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Archives: /Archive 1

Tetizeraz's question: Where can I find information about "the landscape of the Wikimedia movement and its structures"?[edit]

Hi! I was reading Strategy/Wikimedia movement/2018-20/Working Groups and one of the requirements was "A good understanding of the landscape of the Wikimedia movement and its structures" and I'll be honest, I have no idea where to start reading about it. I know there's Wikimania, the various projects like Commons, Wikipedia, Wikidata, etc. I know there are mailing lists, although I'm not sure how active people are in those mailing lists. Sprinkle some drama (I'm not sure if knowing a little bit about discussions and "fights" is important) I just get lost in a sea of information. Could someone help me know where to start reading about it, and understand more the WMF, the Wikimedia Foundation, and the people involved? Thanks! Tetizeraz (talk) 02:19, 28 September 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Tetizeraz:, thanks for this interesting question.
Since the Movement Strategy Process focuses on the structures, it should be said that the knowledge you seek is about structures: WMF, affiliates, committees and other bodies. This is the third bullet point explained on the page Wikimedia movement.
The first page that comes to my mind is Wikimedia movement affiliates. This is the first step with basic information. In my (totally personal) opinion, in order to have a "good understanding of the landscape", one should be aware of capacity and budgeting, so I'd recommend reading about Simple Annual Plan Grants (sAPG) program and APG through the Funds Dissemination Committee process. Particularly plans and reports of individual organizations, both newest and older ones. Plus, documentation on collaborations between affiliates. Research papers, e.g. on databases like JSTOR, might be eye-opening.
But this is the obvious, publicly expressed, fairly easily accessible level, and a fraction of total. Observations and conclusions from various comparisons are less obvious, because they haven't been necessarily put into words. There's a huge amount of research that could be potentially done. There is confidential information accessible for some employees, board members or other functionaries. How to learn more, beyond documentation? I'd say: get involved in the governance level of an affiliate and talk with people who have been involved. SGrabarczuk (WMF) (talk) 21:19, 10 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Bylaws, Section IV.7[edit]

Hi, I have question concerning the text of the Bylaws, Section IV.7, "Any Trustee may be removed, with or without cause, by a majority vote of the Trustees then in office in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 617.0808(1), or other relevant provisions of the Act." What is this Section 617.0808 referred to and where can I find it ? As far as I can see its not specified in the text. Claude J (talk) 16:36, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Claude J: Hi. It looks like "the Act" is defined further up in the page at foundation:Bylaws#Section_3._Selection. (first paragraph) - searching the web for that specific Act name and section number, gives this page as a likely result (although there may be better results, I am not a lawyer). Hope that helps, Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:39, 24 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, thats it, thank you.--Claude J (talk) 05:16, 25 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Job descriptions of WMF Staff[edit]

I've been trying to document certain aspects of the WMF here on Meta, and I've been having some difficulty as a result of the lack of data on the jobs and responsibilities of the various WMF employees. It would be quite helpful if the WMF could provide the list of job descriptions of all current WMF staff. Would this be possible? Yair rand (talk) 06:14, 20 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]


Can you set a specific entry page per user[edit]

We are looking to have different login pages for different users, e.g. the business team logs in at 'Business' and the engineers at 'Engineering'. Is this possible? Justinmreina (talk) 05:00, 7 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]

@Justinmreina: Hi. This page is focused on the Wikimedia sites. For help with questions related to the MediaWiki software, please ask at the related project, mw:Project:Support desk. Thanks. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 19:50, 7 October 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Ask for a approval for a Oauth app[edit]


Dear friends / admin, (and previously approved admins: @Tgr (WMF):, @BDavis (WMF):)

Can you help approve these OAuth apps:

and remove/delete/reject these Oauth apps:

If this is not the best place to notify admins, can you route me to the right one?


Xinbenlv (talk) 22:30, 3 January 2020 (UTC) [reply]

Hi Xinbenlv! The canonical place to post requests is Steward_requests/Miscellaneous#OAuth_permissions. For simple requests anything works (and I get notified about new apps automatically), but since these involve editing protected pages it's probably good if stewards see them.

I'll reject them for now though because you swapped the names accidentally (and somewhat embarrassingly we don't support changing any details of proposed apps, so the only way to fix that is by proposing a new version). --Tgr (WMF) (talk) 23:21, 3 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

...or maybe I'm just confused by the naming scheme. Special:OAuthListConsumers/view/b0885495f14a700cf6051fe5bb236c4d says "on Heroku" but has a wmflabs.org callback URL; Special:OAuthListConsumers/view/c122a589c582777abedab6d24ad9b6ee says "on WMF Cloud VPS" but has a wikiloops.org callback URL. --Tgr (WMF) (talk) 23:25, 3 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Tgr (WMF):, yeah, I agree it's quite confusing. Ideally we shall have only 2 apps: 1 for development, and 1 for production. However, the Oauth extension currently only supports one callback URL per app, and in the meantime, this extension does not support editing callback URL or change a few other fields, we end up creating many new OAuth apps. If the OAuth extension supports updating these fields, we can re-use existing onces. For now, could you approve these two, as requested above:
* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:OAuthListConsumers/view/c122a589c582777abedab6d24ad9b6ee
* https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:OAuthListConsumers/view/3d5ba5ee78059231f7c61dd000c5c26b
Xinbenlv (talk) 23:48, 3 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Xinbenlv: What I mean is, the first of those says "on WMF Cloud VPS", but it does not actually seem to be on Cloud VPS.
Out of curiosity, how do you think supporting multiple callback URLs should work? (Making changes to apps is something I hope to fix once I find the free time.) --Tgr (WMF) (talk) 00:01, 4 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]


@Tgr (WMF): I realize you are also a team member working on the OAuth extension, that's great. I filed a few feature requests regarding the Callback URL support
* https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T241867
Regarding, it gives you the impression that they are not on Cloud VPS, it actually is. Per https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T240414 we are approved to use a public IP so that we can map our application with our domain at `*.wikiloop.org`. The battlefield2.wikiloop.org is an instance that is hosted on Cloud VPS. Again thank you for updating the OAuth @Tgr (WMF):
Xinbenlv (talk) 00:11, 4 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Done, I think. Thanks for explaining, and for filing the tasks! OAuth is a volunteer project (sadly, no one is officially working on it) but hopefully we'll be able to chip away at some of them at least. --Tgr (WMF) (talk) 02:15, 6 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

How does WIKIPEDIA helps[edit]

If I need help on my school work Can i get help

I like this app —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 41.113.34.129 (talk) 23:41, 20 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, there's a short essay that answers this question on the English Wikipedia at w:en:WP:HOMEWORK. Thanks. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 16:43, 21 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Age[edit]

Is this Wikipedia good for 12 or above kids or maybe it's only for adults —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 41.113.34.129 (talk) 23:41, 20 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, Wikipedia is intended for everyone. There is advice for younger editors at the English Wikipedia at w:en:WP:YOUNG. However, do note that the English Wikipedia is not censored as long as the content follows their other policies. I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 16:43, 21 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Nováček.Peter's question[edit]

why is wikipedia so much pathological snob ? Nováček.Peter (talk) 23:49, 28 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

If you have a concern about contents on Wikipedia, please see how to resolve Inaccuracies or Disputes. Please also consider civility when phrasing your questions. Thank you. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:30, 29 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

the login wiki[edit]

i just want to ask: how login wiki works? Nokiewicz (talk) 13:56, 31 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Nokiewicz: Hi. The documentation at mw:Help:Unified login might answer your questions. If that page does not help and you have more technical questions, then I suggest asking at Tech. Thanks. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:32, 1 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Admin report[edit]

How can I report any admin of Hindi Wikipedia? Wiki 🎮 Play 08:36, 9 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@WikiGamee: Some basic information about dispute resolution can be found at Template:Answers/Dispute. Further information can be found at Dispute resolution. That information should help you to find the next steps at the Hindi Wikipedia. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 21:38, 9 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request to fix 'Bypass your browser cache' boilerplate[edit]

Hello. This is an edit request, to update the boilerplate seen at the top of common.js and other pages, which currently starts out: "Note: After saving, you may have to bypass your browser's cache to see the changes," and continues with a list of per-browser instructions. In the second bullet, which currently says Google Chrome please alter it to say Google Chrome / Vivaldi (or the other way round). Vivaldi is based on Chrome, and the reload feature is the same, but the average user probably won't know that. I have no connection to Vivaldi, but I tried it and am a convert; it's tab-handling (among other things) is a definite productivity enhancer. Mathglot (talk) 22:05, 2 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Mathglot: Hi. That content is taken from MediaWiki:Clearyourcache, and would need to be updated within the primary code so that all the translations could then be updated. That change would thus need to be requested via our instance of mw:Phabricator, the bug/feature-request/task-tracking software. However, the question of "which browsers" to include in the instructions would need to be carefully considered, because the more detailed the list becomes, the more confusing it might become for non-technical people (cf. w:en:Usage share of web browsers and the large list of "active" web browsers). You are welcome to create a new task in Phabricator, to explain the request and the nuances. I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 19:29, 3 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity:, thanks for the reply. Hmm, yes, I see what you mean. Perhaps it's better just to leave it alone. Or, what about this: we host a page somewhere on mw that explains how to do it for as long a list of browsers as desired; then at MediaWiki:Clearyourcache we leave it mostly as is, except for a small addition to add one link: (''[[Long list of browsers|more browsers]]'') which would limit the translation to two words. If we're going to propose anything at Phabricator, that would be preferable, don't you think? Mathglot (talk) 07:42, 4 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Mathglot: Hmm, there are a few of aspects to this that make me hesitant. (a) anyone who is touching their .js or .css is probably technical-enough to extrapolate from the existing list of examples, for whatever browser they are using; (b) the default message string needs to work for all MediaWiki installations, beyond Wikimedia, and I'm not sure what criteria to use to determine when it is worth making a default UI-link that goes "off-site"; (c) a new long list sounds like a future maintenance problem! If it were a highly-sought-after list then it would be worth the time and effort to create it, translate it, and consistently maintain it indefinitely, but I'm not sure how valuable a semi-comprehensive list like this would be? -- However, if after all my hesitations you still think it is a significant problem, then please do go ahead and create a phab task! Also if you notice any outdated elements in the existing text, please file a separate task for that. Thanks! HTH, Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 23:19, 4 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity:, thanks. Comments: a) that's probably the strongest argument (to me). b) not sure what 'off-site' is; I didn't mean an external link outside all wikimedia projects, but a page we host somewhere, maybe mediawiki or meta? c) needn't be; project pages are never "done", and needn't be complete. Also, I was envisioning a table that woudn't need to be translated, except perhaps the column headers ('name' of browser, 'reload', 'iOS' etc. but presumably we have that already?) and the actual table cells would contain yes/no, check-mark vs. x-ed, or green v. red, for features, so that nothing in the table body would actually need translation, and new rows could be added with no translation at all. But all your hesitation is making me hesitant, so maybe I'll just leave it be for now, unless someone else jumps in. Thanks again! Mathglot (talk) 00:40, 5 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Mathglot: Thank you! fwiw, by "offsite" I just meant all the other thousands of websites that use the MediaWiki software, e.g. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/MediaWiki:Clearyourcache -- although now I see from that random example, that they're copying an old version from English Wikipedia's custom-content (w:en:MediaWiki:Clearyourcache), which links to w:en:Wikipedia:Bypass your cache, and whilst that page is very detailed it's also somewhat overwhelming! -- Anyway, perhaps those links will re-inspire you to propose an improvement to the default so that all wikis/languages can benefit! HTH, Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 00:54, 5 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Alison's question[edit]


Hi there. I'm an admin and bureaucrat on the Irish Language Wikipedia. The issue we have over there is relatively simple. When MediaWiki was updated some time back, it changed the Toolbar link to point to Commons only for file upload. This is all well and good, but we have a number of users who wish to upload files - particularly book and CD covers - under Fair Use guidelines. We already https://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki:Uploadtext have a page] which prefaces Special:Upload in the local language to call out the issues around that.

But the fundamental question is - how do we update the toolbar (not the sidebar) to include a link to Special:Upload, alongside the default Commons one. It would be marked 'Local Upload' (Uaslódáil áitiuil). Anyone any ideas? I can updated MediaWiki space, though I'm a bit rusty :)

Alison 00:13, 26 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Alison: Hi. I believe Non-free content is the main page you need to look at. If I understand that correctly, you need to have a local discussion to obtain/verify consensus for this change, and need to write a local Exemption Doctrine Policy. Once those 2 steps are done, you need to link those details within a Phabricator task to request the configuration change (and link the EDP within that meta-wiki page). I suggest looking at some previous requests to see what kind of details are often forgotten/overlooked! E.g. phab:T248971 and phab:T133137 (especially the 3rd comment in the latter - that looks informative). If you have any follow-up questions, I suggest asking at the Tech questions forum which is a bit more appropriate for this type of thing. Hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 17:58, 26 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Alison: This is exactly what I suggested here on gawiki on 1st October. In addition to Non-free content policy, I suggested an explanation of the Fair Use policy. If you upload an image onto gwiki (NOT Commons) eg a book cover, then it must have an associated article. A slightly different Notability policy, allowing all ga books, albums etc, is therefore essential. I'm in (daily!) contact with editors of gawiki, and this will be done in the next few days. Lastly, as User:Quiddity (WMF) says, it's important for these discussions to happen on gawiki, as this change - allowing Non-free content - need to reflect this desire of the ga wiki community. Let me know if I can help further. Llywelyn2000 (talk) 10:59, 27 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
@Llywelyn2000: - thank you both for the followup. I was contacted off-wiki about this by some of the editors on gawiki, so hadn't seen the other Town Hall conversation.If policy is getting crafted and agreed up on - then, great! Once that's nailed down, can go submit a request on Phabricator for a change to the wiki - Alison 17:59, 27 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Kevin has now uploaded one of the policies here. Llywelyn2000 (talk) 15:52, 28 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

How to Create a Page for an artist ?[edit]


I want to make a page for an artist, can anyone help me ?

White Rainbow Eagle one (talk) 01:24, 13 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@White Rainbow Eagle one: Hi. Please see the sections (click to expand) at Answers/Content for information about this. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 18:11, 16 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Translation bug?[edit]

Hello to all. I am reviewing some pages of a training on the Outreach Dashboard, which transcludes from Meta. Apparently there is a bug in the translation of one of the pages and the code for the div tag appears in the translations, breaking the page there (see here, selecting pt-br as language). The Meta page with the bug is this one. Can someone help me fix this? Thank you in advance! Good contributions, Ederporto (talk) 17:56, 8 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Ederporto: Hi. I cannot see the bug, so I guess you might have fixed this already? If you are still having difficulties, I suggest asking at Talk:Training modules/Translation and perhaps ping User:Ragesoss there. I hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 22:29, 9 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity (WMF): Yes, the bug was resolved after I made an edit and a bot manually reverted, and by doing so, the line of code was fixed. Thank you for your answer, though. Good contributions, Ederporto (talk) 12:47, 10 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

Does Mets the Baseball team, means anything? 2603:7000:7740:3700:490A:536C:7E5D:3820 22:21, 1 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. This is not the place to ask questions about content. Please see w:Wikipedia:Reference desk, or consult the Wikipedia article itself such as w:New York Mets#Franchise history which appears to answer your question. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:30, 5 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

PotsdamLamb's question[edit]

I have a question about the editor with citation templates. When I select cite, then select a template, fill out all of the fields and click insert, it still shows the depreciated parameters, which then throws an error. Our admin created a script to run to fix these but it doesn't run very often. When will this be changed? Examples are accessdate= should be access-date= and many others that have been depreciated. Thanks, PDLTalk to me!OMG, What have I done? 19:11, 9 June 2021 (UTC) [reply]

@PotsdamLamb: Hi. The best place to ask this question is at the feedback page for the software itself: mw:VisualEditor/Feedback. The people who maintain and/or use the software are centered there, and will best be able to help you (or learn from the answer) there. In your re-post there, it might also help if you could provide any relevant links, such as to which script you are referring to, and any example edits that might help make it clearer. Hope that helps, Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 19:44, 9 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity (WMF) Thank you. I will post there.@Quiddity (WMF) PDLTalk to me!OMG, What have I done? 19:58, 9 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Unoriginally Named Editor's question[edit]

I'm being blocked by an edit filter.

I want to add A to my global userpage, but clicking 'publish changes' gives me a edit filter warning which, for troubleshooting purposes, I copied into B. Please help!

A[edit]

I am Unoriginally Named Editor. I have userpages on [[:en:user:Unoriginally Named Editor|Wikipedia]], [[c:user:Unoriginally Named Editor|Wikimedia Commons]], and [[metawiki:user:Unoriginally Named Editor|Wikimedia Meta]]. I apparently do ''not'' have a special userpage on this wiki<ref>Unless 'this wiki' is Wikimedia Meta.</ref>, hence why you're seeing my Wikimedia Meta page. You can [[:en:user talk:Unoriginally Named Editor|request]] that I add a userpage for the specific wiki you're on right now if my lack of a userpage on that wiki bothers you. Feel free to [[https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Unoriginally_Named_Editor&action=edit| edit this page]], but do not change anything above the horizontal rule. Thanks! <references /> ----

B[edit]

This action has been automatically identified as harmful, and therefore disallowed. If you believe your action was constructive, please inform an administrator of what you were trying to do. A brief description of the abuse rule which your action matched is: Global "ntsamr"-pattern spambot filter

Unoriginally Named Editor (talk) 17:28, 21 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Unoriginally Named Editor: Hi. In general, technical questions are best asked at Tech. However in this case, I suspect the problem here might be due to your use of the "internal wikilink" syntax for an external link.
I.e. You have written
[[https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Unoriginally_Named_Editor&action=edit| edit this page]]
Whereas the syntax for an external/full URL like that would be
[https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Unoriginally_Named_Editor&action=edit edit this page]
I.e. single brackets, and a space instead of a pipe ("|").
Try doing your edit again, with that fixed syntax. If you still have problems, please ask for help at the Tech page. I hope that helps. Thanks, Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 21:11, 21 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity (WMF):I changed it to read like C, but the filter still won't let me through.

C[edit]

I am Unoriginally Named Editor. I have userpages on [[:en:user:Unoriginally Named Editor|Wikipedia]], [[c:user:Unoriginally Named Editor|Wikimedia Commons]], and [[metawiki:user:Unoriginally Named Editor|Wikimedia Meta]]. I apparently do ''not'' have a special userpage on this wiki<ref>Unless 'this wiki' is Wikimedia Meta.</ref>, hence why you're seeing my Wikimedia Meta page. You can [[:en:user talk:Unoriginally Named Editor|request]] that I add a userpage for the specific wiki you're on right now if my lack of a userpage on that wiki bothers you. Feel free to [https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Unoriginally_Named_Editor&action=edit%7C edit this page], but do not change anything above the horizontal rule. Thanks! <references /> ----Unoriginally Named Editor (talk) 15:53, 22 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

i noticed there is a perk in fallout 4 that allows you to be immune to radation and another perk that allows you to heal from radation if you have both will you techincally heal from radation damage that you cant even take? 173.80.253.167 19:02, 1 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, this space is for questions where support is needed on participating in the Wikimedia movement, and is not a general forum for gaming discussions. I would suggest a different forum or perhaps the Wikia project for the Fallout series. I JethroBT (WMF) (talk) 19:24, 1 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Ruggtn's question[edit]

Can i ask for support on the wiki i requested? Ruggtn (talk) 10:10, 16 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. This is not an appropriate location for asking for support or feedback for a new project proposal. Please see New project process for more information. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 16:54, 17 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Shushugah's question[edit]

How do I change settings to automatically follow/watch pages I edited once? I currently have this setting in English Wikipedia, but would like this setting to be enabled globally for the different WikiProjects I am on, including here, WikiData, dewp etc.. Shushugah (talk) 09:49, 23 August 2021 (UTC) [reply]

Hi. You can do this in your "Global Preferences" page, specifically at Special:GlobalPreferences#mw-prefsection-watchlist with the item near the bottom, "Add pages and files I edit to my watchlist".
There may be a complexity at some wikis if you have ever turned the local Preference on and then off again. I.e. you've over-ridded the wiki's default, and saved a specific personal preference. In that situation, you would need check the local wiki's Special:Preferences page, and make it use the global preference. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 22:53, 23 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Shushugah: Sending ping for visibility. :) Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 22:54, 23 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

A few uploads I've done of tif files have a second page of all black. Are there any tutorials or guidance on how to convert an image and upload it without a background (read: transparent) and only a single transparent page to wikimedia (using GIMP)? I've used GIMP to make an alpha channel and delete the background. Then locally the image looks like it has a transparent background, but the second page of all black appears for some reason after upload and sometimes a white background appears after it loads in wikipedia. See en:Charles Stewart (New Jersey politician) and File:Col. Charles Stewart signature.tiff as an example. Engineerchange (talk) 04:34, 27 September 2021 (UTC) [reply]

@Engineerchange: Hi. Questions about specific image files at Commons are best asked at commons:Commons:Help desk where other editors with the relevant expertise will be able to find & help you. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:08, 27 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Joao Xavier's question[edit]

Hi! I intend to translate the banner "Wiki Loves Monuments" to Ido language, but I couldn't discover how can I find the link to tranlate it. (The banner which appears whenever someone sees pages in Ido was written in Esperanto, which, of course, IS NOT Ido. I couldn't find the link to this banner here. Where is it? Best regards, Joao Xavier (talk) 21:36, 23 October 2021 (UTC) (pardon me if my English is not so good, 'cause it's not my native language). Joao Xavier (talk) 21:36, 23 October 2021 (UTC) [reply]

@Joao Xavier: Hi. I believe that the page which has the most up-to-date guidance for translators is at c:Commons:Wiki Loves Monuments 2021/CentralNotice. If I understand that page correctly, you should (1) write your translations into the table in the section "Main banner text", and then (2) also write a note on the talkpage there, to (a) explain which country is wrongly receiving Esperanto messages (b) mention that you've added Ido translations (and which country/ies they should appear in), and (c) ping "User:Romaine" in your message there. I hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 23:19, 25 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

Where do I mail my check to donate to WIKIMEDI? 38.21.37.59 12:39, 8 December 2021 (UTC) [reply]

Please see donate:Ways to Give#Checks & money orders (via mail) for the mailing address. Thank you! Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 18:59, 8 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

Can you edit your user scripts whilst blocked? 2A00:23C7:3D09:6001:2CF4:D97A:1082:983F 21:01, 22 February 2022 (UTC) [reply]

With the default settings for a standard block, I believe that users can only edit their own usertalkpage. More information is at mw:Manual:Block_and_unblock. I hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 19:26, 24 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

ScottG55's question[edit]

I have no toolbar to add a picture or make my headings bold or to change the font. so how would I add a picture to my document on the wiki page. This may be a two part question but is there a way to add the toolbar to my edit section or is there an easy way to add a picture since cut and paste fails to insert my picture. ScottG55 (talk) 18:59, 21 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hi @ScottG55. It sounds like you might either (a) have JavaScript turned off (in which case you'd get the bare text-box, per the top row in this table: mw:Editor#Current - If that is the case, then you will need to write the wiki-markup manually. You can use the w:en:Help:Cheatsheet as a quick reference for that), or (b) you might be using an external wiki that is not part of Wikimedia (in which case you'd need to ask the operators of that wiki to change some settings or install some extensions). I hope that helps. --Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 21:21, 21 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Alison's question[edit]

Quick question, and I can't seem to find this one in the archives. I'm Alison, admin and bureaucrat from the Irish Language Wikipedia. We're starting to come to consensus that the machine translation option needs to be enabled only for established users, as the quality of articles that are being ported by non-Irish speakers is causing a lot of problems as they tend to languish, unchecked and unproofed for long periods of time. And machine-translation is not at a point where it can generate articles of acceptable quality yet, so it needs shepherding from actual Irish speakers.

The question is - how do we enable this option? I'm guessing it needs formal consensus from the community, then we need to lobby the devs via Phabricator ticket? Does anyone know what the process is here?

(PIng @TGcoa:, {@Kevin Scannell:, @Llywelyn2000: - FYI.) Alison 05:39, 18 July 2022 (UTC) [reply]

Mcm~enwiki's question[edit]

Hey--I was talking to someone trying to promote communities in Mayan languages but don't see a wiki in any of those language. Is it possible to start a new language project? Mcm~enwiki (talk) 00:58, 19 July 2022 (UTC) [reply]


@Mcm~enwiki There are a few listed in the sidebar-navboxes at w:Mayan_languages#External_links that are in the Incubator.
For details on proposing a new project, see Requests for new languages.
I hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 01:25, 19 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Md Nahid Islam Sumon's question[edit]

What should I keep in mind to become a good Wikipedia Contributor? Md Nahid Islam Sumon (talk) 15:47, 5 August 2022 (UTC) [reply]


@Md Nahid Islam Sumon Hi. That's a complicated question! It depends a lot upon what skill-sets you have and/or want to improve upon, and what areas/aspects you want to contribute to. Personally, I think that knowing how to find relevant documentation is a good core skill (i.e. being willing to search for, and read, any relevant documentation (and discussions)).
E.g. At the English Wikipedia, a new contributor might be best helped by regularly referring to w:Help:Contents whenever they are uncertain. Beyond that, they might choose to familiarize themselves with the basics of what exists, e.g. by reading the intros and skimming the rest from all the pages in w:Template:Basic information (which is just the tip of the iceberg!). However, there is no singular-definition of a good contributor, and thousands of editors contribute without being aware of many of those pages, because they focus on a specific aspect on the projects.
Also, keep in mind that the policies, guidelines, and people, vary at each of the wikis, so you should research (and perhaps ask followup questions) at the specific wiki(s) you want to contribute to.
I hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 21:35, 5 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

197.16.3.243's question[edit]

هل تملك سارين التونسي حساب فيسبوك و انستقرام

Hi. This page is focused on the Wikimedia sites. We are not able to help with this question. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 23:50, 8 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Jwale2's question[edit]

I would like someone to help or assist with the nav bars on the meta-page [1], where I want home, participate, office hour, articles & friendly space to have a #colour bar showing #1020E1, I don't want the colour to affect the header background. Thanks. Jwale2 (talk) 14:45, 7 October 2022 (UTC) [reply]


@Jwale2 Hi, generally the best place to ask for technical assistance like this is at Tech.
Specifically, from a glance, Template:Portal navigation doesn't currently support having different color selections for those 2 elements.
Also I'd personally but hesitantly suggest just using the default colors, as those should work well with any color-overrides that other people might use (e.g. browser extensions that make a "dark/night mode" via color-flipping).
I hope that helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 22:08, 7 October 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I believe a graft (corruption) has occurred within ESEAP Conference 2022. See the above link more a quick summary. Whom or where do I contact to start an investigation? Thanks! Nguyentrongphu (talk) 00:20, 12 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

I've asked someone to take a look at this. They will reply soon (next few days). Thanks. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 19:26, 14 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks! Also, I'm willing to provide any necessary information and translation to aid the investigating process. Nguyentrongphu (talk) 00:50, 15 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Quiddity (WMF) It has been more than a few days. Any update? Nguyentrongphu (talk) 00:45, 20 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
The issue has been resolved. Nguyentrongphu (talk) 00:08, 21 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Meta Page Help[edit]

I Added a new tab called Article list to the Template:Code for Africa Climate Change Project but this does not show on the view page, I would be grateful if I get assistance. Thank you. Jwale2 (talk) 02:46, 23 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

@Jwale2 Hi. Generally the best place to ask for technical assistance like this is at Tech.
However, it just needed to be marked as "ready for translation" (by a Translation Admin) before the changes would show up elsewhere. I've also fixed the problem where someone had changed the translation-marker numbers (those must remain attached to the same chunk of text - it's how the system tracks which translatable-chunk is which), and had manually added a number (we must never manually add those numbers ourselves - the system does it, when a translation admin confirms it is ready). Cheers, Quiddity (talk) 20:17, 23 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity thanks and well noted. Jwale2 (talk) 12:52, 28 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Andrez1's question[edit]

I try to add an RFC (RFC and is told to "Create a subpage with a suitable name, for example Requests for comment/Reforming the RFC process".

I see no option to create a subpage, and this seems to be the same problem as mentioned here.

How is this done, what do I not see?

[copy&pasted signature from another person, removed] — The preceding unsigned comment was added by Andrez1 (talk) 17:40, 2 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Baris6161TURK it works just like any other page creation. Just open https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Requests_for_comment/Your_RFC_title in your browser or click on a red wikilink like Requests for comment/Your RFC title or type „Requests for comment/Your RFC title“ in the search bar and then create the page. Johannnes89 (talk) 20:29, 2 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry for the wrong ping @Baris6161TURK, I should have seen from the section title that this was in fact a question raised by @Andrez1, using a wrong signature [2]. Johannnes89 (talk) 20:33, 2 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you. Very helpful.
(The missing signature and what brought Baris6161TURK into this i belive is a technical error linked to pushing the Ask public question button on this page. It promised that my signature would be added.) Andrez1 (talk) 14:30, 3 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
thanks, seems like this template edit [3] needs to be fixed. Johannnes89 (talk) 16:18, 3 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Aha! Thank you for finding that. I've reverted it for now, as it appears the setup for this page requires it.
(Eventually, we probably need to overhaul this page's system (but that requires someone more technically adept than me), and perhaps rethink the entire structure/setup (but I'm in the middle of passing responsibility for it to the Movement Communications team))
I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier where this confusion/bug was originating from. My thanks, to both of you. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 21:28, 3 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Wayraycha's question[edit]

Hello Can someone create my profile page? Wayraycha (talk) 04:30, 2 May 2023 (UTC) [reply]


Hi @Wayraycha. There are some basic details about userpages at mw:Help:User page. Depending on which wiki you want to create a userpage at, there might be more details - e.g. at English Wikipedia there is a page at w:en:Wikipedia:User pages.
If you are asking about "profile" in the sense of a Wikipedia content-article about a person, please see the details in the help page at the specific Wikipedia - e.g. at the English Wikipedia there is a helpful page at w:en:Wikipedia:Autobiography.
I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:47, 29 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Yes how do you find someone to write my Audobiography sence i cannot write my own? 207.11.74.197 00:45, 17 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Hello @Wayraycha. I believe the recommended place for people to list a topic that could be an article, along with a listing of w:WP:Reliable Sources that could be used to substantiate the details, is at the w:Wikipedia:Requested articles index, specifically within a subpage such as w:Wikipedia:Requested articles/music/Performers, bands and songwriters.
If you have any further questions about the English Wikipedia, the best place to ask is at w:WP:Teahouse, which is a place for newcomers to get help with using and editing Wikipedia from experienced local editors.
I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 01:05, 17 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
I’m blocked from participating. Can you unblock me please Wayraycha (talk) 01:22, 17 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Wayraycha Unfortunately I cannot help with that. Please see the guide at w:Wikipedia:Guide to appealing blocks for details on the steps needed. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 01:51, 17 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Rhododendrites's question[edit]

At Wikimedia NYC, we feel that we've become pretty good at running remote events over the past few years, but we struggle with hybrid events. Within the category of "hybrid events" we are perhaps better able to support hybrid edit-a-thons than events more oriented to sharing and discussion, like our monthly members meeting.

It seems this is an extremely common challenge not just in our communities, but in other non-profit and business contexts, too. I was surprised that I was unable to find any resources for affiliates and other event organizers on Meta such as best practices or recommended equipment. Perhaps I'm not using the right terminology.

My question is: has anyone figured out hybrid wiki events? Are there resources and advice available? — Rhododendrites talk \\ 00:12, 19 June 2023 (UTC) [reply]


Hi @Rhododendrites. Sorry for the delay. I believe the most detailed page on this topic is WikiProject remote event participation. There are some additional links pointing to other resources at Working and convening remotely but most of that now overlaps with the first link. I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 12:11, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Quiddity (WMF):. Unless I'm missing something, those are about remote events, not hybrid events. Again, we're pretty good at those; it's hybrid events that we struggle with. — Rhododendrites talk \\ 17:42, 29 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]
@Rhododendrites Contrary to the title (naming things is hard!), the first link (WikiProject remote event participation) specifies that it is "for either hybrid physical+online or completely online […] events". The details are framed as "remote first", which reminds me of the software development philosophy of "mobile first", i.e. making sure remote-folks are treated as first-class stakeholders (and just not an afterthought). At the least, it's almost certainly the best place/talkpage to either document any new tips/best practices, or to ask questions.
The second link is not as useful, and from a skim probably the best content is the link to the (old) page mw:Meeting best practices (including remote staff) (which should probably be merged into the first link's materials?), which might contain unique tips.
Hope that helps, Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:43, 29 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

Hi im inquiring about wiki itself. It keeps coming across my device. I’ve never been on wiki or know anything’s about it. When i go into what has come up on my device it says my up address is blocked due to editing. I have never been on wiki let alone edited. I do not know much about technology, or wiki to attempt to edit anything. If anyone could please help me I would greatly appreciate it. I’m desperate to get help. This all started a few years ago when my ex has someone install device duplicating apps on a device. Since then the problems it has caused has been overwhelming. Please help. Sincerely, technologically I knowledgeable. 2603:9000:7D03:DA85:550D:B3A1:664E:E149 22:29, 27 June 2023 (UTC) [reply]


I'm sorry to hear that you have been blocked before you could edit. This is unfortunately a somewhat common problem faced by editors connecting through shared or dynamic IP addresses. Some IP addresses, like those used by schools, libraries, and organizations, can be shared by multiple people at the same time. Many internet service providers issue dynamic IP addresses that can be used by different people over time. Because of this, many different people could have edited from the IP address you are currently using.
When people use dynamic or shared IP addresses to vandalize or disrupt Wikipedia, those IP addresses will often have to be blocked to prevent further damage to the encyclopedia. The software that runs Wikipedia can't tell the difference between you and the person the block was intended for, so you end up caught in the block too.
Depending on the type of block, you may be able to edit after creating an account. If the block prevents you from creating an account, try creating it using a different internet connection. If you still have difficulty creating an account, you can ask for help at w:Wikipedia:Request_an_account.
Proxies and VPNs are often blocked to prevent abuse. We ask that you disable proxies and VPNs before editing Wikipedia, if possible.
I'm sorry that you were inconvenienced by this problem, and hope you continue using Wikipedia. You can learn more about our site and how it works at the Introduction page w:Wikipedia:Introduction. I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 14:11, 28 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Three Memorial Cups's question[edit]

how do I change a picture of myself?

Three Memorial Cups (talk) 18:25, 8 July 2023 (UTC) [reply]


Hi @Three Memorial Cups. My apologies for the delayed reply. There is some relevant information in the final paragraph within the section at w:en:Wikipedia:Autobiography#Problems in an article about you, and also in the third paragraph within w:en:Wikipedia:Contact us/Licensing.
If you have any further questions about editing on the English Wikipedia, the best place to ask is at w:WP:Teahouse, which is a place for newcomers to get help with using and editing Wikipedia from experienced local editors.
I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:10, 14 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

ElvisTheMan's question[edit]

I had an article I was working on, and I just logged in and it is gone, as well as all the feedback I had gotten on it. Can anyone help me figure out what happened,and whether I can retrieve it? ElvisTheMan (talk) 01:42, 19 October 2023 (UTC) [reply]


Hi. If this is a question about content on a Wikipedia, you can ask for assistance at the local help-desk. For example at the English Wikipedia, w:WP:Teahouse is a place for newcomers to get help with using and editing Wikipedia from experienced local editors.
If the page is no longer visible in your contributions (e.g. Your contributions at the English Wikipedia) then you may need to use the w:Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion process.
I hope that information helps, and apologize for the delay in responding. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 20:00, 29 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

How do I login to wikimedia.org with the password I have? I am a donor with a recurrent donation and wish to access my account. 2601:400:8100:3550:8092:7330:31F7:63D7 17:19, 29 November 2023 (UTC) [reply]


Hi. There is information about recovering passwords at w:Wikipedia:FAQ/Technical#How do I recover a password I have forgotten?. I hope that information helps. Quiddity (WMF) (talk) 19:47, 29 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

null's question[edit]

Hi, I am trying to understand how are used the creative common licence in Wikimedia.

Here after are tree drawings from the same author and the same source: the French national library.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_barri%C3%A8res_de_Paris#/media/Fichier:La_barri%C3%A8re_de_M%C3%A9nilmontant.jpeg

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_barri%C3%A8res_de_Paris#/media/Fichier:Barriere_gare.jpg

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_barri%C3%A8res_de_Paris#/media/Fichier:Barri%C3%A8re_d'Arcueil.png

For this three drawings the terms of use of the french national library are the same. You need to pay a fee to use commercially a copy of these public domain artworks!

In wikimedia these artwork are were labellled with three different CC licences, which are public domain, CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC-BY-SA 4.0, respectively. Why is it so? In addition, this suggest that the two last picture could be used commercially without paying a fee, which seems to oppose the rules set by the French National Library.

I really don't understand the logic. Could somebody help me?



158.38.1.161 13:51, 29 February 2024 (UTC) [reply]