User talk:Alex Shih/Archive/2017-4

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146.196.37.178

Just saw you blocked this IP that started a weird thread at the noticeboard. Guessing this is repetitive behavior from a sock? Home Lander (talk) 18:33, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

@Home Lander: Yes, very repetitive ([1][2][3]). Alex Shih (talk) 18:40, 31 October 2017 (UTC)
Oh, perfect. Well if I see any more of it it'll now be flagged. Home Lander (talk) 18:42, 31 October 2017 (UTC)

Halloween cheer!

Request

Hi, Alex.

I am very much aware of WP:ADMINSHOP and it is unethical. But this is request for justice/review of faulty unilateral decision (not consensus). I must also say sincerely, I regret to post this base on our overall 3 to 5 interactions, but you can invite anybody for thought. I do assume good faith amply but I am stretched now, and I don't buy the reason TonyBallioni gave for declining my request at NPR today based on surrounding circumstances and time. I believe I well pass the requirements for NPR right, but only denied by Tony as he extend his admin privilege to send me a warning signal of consequence of not following his command-like comment on DrStrauss' talkpage. It is clear Tony either did not like my comment outright or perceived it as affront to him (me, non admin) commenting after he expect nobody to, and he shortly thereafter saw me on NPR queue. It is also curious and contradictory for TonyBallioni who supported merging AFC and NPR to say I am doing "good work" in AFC but can't be trusted with NPR right, this is clear double standard as they're mutually exclusive. I will like uninvolved admins regulars at PERM to reassess my request based on my contributions and the need I demonstrated. –Ammarpad (talk) 02:00, 1 November 2017 (UTC)

  • PS. for the record; I started typing before Tony at DrStrauss' page, but spent time analyzing the content of discussion I am linking. I manually skipped edit conflict and opened new window to comment after I learnt he commented. And I only commented after I think it is really important, not because just I saw people discussing. 2. I have other grievanes on him that added for the need of this request, but this is not formal complaint on his actions and admin judgments, but certainly I don't believe his NPR judgment is impartial, based his double standard, time and response tone circumstances and preceding events that I am aware of–Ammarpad (talk) 02:29, 1 November 2017 (UTC)
(talk page stalker)@Ammarpad:--Hi, Ammarpad, please assume some more good-faith.Tony is one of our most co-operative and friendly sysops and the denial of NPR right was not even tangentially linked with your's commenting at DStraus's t/p. Also, while I understand your thoughts about the denial, nobody is here with a battle-ground mentality (Admins vs Non-admins et al) and we are indeed fairly strict on the experience requirement.Keep up your good work on AFC and re-apply as directed.Also, while Tony might have supported the inclusion, currently they are not merged and each shall be viewed from their own perspective.Cheers!Winged Blades of GodricOn leave 04:28, 1 November 2017 (UTC)
@Ammarpad: Hi, Godric pretty much covered everything I was going to say. It's a far stretch to link these two as circumstantial. There aren't any requirements for user permissions, but guidelines to be interpreted based on the discretion of individual admins. Your second request was a bit hurried. I'll stop writing here, feel free to e-mail me if you want to discuss this more. In the meanwhile, take a look at this reading, which reflects my thoughts on "tools" in general. Cheers, Alex Shih (talk) 12:18, 1 November 2017 (UTC)

Deleted articles F4analyse

Hi Alex,

I have seen that you deleted the article on the CAQDAS-Software F4analyse. In fact, I was shocked that it has been deleted in such a short time (less than 24 hours). The software is a relevant CAQDAS-Software and the article was there for quite some time and the content is relevant. The only thing which could be there is that the wording was not put right. Why has it then deleted without giving time to revise? Please give me the time to edit the article. Can you please also send me the last version of the article so that I can save it?

Best, GrryT (talk) 08:42, 1 November 2017 (UTC)

@GrryT: Hi, sorry for the late response. I've e-mailed you the latest copy. After extraneous information are removed and checked against WP:NSOFT, please use articles for creation process for new submission so another reviewer can take a look. Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 04:14, 4 November 2017 (UTC)
@Alex Shih:: Thanks for sending the wiki code for f4analyse, I will be reworking the article and will add it again in revised form. GrryT (talk) 07:08, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – November 2017

News and updates for administrators from the past month (October 2017).

Administrator changes

added LonghairMegalibrarygirlTonyBallioniVanamonde93
removed Allen3Eluchil404Arthur RubinBencherlite

Technical news

Arbitration

Obituaries

  • The Wikipedia community has recently learned that Allen3 (William Allen Peckham) passed away on December 30, 2016, the same day as JohnCD. Allen began editing in 2005 and became an administrator that same year.

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:49, 2 November 2017 (UTC)

question about my Autopatrolled privileges and reviewing a draft article

Hi Alex Shih! As you may remember, you gave me autopatrolled privileges recently. I did want to let you know that I put them to good use, creating James Fugaté. I plan to make more improvements and submit it as a DYK later today.

I did want to ask about whether it would be appropriate that I mark Draft:Gwendolyn Ann Magee for approval to be moved to mainspace. I don't see anything in the instructions about needing additional privileges to review pages.

The one complication is that, while I didn't create the article, I did some cleanup recently and was the one to submit it for review. So I'm unsure if it would be acceptable if I reviewed it myself. I do feel the article meets the criteria, but want to check if I should move forward or wait for someone else to review the page.

Thanks! = paul2520 (talk) 13:49, 2 November 2017 (UTC)

@Paul2520: Hey, sorry for the late response. James Fugaté looks really good, nice work. I am not too familiar with AfC (you might want to ask Primefac or TonyBallioni), my limited understanding is that all experienced editors should be welcomed to move drafts that are ready to the mainspace (having helped to cleanup doesn't really matter). For these editors that wants to be a regular participant of the AfC process only, a request (new rule) should be submitted at Wikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creation/Participants, mainly to access the helper script. If you are interested in becoming regular participant of AfC or WP:NPP, let me know. Alex Shih (talk) 04:08, 4 November 2017 (UTC)
@Alex Shih: Thanks, this is great! I think I will go forward with becoming a participant. I can definitely commit to continuing editing and reviewing more than enough to be considered active. = paul2520 (talk) 17:20, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

Hi Alex! There is currently an discussions about INC issues, I think you maybe invited for the comment, based on this sock account that you had discovery in few days ago. SA 13 Bro (talk) 21:37, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

@SA 13 Bro: Thanks for the heads up. Alex Shih (talk) 03:55, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

why did you delete the profile for Cristina Dolan - there was nothing promotional about it

Can you please restore this page - what was promotional about it that made you delete it.

"This page has been deleted. The deletion, protection, and move log for the page are provided below for reference.

14:32, 6 August 2017 Alex Shih (talk | contribs) deleted page Cristina Dolan (G11: Unambiguous advertising or promotion)" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.30.229.153 (talk)

Re: Kara Goldin

Hi there, I just recently made some edits to the page. Changed the verbiage around and added some new sources. Could you please check it over? Would really like to have this live on Wikipedia if possible. Thank you! Arnold.kevin729 20:03, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

@Arnold.kevin729: Please change your signature according to WP:SIGLINK. Another glance at this article still reads like having written by someone with conflict of interest. I am afraid you will probably receive better advice at Wikipedia:Teahouse or Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard. Alex Shih (talk) 20:24, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

Fixed Talk Page

Just an FYI, but Arnold.kevin729 copy-pasted information out of the archive or a historical version of your talk page (see here). I went ahead and fixed it for you. Nihlus 20:31, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

@Nihlus: Thanks. Alex Shih (talk) 20:34, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

"Partially" collapsing?

I disagree that it's off-topic, especially the first comment which was directly on topic (sarcastic, but directly on topic). But I'm not surprised at people getting upset by the exact wrong thing. I've been here more than 10 years, I know by now that enforcing Wikipedia-defined "Civility" is more important than calling out the promulgation of racist terminology for fun. But I've hit my limit for pushing rocks up hills for the day, so do whatever you think is honorable, I'm done with the subject for now. --Floquenbeam (talk) 21:04, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

@Floquenbeam: I understand, and I agree. I think I should clarify that the collapse was directed at the flow of where the conversation was heading, not really directed at the first comment (although leaving the first comment out would invite other editors instead to my talk page). Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 21:12, 7 November 2017 (UTC)
Meh, I was about to start snarking about the relative importance of casual racism vs. trying to keep a clean talk page, but that wouldn't be fair; I suppose I know what you meant. I live in post-2016 America, I'm gradually getting used to near-constant disappointment. --Floquenbeam (talk) 21:24, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

Hi. Could you recreate it as a redirect? I had redirected it to Secretly Group, but the original creator kept replacing it with the article you deleted. Thank you! 208.95.51.38 (talk) 21:20, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

Thank you. But now it's been re-replaced with the same spam by the same spammer. 208.95.51.38 (talk) 16:42, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
Thank you again. 208.95.51.38 (talk) 20:49, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
Thanks, 208.95.51.38 (talk · contribs). Alex Shih (talk) 03:47, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

I'm not sure all that has happened here but yesterday I did click the "Contest this deletion" button and left justification on the talk page. The draft was deleted anyway. I'm not sure if my contestation went unnoticed or there was some overriding factor that caused the draft to be deleted anyway. ~Kvng (talk) 14:17, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

@Kvng: What has changed since Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Zeta (company)? Your "contestation" basically recycled the same argument from the AfD discussion. I agreed with the patroller that the new draft was still promotional, and you are welcome to seek third opinion. Alex Shih (talk) 14:42, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
Thanks for the response. I just wanted to make sure that my contestation was noted. I couldn't and can't assess whether previous deletion arguments apply to this treatment of the subject because I am not an administrator and so can't review deleted pages. At this point, I'll trust your judgement on this. I don't wish to pursue this any further. ~Kvng (talk) 14:51, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Sigh...

I dunno if you want to do anything with this or not. Not sure much can be done for an editor who doesn't speak enough English to be told they don't speak enough English. For whatever it's worth, judging by this, it seems likely they're a native Hindi speaker. GMGtalk 11:49, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

@GreenMeansGo: I'll take a look at it after I find my Enigma, it's probably somewhere in the basement. Alex Shih (talk) 15:38, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Prep promotion

Hi, I notice you already promoted Prep 2 to the queue, making it the second one in line. Would it be possible to hold off from promoting a set until the previous one has gone to the main page? Then other editors can still tweak the hooks. Thanks, Yoninah (talk) 14:59, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

@Yoninah: I think you are talking to the wrong person. I've been maintaining one set at a time ever since you mentioned it in WT:DYK. Alex Shih (talk) 15:28, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
Sorry, I was just looking at this edit, which I now see was from a few days ago. Yoninah (talk) 15:30, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Please take a look at this. It is obviously a copy paste of something. You had deleted a page at this title earlier. Still promo, appears now to be socking and undeclared paid for sure. John from Idegon (talk) 18:50, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

@John from Idegon: Sigh. Since similar case was mentioned last time, I've submitted it to MfD instead as we have reached the stage of "persistence": Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Draft:Auto Insurance Specialists: AIS Insurance. This really should just be deleted straight away/creator blocked for undisclosed paid editing/blatant promo-only account. Alex Shih (talk) 19:34, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Deleted articles : Hung Keung

Hi Alex,

I discovered that you deleted my article about Hung Keung, who is one of my favourite local artists in Hong Kong. I am surprised that my article is deleted. I believe there is some misunderstanding of my intension to write this article. I did not mean to do any advertising for Hung Keung through the wiki page. Yet, I would like to introduce my favourite artist to the world. I have spent long time to research and write the content. I can't believe that it had been deleted immediately after I post it on wikipedia. This is my first time creating a wiki article. I hope you can give me some advice to make the content better. Most importantly, I hope you can restore my page and I am happy to edit the content.

Best Regard, Kelly — Preceding unsigned comment added by Keeeeeechoi (talkcontribs) 11:37, 10 November 2017 (UTC)

draft:creador

Hello,

Can you please restore draft creador that i've just created, I want to add some more news url from reliable sources. Please. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Daffaadlen (talkcontribs) 11:11, 13 November 2017 (UTC)

Sockpuppetry investigation

Hi there, I've chosen you randomly to ask you a very simple question. How (and where) do I start filing a sockpuppet investigation? I've gone to the wikipage that describes this and yet I'm not still not sure! Thank you, Castncoot (talk) 20:43, 13 November 2017 (UTC)

@Castncoot: Hi, it would be helpful if you can be more specific. I am not sure what else I can say besides what's already explained at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations (specifically, the section where it says "How to open an investigation"). If you have specific questions about the process, I'll be more than happy to help. Alex Shih (talk) 20:51, 13 November 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for pointing out what should have been obvious to me. I failed to simply uncollapse the section content! Best, Castncoot (talk) 04:05, 14 November 2017 (UTC)

Request from WP:PERM/PCR

Hello Alex- I have a request at PERM/PCR and it has gone stale for about 4 days now. I would contact Toni, but he has stated on my request that he wants another sysop to review my request. To me, at least, 4 days seems to be a lengthy time. I did notice that the review might take a while. However, I saw in the page history that most requests get answered within a day. If you aren't willing to review, and I understand, just let me know on my talk page. Thanks! Cocohead781 (talk) 01:33, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

@Cocohead781: Done, good luck. Alex Shih (talk) 05:04, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk page

Given this, it's not entirely clear that that talk page serves any real purpose. GMGtalk 23:24, 15 November 2017 (UTC)

@GreenMeansGo: True. Turned off tpa and semi-protected the page. Alex Shih (talk) 04:28, 16 November 2017 (UTC)

re: page Toronto Notes that you deleted

Dear Alex,

You deleted the page "Toronto Notes" that I created. I agree that I didn't support the material with reliable sources, therefore, your action was understandable. However, I created this page to open a discussion about this book and I mentioned that it has many mistakes and those weak-points were the reason that I created this page. Unfortunately, this book has become the MAIN study source for most domestic and considerable number of international medical students unofficially and unspokenly. University of Toronto, even though created and maintains it fundamentally, remains silent for any comments to avoid taking responsibility of faulty materials. I was not able to find reliable sources as people only speak about it in forums, media, personal blogs and so on. If you ask any medical student or graduate in Canada, they most likely would endorse this fact. I would suggest undoing the deletion, however, please feel free to make any changes in order to maintain the neutrality.

Best Regards, Behzad --FallenOut2013 (talk) 05:44, 17 November 2017 (UTC)

@FallenOut2013: You've basically answered your own comment. Please refer to Wikipedia:No original research, thanks. Alex Shih (talk) 18:39, 19 November 2017 (UTC)

Thank you

Thank you for the highly considerate approach you've shown in connection with the unblock request for BS. If the user still persistently resorts to sockpuppetry and CU reveals the same, no one can help! --Muzammil (talk) 17:00, 17 November 2017 (UTC)

@Hindustanilanguage: It's unfortunate that one single instance of logged out editing can be disqualifying (although there were other factors too), but that's just the way it is. It's always delightful to see good editors coming from different sides of the world, thank you too. Alex Shih (talk) 18:44, 19 November 2017 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar
Dear Alex Shih,

Good to see an admin not only based in U.S. Yes, Wikipedia is from U.S. Yes, most readers of Wikipedia are from and in U.S. Since Wikipedia is an encyclopedic reference, seeing an admin with a background outside of U.S. is good. Thank you, BelAirWhale BelAirWhale (talk) 14:11, 18 November 2017 (UTC)

@BelAirWhale: Thanks. Alex Shih (talk) 18:49, 19 November 2017 (UTC)

2017 Sino-Indian conflict

You reverted my edit on Sino-Indian border conflict. The 2017 incident that I added consists of many sources. I didn't add any source in the summary as I thought it won't be needed. The summary of previous incidents didn't have any citations either due to they having their own individual articles with individual citations. I'd be glad if you took time to read the article and verify the citations/references/articles before reverting my edit again. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nishant.sankhe (talkcontribs) 18:33, 19 November 2017 (UTC)

Thank you

Thank you so much for not making the topic ban permanent. I really appreciate it. It was a very kind gesture. David A (talk) 19:05, 23 November 2017 (UTC)

Thanks!

Thank you so much for granting me the new page reviewer right. Happy Thanksgiving! Hummerrocket (talk) 21:11, 23 November 2017 (UTC)

@Hummerrocket: No problem, good luck! Alex Shih (talk) 09:34, 24 November 2017 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Admin's Barnstar
I have admired the clear and level-headed admin actions and decision-making you have done since returning to activity. Thank you very much for your service and clear commitment to the project. Softlavender (talk) 07:21, 24 November 2017 (UTC)
@Softlavender: Thank you, this means very much. I'll also remain committed to take criticisms and continue to adjust my approach to the project accordingly. Alex Shih (talk) 09:36, 24 November 2017 (UTC)

AfC

Hi Alex, Many thanks for approving my AfC participation. It seems my name is not on the list yet, though. Thanks, pseudonym Jake Brockman talk 10:55, 24 November 2017 (UTC)

@Jake Brockman: Oops, my bad. Should be added now. Alex Shih (talk) 11:01, 24 November 2017 (UTC)
great, thanks! pseudonym Jake Brockman talk 11:31, 24 November 2017 (UTC)

Lobbing a grenade

Just letting you know I struck and replaced one word in your close of Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:AN/Lob grenade and run away, with an explanatory note. I didn't clue in at the time that you wouldn't be notified of my edit so you might not be aware I did that, and you should be since your name's still attached to the close. Feel free to change back if you're not okay with this. Ivanvector (Talk/Edits) 21:11, 24 November 2017 (UTC)

@Ivanvector: Thanks, I looked at the page at the time and was wondering if I should use "page" since the page just contained only a image... But it's still a page I guess. Alex Shih (talk) 04:42, 25 November 2017 (UTC)

Deleted Page: Pulse Microsystems

Hi Alex,

You deleted a page that I created, you cited it as advertisement, but I had at least 20 sources in there, and links to real patents. How can you contest that that is advertising when the achievements are both patented, and citations are given for both the patents and real news articles?

How do I get that page back so I can edit it and not start over. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Csgoldberg (talkcontribs) 21:16, 24 November 2017 (UTC)

@Csgoldberg: Hi, the page was spam. Please read Wikipedia:Notability (organizations and companies) and Wikipedia:What_Wikipedia_is_not#Wikipedia_is_not_a_soapbox_or_means_of_promotion #5 to see what's acceptable here. I'll send you a copy if you enable your e-mail at Special:Preferences, but do not re-submit the entry again at the current state. Thanks, Alex Shih (talk) 04:47, 25 November 2017 (UTC)

Alex I understand what you are saying, but how can you declare it as spam if there are 20+sources? I will enable my email, please send it to me, and I will try again. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Csgoldberg (talkcontribs) 14:58, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

Hi. We're into the last five days of the Women in Red World Contest. There's a new bonus prize of $200 worth of books of your choice to win for creating the most new women biographies between 0:00 on the 26th and 23:59 on 30th November. If you've been contributing to the contest, thank you for your support, we've produced over 2000 articles. If you haven't contributed yet, we would appreciate you taking the time to add entries to our articles achievements list by the end of the month. Thank you, and if participating, good luck with the finale!

Help needed

Hi Alex,

It was great to see your observation about a recent discussion above.

Can you please share the policy documents (Wikipedia project pages) you have on EnWiki about the blocking the users (say, blocks for hours/days/months) for problematic users. I am specifically asking this as this will help frame policies for another Wiki. --Muzammil (talk) 14:30, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

User talk:Cyberfilm05

Can you take a look at the unblock request at User talk:Cyberfilm05. It's been uncommented on for a month, and I'm trying to clear out some backlogs. Since you are the blocking admin, you should have the right of first refusal. If you have no objections, I am inclined to unblock per WP:ROPE, but I thought I would give you the chance to comment. --Jayron32 15:21, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

@Jayron32: Thanks for the effort, I have no objections, so please go ahead and unblock. Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 17:24, 28 November 2017 (UTC)

Clueless

Any idea about what's happening over here? Winged Blades Godric 07:04, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

@Winged Blades of Godric: I don't know, probably personal issues unrelated to Wikipedia, if I was to speculate. Alex Shih (talk) 07:11, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

Archive

I don't agree with archiving good wishes. Would you do the same for thew messages on the talk of someone who died? (He also put the Retired tag up, btw.) I confess that I sometimes go there and find consolation. - It's not only for the one who left. He can simply not log in to avoid being bothered. I won't revert you, but think about it. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:20, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: FIM deleted/archived several messages to the same archive after his rename. I won't mind if someone reverts me, but I am kind of assuming that's what FIM would do if he logins again (I don't think comparison with recently deceased is a good comparison; I think Coffee is a better comparison in this case). I'd love to be proven wrong, because I am just as confused and upset over this. Alex Shih (talk) 17:25, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
It's unfortunate, but I guess everyone has to eventually close their last tab. All we can do is be thankful for what time they kept it open. GMGtalk 17:29, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
Reply to Alex (ec): Recently? January 2016. - Coffee cleared his talk himself. Dreadstar had cleared his talk, with a notice not to add, and that anybody was free to delete. We didn't obey. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:35, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
@Gerda Arendt: I think that's beside the point. My point is, like Dreadstar's message, that when the desire to not have any more messages are expressed, there will naturally be two different sides, with one side respecting the wish of the editor, and the other side not "obeying" and continues to express good wishes. I think the starting point of both sides are in the utmost good faith. I did something I felt was respecting the desire expressed by FIM, but if another editor (like yourself) expresses disagreement and reverts myself, it will be part of the process of good will (showing that you and I both cares) that hopefully will eventually bring a editor back. Alex Shih (talk) 17:42, 30 November 2017 (UTC)
I agree that we try the best we can and act in good faith. In the case I can't forget, I made a note (while he was alive), but reverted myself right afterwards, obediently. The spirale of justice was so connected to why he left, - I had to bring it there. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:00, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

Remaining questions

Hi Aleh Shih, there're currently a few questions in the Arbcom elections which you have not answered or have answered with "I need more time". Can I check if you are intending to answer them? There's 10 more days to go, so it's not urgent, but I'd still like to know the answers so I can think about them before submitting my votes. Banedon (talk) 22:14, 30 November 2017 (UTC)

@Banedon: Hi, other than Nick's question, and perhaps your own question (which I planned to elaborate but has yet to do so), I think I have answered most of the questions already? Is there any one of them in particular that you are referring to? Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 04:13, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
I was referring to Nick's question and the couple of unanswered questions by Certified Gangsta. If you want to elaborate on my question that's great, but since it overlaps Nick's, I think it's not necessary. Banedon (talk) 05:12, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
I will answer Nick's question in the coming days. For the remaining questions, see my response here. Cheers, Alex Shih (talk) 05:13, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
Apologies I remember reading your answer yet somehow forgot about it. Waiting for your answer to Nick! Banedon (talk) 06:18, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
@Banedon: No problem, my apologies on the delay. I will write up my answer to Nick's question when I get home from work later tonight; I am assuming you are probably interested in my position toward The Rambling Man case. Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 10:49, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
It's the case I'm most familiar with, but if you choose another case / motion / proposed remedy etc that's also fine with me. I can't speak for Nick, but I most want to know what you think about the cases which people disagree on. If something is uncontroversial enough to pass unanimously, I'll simply assume you agree with it, too. Banedon (talk) 11:58, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

ANI Experiences survey

The Wikimedia Foundation Community health initiative (led by the Safety and Support and Anti-Harassment Tools team) is conducting a survey for en.wikipedia contributors on their experience and satisfaction level with the Administrator’s Noticeboard/Incidents. This survey will be integral to gathering information about how this noticeboard works - which problems it deals with well, and which problems it struggles with.

The survey should take 10-20 minutes to answer, and your individual responses will not be made public. The survey is delivered through Google Forms. The privacy policy for the survey describes how and when Wikimedia collects, uses, and shares the information we receive from survey participants and can be found here:

If you would like to take this survey, please sign up on this page, and a link for the survey will be mailed to you via Special:Emailuser.

Thank you on behalf of the Support & Safety and Anti-Harassment Tools Teams, Patrick Earley (WMF) talk 18:24, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

Discussion for PM granting

Thanks for your comments there. I think you may be on to something regarding having discussions on the page mover right like other pages do (pinging SMcCandlish here since he is an advocate for caution granting the right). My concern with doing it in the present form is that our standards are pretty loose, probably intentionally. If we were to move to this format, I think we would need to have an RfC on increasing the standards. I hadn't thought of EFM, which is mainly used by admins these days as compared to EFH, but regardless of which unbundeled right is the most sensitive, page mover is in the running since it gives the ability to G6 pages and it comes with relatively little oversight once granted. TonyBallioni (talk) 18:51, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

@TonyBallioni: To be honest, I am only concerned about getting more editors involved in these kind of situations. You guys are far more competent than I am in filling in the technical details. I am aware of the sensitivity of page mover, my opinion is that errors can be reversed, and rights can be revoked. If added responsibility can improve the editor and therefore improve our project, I see no reason to be unnecessarily bureaucratic. But that's just my unfiltered view, which can often be easily "out of process". So yes, an RfC would be a good idea. Alex Shih (talk) 19:09, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
RfC is probably a good idea. I can think of at least 2 reasons to go this direction, beyond "comes with relatively little oversight once granted": 1) a large number of requests are from new-ish editors who lack sufficient experience to use the tools properly, despite meeting the minimum requirements, and these requests for the permission are a waste of time; 2) several people with the bit have a long history of tendentiousness at RM, in defiance of AT, the NC guidelines, and/or MoS, for topical special pleading, and should never have had it granted. The procedural problem is that some admins interpret the checklist as a bare minimum, while some interpret it as the only requirements, and thus object when an admin discretionarily declines the permission despite the checklist being met. If we added "This checklist is a bare minimum; applicants also should demonstrate competence in page moves, compliance with article titles policy and applicable guidelines, and an actual need for the page mover tools", and also had the requests open for a couple of days (longer if discussion is ongoing about a request) that would probably be sufficient. Raising the levels of the minimums by 50% would also curtail "not yet" requests. "Errors can be reversed" is an overstatement; of the (less than half a dozen) RM disruptors who have this bit and should not, the amount of drama that would be involved in removing it from them would not at all be worth it. They'll have to retain the permission until they misuse it and a case can be made at AN or wherever to remove it on a case-by-case basis, surely. I.e., it's more bureaucratic and awful to over-grant the permission than to under-grant it, and such considerations will only affect a tiny percentage of applicants (while the "I met the checklist today but don't really know what I'm doing and want this hat anyway" requests are quiet frequent).  — SMcCandlish ¢ >ʌⱷ҅ʌ<  19:33, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
I'll express my thoughts on tenure here since they were related to the reason I declined this particular case. Alex, I generally hold your view on granting the flags, I'm pretty liberal in many cases: what I look for is tenure (i.e. dedication to the community and awareness of norms), need, and likelihood of disruption. The guidelines are a way to determine this, but as you know, we often have to make judgement calls on it.
The reason I think tenure is important is that because this right is so sensitive: it is very easy to accidentally misuse thinking that you are within the boundaries of the CSD criteria and naming conventions, but aren't actually. I have no problem granting it to a longterm editor who has been on break most of this year, and just returned this month, has a decent move log, and has no blocks. That (usually) shows that the user has a longterm understanding of community norms and is committed to the movement and is unlikely to go off for a few years and then come back to start abusing the permission. A newer user, no matter how active, still is pretty likely to drop off, and then we have an account with a sensitive permission hanging around that makes one or two edits a year, and had little previous experience on Wikipedia. Given how difficult the rights are to revoke, and how sensitive the naming process can be, I don't think of this as a good thing.
Finally, re: tenure, there are also some things about Wikipedia, consensus, and the way we operate that can only be learned with time. Edit counts don't really tell all that much, and the things we learn by interacting with other Wikipedians and thinking about the experiences we have here over time makes us better Wikipedians and helps us to understand how to interact with other people we have never met before, and to understand reasons why people might object to our actions. I think all of these things are pretty important for the page mover permissions, which is why I fall on the stricter side when it comes to tenure. I realize you weren't critiquing me, but since we both are pretty active at PERM, I thought the discussion might just generally be useful :) TonyBallioni (talk) 19:54, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
I vehemently disagree that tenure is indicative of "understanding" in any capacity. People have different levels of "clue" no matter what the tenure is and that should be easily demonstrable by the actions they make on the wiki. By taking arbitrarily bureaucratic measures to keep people out of participating in parts of the wiki, you are proactively hindering its progress. What does it matter if someone can quickly demonstrate their own capabilities over 3 months or 6 months? What is the benefit gained by forcing someone who is clearly competent to wait a full year to gain a right they clearly could have handled much sooner? The issue appears to be the incapability of administrators in competently handling the problematic users they give the rights to, not anything else. Nihlus 20:08, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
@Nihlus: My reading of Tony's thought on "understanding" and "tenure" is different than yours. I think what Tony is referring to is the "feeling", that does come with time; you may have all the capabilities, but you haven't encountered enough situations where it requires quick problem solving based on past experiences, beyond capabilities. I think you are too aggressive at times, Nihlus, and too quick to escalate because you always seem to be confident that you are correct until you have been proven wrong. This is not the best approach to reach consensus in my opinion, although I think you have been less antagonistic recently, which is why I think Tony asked you to apply again next month. I partially disagree with Tony and SMcCandlis on that it's difficult to revoke PM rights, but this is another discussion for another day. Alex Shih (talk) 20:36, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
I disagree with everything you said wholeheartedly. I ask numerous questions to multiple people if I ever feel I am in doubt, which is rather often. Tony himself, Primefac, There'sNoTime, Ajraddatz, K6ka, and others can attest to that. I normally do it behind the scenes, so I can understand why you might not necessarily see it, but I take issue with your summary of my editing. Nihlus 20:43, 1 December 2017 (UTC)
@Nihlus: Maybe that's why. I haven't been following closely, but it's the general tone (although probably restricted view, like you mentioned) that I was getting, and that's my interpretation of the decline. I am currently being criticized for my "experience" too, so I hope you can see it from my perspective also. Alex Shih (talk) 21:05, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

Requested Move

You might want to close this discussion [4] since this is a close one, I'd like to see it been closed by an admin and learn from it! cheers. Mahveotm (talk) 19:00, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

@Mahveotm: Thanks for the heads up. I don't often close RM discussions, but I will look at it another day when I am more focused, if it hasn't be been closed by then. Alex Shih (talk) 19:13, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

Mister wiki case has been accepted

You were recently listed as a party to or recently offered a statement in a request for arbitration. The Arbitration Committee has accepted that request for arbitration and an arbitration case has been opened at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Conduct of Mister Wiki editors. Evidence that you wish the arbitrators to consider should be added to the evidence subpage, at Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Conduct of Mister Wiki editors/Evidence. Please add your evidence by December 15, 2017, which is when the evidence phase closes. You can also contribute to the case workshop subpage, Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Conduct of Mister Wiki editors/Workshop. For a guide to the arbitration process, see Wikipedia:Arbitration/Guide to arbitration. For the Arbitration Committee, Kostas20142 (talk) 21:34, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

Administrators' newsletter – December 2017

News and updates for administrators from the past month (November 2017).

Administrator changes

added Joe Roe
readded JzG
removed EricorbitPercevalThinggTristanbVioletriga

Guideline and policy news

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

Technical news

Arbitration

Miscellaneous

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

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 20:57, 2 December 2017 (UTC)

Regarding Störm

Hi Alex Shih. Thank you for your final decision with regards to the AfD thread at ANI. At this point, a cap on the number of daily nominations is welcome, and as far as I'm concerned, I see any such move as a step in the right direction. However, keeping in view some recent issues and comments, the current limit of 5 nominations essentially amounts to 35 AfDs a week as BigHaz had also noted. While it is better than nothing of course, it is IMO, not drastically minimized or less than the current rate. I was wondering if I could have your two cents on how perhaps a more stringent cap (let's say 2 to 3 articles a day proposed by JaconaFrere, amounting to 14 to 21 a week) could have been more feasible and manageable for the time being. Most importantly, it would provide the community ample time and space for reviewing, and if the user indeed shows an improvement, then perhaps increasing a few weeks/months later to 5 a day would help. And if things go well, then perhaps we can take it by the stride and relax further or altogether. At this point and in my humble opinion, I am not 100% convinced that 35 noms. a week is a big change. I'll leave this for you to decide and give your input on, and if you have reasons to believe the current limit is appropriate, I will both trust and respect on your judgement on this. Best regards, Mar4d (talk) 09:58, 3 December 2017 (UTC)

@Mar4d: Hi, thank you for keeping an eye on the user for the past couple months. Let me share my thought process on this one with you. If Störm decides to nominate 35 consecutive AfD in one week, that's effectively gaming the system and should be dealt with immediately when that happens. As I have noted on their talk page and in the closing rationale, the pattern of Störm's editing can be seen as tendentious. If similar pattern of editing continues even with admonishment and restrictions, that gives us something to work with moving forward. In short, I am not as concerned about the cap limit, but more concerned about the pattern of editing by Störm from this point on. Warm regards to you too, Alex Shih (talk) 02:21, 4 December 2017 (UTC)
@Alex Shih: Hello again. Can you please explain how my editing can be seen as WP:TE or doing clean up work is to WP:GAME the system?. I'm not going to make mass nominations again and I regret that I had done it in the past. Anyways, I'm not here for any political cause or any bias. @Mar4d:, I'm ready to cooperate with you in this regard. Thanks. Störm (talk) 18:43, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
@Störm: I thought I have already explained how your previous editing can be seen as WP:TE. You were warned several times about your approach to AfD, and you stopped for a while, and then somehow started doing the same thing that you were warned not to do again. But it's in the past now, and you won't be WP:GAME the system as long as you don't do what Mar4d suspected you may do, which is to nominate 35 consecutive articles for deletion in one week. Can I be assured that you won't be doing that? Anyway, mistakes are okay as long as you don't repeat it too many times and makes an attempt to fix them. Hopefully this answers your comment. Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 18:50, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
@Alex Shih: I made mass nominations only because I'm not regular on Wikipedia or you can say that much free to contribute regularly. Now, when I can't nominate more than five so you may see me nominating five on weekends or other holidays but I don't think I can do that regularly. For more assurance, because I'm student currently so I can't even imagine to do 5 AfDs religiously everyday. Maybe that is enough. Störm (talk) 19:02, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
@Störm: Okay. One more thing I need to mention though; to be clear, the purpose of setting a limit is so that you can thoroughly research, and respond with appropriate rationale when your nominations are being contested. There are ongoing concerns about some of the deletion rationale you use; you may disagree with them, but try to find out why they disagree with you. This will make your editing here easier. Alex Shih (talk) 19:07, 5 December 2017 (UTC)
@Alex Shih: Thanks for your suggestion. I will try to work on this seriously. I don't know why I feel that I should stop altogether from here or opt for WP:CLEANSTART because whenever I will do little mistake (in future) people will make it big using my previous history (i.e. mistakes I done here in the past but later on worked on them). Störm (talk) 19:17, 5 December 2017 (UTC)

ArbCom 2017 election voter message

Hello, Alex Shih. Voting in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 10 December. All users who registered an account before Saturday, 28 October 2017, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Wednesday, 1 November 2017 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

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. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2017 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 3 December 2017 (UTC)

  • Congratulations for being elected, and good listening when cases come, - always better when they don't have to come ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:54, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

ACE question

Thank you for your response to my question, Alex. No other candidate this year was as supportive of reform. You have my vote and my strong support. Biblio (talk) 00:46, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

@Biblioworm: Thank you Biblio, I am sorry I wasn't able to be more insightful. Alex Shih (talk) 02:06, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

Thank you. The article does have a long term COI problem. Cheers, 2601:188:180:11F0:65F5:930C:B0B2:CD63 (talk) 03:55, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

@2601:188:180:11F0:65F5:930C:B0B2:CD63: No problem. Alex Shih (talk) 04:02, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

kind translation request for some articles in Chinese and Japanese

good morning from Coreca, Calabria. I am writing to greet you and know how you are. I'm pretty good for now. I know you're busy enough but I'll ask you a little favor if you like, and of course it will be well returned. Please could you update the pages of Coreca and Sabrina Ferilli in Chinese and Japanese? just and no more than 10 minutes of your precious time. Besides this, always if you want, could you translate two pages always dedicated to Coreca? they would be Coreca Reefs and Coreca Caves. Waiting for your cordial response, I thank you in advance, and I wish you great successes in life. with sympathy and esteem.--Luigi Salvatore Vadacchino (talk) 04:06, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

Ps: if I can translate something of your interest into Italian, Sicilian, Neapolitan and other Italian dialects ask me quietly, I will be honored to do so. Best regards--Luigi Salvatore Vadacchino (talk) 04:09, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

@Luigi Salvatore Vadacchino: Thank you for the kind message. Coreca, Coreca Reefs, Coreca Caves and Sabrina Ferilli? Sure, I'll work on them in the coming days when I have more time. Thank you for the gracious offer too. Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 04:11, 4 December 2017 (UTC)


Thanks to you for your availability, If these days I can do something for you to say as well. In my limits I will do my best. All best and more!--Luigi Salvatore Vadacchino (talk) 04:15, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

Good evening from Coreca dear Alex, I am writing to greet you and to know how you are, I am well enough for now. Here begin the Christmas holidays, I am writing to remind you of the help you had to give me with Coreca, Coreca Reefs, Coreca Caves and Sabrina Ferilli in Chinese and Japanese, Coreca is already in Chinese but is at risk, also Sabrina Ferilli is in Chinese but is to be updated. When can you do them? I will translate what you want into Italian, Sicilian, Neapolitan, Portuguese, Spanish, and other Italian dialects on Wikipedia. What you want I will translate to you with much honor and joy. a greeting from Calabria.--Luigi Salvatore Vadacchino (talk) 17:42, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

@Luigi Salvatore Vadacchino: I am sorry Luigi, I apologize about the delay. I should find sometime tomorrow to work on them. Best, Alex Shih (talk) 05:29, 16 December 2017 (UTC)

Very Pleased

Hi Alex, I was encouraged to see your name come up as a candidate on the ArbCom 2017 elections. Having had some very challenging yet fruitful workings together, especially on Japan related matters, I think you would do an excellent job in that capacity. So I wish you all the best with the elections. Cheers, Dr.khatmando (talk) 11:42, 5 December 2017 (UTC) Dr.khatmando (talk) 11:42, 5 December 2017 (UTC)

@Dr.khatmando: Thank you for your kind words. I have the utmost respect for your work with WP:JAPAN and I am hoping I can fulfill my promise (!) to help out more. Cheers to you too! Alex Shih (talk) 18:08, 5 December 2017 (UTC)

Requesting page move

I request you to clarify my doubts regarding a Samoan weightlifter born on the same date with 2 different names Iuniarra Simanu (name probably before marital status) and Iuniarra Sipaia (after marriage). I created the article Iuniarra Sipaia without knowing that the weightlfter's maiden name with the title Iuniarra Simanu which was created in 2016 by a well experienced editor who has more than 80000 edits to his/her name. When I try to ask and get help from him he was not available in Wikipedia over the past 5 months. The name Iuniarra Sipaia has many interrelated links with many articles when compared to Iuniarra Simanu has only 2 links. I wanted to clarify from you whether there are 2 individual weightlifters born on the same date or not. Abishe (talk) 16:12, 5 December 2017 (UTC)

It's probably the same person. Google search for Simanu turns up results from youth games only, while results from Sipaia only goes back to 2013 as far as I can see. I will merge the history of these two pages for now. Alex Shih (talk) 05:16, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

Thank you, but it is not clear to me.

I do not understand, nor do I see a clear violation, so I have asked cyberpower678 for clarification on what is meant by the term 'discussion'. I do not want to violate the IBAN or be brought to the AN/I, so I have asked exactly what is meant. I am not trying to wikilayer, but I am a person of specificity and I realise it will take a while to untangle the many pages before it can all be settled between all parties. I thank you for your work on this, and I really did need clarity.

P.S. You were the first Admin. that used the word 'please' and that meant a lot to me. Thank you for your civility. C. W. Gilmore (talk) 18:59, 5 December 2017 (UTC)

Querying

In regard MechaCobre12, I'm beginning to think DFTT or at least CIR may apply. Thoughts? John from Idegon (talk) 01:13, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

@John from Idegon: Yes, I couldn't understand a word in that latest comment. Blocked for nothere. Alex Shih (talk) 03:45, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

You placed a block notice on his talk page earlier but didn't actually block. Omission? Nthep (talk) 16:22, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

@Nthep: Urgh, one of my many idiot moments, sorry. I'll fix it when I get home in an hour. Thanks! Alex Shih (talk) 17:48, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
No worries. Nthep (talk) 17:56, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

The Admin's Barnstar
This is for your outstanding work as an administrator. I feel you highly deserve this after I have witnessed you making incredibly tough decisions. Mdriscoll03 (talk) 20:31, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

User:Frequency.rate

Hi Alex. Thanks for blocking this user earlier this week. However, they are socking with the IP address of 49.236.215.53 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log). This is FR adding the unsourced text to this article and today the IP made the exact same edit, along with a bunch of other edits on the same subject area. This looks like a clear case of WP:DUCK to me, but if you want me to head to WP:SPI, please let me know. Thanks. Lugnuts Fire Walk with Me 20:38, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

@Lugnuts: Blocked, thanks! If the block evasion continues, let me know and I will put a small padlock until Christmas. Alex Shih (talk) 20:49, 6 December 2017 (UTC)
Thanks Alex - much appreciated! Lugnuts Fire Walk with Me 20:53, 6 December 2017 (UTC)

Hi Alex: I'm wondering why you deleted my Wikipedia page was closed? My name is Tom Valcke.

Hi Alex: I'm wondering why you deleted my Wikipedia page? If I violated any Wikipedia rules, I apologize, and that was not intended. If there is some of the content that needs to be revised or deleted, if you could just let me know, I'm sure I'd be rather cooperative. My email is [redacted], and my cell is [redacted]. Thanks! Tom (Page was called "Tom Valcke" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.237.34.144 (talk) 04:07, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

Thom Prentice block

Hi, I noticed you blocked Thom Prentice. You may not have noticed, but he was fairly blatantly socking at Talk:Bombing of Dresden in World War II. Check comments by Thom Prentice account with the heading "Complaints department", and then the next heading "Further complaint" made by another account WornOutCog (talk · contribs) with basically the same complaint made by Thom. May need a checkuser. GigglesnortHotel (talk) 16:06, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

@GigglesnortHotel: Hi. These edits are a bit stale, I'll keep watch if the account edits again. Alex Shih (talk) 16:12, 7 December 2017 (UTC)

Nice one back there

The Impeccable Timing Barnstar
Timeless mopping, that- some of us were still waking up! SerialNumber54129...speculates 22:12, 7 December 2017 (UTC)
@Serial Number 54129: Thanks, artist formerly known as FIM. Alex Shih (talk) 09:37, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

User:Ibrahim Awwab

Hi Alex. I think Ibrahim Awwab is using John Abraham Awwab to evade your block and to get the same autobio content added to Wikipedia. I'm not sure if this is simply a case of WP:CIR and WP:IDHT or whether this person is genuinely having problems understanding English. One other sock has already been blocked and I've started Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Muhammad Ibrahim Afkar for this latest one, but I have a feeling this will not be the end of it. Maybe WP:SALTing the name/names would be a way to prevent the continued recreation of this content, but I'm not sure if that can be used for user pages or drafts. -- Marchjuly (talk) 04:33, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

@Marchjuly: Blocked and spam pages deleted. I hope you know how much I admire and respect your work with image copyrights and other areas of Wikipedia. But for obvious cases like this, just let me or anyone else know and they will be dealt with swiftly (SPI is nice; but not really necessary for obvious cases). Best regards, Alex Shih (talk) 09:53, 8 December 2017 (UTC)
At first, I just thought this was just another new editor not familiar with the user page guidelines, who was also perhaps trying to write an article for the first time. It was only after David.moreno72 posted User talk:John Abraham Awwab#Please stop that I became suspcious. David verified the account names on his user talk so I figured an SPI was the way to go. Anyway, I'll keep your advice in mind the next time I come across something like this. -- Marchjuly (talk) 10:13, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

2017 Military Historian of the Year and Newcomer of the Year nominations and voting

As we approach the end of the year, the Military History project is looking to recognise editors who have made a real difference. Each year we do this by bestowing two awards: the Military Historian of the Year and the Military History Newcomer of the Year. The co-ordinators invite all project members to get involved by nominating any editor they feel merits recognition for their contributions to the project. Nominations for both awards are open between 00:01 on 2 December 2017 and 23:59 on 15 December 2017. After this, a 14-day voting period will follow commencing at 00:01 on 16 December 2017. Nominations and voting will take place on the main project talkpage: here and here. Thank you for your time. For the co-ordinators, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:35, 8 December 2017 (UTC)

It looks like this was deleted when moving the Toužetín article back to this title; was there anything related to the article? Peter James (talk) 01:40, 9 December 2017 (UTC)

@Peter James: Yes, my bad. I've restored the talk page. Alex Shih (talk) 03:07, 9 December 2017 (UTC)

Ding..Dong..

YGM:)Winged Blades Godric 10:45, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

Question on redirection of MapD Technology's page

Hi! It says that the page for MapD Technologies [Technologies] was moved to Favio, [[5]] which is a person's page. I believe that is in error and I would like to revert it, but wanted to let you know before I did so. " 03:18, 9 December 2017 Alex Shih (talk | contribs) moved page MapD Technologies to Favio without leaving a redirect (histsplit) (revert)"

Thank you. Lgosewis (talk) 06:59, 12 December 2017 (UTC)

Please protect again. Ongoing spree vandalism. What can I say, it's a boring town. I used to live there. John from Idegon (talk) 05:04, 12 December 2017 (UTC)

@John from Idegon: Already protected by AlexiusHoratius, but only for one day, which is probably insufficient. I will extend the protection tomorrow if vandalism continues once current protection expires. Alex Shih (talk) 05:06, 12 December 2017 (UTC)
It started on a Monday the last time too. If it happens again, I'll make a call. My ex works for the school district (and no there isn't a COI issue). She's a bus driver, but it's a small town. John from Idegon (talk) 05:10, 12 December 2017 (UTC)

Nezha (2017 film)

Hi Alex Shih. Per #User:Ibrahim Awwab, I am wondering if you'd mind taking a look at Nezha (2017 film). There seems to be a editor trying to do a little WP:RGW by adding unsourced content about problems the film has been/was having. The film itself might not even be notable enough for a stand-alone article at at this time per WP:TOOSOON and WP:NFF, but that's not the reason I've reverted the edits. The edits keep messing with the infobox syntax which can be fixed if the source and additional content is acceptable; however, the url being added as a reference is in Chinese and from Google translate it appears to be a WP:UGC kind of source.

FWIW, two of the accounts have been blocked per Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/3dconversion3d/Archive and the latest one Hangzhou press is probably the same person. -- Marchjuly (talk) 22:05, 14 December 2017 (UTC)

Just to update, Hangzhou press and another sock have been just idef'ed by Oshwah, so nothing more needs to be done at the moment. Multiple editors are also now watching the article, so any more socking will most likely be quickly dealt in the same manner. -- Marchjuly (talk) 00:41, 15 December 2017 (UTC)

It’s either celebration of or mourning for the passing of 2017

Christmas tree worm, (Spirobranchus gigantic)

Atsme📞📧 12:48, 17 December 2017 (UTC)
Time To Spread A Little
Happy Holiday Cheer!!
I decorated a special kind of Christmas tree
in the spirit of the season.

What's especially nice about
this digitized version:
*it doesn't need water
*won't catch fire
*and batteries aren't required.
Wishing you a jolly celebration

and a prosperous New Year!!

🍸🎁 🎉

Arbcom

Hey, unlucky, you made it! Well done. The Rambling Man (talk) 10:50, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Congratulations from me, see you shortly on the mailing list. Doug Weller talk 11:53, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Congratulations. -- Euryalus (talk) 12:13, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Congratulations, Alex! Hijiri 88 (やや) 12:37, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Well done Alex! 🎅Patient Crimbo🎅 grotto presents 14:21, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Congrats, Alex! Best of luck! TonyBallioni (talk) 14:30, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
It's downhill from here! Good luck -- There'sNoTime (to explain) 14:37, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Please accept my deepest condolences. GMGtalk 15:01, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Ok, I'm a 500 lb. gorilla. Now what?
I am confused. Let me take sometime to process this. Thank you all for the kind messages in the meanwhile. I am obviously unqualified, but I hope I can continue to be humble and express willingness to learn and accept criticisms. Alex Shih (talk) 16:58, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
I am very glad to see you on the list of elected candidates. Thank you for having put yourself forward. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 17:25, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Let me add my congratulations, and hopes that you don't regret it! Best, Beyond My Ken (talk) 18:21, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Not to worry, nobody is qualified to be on the Arbitration Committee, and anyone who is, would be too smart to run. Congratulations, and enjoy your term. --kelapstick(bainuu) 23:29, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
Congratulations. Seems like Vancouver (and Canadians) will have high representation on the Committee. Mkdw talk 19:17, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
@Mkdw: Thanks. If we include Seattle, the number will add up to 4/15? Crazy. Alex Shih (talk) 19:24, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
Can't think of a worthier candidate. Congratulations, Alex!! Atsme📞📧 21:10, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
  • Congratulations. You will be very well suited for the role in my view. Stormy clouds (talk) 21:11, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
  • Congratulations. Wear the fez with pride! Mz7 (talk) 22:19, 18 December 2017 (UTC)
  • Congrats! West Coast, best coast represent :D ♠PMC(talk) 01:18, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
  • I am confused... I am obviously unqualified... Hmm... Note to self: Henceforth ask candidates if they feel confused or believe they are qualified before voting for them. -Ad Orientem (talk) 01:29, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
  • Altho I wouldn't wish wearing a fez on anyone, I'm sure you can shitcan your self doubt. You'll be wonderful. I'm very impressed with this year's list; moreso because you are on it. John from Idegon (talk) 03:16, 19 December 2017 (UTC)
Congratulations.Pharaoh of the Wizards (talk) 17:46, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

Invitation to Blocking tools consultation

Hello,

The Wikimedia Foundation's Anti-Harassment Tools team is inviting all Wikimedians to discuss new blocking tools and improvements to existing blocking tools in December 2017 for development work in early 2018.

We are specifically contacting you for your ideas because you are one of the top users of the blocking tool on en Wikipedia. We think that your comments will help us make better improvements. You can post to the discussion in the language that you are most comfortable expressing your ideas.


Other ways that you can help

  • Spread the word that the consultation is happening; this is an important discussion for making decisions about improving the blocking tools.
  • If you know of current or previous discussions about blocking tools that happened on your wiki, share the links.

If you have questions you can contact me on wiki or send an email to the Anti-Harassment Tools team.

For the Anti-Harassment Tools team, SPoore (WMF), Community Advocate, Community health initiative (talk) 21:17, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

  • Please let us know if you wish to opt-out of all massmessage mailings from the Anti-harassment tools team.

Welcome to the 2018 Arbitration Committee

Congratulations on your success in the election and welcome to the 2018 Arbitration Committee! We will now induct you and the other new arbitrators. Please email arbcom-en-c@lists.wikimedia.org indicating which, if any, of the checkuser and oversight permissions you wish to be assigned for your term. If you already hold both these permissions, please still send this email, because we will subscribe the email you contact us from to the various committee mailing lists. The email address will also be used to register you on the various private wikis.

Over the coming days, you will receive a small number of emails. Please carefully read them. If they are registration emails, please follow any instructions in them to finalise registration. You can contact me or any other arbitrator directly if you have difficulty with the induction process. Lastly, you must sign the Wikimedia Foundation's confidentiality agreement prior to being subscribed to any mailing lists or assigned checkuser or oversight permissions. Please promptly go to the Access to nonpublic information noticeboard and follow the instructions there if you are not already signed the confidentiality agreement.

Thank you for volunteering to serve on the committee. We very much look forward to introducing ourselves to you on the mailing list and to working with you this term.

For the Arbitration Committee, Callanecc (talkcontribslogs) 07:19, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

Re: ANI

Re: this. As we discussed on IRC, I specifically mentioned such a unilateral close would be unhelpful and that it would be wiser for you to actually address the complaints that the original user brought up as they were (wrongly) lead down many different avenues. Shouting "there are no conduct issues here" while slamming the door on discussion will easily confuse others and does nothing to address the issue at hand. Did you even look at what transpired here to see why I would have reopened the thread? Nihlus 05:54, 20 December 2017 (UTC)

@Nihlus: Yes I did read both the talk page and DRN post, Nihlus. There is no reason for the AN/I thread to stay open; the OP needs to make it clear on where the conduct issue; right now, there is nothing. If anything, there's more issue about the OP at the moment that will be looked at. Alex Shih (talk) 06:03, 20 December 2017 (UTC)
I still find it obtuse in response to what I had requested, especially given the clarification I provided in IRC. Had you merged it with the complaint above it or rerouted it to a WP:BOOMERANG then I could understand it. However, I no longer wish to argue over a moot point. Nihlus 06:20, 20 December 2017 (UTC)

TheMovieGuy

Given the two comments (as well as those at User_talk:NinjaRobotPirate#Hostility) I think you jumped the gun on the block. At the very least, it probably shouldn't be an indef. Primefac (talk) 20:21, 20 December 2017 (UTC)

@Primefac: I was writing my rationale as you sent me this message. I expect TheMovieGuy to be unblocked after a proper appeal, that's why I put indefinite; the initial edits were subject to immediate block I thought, but it was obvious that the user managed to calm down considerably after being approached by you and Chrissymad. One issue however: I do not think TheMovieGuy have shown understanding that WP:V is not optional in their subsequent response, so I think this issue needs to be addressed through unblock request. Alex Shih (talk) 20:27, 20 December 2017 (UTC)
Fair enough. I think it was a heat of the moment thing for them, but I'll make a post asking for some clarification/promises/etc and see where that gets us. Primefac (talk) 20:31, 20 December 2017 (UTC)

Congratulations!

Hi Alex. I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on your election to the Arbitration Committee! It is refreshing to see that over 60% of voters supported a pro-reform candidate; I look forward to working with you on ArbCom improvements. Biblio (talk) 02:42, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

yes congratulations and it was your civility that won my vote. C. W. Gilmore (talk) 03:03, 21 December 2017 (UTC)
@Biblioworm: Thanks, Biblio. I am eager to learn from your insight. And thanks, C. W. Gilmore, have a blossoming holidays. Alex Shih (talk) 08:08, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

User group for Military Historians

Greetings,

"Military history" is one of the most important subjects when speak of sum of all human knowledge. To support contributors interested in the area over various language Wikipedias, we intend to form a user group. It also provides a platform to share the best practices between military historians, and various military related projects on Wikipedias. An initial discussion was has been done between the coordinators and members of WikiProject Military History on English Wikipedia. Now this discussion has been taken to Meta-Wiki. Contributors intrested in the area of military history are requested to share their feedback and give suggestions at Talk:Discussion to incubate a user group for Wikipedia Military Historians.

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 11:29, 21 December 2017 (UTC)

Alex Shih, just a reminder that you were going to return to do a final pass on this review. I thought it might be a good idea to mention this now, before the weight of ArbCom comes crashing down in ten days. (Or doesn't; things don't seem terribly active there at the moment.) Thanks for all the great work you do! BlueMoonset (talk) 05:38, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

@BlueMoonset: Yes, my apologies, I'll get the checklist now. This month went by too quickly. I don't do much around here, thank you for all of your years of great work! Alex Shih (talk) 05:43, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Requesting page move

Hi. Since we have Danilo (footballer, born April 1991), can you please move this page Danilo (footballer, born 1991) to Danilo (footballer, born July 1991) and delete the page "Danilo (footballer, born 1991)" ? RRD (talk) 11:05, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

@Royroydeb: Sure. In the future, these kind of requests can be made through Wikipedia:Requested moves/Technical requests. Best, Alex Shih (talk) 11:15, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
(talk page watcher) Honestly I don't get why the full names can't be used. But anyhow, numerous pages link to Danilo (footballer, born 1991) - this move breaks those links, shouldn't the page be left behind as a redirect? Galobtter (pingó mió) 11:30, 22 December 2017 (UTC)
@Galobtter: My bad. I've redirected it to Danilo (footballer, born July 1991) for now; someone else more knowledgeable about this topic can feel free to chime in. Alex Shih (talk) 11:37, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

RfA transclusion Muboshgu

Hi Lex.
Just out of curiosity, why did you remove Muboshgu transcluding edit? —usernamekiran(talk) 00:54, 23 December 2017 (UTC)

Based on the edit history of WP:RFA, it looks like it was because the nomination page wasn't actually finished yet. Primefac (talk) 01:07, 23 December 2017 (UTC) (talk page stalker)
Thanks Primefac. Kiran, see User_talk:Muboshgu#Wikipedia:Requests_for_adminship/Muboshgu. Alex Shih (talk) 03:42, 23 December 2017 (UTC)

Merry Christmas!

Wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2018!
A very Happy, Glorious, Prosperous Christmas and New Year! God bless!  — Adityavagarwal (talk) 17:04, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Merry Christmas !!!

Spread the WikiLove; use {{subst:Season's Greetings}} to send this message

Merry Christmas

To anyone watching, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all! Hopefully you are all spending time with your loved ones, and I hope Wikipedia will continue to bring as much joy to you as it does to me in the following days, months and years. Best wishes, Alex Shih (talk) 05:11, 24 December 2017 (UTC)

Warning rescinded

How do the 3 editor's comments at WP:AN constitute a clear and substantial consensus, as is required per the Arbitration policies before sanctions are touched by other administrators? Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 15:32, 24 December 2017 (UTC)

@Coffee: Coffee, please contact the committee. Alex Shih (talk) 15:45, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
Just noticed your userpage says you're on the Committee, although WP:ARBCOM does not confirm this. Am I to take your action as an action of the Committee (in which case I'd reverse myself on this)? Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 17:02, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
@Coffee: I am fine with you reversing my action, Coffee, since I performed the action as an uninvolved administrator, and my residency will not start until 1 January 2018 anyway. One of the committee member will reach out to you in the next few days, but if you have time, please do write to us as many of the members are eager to speak to you about some concerns. Best, Alex Shih (talk) 17:10, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
I'll be mostly offline for a few weeks (expiration on my userpage) for a friend's wedding, but I will be contactable as always if anything big pops off while I'm gone (response times may be slow however). But, I'll be happy to reach out when I get back (IRC usually works best for me, but I don't recall if the Arbs have a chan or not). Merry Christmas Alex, and congratulations on your election! Coffee // have a ☕️ // beans // 17:16, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
  • No comment on the rest of this, which is above my pay grade, but I wonder if the closure specifically of the subsection dealing with review of the warning wasn't a touch premature. The issue doesn't seem resolved, folks are still commenting on it, and it doesn't seem quite right to remove the comments, since the issue doesn't seem resolved. I had a notion to move it to the bottom, and reopen, but it would probably better form if you considered it first. GMGtalk 21:00, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
  • @GreenMeansGo: I am fine with the subsection being moved and reopened. Merry Christmas. Alex Shih (talk) 23:54, 24 December 2017 (UTC)

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

The white snow and the cool breeze beckon a festive mood,
And the sweet aroma wafting from eateries wreathes the mind.
Lights, stars, colour and jollity abound 'round each bend,
I wish you a happy holiday season, dear friend.

Thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia! Editing can get tough and frustrating at times, but we've come a long way in this project and that is a grand achievement. Hope you have a good time this festive season! :) Jiten talk contribs 23:38, 24 December 2017 (UTC)
@Jiten D: Thanks, happy holidays to you too. Alex Shih (talk) 05:12, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

Wishes

No pictures and all; just wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a pleasant 2018:)And a happy wearing of the Arb-hatWinged BladesGodric 12:39, 25 December 2017 (UTC)

@Winged Blades of Godric: Cheers mate. Alex Shih (talk) 05:12, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
And it's even more good to see you with the magic-dust:)Winged BladesGodric 05:19, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
@Winged Blades of Godric: For Sparta :) Alex Shih (talk) 05:24, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2018!

Hello Alex Shih, may you be surrounded by peace, success and happiness on this seasonal occasion. Spread the WikiLove by wishing another user a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, whether it be someone you have had disagreements with in the past, a good friend, or just some random person. Sending you a heartfelt and warm greetings for Christmas and New Year 2018.
Happy editing,
Ad Orientem (talk) 15:13, 25 December 2017 (UTC)

Spread the love by adding {{subst:Seasonal Greetings}} to other user talk pages.

@Ad Orientem: Thank you sir! Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Alex Shih (talk) 05:12, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

Thanks...

...for moving my post to AN. I didn't know I was supposed to put it there, so I posted it on ANI b/c I'm more familiar with the latter. Everymorning (talk) 05:06, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

@Everymorning: No problem, it was just a procedural move. On a personal note, I think the discussion may tilt slightly this time, but it will probably not end in any sanctions. Alex Shih (talk) 05:10, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
I too think that it will be a NC but quite far away from the previous Snow-Close situation.And, as many of the opposers have conceded, hopefully, it will serve as a wake-up call to AD that the community isn't viewing his RFA endeavours very lightly.Winged BladesGodric 04:32, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

Request

Seems you're active. Please can you revdel this and this defamatory diffs?. Also the user MALIK STAR (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) is generally NOTHERE. Report about him have been in AIV for hours no action and I think ANI may not be the best place for this. Ammarpad (talk) 07:54, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

I am literally tired of reverting his nonsense. --Saqib (talk) 08:21, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
@Ammarpad and Saqib: Thanks guys, heading out soon but blocked indefinitely. Alex Shih (talk) 08:28, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
The vandal is back Special:Contributions/ABCLMNXYZ_123. --Saqib (talk) 09:06, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
@Saqib: Looks like everything is solved. Keep me posted if they return, thanks! Alex Shih (talk) 16:35, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
I think revdels should be done.. Galobtter (pingó mió) 16:38, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
@Galobtter: True, I've deleted offending revisions for Daniyal Aziz, Ahsan Iqbal and Javed Hashmi. Let me know if I missed anything. Alex Shih (talk) 16:44, 26 December 2017 (UTC)
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ASaqib&type=revision&diff=817118086&oldid=817117835. --Saqib (talk) 16:53, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

Thanks

Thanks for the quick block on Artliker - I wasn't sure whether to open an SPI but thought a comment at the ongoing ANI might be quicker and obviously it was. Appreciate your work! Melcous (talk) 08:30, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

@Melcous: You too, thank you for keeping an eye on them. It was a duck, but I wanted to make sure there were no other accounts. Alex Shih (talk) 16:35, 26 December 2017 (UTC)

Talk page access

Could you please revoke TPA for this editor? Thank you. Boomer VialHappy Holidays!Contribs 09:08, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

@Boomer Vial: My bad. Done, with pleasure. Sleepers blocked too. Alex Shih (talk) 09:09, 27 December 2017 (UTC)
The IP is confirmed belong to WP:WIKINGER sock right? SA 13 Bro (talk) 09:21, 27 December 2017 (UTC)
@SA 13 Bro: Sorry, I didn't compare the data with the LTA. I'll look at it again later. Alex Shih (talk) 09:31, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

I appreciate your feedback

Hi Alex Shih. I just wanted to let you know that I took your input at the ANI to heart regarding the block and how you felt it was too hasty. Perhaps I should have asked for clarification first, but I felt at the time that what I did was the right thing to do. I hope you understand. ~Oshwah~(talk) (contribs) 03:34, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

Replied. Alex Shih (talk) 05:30, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

Thanks

I was certain that Mr Bolick was a sock, but I couldn't place it. Thanks for taking care of it. ~Oshwah~(talk) (contribs) 06:56, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

@Oshwah: Yeah, the master account is probably different, but I don't have the technical ability to find out. Definitely related to the account I linked to behavioral wise. Alex Shih (talk) 06:58, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
Good enough for me. *Oshwah tips his toward Alex Shih*. Good day, sir. ~Oshwah~(talk) (contribs) 07:03, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
I think you forgot your hat there... I am now anticipating innuendos :) Best, Alex Shih (talk) 07:05, 28 December 2017 (UTC)

Thx

Thanks for your input, Alex. I appreciate it. Tony (talk) 05:11, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

@Tony1: Thank you, sir. I will read your statement with interest and discuss with other editors. Regards, Alex Shih (talk) 05:18, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

Congratulations!

My congratulations to your appointment as an arbitrator on Arbitration Committee. Well done! STSC (talk) 17:29, 29 December 2017 (UTC)

  • Just saw the results. Late congrats from me as well! Swarm 06:10, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
+1. congrats! Mahveotm (talk) 07:08, 30 December 2017 (UTC)
STSC, Swarm, Mahveotm: Thank you all for the kind words. I am looking forward to working with you all for 2018. Alex Shih (talk) 06:37, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

RPP thanks

Thank you for protecting the Devil's song article. Much appreciated. K.e.coffman (talk) 04:29, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

@K.e.coffman: My pleasure. Have a good new year's eve! Alex Shih (talk) 06:37, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

troll needing to be dealt with

Ouckfbama. Already at SPI, UAA and AIV, but actively trolling on user talk pages. Thanks. John from Idegon (talk) 08:31, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

@John from Idegon: Dealt with. Thanks John, happy new year's eve. Alex Shih (talk) 08:38, 31 December 2017 (UTC)
You're a peach, dude! I'll answer that email you sent me soon. Maybe even before you officially get your fez in a few hours. John from Idegon (talk) 09:41, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

Hi Alex,
I'm somewhat puzzled why you nominated this article for WP:A7 speedy deletion. That criterion explicitly includes an exemption for schools. I do note that its website purports to be about a number of schools in Grainger County, Tennessee, and that the editor who started the article has been blocked for sockpuppetry.
I've done a little research and it would appear that the List of high schools in Tennessee high schools do tend to use a *.com website instead of www.edu.tn.gov or similar.
What do you think about this? Pete AU aka --Shirt58 (talk) 10:15, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

@Shirt58: Sorry Pete, looks like it's my error, I've self reverted, thanks. Have a good new year. Alex Shih (talk) 10:22, 31 December 2017 (UTC)