User:Redmarkviolinist/Coaching

Redmarkviolinist (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · page moves · block user · block log) Redmarkviolinist (talk • contribs • non-automated contribs • wikichecker • count • total • logs • page moves • block log • email)

	WP:AIV
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	WP:ANI
	WP:SPI
	WP:RCP
	WP:RPP
	WP:RFA
	WP:AFD
	WP:XFD
	WP:DRV
	CAT:SPEEDY
	WP:CSD
	WP:RM
	WP:FA
	WP:RFC
	WP:RAA
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	WP:BACK
	CAT:HELP
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	WP:BARN
	WP:RD

Hello[edit]

Thank you for choosing me as your coach.

For now, I think it is best that you keep your focus on encyclopedia content (articles, lists, and portals).

What tools do you use?

The Transhumanist 05:05, 28 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Right now I use Lupin's anti-vandal tool, but I hope to receive VandalProof. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 00:07, 29 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Read The Rambling Man's lesson on VandalProof and get WP:AWB. The Transhumanist 10:03, 30 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, got AWB, and I also use Twinkle. Hope to get VandalProof soon. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 23:40, 30 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Email...[edit]

You should add an email account to your my preferences settings.

Then drop me an email.

The Transhumanist 19:35, 4 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Wikiquette, and your talk page[edit]

Main articles: Wikipedia:Etiquette and Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines#User talk pages

It's hard to follow conversations when they are split up all over the place. I recommend that you answer messages that are posted on your talk page on your talk page.

You should restore any messages you've blanked from your talk page (and don't blank any more in the future). There's no policy against removal, but it is heavily frowned upon and is considered inappropriate (except for removing vandalism, personal attacks with real life information about you, etc.).

You should answer any unanswered requests/complaints/critiques etc.

The Transhumanist 19:35, 4 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Talk page archiving[edit]

Main article: Help:Archiving a talk page

The method of talk page archiving I use is: when my talk page grows long (100K+), I move it to the appropriate archive page name, and then restart my talk page over the redirect just created.

Always provide links to your discussion archives on your talk page. (I keep a link to my archive menu on both my talk page and user page).

Concerning archiving bots, I recommend not using them. They usually archive messages too early, sometimes they archive live discussion threads, and they make unnecessary copies of messages. The moving method is better.

The Transhumanist 19:35, 4 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have VandalProof yet?[edit]

When you do, be sure to read The Rambling Man, on vandalism - his method is to use VP and AWB at the same time.

The Transhumanist 19:35, 4 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I got VandalProof about one week ago. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 13:49, 7 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Have you read The Rambling Man's lesson on vandalism yet? The Transhumanist 21:12, 8 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I read it. Is that what you recommend that I start doing? Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 21:00, 9 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

However much you feel like doing. It's part of editing. The Transhumanist 00:04, 10 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Bunched up edits[edit]

I noticed there are bunched up edit links in Battle of Saint-Mihiel.

See Wikipedia:How to fix bunched-up edit links.

The Transhumanist 11:44, 12 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

VandalProof[edit]

Let me know how it's working for you, if you are having any problems with it, etc.

The Transhumanist 07:56, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What subjects do you like?[edit]

What non-academic subjects do you like? Anything that comes up on Requests for New Pages.

What academic subjects do you like? History.

I am a very big with history, I usually don't edit anything aside from history. I like all different types of History, as you can see in my Contribs. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 15:26, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Transhumanist 07:58, 29 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Cool. In that case...

Collaboration[edit]

I'm pushing a collaboration to complete the list of basic space exploration topics.

Should be fun. Drop on by. ;) You can focus on the history section!

Also, see my post to User talk:Quiddity#Basic topic lists if you want to delve in deeper.

The Transhumanist 08:52, 6 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

History assignment[edit]

With Firefox, install Linky.

Then go to Wikipedia:WikiProject Lists of basic topics and highlight (select) a range of lists in the list there (up to 99).

Right click, then click "Linky", then click "load into tabs".

Click on the first tab with a list in it.

Scroll down to the history section and finish it. After saving the page...

Press Ctrl-W, then scroll down to the history section and finish it, repeat until all the tabs are gone.

Have fun.

The Transhumanist 10:08, 6 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

FYI[edit]

I resign.

I've moved this page to your userspace for safekeeping.

The Transhumanist 03:43, 14 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

RfA talk[edit]

I think we need to discuss RfA a bit, given your recent poorly-thought out RfA. I won't go over the nomination, since I expect to nominate you, but the other parts I found a bit lacking in your own RfA. For one, it's the convention not to bold your answers. Additionally, it's best not to transclude it onto the RfA page until you've answered all the questions.

People on RfA, as you can see, don't like fancy user pages like yours with the fanciness fringing on the readability. I'd recommend you change your design.

One last thing, on passing RfA: A very high edit count is no guarantee of passing RfA. In fact, it paradoxically decreases chances. The reason is that very experienced, high-edit-count users often get in things I like to call "controversies". Take User:Dihydrogen Monoxide. A very good user, suited (well, in my opinion) for adminship, but he hasn't passed yet (though the last one came close). Why? Because of a certain controversy a while ago when he posted private chatlogs in his userspace, as well as some more minor incidents recently. In fact, your old coach (The Transhumanist) is another example of an user with a high edit count not passing RfA, due to certain controversial actions that the RfA voters disliked.

RfA voters do not like "ZOMG DRAMA" users (well, I don't, and I often find many in agreement), which is ironic given the amount of drama that has happened there in the past. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 01:24, 22 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ok. Thanks for all the information. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 16:20, 22 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have any questions about RfA? Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 02:47, 23 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Wikibreak[edit]

I'll be back quite soon, definitely by April, and probably by mid-March. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 20:12, 23 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Meh, on second thought, I have enough time to coach you. I'll just coach you for the next month; I'll be back full-time on Wikipedia by April. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 21:23, 24 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Assignment[edit]

I have an assignment for you: Get Battle of Marion through the Military History WikiProject's A-class review. There's no real deadline, but I suggest you try to finish within a month. The recent peer review should help you along. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 02:06, 1 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Got it. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 21:08, 3 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Try to address all concerns as promptly as possible. A good example of how I did it was here. I did a quick automated MOS fix-up of the article, which should help some. Here's an updated auto-generated peer review:

Per Wikipedia:Context and Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates), months and days of the week generally should not be linked. Years, decades, and centuries can be linked if they provide context for the article.^[?]
Watch for redundancies that make the article too wordy instead of being crisp and concise. (You may wish to try Tony1's redundancy exercises.)
- Vague terms of size often are unnecessary and redundant - “some”, “a variety/number/majority of”, “several”, “a few”, “many”, “any”, and “all”. For example, “~~All~~ pigs are pink, so we thought of ~~a number of~~ ways to turn them green.”

Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 00:57, 6 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Address all the concerns, then try again, I wouldn't have suggested going for it immediately, but since you did, go ahead and use the suggestions in preparation for your second. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 01:41, 10 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm actually, this time, going on Wikibreak until April. When I'm back, hopefully you'll have this done. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 21:19, 10 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Back early. I suggest you continue working on the article. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 21:53, 16 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've had midterms, and I have been really busy lately. I haven't had any time for a while. Redmarkviolinist ^{Drop me a line} 16:51, 20 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, feel free to take time, then. I might work on the article a while in my spare time. Nousernamesleft^{copper, not wood} 01:43, 21 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]