Global message delivery/Spam

1. Access list — make sure you're listed here
2. Update the "Spam" page (this page) appropriately:
   • The key is a unique string. It ensures that in case the bot has to restart (due to a Toolserver hiccup or an API hiccup or whatever), people will not receive the same message twice. The string can be anything, but for simplicity's sake, just add one to the current count. If you have to restart the bot because for some reason it didn't work (e.g. because the target wasn't in the correct format), you still have to change the key.
     • At present it is a four-digit number, the simplest thing to do is to increment it.
   • The recipients list must be a page list (like one of Global message delivery/Targets).
     • Do not add brackets around the page title. "Wikipedia:WikiProject/Members" is sufficient.
     • The page list is parsed using the {{target}} template.
   • The subject line is a fairly straightforward line. It may not exceed 240 bytes (doing so causes truncated edit summaries).
   • The body is the text of the message you wish to deliver; the body text should be followed by a signature or footer that includes:
     • a link to m:Global message delivery or another page where users can understand why and how the message was delivered and give feedback;
     • a link to the distribution list — for example, "(Wrong page? Fix here.)";
     • a timestamp (the wiki markup to achieve this is ~~~~~).
3. Update the bot's "Status" page to "Start". You may want to watch the status page as well. If there is an error or some sort of issue, the bot will (perhaps) update the status page with a description of the problem. When working on multiple projects, you can use this or this tool to check where the bot has run. If the Toolserver lag is too high, the bot might refuse to work. If you're sure that you'll not send duplicate messages, and if using a slightly outdated version of the recipients list can be tolerated, you can set the status to "Really start" instead of "Start", to get the bot to ignore the lag. The bot's current status is: Completed run successfully.

# KEY

0199

# RECIPIENTS (PAGE LIST)

Global message delivery/Targets/Signpost

# SUBJECT

''The Signpost'': 21 May 2012

# BODY

<div style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">''News, reports and features from the English Wikipedia's weekly journal about Wikipedia and Wikimedia''</div>
<div style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
* From the editor: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-05-21/From the editor|New editor-in-chief]]
* News and notes: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-05-21/News and notes|Two new Wikimedia fellows to boost strategies for tackling major issues]]
* WikiProject report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-05-21/WikiProject report|Trouble in a Galaxy Far, Far Away....]]
* Featured content: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-05-21/Featured content|Lemurbaby moves it with Madagascar: Featured content for the week]]
* Arbitration report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-05-21/Arbitration report|No open arbitration cases pending]]
* Technology report: [[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2012-05-21/Technology report|On the indestructibility of Wikimedia content]]</div>
<div style="margin-top:10px; font-size:90%; padding-left:5px; font-family:Georgia, Palatino, Palatino Linotype, Times, Times New Roman, serif;">'''[[w:en:Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost|Read this Signpost in full]]''' &middot; [[w:en:Wikipedia:Signpost/Single|Single-page]] &middot; [[m:Global message delivery/Targets/Signpost|Unsubscribe]] &middot; [[m:Global message delivery|Global message delivery]] ~~~~~
</div>