Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Guild of Copy Editors/Coordinators/Archives/2023

January drive scope
The January drive page is up, thanks to Baffle gab1978, but we need to determine its scope. Howzabout the February through April backlog and September through November requests? All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:00, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I've gone ahead and changed the link on the tabs to point to it. February to April sounds like a good sizeable amount of old target backlog articles. I don't think we need to limit requests, unless we want to clear out the older ones? — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 17:06, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
 * (not a coordinator, but chiming in anyway) February through April looks right to me; Feb and March alone would be too few articles. – Jonesey95 (talk) 17:32, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Doing the oldest requests is a good idea, IMO, since it encourages repeat business (and, you're always welcome!) All the best,  Mini  apolis  23:26, 27 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I agree; since REQ is the longest it's been for a long time, it would be a good idea to get some done. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  01:41, 28 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Sounds good. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 10:17, 31 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I'm okay with this, too. Dhtwiki (talk) 10:22, 31 December 2022 (UTC)

January drive barnstar table done
I adjusted a couple of totals based on reviewer notes, and the barnstars are ready to distribute. Thanks, Baffle, for creating the page. All the best,  Mini  apolis  14:51, 4 February 2023 (UTC)

Election results and Annual Report
I've just posted the election results here, a bit late but I've been busy copy-editing (that's my excuse, anyway!). Please confirm no lead coordinator has been chosen, as I've written; each candidate had four supports, one had one support for lead but I don't think that makes a consensus. I'm posting so this can be discussed. I must say I'm disappointed with the lack of non-coordinator participation this year, though I guess everyone was too busy.

There's also the matter of the Annual Report; it would be nice to actually send one this time. Some of the stats won't be available until the 2022 request are finished, which will probably take a few months. I've made a start with it but any help is welcome. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:28, 4 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks very much, Baffle; the guild seems to be going through a bit of a lull at the moment. I don't think we need a consensus for lead coordinator; if still wants to do it, I don't mind. All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:48, 4 January 2023 (UTC)
 * @Miniapolis, I’m open to it, after all, we need a bit of TLC to get the backlog under control i.e preferentially around or below 1000 and preferably not dating back to last year, but we’ll get there one day. Pinging @Dhtwiki for some input. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 20:00, 4 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I think that Zippybonzo is too new to be lead and that, if neither Baffle gab nor Miniapolis want to be lead, I would be a better choice for lead, because I've been doing this longer, if for no other reason, however lacking I feel compared to Baffle and Mini. We've gone without a lead coordinator and I don't think that's the reason we're in a lull (the loss of TfT in 2021 was a real blow). We also lost two experienced and capable coordinators from last term, either of whom would have made good candidates for lead if we really needed to have such a position filled. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:35, 5 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Dhtwiki; I agree with your first point; I supported ZB for lead but I'd rather see more Guild activity and experience from ZB before they become lead (no offense meant, Zippybonzo!). I've been around long enough but I'm more of a copy-editor and I doubt I have the commitment to lead for a full term –&#32;I'm busier in RL between April and October. I'm open to either you or Miniapolis leading, but if we can manage well without an overall lead, that's great too. Yes, Tft is sorely missed for his copy-editing skill and speed. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  13:24, 5 January 2023 (UTC)

I appreciate 's enthusiasm, but we've had people come on board like a house afire in the past and then disappear; time will tell. I can't commit to being lead coordinator at the moment because of RL issues; I fell on the ice three weeks ago (between snowstorms), and am still in a fair amount of pain. Copyediting and housekeeping are about all I can manage right now; you'd do a good job as lead if you want it,, but we can continue to muddle along if not. All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:48, 5 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Then let's muddle along without a lead. I appreciate the votes of confidence, but I haven't handled all the coordinator chores, such as progress updates, the newsletter, etc., nor, I think, have I done enough request copy editing to be well enough known by the wider community. Dhtwiki (talk) 13:56, 6 January 2023 (UTC)

The Annual Reports usually have a "Plans for (year)" section which is written by the incoming lead. Since we don't have a lead now, who'd like to write one for 2023? Or should we just remove the section? Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  19:23, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Since I'm not planning anything beyond my multiple pelvic fracture (fall on the ice, an ongoing threat where I live and at my age ), I'd like it removed. All the best,  Mini  apolis  23:29, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm sorry to hear that Miniapolis, I wish you a speedy recovery. I'll remove the section.  Baffle☿gab  04:46, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

Follow-up
I'm thinking to finish and send the report by the coming weekend; if anyone wants to add anything there, please do so. I'll remove anything I can't complete, such as the leaderboard and some of the extended statistics, graphs etc. So it'll be less interesting than usual but better than nowt. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  03:00, 31 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for all of your hard work. I have spammed the page with clarify templates in places where there is still data missing, so that we do not send the newsletter with "xx%" or "write something here". I tidied the format a bit as well. – Jonesey95 (talk) 17:00, 31 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Jonesey; that's helpful... you know me too well! :D Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  01:29, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

I thought we should have some words at the bottom so I've writ some blather there; please let me know if it sucks and I'll happily remove it! Or feel free to add anything, if you want to. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  06:09, 3 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Your remarks at the bottom are very good, Baffle, and thanks to for tagging what still needs work. I don't know how to calculate the number of monthly backlog articles copyedited (maybe we can leave that out), and IMO we don't need an annual leaderboard; we need to work smart, not hard . All the best,  Mini  apolis  15:01, 4 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Miniapolis; I've been offline for the past day but back now. I thought the table would be nice but I've no clue about the methods used to assemble the data. And it's quite time-consuming to rake through a whole year's stats, excepting the requests data I already have in a spreadsheet on my hdd. Will give it a polish in a bit. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:03, 5 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, I think it's finished. I'll give it a final check in a few hours, and get the topsheet sent. If anyone wants to add, remove or correct anything, now would be good time. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  09:19, 5 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I think it's ready to send as well. I gave it a cleanup pass yesterday. – Jonesey95 (talk) 15:49, 5 February 2023 (UTC)

February 2023 blitz
We should decide on time and theme. The new blitz page is already up. The 12th to the 18th and the 19th to the 25th are the two full weeks left. I suggest the earlier time. We have plenty of October and November 2022 requests to do, as well as the March and April 2022 backlog. Dhtwiki (talk) 10:20, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree that the earlier week is better, and the request and backlog ranges are fine. All the best,  Mini  apolis  14:32, 7 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Seconded, I'll pop the dates up on the page tonight. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  17:39, 7 February 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
I've completed the barnstar page. Please check and distribute. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:16, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Dhtwiki. Just saw one slight error after the fact; Jadedhippo should've gotten a minor instead of a modest, AFAICT, but I didn't feel the need to go back and correct it . All the best,  Mini  apolis  15:16, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I did go to their page and replace the barnstar with a "minor" one. It might cause confusion. Also, thanks to Baffle gab for setting up the barnstar page. That was a help. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:32, 23 February 2023 (UTC)

March newsletter
Hi all, I've started putting together the March newsletter; feel free to add, correct or remove stuff. I'll be adding the blitz and drive stats over the next week or so, and hopefully we can get it sent in the third week or so, and I'm aware of its current state. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  08:17, 9 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I've pretty much finished the newsletter; feel free to review / edit / add to it before I send it out in the next few days. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  06:47, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I've read it through, and it looks fine to me. Dhtwiki (talk) 13:48, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
 * One point, though. In the first paragraph, you refer to the "March Backlog Reduction Drive", when it's otherwise termed "...Elimination...". Dhtwiki (talk) 14:46, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Dhtwiki; I'll correct that. Though I do think reduction is a more attainable goal than elimination... :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  20:27, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

March drive
With six days left in February and the blitz in the rear-view mirror, it's probably time to think about the March drive. How about the March–May backlogs and all requests? All the best,  Mini  apolis  20:58, 22 February 2023 (UTC)
 * That sounds fine to me, thanks. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  02:03, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * The March page has already been set up. It now lists only November and December 2022 requests. Should that be expanded, or should we concentrate on the 32 articles of the oldest months? Dhtwiki (talk) 06:53, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for setting up the page, ., I agree that we should focus on the November and December 2022 requests. All the best,  Mini  apolis  16:51, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Does this mean that the 50% bonus will be given only to November and December requests? I can't remember us ever doing this before (in the last ten years). If we limit the bonus in this way, we'll need to ensure that the drive page's language matches that limitation, since it has always assumed that all requests get the bonus. – Jonesey95 (talk) 18:52, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I don't think we need to change the way the bonus works. I only set November and December because they were the two oldest months, and the backlog looks particularly large right now. But I believe previous drives have said the goal is to clear out requests from a certain limited number of older months, while still giving bonus credit for all requests completed. In fact January was targeting September, October, and November requests only as an official goal, but I think it still counted bonuses for all requests. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused. —Torchiest talkedits 19:58, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I haven't been paying as much attention to the guild and drives, unfortunately, but target months usually applied only to the backlog while all requests had the extra credit available. The current bullet point reads:
 * Emphasis and wikilink in original. Everything past the wikilink is extraneous, as the requests start from November and later. — Tenryuu 🐲 ( 💬 • 📝 ) 20:41, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Usually, all requests attract a 50% bonus; I don't know when that changed. I don't think we should unnecessarily complicate Drives but if we're restricting the bonus to the oldest months, this should be clearly stated. Maybe ask participants to place *RO for oldest requests after the line in their sections, and the usual *R for newer ones. Personally, I think drives are complex enough. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  23:00, 23 February 2023 (UTC)

AFAIK, all requests still get the bonus; encouraging people to do the oldest requests first doesn't change that. Adding *RO would require changing the barnstar-table script, which I find helpful. All the best,  Mini  apolis  23:58, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
 * That sounds good. I may have misunderstood. Let's have a great drive! – Jonesey95 (talk) 14:00, 24 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Should I request a watchlist notice here this month? Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  05:53, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes please, Baffle, and thanks. I gotta learn how to do that . All the best,  Mini  apolis  14:02, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Requested, hope I did that correctly. It's easy enough, just write the message beforehand and follow the directions on the page. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  01:51, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, I requested it but it hasn't been actioned... I guess no-one's monitoring that page. Still, I tried.  Baffle☿gab  05:43, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
 * 409 watchers, according to Pageviews, but with an average of only 5 views a day. The person who okayed or refused the previous two requests is wary of saddling users with banner fatigue. We did have more than one notice in a row previously, which did seem responsible for some signups. Could we have gone over our limit, or was the request on too short notice this time (and may still be acted on positively)? Anyway, thank you for your attempt. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:53, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Dhtwiki, I see it's been listed now. Yes, banner fatigue is a thing. We should probably restrict ourselves to a few drives each year. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  01:43, 2 March 2023 (UTC)
 * The comment on banner fatigue was with regard to a twice-a-month Signpost banner. I think that we could try to advertise each drive and see how that goes. Also, there should be a way to make our banner more distinctive. A pure text banner tends to get lost. I didn't notice this last one on my watch list at first. Dhtwiki (talk) 09:41, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

I don't mind the look of the text-only banner at all, and think it'll be less likely to induce banner fatigue. I agree that we shouldn't have too many notices, and hope it attracts folks interested in copyediting. All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:38, 2 March 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
The barnstar page is done and ready for distribution. I made a couple of judgment calls, weighing annoyance with editors who might game the system against a desire to not WP:BITE new copyeditors who haven't learned the ropes yet (and might stay if we're nice ). All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:33, 2 April 2023 (UTC)
 * That was fast, especially given the large turnout we had, which was probably at least in part due to the "watchlist notice". Dhtwiki (talk) 23:58, 2 April 2023 (UTC)
 * The script and I are getting along better All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:35, 3 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I've distributed the barnstars, except for my own. Dhtwiki (talk) 03:25, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

April Blitz
Seen as we are close to the end of the March drive, we should probably start thinking about the April Blitz, which the best dates would be the week of the 17th or the 24th as all the other weeks have easter related holidays or aren't a full week. Zippybonzo (public) (talk) 06:57, 27 March 2023 (UTC)
 * The 17th would probably be better, but we need to get the drive squared away first All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:09, 27 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I've created the blitz here; will put in 16 to 22 per above, unless you'd prefer another week. What about theme(s)? Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:14, 5 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Baffle. The requests page is long, as usual; howzabout January and February requests and the April backlog? All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:56, 5 April 2023 (UTC)
 * That sounds like a plan, I'll pop it in the page in a while. It might be a nice change to have a themed blitz in June, though we may not have enough backlog to work with. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  20:34, 5 April 2023 (UTC)
 * We may need to add other months; as of my timestamp, there will be a choice of 76 articles, and there will be fewer when the blitz starts. Depending how many editors sign up, we may need more articles, though we can worry about that next week. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  01:13, 6 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I'll go and get a watchlist notice up and running. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 15:10, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
The barnstar page is ready to be checked and for awards to be distributed. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:18, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Done, with thanks to you and Baffle. Hate to say it, but it's time to throw the May drive together. Howzabout the April and May backlogs and February and March requests? All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:30, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I think April, May and June would be better, but agree with requests. If you desire a watchlist notice, I'm happy to get one. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 19:55, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Sounds good to me; I'd rather encourage newer copyeditors to work on the backlogs. Thanks for the watchlist notice after we set up the drive page. All the best,  Mini  apolis  22:15, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

May 2023 drive
I'm starting this because the already started discussion about the forthcoming drive should go here. Are the April-to-June 2022 backlog and February-to-March 2023 requests agreed upon (they're fine with me)? Dhtwiki (talk) 05:39, 26 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Works for me.  Mini  apolis  13:26, 26 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Seems good to me. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 15:32, 26 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, I've set up the page and added the variables above; please note the graph extension is broken / disabled so the usual graphs won't display. The graphs problem also affects our Annual Report pages. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  19:41, 26 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Watchlist note requested here. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  20:20, 26 April 2023 (UTC)
 * The barnstar page is ready for distribution. All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:23, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I have distributed most barnstars (except my own). There was a duplicate table entry for Contrawwftw, which eventually should be removed. I left it in (but gave out only one barnstar) in case it is indicative of a hiccup in the script. I also noticed that we're being more strict with the leaderboard. Places are left blank if there is more than one editor in a place ahead. This is usual in handling such things, but we haven't always been this strict. Dhtwiki (talk) 16:12, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

Thanks for picking up that duplicate table entry, which was pilot error on my part. I copy-paste each editor's section into a text file, was playing Beat the Clock and lost track of where I was; I didn't want to skip over anyone. All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:11, 3 June 2023 (UTC)
 * About the leaderboard entries, the lower ones probably should have been moved up by whoever advanced; I was intent on getting the table done, and didn't notice the gaps. All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:14, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

June nl, blitz and election
The June newsletter is in the works, feel free to add any notices you want to send out, and to remove and correct stuff. I can add the dates for the June blitz once the dates are decided. I'd like to send it by the 7th because of the election notice. Talking of which, I'm planning to take a back seat for the next term or two but I'll still be around. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  23:16, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

Thanks, Baffle. I added the blitz dates and numbers from the drive, but don't know where to begin figuring out the request stats. All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:30, 3 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Regarding the blitz, June 11–17 is in the middle of the month, with a full week on either side. Dhtwiki (talk) 22:20, 1 June 2023 (UTC)
 * That week works for me too. All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:25, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Sounds good, shall I lock it in?  Baffle☿gab  20:12, 2 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Please do, if we don't hear from in the next day or so. Thanks and all the best,  Mini  apolis  02:56, 3 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes, looks good, for some reason I don’t see this page on my watchlist and I always miss the messages here. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 06:55, 3 June 2023 (UTC)

We need a theme for the blitz. Howzabout the March 2022 backlog and March and April requests? All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:35, 3 June 2023 (UTC)
 * May 2022 backlog is the oldest, and March and April 2023 requests. Dhtwiki (talk) 20:15, 3 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I stand corrected .  Mini  apolis  02:16, 4 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks both; I've added backlogs from May and June '22, which is 47 articles. July has 101 if we need them. March and April have 14 unaccepted requests between them but at least two of the working tags need to be checked. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  01:55, 5 June 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
The barnstar table is prepared, to be checked and for barnstars to be distributed. Dhtwiki (talk) 04:11, 19 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Given out; thanks for doing the table. All the best,  Mini  apolis  20:43, 19 June 2023 (UTC)

July newsletter and drive
I've drafted it, I'm waiting for the blitz to end so that I can get some stats in, and then we need to start planning the July drive. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 11:21, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, though a newsletter was sent in June; do we need to send another so soon? We usually send them on a quarterly schedule, which was agreed upon here, so the next one would be due in September, but it's fine by me if there's consensus for monthly nls (though it means more work for coords!). Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  12:42, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Quarterly seems a little lacking, every 2 months might be that middle ground where there's enough news, but I've got nothing against quarterly if people object to monthly/bimonthly. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 12:46, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
 * , a quarterly newsletter works best; feel free to do it, since I'm busy enough as it is. We try to set up the next drive or blitz a week ahead of time. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:45, 17 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Monthly is a breakneck schedule to maintain, and it might result in nothing but newsletters and barnstars on my talk page, given my archiving schedule, which isn't particularly aggressive. It might well crowd out other readers' talk pages as well and cause some to take their names off the membership list. Dhtwiki (talk) 02:59, 18 June 2023 (UTC)

July 2023 drive page
Baffle gab has started the July drive page. We should decide on what articles to include. May (14) and June (11) 2022 have few articles. July 2022 has 101 articles. Should we include those three months? As for requests, the 6 remaining April 2023 articles are being worked on, and might be completed by the end of the month. May has 23 entries with 2 being worked on and 1 on hold. June has 18 articles. We could include those three months as well. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:52, 21 June 2023 (UTC)
 * The May – July 2022 backlogs and April May – June 2023 requests sound good, and thanks to Baffle for setting up the drive page. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:17, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

Hand-off notes
Hi all, just a few hand-off notes from me. I've started on the Annual report 2023, have added some data; newsletters are helpful for adding Drive and Blitz reports. At the requests page, please keep adding bot codes and removing inaccurate ones; and keep an eye out for excess requests, sock-blocked requesters and other oddness. There's a newsletter template in my sandbox if anyone needs it, though I usually just copy over an old revision of the previous one.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll still be around WP but I'll be reducing my activity for a while, though I have a copy-edit to finish. If you need my input, you can always ask at my talk page. Thanks to the continuing coordinators, you all do a great job here. :) Best regards and cheers,  Baffle☿gab  17:28, 30 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Thank you for this, especially the reminder on keeping the requests page in order. I may be one taking advantage of your offer to give advice when needed, as well as researching your directories. Dhtwiki (talk) 20:45, 30 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks so much, Baffle, and enjoy your well-earned sabbatical. You leave us big shoes to fill. Have fun and all the best,  Mini  apolis  00:00, 1 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Baffle. Even though I'm a semi-retired coordinator, I still keep an eye on the drive/blitz pages and on the Requests page, though not with an eye as keen as yours. – Jonesey95 (talk) 11:27, 1 July 2023 (UTC)

Discord
I've setup a discord with the help of Schminnte and was thinking it should be promoted on the main page, but wanted to run it by you first, invite link here Thanks, Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 09:34, 23 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I've replied here (permalink); suggest further discussion is held at that page but YMMV. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  23:14, 23 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Discord is an off-wiki site and grouping it with on-wiki tools, as is done at the left-panel page, might not be the best (although you have 9 members with 3 online just now; that seems a considerable following in so short a time). I don't want to see official discussions fragmented, and I think that talk-page posts are apt to be more considered and coherent than IRC-like chats (which is all I have to compare Discord with), as well as asking editors to sign up with another service, which Discord requires, could bring complications. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:25, 24 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Quite a significant amount of editors have Discord at the moment, including around 200 in the New Pages Patrol Discord, 5000 in the main community Discord. The idea was more to hold discussions that don't need a full official discussion, but more like formatting questions, general GOCE banter, and some other short discussions like final minute drive preparation. Basically in a nutshell, it is a way to ask quick questions with typically a set answer, have a chat about copyediting. To address your coherency issue, the server is more than just IRC, being that it has the option for multiple channels, threads, replies, reactions. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 06:29, 24 July 2023 (UTC)

Handling the Database Report
A new Database Report has been published. The errors reported tend to involve contractions, spacing, and the overuse of "you". I've copy edited an article and had it flagged for copy editing just after, because I merely missed expanding some contractions. In order to prevent such occurrences in the future, could we start putting the error line in the the "reason" parameter of the "copy edit" tag (e.g. copying, for Weight loss effects of water, "weight.Water", "you", "you", "your", "you", "pounds.As", "you", "your", "you", "your", "you", "you", "your", "you", "you", "you", "your", "your", "you", "you", "your", "you", "your")? Some of the articles don't require a full copy edit. Even if they do, making editors aware of the problems spotted, by what I assume is a bot, will make sure that they are addressed. Dhtwiki (talk) 04:17, 26 July 2023 (UTC) (edited 07:55, 26 July 2023 (UTC))
 * If there are only a few errors and I have time, I usually just fix them. If there are a lot of errors, I will do something that sounds like what you are suggesting: spacing around punctuation: "One,District", "Patiño,District", "lights .Lastly", "basis .November", "office .Gary", "side.El", "community.As" where the quoted errors are copied directly from the report. If I'm not going to fix the errors, I also tend to wait until the drive is over so that our backlog count doesn't inflate too much; I don't know if that is silly or not. – Jonesey95 (talk) 05:31, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 * I think that copying the entire error line, as-is (you seem to be parsing it), possibly with some prefatory boilerplate, should be enough. I took one article off the list because its errors were solely the result of vandalism that hadn't been reverted in time. I also checked the article on David Goggins, which seemed well written, except for the errors spotted by the bot. That has been my general experience when encountering articles tagged thusly: they are not so confusing as to be in need of a thorough copy edit. Since our backlog is so large, I suggest that we put in abeyance tagging articles based on this report, and leave the tagging to those who encounter articles that are truly in need of our help. Dhtwiki (talk) 08:13, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 * As someone who's been working on the reports for a while with, I think their suggestion is a good one. However, I often find issues not picked up by moss code (or whatever) which indicate the need for a full copyedit. FWIW, I've found the database reports useful. Pinging for this discussion. All the best,  Mini  apolis  14:34, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Some day I hope to build a grammar checker that would be much better at finding articles that need a full copyedit. In a few weeks I should have some time to build better Javascript-based editor interfaces that could speed up fixing common errors; that might help make the sorting-through process faster? I'm also open to tweaking the algorithm if there are any patterns which mostly reliably indicate which articles should or shouldn't be tagged. But yeah, so far the most feasible approach has been to make a pile of likely candidates based on a simple spell check, and have a human spot-check to see how widespread the problems are. -- Beland (talk) 18:49, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

Drive instructions for coordinators
I've requested a watchlist message, for the July 2023 drive, at MediaWiki talk:Watchlist-messages. I've also added a reminder to do so at the drive page's instructions for coordinators. Do we need to keep the instruction to "Create and send out a drive invitation"? That's not something we've been doing and it's made superfluous by the watchlist message, which seems to be effective in getting a sizeable turnout. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:51, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Good point, I think the watchlist notice and the ombox make it redundant, and we don't need to badger people on their talk pages. A reminder to watch the ombox could go in the newsletters. There's probably lots of redundant text that needs addressing around the Guild's pages! Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  11:23, 29 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I've just removed the obsolete instruction. Dhtwiki (talk) 00:27, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

July barnstars
The barnstar page is ready for distribution, I think; thanks, Baffle, for setting it up. All the best,  Mini  apolis  15:19, 2 August 2023 (UTC),


 * I made a mistake in not declaring my second article an "old" one. Let me correct that before distributing the barnstars, although it won't make a difference in the type of award or any other standing. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:30, 3 August 2023 (UTC)
 * OK. I've made my correction. I'll wait a bit, to see if there are any others to be made, before handing them out. They should go out by later today. Thanks, Mini, for getting to them so quickly. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:39, 3 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Barnstars have been distributed, except for my own. Dhtwiki (talk) 22:35, 3 August 2023 (UTC) (edited 06:11, 5 August 2023 (UTC) and 06:12, 5 August 2023 (UTC))
 * ✅ All the best,  Mini  apolis  23:04, 3 August 2023 (UTC)

August 2023 blitz
Baffle has already started the blitz page. August 13–19 seems a likely week for it, with the 20th to the 26th the only other full week, other than the one that's just about to start.

Regarding requests, there's one May 2023 article – other than two already being worked on – with 16 from June, 38 from July, and 4, so far, from August. Regarding the backlog, there are 106 articles from August 2022 and 107 from September 2022. What should we concentrate on? Dhtwiki (talk) 06:07, 5 August 2023 (UTC)
 * That week sounds good, although I won't be around much because of family visits. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:05, 5 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I've completed setting up the page. If it looks good, I'll start advertising, further linking, etc. Dhtwiki (talk) 03:54, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I've completed linking, the blitz tabs, and announcing, at the Ombox and the Community bulletin board. Please check for correctness and completeness. Dhtwiki (talk) 21:50, 8 August 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
The barnstar table has been made out. Would someone like to check for correctness and distribute the awards? Dhtwiki (talk) 08:09, 21 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I've gone ahead and passed out the barnstars, having made a couple corrections to the table, one correction being prompted by an observant editor. Would someone like to give me mine? Dhtwiki (talk) 23:30, 23 August 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ – Jonesey95 (talk) 01:14, 24 August 2023 (UTC)

September newsletter
Hi, I've taken the liberty of starting the September newsletter here. Feel free to add, remove and correct items. I'll add the usual stats but I don't want to tread on coord toes; you said you wanted to work on newsletters, iirc. If no-one else wants to work on it, I'll continue and I still have mass messenger so I can send it if needs be. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  06:21, 15 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I am able to send it and start working on it and save you a job. Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 11:40, 15 August 2023 (UTC)
 * When you say "send it", Zippy, I assume that means you have the ability to mass-mail things. Last year, we had an "October 2022" newsletter that went out on the 14th of that month. I'm thinking that a September newsletter would try to include most of that month's activities. However, I see that we had the June 2023 newsletter go out on the sixth of that month. Also, the week-or-so downtime between the August blitz and the September drive would also be a good time to have to work on it. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:18, 16 August 2023 (UTC)

I've added the Drive and Blitz data to August, election news and a promo for the September Drive. I may reword some of the items. So it's almost ready to send in early September; only the progress will need updating. Feel free to edit, adjust, add, remove or correct stuff. Dhtwiki, Zippy has mass messenger rights but per his user page, he's not very active due to health difficulties at the moment so I may end up sending someone else may end up sending this anyway. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  20:36, 25 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for getting the newsletter started. I need to get to setting up the September drive. As far as sending the newletter, we can always request that it be sent here; but if you, Miniapolis (who can, as an administrator, grant the right), and Zippy have it, then we shouldn't need to go that route. Dhtwiki (talk) 22:12, 25 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm back from wikibreak, so let me know when you want it sent., would you like the mass-message flag? It's convenient for stuff like this. All the best,  Mini  apolis  23:03, 25 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Welcome back, and yes, please, my having the mass-message right might come in handy. Dhtwiki (talk) 23:13, 25 August 2023 (UTC)
 * ✅ All the best,  Mini  apolis  01:40, 26 August 2023 (UTC)

I've adjusted the newsletter order of items and updated the progress report; I had the "requests processed" figure incorrect because I'd excluded the 2022 requests processed this year. I've moved the less-mundane items to the top; hope that makes it more readable. It's almost ready IMO, but feel free to do whatever. , if you give me 24 hours notice before sending it, I can update the progress report again. Then you can try out the mass messenger tool. :) Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  04:27, 4 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm interested in how the counting of articles is done. For the drives and blitzes, it seems straightforward. However, when I cursorily counted requests by eye, I got 180 requested and processed this year plus 68 requested last year and finalized this year, for a total of 248. Zippy has expressed considerable interest in the newsletter, and I would be happy to have them send it. I can try my message-sending wings at a later date. In any case, thanks for all the work you've done in setting the newsletter up. Dhtwiki (talk) 04:32, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Interesting, as of now I'm getting 170 processed this year and 68 from last year, making 238. My method is to copy the table into a spreadsheet, remove section headers and blank lines. Two have been completed and not archived but that wouldn't account for the discrepancy. If you wish, I can email you a copy of my spreadsheet later today. (courtesy ping) is familiar with the messenger tool and they're active again now so the ball is in their court, I guess. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  13:17, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the ping, I'm more than happy to send as soon as we decide that it's ready to go out. Just give me a ping when it's time to send it and then I'll send it :) Zippybonzo &#124; Talk (he&#124;him) 16:05, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I now get 173 articles for this year (with a few added since your count). So, your figures must be correct. My quarterly breakdown is 75+74+24. I see from my calculator's history that I previously mentally miscounted the second quarter, giving it 84, not the 74 that I have now. If you have a special spreadsheet recipe that would be useful to others, it might do to store it somewhere on-wiki, if that's not already the case. One thing that Wikipedia seems to lack is native spreadsheet functionality, although I suppose a clever programmer could cobble similar functionality together from parser functions. My own programmatic idea would be to use a word processor (both on-wiki 'wikEd' and Unix's 'vim' come to mind for me, as I've used regular expressions with both) to exclude lines not containing a 2023-xx-xx string and then count the number of lines. In other words, I think I understand the process for counting articles for the newsletter. Dhtwiki (talk) 08:10, 6 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Dhtwiki; I'll email you the updated file tonight. I use LibreOffice Calc but any office suite's spreadsheet program should work. One could also use Google Sheets or similar online tool., I've just updated the PR line so it's ready to send now if you're happy; thanks. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  23:02, 6 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Sent. Thanks, Baffle and all the best,  Mini  apolis  13:56, 10 September 2023 (UTC)

Proposed renaming of all WikiProject membership categories
Coordinators may be interested in this bit of bureaucracy, which proposes to rename all "WikiProject name of project members" categories to "WikiProject name of project participants" for consistency and other reasons. – Jonesey95 (talk) 12:47, 2 October 2023 (UTC)

September 2023 copy editing drive
September starts next Friday.

August 2022 backlog, 75; September 2022, 84; October 2022, 186 articles. Should we count all three months as bonus months or just the two oldest?

The number of requests stands at 67 (7–June, 36–July, 24–August 2023), with two or three June articles currently being worked on. Don't we usually count all Requests toward bonuses? I see that we often specify months. Do we have enough to do with clearing just June and July 2023? Dhtwiki (talk) 22:56, 25 August 2023 (UTC) (edited 23:01, 25 August 2023 (UTC))
 * I think we should count the two oldest backlog months and the June and July requests for bonuses; quality seems to suffer when there's too much bonus material. All the best,  Mini  apolis  17:51, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Sounds good to me. Dhtwiki (talk) 23:17, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks, Baffle, for setting up the drive and barnstar pages. I've added the goal months and requested a watchlist notice, and will tweak the ombox. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:28, 27 August 2023 (UTC)

Slight delay
I finally had time to format the input file and run the barnstar script today. I've had good luck the last couple of drives, but am having trouble with this one and don't know what to make of it. Hopefully will be able to help. All the best,  Mini  apolis  22:49, 5 October 2023 (UTC)
 * The barnstar table is up and ready for distribution; many thanks to Jonesey for troubleshooting. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:18, 6 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm glad to hear that. I had made sure of where my abacus was stored, in case it was needed, but I was dreading the prospect. I'll try to hand out the barnstars soon. I'll probably revert the table to signup order, as I think it could cause confusion otherwise (I'm aware of your confab at Jonesey's talk; I'm always thankful for our shadow coordinators). Dhtwiki (talk) 03:17, 7 October 2023 (UTC)
 * Barnstars (except for mine) have been delivered. Dhtwiki (talk) 10:56, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

October 2023 blitz
Baffle gab has started the October blitz page. The 15th to the 21st seems the likeliest week to hold it. One unfinished July June (now declined) 2023 request remains, with 11 from August (3 being worked on) and 29 from September (2 on hold). The backlog stands at 10 from September 2022, and 167 from October of that year. Dhtwiki (talk) 03:28, 9 October 2023 (UTC) (edited 23:49, 10 October 2023 (UTC))
 * Works for me. Thanks both and all the best,  Mini  apolis  20:46, 9 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I have finished setting up the blitz page, adjusted relevant pointers, and made appropriate announcements. Dhtwiki (talk) 20:11, 10 October 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
I have completed the barnstar table. Dhtwiki (talk) 21:31, 23 October 2023 (UTC)
 * ... and they've been given out. All the best,  Mini  apolis  13:15, 24 October 2023 (UTC)

Review help requirements
I just wanted to ask this quick question before signing up, do I need to have specific user rights to sign up? I made this account only a few hours ago, but I am very experienced on the Minecraft Wiki, making over 300 edits in under a month. Am I allowed to sign up for review help? Wolf (talk 19:41, 1 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Welcome, ! Feel free to sign up for the drive, but please hold off on reviewing until you have some copyediting experience here; copyediting and reviewing others' copyedits are two different things. Thanks in advance for your help and all the best,  Mini  apolis  22:29, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

November 2023 drive
November starts next Wednesday. Baffle gab (as per usual) has already started the November drive page. The backlog stands at 1 September 2022 article (a >18k-word article on Amazon), 148 October 2022 articles, and 91 November 2022 articles. As far as requests, I should have completed the last August 2023 request by next week. There are 26 for September, with 2 on hold, and 1 otherwise in question. October has 24 so far, with two being worked on (by the same editor) and a couple of others with commentary that seems to call into question some copy editing without actually precluding the need for it. The months already named should be enough for the November drive. What say you all? Dhtwiki (talk) 00:46, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * IMO, the September and October 2022 backlogs and September requests should be enough to start. All the best,  Mini  apolis  01:39, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * ... but since Baffle already listed the goals on the drive page, they're fine with me.  Mini  apolis  01:42, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I didn't see that it had already been set up that way. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:09, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I guessed at the possible dates after seeing what is available; do alter it if you wish. I usually set them up with xxx placeholders but those seem to get missed sometimes. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  07:11, 26 October 2023 (UTC)
 * I think we're all in agreement on what is enough. Dhtwiki (talk) 00:00, 27 October 2023 (UTC)
 * All looks good to me. Zippybonzo &#124; talk  &#124;  contribs  (he&#124;she&#124;they) 07:42, 27 October 2023 (UTC)
 * The barnstar table is up and ready for distribution; thanks, Baffle, for creating the page. All the best,  Mini  apolis  16:51, 6 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for completing the table. I've handed the barnstars out, except for my own. Dhtwiki (talk) 10:26, 7 December 2023 (UTC)

December nl and Annual Report
Hi coordinators; I've been working on the December newsletter and the Annual Report, mostly adding stats etc; feel free to add, correct and remove stuff as needed. Courtesy pinging, since you previously said you were interested in this stuff. The December election page is also ready. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  21:27, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I will definitely be able to take a knock at the December newsletter because I do have some skill in newsletters. Zippybonzo &#124; talk  &#124;  contribs  (he&#124;she&#124;they) 21:35, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Zippy, this should probably be sent out early in the month due to the election. I can send you the Requests spreadsheet by return email if you need it. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  06:00, 13 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I do love a good spreadsheet, feel free to send it over and I'll work on adding it to the report :) Zippybonzo &#124; talk  &#124;  contribs  (he&#124;she&#124;they) 21:00, 15 November 2023 (UTC)
 * No worries; if you want to send me a quick email via Wikipedia, I can send it as an attachment. I'll BCC an updated version to Dhtwiki as well. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  00:34, 16 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you, Baffle, for starting to set things up. Dhtwiki (talk) 06:41, 13 November 2023 (UTC)
 * No probs; I've just added the Nov drive stats to the newsletter. All it needs now is the Dec blitz dates and a final Progress Report update, and it's good to go. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  05:51, 8 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I did a tiny bit of cleanup on the December newsletter, mostly date formatting consistency and a few style choices. It looks ready to me. – Jonesey95 (talk) 16:48, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Jonesey, and everyone else; it's ✅. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  20:55, 10 December 2023 (UTC)

December 2023 blitz
I've set up the December blitz page, with the preliminary theme of September (there is one article now, when it had been empty) to November 2022 backlog, as well as all requests. We have the 10th to the 16th and the 17th to the 23rd as likely weeks for the blitz. The former slot requires quickly getting everything set; the latter week brings us close to Christmas. Dhtwiki (talk) 09:15, 8 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks; I prefer the earlier week. All the best,  Mini  apolis  16:01, 8 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Unless anyone objects, I'll set up the page for the 10th to the 16th and tweak the ombox. All the best,  Mini  apolis  18:14, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks Miniapolis, I can get the newsletter done and out, unless anyone else wants to do it. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  21:53, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank, Baffle. I'm working on a long request, and hope to participate in the blitz when it's done. All the best,  Mini  apolis  22:49, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Looks good to me (emeritus coord). I know there are non-Xmas holidays happening right now, but staying farther away from Xmas week is generally better. It looks like the blitz starts in about half an hour, if I have my math right. – Jonesey95 (talk) 23:31, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I've made the announcement at the Community bulletin board. I'm also in the middle of a long copy edit. Shouldn't the newsletter come out after the blitz, to include December totals, as well as there being plenty of time with the earlier blitz start? Dhtwiki (talk) 00:08, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
 * It needs to announce the election noms, so I'd like to get it done today (10th GMT). And there's already three months of stats (Sept, Oct and Nov) ready. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  02:47, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, we certainly could use a reminder that it's time for people to volunteer as coordinators, if that's what you mean to do. Dhtwiki (talk) 05:00, 10 December 2023 (UTC)

Barnstars
The barnstar table is made out. Dhtwiki (talk) 01:24, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
 * ... and they've been given out. Thanks and all the best,  Mini  apolis  02:46, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Many new additions to the backlog
Many articles tagged with the Repetition template, going back to June 2010, are now included on the backlog. When did this happen? Dhtwiki (talk) 00:08, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * From the template's history, I see (courtesy ping) added the template's includes to the c/e backlog here and removed them from Category:Wikipedia articles with style issues.  There's no discussion on the template's talk page. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  03:01, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The template explicitly says "Please help copyedit the article", so I figured it would be uncontroversial. * Pppery * it has begun... 03:01, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * , this was IMO reasonable, and there are only 85 tagged articles, so it should be fine. The only housekeeping bit is that we work hard at the GOCE to keep our backlog reasonably short (we had it down to a couple of months a few years ago), so the sudden appearance of a few dozen old articles in our list makes the backlog look unusual. Coordinators: I think overall this change is reasonable, and we could add these articles to the bonus list for January and knock them out without any trouble. I am open to other opinions. – Jonesey95 (talk) 04:06, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I've made the same change to Repetition inline and Repetition section (30 transclusions each) for consistency, and we should consider doing the same for Verbosity (30 transclusions), which is redundant to Repetition. * Pppery * it has begun... 04:14, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Repetition and verbosity do not equal lack of clarity, and it's the latter situation, where people have really made a hash of the language, that deserves our attention. The article with the earliest dated tag added to the list, Niagara Falls Museum, doesn't suffer from being unclear. We're so far behind from where we were in the recent past that I question the addition of so many articles. Keep the possibility of adding such articles on the back burner, so to speak, for when we do catch up and are looking for things to do. Dhtwiki (talk) 04:54, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Dhtwiki; I'd say repetition and verbosity do impair clarity in a text., maybe even consider whether we need many of those granular templates at all; they could be redirected to copyedit and copyedit inline, or deleted. Both of those major templates have "for=" / "reason=" parameters for specific issues. Cheers,  Baffle☿gab  23:05, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * , I agree with Jonesey that this is annoying but doable, although the GOCE has been understaffed for some time. I also agree with Baffle that the repetition and verbosity tags need to be redirected to the copyedit tags; otherwise, it's too difficult to find the section (or sentence) that needs copyediting.  Mini  apolis  18:36, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I have redirected verbosity to copyedit. Anyone who wishes to do the same with repetition/repetition section/repetition inline is welcome to. * Pppery * it has begun... 21:16, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

Done. All the best,  Mini  apolis  02:24, 18 December 2023 (UTC)