User talk:NickPenguin
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Welcome!
[edit]Hello NickPenguin, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:
- The five pillars of Wikipedia
- How to edit a page
- Help pages
- Tutorial
- How to write a great article
- Manual of Style
I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you have any questions, check out Wikipedia:Where to ask a question or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! —jiy (talk) 03:53, 31 December 2005 (UTC)
The Signpost: 29 November 2021
[edit]- In the media: Denial: climate change, mass killings and pornographyWill they deny non-fungible tokens next?
- WikiCup report: The WikiCup 202115th annual event closes with hundreds of articles improved
- Deletion report: What we lost, what we gained1,767 nominations in November... AN/Is... DRVs... The largest AfD in history, possibly ever!
- From a Wikipedia reader: What's Matt Amodio?Wikipedia democratizes knowledge, but is it in Jeopardy?
- Arbitration report: ArbCom in 2021We should have at least one of these every year!
- Discussion report: On the brink of change – RFA reforms appear imminentEditors propose modifications to Wikipedia's admin-making process.
- Technology report: What does it take to upload a file?How MediaWiki works with media files.
- WikiProject report: Interview with contributors to WikiProject Actors and FilmmakersFrom the silver screen to your computer screen
- Serendipity: "Did You Know ..." featured a photo of the wrong female WWII pilotA worthy pilot but the photo didn't match the article!
- News from Diff: Content translation tool helps create one million Wikipedia articlesSharing the wealth of information!
- Traffic report: Reporting ticket sales on the edge of the Wiki, if Eternals should failConjuring up the jesters again!
- Recent research: Vandalizing Wikipedia as rational behaviorAnd other recent research publications
- Humour: A very new very Wiki crosswordAnswers to last month's puzzle included.
Nomination of Asian Institute for deletion
[edit]
A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Asian Institute, to which you have significantly contributed, is suitable for inclusion in Wikipedia according to Wikipedia's policies and guidelines or if it should be deleted.
The discussion will take place at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Asian Institute until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article.
To customise your preferences for automated AfD notifications for articles to which you've significantly contributed (or to opt-out entirely), please visit the configuration page. Delivered by SDZeroBot (talk) 01:01, 29 November 2021 (UTC)
The Signpost: 28 December 2021
[edit]- From the editor: Here is the newsAnd wishing our readers a healthy, fortunate and bountiful 2022.
- News and notes: Jimbo's NFT, new arbs, fixing RfA, and financial statementsWrapping up 2021 with a pair of auctions, activity surrounding administrators, and an audit.
- Serendipity: Born three months before her brother?Wikipedia and the Oxford Dictionary of Music have different opinions.
- In the media: The past is not even pastEven for Wikipedia critics in nappies!
- Recent research: STEM articles judged unsuitable for undergraduates below the first paragraphAnd other new research results.
- Arbitration report: A new crew for '22Elections certified, bans unlifted, mailing lists restricted, but no new cases.
- By the numbers: Four billion words and a few numbersCommemorating a milestone: word count comparisons with other Wikipedias.
- Deletion report: We laughed, we cried, we closed as "no consensus"More hats than a rodeo: the best, worst, and gnarliest AfDs of 2021.
- Gallery: Wikicommons presents: 2021Some of 2021's most dramatic moments through Wikicommons images.
- Traffic report: Spider-Man, football and the departedWe'll always remember the Greek alphabet!
- Crossword: Another Wiki crossword for one and allAnswers to last month's puzzle included.
- Humour: Buying WikipediaHelpful how-to for the prospective buyer. Why settle for a measly single edit, when you can buy the whole thing?
Welcome to the 2022 WikiCup!
[edit]Happy New Year and Happy New WikiCup! The 2022 competition has just begun and all article creators, expanders, improvers and reviewers are welcome to take part. Even if you are a novice editor you should be able to advance to at least the second round, improving your editing skills as you go. If you have already signed up, your submissions page can be found here. If you have not yet signed up, you can add your name here and the judges will set up your submissions page. Any questions on the rules or on anything else should be directed to one of the judges, or posted to the WikiCup talk page. Signups will close at the end of January, and the first round will end on 26 February; the 64 highest scorers at that time will move on to round 2. The judges for the WikiCup this year are: Sturmvogel 66 (talk · contribs · email) and Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs · email). Good luck! MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:37, 5 January 2022 (UTC)
Welcome to the 2022 WikiCup!
[edit]Happy New Year and Happy New WikiCup! The 2022 competition has just begun and all article creators, expanders, improvers and reviewers are welcome to take part. Even if you are a novice editor you should be able to advance to at least the second round, improving your editing skills as you go. If you have already signed up, your submissions page can be found here. If you have not yet signed up, you can add your name here and the judges will set up your submissions page. Any questions on the rules or on anything else should be directed to one of the judges, or posted to the WikiCup talk page. Signups will close at the end of January, and the first round will end on 26 February; the 64 highest scorers at that time will move on to round 2. The judges for the WikiCup this year are: Sturmvogel 66 (talk · contribs · email) and Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs · email). Good luck! MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:02, 5 January 2022 (UTC)
The Signpost: 30 January 2022
[edit]- Special report: WikiEd course leads to Twitter harassmentEducation, deletion and social media can be a volatile mix.
- News and notes: Feedback for Board of Trustees electionPlus, the incredible shrinking admin cadre.
- Interview: CEO Maryana Iskander "four weeks in""Impossible ideas can be created, not just imagined."
- Black History Month: What are you doing for Black History Month?Over 1,700 U.S. congressmen owned slaves. You can help document this.
- Deletion report: Ringing in the new year: Subject notability guideline under discussionMore than you wanted to know about the massive NSPORTS RfC.
- WikiProject report: The Forgotten FeaturedInterview with volunteers at the Unreviewed featured articles 2020 working group.
- Arbitration report: New arbitrators look at new case and antediluvian sanctionsThe spirit of 2006 is going strong.
- Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2021Royals, Freddy and movies.
- Gallery: No Spanish municipality without a photographHow many more photos are needed?
- Obituary: Twofingered TypistRest in peace.
- Op-Ed: Identifying and rooting out climate change denialWill this method apply to other sensitive topics?
- Essay: The prime directiveJust imagine!
- Opinion: Should the Wikimedia Foundation continue to accept cryptocurrency donations?One editor doesn't think so.
- In the media: Fuzzy-headed government editingGet down and party! But no COI editing!
- Recent research: Articles with higher quality ratings have fewer "knowledge gaps"And other research results.
- Serendipity: Pooh entered the Public Domain – but Tigger has to wait two more yearsCopyright is almost always complicated, but we break it down for you.
- Crossword: Cross swords with a crosswordFeaturing an experimental on-wiki entry box.
The Signpost: 27 February 2022
[edit]- From the team: Selection of a new Signpost Editor-in-ChiefBye-bye 'bones!
- News and notes: Impacts of Russian invasion of UkrainePlus, the Steward Elections, Leadership Development Task Force and a contest.
- Opinion: Why student editors are good for WikipediaWho are the students and how do we assure quality?
- Special report: A presidential candidate's team takes on WikipediaVive l'encyclopédie libre!
- In the media: Wiki-drama in the UK House of CommonsPlus, Wiki Unseen, the "Sports Wars", and much more.
- Serendipity: War photographers: from Crimea (1850s) to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022)"The first casualty when war comes is truth".
- Technology report: Community Wishlist Survey resultsPlus, DiscussionTools and dark mode.
- WikiProject report: 10 years of teaCoffee in Teahouse and other secrets revealed in this interview with volunteers.
- Featured content: Featured Content returnsA fantastic diverse mix of a record-breaking amount of content.
- Deletion report: The 10 most SHOCKING deletion discussions of FebruaryYou WON'T believe #8!
- Recent research: How editors and readers may be emotionally affected by disasters and terrorist attacksAnd other recent research publications.
- Arbitration report: Parties remonstrate, arbs contemplate, skeptics coordinateThe report on lengthy litigation.
- By the numbers: Does birthplace affect the frequency of Wikipedia biography articles?Some evidence from people born in France.
- Gallery: The vintage exhibitSome good-ol' posters, restored to its former glory.
- Traffic report: Euphoria, Pamela Anderson, lies and NetflixPlus quarterbacks, half-timers, Olympians, and Hulu!
- News from Diff: The Wikimania 2022 Core Organizing TeamMeet the folks in charge!
- Crossword: A Crossword, featuring Featured ArticlesCan you fill in the boxes with Wikipedia's best content?
- Humour: Notability of mailboxesDoes yours pass?
WikiCup 2022 March newsletter
[edit]And so ends the first round of the WikiCup. Last year anyone who scored more than zero points moved on to Round 2, but this was not the case this year, and a score of 13 or more was required to proceed. The top scorers in Round 1 were:
Epicgenius, a finalist last year, who led the field with 1906 points, gained from 32 GAs and 19 DYKs, all on the topic of New York buildings.
AryKun, new to the contest, was second with 1588 points, having achieved 2 FAs, 11 GAs and various other submissions, mostly on the subject of birds.
Bloom6132, a WikiCup veteran, was in third place with 682 points, garnered from 51 In the news items and several DYKs.
GhostRiver was close behind with 679 points, gained from achieving 12 GAs, mostly on ice hockey players, and 35 GARs.
Kavyansh.Singh was in fifth place with 551 points, with an FA, a FL, and many reviews.
SounderBruce was next with 454 points, gained from an FA and various other submissions, mostly on United States highways.
Ktin, another WikiCup veteran, was in seventh place with 412 points, mostly gained from In the news items.
These contestants, like all the others who qualified for Round 2, now have to start scoring points again from scratch. Between them, contestants completed reviews of a large number of good articles as the contest ran concurrently with a GAN backlog drive. Well done all! To qualify for Round 3, contestants will need to finish Round 2 among the top thirty-two participants.
Remember that any content promoted after the end of Round 1 but before the start of Round 2 can be claimed in Round 2. Anything that should have been claimed for in Round 1 is no longer eligible for points. Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed.
Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 (talk) and Cwmhiraeth (talk) MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:07, 3 March 2022 (UTC)
WikiCup 2022 March newsletter
[edit]And so ends the first round of the WikiCup. Last year anyone who scored more than zero points moved on to Round 2, but this was not the case this year, and a score of 13 or more was required to proceed. The top scorers in Round 1 were:
Epicgenius, a finalist last year, who led the field with 1906 points, gained from 32 GAs and 19 DYKs, all on the topic of New York buildings.
AryKun, new to the contest, was second with 1588 points, having achieved 2 FAs, 11 GAs and various other submissions, mostly on the subject of birds.
Bloom6132, a WikiCup veteran, was in third place with 682 points, garnered from 51 In the news items and several DYKs.
GhostRiver was close behind with 679 points, gained from achieving 12 GAs, mostly on ice hockey players, and 35 GARs.
Kavyansh.Singh was in fifth place with 551 points, with an FA, a FL, and many reviews.
SounderBruce was next with 454 points, gained from an FA and various other submissions, mostly on United States highways.
Ktin, another WikiCup veteran, was in seventh place with 412 points, mostly gained from In the news items.
These contestants, like all the others who qualified for Round 2, now have to start scoring points again from scratch. Between them, contestants completed reviews of a large number of good articles as the contest ran concurrently with a GAN backlog drive. Well done all! To qualify for Round 3, contestants will need to finish Round 2 among the top thirty-two participants.
Remember that any content promoted after the end of Round 1 but before the start of Round 2 can be claimed in Round 2. Anything that should have been claimed for in Round 1 is no longer eligible for points. Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed.
Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 (talk) and Cwmhiraeth (talk) MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:55, 3 March 2022 (UTC)
The Signpost: 27 March 2022
[edit]- From the Signpost team: How The Signpost is documenting the 2022 Russian invasion of UkraineWe stand in solidarity with free knowledge.
- News and notes: Of safety and anonymityThe diff that resulted in arrest and jail time in Belarus.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Kharkiv, Ukraine: Countering Russian aggression with a cameraA Ukrainian Wikipedian volunteers to document the war.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine: War diaryReporting from on the ground in Ukraine.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Western Ukraine: Working with Wikipedia helpsHolding up the elephants!
- Disinformation report: The oligarchs' socksFor whom do the Bells toil?
- In the media: Ukraine, Russia, and even some other stuffLenin did not say "Wow, check out those yachts"!
- Recent research: Top scholarly citers, lack of open access references, predicting editor departuresAnd other research publications.
- Wikimedian perspective: My heroes from Russia, Ukraine & beyondThe thought of cities being destroyed is unbearable.
- Discussion report: Athletes are less notable nowThe Discussion Report returns with a diverse mix of community proposals.
- Technology report: 2022 Wikimedia HackathonPlus, Desktop Improvements and a new uploading tool for Commons.
- Arbitration report: Skeptics given heavenly judgement, whirlwind of Discord drama begins to spin for tropical cyclone editorsUnclear whether storm will make landfall.
- Traffic report: War, what is it good for?Ukraine, Russia and Anna Sorokin.
- Deletion report: Ukraine, werewolves, Ukraine, YouTube pundits, and UkraineThings that go "boom" in the night.
- Gallery: "All we are saying is, give peace a chance..."The once-seen beauty of Ukraine, in high quality.
- From the archives: Burn, baby burnA look at when early backups of Wikipedia were recovered.
- Essay: Yes, the sky is blueThere is such thing as over-citing.
- Tips and tricks: Become a keyboard ninjaAnd other useful Tips of the Day.
- On the bright side: The bright side of newsHappy-er current events.
The Signpost: 24 April 2022
[edit]- News and notes: Double troubleThe second case of Wikipedian persecution.
- In the media: The battlegrounds outside and inside WikipediaWhat's hot in the media this month.
- Special report: Ukrainian Wikimedians during the warWriting Wikipedia, joining the armed forces, and volunteering.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine: War diary (Part 2)"Our proud Sparta bleeds too."
- Technology report: 8-year-old attribution issues in Media ViewerPlus, a new status page and Desktop Improvements.
- Featured content: Wikipedia's best content from MarchWe showcase the best content that Wikipedians offered this past month.
- In focus: Editing difficulties on Russian WikipediaA multi-national encyclopedia tries to move forward.
- Gallery: A voyage around the world with WLM winnersWiki Loves Monuments 2021 winners announced.
- Interview: On a war and a mapHow a war map predated Wikimedia's map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Serendipity: Wikipedia loves photographs, but hates photographersWhy not just link to an article to attribute famous photographers?
- Traffic report: Justice Jackson, the Smiths, and an invasionPlus deaths, films, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.
- Recent research: Student edits as "civic engagement"; how Wikipedia readers interact with imagesAnd other new research findings
- News from the WMF: How Smart is the SMART Copyright Act?The deceptively simple Strengthening Measures to Advance Rights Technologies Copyright Act of 2022.
- Essay: The problem with elegant variationAn elegant Wikipedia essay.
- Humour: Really huge message boxesA serious statement of Wikipedia policy.
- From the archives: Wales resigned WMF board chair in 2006 reorganizationA look at when the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees was reorganized.
WikiCup 2022 May newsletter
[edit]The second round of the 2022 WikiCup has now finished. It was a high-scoring round and contestants needed 115 points to advance to round 3. There were some very impressive efforts in round 2, with the top seven contestants all scoring more than 500 points. A large number of the points came from the 11 featured articles and the 79 good articles achieved in total by contestants.
Our top scorers in round 2 were:
Epicgenius, with 1264 points from 2 featured article, 4 good articles and 18 DYKs. Epicgenius was a finalist last year but has now withdrawn from the contest as he pursues a new career path.
AryKun, with 1172 points from two featured articles, one good article and a substantial number of featured article and good article reviews.
Bloom6132, with 605 points from 44 in the news items and 4 DYKs.
Sammi Brie, with 573 points from 8 GAs and 21 DYKs.
Ealdgyth, with 567 points from 11 GAs and 34 good and featured article reviews.
Panini!, with 549 points from 1 FA, 4 GAs and several other sources.
Lee Vilenski, with 545 points from 1 FA, 4 GAs and a number of reviews.
The rules for featured and good article reviews require the review to be of sufficient length; brief quick fails and very short reviews will generally not be awarded points. Remember also that DYKs cannot be claimed until they have appeared on the main page. As we enter the third round, any content promoted after the end of round 2 but before the start of round 3 can be claimed now, and anything you forgot to claim in round 2 cannot! Remember too, that you must claim your points within 14 days of "earning" them. When doing GARs, please make sure that you check that all the GA criteria are fully met.
If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article nominations, a featured process, or anything else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed (remember to remove your listing when no longer required). Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 (talk) and Cwmhiraeth Cwmhiraeth (talk) 10:39, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
The Signpost: 29 May 2022
[edit]- From the team: A changing of the guardYour two new Signpost Editors in Chief.
- News and notes: 2022 Wikimedia Board electionsPlus, Form 990, fundraising, RfA and UCoC.
- Community view: Have your say in the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board electionsCommunity shortlisting in an affiliate-based process, and a poll for you to speak your mind.
- Opinion: The Wikimedia Endowment – a lack of transparencyA little more information, please.
- In the media: Putin, Jimbo, Musk and moreA varied collection of "special operations", and interviews.
- Special report: Three stories of Ukrainian Wikimedians during the warTales of hope, perseverance and even a little humor.
- In focus: Measuring gender diversity in Wikipedia articlesA new approach at the article level.
- Discussion report: Portals, April Fools, admin activity requirements and moreWe summarize the drama for you.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject COVID-19 revisitedMarch 2020 WikiProject report interviewees return discussing project's evolution and future.
- Technology report: A new video player for Wikimedia wikisPlus, Growth Features configuration, the Hackathon, and more.
- Featured content: Featured content of AprilShowcasing the very best articles, pictures, videos, and other contributions from Wikipedians last month.
- Interview: Wikipedia's prideAn interview with queer Wikimedians.
- Serendipity: Those thieving image farmsStopping them from taking your photos from Commons.
- Recent research: 35 million Twitter links analysedAnd other recent research findings.
- Tips and tricks: The reference desks of WikipediaHelpful advice from Tips of the Day.
- Traffic report: Strange highs and strange lowsWere Johnny and Amber exchanging blows?
- News from Diff: Winners of the Human rights and Environment special nomination by Wiki Loves Earth announcedPhotos raise awareness for nature protection and human impact on nature.
- News from the WMF: The EU Digital Services Act: What’s the Deal with the Deal?New regulations governing online censorship.
- Video: How the entire country of Qatar was blocked from editingA lighthearted video recalling the 2006 incident.
- Gallery: Diving under the sea for World Oceans DayExploring Featured Pictures of the world's oceans.
- From the archives: The Onion and WikipediaA look at when The Onion published an humorous article regarding Wikipedia.
- Essay: How not to write a Wikipedia articleOn creative works.
- Humour: A new crosswordTest your word-puzzle skills!
The Signpost: 26 June 2022
[edit]- News and notes: WMF inks new rules on government-ordered takedowns, blasts Russian feds' censor demands, spends big bucksOffice actions to secretly delete stuff when told to? Well, at least not if they're Putin's.
- In the media: Editor given three-year sentence, big RfA makes news, Guy Standing takes it sitting downBelarusian Mark Bernstein to serve 36 months of "home chemistry" for unapproved posting, Slate covers historically large adminship bid, UBI economist with goofy infobox caption thinks it's funny.
- Special report: "Wikipedia's independence" or "Wikimedia's pile of dosh"?A review of Wikipedia's fundraising messages and financial status.
- Discussion report: MoS rules on CCP name mulled, XRV axe plea nulled, BLPPROD drafting bid pulledJust three for the history books this month (or not).
- Opinion: Picture of the Day – how Adam plans to ru(i)n itFamed FP ace steps up to run main page outfit. Millions tremble in fear, or something.
- Featured content: Articles on Scots' clash, Yank's tux, Austrian's action flick deemed brilliant proseAnd who can forget the black-breasted buttonquail.
- Essay: RfA trend line haruspicy: fact or fancy?Don't be dumb, says math whiz: avoid the gambler's fallacy. Illustrated for your pleasure.
- Recent research: Wikipedia versus academia (again), tables' "immortality" probedTables "like to socialize" and "share genes": ooh la la!
- Serendipity: Was she really a Swiss lesbian automobile racer?What's the deal with Anita Forrer, redlinked woman of mystery who saved Schwarzenbach archives?
- News from the WMF: Wikimedia Enterprise signs first dealsGoogle and Internet Archive sold on new product, more customers hoped to follow.
- Traffic report: Top view counts for shows, movies, and celeb lawsuit that keeps on givingPlus editing stampedes for cheery subjects: shootings, deaths, and virus.
- Gallery: Celebration of summer, winterLest Southern Hemisphere be forgotten.
- Humour: Shortcuts, screwballers, Simon & GarfunkelCan we offer you a nice crossword in this trying time?
WikiCup 2022 July newsletter
[edit]The third round of the 2022 WikiCup has now come to an end. Each of the sixteen contestants who made it into the fourth round had at least 180 points, which is a lower figure than last year when 294 points were needed to progress to round 4. Our top scorers in round 3 were:
BennyOnTheLoose, with 746 points, a tally built both on snooker and other sports topics, and on more general subjects.
Bloom6132, with 683 points, garnered mostly from "In the news" items and related DYKs.
Sammi Brie, with 527, from a variety of submissions related to radio and television stations.
Between them contestants achieved 5 featured articles, 4 featured lists, 51 good articles, 149 DYK entries, 68 ITN entries, and 109 good article reviews. As we enter the fourth round, remember that any content promoted after the end of round 3 but before the start of round 4 can be claimed in round 4. Please also remember that you must claim your points within 14 days of "earning" them. When doing GARs, please make sure that you check that all the GA criteria are fully met. Please also remember that all submissions must meet core Wikipedia policies, regardless of the review process.
If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is a good article nomination, a featured process, or anything else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed (remember to remove your listing when no longer required). Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. WikiCup judges: Sturmvogel 66 (talk) and Cwmhiraeth (talk) MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:51, 3 July 2022 (UTC)
The Signpost: 1 August 2022
[edit]- From the editors: Rise of the machines, or somethingThe future of stuff? Who knows, but two articles were written by a computer this month.
- News and notes: Information considered harmfulWikipedia and human rights, publishers and the Internet Archive, Russia and Wikipedia.
- In the media: Censorship, medieval hoaxes, "pathetic supervillains", FB-WMF AI TL bid, dirty duchess deeds done dirt cheapReal news or silly season?
- Op-Ed: The "recession" affairIGNORANCE IS NOT STRENGTH.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine: War diary (part 3)"This year's victory was sad and dull."
- Election guide: The chosen six: 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees electionsCandidate op-eds, open question spaces, and more.
- Community view: Youth culture and notabilityWas Minecraft YouTuber a GNG pass in life, or only in death?
- Opinion: Criminals among usMass murderers, sex criminals, Ponzi schemers, insider traders, and business people.
- Arbitration report: Winds of change blow for cyclone editors, deletion dustup draws toward denouementThe last three months of arbitration through the eyes of a GPT-3
- Deletion report: This is Gonzo CountryGPT-3 whips it out.
- Discussion report: Notability for train stations, notices for mobile editors, noticeboards for the rest of usAnd when is 'today'?
- Traffic report: US TV, JP ex-PM, outer space, and politics of IN, US, UK top charts for JulyThe world shows its messy complexity.
- Featured content: A little list with surprisingly few listsMore lists expected next month.
- Tips and tricks: Cleaning up awful citations with Citation botIt doesn't have to be a pain in the butt!
- In focus: Wikidata insights from a handy little toolPAC2 explains the item documentation template.
- On the bright side: Ukrainian Wikimedians during the war — three (more) storiesEducation, climate change, and journalism.
- Essay: How to research an imageZoom and enhance.
- Recent research: A century of rulemaking on Wikipedia analyzedAnd other new research findings.
- Serendipity: Don't cite WikipediaBut Commons is a treasure trove.
- Gallery: A backstage passAll the things about theatre that the general public misses out on.
- From the archives: 2012 Russian Wikipedia shutdown as it happenedTen years ago, Russian Wikipedia went dark in protest of new Russian laws. Today...
- Humour: Why did the chicken cross the road?Strange mysteries of our animal world.
The Signpost: 31 August 2022
[edit]- News and notes: Admins wanted on English Wikipedia, IP editors not wanted on Farsi Wiki, donations wanted everywhere[email protected] [email protected] (not a typo?) wants a moment of your time.
- Special report: Wikimania 2022: no show, no show up?Why the 'Festival Edition' was less than perfect, and what we can do better.
- In the media: Truth or consequences? A tough month for truthBut Annie Rauwerda is the real thing!
- Discussion report: Boarding the Trustees2022 elections, new page patrol, Fox News, Vector 2022, Royal Central and external links
- News from Wiki Education: 18 years a Wikipedian: what it means to meChange and stability.
- In focus: Thinking inside the boxAll there is to know about userboxen.
- Tips and tricks: The unexpected rabbit hole of typo fixing in citations...Sometimes Citation bot is not enough.
- Technology report: Vector (2022) deployment discussions happening nowPlus, the Private Incident Reporting System, and new bots & user scripts!
- Serendipity: Two photos of every library on earthOne exterior, one interior.
- Featured content: Our man drills are safe for work, but our Labia is Fausta.Also includes a campaign to "Suck for Luck".
- Recent research: The dollar value of "official" external linksAnd other new research
- Traffic report: What dreams (and heavily trafficked articles) may comeBecause there really is no real theme this month you can grab onto to give a catchy title.
- Essay: Delete the junk!Some articles aren't worth saving
- Gallery: A Fringe Affair (but not the show by Edward W. Feery that was on this year)Edinburgh in August.
- Humour: CommonsComix No. 1Because the Signpost needs a cartoon.
- From the archives: 5, 10, and 15 years agoThe Signpost looks back on The Signpost: New reports, conceived in a spirit of collaboration, and dedicated to the proposition of information and, uh, more information for all.
WikiCup 2022 September newsletter
[edit]WikiCup 2022 September newsletter
[edit]The fourth round of the WikiCup has now finished. 383 points were required to reach the final, and the new round has got off to a flying start with all finalists already scoring. In round 4, Bloom6132 with 939 points was the highest points-scorer, with a combination of DYKs and In the news items, followed by BennyOnTheLoose, Sammi Brie and Lee Vilenski. The points of all contestants are swept away as we start afresh for the final round.
At this stage, we say goodbye to the eight competitors who didn't quite make it; thank you for the useful contributions you have made to the Cup and Wikipedia, and we hope you will join us again next year. For the remaining competitors, remember that any content promoted after the end of round 4 but before the start of round 5 can be claimed in round 5. Remember too that you must claim your points within 14 days of "earning" them, and importantly, before the deadline on October 31st!
If you are concerned that your nomination, whether it be for a good article, a featured process, or anything else, will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed (remember to remove your listing when no longer required). If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to help keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. The judges are Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 12:44, 3 September 2022 (UTC)
The Signpost: 30 September 2022
[edit]- News and notes: Board vote results, bot's big GET, crat chat gives new mop, WMF seeks "sound logo" and "organizer lab"Candidates sign off and peel out – Sigalov is on and Peel is in.
- In focus: NPP: Still heaven or hell for new users – and for the reviewersJust what is NPP? Why does it need the WMF? Why does it need YOU?
- In the media: A few complaints and mild disagreementsWas Katherine Maher a former encyclopedia salesperson?
- Special report: Decentralized Fundraising, Centralized DistributionThe latest from the Wikimedia Deutschland Movement Strategy & Global Relations Team.
- Discussion report: Much ado about Fox NewsSource reliability, NPP, and appearance discussions.
- Interview: ScottishFinnishRadish's Request for AdminshipFind out firsthand what our newest admin, ScottishFinnishRadish, does with a chainsaw.
- Opinion: Are we ever going to reach consensus?Some Articles for Deletion just drag on.
- Serendipity: Removing watermarks, copyright signs and cigarettes from photosSuggestion: promote removal of visible copyright signs of images under a CC-BY license.
- Recent research: How readers assess Wikipedia's trustworthiness, and how they could in the futureAnd other research news.
- Traffic report: Kings and queens and VIPsRepeat after me: I solemnly swear not to put "oh my!" in a headline.
- Featured content: Farm-fresh contentThis month: A FACBot upgrade, a completed list of lists.
- CommonsComix: CommonsComix 2: Paulus MoreelseWhen Commons gives you a blank space...
- From the archives: 5, 10, and 15 Years ago: September 2022Yes, again.
The Signpost: 31 October 2022
[edit]- From the team: A new goose on the roostOr maybe the spit -- only time will tell.
- News and notes: Wikipedians question Wikimedia fundraising ethics after "somewhat-viral" tweetNews from Twitter, Commons and the WMF C-Suite.
- News from the WMF: Governance updates from, and for, the Wikimedia Endowment501(c)(3) application approved, Amazon donates another million.
- In the media: Scribing, searching, soliciting, spying, and systemic biasWading into several controversies.
- Disinformation report: From Russia with WikiLoveI can has Kremlin sockfarms?
- Recent research: Disinformatsiya: Much research, but what will actually help Wikipedia editors?And other new research publications.
- Interview: Isabelle Belato on their Request for AdminshipThe newest sysop speaks on the process that got them there.
- Featured content: Topics, lists, submarines and Gurl.comFeatured content from October.
- Serendipity: We all make mistakes – don’t we?The strength of Wikipedia is the peer review afterwards.
- Traffic report: Mama, they're in love with a criminalMore serial killers than you can shake a stick at!
- From the archives: Paid advocacy, a lawsuit over spelling mistakes, deleting Jimbo's article, and the death of ToolserverWhat tales echo in these hallowed halls.
WikiCup 2022 November newsletter
[edit]The 2022 WikiCup has drawn to a close with the final round going down to the wire. The 2022 champion is
Lee Vilenski (1752 points), who won in 2020 and was runner up in both 2019 and last year. In the final round he achieved 3 FAs and 15 GAs, mostly on cue sports. He was closely followed by
Bloom6132 (1732), who specialised in "In the news" items and DYKs, and who has reached the final round of the Cup for the past three years. Next was
BennyOnTheLoose (1238), another cue sports enthusiast, also interested in songs, followed by
Muboshgu (1082), an "In the news" contributor, a seasoned contestant who first took part in the Cup ten years ago. Other finalists were
Sammi Brie (930), who scored with a featured article, good articles and DYKs on TV and radio stations,
Kavyansh.Singh (370), who created various articles on famous Americans, including an FA on Louis H. Bean, famed for his prediction of election outcomes. Next was
PCN02WPS (292), who scored with good articles and DYKs on sporting and other topics and
Z1720 (25) who had DYKs on various topics including historic Canadians.
During the WikiCup, contestants achieved 37 featured articles, 349 good articles, 360 featured article reviews, 683 good article reviews and 480 In the news items, so Wikipedia has benefited greatly from the activities of WikiCup competitors. Well done everyone! All those who reached the final round will receive awards and the following special awards will be made, based on high performance in particular areas of content creation and review. So that the finalists do not have an undue advantage, these prizes are awarded to the competitor who scored the highest in any particular field in a single round, or the overall leader in this field.
Lee Vilenski wins the featured article prize, for a total of 6 FAs during the course of the competition and 3 in the final round.
Kavyansh.Singh wins the featured list prize, for 3 FLs in round 2.
Adam Cuerden wins the featured picture prize, for 39 FPs during the competition.
Z1720 wins the featured article reviewer prize, for 35 FARs in round 4.
Epicgenius wins the good article prize, for 32 GAs in round 1.
SounderBruce wins the featured topic prize, for 4 FT articles in round 1.
Lee Vilenski wins the good topic prize, for 34 GT articles in round 5.
Sammi Brie wins the good article reviewer prize, for 71 GARs overall.
Sammi Brie wins the Did you know prize, for 30 DYKs in round 3 and 106 overall.
Bloom6132 wins the In the news prize, for 106 ITNs in round 5 and 289 overall.
Next year's competition will begin on 1 January and possible changes to the rules and scoring are being discussed on the discussion page. You are invited to sign up to take part in the contest; the WikiCup is open to all Wikipedians, both novices and experienced editors, and we hope to have a good turnout for the 2023 competition. Until then, it only remains to once again congratulate our worthy winners and finalists, and thank all participants for their involvement! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:28, 6 November 2022 (UTC)
The Signpost: 28 November 2022
[edit]- News and notes: English Wikipedia editors: "We don't need no stinking banners"Joe Roe's close sows dough woes, manifestos... vetoes? overthrows?
- In the media: "The most beautiful story on the Internet"Ineffective altruism, return of the toaster, Jess Wade keeps wading through it, Russia censors searches, schools embrace Wikipedia.
- Interview: Lisa Seitz-Gruwell on WMF fundraising in the wake of big banner ad RfCAn interview with Wikimedia's Chief Advancement Officer.
- Opinion: Privacy on Wikipedia in the cyberpunk futureOh, just one more thing... AI couldn't help but notice you use that punctuation a little bit more than most people...
- Disinformation report: Missed and DissedAre government goons prowling our fair encyclopedia?
- Op-Ed: Diminishing returns for article qualityHave we gotten past the point where better articles makes us a better encyclopedia? And what comes next?
- Book review: Writing the RevolutionHeather Ford's new volume on Wikipedia, knowledge and power in the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
- Technology report: Galactic dreams, encyclopedic realityFacebook's Galactica demo provides a case study in large language models for text generation at scale: this one was silly, but we cannot ignore them forever.
- Essay: The Six Million FP ManOkay, six hundred, but either way, the bionic editor speaks.
- Tips and tricks: (Wiki)break stuffProductively doing nothing
- Recent research: Study deems COVID-19 editors smart and cool, questions of clarity and utility for WMF's proposed "Knowledge Integrity Risk Observatory"And other research findings.
- Featured content: A great month for featured articlesDo consider joining FPC, though: we need you.
- Obituary: A tribute to Michael GäblerThey shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
- Concept: The relevance of legal certainty to the English WikipediaA lost article from our deep annals
- Traffic report: Musical deaths, murders, Princess Di's nominative determinism, and sportsThe weeks and weeks, as reviewed by Wikipedia's readers.
- From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years agoSearch upgrades, lawsuits, paid editing, and personal reflection.
- CommonsComix: Joker's trickA toast to good health, a health to good hoax, a hoax to good toast.
The Signpost: 1 January 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation ousts, bans quarter of Arabic Wikipedia adminsPlus admin update and cool tools for the new year.
- In the media: Odd bedfellows, Elon and Jimbo, reliable sources for divorces, and moreSometimes you need to read more than just the headlines!
- Interview: ComplexRational's RfA debriefInterview of ComplexRational about their recent request for adminship.
- Technology report: Wikimedia Foundation's Abstract Wikipedia project "at substantial risk of failure"Wikifunctions might drag it down.
- Essay: Mobile editingFrustrations and successes.
- Arbitration report: Arbitration Committee Election 2022Congratulations.
- Recent research: Graham's Hierarchy of Disagreement in talk page disputesAnd other new research findings.
- Serendipity: Wikipedia about FIFA World Cup 2022: quick, factual and criticalHow Iranian press agencies help Wikipedia to reflect football in a better way.
- Featured content: Would you like to swing on a star?You head into the featured content report. Amongst the features you see astronauts, both Gilbert and Sullivan, Ursula K. Le Guin's incredibly talented mother, and Billboard charts. It is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a grue.
- Traffic report: Football, football, football! Wikipedia Football Club!It is mostly about football!
- CommonsComix: #4: The Course of WikiEmpireIn which a couple sentences of text recontextualises an image.
- From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years agoPhotographers, Sandy Hook, the shocking use of Nazi symbols in articles about Nazis, and "You wouldn't recognise a fact if it bit you in the ass".
Welcome to the 2023 WikiCup!
[edit]Happy New Year and Happy New WikiCup! The 2023 competition has just begun and all article creators, expanders, improvers and reviewers are welcome to take part. Even if you are a novice editor you should be able to advance to at least the second round, improving your editing skills as you go. If you have already signed up, your submissions page can be found here. If you have not yet signed up, you can add your name here and the judges will set up your submissions page ready for you to take part. Any questions on the scoring, rules or anything else should be directed to one of the judges, or posted to the WikiCup talk page. Signups will close at the end of January, and the first round will end on 26 February; the 64 highest scorers at that time will move on to round 2. The judges for the WikiCup this year are: Sturmvogel 66 (talk · contribs · email) and Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs · email). Good luck! MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:16, 1 January 2023 (UTC)
The Signpost: 16 January 2023
[edit]- From the team: We heard zoomers liked fortnights: the biweekly Signpost rides againIt's not just a phase! Well, maybe it is.
- Special report: Coverage of 2022 bans reveals editors serving long sentences in Saudi Arabia since 2020Long-time contributors imprisoned for 32 and 8 years after "swaying public opinion" and "violating public morals".
- News and notes: Revised Code of Conduct Enforcement Guidelines up for vote, WMF counsel departs, generative models under discussionUCoC draws nearer, alongside the rise of the machines, in mainspace this time.
- In the media: Court orders user data in libel case, Saudi Wikipedia in the crosshairs, Larry Sanger at it againWikipedia's birthday, a cute dog, and nipplefruit.
- Technology report: View it! A new tool for image discoveryThe depths of Commons, at your fingertips. Or eyetips.
- In focus: Busting into Grand CentralDebunking widely-told myths about New York's grandest and centralest railway station.
- Serendipity: How I bought part of Wikipedia – for less than $100The economics of Wikipedia.
- Gallery: What is our responsibility when it comes to images?When notability conflicts with what it might be used for.
- Humour: New geologically speedy deletion criteria introduced7,000,000-year Landmasses for Subduction discussions considered "too long".
- Opinion: Good old days, in which fifth-symbol-lacking lipograms roam'd our librarious litanyAllow us to bring you back, back, back, to days of Wikifun rampant.
- Featured content: Flip your lid...and your ambigram. Also: Boring lava fields, birds of Tuvalu, and commelinid family names with etymologies.
- Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2022War, sports, and all types of chaos.
- From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years agoThe editor with five million edits, the death of Aaron Swartz, and rollback.
The Signpost: 4 February 2023
[edit]- From the editor: New for the Signpost: Author pages, tag pages, and a decent article search functionLast issue's vow for "something to show for these efforts" revisited.
- News and notes: Foundation update on fundraising, new page patrol, Tides, and Wikipedia blocked in PakistanAs well as the continued rise of the machines, and Amanda Keton's WMF departure.
- Section 230: Twenty-six words that created the internet, and the future of an encyclopediaSection 230 before the Supreme Court in two cases, with broad implications for the web.
- Disinformation report: Wikipedia on SantosOr Santos on Wikipedia?
- Special report: Legal status of Wikimedia projects "unclear" under potential European legislationWMF issues salvo in latest battles of the Posting Wars
- In the media: Furor over new Wikipedia skin, followup on Saudi bans, and legislative debateThe good, the bad, and the ugly.
- Op-Ed: Estonian businessman and political donor brings lawsuit against head of national Wikimedia chapterIsamaa party sponsor Parvel Pruunsild files claim in Tartu County Court against WMEE head Ivo Kruusamägi and Reform Party politicians.
- Opinion: Study examines cultural leanings of Wikimedia projects' visual art coverageEnglish Wikipedia among most "global" and Thai Wikipedia's among most "Western", but non-Western works neglected overall.
- Recent research: Wikipedia's "moderate yet systematic" liberal citation biasAnd other new research publications.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Organized LabourAn interview with those who pitch in together
- Tips and tricks: XTools: Data analytics for your list of created articlesLetting you find out about yourself (and others).
- Featured content: 20,000 Featureds under the SeaAn exceptionally good period for featured articles.
- Traffic report: Films, deaths and ChatGPTCan we have a chat?
The Signpost: 20 February 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Terms of Use update, Steward elections, and Wikipedia back in PakistanUCoC Enforcement Guidelines pass, Wikimedia Enterprise financials, GPTs gone wild, and a speedy deletion criterion removed.
- In the media: Arbitrators open case after article alleges Wikipedia "intentionally distorts" Holocaust coverageAlso: Russ Baker's BLP, the digital commons, the NSA, and more on Pakistan.
- Disinformation report: The "largest con in corporate history"?Gautam Adani and his companies possibly behind scheme featuring scores of socks, infiltration of articles for creation process.
- Essay: Machine-written articles: a new challenge for WikipediaGPT: friend or foe?
- Tips and tricks: All about writing at DYKYour one-stop hooker's handbook.
- Featured content: Eden, lost.But much else to be found.
- Gallery: Love is in the airLovey-dovey stuff for Valentine's.
- Traffic report: Superbowl? Pfft. Give me some Bollywood! Yours sincerely, the worldAnd maybe a side of AI.
- From the archives: 5, 10, and 15 years ago: Let's (not) delete the Main Page!Also: let's delete images of Muhammed! Let's delete portals!
- Cobwebs: Editorial: The loss of the moral high groundYesterday's controversies, reported on today.
- Humour: The RfA Candidate's SongA musical interlude.
WikiCup 2023 March newsletter
[edit]So ends the first round of the 2023 WikiCup. Everyone with a positive score moved on to Round 2, with 54 contestants qualifying. The top scorers in Round 1 were:
Unlimitedlead with 1205 points, a WikiCup newcomer, led the field with two featured articles on historical figures and several featured article candidate reviews.
Epicgenius was in second place with 789 points; a seasoned WikiCup competitor he specialises in buildings and locations in New York.
FrB.TG was in third place with 625 points, garnered from a featured article on a filmmaker which qualified for an impressive number of bonus points.
TheJoebro64, another WikiCup newcomer, came next with 600 points gained from two featured articles on video games.
Iazyges was in fifth place with 532 points, from two featured articles on classical history.
The top sixteen contestants at the end of Round 1 had all scored over 300 points; these included LunaEatsTuna,
Thebiguglyalien,
Sammi Brie,
Trainsandotherthings,
Lee Vilenski,
Juxlos,
Unexpectedlydian,
SounderBruce,
Kosack,
BennyOnTheLoose and
PCN02WPS. It was a high-scoring start to the competition.
These contestants, like all the others, now have to start again from scratch. The first round finished on February 26. Remember that any content promoted after that date but before the start of Round 2 can be claimed in Round 2. Some contestants made claims before the new submissions pages were set up, and they will need to resubmit them. Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed.
If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove yourself from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:36, 2 March 2023 (UTC)
The Signpost: 9 March 2023
[edit]- News and notes: What's going on with the Wikimedia Endowment?A lack of transparency.
- Technology report: Second flight of the Soviet space bears: Testing ChatGPT's accuracyUsing failed AI Galactica's worst mistakes to test a new AI.
- In the media: What should Wikipedia do? Publish Russian propaganda? Be less woke? Cover the Holocaust in Poland differently?Probable answers: No, no, maybe?
- Featured content: In which over two-thirds of the featured articles section needs to be copied over to WikiProject Military History's newsletterSeriously, even the chef has a major military history connection.
- Recent research: "Wikipedia's Intentional Distortion of the Holocaust" in Poland and "self-focus bias" in coverage of global eventsAnd other new research publications.
- From the archives: Five, ten, and fifteen years agoWikizine, Wikipedia Zero, Single User Login, and Wales allegedly editing his girlfriend's article.
The Signpost: 20 March 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimania submissions deadline looms, Russian government after our lucky charms, AI woes nix CNET from RS slateBe part of the Wikimania 2023 program!
- Eyewitness: Three more stories from Ukrainian WikimediansOne year in: volunteering, science, art, and candlelight.
- In the media: Paid editing, plagiarism payouts, proponents of a ploy, and people peeved at perceived preferencesEverything is broken, again.
- Featured content: Way too many featured articlesSeriously, it's only a fortnight's worth!
- Interview: 228/2/1: the inside scoop on Aoidh's RfAAn interview with Wikipedia's newest admin.
- Traffic report: Who died? Who won? Who lost?All the pop culture that's fit to print, with a sprinkling of cocaine (bear).
The Signpost: 03 April 2023
[edit]- From the editor: Some long-overdue retractionsErrata regretted.
- News and notes: Sounding out, a universal code of conduct, and dealing with AISkynet believed to be in violation of the new Universal Code of Conduct.
- In the media: Twiddling Wikipedia during an online contest, and other newsTaking the phrase "gaming the system" to the next level.
- Arbitration report: "World War II and the history of Jews in Poland" case is ongoingDesysop case request still in accept/decline phase.
- Featured content: Hail, poetry! Thou heav'n-born maidThou gildest e'en the Signpost's trade.
- Recent research: Language bias: Wikipedia captures at least the "silhouette of the elephant", unlike ChatGPTAnd a dataset of article revisions to provide a corpus for promotional content.
- From the archives: April Fools' through the agesA retrospective of the best and worst pranks.
- Disinformation report: Sus socks support suits, seems systemicDo important banks sock? Maybe – but don't grab your money and run just yet!
The Signpost: 26 April 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Staff departures at Wikimedia Foundation, Jimbo hands in the bits, and graphs' zeppelin burnsPlus: Wikipedians get own Mastodon account, and Wikiprojects move to uniform quality assessment.
- In the media: Contested truth claims in WikipediaCovering Russia, Poland, the Vatican, the U.S., and the "perilously thin" boundary between real life and Wikipedia.
- Obituary: Remembering David "DGG" GoodmanThe prolific editor, former Arbitration Committee member and co-founder of Wikimedia New York City died in April.
- Arbitration report: Holocaust in Poland, Jimbo in the hot seat, and a desysoppingNo news is good news, and this isn't no news.
- Opinion: What Jimbo's question revealed about scammingThe problem we haven't solved.
- Op-Ed: Wikipedia as an anchor of truthCan Wikipedia help keep AI agents honest?
- Special report: Signpost statistics between years 2005 and 2022In this article, we will look at The Signpost statistics. More precisely: Signpost article statistics by year, TOP 20 titles of Signpost articles, TOP 20 article authors, and the home wikis of article authors.
- News from the WMF: Collective planning with the Wikimedia FoundationFirst of a two part series summarising the priorities for the Wikimedia Foundation's next fiscal year (July 2022–June 2023) including staffing, budget and other changes, and how to provide your feedback.
- Featured content: In which we described the featured articles in rhyme againAnd somehow made it more readable than when it's not rhyming.
- From the archives: April Fools' through the ages, part two2011 and on.
- Humour: The law of hatsThe Selfish Hatnote, the Disambiguation Singularity, and other information-theoretic conundra of encyclopedic note.
- Traffic report: Long live machine, the future supremeWrestling bumps world-changing technology from the #1 spot, imagine that.
WikiCup 2023 May newsletter
[edit]The second round of the 2023 WikiCup has now finished. Contestants needed to have scored 60 points to advance into round 3. Our top five scorers in round 2 all included a featured article among their submissions and each scored over 500 points. They were:
Iazyges (1040) with three FAs on Byzantine emperors, and lots of bonus points.
Unlimitedlead (847), with three FAs on ancient history, one GA and nine reviews.
Epicgenius (636), a WikiCup veteran, with one FA on the New Amsterdam Theatre, four GAs and eleven DYKs
BennyOnTheLoose (553), a seasoned competitor, with one FA on snooker, six GAs and seven reviews.
FrB.TG (525), with one FA, a Lady Gaga song and a mass of bonus points.
Other notable performances were put in by Sammi Brie,
Thebiguglyalien,
MyCatIsAChonk,
PCN02WPS, and
AirshipJungleman29.
So far contestants have achieved thirteen featured articles between them, one being a joint effort, and forty-nine good articles. The judges are pleased with the thorough reviews that are being performed, and have hardly had to reject any. As we enter the third round, remember that any content promoted after the end of round 2 but before the start of round 3 can be claimed in round 3. Remember too that you must claim your points within 14 days of "earning" them.
If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article nominations, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed (remember to remove your listing when no longer required). Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 08:15, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
The Signpost: 8 May 2023
[edit]- News and notes: New legal "deVLOPments" in the EU... and at WP:Mastodon.
- In the media: Vivek's smelly socks, online safety, and politicsFake fines, false alarms and faux headlines!
- Recent research: Gender, race and notability in deletion discussionsAnd other new research publications.
- Featured content: I wrote a poem for each article, I found rhymes for all the lists; My first featured picture of this year now finally exists!...Layout lovers will hate this featured content's title.
- Arbitration report: "World War II and the history of Jews in Poland" approaches conclusionThere will likely be more to say next issue.
- News from the WMF: Planning together with the Wikimedia FoundationThe second article in a series describing the priorities and work of the Wikimedia Foundation. The article invites Wikimedians to collaborate with the Foundation.
- Special report: There Shall Be Seasons Refreshing – Stories from WikiConference India 2023First national-level conference in the Indian subcontinent in seven years.
The Signpost: 22 May 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Golden parachutes: Record severance payments at Wikimedia Foundation... and a referendum on Jimmy Wales' traditional role as a final court of appeal in arbitration policy.
- In the media: History, propaganda and censorshipOpposing scholars on ArbCom case.
- Arbitration report: Final decision in "World War II and the history of Jews in Poland"Includes stronger sourcing restriction, and a nod to the UCoC.
- Recent research: Create or curate, cooperate or compete? Game theory for Wikipedia editorsAnd other new research results.
- Featured content: A very musical week for featured articlesBird is the word for featured pictures.
- Traffic report: Coronation, chatbot, celebsCelebs and Bollywood film dominated reader interest, as usual, but with a new persistent presence on the lists of a certain AI.
- WikiProject report: Wikipedians Convene for Queering Wikipedia 2023: The First International LGBT+ Wikipedia ConferenceAn online conference with 12 distributed trans-local in-person meetup "Nodes" on 5 continents.
The Signpost: 5 June 2023
[edit]- News and notes: WMRU director forks new 'pedia, birds flap in top '22 piccy, WMF weighs in on Indian gov's map axe pleaCode of Conduct Coordinating Committee Building Committee Commences Command By Convening.
- In the media: Section 230 stands tall, WP vs. UK bill, Miss Information dissed againAlso: Goog gets delist ask for en-wp yt-dl ar-ticle, wacky football fails.
- Featured content: Poetry under pressureNow is not this ridiculous, and is not this preposterous? A thorough-paced absurdity - explain it if you can.
- Traffic report: Celebs, controversies and a chatbot in the public eyePlus mortalities, and movies about mermaids.
The Signpost: 19 June 2023
[edit]- News and notes: WMF Terms of Use now in force, new Creative Commons licensingProblems with emergency emails sent to WMF.
- In the media: English WP editor glocked after BLP row on Italian 'pedia... and an AI writer explains why he just bought a paper encyc.
- Featured content: Content, featuredPoetry still present.
- Recent research: Hoaxers prefer currently-popular topicsAnd other new research findings.
The Signpost: 3 July 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Online Safety Bill: Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia UK launch open letter... and a new Elections Committee.
- Disinformation report: Imploded submersible outfit foiled trying to sing own praises on WikipediaA few editors who fought many times to keep advertisements out.
- In the media: Journo proposes mass Wiki dox, sponsored articles on Fandom, Section 230 discussedAre you now, or have you ever been, a Wikipedia editor?
- Featured content: IncensedIn which featured pictures have a pleasing orange/blue colour scheme for some reason.
- Traffic report: Are you afraid of spiders? Arnold? The Idol? ChatGPT?Don't worry, they are mostly harmless.
- Humour: United Nations dispatches peacekeeping force to Wikipedia policy discussionsMission to ensure stability in conflict-ridden area.
WikiCup 2023 July newsletter
[edit]The third round of the 2023 WikiCup has come to an end. The 16 users who made it to the fourth round had at least 175 points. Our top scorers in round 3 were:
Thebiguglyalien, with 919 points from a featured article on Frances Cleveland as well as five good articles and many reviews,
Unlimitedlead, with 862 points from a high-scoring featured articles on Henry II of England and numerous reviews,
Iazyges, with 560 points from a high-scoring featured article on Tiberius III.
Contestants achieved 11 featured articles, 2 featured lists, 47 good articles, 72 featured or good article reviews, over 100 DYKs and 40 ITN appearances. As always, any content promoted after the end of round 3 but before the start of round 4 can be claimed in round 4. Please also remember that you must claim your points within 14 days of "earning" them. When doing GARs, please make sure that you check that all the GA criteria are fully met. Please also remember that all submissions must meet core Wikipedia policies, regardless of the review process.
If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article nominations, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed (remember to remove your listing when no longer required). Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. Sturmvogel 66 (talk) and Cwmhiraeth (talk). MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:18, 8 July 2023 (UTC)
The Signpost: 17 July 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Big bux hidden beneath wine-dark sea as we wait for the Tides to go out?Gitz666 unglocked, Wikimania scholarships given and a new admin anointed.
- In the media: Tentacles of Emirates plot attempt to ensnare WikipediaRuwiki on the Ruinternet, Rauwerda on TEDx, and Jimbo on Fridman.
- Obituary: David Thomsen (Dthomsen8) and Ingo Koll (Kipala)Philadelphians and Tanzanians say goodbye.
- News from the WMF: ABC for Fundraising: Advancing Banner Collaboration for fundraising campaignsThe collaboration process for the 2023 English fundraising campaign is kicking off now, right from the start of the fiscal year.
- In focus: Are the children of celebrities over-represented in French cinema?Wikidata queries investigate nepo babies.
- Tips and tricks: What automation can do for you (and your WikiProject)A summary of various tools designed over the years.
- Recent research: Wikipedia-grounded chatbot "outperforms all baselines" on factual accuracyAnd various other research on large language models and Wikipedia.
- Humour: New fringe theories to be introducedBold move intended to "get some variety" into Wikipedia arguments.
- Cobwebs: If you're reading this, you're probably on a desktopThe annual report that tries to understand the Signpost through data, written in 2020, which never saw the light of day until now.
- Featured content: Scrollin', scrollin', scrollin', keep those readers scrollin', got to keep on scrollin', Rawhide!In which choices have been made™.
- Traffic report: The Idol becomes the MasterSex, drugs and violence, English, math and science.
The Signpost: 1 August 2023
[edit]- News and notes: City officials attempt to doxx Wikipedians, Ruwiki founder banned, WMF launches Mastodon serverAnd French gov't proposes legislation to slam Wikipedia, others.
- In the media: Truth, AI, bull from politicians, and climate changeOr just another brouhaha?
- Disinformation report: Hot climate, hot hit, hot money, hot news hot off the presses!Hot damn, it's damned hot!
- Obituary: Donald Cram, Peter McCawley, and EagleashThree editors have departed.
- Tips and tricks: Citation tools for dummies!You don't really want to do this stuff by yourself, do you?
- Humour: Does Wikipedia present neutral perspectives?A serious visual investigation.
- In focus: Journals cited by WikipediaA compilation of over 3M citations.
- Opinion: Are global bans the last step?Possible solutions after being re-harassed.
- Featured content: Featured Content, 1 to 15 JulyDue to unfortunate events, this issue is published as is, in its unfinished state.
- Traffic report: Come on Oppie, let's go partyOppenheimer, Barbie, and a couple other scandals.
The Signpost: 15 August 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Dude, Where's My Donations? Wikimedia Foundation announces another million in grants for non-Wikimedia-related projectsJimbo promises more transparency, Wikimania in Singapore, move away from Tides still planned, and Wikifunctions rolls out.
- In the media: An accusation of bias from Brazil, a lawsuit from Portugal, plagiarism from FloridaHarsh words from problematic fave Glenn Greenwald.
- In focus: 2023 Good Article Nomination drive is underway: get your barnstars here!Rigorous Review of Content for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Wikipedia.
- Special report: Thirteen years later, why are most administrators still from 2005?Damn kids need to get off our lawn and onto RfA.
- Tips and tricks: How to find images for your articles, check their copyright, upload them, and restore themBecause one gets some secondary skills when one has 645 featured pictures.
- Cobwebs: Getting serious about writingThe innards of the Signpost received a major overhaul in March/April 2019. Here's how we reduced behind-the-scenes busywork and improved writers resources.
- Opinion: Copyright trolls, or the last beautiful free souls on this planet?For whom does the Creative Commons enforcement clause toll?
- Serendipity: Why I stopped taking photographs almost altogetherAn announcement of 335,000 new images on Wikimedia Commons.
- Featured content: Barbenheimer confirmedSome improvement on last week.
- Humour: Arbitration Committee to accept case against Right Honorable Frimbley Cantingham, 15th Viscount Bellington-upon-PorkshireCase request cited misuse of tools by administrator who last used tools in 1661.
- Traffic report: 'Cause today it just goes with the fashionBarbenheimer, Pee-Wee Herman and the Women's World Cup.
The Signpost: 31 August 2023
[edit]- From the editor: Beta version of signpost.news now onlineNews for the editoriat. Stuff that matters.
- News and notes: You like RecentChanges?Wikipedia really comes into its own, editorially and artistically.
- In the media: Taking it sleazy"Poli", which means "many", and "tics", which means "under-the-table Wikipedia article whitewashing campaigns".
- Recent research: The five barriers that impede "stitching" collaboration between Commons and WikipediaAnd other recent research publications.
- Draftspace: Bad Jokes and Other Draftspace NoveltiesThe good, the bad, and the nonsense.
- Humour: The Dehumourification PlanA message from the Counter-Fun Unit.
- Traffic report: Raise your drinking glass, here's to yesterdayI just poured HOT GRITS down my pants ohh yeah
WikiCup 2023 September newsletter
[edit]The fourth round of the competition has finished, with anyone scoring less than 673 points being eliminated. It was a high scoring round with all but one of the contestants who progressed to the final having achieved an FA during the round. The highest scorers were
Epicgenius, with 2173 points topping the scores, gained mainly from a featured article, 38 good articles and 9 DYKs. He was followed by
Sammi Brie, with 1575 points, gained mainly from a featured article, 28 good articles and 50 good article reviews. Close behind was
Thebiguglyalien, with 1535 points mainly gained from a featured article, 15 good articles, 26 good article reviews and lots of bonus points.
Between them during round 4, contestants achieved 12 featured articles, 3 featured lists, 3 featured pictures, 126 good articles, 46 DYK entries, 14 ITN entries, 67 featured article candidate reviews and 147 good article reviews. Congratulations to our eight finalists and all who participated! It was a generally high-scoring and productive round and I think we can expect a highly competitive finish to the competition.
Remember that any content promoted after the end of round 4 but before the start of round 5 can be claimed in round 5. Remember too that you must claim your points within 10 days of "earning" them and within 24 hours of the end of the final. If you are concerned that your nomination will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews. It would be helpful if this list could be cleared of any items no longer relevant. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send.
I will be standing down as a judge after the end of the contest. I think the Cup encourages productive editors to improve their contributions to Wikipedia and I hope that someone else will step up to take over the running of the Cup. Sturmvogel 66 (talk), and Cwmhiraeth (talk)
The Signpost: 16 September 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia power sharing – just an advisory role for the volunteer community?Plus: Africa news, funding report, U4C draft, roads fork and another ChatGPT block.
- In the media: "Just flirting", going Dutch and Shapps for the defence?Plus a new judge, an "unimportant" record, and staying in the swim!
- Obituary: NosebagbearA Wikipedian and a friend.
- Serendipity: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no paywall, for thou, Wikipedia Library, art with meNon-flammable, BPA-free, and really whips the llama's ass.
- Featured content: Catching upCovering all of August. Pretty much.
- Concept: Strange portal opened by CERN researchers brings Wikipedia articles from "other worlds"The Signpost brings you the latest from the source.
- Traffic report: Some of it's magic, some of it's tragicSports, film and singers. We've got it all!
The Signpost: 3 October 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Endowment financial statement publishedFinances during Tides Foundation management of the endowment are shown for the first time.
- In the media: History is written by whoever can harness the most editorsPlus Harvard, Yale, Lords and Commons, partners and trolls!
- Recent research: Readers prefer ChatGPT over Wikipedia; concerns about limiting "anyone can edit" principle "may be overstated"And other new research publications
- Featured content: By your logic,The first issue to feature two poetry article
- Concept: Wikipedia policies from other worlds: WP:NOANTLERSMaterial must be written with the greatest care and attention; the level of detail and commentary regarding the antlers of living persons is to be kept to a minimum.
- Poetry: "The Sight"Tamzin reflects on the hunt.
- Traffic report: There shall be no slaves in the land of lands, it's a Bollywood jamTaylor Swift with an NFL tight end and Lauren Boebert with a Democrat?
The Signpost: 23 October 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Where have all the administrators gone?Long time passing
- In the media: Thirst traps, the fastest loading sites on the web, and the original collaborative writingAlso: High fives, Wikipedia as a guide for counterfeiters and crossword makers, and Iskander at the UN.
- Gallery: Before and After: Why you don't need to know how to restore images to make massive improvementsThe benefits of research.
- Featured content: Yo, ho! Blow the man down!These titles never make much sense even at the best of times, so why not be random?
- Traffic report: The calm and the stormThey are still fighting.
- News from Diff: Sawtpedia: Giving a Voice to Wikipedia Using QR CodesSounds good!
- Humour: New citation template introduced for divine revelations, drug use, and really thinking about it"Cite altered state" to join the distinguished ranks of CS1 templates
WikiCup 2023 November newsletter
[edit]The WikiCup is a marathon rather than a sprint and all those reaching the final round have been involved in the competition for the last ten months, improving Wikipedia vastly during the process. After all this hard work, BeanieFan11 has emerged as the 2023 winner and the WikiCup Champion. The finalists this year were:-
BeanieFan11 with 2582 points
Thebiguglyalien with 1615 points
Epicgenius with 1518 points
MyCatIsAChonk with 1012 points
BennyOnTheLoose with 974 points
AirshipJungleman29 with 673 points
Sammi Brie with 520 points
Unlimitedlead with 5 points
Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year's WikiCup, whether they made it to the final round or not, and particular congratulations to the newcomers to the competition, some of whom did very well. Wikipedia has benefitted greatly from the quality creations, expansions and improvements made, and the numerous reviews performed. All those who reached the final round will win awards. The following special awards will be made based on high performance in particular areas of content creation and review. Awards will be handed out in the next few days.
Unlimitedlead wins the featured article prize, for 7 FAs in total including 3 in round 2.
MyCatIsAChonk wins the featured list prize, for 5 FLs in total.
Lee Vilenski wins the featured topic prize, for a 6-article featured topic in round 4.
MyCatIsAChonk wins the featured picture prize, for 6 FPs in total.
BeanieFan11 wins the good article prize, for 75 GAs in total, including 61 in the final round.
Epicgenius wins the good topic prize, for a 41-article good topic in the final round.
LunaEatsTuna wins the GA reviewer prize, for 70 GA reviews in round 1.
MyCatIsAChonk wins the FA reviewer prize, for 66 FA reviews in the final round.
Epicgenius wins the DYK prize, for 49 did you know articles in total.
Muboshgu wins the ITN prize, for 46 in the news articles in total.
The WikiCup has run every year since 2007. With the 2023 contest now concluded, I will be standing down as a judge due to real life commitments, so I hope that another editor will take over running the competition. Please get in touch if you are interested. Next year's competition will hopefully begin on 1 January 2024. You are invited to sign up to participate in the contest; the WikiCup is open to all Wikipedians, both novices and experienced editors. It only remains to congratulate our worthy winners once again and thank all participants for their involvement! (If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send.) Sturmvogel 66 and Cwmhiraeth. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:51, 5 November 2023 (UTC)
The Signpost: 6 November 2023
[edit]- Arbitration report: Admin bewilderingly unmasks self as sockpuppet of other admin who was extremely banned in 2015"Is this an ArbCom case request or an M. Night Shyamalan movie?"
- In the media: UK shadow chancellor accused of ripping off WP articles for book, Wikipedians accused of being dicks by a rich manPlus Gaza bias, Speaker Johnson, Maher, the music of websites, and antisemitism.
- News and notes: Board candidacy process posted, editors protest WMF privacy measure, sweet meetupsAnd three new admins!
- Opinion: An open letter to Elon MuskYou should learn some of our rules!
- WikiCup report: The WikiCup 2023The winner is...
- News from Wiki Ed: Equity lists on WikipediaDo you ever wonder where Wikipedia articles come from?
- Recent research: How English Wikipedia drove out fringe editors over two decadesAnd other new research findings.
- Featured content: Like putting a golf course in a historic site.Only literally.
- Wikidata: Evaluating qualitative systemic bias in large article sets on WikipediaA systematic approach.
- Traffic report: Cricket jumpscarePlus Kollywood, Killers of the Flower Moon, and ongoing war.
The Signpost: 20 November 2023
[edit]- In the media: Propaganda and photos, lunatics and a lunar backupComic-con, Media summit, and a classic!
- News and notes: Update on Wikimedia's financial healthPlus: Sockpuppet investigators asking for help.
- Traffic report: If it bleeds, it leadsOr if it's Indian sport or cinema.
- Recent research: Canceling disputes as the real function of ArbComAnd other new research findings.
- Wikimania: Wikimania 2024 scholarshipsScholarship applications for Wikimania 2024 are now open!
The Signpost: 4 December 2023
[edit]- News and notes: Beeblebrox ejected from Arbitration Committee following posts on WikipediocracyJust as his term was ending!
- In the media: Turmoil on Hebrew Wikipedia, grave dancing, Olga's impact and inspiring Bhutanese nunsPlus Apple Pay, fiction, registration, expulsion, and elimination!
- Disinformation report: "Wikipedia and the assault on history"An analysis of a literary mystery.
- In focus: Tens of thousands of freely available sources flaggedContinuing years of efforts to improve free-to-read access.
- Comix: Bold comics for a new age"I think we ought to read only the kind of comics that wound or stab us. If the comic we're reading doesn't wake us up with a blow to the head, what are we reading for?" — Franz Kafka
- Essay: I am going to dieAnd so are you.
- Featured content: Real gangsters move in silenceQuite literally, and other fascinating featured articles, pictures and lists
- Traffic report: And it's hard to watch some cricket, in the cold November RainIf you don't fancy the sport that occupies over 25% of the slots in these lists, there's always movies, celebrities, and political follies to fall back on – or an unusual fired-for-the-weekend CEO.
- Humour: Mandy Rice-Davies AppliesThis page in a nutshell: Whether or not someone has denied unsavory allegations — though such a denial may not merit being given equal weight in an article — a worthless shitpost should still be included.
The Signpost: 24 December 2023
[edit]- Special report: Did the Chinese Communist Party send astroturfers to sabotage a hacktivist's Wikipedia article?Wikipedia article histories are public records that can be easily examined, so unlike other websites, we can answer this question thoroughly.
- News and notes: The Italian Public Domain wars continue, Wikimedia RU set to dissolve, and a recap of WLM 2023Not the best of times for Wikipedians across the world, but there are still glimpses of hope...
- In the media: Consider the humble forkForky on forky on forky, plus a strange donation scheme and other interesting bits of news.
- Discussion report: Arabic Wikipedia blackout; Wikimedians discuss SpongeBob, copyrights, and AIWiki goes dark and adopts Palestine flag logo; intellectual property rumblings from the bowels of the law.
- In focus: Liquidation of Wikimedia RUWikimedia Russia closes after founder is declared a "foreign agent".
- Technology report: Dark mode is comingNo more must Wikipedia always be a lightbulb in the dark — except metaphorically of course.
- Recent research: "LLMs Know More, Hallucinate Less" with WikidataAnd other new research publications.
- Gallery: A feast of holidays and carolsPeace on earth, goodwill to all!
- Comix: Lollus lmaois 200C tincturethe dilution makes it stronger.
- Crossword: when the crossword is susThe Signpost Crossword is a 2018 online multiplayer social deduction game that takes place in space-themed settings where players are colorful, armless cartoon astronauts.
- Traffic report: What's the big deal? I'm an animal!Bollywood, Hollywood, and both kinds of football to close out December.
- From the editor: A piccy iz worth OVAR 9000!!!11oneone! wordz ^_^The debugging will continue until performance improves.
- Apocrypha: Local editor discovered 1,380 lost subheadings in ancient Signpost scrolls. And what he found was shocking.Heartwarming — MUST READ — You Won't BELIEVE #4!!!!!
- Humour: Guess the joke contestWinner receives a special prize!
- BJAODN: Bad jokes and other deleted nonsenseEdit summary: "Only need this page for about 30 minutes to demonstrate to a friend how easy it is to create a Wikipedia page. Then it will be deleted."
Welcome to the 2024 WikiCup!
[edit]Happy New Year and Happy New WikiCup! The 2024 competition has just begun and all article creators, expanders, improvers and reviewers are welcome to take part. Even if you are a novice editor you should be able to advance to at least the second round, improving your editing skills as you go. If you have already signed up, your submissions page can be found here. If you have not yet signed up, you can add your name here and the judges will set up your submissions page ready for you to take part. Any questions on the scoring, rules or anything else should be directed to one of the judges, or posted to the WikiCup talk page. Signups will close on 31 January, and the first round will end on 26 February; the 64 highest scorers at that time will move on to round 2. The judges for the WikiCup this year are: Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs · email), Epicgenius (talk · contribs · email), and Frostly (talk · contribs · email). Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:21, 1 January 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 10 January 2024
[edit]- From the editor: NINETEEN MORE YEARS! NINETEEN MORE YEARS!The Signpost can now drink beer and chant slogans in Canada. What slogans should we chant for the next nineteen years?
- Special report: Public Domain Day 2024Mickey & You: What can you do?
- Technology report: Wikipedia: A Multigenerational PursuitA techie looks at the big questions.
- News and notes: In other news ... see ya in court!Let the games begin! The 2024 WikiCup is off to a strong start. With copyright enforcement, AI training and freedom of expression, it's another typical week in the wiki-sphere!
- In focus: The long road of a featured article candidateThe first of two installments, regarding a process of many installments.
- In the media: What is plagiarism? Oklahoma Disneyland? Reaching a human being at Wikipedia?Watch out for those space ships!
- WikiProject report: WikiProjects Israel and PalestineWhat are the editorial processes behind covering some of the most politically polarizing and contentious topics on English Wikipedia?
- Obituary: Anthony BradburyRest in peace.
- Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2023Around the world in 365 days (with many stops in India).
- Crossword: everybody gangsta till the style sheets start cascadingThe good news is that I've perfected the templates that allow other people to make actually good crosswords.
- Comix: Conflict resolutionGetting down to brass tacks &c.
The Signpost: 31 January 2024
[edit]- News and notes: Wikipedian Osama Khalid celebrated his 30th birthday in jailPlus WMF child rights impact assessment, Chinese Wikipedia changes admin rules
- Opinion: Until it happens to youA stream of consciousness about plagiarism on Wikipedia from the perspective of a user who directly witnessed it.
- Disinformation report: How paid editors squeeze you dryAnd how you can stop them!
- In the media: Katherine Maher new NPR CEO, go check Wikipedia, race in the raceAnother wobble, more Ackman, our usual pathological optimist, and football in dirty pants!
- In focus: The long road of a featured article candidate, part 2Everything you really wanted to know about writing featured articles.
- Recent research: Croatian takeover was enabled by "lack of bureaucratic openness and rules constraining [admins]"And other new research publications.
- Comix: We've all got to start somewhereWriting a good subheading for a one-sentence joke is basically like writing an entire second joke so I'm not going to do it.
- Traffic report: DJ, gonna burn this goddamn house right downJob changes, death, sex, murder, suicide and a vacation!
WikiCup 2024 February newsletter
[edit]The 2024 WikiCup is off to a flying start, with 135 participants. This is the largest number of participants we have seen since 2017.
Our current leader is newcomer Generalissima (submissions), who has one FA on John Littlejohn (preacher) and 10 GAs and 12 DYKs mostly on New Zealand coinage and Inuit figures. Here are some more noteworthy scorers:
AirshipJungleman29 (submissions), with one FA on Hö'elün, two GAs on Mongolia-related articles, and two DYKs;
Vami_IV (submissions), with one FA on Doom (2016 video game), one GA on Boundary Fire (2017), and 11 reviews;
MaranoFan (submissions), with one FA on Holidays (Meghan Trainor song), a nine-article FT on 30 (album), and two DYKs;
Skyshifter (submissions), with one FA on OneShot and one DYK;
Sammi Brie (submissions), with five GAs and five DYKs on television and radio stations;
voorts (submissions) and
Elli (submissions), both with one FA and one DYK each.
As a reminder, competitors may submit work for the first round until 23:59 (UTC) on 27 February, and the second round starts 1 March. Remember that only the top 64 scoring competitors will make it through to the second round; currently, competitors need at least 15 points to progress. If you are concerned that your nomination will not receive the necessary reviews, and you hope to get it promoted before the end of the round, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews. However, please remember to continue to offer reviews at GAN, FAC and all the other pages that require them to prevent any backlogs which could otherwise be caused by the Cup. As ever, questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup and the judges (Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs), Epicgenius (talk · contribs), and Frostly (talk · contribs)) are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 17:58, 11 February 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 13 February 2024
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Russia director declared "foreign agent" by Russian gov; EU prepares to pile on the papers"the exact extent of the obligations" unclear... many such cases!
- Disinformation report: How low can the scammers go?Lower, trust me!
- Gallery: Before and After: Why you don't need to touch grass to dramatically improve images of flora and faunaFinding the right bumblebee among all the bumblebees!
- In the media: Speaking in tongues, toeing the line, and dressing the partThe usual odd articles about Wikipedia.
- Serendipity: Is this guy the same as the one who was a Nazi?The hunt for Bertil Ragnar Anzén.
- Traffic report: Griselda, Nikki, Carl, Jannik and two types of footballPlus films, Grammys and a rumble!
- Crossword: Our crossword to bear&c.
- Comix: StronglyThat's more than weakly!
WikiCup 2024 March newsletter
[edit]The first round of the 2024 WikiCup ended at 23:59 (UTC) on 27 February. Everyone with at least 30 points moved on to Round 2, the highest number of points required to advance to the second round since 2014. Due to a six-way tie for the 64th-place spot, 67 contestants have qualified for Round 2.
The following scorers in Round 1 all scored more than 300 points:
Generalissima (submissions), who has 916 points mostly from one FA on John Littlejohn (preacher), 15 GAs, and 16 DYKs on a variety of topics including New Zealand coinage and Inuit figures, in addition to seven reviews
Vami_IV (submissions), who has 790 points from two FAs on Felix M. Warburg House and Doom (2016 video game), two GAs, one DYK, and 11 reviews
AirshipJungleman29 (submissions), who has 580 points from one FA on Hö'elün, two GAs on Mongolia-related articles, two DYKs, and five reviews
Sammi Brie (submissions), who has 420 points mostly from nine GAs and seven DYKs on television and radio stations
MaranoFan (submissions), who has 351 points from one FA on Holidays (Meghan Trainor song), a nine-article FT on 30 (album), and three DYKs
Skyshifter (submissions), who has 345 points from one FA on OneShot, one DYK and two reviews
In this newsletter, the judges would like to pay a special tribute to Vami_IV (submissions), who unfortunately passed away this February. At the time of his death, he was the second-highest-scoring competitor. Outside the WikiCup, he had eight other featured articles, five A-class articles, eight other good articles, and two Four Awards. Vami also wrote an essay on completionism, a philosophy in which he deeply believed. If you can, please join us in honoring his memory by improving one of the articles on his to-do list.
Remember that any content promoted after 27 February but before the start of Round 2 can be claimed in Round 2. Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, feel free to review one of the nominations listed on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed. Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:41, 28 February 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 2 March 2024
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia enters US Supreme court hearings as "the dolphin inadvertently caught in the net"Plus, the U4C Charter keeps planting seeds, the RfA process is set to become more sustainable, and more news from the Wikimedia ecosystem.
- Recent research: Images on Wikipedia "amplify gender bias"And other new findings
- In the media: The Scottish Parliament gets involved, a wikirace on live TV, and the Foundation's CTO goes on recordPlus, naughty politicians, Federal judge not a fan, UFOs and beavers.
- Obituary: Vami_IVRest in peace.
- Traffic report: SupervalentinefilmbowldayIf you say it loud enough the views will come your way!
- WikiCup report: High-scoring WikiCup first round comes to a close135 battle it out; 67 advance
The Signpost: 29 March 2024
[edit]- Technology report: Millions of readers still seeing broken pages as "temporary" disabling of graph extension nears its second yearMuch effort was spent drafting a movement charter about becoming "essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge". How much is spent maintaining it?
- Interview: Interview on Wikimedia Foundation fundraising and finance strategySignpost interviews Wikimedia Foundation leadership on fundraising banners
- Special report: 19-page PDF accuses Wikipedia of bias against Israel, suggests editors be forced to reveal their real names, and demands a new feature allowing people to view the history of Wikipedia articlesAnd does it have anything to do with the unusual decision to let a zero-edit user open an arbitration request?
- Op-Ed: Wikipedia in the age of personality-driven knowledgeCan we compete with social media? Will aoomers forget Wikipedia?
- Recent research: "Newcomer Homepage" feature mostly fails to boost new editorsAnd several papers look at climate change on Wikipedia
- News and notes: Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee Charter ratifiedWLM winners announced, Wikimania 2024, a new Wikimedia movement affiliate, and active enwp admins reach a record low.
- In the media: "For me it’s the autism": AARoad editors on the fork more traveledWorldwide women turned blue and controversies on Serbian & French Wikipedia.
- Traffic report: He rules over everything, on the land called planet DuneLet me take you to the movies.
- Humour: Letters from the editorsThe only worthwhile grievance is the one that prompts satire.
- Comix: Layout issuemargin: 0 auto !important;
WikiCup 2024 April newsletter
[edit]We are approaching the end of the 2024 WikiCup's second round, with a little over two weeks remaining. Currently, contestants must score at least 105 points to progress to the third round.
Our current top scorers are as follows:
Sammi Brie (submissions) with 642 points, mostly from 11 GAs about radio and television;
voorts (submissions) with 530 points, mostly from two FAs (Well he would, wouldn't he? and Cora Agnes Benneson) and three GAs;
Generalissima (submissions) with 523 points, mostly from 11 GAs about coinage and history;
SounderBruce (submissions) with 497 points, mostly from a FA about the 2020 season of the soccer club Seattle Sounders FC and two GAs;
Tamzin (submissions) with 410 points, mostly from a FA about the drink Capri-Sun and three GAs;
Kusma (submissions) with 330 points, mostly from a FA about the English botanist Anna Blackburne and a GA.
Competitors may submit work for the second round until the end of 28 April, and the third round starts 1 May. Remember that only competitors with the top 32 scores will make it through to the third round. If you are concerned that your nomination will not receive the necessary reviews, and you hope to get it promoted before the end of the round, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews. Please remember to continue to offer reviews at GAN, FAC and all the other pages that require them to prevent any backlogs. As a reminder, competitors are strictly prohibited from gaming Wikipedia policies or processes to receive more points.
If you would like to learn more about rules and scoring for the 2024 WikiCup, please read Wikipedia:WikiCup/Scoring. Further questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup and the judges (Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs), Epicgenius (talk · contribs), and Frostly (talk · contribs)) are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:06, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 25 April 2024
[edit]- In the media: Censorship and wikiwashing looming over RuWiki, edit wars over San Francisco politics, and another wikirace on live TVPlus, tribute songs and shout-outs outweighing vandalism and hoaxes, a dispute about the real king of the platform and other bits of news.
- News and notes: A sigh of relief for open access as Italy makes a slight U-turn on their cultural heritage reproduction lawPlus, new updates on the privacy and research ethics whitepaper and the graphs outage situation, and an Iranian former steward is globally banned from Wikimedia projects
- WikiConference report: WikiConference North America 2023 in Toronto recapOutcomes of the event including newly published videos and photos, the archived conference website and program, and some attendee reflections on its significance.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Newspapers (Not WP:NOTNEWS)A WikiProject report on the 📰🌍 globe's finest news source!
- Recent research: New survey of over 100,000 Wikipedia usersAnd other recent research publications
- Traffic report: O.J., cricket and a three body problemPlus Godzilla meets Francis Scott Key!
WikiCup 2024 May newsletter
[edit]The second round of the 2024 WikiCup ended on 28 April. This round was particularly competitive: each of the 32 contestants who advanced to Round 3 scored at least 141 points. This is the highest number of points required to advance to Round 3 since 2014.
The following scorers in Round 2 all scored more than 500 points:
Sammi Brie (submissions) with 707 points, mostly from 45 good article nomination reviews and 12 good articless about radio and television;
Generalissima (submissions) with 600 points, mostly from 12 good articles and 12 did you know nominations about coinage and history;
SounderBruce (submissions) with 552 points, mostly from a featured article about the 2020 Seattle Sounders FC season, three featured lists, and two good articles;
BennyOnTheLoose (submissions) with 548 points, mostly from a featured article about the snooker player John Pulman, two featured lists, and one good article;
voorts (submissions) with 530 points, mostly from two featured articles (Well he would, wouldn't he? and Cora Agnes Benneson) and three good articles.
The full scores for Round 2 can be seen here. So far this year, competitors have gotten 18 featured articles, 22 featured lists, and 186 good articles, 76 in the news credits and at least 200 did you know credits. They have conducted 165 featured article reviews, as well as 399 good article reviews and peer reviews, and have added 21 articles to featured topics and good topics.
Remember that any content promoted after 28 April but before the start of Round 3 can be claimed during Round 3, which starts on 1 May at 00:00 (UTC). Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed.
If you would like to learn more about rules and scoring for the 2024 WikiCup, please see this page. Further questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup and the judges (Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs), Epicgenius (talk · contribs), and Frostly (talk · contribs)) are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:38, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 16 May 2024
[edit]- News and notes: Democracy in action: multiple electionsWMF trustee elections, U4C results, Italian ArbCom, WMF and Endowment annual reports.
- Special report: Will the new RfA reform come to the rescue of administrators?We don't know yet, but there is some encouraging news, nevertheless.
- Arbitration report: Ruined temples for posterity to ponder over – arbitration from '22 to '24Some go out with a bang, some with a whimper, few with much of a comprehensible explanation.
- In the media: Deadnames on the French Wikipedia, and a duel between Russian wikisPlus, the WMF joins the Unicode Consortium, Chris Albon talks about AI tools on Wikipedia, communities address under-representation on the site.
- Op-Ed: Wikidata to split as sheer volume of information overloads infrastructureMore queries are failing, and more frequently, so what is to be done?
- Comix: GenerationsIt do be like that sometimes.
- Traffic report: Crawl out through the fallout, babyWith cricket and some cute baby reindeer!
The Signpost: 8 June 2024
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation publishes its Form 990 for fiscal year 2022-2023The Form 990, as well as highlights and FAQs, are now available for review.
- Technology report: New Page Patrol receives a much-needed software upgradeA new model for collaboration between the WMF and the community?
- Deletion report: The lore of KalloorHoaxes and the genesis of information.
- In the media: National cable networks get in on the action arguing about what the first sentence of a Wikipedia article ought to sayFirst line, sixth paragraph, body text or unified Reich?
- News from the WMF: Progress on the plan — how the Wikimedia Foundation advanced on its Annual Plan goals during the first half of fiscal year 2023-2024Outlining progress against the four key goals
- Opinion: Public response to the editors of Settler Colonial StudiesA letter.
- Recent research: ChatGPT did not kill Wikipedia, but might have reduced its growthAnd various research findings about Wikidata and knowledge graphs.
- Featured content: We didn't start the wikiNo we didn't write it, but we tried to cite it
- Essay: No queerphobiaAn essay.
- Special report: RetractionBot is back to life!... and flagging your articles with big ugly red notices! (This is a good thing.)
- Traffic report: Chimps, Eurovision, and the return of the Baby ReindeerMovies, deaths, elections (but no cricket).
- Comix: The Wikipediholic FamilySome stuff's only okay in the privacy of the home.
- Humour: Wikipedia rattled by sophisticated cyberattack of schoolboy typing "balls" in infoboxProject in shambles – "it had never occurred to us that this was possible".
- Concept: PalimpsestuousHypertext.
WikiCup 2024 July newsletter
[edit]The third round of the 2024 WikiCup ended on 28 June. As with Round 2, this round was competitive: each of the 16 contestants who advanced to Round 4 scored at least 256 points.
The following editors all scored more than 400 points in Round 3:
Generalissima (submissions) with 1,059 points, mostly from 1 featured article on DeLancey W. Gill, 11 good articles, 18 did you know nominations, and dozens of reviews;
Skyshifter (submissions) with 673 points, mostly from 2 featured articles on Worlds (Porter Robinson album) and I'm God, 5 good articles, and 2 did you know nominations;
Sammi Brie (submissions) with 557 points, mostly from 1 featured article on KNXV-TV, 5 good articles, and 8 did you know nominations; and
AryKun (submissions) with 415 points, mostly from 1 featured article on Great cuckoo-dove, with a high number of bonus points from that article.
The full scores for round 3 can be seen here. So far this year, competitors have gotten 28 featured articles, 38 featured lists, 240 good articles, 92 in the news credits, and at least 285 did you know credits. They have conducted 279 featured article reviews, as well as 492 good article reviews and peer reviews, and have added 22 articles to featured topics and good topics.
Remember that any content promoted after 28 June but before the start of Round 4 can be claimed during Round 4, which starts on 1 July at 00:00 (UTC). Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether for a good article, featured content, or anything else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed.
If you would like to learn more about rules and scoring for the 2024 WikiCup, please see this page. Further questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup and the judges (Cwmhiraeth (talk · contribs), Epicgenius (talk · contribs), and Frostly (talk · contribs)) are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:30, 29 June 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 4 July 2024
[edit]- News and notes: WMF board elections and fundraising updatesThree new admins, but overall numbers still shrinking.
- Special report: Wikimedia Movement Charter ratification vote underway, new Council may surpass power of BoardWill we weather the storm?
- In focus: How the Russian Wikipedia keeps it clean despite having just a couple dozen administratorsUnbundling, automation, fighting spirit, and a bot named Reimu Hakurei.
- Discussion report: Wikipedians are hung up on the meaning of MadonnaDebate unsettled after seventeen years.
- In the media: War and information in war and politicsAdvocacy organizations, a journalist, mycophobes, conservatives, leftists, photographers, and a disinformation task force imagine themselves in Wikipedia.
- Sister projects: On editing WikisourceA journey to a sister project.
- Obituary: Hanif Al Husaini, Salazarov, Hyacinth, and PirjanovNurlanRest in peace.
- Opinion: Etika: a Pop Culture ChampionAn article about Etika's appeal and legacy in pop culture.
- Gallery: Spokane Willy's photosA virtual visit to the Inland Northwest.
- Op-Ed: Why you should not vote in the 2024 WMF BoT elections"Simply not good enough".
- Crossword: On a day of independence, beat crosswords into crossploughsharesHow well do you know the main page (no peeking)?
- Humour: A joke...!
- Cobwebs: Counting to a billion — manuscripts don't burnSpecial:Diff/1 and related techno-trivia more complicated than you'd think.
- Recent research: Is Wikipedia Politically Biased? PerhapsAnd other new publications on systemic bias and other topics.
- Traffic report: Talking about you and me, and the games people playElections, movies, sports.
Nomination of List of Third Watch characters for deletion
[edit]
The article will be discussed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of Third Watch characters until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.
Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article until the discussion has finished.Jontesta (talk) 04:49, 14 July 2024 (UTC)
The Signpost: 22 July 2024
[edit]- Discussion report: Internet users flock to Wikipedia to debate its image policy over Trump raised-fist photoIconic photograph, invalid fair use exemption criterion #3a claimant, or both?
- News and notes: Wikimedia community votes to ratify Movement Charter; Wikimedia Foundation opposes ratificationEstablishment of power-sharing agreement between WMF corporation and volunteer user community in limbo.
- News from the WMF: Wikimedia Foundation Board resolution and vote on the proposed Movement CharterNatalia Tymkiv, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, on the Charter vote results, the resolution, meeting minutes, and proposed next steps.
- Essay: Reflections on editing and obsessionA lost Signpost submission from fifteen years ago brought into the light, as good and true now as it was then.
- In the media: What's on Putin's fork, the court's docket, and in Harrison's book?Failing forks, smart and well-researched stories, LGBT rights, and oral sex!
- Obituary: JamesRRest in peace.
- Crossword: Vaguely bird-shaped crosswordDo you know these Wikipedia quotes?
- Humour: Joe Biden withdraws RfA, Donald Trump selects co-nomDems in disarray, GOP in chaos — analysts say news expected, but few can predict how race will shape up from here.