User talk:Thebiguglyalien

Welcome to the alien's nest.

• If you seek wisdom, you have likely come to the wrong place, but I will do my best.
• If you come with insults or put-downs, at least make them clever.
• If I haven't replied in 48 hours, either I forgot or I assumed you weren't looking for a reply.
• New editors are encouraged to reach out for any reason. And if I can't help, I can point you to someone who can.
• Talk page stalkers are welcome. The vast majority are not abducted or eaten.

1636 days since the last alien abduction.

---

A barnstar for you!

	The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
	Thanks so much for helping me with the Quicksilver article merging conflict. You completely had my back in this process without me even asking for your help and I am so appreciative of that. ModlordD (talk) 04:15, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

ModlordD, thank you! I actually keep an eye on all of the active merge proposals so I happened across this one, and since you were going off of my advice I figured I should probably say something. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 04:45, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

You may be eligible to vote in the U4C election

I am contacting you because you previously voted in elections related to the Universal Code of Conduct Coordinating Committee (U4C). You may be eligible to vote in the current U4C election, which is open now and closes on 2 June 2026. You can find out more about the candidates and the election on the election page on Meta, and from there you can access the vote itself. Your participation in these elections is important to the governance of Wikimedia communities, and your time spent learning about the candidates and voting is appreciated.

-- In cooperation with the U4C, Keegan (WMF) (talk)

Keegan (WMF) (talk) 16:35, 20 May 2026 (UTC)

A kitten for you!

For being the sole voice of sanity in WWUgate.

Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 01:28, 23 May 2026 (UTC)

Question from Biar Malek Majok Ring (01:15, 24 May 2026)

what mistakes do new Wikipedia editors usually make? How can i know if a source is reliable? --Biar Malek Majok Ring (talk) 01:15, 24 May 2026 (UTC)

Biar Malek Majok Ring, the biggest mistakes are probably trying to do too much at once or trying to get involved in some of the more complicated behind-the-scenes stuff that requires some previous knowledge of how things work. But really, you just have to learn as you go. Just help out where you see fit and don't be disheartened if a few of your edits get undone. I suggest starting with Help:Introduction to get a feel for how to edit. And you can always ask questions at the Teahouse if you want the input of other editors. For source reliability, it's really about how credible the author and publisher are. The reliable sources guideline goes into detail on this. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 01:26, 24 May 2026 (UTC)

June 2026 GAN Backlog Drive

Good article nominations | June 2026 Backlog Drive
June 2026 Backlog Drive: Do you want to become more experienced in the GA process? On 1 June, a one-month backlog drive for good article nominations will begin. Barnstars will be awarded based on the number of articles reviewed. Mentors are available, and new reviewers (<6 reviews) get bonus points! Interested in taking part? You can sign up here.
Other ways to participate: Join the conversations on our talk page.
You're receiving this message because you have participated in a good article review this year or participated in the previous backlog drive.

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 21:59, 25 May 2026 (UTC)

COI request

Hi Thebiguglyalien, I have a Conflict of Interest request pending on the Elliott Investment Management talk page. The request was recently closed due to inactivity and I was encouraged to reach out to 'local editors', and I saw you edited the article last August.

My request puts the Investments section into chronological order. Others have raised issues with the current section structure on the Talk page before, and I think chronological order by decade avoids putting any undue weight on various entries compared to others while making it easier to add or amend the list going forward.

I have coded up what this would look like, so if you agree that this makes the article easier to understand you should be able to just copy and paste the source code to replace the section. Happy to discuss more at the talk page - thanks and hopefully see you there! Tykonikon (talk) 14:34, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

I've responded on the article's talk page. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:13, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Question from CookieNinja6466 (00:45, 27 May 2026)

hello, I just want to say hi --CookieNinja6466 (talk) 00:46, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Hey

The behaviour of the "let the vandals in" camp has only detoriorated (e.g. denying obvious canvassing is canvassing because "it's just a petition", even when the TAs and SPAs start to show up). If I wasn't a relative newb, I'd have filed an ANI report, but I suggest you do it instead because I ain't willing to bog myself down in wikidrama. Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 15:52, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

I know. I'd advise against that though; ANI is really for open-and-shut cases, otherwise it becomes a shitfest for everyone involved. Besides, just about everyone who would be reading ANI is already aware of the situation, and a good number of them support the disruption. If they decide to shoot Wikipedia in the foot, we'll just have to depend on the more level-headed editors to sort things out while the people who turned against the project are gone. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:27, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

@Thebiguglyalien: What would be the RIGHTVENUE to call out disruption? MFD'ing the petition? Meta RFC? Gods forbid, Arbcom? Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 16:30, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

In short, there isn't one. If the entire community wants to be bullheaded, that's the community's decision. If the disruption gets more serious and direct (e.g. specific admins using their tools to engage in active sabotage), then I'll consider opening an Arbcom case. Unless it gets to that point, I say just wait it out and hope people get bored of playacting as some sort of labor movement. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:37, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

@Thebiguglyalien: I would open said case. The repeated, Orwellian denials that obvious canvassing is canvassing (even going as far as to act surprised over SPAs showing up) makes me question that WWU is a legitimate union even more (not helped by the fact WWU's website looks more like a Bootstrap template than a legitimate tech union, and it uses the exact same vague language as WMF management - reminder that company unions, which is what WWU seems to be to my eyes, are downright illegal). And the recent attempts to push their versions of events in wikivoice on the main page to allegedly "celebrate Brooke" (without Brooke's consent, I may add) is "...admins using their tools to engage in active sabotage". Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 16:52, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

I can't stop you, but I can't emphasize enough how bad of an idea that would be at this stage. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:54, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Apparently removing peacock terms is "sickening". I'm still too chickenshit to handle ANI, but someone should post something on there. Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 17:10, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

WP:PEACOCK does not apply to pages like that, and you're arguably editing other people's comments. The healthy option might be to log off for a while while this plays out. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 17:17, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

@Thebiguglyalien: I know you ain't admin, but if you can point me in the right direction to self-request a 1-week block, that would be appreciated. Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 17:20, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

WP:SELFBLOCK covers this. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 17:24, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

@Kinopiko, if you confirm directly to me that you're serious about this, I'm happy to do it for you. But maybe you'd prefer just a project-space and project-talk space block? In solidarity, asilvering (talk) 17:39, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

@Asilvering: I am serious about this. Not just project space - drama can occur anywhere on the wiki. Kinopiko ^{in solidarity with Esperanza} 17:41, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Ok, block incoming. In solidarity, asilvering (talk) 18:25, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Move review/Log/2026 May#Persecution of transgender people under the second Trump administration

Hi, there is a move review underway relevant to a discussion you were recently involved in. Link above. Thanks. Sirfurboy🏄 (talk) 19:48, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

New Editor Removing Maintenance Templates?

Hi,

I've been gradually learning how to edit and enjoy adding citations to existing articles. I recently added a number of sources to the Sleep and creativity. I believe the Anecdotal Accounts section has a sufficient amount of sources after my edits, so I think it's appropriate to remove the maintenance template. Is that something that's generally okay for editors to remove independently, or is it good etiquette to post in the talk page informing other editors of this change? Turquoisehurricane (talk) 15:12, 29 May 2026 (UTC)

Turquoisehurricane, you're good to remove templates if you believe the issue has been resolved. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:28, 29 May 2026 (UTC)

A book I've been reading

I've recently been looking at the 2022 book Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism, which is about why autocracies that took powers revolutions tend to be much more durable compared to those which didn't. Seeing as you work on topics related to authoritarianism, I wanted to ask where you think such content could be added. It's pretty valuable info that could help readers understand why the political systems of countries like Cuba, China and Iran have been so durable compared to regular autocracies. The Account 2 (talk) 19:46, 30 May 2026 (UTC)

That's general enough that I bet there are a lot of high-level articles it could be useful. Articles like dictatorship and authoritarianism, as well as articles like revolution. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 20:09, 30 May 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the suggestions! It's an interesting book; might be of your interest when editing authoritarianism-related articles too. The Account 2 (talk) 20:20, 30 May 2026 (UTC)

Spartan Health Sciences University

Hi I saw your message just now from back in November for the talk page on Spartan Health Sciences University, I just responded. Sorry it took me a while to respond (a very long while), I don't have push notifications for this but I'll be checking it more frequently now, Have a great day , Sanjev Rajaram (talk) 02:20, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Replied on the talk page. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 02:43, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Moloi and enjoy on Wikipedia:Questions (17:16, 2 June 2026)

Hello how to edit and enjoy in semi protection --Moloi and enjoy (talk) 17:16, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protection is to make sure that only people who had some practice can edit the article. So go ahead and get some practice. I suggest Help:Introduction and Wikipedia:Sandbox. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 19:44, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Ntaubman (21:24, 2 June 2026)

Hi there! Thanks for the offer. How do I go about Creating a new wiki entry? --Ntaubman (talk) 21:24, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

Ntaubman, you can create a new article with the article wizard. But keep in mind that there are a lot of standards and expectations around new articles, and it can be hard to get one approved if you don't have practice editing. I suggest going through Help:Introduction to learn the basics and then maybe getting some practice fixing or adding to existing articles. Also note that if the article you want to create is something you have a personal connection to (e.g. someone you know or work for), this is frowned upon and there are even stricter standards. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 21:32, 2 June 2026 (UTC)

DCWC call for coordinators

The Developing Countries WikiContest Gold Belt Buckle

Hey Thebiguglyalien, it's almost that time again! The Developing Countries WikiContest will be returning for its third year, and the coordinator team is looking for experienced content contributors willing to volunteer. The coordinators are responsible for keeping the contest running and its pages‍—‌including participants' submissions, the points leaderboard, and the list of eligible articles‍—‌updated.

If you would like to apply, please contact one of the coordinators; you may choose to do so privately if you wish: Arconning (talk · email), sawyer777 (talk · email), or TechnoSquirrel69 (talk · email). (To unsubscribe from these updates, remove yourself from this list.) Sent via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) —TechnoSquirrel69 (sigh) 22:26, 3 June 2026 (UTC)

Your nomination of Arne Duncan is under review

Your good article nomination of the article Arne Duncan is under review. See the review page for more information. This may take up to 7 days; feel free to contact the reviewer with any questions you might have. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of EaglesFan37 -- EaglesFan37 (talk) 18:41, 8 June 2026 (UTC)

Happy First Edit Day!

Happy First Edit Day, Thebiguglyalien, from the Wikipedia Birthday Committee! Have a great day! ☘︎☘︎☘︎ALEXHammeke (talk | guestbook | sandbox) 19:24, 10 June 2026 (UTC)

COI edit request re: WikiProjects

Hello! I wanted to follow-up here about the concern you raised on my talk page about the wording I used in one of my stock {{EditCOI}} response templates which implied an authority that WikiProjects supposedly possessed over articles. I agree with you that the wording I used was inarticulate. I've since re-worded that response as follows (in bold font):

"The COI editor may also wish to broadcast requests for edits at the talk pages of the WikiProjects which give advice on this article. Those projects are usually listed at the top of an article's talk page."

I think this re-wording is a huge improvement. Feel free to offer your input on it as well, but if not, then thank you anyways for bringing it to my attention, it was much appreciated! Regards,  Spintendo  02:45, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

Looks good to me. "Advice" is usually the word I use for this. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 03:36, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Pyara Chhora (11:08, 11 June 2026)

Is it possible to create a Wikipedia page for Ms Sapana G Kamat --Pyara Chhora (talk) 11:08, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

Probably not. Wikipedia a is an encyclopedia and there's a high bar for what's considered an encyclopedic subject. There would have to be sources that meet certain criteria documenting her life. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 15:31, 11 June 2026 (UTC)

2022 CS U.S. International Figure Skating Classic

I just wanted to let you know that I went through and re-edited this article in response to your previous GA failure, in case you were interested in taking another look, even if just in passing and not as a formal review. Bgsu98 (Talk) 15:50, 13 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Kimdokjafragment (08:17, 14 June 2026)

How long should a wikipedia article usually be? I mean like for a novel or show? regards, Kimdokjafragment --Kimdokjafragment (talk) 08:17, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

Kimdokjafragment, however long it takes to cover the topic. There are no size requirements one way or the other. The important thing is that each major aspect is covered and that it doesn't go into excessive detail. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:07, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

How much is excessive? could you tag excessive detail under a tab or what not that for excessive detail or something similar? Kimdokjafragment (talk) 08:30, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

There isn't really a simple answer to this, you kind of just have to get a feel for how much needs to be written to give a subject a proper overview. It varies depending on how big of a subject it is and on how many reliable sources have written about it. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 18:10, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from MorriganKingma (20:46, 15 June 2026)

Note: MorriganKingma's mentor Lectonar is away.

Hi! :3 How can I add a link to a wiki page on item inside a column in a list? It was created with a template, so there aren't cells

Many thanks in advance! --MorriganKingma (talk) 20:46, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

MorriganKingma, what article are you trying to edit? If it's your edit on List of glaciers of Palmer Land, it was successful in creating the link once you published. It can just be a little awkward in the editing window because the Visual Editor isn't designed to handle formatting like this. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 21:18, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Oh I see! I checked the page now, but it linked the wrong glacier (it's the same name, but it is not on Palmer Land). In this case, how could I fix it? Thanks again :) MorriganKingma (talk) 21:46, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

There, I think I fixed it. It had to be a "piped link" where the display text is different from the page's title. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 22:30, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

I also made some fixes to the glacier's article. Wikipedia articles generally shouldn't look like they're celebrating anyone, and the way it talked about Thomas and Fogg involved listing achievements in a way that it shouldn't. I also suggest finding additional media or scientific coverage of this specific glacier to demonstrate what makes it notable to justify it being a separate article from the broader Palmer Land page. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 22:39, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Thank you so much, you were very kind! MorriganKingma (talk) 23:59, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Jherman123 (15:36, 16 June 2026)

Help with my pest control crisis… --Jherman123 (talk) 15:36, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but I lack the training and equipment to deal with pest control. I suggest hiring a professional exterminator. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 17:56, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Raji Science edu edits (21:23, 16 June 2026)

Hello,how do I create a citation --Raji Science edu edits (talk) 21:23, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

Raji Science edu edits, there's info at Help:Referencing for beginners. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:21, 16 June 2026 (UTC)

Your nomination of Ron Johnson is under review

Your good article nomination of the article Ron Johnson is under review. See the review page for more information. This may take up to 7 days; feel free to contact the reviewer with any questions you might have. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Jon698 -- Jon698 (talk) 11:26, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Attogram (19:35, 17 June 2026)

Hi! Are you my mentor? --Attogram (talk) 19:35, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Attogram, yep! That just means you have a specific person you can go to if you're having trouble editing. You can also ask questions at the Teahouse if you want broader feedback. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 19:57, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

great! I'm working on some academic papers. 🔴 Totally not notable. But maybe of interest to wikipedia. See my user page 4 more Attogram (talk) 20:37, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Timeline of Bloody Sunday (1972)

Hi, I've updated Talk:Bloody Sunday (1972) to note that I've listed Timeline of Bloody Sunday (1972) for deletion, in case you'd like to add an opinion at WP:AFD? Cheers Billsmith60 (talk)

The DCWC is back!

The Developing Countries WikiContest Gold Belt Buckle

Hey Thebiguglyalien, the Developing Countries WikiContest is back for a third year, and sign-ups are now open! The contest will run from 1 July to 30 September, and the objective remains the same: improve as many articles relating to developing countries as you can to help fight systemic bias on Wikipedia.

Thanks to everyone who answered the call for coordinators, and please welcome the new faces on the coordinator team: the 2024 Gold Belt Buckle winner Generalissima (talk · contribs); and the record-holder for most India-related submissions in 2024, Magentic Manifestations (talk · contribs)! Following feedback from last year, adjustments have been made to the scoring rules; discussion can be found on the contest talk page.

If you have any questions, please leave a message on the contest talk page or contact one of the coordinators: Arconning (talk · contribs), Generalissima (talk · contribs), Magentic Manifestations (talk · contribs), sawyer777 (talk · contribs), or TechnoSquirrel69 (talk · contribs). (To unsubscribe from these updates, remove yourself from this list. Sent via MediaWiki message delivery.) —TechnoSquirrel69 (talk) 16:00, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Niczy on YBNL (19:19, 20 June 2026)

hello how can I join YBNL (yahoo boys no laptop) --Niczy (talk) 19:19, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

Disambiguation link notification for June 22

An automated process has detected that when you recently edited Ron Johnson, a link pointing to the disambiguation page Medicare was added.

(Opt-out instructions.) --DPL bot (talk) 11:38, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from NazBalochOfficial (15:00, 22 June 2026)

Hi, can you please teach me how to add pictures in an old article about a politician? --NazBalochOfficial (talk) 15:00, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

Assuming you verify your account to confirm you are Naz Baloch, you'll want to look at Help:Introduction to images with VisualEditor. Images can be tricky because Wikipedia is strict about copyright issues. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 15:47, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Ighs (15:13, 22 June 2026)

yo! really quick question- can Companies House (UK company register) be used to show something objective about a company (eg that it has been dissolved) or is a better source needed? thanks! --Ighs (talk) 15:13, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

Ighs, you'll have to evaluate the source to make sure it meets the standard for reliable sources. But if it does, then simply being a register doesn't disqualify it, that only means the register can't be used to prove the company is notable (because basically any company can appear in a register). Thebiguglyalien (talk) 15:46, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Twilighttimes (02:16, 23 June 2026)

How to Start Editing. --Twilighttimes (talk) 02:16, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Twilighttimes, I suggest looking at Help:Introduction. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 02:21, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Your nomination of Ron Johnson has passed

Your good article nomination of the article Ron Johnson has passed; congratulations! See the review page for more information. If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Please also consider reviewing somebody else's nomination to help keep the backlog down. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Jon698 -- Jon698 (talk) 04:26, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Twilighttimes (07:00, 23 June 2026)

Is it ok to remove (paragraphs that have bad grammar sound like vandalism and are uncited during my edits) --Twilighttimes (talk) 07:00, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Twilighttimes, you should improve them if there's a possibility they could be useful, but if it doesn't belong at all then you should remove them. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 02:20, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

Banksy????

Man. Woman. It doesn’t matter…. The legend and mystery continues.?.?.? ~2026-36323-30 (talk) 15:07, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Indeed. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 02:20, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Albert 50K (21:09, 25 June 2026)

Slot sule --Albert 50K (talk) 21:09, 25 June 2026 (UTC)

If you say so. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 02:20, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Wikeloni (05:05, 26 June 2026)

Hi, Im a kid my edit just got 800 views. You have so many edits. How do you do that? --Wikeloni (talk) 05:05, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

Hello Wikeloni, that means your edit is helping the people who are reading Wikipedia! I got this many edits by practicing for years and making sure to follow all of the website's rules. I suggest you look at Wikipedia:Guidance for younger editors for some tips. If you ever decide to add more information, you can also look at Help:Referencing for beginners, which tells you how to add a reference that confirms the information you're adding. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 02:20, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from AdnanFirat11 (10:47, 28 June 2026)

Hi am Adnan Firat --AdnanFirat11 (talk) 10:47, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

Hello AdnanFirat11. I suggest reading Wikipedia's rules on conflict of interest, because you're generally not supposed to write about yourself or use Wikipedia for promotion. You may wish to move the content to another website, as it's likely going to be removed. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 18:27, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

Re: comments on Tamzin's talk page

It seems that there's more to this than meets the eye at first glance, so I realize that some of the comments I made that night aren't entirely relevant. My apologies if it seems like I was trying to inhibit discussion between you both. --ABx11 (she/they | formerly TheAuroraBorealis | In solidarity) 18:45, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

Regardless of where we stand on this, I appreciate your reaching out. I don't know if this matches exactly with what you're saying, but I've given this sort of thing some thought at User:Thebiguglyalien/On the prospect of a strike#The necessity of informed collective decision-making. While I don't feel comfortable saying it's been intentional, I believe there's been a lot of deception and "lying by omission" in this whole fracas. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 18:50, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Mushav on Deal with the Devil (22:14, 30 June 2026)

Hello! how can i join or i wanna be a member --Mushav (talk) 22:14, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

I suggest reading Help:Introduction. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:51, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

Question from Osanlelily (23:15, 30 June 2026)

how can i learn on his app --Osanlelily (talk) 23:15, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

I suggest reading Help:Introduction. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:51, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

The DCWC is open!

See a    "developing" or    "least developed" country? Write about it to earn points!

Hey Thebiguglyalien, the third annual Developing Countries WikiContest is now open for submissions. The coordinators have addressed some of the queries at the last contest and we are hopeful that it'll turn out great! If you haven't done so already, please review the following:

• New to Wikipedia? Many experienced editors are part of this contest and willing to help; feel free to ask questions on the talk page.
• Got open nominations? List them at the review requests sidebar.
• Looking for a topic to work on? Check out suggested articles and eligible reviews.
• Not sure if your article qualifies? See the scoring rules for more information or contact a coordinator.
• Know someone else who might be interested? Sign-ups remain open throughout the contest, so don't hesitate to invite other editors!

On behalf of the coordinators, we hope you enjoy participating and wish you the best of luck! If you have any questions, please leave a message on the contest talk page or ask one of the coordinators: Arconning (talk · contribs), Generalissima (talk · contribs), Magentic Manifestations (talk · contribs), sawyer777 (talk · contribs), or TechnoSquirrel69 (talk · contribs). (To unsubscribe from these updates, remove yourself from this list. Sent via MediaWiki message delivery.) —TechnoSquirrel69 (talk) 00:00, 1 July 2026 (UTC)

Redirect undone: Nainital wedding massacre

Hi, a redirect you made to the Nainital wedding massacre article has been undone by another editor. I am questioning why this was done. You may want to join the discussion at Talk:Nainital wedding massacre#Wikipedia is not a news website. Unfortunately, your merge edit summary doesn't explain why you merged and redirected this article initially and there is no talk page explanation, either. - Cameron Dewe (talk) 00:17, 5 July 2026 (UTC)

You're invited to the Mentorship noticeboard

Hi, Thebiguglyalien. You are cordially invited to the brand new Wikipedia:Mentorship noticeboard. I get the impression sometimes that we mentors are each toiling in our own cubbyhole or hamster wheel, quietly answering mentee questions with little to no interaction with other mentors. I think we have a lot to share and learn from each other, and I know it will make me feel better just having the opportunity to interact with you and other mentors there, and I hope it will for you, too. Look forward to hearing your feedback. Please take the § Survey when you get there! Mathglot (talk) 00:37, 5 July 2026 (UTC)

Notice of article of deletion for Tim Ocel

Hi,

I just wanted to let you know that I have nominated an article for deletion that you nominated a few years ago: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Tim Ocel (2nd nomination) DonnieⓃⓄⓋⒶ (talk) 19:53, 8 July 2026 (UTC)

Promotion of Timeline of the Thomas Jefferson presidency

Congratulations, Thebiguglyalien! The list you nominated, Timeline of the Thomas Jefferson presidency, has been promoted to featured status, recognizing it as one of the best lists on Wikipedia. The nomination discussion has been archived.

This is a rare accomplishment and you should be proud. If you would like, you may nominate it to appear on the Main Page as Today's featured list. Keep up the great work! Cheers, PresN (talk) via FACBot (talk) 23:25, 8 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from ViolentWaves (06:03, 9 July 2026)

Hello esteemed alien mentor! I have an editing dilemma of sorts. I was editing some citations in the Geoff Rickly article and I noticed it has the use DMY dates template. The issue is that the article immediately contradicts that by using MDY in the first sentence: "Geoffrey William Rickly (born March 8, 1979)...". The article has used MDY since (and before) it's first non-stub iteration, and Mr. Rickly certainly doesn't have any strong ties to a particular English-speaking country that uses DMY format, so according to MOS:DATERET the article should really be using MDY. Obviously, I know I'm supposed to be bold and all, but I just wanted to ask another editor if I'd be right in switching the template from use DMY dates to use MDY dates? Thank you so much in advance; I think I might've answered my own question for myself through explaining it all in writing, but I'm kinda scared of messing up here :) --ViolentWaves ^talk 𓆉 _contribs 06:03, 9 July 2026 (UTC)

ViolentWaves, yeah, in cases like this you're fine to swap out the template. For good measure, you can leave an edit summary briefly saying it's always used MDY if you like. I looked back through the edit history out of curiosity and it was using the MDY template until April 2026 when an unregistered editor changed it for some reason. And don't worry about messing up; you can't break Wikipedia, after all! Thebiguglyalien (talk) 15:02, 9 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Discobadger123 (08:37, 11 July 2026)

Hi, i want to write a brand new page, how do i start? --Discobadger123 (talk) 08:37, 11 July 2026 (UTC)

Hello Discobadger123, you can use the article creation wizard. Be aware that there are strict requirements for the kinds of sources you have to use in a new article, and there are additional restrictions if you're creating an article about yourself or someone you know. It's often considered harder to create new articles than it is to improve existing ones. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 18:51, 11 July 2026 (UTC)

RfA votes

I've renamed this section from its original title, "Machiavellian", to a more neutral title for general discussion. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 19:47, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I know you're probably bracing for comments re: the obvious, so I'll do my best to keep this short:

Is this something you, Alien, are going to be comfortable with in 18 months?

And, for a different perspective: is this something you're going go be okay with "the other side" bringing up in every single community discussion on this issue for the rest of time? Because, well, if somebody does want to play the political, Machiavellian game with this: your comment is great ammunition. I personally don't want to play that game, but I can't stop anybody else. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 03:04, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I'm not going to help normalize this absolutely shocking ideology that it's acceptable to take Wikipedia hostage in its entirety as a means to an end. Not if a thousand editors ask me to. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 03:16, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

We are all volunteers here. As a volunteer, I can choose to withhold my labor if I decide that the WMF is treating its employees poorly. voorts (talk/contributions) 03:50, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

...with the intention of causing disruption in an organized fashion. There are plenty of things you're "allowed" to do that can be weaponized. I wish more people would have the integrity to admit this instead of coyly shrugging and saying "I'll take a break, and whatever happens happens". Thebiguglyalien (talk) 04:32, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Causing disruption to normal operations is the point of a strike. voorts (talk/contributions) 04:37, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

This isn't a labor strike and cannot claim the legitimacy of one, but confessing that you intend to be disruptive is certainly a start. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 04:47, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I'm not claiming the legitimacy of a labor strike (whatever that means). I disagree with your essay as well. I think my decision to sign the pledge was reasonably informed and I stand by it. voorts (talk/contributions) 04:53, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Yes, I know your opinion on that. I think you know that's not what I was asking, though. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 03:54, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Though I do have to ask one more question: what's changed in the past few weeks? GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 04:37, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I actually spoke to TechnoSquirrel69 about this one-on-one and found they were, in my opinion, reasonably nuanced on the issue and not gung-ho about the unionbusting/solidarity angle. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 04:45, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Really? That's the only reason? GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 04:49, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you're asking here, or what you were asking above. Sometimes you talk around what you're trying to say or reframe it from the perspective of an impartial observer, which can make it hard to discern what point you're trying to make. Like with titling this discussion of my vote "Machiavellian" and then talking about a hypothetical where other people could be Machiavellian but assuring me that it's not me doing it and not you suggesting it, rather than speaking directly. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 05:16, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Honestly, the title format of this discussion is in reference I wrote for a short story in a creative writing class many years ago. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 05:32, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Also, just while I'm here: Do you happen to, off the top of your head, know about any sources discussing newspapers in Botswana? Currently I've been distracted by some newspapers from a different continent and century, but I came across User:GreenLipstickLesbian/Drafts/Clara Olsen and she seems notable? Both through the GNG, and I think also through whatever weird magic 8 ball shenanigans NPOL has come up with this week. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 06:22, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Sources about newspapers? Everything I've found in that subject would be in Literature of Botswana. The only source I had for the section about news and media was Denbow & Thebe (2006), and a text search of the book turns up no results for Olsen. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 06:41, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Arguments (quarreling), not Arguments (philosophical)

GreenLipstickLesbian, following up on this re Special:Diff/1364201625: Please stop putting words in my mouth. Whenever we have a discussion, I've started to anticipate you linking to a discussion where I had said A, B, and C, and then with you saying "but look at this quote from a year ago where you said A, B, and Z, from which I assume you must mean E, F, and G, which contradicts what you're saying now". I don't know if you're not reading the context around my thoughts carefully enough (which would be understandable since it's often in several different places) or if you're just fishing for a "gotcha" moment (which would be unfortunate), but either one prevents any sort of honest communication from taking place. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 19:23, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I'm not fishing for a gotcha moment (not sure how I can make you believe that without sounding incredibly shady, but, like it's true); from the very beginning, you have explicitly framed your opposition to this as in the context of the ANI issue and compared it.

Or, to put more words in your mouth (that happens to be a direct quote but like... whatever): Perhaps I'd take this more seriously if the community had taken more serious threats more seriously (in reference to the ANI and the Portuguese businessman issues)

When you say things like that, then I'm gonna to start asking you what's up with those previous incidents. What's changed. Why you're okay with similar actions being taken in once incident and not the other. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 19:53, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

To very quickly comment on my mindset from the first day of COMMTECHGATE before moving on: I saw (and still see) ANIvWMF and Portuguese businessman as what I'll call "critical lasting threats" to Wikipedia. These are threats that don't rise to "existential threats", but they exist one or two levels down and are dangerous because they set precedents that permanently make Wikipedia more vulnerable if they're not shut down in a certain window of time—a window that has almost certainly expired in those two cases. In those two cases, the lasting threat comes from the fact that there is now publicly-visible precedent that Wikipedia can be manipulated by bad actors through legal action, which until then had been abated by Wikipedia's high-profile dismissal of Russian complaints. I do not consider indefinite loss of access to Wikipedia in a single country a critical lasting threat, and if anything it is a means to shut down such threats by denying an opportunity to impose them. There's a long history of letting this happen in exchange for keeping our editorial independence: Censorship of Wikipedia.

WMF staff getting laid off sucks, but it is not a critical lasting threat. I'll admit, accusing people of hypocrisy is not the best way to convince them of something and I should have approached that without invoking past issues that I believe actually warranted the fervor we saw in the first few days of COMMTECHGATE. Since I made that first comment on COMMTECHGATE, one major thing has changed: the strike petition was created. I consider the existence of the strike petition to be a critical lasting threat. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 20:58, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

You're willing to shut down Wikipedia for almost 1.5 billion people in India over a single court case. Applying your logic regarding the editorial strike to that, why isn't that orders of magnitude more disruptive than some editors deciding to strike? voorts (talk/contributions) 21:16, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I do not consider indefinite loss of access to Wikipedia in a single country a critical lasting threat, and if anything it is a means to shut down such threats by denying an opportunity to impose them. There's a long history of letting this happen in exchange for keeping our editorial independence: Censorship of Wikipedia. I consider the existence of the strike petition to be a critical lasting threat. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 21:42, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I read your response before responding. I was hoping for some elaboration. It's shocking to me that you consider excluding almost 1/5th of humanity to be less problematic than a few hundred people not doing some volunteer work for a couple of weeks. voorts (talk/contributions) 21:52, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

That is such an insane misreading of what I said that I don't even know where to start. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 22:34, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I suppose it is technically a misreading because you said blocking Wikipedia in India to prevent another ANI would be a good thing, not "less problematic", as I put it. voorts (talk/contributions) 22:47, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I tried to politely end our discussion earlier, but at this point I don't believe you're here out of honest interest in what I have to say, and I'm going to stop engaging. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 22:53, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

You know what, I had a response to this. It was going to be fairly well thought through, with comments about how vital some of these backend processes are. Then I happened to check your contributions, and less cerebral discussions? Come on. Could you at least pretend to be listening to other editors when they express their concerns, instead of talking down to everybody as though they're an uneducated less cerebral group? I've not done that with you. What you perceive is me trying to gotcha is just me, remembering previous conversations I've remembered you having during the time I've known you, and trying to get more information. Could you at least.... idk, pretend to be listen in return? GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 01:48, 16 July 2026 (UTC)

I suggest TBUA close this dicsussion. I think it's generating more heat than light at this point, and I apologize for contributing to that. voorts (talk/contributions) 01:50, 16 July 2026 (UTC)

I think I'm done here for now, anyways. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 01:52, 16 July 2026 (UTC)

@Thebiguglyalien

I'm someone who requests page protection for a ton of PIA articles so that new users don't accidentally get themselves in trouble editing articles they didn't know they couldn't edit (a mistake I made when I was a new user). Due to the volume of requests me and a few other users were making in this regards, a few admins took inspiration from a userpage Staraction made of PIA articles needing protection, which lead to RfPP/batch. However, there is a month long queue of hundreds of articles at this point, and as an admin, Staraction could really help in fixing that.

MCE89 is one of (if not the most active) user at SPI (along with having a FL/GA count that would make most Wikipedian's blush, all in their first two years on Wiki). If MCE89 as an admin, sockpuppets would get blocked sooner, which we should all agree is a net positive to Wikipedia.

Leaving ECR articles unprotected and vulnerable and having near-certain sockpuppets languish on Wikipedia for days/hours after being found out will be harmful

For all the talk about "social consequences" (which was rightfully criticized, and tbh partially the reason I signed the petition, to be in the know about the situation so that I'd know if/when something happens and not risk social consequences), is opposing any editor who signed the petition from admin ship down the road not imposing social consequences? FWIW, 67 current admins signed the petition, none of whom have faced recall. If signing that petition is something that you truly feel is disqualifying of adminship, then start recall petitions.

FWIW, Staraction and MCE89 didn't do more than add their tilde, and their entire views/actions on the situation are just being assumed. EaglesFan37 (talk) 04:44, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Responding to each point in turn:

• Their heavy activity only reinforces the bad precedent it would set by giving additional user rights to people who would then assist in holding the entire project hostage.
• The "social consequences" argument was missing the forest for the trees, and I said so during the most recent AN discussion on this issue.
• Starting recall petitions would, pragmatically speaking, create new problems without any sort of benefit except making a point.
• Your rationale for signing gives credence to my belief that many of the signatories were kind of lured in and that a large chunk of signatories are not in the same fervor as the campaign's leaders, which is why I continue to stress my concerns rather than assuming that everyone is lockstep in their pledge to disrupt and Wikipedia no longer has a reliable userbase it can depend on.
• Per the previous point, either or both candidates could easily change my mind by elaborating on their rationale—as you have—by explaining that they're not engaging in some blind loyalty to WWU (which I'll reiterate is an organization I conditionally support while they haven't issued this "strike" order) or at the very least start by saying that their signature wasn't motivated by "solidarity" for unions as a concept, which many signatories gave as a rationale.

Thebiguglyalien (talk) 05:11, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

@Thebiguglyalien

Thank you for the point-by-point response!

- You are assuming they would hold the whole project hostage. AFAIK, neither have said a single word related to WWU outside of putting their tilde in the signatures section.

- The social consequences part is moot then.

- Does opposing these RfA’s (and future ones) not end up doing the same thing? It’s going to end up being beating a dead horse and just serve to cause strife on RfAs that would otherwise sail through.

- I’m only speaking for myself. In theory, I’m not opposed to Wikipedians not editing if they feel WMF is going against their personal values (though active sabotage would do irreversible damage due to the vast readership of Wikipedia, which has real world consequences, I that should 1000% be condemned and must be avoided), but I will say that at the time, there felt like more risk in not signing than signing, and there are some things I know now that I would have liked to know then.

- In that case, why not vote neutral and ask them to explain their rationale? EaglesFan37 (talk) 05:37, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

This time I can answer every point at once: if someone signs an agreement to assist in breaking down the maintenance of Wikipedia as a means of leverage, the onus is on them to explain themselves. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 05:55, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

@Thebiguglyalien The petition was (and still is afaik) a petition to discuss possible actions to take if certain things happen. That doesn’t automatically mean “assisting in breaking down the maintenance,” especially since that I personally think it would be better for more moderate/less staunch voices to be involved in that discussion (like we saw with TechnoSquirrel and Kowal) rather than let the hardliners completely set the tone/control the outcome.

Regardless, voting neutral and asking would almost certainly be received better and be more likely to generate genuine dialogue about their stances than automatically opposing. EaglesFan37 (talk) 06:18, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

It seems to me like you (TBUA) think most if not all of the people who signed the petition are useful idiots or worse and you're basing your position here on that opinion. I generally respect you as an editor. It's disappointing to see you engage in this sort of ad hom against your colleagues. voorts (talk/contributions) 13:38, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I can respect many of the conditional supporters to the petition while still disagreeing with their decision. This would include TechnoSquirrel69 and EaglesFan37, among others. My primary issue is with the people who have decided that "solidarity" with unionism and labor movements in general (as indicated in many of the signatory statements) outweighs the interests of Wikipedia, or who are trying to push the idea that directly hurting Wikipedia to indirectly hurt the WMF is somehow the same as a "strike" where employees directly hurt the employer. And yes, there will inevitably be signatories who were misled and took at face value that this is some pro-union vs anti-union battle. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 20:00, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

What evidence do you have for your assumption that most of the people who signed the pledge are ignorant, want to harm Wikipedia for shits and giggles, and/or are signing the petition to virtue signal their support for unions, while only a minority of editors who signed it hold nuanced views? voorts (talk/contributions) 20:26, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

This feels like a loaded question and I think it would be best for both of us to take a break from this discussion. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 20:58, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

It probably is. Nonetheless, the premise of your opposition to the petition is that most editors didn't know what they were getting into and didn't consider the consequences. A lot of good, smart editors signed that petition. I can't speak for them, but I'm judicious about what I sign and my decision to do so was not a knee-jerk reaction. voorts (talk/contributions) 21:22, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

I don't want to clutter up the RFA with more discussion, but I'd like to explain myself a bit more and it seems likely most of the relevant parties have eyes on this thread so I hope this isn't intruding. I don't personally have a problem with a volunteer choosing with withhold their volunteer hours for any reason, including as part of some collective action or protest. My concern was the possibility that the pledge could be construed as empowering WWU to direct pledging admins to take admin actions supportive of WWU's objectives (e.g. unblocking certain editors, protecting/deleting certain pages, etc.). In my view, permitting a third party to dictate admin actions would be a violation of trust, as the community has trusted the individual admin with the tools, not WWU as an entity. The responses my vote received seemed to indicate that most people believe that goes without saying, but I personally feel more comfortable with it being said. -- LWG ^{talk (VOPOV)} 05:45, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

@LWG, I really appreciate you saying this. And I think it would actually be a good idea to say this directly on the RFAs, as I don't think most people are reading this thread, and I think more people than just the "relevant parties" could stand to hear it. Administrators take community trust very seriously, and I expect we would universally agree that permitting a third party to dictate admin actions would be a violation of trust, as the community has trusted the individual admin with the tools, not WWU as an entity. People believe this goes without saying because we hold that community trust to be so important. Reading what you've said here, I am confident that you did not intend any offense towards Staraction, MCE89, or anyone else who signed the petition. But I do expect that voorts, who responded to you directly, is not the only person who was shocked or offended by that implication. It would be kind to say this somewhere where they are likely to see it. In solidarity, asilvering (talk) 21:02, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

I'm not offended. I just do not understand how anyone can read the pledge and leap to the extreme conclusion that dozens of admins have signed up to abuse their tools at the behest of non-editors. It should be common sense that that's not the case. I'm not sure where this hysteria over the pledge is coming from. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the editors who are raising these implausible scenarios are ideologically opposed to unions but they don't want to say that out loud. voorts (talk/contributions) 21:11, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

"I'm not sure where this hysteria over the pledge is coming from." I believe this is the answer. There are wholly better ways to express dissatisfaction with decisions that are made. "Striking" doesn't actually make sense in this context, as editing is voluntary. Therefore, you can't really strike from something you are voluntary choosing to do. I certainly can't support such an idea. 11WB (talk) 01:05, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

@11WB I mean, the term has a long history of use: see hunger strikes or sex strike, for example. But if it help, you can think of it as a boycott? GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 01:23, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Whatever word is used, I can't support it. I haven't followed the events that led here, but from a brief view, it was a staff restructure. I don't see a point to this WWUS or using that as a reason to oppose an RfA. If you don't want to edit, don't edit. Labelling that as a strike is not collegial and will likely achieve little in change. 11WB (talk) 01:42, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

The reason is that a small number of editors floated a theory that the WMF was actually set on unionbusting without evidence, and a large portion of signatories took that theory at face value. That's where the misapplied labor rhetoric is coming from. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 01:50, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I read which group they were fired from previously, but I can't name it off the top of my head. If the WMF decide to disband a group of employees, that should be respected in my opinion. I'm all for editors backing a cause, but this one was poorly executed. I'm not suggesting that you should start recalls on all 66 admins that have signed, that would be an exercise in futility. There should be a section on the WWUS page where editors can sign in opposition, that way there is balance. 11WB (talk) 01:59, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

The WMF didn't just disband a group of employees. It fired several long-time employees and disbanded the unit that oversees the community wishlist, all without a clear public plan in place for what comes next. The WMF then spent days giving non-answers to the community. It took my leaving a message on the CEO's talk page to get a single person from the WMF to actually address the question of unionization. voorts (talk/contributions) 02:03, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

And you're entitled to that opinion. Personally speaking, though... very well trusted staff and members of the community got fired and laid off for pretty arbitrary reasons. People responsible for tools that I, in my regular Wikipedia work, need. Describing it as a staff restructure is very euphemistic. Novem Linguae wrote a good summary of the events when this news was first coming out; an he gave a list of things he thought should happen. One of them is the very reasonable 'don't fire a bunch of skilled developers; transfer them'. (Mind you, he put it more eloquently than that). That's been... well, for want of a better word, completely brushed off. GreenLipstickLesbian💌🧸 02:02, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

They were offered positions elsewhere though? We all have an opinion, and people are entitled to their feelings. At the risk of sounding like a spokesperson, I'll say, staff lay-offs, restructures, buyouts and all the rest, are simply parts of running a business. Treating WMF as a, to use your (excellent) word, Machiavellian entity, isn't helpful to anybody. There are proper channels for editors to share their thoughts, such as through the Discord server voice channels, which I believe are held by WMF employees on a frequent basis. A group that plans to "strike" when the WMF makes a decision signatories dislike will only cause disruption (backlogs get bigger, articles get vandalised... so on and so forth).

Anyway, these political meta discussions are causing me some fatigue, so I'm going to go back to regular editing. Here's hoping this gets resolved amicably. 11WB (talk) 02:12, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

See Foundation:Resolution:Wikimedia Foundation Guiding Principles §§ Accountability, Stewardship, and Shared power. voorts (talk/contributions) 02:21, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

@11WB I'm not sure why you would assume that communication through those other channels was not also happening. There was quite a lot of communication of all kinds going on, and that continues. In solidarity, asilvering (talk) 04:22, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

I didn't assume that. I had unsubscribed from this discussion by the way. Thanks. 11WB (talk) 04:58, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

@asilvering, thanks for the kind words. I have immense respect for everyone in this discussion, and many other people I respect have signed WP:SOLIDARITY. I certainly don't want to cause unnecessary offense, although I consider the trust of adminship to be such a serious thing that I'm willing to risk a little offense rather than be silent about a concern. I'll try to write up a more coherent expression of my thoughts in a more visible place when I have time. -- LWG ^{talk (VOPOV)} 03:05, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Hopefully this essay will give some clarity to my views. -- LWG ^{talk (VOPOV)} 15:12, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

What is the sufficient vagueness that you are referring to? voorts (talk/contributions) 15:18, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

In the third quote at the top of your essay says, that admin said they would be prepared to implement a community decision, should the community reach such a consensus. I think you are misreading what people are saying, and that comment in particular, which aligns precisely with what the pledge says: all decisions would be made by consensus. voorts (talk/contributions) 15:32, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Yes, I consider Chaotic Enby to be an exemplary admin, and that quote is included as an example of how disruptive technical actions might be possible with community consensus. Maybe the quotes are unhelpful to the essay - I had them pasted in while writing to inform my thoughts but wasn't sure exactly how to present them. -- LWG ^{talk (VOPOV)} 15:45, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

For me, as someone unfamiliar with organized labor actions, it wasn't entirely clear what actions might be included in collective action if called upon by WWU, and until you and others explained it further it wasn't clear that Editors participating in the collective action would be able to use normal Wikipedia consensus-building methods to establish the action's terms means "any active disruption to English Wikipedia must be done with consensus among the English Wikipedia community". Some of the things said by people around the petition (such as referring to people who disregard a call to strike from WWU as "scabs") suggested to me that WWU (or the subset of editors who align with WWU) might unilaterally seek to disrupt Wikipedia to prove a point. (Note that I don't necessarily think that would be wrong in all cases - I just think that in would be inappropriate to wield admin tools in support of such an effort without whole-community consensus). The things you and asilvering and the candidates and others have said have allayed my concerns about admin tool use, resulting in my changing my vote to Support in both RFAs. The essay exists to clearly state my view on admin tool use and explain why I can't support an admin candidate without confidence that they agree with those principles.

TL;DR: It's possible my concerns were entirely unreasonable, but they were genuine, and serious enough to merit clarification. -- LWG ^{talk (VOPOV)} 15:42, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Fair enough. voorts (talk/contributions) 15:48, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Kern Tabb on Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland (13:01, 13 July 2026)

Hello --Kern Tabb (talk) 13:01, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Hello Kern Tabb! Let me know if you need help editing any articles. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 19:48, 13 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Ighs (15:04, 15 July 2026)

Hiya! Not sure if this is a standardized thing but for BLPs, when the subject of an article is most commonly referred to in sources by an alias, and the article's title refers to them as such, should the subject be referred to by their legal surname or by their alias in the article? Thanks! --Ighs (talk) 15:04, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Ighs, the names section in the Manual of Style for biographies covers this sort of thing. It describes all of the different approaches depending on what type of alias it is. Let me know if you're not sure whether it lines up with any of the guidelines there. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 21:37, 15 July 2026 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Tutankham Atari 2600.png

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Thanks for uploading File:Tutankham Atari 2600.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of non-free use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described in section F5 of the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Go D. Usopp (talk) 03:29, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Twilighttimes (05:48, 18 July 2026)

I missed a citation on a page I was editing how to get it removed from my talk page. --Twilighttimes (talk) 05:48, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Twilighttimes, you can remove comments from your own talk page if you wish. Best practice is to move comments to a separate archive page like User talk:Twilighttimes/Archive 1. It's possible to set up an automatic archive if you'd like, but I don't remember how to do it so you'd need to ask at the Teahouse. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 06:27, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Sorry I mean I got a warning on my page because I missed a citation how do i get a warning removed from my talk page etc. --Twilighttimes (talk) 06:58, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Warning aren't different from any other message, you can leave it or you can delete it, it's up to you. Removing something from your talk page is fine, and it's understood as an acknowledgement that you've read it. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 07:06, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Thanks I will look into it more. If i need more help I will have. I don't want my IP getting blocked. Twilighttimes (talk) 07:32, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Twilighttimes don't worry, you're not going to get blocked for making honest mistakes. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 08:00, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Thanks. Twilighttimes (talk) 05:49, 19 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Knife Let's Play (23:05, 18 July 2026)

How do I create a wiki --Knife Let's Play (talk) 23:05, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Knife Let's Play, do you mean creating a new article? You can do that at he article creation wizard. But keep in mind that creating an article can be difficult because you have to find high quality sources and properly cite all of the information. Also note that if you write about yourself or someone you know, it's likely to be deleted. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:46, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Humility has aura too 4678900 (07:36, 19 July 2026)

Greetings, Mentor. I'm looking forward to learn about editing an article or making an article.

requesting you to lend me a hand by the way I'm a child --Humility has aura too 4678900 (talk) 07:36, 19 July 2026 (UTC)

Hello Humility has aura too 4678900! You can check out Help:Introduction to learn how to edit. You might also consider reading Wikipedia:Guidance for younger editors. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 16:38, 19 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Ibeeen (20:09, 20 July 2026)

Hi, I'm Ibeeen, I was wondering if I could make an page about Minecraft Grass, the origins of would that be too simple to make a whole page about? --Ibeeen (talk) 20:10, 20 July 2026 (UTC)

Ibeeen, it's tricky, because a separate article requires strong sources to draw from. If you can find high-quality reliable sources that give significant coverage to the subject. To start, you'd want to find reliable sources that cover the background and real-world information about it. Stuff like its in-game attributes, like where it spawns and how it's used, are nice but they aren't that helpful in demonstrating that something is notable. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 01:59, 21 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Seb~plt26 (21:54, 20 July 2026)

Bonjour le mentor, j’aimerais que mon changement que j’ai effectué sur la page en anglais « la France aux Jeux Olympiques » sur les rangs ne soient plus faussement changer --Seb~plt26 (talk) 21:54, 20 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Sopheanewlife on Guy T. Viskniskki (15:48, 23 July 2026)

I'm just getting many issues with my account how to get solution --Sopheanewlife (talk) 15:48, 23 July 2026 (UTC)

Sopheanewlife, there's not much I can do without seeing the issues. There are a bunch of helpful people at the the Teahouse if you want to post there with some details. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:33, 23 July 2026 (UTC)

Your nomination of Arne Duncan has passed

Your good article nomination of the article Arne Duncan has passed; congratulations! See the review page for more information. If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Please also consider reviewing somebody else's nomination to help keep the backlog down. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of EaglesFan37 -- EaglesFan37 (talk) 19:21, 25 July 2026 (UTC)

Question from Polashpura (14:58, 26 July 2026)

hi i am dr anil meena want update my profile page and also want to link my published article --Polashpura (talk) 14:58, 26 July 2026 (UTC)

Hello, I'm not sure what exactly you're trying to do. If you wrote an article for Wikipedia, you can submit it at the article wizard, but there are strict requirements for independent sourcing. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 15:54, 26 July 2026 (UTC)

Grace Coolidge

This is to let you know that the above article has been scheduled as today's featured article for 16 September 2026. Please check that the article needs no amendments. Feel free to amend the draft blurb, which can be found at Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 2026, or to make comments on other matters concerning the scheduling of this article at Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/September 2026. Please keep an eye on that page, as comments regarding the draft blurb may be left there. I also suggest that you watchlist Wikipedia:Main Page/Errors from two days before the article appears on the Main Page. Thanks and congratulations on your work! Wehwalt (talk) 19:29, 27 July 2026 (UTC)

Oleg Burlakov Edit Request

Hi. How are you? I hope you remember helping out with the merge of "Burlakov case" with "Oleg Burlakov." I am working on edits now to remove poorly sourced statements and improving the NPOV of the page. Since you were helpful before, I am hoping you might not mind looking over my edit request, found at Talk:Oleg Burlakov#Biography section edit request. It is a straightforward edit, and should be simple to implement. Thanks so much. MarcusEllington90 (talk) 08:31, 28 July 2026 (UTC)

Hello! I'm mostly going through processing merges on articles like this, conflict-of-interest edit requests can take a while to process. There are some that have been waiting months to be done. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 01:05, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

Your nomination of 2004 is under review

Your good article nomination of the article 2004 is under review. See the review page for more information. This may take up to 7 days; feel free to contact the reviewer with any questions you might have. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Sddarealone -- Sddarealone (talk) 11:00, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

Authoritarian tactics

Hi, I need you to agree that autocratic, authoritarian, autocratic regime, authoritarian regime, etc. are used interchangeably by a sufficient number of scholarly authors. I need you to agree that when the word autocratic, or authoritarian, is replaced with “anti-democratic,” or “illiberal,” the meaning of the term is not different enough to warrant removal from the page I proposed. I need you to agree that terms like anti-democratic toolkit are not sufficiently different as to warrant their own page, at this stage. I also need you to agree that the headers I proposed are fair use, not WP:SYNTH. Finally, I would like you to recognize the use of The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, Protect Democracy, and Amnesty as sources on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia:No original research/Noticeboard#Authoritarian playbook Thalorin (talk) 08:49, 1 August 2026 (UTC)

DCWC August update

The 2026 Developing Countries WikiContest has been running for a month now, so let's check in with the competition so far!

As of the time of writing, our top contestants are:

1. Vanderwaalforces (submissions) ahead of the pack with 715 points, with two FAs and many GAs on the monarchs of the Kingdom of Benin;
2. Simongraham (submissions) with 291 points, mostly with GAs on jumping spiders, alongside various GAN and FAC reviews;
3. Jaguarnik (submissions) with 240 points, mostly from an FA on the 1945 film Ivan the Terrible;
4. Grnrchst (submissions) with 215 points, mostly from GAs on anarchist history in various countries, alongside many GA reviews, and;
6. Vestrian24Bio (submissions) tied for 4th with 215 points, with an FL and four GAs on Indian cricket!

These competitors are in the lead, but if past experience is any indication, big shake-ups might still await us in the contest. If you're looking for a way to boost your position, we got a table of review requests from fellow participants—you can rack up a lot of points through reviews, and it might just convince others to review your own nominations! You can also look through the eligible reviews page to find other articles to review, with highlights for articles eligible for the 1.5× multiplier. The coordinators would like to thank Jaguarnik (submissions) for his work to keep this page up to date.

Thank you so much for all your work in the contest so far, dear participants, and keep on the good fight against systemic bias on our wiki! Have any questions? Leave a message on the contest talk page or send it to one of our wonderful coordinators: Arconning (talk · contribs), Generalissima (talk · contribs), Magentic Manifestations (talk · contribs), sawyer777 (talk · contribs), and TechnoSquirrel69 (talk · contribs). (To unsubscribe from these updates, remove yourself from this list. Sent via MediaWiki message delivery.) Generalissima (talk) (it/she) 05:25, 2 August 2026 (UTC)

Question from Ilikeeveryone (09:35, 2 August 2026)

Hi how to create a article --Ilikeeveryone (talk) 09:35, 2 August 2026 (UTC)

Hello Ilikeeveryone, there are tools you can use to create new articles, but I think it is highly unlikely that you will be able to publish one at this time. I suggest waiting until you're a little older and have more experience with writing and research. Have you considered contributing to wikis like the ones on https://www.fandom.com/? Thebiguglyalien (talk) 12:28, 2 August 2026 (UTC)

ARE accusation

Hi Thebiguglyalien, I was surprised and disappointed to see this comment, which appears to contain an unsubstantiated personal attack and a failure to assume good faith. I did not appreciate it and you are welcome to strike it out.

To my knowledge, our interactions have been collegiate, collaborative, and fruitful, and I hope they can return to being so. Though I am not interested in participating in the case you started, if you have concerns with regard to my adherence to policy or suggestions for ways I can improve, my talk page is open. إيان (talk) 19:30, 3 August 2026 (UTC)

Question from Sarodgini (16:32, 5 August 2026)

Hello We have a unique school in Seattle, WA and I think it’s good to have a page about it in wiki. How to do so? Sarodgini.com --Sarodgini (talk) 16:32, 5 August 2026 (UTC)

Sarodgini, you'll need to find any sort of coverage that the school got in the press, both positive and negative, and put it together using the article wizard. If the school isn't widely-known and well-covered by several sources (preferably by academic sources or high quality news outlets), then it likely doesn't meet Wikipedia's inclusion guidelines. If you're affiliated with the school or working on behalf of someone who is, you'll have a conflict of interest and will also want to read the guide to conflicts of interest. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:29, 5 August 2026 (UTC)

Question from GlamourToadRealness (23:17, 8 August 2026)

Hi! A wikipedia page for someone I know IRL just popped up. Her birthday is listed incorrectly but from what I understand, personal conversations are not sources. --GlamourToadRealness (talk) 23:17, 8 August 2026 (UTC)

I've answered at Talk:Rihanna Kelver. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:35, 8 August 2026 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Strategy X 1981 Atari 2600.png

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Thanks for uploading File:Strategy X 1981 Atari 2600.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of non-free use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described in section F5 of the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Go D. Usopp (talk) 04:27, 9 August 2026 (UTC)

Hongxi Emperor

I noticed your involvement in FAC and FLC nominations related to articles about the Ming dynasty. The articles on the first three Ming emperors, Hongwu, Jianwen, and Yongle, have now passed FA, and the FAC is now open for the Hongxi Emperor. I thought that with your past participation in the discussions, you might be interested in reviewing this nomination. Векочел (talk) 17:14, 10 August 2026 (UTC)

Good article nominations RfC

Hi Thebiguglyalien,

There is an ongoing Request for Comment (RfC) at Wikipedia:Good article nominations/August 2026 RfC, which you may be interested in because in the past year, you have nominated or reviewed more than one good article nomination. This message has also been sent to all subscribers to the Good Article Gazette. The RfC contains many proposals (33 at the time of writing), which are split into the following categories: nominators, reviewers, reviews, volunteer roles, reviewing initiatives, and others. However, you are more than welcome to add any proposals of your own that you wish to put to the community.

By the end of September, all the proposals will have been closed by an uninvolved editor, either as a consensus for one of the options or with no consensus. At this point, editors will be invited again to develop these proposals into coherent policy and implement them.

Thank you for your contributions to the good articles project, and I look forward to your input! (in solidarity), JacobTheRox^{(talk|contributions)} 16:03, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

Question from Snezie (18:21, 11 August 2026)

Hello how do I create images when editing --Snezie (talk) 18:21, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

Snezie, images are one of the more difficult things to do because you have to address a bunch of copyright stuff. Your account will need to be "autoconfirmed" first (this will happen automatically once you've made ten edits), and then you can use the file upload wizard. You'll have to know who owns the copyright of each image, and there are a lot of restrictions depending on who took the photo and what licensing it's released under. If you need someone to help you go through the upload process, you can ask at the Teahouse. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 18:32, 11 August 2026 (UTC)

Question from CEOwisecv19 (06:56, 13 August 2026)

I want to add my details on Wikipedia how can I do 🫴 --CEOwisecv19 (talk) 06:56, 13 August 2026 (UTC)

CEOwisecv19, if you're trying to write about yourself on Wikipedia, you probably shouldn't. You would have a conflict of interest. Thebiguglyalien (talk) 23:21, 13 August 2026 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Atari 2600 Blue Print.png

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Thanks for uploading File:Atari 2600 Blue Print.png. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of non-free use. However, the image is currently not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described in section F5 of the criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Go D. Usopp (talk) 00:09, 15 August 2026 (UTC)