User:AutomaticStrikeout/Adopt/Wikilingo

Wikipedia is made up of many different things. There is a lot to learn and it could easily seem intimidating to a new user (or even a somewhat older). In this lesson, I will try to provide you with a bit of information about some of the terminology you may see around here. You should not expect this to include everything, but hopefully it will contain some things that you find useful. To find a more thorough description of the items mentioned below, you should click on the links. Don't be concerned if it takes you a while to complete this lesson. It may be the most comprehensive one in the entire program. It will not contain everything and you should expect that during your time at Wikipedia, you will always be learning.

Definitions

The following items have been broken down into categories for ease of use. Remember to read all the material thoroughly.

Terms

• Vandalism - We have already talked about this, but just as a refresher, vandalism is considered to be "any addition, removal, or change of content in a deliberate attempt to compromise the integrity of Wikipedia". It is highly important to be careful when dealing with possible vandalism. Accusing someone else of vandalizing is one of the most serious charges you can make on Wikipedia. Never label anything as vandalism unless there is nothing else it could possibly be.

Places and Projects

• Arbitration Committee - Copied from the linked page: "The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve." ArbCom, as the committee is usually called, is a very controversial body, which should not be surprising. After all, the members of ArbCom are charged with handling some of the community's most difficult situations. As a result, the job of an arbitrator (arb) is a difficult one. Allow me to repeat what I said about admins: It is important to always remember that Arbs are people too. Don't be surprised if you find yourself reading a lot of criticism related to ArbCom. When you do, remember that is not reasonable to expect the committee to function without making somebody unhappy.
• Noticeboards - The noticeboards are often referred to as "drama boards" here at Wikipedia. One such drama board is located at Wikipedia:Administrator's noticeboard (AN). From its name, you can gather that AN is a noticeboard for administrators (yes, really). Other more focused noticeboards include one for edit-warring (AN3), and the infamous ANI. {{Noticeboard links}} is a template with a sizable list of noticeboards.
• Teahouse - The Teahouse describes itself as "A friendly place to help new editors become accustomed to Wikipedia culture, ask questions, and develop community relationships." If you have a difficult question that I cannot answer, I'd highly recommend the Teahouse. However, as you become more experienced at Wikipedia, you may prefer to use the Help Desk instead.
• WikiProjects - Copied from the linked page: "A WikiProject is a group of contributors who want to work together as a team to improve Wikipedia. These groups often focus on a specific topic area (for example, women's history) or a specific kind of task (for example, checking newly created pages). The English Wikipedia currently has about 2,000 WikiProjects and activity varies."

Some Helpful Things

Below is some information about helpful gadgets you can use and some of the userrights that exist on Wikipedia.

Scripts

• Scripts - There are an abundance of scripts that you can use to make your editing experience easier. However, you must be careful to avoid installing anything that could compromise your account or do any other kind of damage. In fact, that's why I mentioned them here. Err on the side of caution.

Tools

Some of the items below may require software to be installed on your computer in order for you to use them. Keep that in mind and remember that these tools, while helpful, are probably not necessary. Also keep in mind that these tools have much potential for abuse. Use them wisely at all times.

• HotCat - This tools makes adding and removing categories much easier. I don't use it very often, and I have had difficulty getting it to work in the past, but it can be a real time-saver if you want to do category work.
• Huggle - I have never used Huggle, but it is described as "... a Windows application for dealing with vandalism on Wikipedia, written in Visual Basic .NET."
• STiki - Used in reverting vandalism. I previously utilized it, but no longer do. Then again, I don't fight vandalism as much as I used to.
• Twinkle - You've already heard my sales pitch for Twinkle.

User-rights

In this subsection, I will list some of the user-rights available on the English Wikipedia. For more information, follow the links given. You should remember to be very cautious in attempting to acquire any of these rights and if you ever are granted some of them, make sure that you understand how to use them properly. A more exhaustive list of user-rights is available at Wikipedia:User access levels.

• Administrator - Administrators (also known as Admins) are editors who have been entrusted with extra tools, such as the ability to block other editors, delete pages and protect pages. Adminship is a user-right that is acquired through the Requests for adminship (RfA) process. Adminship should be considered no big deal and admins are sometimes called janitors because they often will have to "clean up" some rather messy situations. It is important to always remember that Admins are people too.
• Autopatrolled - When an editor is granted the autopatrolled right, his or her articles will be automatically patrolled upon creation. This is intended to create less work for those who filter the new pages.
• Bureaucrat - Bureaucrats (also known as Crats) are those with the ability to authorize bots and to give the administrator user-right to candidates who succeed at RfA. Bureaucratship is acquired through the Requests for Bureaucratship (RfB) process. RfB is very similar to RfA, although the standards are tougher at RfB. Bureaucrats also have the ability to give the bureaucrat user-right to those who succeed at RfB. Generally, someone will not become a bureaucrat without first becoming an administrator.
• Reviewer - In a nutshell, "Reviewing consists of determining whether a new revision is broadly acceptable for public view, and if not, editing the article to obtain an acceptable revision." Users with the Reviewer right have the ability to accept or reject some changes made to articles that have been given Pending Changes protection.
• Rollbacker - The rollback user-right allows users to revert certain edits with a single click. This right should only be used to undo unhelpful edits and it should be handled very carefully. Misuse of rollback can lead to it being taken away from you. For more information rollback, and how to acquire it, read the linked page.