User talk:Ruud Koot/2018
Wikidata weekly summary #294
This Month in GLAM: December 2017
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Wikidata weekly summary #295
The Signpost: 16 January 2018
- News and notes: Communication is key
Two new WMF Communications department leadership appointments; a new way for Wikimedia communities to communicate their capacities.
- In the media: The Paris Review, British Crown and British Media
Wikipedia manipulated and copied – again
- Featured content: History, gaming and multifarious topics
Historical and pop culture articles promoted.
- Interview: Interview with Ser Amantio di Nicolao, the top contributor to English Wikipedia by edit count
How do you make an average of 3,600 edits a week for over a decade? And what do you learn when you've done it?
- Technology report: Dedicated Wikidata database servers
Plus the latest technology upgrades, tools and news.
- Humour: Why don't we have an article about _________?
Notable missing articles.
- Arbitration report: Mister Wiki is first arbitration committee decision of 2018
In deciding to de-sysop an admin for efforts to evade discussion and review of paid edits made on behalf of a PR firm, Arbitration Committee doesn't significantly change the rules around paid editing, and leaves it up to the community whether to apply special restrictions to administrators.
- Traffic report: The best and worst of 2017
A look back at the most popular articles in a tumultuous and intriguing year.
Wikidata weekly summary #296
Wikidata weekly summary #297
This Month in Education: January 2018

Volume 7 | Issue 1 | January 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
The Signpost: 5 February 2018
- Op-ed: Do editors have the right to be forgotten?
Should an editor's block history be a permanent "rap sheet", or does Wikipedia forgive and forget? A reform initiative has begun.
- Featured content: Wars, sieges, disasters and everything black possible
Exemplary content recognized between January 12 and January 20, 2018
- Recent research: Automated Q&A from Wikipedia articles; Who succeeds in talk page discussions?
Also: Polish quality, Russian political mythologization, and multilingual analyses
- Blog: New monthly dataset shows where people fall into Wikipedia rabbit holes
The Wikimedia Foundation's Analytics team compiles a clickstream dataset, now available as a series of monthly data dumps for English, Russian, German, Spanish, and Japanese Wikipedias.
- Interview: Interview with The Rambling Man, Wikipedia's top contributor of Featured Lists
Lessons on Creating a Featured List
- Traffic report: TV, death, sports, and doodles
The most popular articles for January 14 to 27
- Special report: Cochrane–Wikipedia Initiative
A partnership to improve and update Wikipedia's medical content
- Arbitration report: New cases requested for inter-editor hostility and other collaboration issues
Politeness and collegial behavior about to be taken up by Arbcom, and perhaps a revisit of the infobox question.
- In the media: Solving crime; editing out violence allegations
Also, did UCF really win?
- Humour: You really are in Wonderland
Enjoy the humour of another contributor
Wikidata weekly summary #298
This Month in GLAM: January 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #299
Speedy deletion nomination of Tenberry Software

If this is the first article that you have created, you may want to read the guide to writing your first article.
You may want to consider using the Article Wizard to help you create articles.
A tag has been placed on Tenberry Software, requesting that it be deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under two or more of the criteria for speedy deletion, by which pages can be deleted at any time, without discussion. If the page meets any of these strictly-defined criteria, then it may soon be deleted by an administrator. The reasons it has been tagged are:
- It is a very short article providing little or no context to the reader. (See section A1 of the criteria for speedy deletion.) Wikipedia has standards for the minimum necessary information to be included in short articles; you can see these at Wikipedia:Stub. Also please note that articles must be on notable subjects and should provide references to reliable sources that verify their content.
- It appears to be about a person, organization (band, club, company, etc.), individual animal, or web content, but it does not indicate how or why the subject is important or significant: that is, why an article about that subject should be included in an encyclopedia. (See section A7 of the criteria for speedy deletion.) Such articles may be deleted at any time. Please see the guidelines for what is generally accepted as notable.
If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason, you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. However, be aware that once a page is tagged for speedy deletion, it may be deleted without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself, but do not hesitate to add information in line with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. If the page is deleted, and you wish to retrieve the deleted material for future reference or improvement, then please contact the deleting administrator, or if you have already done so, you can place a request here. 2A02:C7F:9659:4500:DCC4:619:3457:3B68 (talk) 19:36, 12 February 2018 (UTC)
Wikidata weekly summary #300
The Signpost: 20 February 2018
- News and notes: The future is Swedish with a lack of administrators
Sweden selected for Wikimania 2019; research report on shaping the future; a scarcity of RfAs.
- Recent research: Politically diverse editors write better articles; Reddit and Stack Overflow benefit from Wikipedia but don't give back
There might be good things about an edit war.
- Arbitration report: Arbitration committee prepares to examine two new cases
Editor in self-imposed exile and infobox wars a thorn in the side of arbitration committee.
- Traffic report: Addicted to sports and pain
The Superbowl, the Winter Olympics, death, and accusations of unspeakable things.
- Featured content: Entertainment, sports and history
An eclectic mix of promotions.
- Technology report: Paragraph-based edit conflict screen; broken thanks
And other recent tech news.
- Humour: Impossible and unexplained traffic report
Stubs get a lot of pageviews.
Wikidata weekly summary #301
Editing News #1—2018
Read this in another language • Subscription list for the English Wikipedia • Subscription list for the multilingual edition

Did you know that you can now use the visual diff tool on any page?

Sometimes, it is hard to see important changes in a wikitext diff. This screenshot of a wikitext diff (click to enlarge) shows that the paragraphs have been rearranged, but it does not highlight the removal of a word or the addition of a new sentence.
If you enable the Beta Feature for "⧼visualeditor-preference-visualdiffpage-label⧽", you will have a new option. It will give you a new box at the top of every diff page. This box will let you choose either diff system on any edit.

Click the toggle button to switch between visual and wikitext diffs.
In the visual diff, additions, removals, new links, and formatting changes will be highlighted. Other changes, such as changing the size of an image, are described in notes on the side.

This screenshot shows the same edit as the wikitext diff. The visual diff highlights the removal of one word and the addition of a new sentence. An arrow indicates that the paragraph changed location.
You can read and help translate the user guide, which has more information about how to use the visual editor.
Since the last newsletter, the Editing Team has spent most of their time supporting the 2017 wikitext editor mode, which is available inside the visual editor as a Beta Feature, and improving the visual diff tool. Their work board is available in Phabricator. You can find links to the work finished each week at mw:VisualEditor/Weekly triage meetings. Their current priorities are fixing bugs, supporting the 2017 wikitext editor, and improving the visual diff tool.
Recent changes
- The 2017 wikitext editor is available as a Beta Feature on desktop devices. It has the same toolbar as the visual editor and can use the citoid service and other modern tools. The team have been comparing the performance of different editing environments. They have studied how long it takes to open the page and start typing. The study uses data for more than one million edits during December and January. Some changes have been made to improve the speed of the 2017 wikitext editor and the visual editor. Recently, the 2017 wikitext editor opened fastest for most edits, and the 2010 WikiEditor was fastest for some edits. More information will be posted at mw:Contributors/Projects/Editing performance.
- The visual diff tool was developed for the visual editor. It is now available to all users of the visual editor and the 2017 wikitext editor. When you review your changes, you can toggle between wikitext and visual diffs. You can also enable the new Beta Feature for "Visual diffs". The Beta Feature lets you use the visual diff tool to view other people's edits on page histories and Special:RecentChanges. [1]
- Wikitext syntax highlighting is available as a Beta Feature for both the 2017 wikitext editor and the 2010 wikitext editor. [2]
- The citoid service automatically translates URLs, DOIs, ISBNs, and PubMed id numbers into wikitext citation templates. This tool has been used at the English Wikipedia for a long time. It is very popular and useful to editors, although it can be tricky for admins to set up. Other wikis can have this service, too. Please read the instructions. You can ask the team to help you enable citoid at your wiki.
Let's work together
- The team is planning a presentation about editing tools for an upcoming Wikimedia Foundation metrics and activities meeting.
- Wikibooks, Wikiversity, and other communities may have the visual editor made available by default to contributors. If your community wants this, then please contact Dan Garry.
- The
<references />block can automatically display long lists of references in columns on wide screens. This makes footnotes easier to read. This has already been enabled at the English Wikipedia. If you want columns for a long list of footnotes on this wiki, you can use either<references />or the plain (no parameters){{reflist}}template. If you edit a different wiki, you can request multi-column support for your wiki. [3] - If you aren't reading this in your preferred language, then please help us with translations! Subscribe to the Translators mailing list or directly. We will notify you when the next issue is ready for translation. Thank you!
—User:Whatamidoing (WMF) (talk) 23:14, 28 February 2018 (UTC)
This Month in Education: February 2018

Volume 7 | Issue 2 | February 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #302
This Month in GLAM: February 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #303
Category:Greek mathematics has been nominated for discussion
Category:Greek mathematics, which you created, has been nominated for possible deletion, merging, or renaming. A discussion is taking place to see if it abides with the categorization guidelines. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the categories for discussion page. Thank you. ―Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 06:12, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
Wikidata weekly summary #304
Wikidata weekly summary #305
Signpost issue 4 – 29 March 2018
- Op-ed: Death knell for The Signpost?
Is The Signpost on its last legs?
- News and notes: Wiki Conference roundup and new appointments.
Wikimedia events, group recognition, and individual appointments are ongoing.
- Arbitration report: Ironing out issues in infoboxes; not sure yet about New Jersey; and an administrator who probably wasn't uncivil to a sockpuppet.
Arbcom considers new discretionary sanctions for infoboxes and an extension of 1RR.
- In the media: The media on Wikipedia's workings: the good and not-so-good
Diplomats join Wikipedia for International Women's Day, the perfect "Human", how fringe theories are sustained, and perennial plagiarism from our pages.
- Traffic report: Real sports, real women and an imaginary country: what's on top for Wikipedia readers
Wakanda still fascinates; the Oscars happened; Winter Olympics come to a close; and International Women's Day gets over a million page views.
- Featured content: Animals, Ships, and Songs
A plethora of content.
- Technology report: Timeless skin review by Force Radical.
Reviewing a browser skin providing equal emphasis on both content and editing tools simultaneously.
- Special report: ACTRIAL wrap-up.
Retrospective on article creation trial.
- Humour: WikiWorld Reruns
Nostalgia and trips down Memory Lane.
Wikidata weekly summary #306
This Month in Education: March 2018

Volume 7 | Issue 3 | March 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #307
Nomination for deletion of Template:Jagged 85 cleanup
Template:Jagged 85 cleanup has been nominated for deletion. You are invited to comment on the discussion at the template's entry on the Templates for discussion page. Lojbanist remove cattle from stage 02:17, 10 April 2018 (UTC)
This Month in GLAM: March 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #308
Wikidata weekly summary #309
The Signpost: 26 April 2018
- From the editors: The Signpost's presses roll again
Following Kudpung's op-ed "Death knell sounding for The Signpost?" in the 29 March issue, user comments encouraged a burst of enthusiasm to keep the newspaper in print.
- Signpost: Future directions for The Signpost
How to revive and evolve The Signpost? Big blue-sky proposals and small concrete proposals from the community and from two regular Signpost contributors.
- News and notes: Photo of Kim Jong-un. Stephen Hawking death tops hits on many Wikipedias.
Finally a free image Kim Jong-un. WMF wins legal battle. Stephen Hawking death tops all Wikipedia hits.
- In the media: The rise of Wikipedia as a disinformation mop
Internet companies use Wikipedia to police truth; Citogenesis proven yet again; early birthday greetings; and trains
- In focus: Admin reports board under criticism
A recent Community Health Initiative survey found only 27% of respondents are happy with the way reports of conflicts between Editors are handled on the Administrators' Incident Noticeboard (ANI).
- Special report: ACTRIAL results adopted by landslide
New major editing policy starting immediately: creation of articles in mainspace is to be limited to users with confirmed accounts
- Opinion: Guideline for Organization Notability revised
The standards have been raised for sources used in judging the notability of nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
- Op-ed: World War II Myth-making and Wikipedia
Wikipedia's myth of the clean Wehrmacht and what you can do about it. Or, how not to be one of "the worst distributors of pro-Nazi perspectives and the Wehrmacht myth".
- Community view: It's time we look past Women in Red to counter systemic bias
Can Wikipedia mobilize the same energy to fill other gaps in coverage?
- Discussion report: The future of portals
What should we do about Portals? Keep them, delete them, or mark them as historical? Or should they be more closely connected with their WikiProject(s)?
- Arbitration report: No new cases, and one motion on administrative misconduct
Quiet month for the Arbitration Committee
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Military History
Combat, weapons, monuments and personalities.
- Blog: Why the world reads Wikipedia
What we learned about reader motivation from a recent research study
- Humour: Our Favorite Places to Whine About Stuff
You might not get all excersized about essays but they can be as fun as talk pages
- Traffic report: A quiet place to wrestle with the articles of March
The most popular articles from March 25 to April 14.
- Technology report: Coming soon: Books-to-PDF, interactive maps, rollback confirmation
Plus the latest tech news and userscripts.
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
Material promoted from March 2 through April 20.
- Gallery: A look at some famous and not as well-known border tripoints
Honoring a day in military history, as well as peaceful borders
Wikidata weekly summary #310
This Month in Education: April 2018

Volume 7 | Issue 4 | April 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #311
This Month in GLAM: April 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #312
Wikidata weekly summary #313
The Signpost: 24 May 2018
- From the editor: Another issue meets the deadline
A busy office with minimal staff.
- Op-ed: Has the wind gone out of the AdminShip's sails?
Kudpung has some thoughts on the reasons for becalmed forums and the reluctance of candidates to (wo)man the rigging.
- Opinion: Integrating my many lives on Wikipedia
Thoughts on how looking for the truth on Wikipedia brings out unexpected things in the real world.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Portals
After a recent Village Pump discussion, the Signpost looks at WikiProject Portals.
- Discussion report: User rights, infoboxes, and more discussion on portals
A busy month for discussions on major topics.
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
Science, sportspeople, video games, and history feature heavily in the community's picks this month.
- Arbitration report: Managing difficult topics
Has an attempt to prevent historical revisionism become a content battleground?
- News and notes: Lots of Wikimedia
De-recognition of Brazil user groups; brute-force attack on Wikipedia; Wikimedia Conference 2018; and assorted other silly things.
- In the media: Wikipedia in Turkish politics; COI politics in Wikipedia; most cited work
And the burning question of the day, is the monkey selfie going to space with the rest of Wikipedia?
- Traffic report: We love our superheroes
No surprises here as the summer movie season begins.
- Technology report: A trove of contributor and developer goodies
Improved mobile app, searching, citations, inline maps, voting, and more.
- Blog: Why I write about women on Wikipedia
Editor SusunW delves into reasons why she has created hundreds of articles about women.
- Recent research: Why people don't contribute to Wikipedia; using Wikipedia to teach statistics, technical writing, and controversial issues
Too many women still don't know that Wikipedia is editable.
- Humour: Play with your food
Down the rabbit hole into the realm of third-grade mind.
- Gallery: Wine not?
May 25 is National Wine Day in the United States.
- From the archives: The Signpost scoops The Signpost
The dark and twisted world of Wikipedia's most powerful media institution: The Signpost.
Wikidata weekly summary #314
New Wikipedia Library Accounts Available Now (May 2018)
Hello Wikimedians!

The Wikipedia Library is announcing signups today for free, full-access, accounts to research and tools as part of our Publisher Donation Program. You can sign up for new accounts and research materials on the Library Card platform:
- Rock's Backpages – Music articles and interviews from the 1950s onwards - 50 accounts
- Invaluable – Database of more than 50 million auctions and over 500,000 artists - 15 accounts
- Termsoup – Translation tool
Expansions
- Fold3 – Available content has more than doubled, now including new military collections from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Oxford University Press – The Scholarship collection now includes Electronic Enlightenment
- Alexander Street Press – Women and Social Movements Library now available
- Cambridge University Press – Orlando Collection now available
Many other partnerships with accounts available are listed on our partners page, including Baylor University Press, Loeb Classical Library, Cairn, Gale and Bloomsbury.
Do better research and help expand the use of high quality references across Wikipedia projects: sign up today!
--The Wikipedia Library Team 18:03, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
- You can host and coordinate signups for a Wikipedia Library branch in your own language. Please contact Ocaasi (WMF).
- This message was delivered via the Global Mass Message tool to The Wikipedia Library Global Delivery List.
MfD nomination of Wikipedia:MOS:PSEUDO
Wikipedia:MOS:PSEUDO, a page which you created or substantially contributed to, has been nominated for deletion. Your opinions on the matter are welcome; you may participate in the discussion by adding your comments at Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:MOS: and please be sure to sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~). You are free to edit the content of Wikipedia:MOS:PSEUDO during the discussion but should not remove the miscellany for deletion template from the top of the page; such a removal will not end the deletion discussion. Thank you. — Godsy (TALKCONT) 17:05, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
Wikidata weekly summary #315
This Month in Education: May 2018

Volume 4 | Issue 5 | May 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
This Month in GLAM: May 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #316
Wikidata weekly summary #317
Wikidata weekly summary #318
The Signpost: 29 June 2018
- From the editor: The Admin Ship is still barely afloat, while a Foundation project risks sinking
A Wiki not so Simple, a mayor motivating an editathon, a Marshall Plan, and a Wikimania under a cloud of criticism
- Special report: NPR and AfC – The Marshall Plan: an engagement and a marriage?
Further developments on New Page Review and Articles for Creation work sharing
- Op-ed: What do admins do?
Admins volunteer to be abused – or so it seems
- Opinion: Google isn't responsible for Wikipedia's mistakes
So it shouldn't get credit for our work, either.
- News and notes: Money, milestones, and Wikimania
Major grants announced, a new milestone for Afrikaans Wikipedia, a new WMF technical engagement team, an effort to start up a new library, two new admins – or maybe three fewer depending on your math.
- In the media: Much wikilove from the Mayor of London, less from Paekākāriki or a certain candidate for U.S. Congress
Several online battles are juxtaposed with stories about cooperation and good deeds, Arbcom hovering over it all; notwithstanding, a good action movie script is not necessarily found here.
- Discussion report: Deletion, page moves, and an update to the main page
Community discussions include style updates to project-wide icons and the main page, procedural questions on royal names and jettisoning unsuitable drafts, and deeper questions of compliance with European privacy laws and the perennial issue of shrinking admin corps.
- Featured content: New promotions
Enjoy the superb content
- Arbitration report: WWII, UK politics, and a user deCrat'ed
British politics case enters workshop phase and German war effort closes workshop, goes to Arbcom for proposals.
- Traffic report: Endgame
Two celebrities hang themselves, and the FIFA World Cup is underway
- Technology report: Improvements piled on more improvements
An AI assistant comes to watchlists; better mobile compatibility; new bots, tools and scripts; and more
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Africa
Colorful and moving.
- Blog: Wikipedia should be open for editors in Turkey
WMF appeals to Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime, and Communications Ahmet Arslan to lift the block of all language versions of Wikipedia for over a year.
- Recent research: How censorship can backfire and conversations can go awry
Studying ourselves: 'driven by a sense of mission' according to researchers.
- Humour: Television plot lines
In our next episode...
- Wikipedia essays: This month's pick by The Signpost editors
Some essays are funny, some are serious; some are just, well what exactly?
- From the archives: Wolves nip at Wikipedia's heels: A perspective on the cost of paid editing
Revisiting an editor's warning to count our kidneys and keep the wolves at bay
This Month in Education: June 2018

Volume 4 | Issue 6 | June 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #319
This Month in GLAM: June 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #320
Wikidata weekly summary #321
July 2018
Hello. It appears your talk page is becoming quite lengthy and is in need of archiving. According to Wikipedia's user talk page guidelines; "Large talk pages become difficult to read, strain the limits of older browsers, and load slowly over slow internet connections. As a rule of thumb, archive closed discussions when a talk page exceeds 75 KB or has multiple resolved or stale discussions." - this talk page is 1700.2 KB. See Help:Archiving a talk page for instructions on how to manually archive your talk page, or to arrange for automatic archiving using a bot. If you have any questions, place a {{help me}} notice on your talk page, or go to the help desk. Thank you. --Jax 0677 (talk) 18:34, 19 July 2018 (UTC)
Wikidata weekly summary #322
Wikidata weekly summary #323
The Signpost: 31 July 2018
- From the editor: If only if
Ships and shoes – and if you don't like it here, just go away!
- Op-ed: The last leg of the Admin Ship's current cruise
How admin would-bes run the gauntlet.
- Opinion: Wrestling with Wikipedia reality
Wikipedia referees wag a finger at Professional Wrestling editors.
- News and notes: Another newspaper for Wikipedia; Wikimania 2018 ends; changes at NPR
New admins and Kudpung finally leaves NPP after 7 years.
- In the media: Blackouts in Europe; Wikipedia and capitalists; WMF Jet Set
One secret cabal that watches out for conspiracy theories, and another one out to stymie venture capitalists?
- Discussion report: Wikipedias take action against EU copyright proposal, plus new user right proposals
And more: a new user group for editing code, Women in Red, and arbitrator articles.
- Featured content: Wikipedia's best content in images and prose
Spanning the gamut from warfare and destruction to pop culture to celebrations of nature and humanity's achievements.
- Arbitration report: Status quo processes retained in two disputes
We don't have "state agents" in a political debate, but couldn't talk about it if there were.
- Traffic report: Soccer, football, call it what you like – that and summer movies leave room for little else
Finding the mathematician and Supreme Court nominee in this list is like playing Where's Waldo?.
- Technology report: New bots, new prefs
Useful new gadgets.
- Gallery: Independence days, national holidays, and football – all in July
Depictions of July events in several countries.
- Blog: Motivation of two editors
Those who study ancient Egypt.
- Recent research: Different Wikipedias use different images; editing contests more successful than edit-a-thons
And other recent findings, plus a roundup of research presentations at Wikimania.
- Humour: It's all the same
Merge WikiProject Professional wrestling and ANI.
- Essay: Wikipedia does not need you
Get over it!
- From the archives: The pending changes fiasco: how an attempt to answer one question turned into a quagmire
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
This Month in Education: July 2018

Volume 4 | Issue 7 | July 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #324
This Month in GLAM: July 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #325
Wikidata weekly summary #326
Wikidata weekly summary #327
The Signpost: 30 August 2018
- From the editor: Today's young adults don't know a world without Wikipedia
Keep straight on – there are trolls in the hedgerows.
- Interview: 2018 Wikimedian of the Year, Farkhad Fatkullin
"Imagine a world in which every single human being is a Wikimedian. That's my commitment!"
- News and notes: Flying high; low practice from Wikipedia 'cleansing' agency; where do our donations go? RfA sees a new trend
WMF pays possible Orangemoody ring for user research, and ditches MediaWiki for publishing its own blog. Knife-edge closures at RfA.
- In the media: Quicksilver AI writes articles
But unfortunately its output is incompatible with open licensing.
- Discussion report: Drafting an interface administrator policy
Plus: Simple English Wikipedia stays open, a discussion on draft header templates, bias blind spot by admins offered cash?
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
Astronauts named Armstrong, babes of the Brits, Cortinarius caperatus and all that.
- Special report: Wikimania 2018
"Bridging knowledge gaps, the ubuntu way forward".
- Traffic report: Aretha dies – getting just 2,000 short of 5 million hits
Very high and very low hits; love and loss.
- Technology report: Technical enhancements and a request to prioritize upcoming work
Citation bot and mapframe enhancements; new licenses for Data space; possible hiccup on 12 September; per-user page, namespace, and upload blocking; and miscellaneous new bots and tools.
- Gallery: Leapfrog, historic Thai cave, and a rhythmic beat
Some of the best pictures of 2017.
- Recent research: Wehrmacht on Wikipedia, neural networks writing biographies
Readers prefer the AI's version 40% of the time – but it still suffers from hallucinations.
- Humour: Signpost editor censors herself
Nothing funny about it.
- Essay: Principle of Some Astonishment
Remind you of any Wikipedia articles?
- From the archives: Playing with Wikipedia words
The Wikipedia Plays.
This Month in Education: August 2018

Volume 4 | Issue 8 | August 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #328
This Month in GLAM: August 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #329
Wikidata weekly summary #330
Wikidata weekly summary #331
The Signpost: 1 October 2018
- From the editor: Is this the new normal?
We keep on publishing as long as you keep on reading.
- News and notes: European copyright law moves forward
Wikipedia dodges a bullet in Brussels... maybe.
- In the media: Knowledge under fire
Can Wikipedians help save the world's knowledge and shine a light on current events?
- Discussion report: Interface Admin policy proposal, part 2
Plus: signatures, shortcuts, and reliable sources.
- Arbitration report: A quiet month for Arbcom
No valid new requests for arbitration, no new cases.
- Traffic report: John McCain's death generates over 7 million hits, followed by historical low
Fourth highest view count of the year; lowest view count since 2014; death, sports, and movies ever constant.
- Technology report: Paying attention to your mobile
Plus the latest scripts, bots, and tech news.
- Gallery: A pat on the back
A pictorial ode to the end of summer.
- Blog: After a catastrophic fire at the National Museum of Brazil, a drive to preserve what knowledge remains
As the global community of volunteer Wikimedia editors mourns the destruction of this amazing museum, this post pays tribute to all editors who have contributed restlessly to tell the story of the National Museum, our history.
- Recent research: How talk page use has changed since 2005; censorship shocks lead to centralization; is vandalism caused by workplace boredom?
And other recent research papers.
- Humour: Signpost Crossword Puzzle
What is a four-letter word for...
- Essay: Expressing thanks
You know you should...
Wikidata weekly summary #332
This Month in Education: September 2018

Volume 4 | Issue 9 | September 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #333
This Month in GLAM: September 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #334
Wikidata weekly summary #335
The Signpost: 28 October 2018
- From the editors: The Signpost is still afloat, just barely
A slightly thinner issue, but out on time.
- Op-ed: Wikipedia's Strickland affair
Is a missing article on a Nobel laureate a fail? What if her draft biography was declined as non-notable?
- News and notes: WMF gets a million bucks
And it's richer than ever.
- In the media: Bans, celebs, and bias
Breitbart begone; rescued by archivists; celebrating trolls?
- Discussion report: Mediation Committee and proposed deletion reform
Plus: two pending changes-related discussions, notability, and naming conventions.
- Traffic report: Unsurprisingly, sport leads the field – or the ring
Who's reading what?
- Technology report: Bots galore!
Bots can do anything you want – well, almost.
- Special report: NPP needs you
WMF continues to stonewall development; NPP wishes again relegated to stocking fillers.
- Special report 2: Now Wikidata is six
SPARQL adds sparkle to WMF projects.
- In focus: Alexa
We are all writing for Amazon.
- Gallery: Out of this world!
No special effects here, just beautiful celestial images.
- Recent research: Wikimedia Commons worth $28.9 billion
If it weren't free, of course.
- Humour: Talk page humour
Wikipedia has a long history of talk page tomfoolery.
- Opinion: Strickland incident
The reviewer who declined the article gives his perspective.
- From the archives: The Gardner Interview
The "holy-shit" slide.
Wikidata weekly summary #336
Editing News #2—2018
Read this in another language • Subscription list for this multilingual newsletter • Subscription list on the English Wikipedia

Did you know?
Did you know that you can use the visual editor on a mobile device?

Tap on the pencil icon to start editing. The page will probably open in the wikitext editor.
You will see another pencil icon in the toolbar. Tap on that pencil icon to the switch between visual editing and wikitext editing.

Remember to publish your changes when you're done.
You can read and help translate the user guide, which has more information about how to use the visual editor.
Since the last newsletter, the Editing Team has wrapped up most of their work on the 2017 wikitext editor and the visual diff tool. The team has begun investigating the needs of editors who use mobile devices. Their work board is available in Phabricator. Their current priorities are fixing bugs and improving mobile editing.
Recent changes
- The Editing team has published an initial report about mobile editing.
- The Editing team has begun a design study of visual editing on the mobile website. New editors have trouble doing basic tasks on a smartphone, such as adding links to Wikipedia articles. You can read the report.
- The Reading team is working on a separate mobile-based contributions project.
- The 2006 wikitext editor is no longer supported. If you used that toolbar, then you will no longer see any toolbar. You may choose another editing tool in your editing preferences, local gadgets, or beta features.
- The Editing team described the history and status of VisualEditor in this recorded public presentation (starting at 29 minutes, 30 seconds).
- The Language team released a new version of Content Translation (CX2) last month, on International Translation Day. It integrates the visual editor to support templates, tables, and images. It also produces better wikitext when the translated article is published. [4]
Let's work together
- The Editing team wants to improve visual editing on the mobile website. Please read their ideas and tell the team what you think would help editors who use the mobile site.
- The Community Wishlist Survey begins next week.
- If you aren't reading this in your preferred language, then please help us with translations! Subscribe to the Translators mailing list or directly. We will notify you when the next issue is ready for translation. Thank you!
— Whatamidoing (WMF) (talk) 17:12, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
Wikidata weekly summary #337
This Month in GLAM: October 2018
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This Month in Education: November 2018

Volume 4 | Issue 10 | October 2018
This monthly newsletter showcases the Wikipedia Education Program. It focuses on sharing: your ideas, stories, success and challenges. You can see past editions here. You can also volunteer to help publish the newsletter. Join the team! Finally, don't forget to subscribe!
Wikidata weekly summary #338
ArbCom 2018 election voter message
Hello, Ruud Koot. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 3 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.
The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.
If you wish to participate in the 2018 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
Wikidata weekly summary #339
Wikidata weekly summary #340
This Month in Education: November 2018
The Signpost: 1 December 2018
- From the editor: Time for a truce
Lay down your verbal weapons.
- Op-ed: Looking back, looking forward: A beginner's experience on Wikipedia
The experiences of a new user on Wikipedia, told in their own words.
- Special report: The Christmas wishlist
What do the WMF devs have in store for the community?
- Opinion: The blogosphere migrates to Galaxy WMF
Suppose they gave a blog and nobody came?
- News and notes: Reviewer of the year, WikiCup winner, and the 2019 Wikimedia Summit
Looking both backward and forward to events concerning the community.
- Reflections: Wikipedia, history, and the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day
A personal reflection on Wikipedia's role as a repository of history.
- In the media: Court-ordered article redaction, paid editing, and rock stars
Real-world news competes with the usual celeb fascination for Wikipedia's commentators.
- Discussion report: Farewell, Mediation Committee
It was a good 15 years. Plus: admins, notability, substubs, and new padlocks.
- Arbitration report: A long break ends
Arbcom takes its first new case since June.
- Traffic report: Queen reigns for four weeks straight
The "Queen" of stage and screen, that is. Is there another?
- Gallery: Intersections
Biology or technology? Form follows function in nature and the constructed world.
- Recent research: Why do the most active Wikipedians burn out?; only 4% of students vandalize
And other new research results.
- Essay: No one cares about your garage band
Nope, don't care!
- Humour: The dark side of our favorite root vegetable
Wonky carrots invoke terror.
- From the archives: Ars longa, vita brevis
ARS might continue, but some Wikipedians might not.
Wikidata weekly summary #341
Wikidata weekly summary #342
This Month in GLAM: November 2018
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Wikidata weekly summary #343
The Signpost: 24 December 2018
- From the editors: Where to draw the line in reporting?
Tell us what you think!
- Op-ed: Wikipedia not trumped by Trump appointee
Did World Patent Marketing pay to get Wikipedia to include flattering information on their board member, now the Acting United States Attorney General?
- Special report: The Signpost got 380,000+ views in 2018, sounds reasonable enough, right?
A statistical insight into the English Wikipedia's very own online community newsletter.
- News and notes: Some wishes do come true
NPP wins the wish list poll; Wikipedia editors will be able to work better at night; new WMF appointments and new arbitrators; and who wants to be an admin?
- In the media: Political hijinks
Wikipedia says 'ta' to British M.P. and 'buh-bye' to U.S. President's image vandals.
- Discussion report: A new record low for RfA
Plus: reliable sources, notability, and fallout from the self-blocking software changes.
- WikiProject report: Articlegenesis
Discovering how new and unregistered users make articles with the members of WikiProject Articles for Creation.
- Arbitration report: Year ends with one active case
GiantSnowman asked to chill, and other disputes addressed by Arbcom (or not).
- Traffic report: Queen dethroned by U.S. presidents
The band relinquishes its first place hold; Aquaman is swimming into view for late December.
- Gallery: Sun and Moon, water and stone
Happy solstice, and happy New Year!
- Blog: News from the WMF
In and around the WMF and its projects from the WMF's web site.
- Humour: I believe in Bigfoot
Are you a believer?
- Essay: Requests for medication
When the desire to continue to have the privilege of editing Wikipedia overrides the body's innate desire to choke the living shit out of some bastard who really has it coming.
- From the archives: Compromised admin accounts – again
Compromised accounts – especially those of inactive admins.

