. I think we may just need to start semi-protecting individual articles. Tedious, but I'll start grinding away at it. If you could point out articles that need it, that would be great.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:25, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Well, the user seems to have given up for now, so I guess there's no need for that anymore. However, if you (or someone) were to do it, it would have to be on every page that has the template with hidden sections, which is pretty much the entire collection of Armenian History pages except for the History of Armenia page itself... (basically, all of the pages found in the template that have the template)Kentronhayastan (talk) 05:24, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

WP:Sockpuppet investigations/Frost778
Hello Swarm. Please see this new SPI. You made the indef block of Frost778 on November 13. Another editor believes this is actually User:Ararat arev. Feel free to add any relevant info to the SPI report. Thanks, EdJohnston (talk) 00:52, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

Response from Blofield's page
The page in question was, in fact, deleted per G10 an hour and a half later. I will say that after looking over his contributions since the beginning of October there are at least two negative spin-off articles he created and one of those is BLP-related as well. The other concerns someone who died a year ago so I am not sure if the recently-deceased aspect of BLP would still apply, but it appears that article prompted him to create the list I tagged for deletion. Given that, I would consider it plausible that the page I tagged for speedy deletion was intended as an attack page.--The Devil&#39;s Advocate (talk) 05:04, 18 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Oh, I looked at the article and certainly agree that it was well covered by G10. However, the template was...completely unnecessary, to say the least. Here's why I say that:
 * WP:DTTR. This is a widely accepted courtesy. With nearly 447,000 edits since 2006, we can reasonably assume that Blofeld is aware of WP:Attack pages and doesn't need to be templated. It's sort of condescending to assume they need a template that explains basic policy to them.
 * WP:AGF. Blofeld is an editor in good standing. There's no reason to assume bad faith on his part, much less to blatantly threaten him with a potential block.
 * Blofeld is one of our most prolific editors, and the most prolific article creator. He's created about 92,000 articles. That's 33,000 more articles than the runner up, if you're counting. You and I combined don't even have that many edits...not even close. I'm just trying to put that number in perspective...we shouldn't just assume good faith because policy tells us to, we should assume good faith because it makes a lot more sense that a few of the many, many, many articles he creates in good faith are simply flawed, rather than that he's deliberately trying to directly attack people with Wikipedia. Perhaps he creates too many, and the quality/appropriateness of the articles are sacrificed in exchange. Doesn't necessarily mean bad faith though.
 * Just my thoughts anyway. I don't think issues with Blofeld's articles are anything new. I vaguely recall a couple of noticeboard threads somewhere, complaining about various issues. I assume they get swept under the rug for reasons not unlike those I've stated above. Not my concern in any case, but starting a discussion might not be too bad of an idea if you have real concerns.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 06:24, 18 November 2012 (UTC)

Sergecross RFA
Just a courtesy notification, I based q17 at Serge's RFA on your response to InToronto's vote. Occam's Razor suggests that if you link to the word "dick" in explaining how someone just committed a "dick move," you're calling them a name playground-style. Usually it seems like you're level-headed and decent, but in my personal opinion, you crossed a line for no benefit here. Townlake (talk) 20:29, 17 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Hey Townlake, I'll take a look at the RfA when I get a moment. However, I didn't 'link to the word "dick"', I linked to dick, which is a shortcut to a widely-known essay as well as part of the trifecta. I didn't throw that word out there arbitrarily, nor was my motivation name-calling. I assumed most people would be aware of this, understanding that I wasn't implicitly or explicitly referring to Intoronto (an editor who I view positively) as a "dick", but was pointing out a general behavior that I consider to be a "dick move". (I'd be more than happy to go into why I hold that opinion and/or what I meant by "dick move".) I'm a strong supporter of the high behavioral standards for all administrators including myself, but I don't particularly think my comment was a grave violation of these standards. Do you disagree, or is this more of a misunderstanding?  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:04, 17 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Just looked at the question, and I was honestly shocked. You're basically calling me out in public for a purported personal attack. If I did, in frustration, ever personally attack an editor, I'd gladly accept a public shaming, retract any such statement and thoroughly apologize. But as I've explained, there was no personal attack. The question's impossible to answer correctly because it's based on a faulty premise. It just ends up adding unnecessary stress to the candidate, who's already going through a stressful process. For that reason alone, I'd ask you to rewording the question in a more general way.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 22:03, 17 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Your request is declined. The plain meaning of your post is clear; again, Occam's Razor. SilkTork's response to your comment at the RFA indicates I'm not alone in being concerned. And Question 17 can easily be answered "I disagree with your premise" if candidate so chooses, although I don't see why he would. Townlake (talk) 23:13, 17 November 2012 (UTC)
 * So you're saying that I'm lying? I'm a liar? When I say my comment wasn't intended as a personal attack, that's...simply a lie? I'm lying here, and I'm lying to everyone at RfA? After an entire editing history of no personal attacks on my part (save for maybe a couple of incidents in frustration, none of which went without a full retraction and apology), and consistently reasonable, civil behavior, now I'm calling an editor a "dick" at RfA, and trying to cover it up by lying? Why in the world would I possibly do that? Why would I refer to another editor as a "dick" (when the essay I'm referring to directly says that doing so is in itself a dick-move), and then be so shocked to be called on it that I start lying about my intentions?? Occam's razor, if anything, would say that you're simply misunderstanding my comment&mdash;that I didn't suddenly go rogue and start personally attacking someone after years of being civil to everyone I interact with, for no reason. I'm nothing short of astounded. Since you're so concerned with policy, I recommend WP:AGF. It's a great read.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 05:30, 18 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Also, I agree with SilkTork. He's absolutely right! Calling out a dick move isn't going to be pleasant. But I didn't do anything that he said, though (i.e. calling someone a dick by linking to that essay), so I'm not sure what the issue is.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 05:33, 18 November 2012 (UTC)
 * If you're still "not sure what the issue is," | SilkTork did a nice job of explaining the issue clearly in a follow-up comment. I realize you won't be exhibiting any contrition at this point, but I hope on some level this has been a learning experience for you. Townlake (talk) 03:26, 20 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Contrition? For what? Are you hoping to convince me that I'm lying? Townlake, I've learned that even the slightest bit of crass wording at RfA will blow up into wildly twisted accusations, and any attempt at good faith clarification will be thrown out as lies. Oh, wait. I've known that for years.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 07:31, 20 November 2012 (UTC)
 * And lastly, this isn't a case of "me not liking how you read my comment", it's a case you blatantly misconstruing my meaning and refusing to believe that you could possibly be wrong. Even though I'm telling you directly that you're wrong, you're instead electing to assume bad faith on my part, despite the fact that I have no history of personal attacks and no motivation whatsoever to personally attack an editor who I see around all the time and am consistently impressed with.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 05:41, 18 November 2012 (UTC)
 * We disagree. Townlake (talk) 05:45, 18 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Well I'm disappointed, but if nothing else, this impasse is miniscule even in the grand scheme of this website, and we rarely, if ever, cross paths anyway. And I'm happy that we're both satisfied with his answer...my concern for him was clearly misplaced.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 06:00, 19 November 2012 (UTC)

Pingas
Since you're inconsistent on where you reply :-) I don't care if you reply here (with talkback) or at my talk.

Combine the disruptive edits that prompted this request with all of the vandalism, and I think you have a page that warrants protection. I meant to say at RFPP that I'd checked the last two years of edits, and still most of them were problematic or reversions thereof. If you still think a year of full protection to be too long, feel free to shorten it, or get rid of it entirely if you think it necessary, but overall I believe that this protection will benefit the state of the page. Nyttend (talk) 20:55, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. I genuinely appreciate you leaving the option to me, and I solidly don't think the protection is necessary, much less full protection. That said, I have absolutely no reservations deferring to your judgment on this one. :) Best regards,  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:18, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
 * What if I strike our your comment, strike out mine, and leave a note asking a third admin to approve or remove the protection I levied? Nyttend (talk) 21:20, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Well that is an immensely reasonable offer, but don't worry about it. Just wanted to bring my dissent to your attention. Since you firmly stand behind the protection, I'm perfectly comfortable deferring to your judgment. While I disagree, it doesn't go so far as to concern me even a little bit and I've struck just my comment. Thank you again, though.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:38, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

West Country - locked article
Hello, I am messaging you with regards to the West Country article that you have just locked. Although an edit war has indeed been instigated by a fellow user, the lock has unfortunately not resolved the issue as the incorrect material in question is still in place in the article. The user who filed the request, "Bob Re-born", has been a persistent vandal on the article for over a year and has been pushing his point of view by continuing to include unsourced material (previously doing so as the user "Simple Bob"). Over a year ago the matter was taken to the discussion board and a consensus was reached, with all users agreeing to omit exhaustive lists of significant towns and cities, however the omitted material has found its way into the article once again and the same user as before has blocked all efforts to correct this mistake. As it stands now, the error is still present in the article, and thus the lock has failed to prevent his vandalism from occurring.

And so, I approach you now to help resolve this issue. Many sound reasons have been raised in the discussion pointing out why the information in question has no place in this article, especially as it is unsourced (and would require sources for its inclusion due to the highly contestable nature of "Bob Re-born"'s claim). Furthermore - and most importantly - a consensus was reached over a year ago, with all parties agreeing to implement a policy where an exhaustive list of towns and cities is not included, thus justifying the omission of towns whose status as belonging to the West Country are highly controversial (in this case, Bournemouth). Simple Bob/Bob Re-born actually agreed to this himself, with all three users present in this discussion agreeing upon this compromise as it did not push a point of view either way by neither confirming nor denying Bournemouth's status with regards to the West Country. It is also the most tenable option as it prevents disagreements such this, and so it is by far the best option we have to ending this disagreement.

Despite the compromise's success in ending an edit war last April, consensus was ignored and Bournemouth reinstated (by a completely different user, in fairness to Bob Re-born). Upon noticing this I rectified the mistake, however Bob Re-born now refuses to accept that consensus was even achieved, let alone implement it, despite the fact that he actually agreed to it himself in the discussion (I honestly cannot understand his denial of this taking place; it is right there in writing). His behaviour has now led us to having the same dispute once again, and as it stands the vandalism is locked into the article for a fortnight.

As he has persisted with this for over a year, it is clear that his behaviour is not something that shall be stopped with a simple lock. The current situation is unacceptable as a reasonable compromise achieved through clear consensus has been violated, yet I do not want to instigate an edit war once the two weeks are up. So, I feel I must ask for your assistance with enforcing consensus, as attempts to negotiate through discussion have completely failed. It would be especially helpful to have an admin on board with this ongoing dispute, as his denial that consensus had been reached shows that my personal attempts at negotiation are not enough.

I hope you consider my request, and help put this issue to bed once and for all. Thank you for your time. 82.26.33.158 (talk) 21:35, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi there. The page protection is temporary and is only supposed to redirect the dispute onto the talk page. It's not an endorsement of any side. That aside, I will definitely look into this further (I can't promise anything until later tonight, though). Thanks for the info.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 21:43, 22 November 2012 (UTC)


 * I would suggest fully protecting the article for the same time period, which would be more effective in relocating things onto the talk page. At present, one disputant can still edit the article, and thus apparently feels no need to discuss rather than continuing to edit the article directly. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 23:02, 22 November 2012 (UTC)


 * This is a perfectly good point.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 23:46, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

Fair enough - I totally understand the need for the lock and the friendly warning, but I thought I would message you as he is ignoring the existing discussion and seems to be in no mood to discuss it further. I didn't want this to continue as it has done after the lock finishes either, so I felt it best to contact you about it rather than needlessly continue with an edit war.

Thank you very much! 82.26.33.158 (talk) 22:40, 22 November 2012 (UTC)
 * I've just now fully locked the article so that nobody can edit it&mdash;I will try to assist on the article's talk page a little later when I'll have some more time. A week is a solid amount of time to try and work something out, and if need be it can be extended.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 23:46, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

I've just come across this thread on discovering that the article is fully protected. What an utterly bizarre and disproportionate action - quite ridiculous on such a trivial matter. Ghmyrtle (talk) 16:50, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

Considering that Bob Re-born was abusing the partial protecting by making edits related to the dispute in question instead of entering into the discussion as he was supposed to, I would say that this was a perfectly justified action.

And for the record I am the IP who started this section; I am not attempting to abuse two accounts. VoiceOfReason922 (talk) 21:09, 23 November 2012 (UTC)
 * While I'm sorry I haven't yet been able to try to mediate this as I promised&mdash;yesterday was a holiday here, and additionally I work for a living&mdash;the page protection was perfectly reasonable, and wholly in line with both policy and common practices. There was a legitimate content dispute which led to an edit war. One of the users involved requested page protection in good faith, and the editor on the other side of the dispute has indicated that they also feel this is a reasonable measure. The world will not end because this page is temporarily protected, and rather than posting an exaggerated backlash here, your time would be better spent trying to assist in the dispute. There seems to be a notion that IP editor's contributions are less valuable or their thoughts less legitimate than registered users. This is simply not so, and that's why it's disproportionate and unfair to only semi-protect, in essence blocking one side of the dispute. Just one more comment: sources, sources, sources. Although you can certainly argue a point, if you (i.e. either side) can't support it with sources, your credibility will quickly go out the window.  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 02:10, 24 November 2012 (UTC)

WikiProject Wikify: November Newsletter and December Drive

 * Delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) on behalf of WikiProject Wikify, 22:34, 28 November 2012 (UTC)

Talkback
&mdash; Oli OR Pyfan! 06:22, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Looking to be adopted
Hi,

I found your name in a long list of people who wish to adopt new users. I am fairly new and I haven't created or edited anything yet. However, I am interested in doing just that and joining a few project groups. However, I don't know how to go about it. Can you please help?

Nicky too (talk) 09:22, 3 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Sure, I'd love to! I see you haven't made any edits, though (signed in at least). How exactly are you looking to get involved? I'm happy to help in any way you might need, but I will point out that you don't require a mentor to get involved! The best way is to just click that edit button and go from there!  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 05:45, 9 December 2012 (UTC)


 * Thanks! I am actually looking to join a few projects, but can't figure out how. :-/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nicky too (talk • contribs) 08:11, 11 December 2012 (UTC)
 * Okay, which projects are you looking to join?  <font face="Old English Text MT">Swarm  <font face="old english text mt">X 18:31, 11 December 2012 (UTC)


 * I am initially looking at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Ancient_Egypt/Religion_work_group and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Ancient_Egypt Nicky too (talk) 06:19, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

The WikiProject: Good Articles Newsletter (January 2013)
This newsletter was delivered by EdwardsBot (talk) 14:34, 3 January 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedia Ambassadors update
Hi! You're getting this message because you are or have been a Wikipedia Ambassador. A new term is beginning for the United States and Canada Education Programs, and I wanted to give you an update on some important new information if you're interested in continuing your work this term as a Wikipedia Ambassador.

You may have heard a reference to a transition the education program is going through. This is the last term that the Wikimedia Foundation will directly run the U.S. and Canada programs; beginning in June, a proposed thematic organization is likely to take over organizing the program. You can read more about the proposal here.

Another major change in the program will take effect immediately. Beginning this term, a new MediaWiki education extension will replace all course pages and Ambassador lists. (See Course pages and Help:Education Program extension for more details.) Included in the extension are online volunteer and campus volunteer user rights, which let you create and edit course pages and sign up as an ambassador for a particular course.

If you would like to continue serving as a Wikipedia Ambassador — even if you do not support a class this term — you must create an ambassador profile. If you're no longer interested in being a Wikipedia Ambassador, you don't need to do anything.

First, you need the relevant user rights for Online and/or Campus Ambassadors. (If you are an admin, you can grant the rights yourself, for you as well as other ambassadors.) Just post your rights request here, and we'll get you set up as quickly as possible.
 * Please do these steps as soon as possible

Once you've got the ambassador rights, please set up at a Campus and/or Online Ambassador profile. You can do so at:
 * Special:CampusAmbassadorProfile
 * Special:OnlineAmbassadorProfile

Going forward, the lists of Ambassadors at Special:CampusAmbassadors and Special:OnlineAmbassadors will be the official roster of who is an active Ambassador. If you would like to be an Ambassador but not ready to serve this term, you can un-check the option in your profile to publicly list it (which will remove your profile from the list).

After that, you can sign on to support courses. The list of courses will be at Special:Courses. (By default, this lists "Current" courses, but you can change the Status filter to "Planned" to see courses for this term that haven't reached their listed start date yet.)

As this is the first term we have used the extension, we know there will be some bugs, and we know the feature set is not as rich as it could be. (A big wave of improvements is already in the pipeline. And if you know MediaWiki and could help with code review, we'd love to have your help!) Please reach out to me (Sage Ross) with any complaints, bug reports, and feature suggestions. The basic features of the extension are documented at Course pages, and you can see a tutorial for setting up and using them here.

In the past, the Education Program has had a pretty fragmented set of communication channels. We're trying to fix that. These are the recommended places to discuss and stay up-to-date on the education program:
 * Communication and keeping up to date
 * 1) The education noticeboard has become the main on-wiki location for discussion of the Education Program. You can post there about broad education program issues as well as issues with individual courses.
 * 2) The Ambassadors Announce email list is a very low-traffic announcements list of important information all Ambassadors need to be aware of. We encourage all Ambassadors (and other interested Wikipedians) to subscribe to the list; follow the instructions on the link to add your email address.
 * 3) If you use IRC regularly, or need to try to reach someone immediately, the  IRC channel is the place to find me and fellow Ambassadors.

We now have an online training for Ambassadors, which is intended to be both an orientation about the Wikipedia Ambassador role for newcomers and the manual for how to do the role. (There are parallel trainings for students and for educators as well.)
 * Ambassador training and resources

Please go through the training if you feel like you need a refresher on how a typical class is supposed to go and where the Ambassadors fit in, or if you want to review and help improve it. If there's something you'd like to see added, or other suggestions you have for it, feel free to edit the training and/or leave feedback. A primer on setting up and using course pages is included in the educators' training.

The Resources page of the training is the main place for Ambassador-related resources. If there's something you think is important as a resource that's not on there, please add it.

Finally, whether or not you work with any classes this term, I encourage you to post entries to the Trophy Case whenever you see excellent work from students or if you have great examples from past semesters. And, as always, let students (and other editors!) know when they do things well; a little WikiLove goes a long way!

--Sage Ross (WMF) (talk) 20:44, 14 January 2013 (UTC)