User talk:Ayla

Welcome to my talk page! Feel free to leave any comments, criticisms, opinions, suggestions, disagreements, or anything else you feel like saying. However, please be aware that I reserve the right to alter my talk page, in part or in whole, should the need arise. Usually this would be limited to the archiving of older discussions, the removal of disruptive content, and the reformatting of the page layout.

I prefer to avoid fragmented conversations. Typically, I will reply to postings at the place where I find them (be it this talk page, the article talk page, or the other editor's talk page). However, since the prevailing trend appears to favour replying on the target editor's talk page, I may sometimes take up this latter option.

Generally, I will watch talk pages to which I have posted for five days after my last contribution. (This excludes warnings posted on vandals' talk pages, which I do not watch.) If you wish to draw my attention to some activity on any page which lies outside this time frame, just drop me a note by creating a new section below. If you revere concision, a link to the page accompanied by an explanatory sentence would suffice.

Finally, please do not forget to sign your posts. Happy editing!

Discussions

How come you haven't got a welcome message yet?

Hello Ayla! Welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. You may benefit from following some of the links below, which will help you get the most out of Wikipedia. If you have any questions you can ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and ask your question there. Please remember to sign your name on talk pages by clicking or by typing four tildes "~~~~"; this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you are already loving Wikipedia you might want to consider being "adopted" by a more experienced editor or joining a WikiProject to collaborate with others in creating and improving articles of your interest. Click here for a directory of all the WikiProjects. Finally, please do your best to always fill in the edit summary field. Happy editing! PeaceNT 19:16, 16 February 2007 (UTC) Getting Started Wikipedia Tutorial • The five pillars of Wikipedia How to: edit a page • upload an image Getting Help Frequently Asked Questions Where to ask questions or make comments Request administrator attention Policies and Guidelines Neutral point of view • Reliable sources Verifiability • Citing sources • No original research What Wikipedia is not • Biographies of living persons Manual of Style • Three-revert rule • Sock puppetry Copyrights • Fair use • Image use policy External links • Spam • Vandalism Deletion policy • Conflict of interest • Notability The Community Community Portal • Adopt-a-user program Assume good faith • Civility • Etiquette No personal attacks • Resolving disputes Build consensus • Village pump Signpost • IRC channels • Mailing lists Things to do Be bold in editing • Help develop an article Pages needing attention • Peer review Join a WikiProject • Translating articles Cleaning up: General • Spam • Vandalism Miscellaneous Categories • Disambiguity • Stubs User pages • Talk pages Useful templates • Tools • User scripts

First self-post

Thanks PeaceNT! Although I have been using Wikipedia for several years, so far I have only contributed intermittently, and typically limited my edits to corrections, redirections or disambiguations. It is for this reason that I am somewhat reluctant to request for adoption or join a WikiProject. I tend to consult Wikipedia policies and guidelines and the Manual of Style on the fly, as the need arises.

Concerning my current editing experience, I have two questions. Firstly, is there a Wikipedia API available for editors to interface with should they attempt to develop an assisting editing tool? I am aware that a number of tools are already in existence; however, I was wondering whether the API is available to the general public or whether tool developers need to have some form of privileged access.

Secondly, I sometimes encounter a minor disagreement with another editor, such as, for example, the inclusion of the disambiguation link to Papua New Guinea (single) on the Papua New Guinea article, which Normanby appears intent on removing despite my requesting him not to. I believe that this matter is too trivial to be considered a dispute; should I nonetheless request for a third opinion? Or should I go ahead and ask for adoption to get assistance during such (remote) disagreements?

Thanks for visiting!

Ayla 18:30, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Howdy, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php for the wikipedia api. Though if you are going to be building an assistant tool, you might want to check to make sure that WP:AWB does not already do the task! (Save you some work and all). As far as the minor disagreement, if you can't resolve it with the editor in question, getting a third opinion is certainly the best way to go. This is especially the case if there are only 2 people editing that article. I hope I have been of assistance, if you have any questions, just post the {{helpme}} tag, or contact me on my talk page. Best of Luck! —— Eagle101 ^{Need help?} 19:46, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Eagle 101 for your assistance. I hadn't been aware that the API was already in place (I must have been reading some out-dated blogs). I shall try getting a third opinion as recommended. Ayla 19:59, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Lasallian universities and colleges

I have recently been performing some clean-up on the Lasallian universities and colleges article, as well as the La Salle, De La Salle, De La Salle College and De La Salle High School disambiguation pages. However, I am getting the impression that maintaining all these separate listings is making consistent editing problematic, since several of the schools are included under three or even four of the lists. I was thinking of merging the duplicated content into the Lasallian universities and colleges article, and leave the disambiguation pages only with a link to this article (and schools which are not affiliated with Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools). Do you think this is a good idea, or is it a controversial alteration? Ayla 15:19, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

• Have you considered placing a merge proposal tag to receive input from the community? Alan.ca 16:46, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

• Yes, but I had never encountered merges being performed on disambiguation pages. I will try putting up the merge proposal tag anyway and see the community input. Ayla 17:50, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Favor...

Hello, Ayla! I think that you're a really great editor, so, do you think that you could sign my autograph book, maybe? It would be an honor if you did! See ya later, Ayla! Cremepuff222 (talk, sign book) 23:35, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Guess it won't do any harm... Signed. Ayla 00:41, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Thank you very much! My goal is to have the largest autograph book in world history!! Cremepuff222 (talk, sign book) 00:51, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

That is one ambitious goal. Still, this is potentially the world's largest encyclopaedia we're working on, so you can never tell ;-) Good luck! Ayla 00:58, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Please sign my autograph page

Please sign my autograph page. A•N•N•Afoxlover PLEASE SIGN, ANYONE!!! 13:53, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Done! Hope you get your wish of having Jimbo Wales's signature fulfilled! Ayla 14:20, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks!

Thanks for signing my autograph book! Lucky 101. :) · AO ^Talk 10:42, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

I noticed that the next entry would be 101 and couldn't resist. Pity about the MfD though... Ayla 11:41, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

Editor Review

You might remember me from the MfD on autograph books. One small point: wasn't the consensus in favour of removing the "sign book" links from editors' signatures? As of your last post, you still haven't done so. I would recommend that you do so soon as leaving it would most likely draw more contention than it's worth. Ayla 23:49, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: Wikipedia:Editor review/Cremepuff222  –  Diff(s): [1]

Hey, all I want to do is become a better editor. I regret having editted my userpage so often, yet there's still hope if I edit about 2000 mainspace articles! Thanks for your tip on my signature, and happy editting! --Cremepuff222 (talk, review me!) 01:26, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm actually pleasantly surprised that there are still editors out there receptive enough to accept a recommendation and act upon it without a long-drawn-out debate over its merits. Anyway, keep it up! :-) Ayla 01:23, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: Wikipedia:Editor review/Cremepuff222  –  Diff(s): [2], [3]

I passed the recommendation about the signature because I remembered that it had been a specific point of contention during the MfD debate on autograph books, and would most likely have lost you the support of a few editors if you did not change it. As others have already told you before me, the easiest way to increase your edit count is through RC patrolling - although I would also advise you to beware of Editcountitis! Good luck! Ayla 01:36, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Inadvertant content removal at WT:AIV

I want to draw your attention to the fact that a recent edit you made to Wikipedia talk:Administrator intervention against vandalism apparently resulted in the page being reverted to an earlier version, with all recent discussions being erased (see diff). I am going to assume good faith from your side, and mark the edit off as an accident. Please be more careful in the future. Ayla 22:52, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flyguy649  –  Diff(s): [4]

Wow. My sincere apologies. I thought I started my comments by using the plus tab, but that shouldn't have affected any other existing comments. Assuming I started my comments manually, perhaps I didn't have the page all the way down. I don't know how that happened. I'm on anti-vandal patrol all the time here. I'll definitely ensure that doesn't happen again. Thanks for pointing it out. Humbly, Flyguy649^talk_contribs 00:26, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

I'm sorry about the formality of the tone in my previous post, but day after day of vandal-fighting tends to make one frigid even in cases where the good intention is obvious. Actually, something very similar (article being inadvertently reverted to a past version) had just happened to me here; I used the section edit feature but ended up distorting the entire page's content. Maybe we should drop a note to the developers if it happens again. Ayla 09:36, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flyguy649  –  Diff(s): [5], [6]

reply on my talk page. Flyguy649^talk_contribs 12:34, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

No worries. I'd rather know about anything I do that screws up than have people seething quietly. (Like that ever happens). I'll keep an eye open for other inadvertent screw-ups. Cheers! Flyguy649^talk_contribs 12:34, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flyguy649  –  Diff(s): [7]

My userpage

Thanks for the revert! I didn't notice that, since I was still RC patrolling. --Cremepuff222 (talk, review me!) 21:39, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

No problem! Glad to be of help. The vandalism number has already been updated. Ayla 21:44, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

St. or St

Re your edit to the ST article (see diff), I wanted to point out that the correct spelling of the abbreviation for "Saint" is always "St" (sans period), and is in fact sometimes referred to as a contraction. The abbreviation for "Street", on the other hand, is typically "St."; however, the period is sometimes dropped. You may wish to consult with the Abbreviations article. I am only mentioning this in case you should come across the abbreviation again. Ayla 17:27, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Damifb  –  Diff(s): [8]

Thanks for your comments. I will consider them the next time. --Damifb 18:59, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Serious question: what about Mr or Mr. for "Mister"?

--Damifb 19:07, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

The same rule would apply to "Mr" for "M[iste]r":

In formal British English it is more common to write abbreviations with full stops if the word has been cut at the point of abbreviation but not otherwise: for example, Street — "St[reet]" — becomes "St.", but "Saint" — "S[ain]t" — becomes "St".

— Abbreviation, Periods (full stops) and spaces

In the United Kingdom, most Commonwealth countries and Ireland, a full stop (in the US and Canada, a period) does not generally follow the abbreviated form, which is in line with standard practice for abbreviations in those countries. The US usage, with a period, is likewise in line with standard American practice. See the history section of the article on Abbreviation.

— Mr.

Mr A. Smith - Mr is the contracted form of the title Mister and A. is the abbreviated form of his first name.

— Talk:ST

Note, however, that in American English usage, it is commonplace to add the period for practically any abbreviation that may be interpreted as a word. I believe that the policy on Wikipedia favours choosing the usage which matches the context of the word. For example, one would find St Aloysius' College (Sydney) (even on the school website), since Australia, being a Commonwealth Realm, abides by British English. Conversely, see St. Joseph High School (Westchester, Illinois) (and school website) for an American example. However, this 'rule' is followed rather loosely, either out of ignorance or out of negligence, so unless the article is specifically dealing with the spelling of the term (as in ST), I would recommend to avoid entering into squabbles over it. Ayla 21:07, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Damifb  –  Diff(s): [9]

Thanks. My doubt comes from the fact that in Spanish any abbreviation ends in a full stop.

--Damifb 22:06, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

That would make Spanish similar to American English in that respect. Although I don't think it was the case that either language influenced the other - this is pretty much an arbitrary standard. Ayla 22:56, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Damifb  –  Diff(s): [10]

Re: Request for clarification

I would like to inquire what are your justifications for blocking User:On Wheezier Plot. He has not received any warnings this year at all, and none of his recent edits appear to have been disruptive. Am I missing something out? Ayla 20:50, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Messedrocker  –  Diff(s): [11]

[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] are some examples of him displaying considerably incivility and removing parts of people's comments, for which he has received numerous warning (permalink of talk page at time of request for clarifaction) and he has not improved. I am convinced that if people want to be contributors, they at least have to display a level of respect for other editors. On Wheezier Plot has failed to do so. —Signed, your friendly neighborhood MessedRocker. 21:19, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

The evidence you gave me dates back to July 2006 at latest. Do you realise that, on WP:AIV, the majority of administrators dismiss any reports of vandalism which are older than 24 hours? In the absence of more recent activity, it appears that your block was punitive, not preventive, in is thus in violation of the blocking policy. I am thereby asking you to kindly reconsider your decision. Ayla 21:45, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Messedrocker  –  Diff(s): [17]

In any case I was misled when I made the decision to block him so I have unblocked him. —Signed, your friendly neighborhood MessedRocker. 23:09, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for consenting. Cheers. Ayla 23:16, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Messedrocker  –  Diff(s): [18]

Brian Reddyb

Thanks for your handling of the Brian Reddyb issue. I'm glad an admin finally had the common sense to see through the hoax and take corrective action. However, I was wondering... do you think it might be prudent to run a checkuser on Sanchezsteamer? Even though I'm almost convinced that it's the same person as Reddyb, the evidence is not conclusive, and I would prefer if we could avoid risking complications being raised in the future.

Regarding the Wikipedia:Requests for investigation movement, personally I've become somewhat sceptical about the effectiveness of such noticeboards, especially following a recent case I was involved in where several admins on WP:AIAV refused to block a blatant and persistent vandal because of (what I perceive to be) a ridiculous loophole in Wikipedia policy (see [19], [20], and [21]). I only pursued the Brian Reddyb issue because I knew it was a clear-cut case from the beginning. Notwithstanding, I sincerely wish you the best of luck if you believe in reviving Wikipedia:Requests for investigation. Cheers. Ayla 17:18, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Durova  –  Diff(s): [22]

I beg to differ re the Sanchezsteamer claim. I do not know who that is, nor do I care. I think a checkuser should be run on Ayla and PrimeHunter I suspect they are the same individuals and are behind the malicious vandalism of the Rednex page. Thank you for your unabated interest in Rednex

Rednex and related products, created by Janne Ericsson, Örjan "Öban" Öberg, Pat Reiniz and Brian Reddyb, are copyrighted and trademarked by Brian Reddyb Company and used under license. Licensed by Rednex Studios Licensing, SE. All Rights Reserved.

Kindest Regards Chiefofmsiss1 20:47, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Durova  –  Diff(s): [23], [24]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Durova#Brian_Reddyb Kindest Regards Chiefofmsiss1 20:52, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

User with four edits, starting July 3 after previous sock was blocked, seems extremely familiar with WP policy, and has posted a bizarre copyright notice. I suggest an indef block for sock puppetry. Jehochman ^Hablar 21:26, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Durova  –  Diff(s): [25]

I have issued a request for a checkuser against Chiefofmsiss1 on grounds of evasion of the ban. It should not be long before the account is blocked. Ayla 23:34, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Durova  –  Diff(s): [26]

Checkuser confirms. Jehochman ^Hablar 06:59, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Durova  –  Diff(s): [27]

Copy that, over. Chiefofmsiss1 08:56, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Durova  –  Diff(s): [28]

FM104

I was just reading you addition regarding sockpuppetry on the FM104 talk page. No arguments there; actually I was a bit interested when I reverted one set of the sock additions and the user, who had apparently ever made four edits, seemed familar enough with Wikipedia to suggest that I was a bit quick on reverting edits in general.

I'm not quite sure what their eventual aim was. The Adrian Kennedy phone show does exist, although the title used by the station is the FM 104 Phone Show, but it is presented by Adrian Kennedy. And in itself, I think it might deserve mention in the article. The station is one of the bigger independent stations in Dublin, and the show does get mentioned elsewhere.

However, the reason I reverted the edits was there was a clear NPOV problem, especially in the use of the word Skanger. (I think I might have muttered "You can't be serious" at the monitor when I saw it. :O) ). I honestly think that there was some agenda there, although maybe just a joke.

Anyway, your last edit was reverted by a sock and there has been one edit to that section by an IP. I am not entirely happy about undoing the IP's edit, as it might be good faith, but if the section is removed as it is the edit of a sock, which is the proper thing to do, then the IP edit, whether well-intentioned or not, would have to go. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 22:17, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

I was also initially reluctant to remove the Adrian Kennedy Phoneshow section indiscriminately from the FM104 article since, as you said, it might deserve mention. However, keep in mind that the information was added by a user who is not only banned, but who has also been the cause of an elaborate and long-term hoax which started all the way back in October 2005 and was only finally stopped this month, after ample discussion and propagating to the rest of the web. Even if the user decided to change his ways and start contributing constructively, why bother setting up four accounts? Thus, I am unwilling to leave any of the information unless it is independently verified by another editor.

Regarding the edit by the IP, I am of the opinion that it should be ignored; firstly, no matter how well-intentioned, it remains too minor a contribution (only involved changing the starting time of the show) to justify debating policy over it; secondly, it was performed after the sock puppetry was brought to light - I am assuming that the IP acted in ignorance of the case. If some editor unrelated to Brian Reddyb decides to reinstate the section, then the IP's contribution may be effected again. Ayla 13:40, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [29]

Replying on talk page , but in broad agreement. :O) FlowerpotmaN·(t) 19:48, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [30]

(Reply to your message) I was up late last night for non-Wikipedia reasons, and I decided to revert the last edit by the sock, with the unfortunate, but I agree, unavoidable, collateral damage of removing what seemed to be a good-faith edit. I'm pretty much in agreement here; if someone adds information about the show with sources, then that's fine. I know I have heard bits of the show while in Dublin, but all I know about it is that it isn't my cup of tea.

The one thread that seemed to run through the sock edits was an attempt to disparage the show or the listeners, so anything that seems NPOV might be worth keeping an eye on. I will keep an eye on the page for a few weeks. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 19:51, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

I stumbled upon the FM104 page solely as a result of tracking the sock puppeteer; thus, I am unfortunately unacquainted with the station and the show, and cannot determine the validity of what had been written. However, given the apparent popularity of the show, I am hoping that it will eventually get mentioned again by another editor who would be able to give a NPOV account. By the way, following a reversion by yet another (newly-registered) account, I requested for the page to be semi-protected, so it should be stable for now. Thanks for your help in handling this issue. Ayla 23:13, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [31]

Retroviralreddy

To be honest, I must admit I was impressed with how quickly you discovered the edits made by Retroviralreddy. May I ask how you uncovered it so quickly? Is it that Javascript add-on that helped you? Despite being annoyed by the level of your responsiveness, one cant be anything other than impressed. Muchos besos Retroviralreddy 23:21, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Nopes, it wasn't Twinkle; in fact, I've removed the tool for the time being. Well... I could tell you my source, but wouldn't I be spoiling the fun by doing that? Ayla 23:33, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

I am sure a bit of adhoc testing will allow me determine how you did. I certainly have some a list of possible reasons and could easily circumvent them. Interesting that you used the word 'fun'. Although you present yourself as some sort of heroic guardian protecting the sacred objectives of Wikipedia, it is quite clear that you rather enjoy searching for suspected sockpuppets of Brian Reddyb. I guarantee you that if there were no more Brian Reddyb related accounts you would be disappointed. You like to feel like a latter day Sherlock Holmes. No more reddyb make Ayla go crazy. Retroviralreddy 23:49, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

What word other than "fun" would describe the perverse motivation behind an individual who persists, for two long years (and at the expense of hours of discussion), to perpetrate such an absurd hoax? The only 'enjoyment' I derive from tracking and blocking you is the satisfaction of seeing a task I started through to the end.

To give you a tip in advance re Sanchezsteamer: even if the strings of the sock were pulled by a colleague of yours, meat puppetry will not tolerated on Wikipedia either. There is little chance that you will succeed in convincing anyone that the issue of the Rednex producers was "talked about in parts of the media" (although the scenario does somewhat remind me of Durova's prediction in The dark side).

Let's face it: you're a banned user. Of course, you always have the option of appealing the ban to the Arbitration Committee, but the evidence against you is (in my humble opinion) solid, and there exists little to no chance that you will get the ban overturned.

So, here's my recommendation: go ahead and disappoint me. Abandon your present socks. Steer clear of anything that involves the 'legendary' Brian Reddyb. Pick up an entirely new line of editing. And please, try and make it something constructive this time.

Ayla 00:18, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

Congratulations

Once again you prove successful at uncovering a Brian Reddyb confirmed sock puppet; this time under the name of Beebop1 . Yes, I ClandestineStoichkov am also connected to the said puppet, but now wish to move from the destructive to the constructive. I wish to commit to the changing of my behaviour from this point on, with the aim of contributing to the greater good of Wikipedia. Thus, I will no longer create hoaxes such as the now infamous Rednex episode. I will use this account as my principle editing account for complete transparancy, although do not expect to contribute meaningfully for yet another while. Once again congratulations on your investigative work and I recommend that in order to maintain this new found sense of goodwill and reconciliation that you do not put forward ClandestineStoichkov as yet another suspected of Brian Reddyb. Best Regards, ClandestineStoichkov 20:28, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

I can only hope that you are sincere in your declaration. Technically, as a banned user, you are still prohibited from editing Wikipedia; however, in the spirit of good faith, I shall be turning a blind eye to the creation of this account. Happy (constructive) editing! Ayla 18:19, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

Welcome to VandalProof!

(Added own username)

  –  Posted: User:AmiDaniel/VP/Approval  –  Diff(s): [32]

Thank you for your interest in VandalProof, Ayla! You have now been added to the list of authorized users, so if you haven't already, simply download and install VandalProof from our main page. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or any other moderator, or you can post a message on the discussion page. ^∆ 22:31, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Thought someone was back.... :O)

I thought our old pal was back, but it seems to be an accidental inclusion when someone reverted the Saddam Hussein article to an older version. Anyway, I fixed it. [33] FlowerpotmaN·(t) 23:04, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the notification! However, given the above posts, I'm optimistic that we've seen the end of the Reddyb story. Ayla 17:34, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

Why the Welcome?

==Do Not Remove Warnings== Welcome!

Hello, Neverquick, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

• The five pillars of Wikipedia
• Tutorial
• How to edit a page
• How to write a great article
• Manual of Style

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question and then place {{helpme}} before the question on your talk page. Again, welcome! Ayla (talk) 19:48, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Neverquick  –  Diff(s): [34]

(Removed above warning)

  –  Posted: User talk:Neverquick  –  Diff(s): [35]

The reason that edit was reverted is because it was vandalism. Look at the edit itself. It's a personally attack. The Warning was removed earlier because it was a misunderstanding. --Neverquick (talk) 19:51, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you.--Neverquick (talk) 19:52, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for the erroneous warning - it was a matter of me hitting the wrong VandalProof button. I reverted my edit as soon as I realized my mistake. Hope no offence was taken. Ayla (talk) 19:56, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Neverquick  –  Diff(s): [36]

Think nothing of it, sir or madam. I was not offended at all. I understand that these things happen (in fact, the whole reason for the warning being removed above was for that same reason.). Thank you for clearing things up so quickly.--Neverquick (talk) 19:57, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Neverquick  –  Diff(s): [37]

Dear Ayla,

(Posted warning Template:Uw-vandalism2 using VandalProof)

  –  Posted: User talk:69.114.241.189  –  Diff(s): [38]

I. I felt that should respond to this immediately! 1. I affectionately respect Wikipedia; 2. I don’t use word ‘butt-head;’ 3. And I would never wrote that stupid comment about Alexander Hamilton or any other historical or public figure... 17: 15 - Eastern Time - 24 January 2008

(Removed above warning)

In response to your post on my page: yes, you are perfectly right, and I apologise (for the second time today). The vandalism was not performed by yourself, but by another IP editor, 67.43.20.82, so I fully retract the message I left earlier on your page. The mix-up was caused by a known bug in the tool I use, VandalProof, so it wasn't really my fault this time. I hope this incident doesn't deter you from continuing to contribute constructively to Wikipedia :-) And, on a friendly note, you should learn to sign your comments on talk pages using four tildes, like this: ~~~~. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 21:36, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:69.114.241.189  –  Diff(s): [39]

II. That was really fast. Thank you Ayla, for clearing my name! Because of that information glitch now I have one. Lesson for everybody: Registration With Wikipedia Is A MUST!! From (now known as) Tsagoy 17: 45 - Eastern Time - 24 January 2008 P.S. I will learn how to sign my comments. Thank you again.

(Posted within Template:W-graphical)

Hello Tsagoy, and Welcome to Wikipedia!

Please remember to sign your name on talk pages by clicking or using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your username and the date. Also, please do your best to always fill in the edit summary field. Below are some useful links to facilitate your involvement.

(The first sentence above is just a refresher; you seem to have already taken up the practice.)

I'm glad a positive result came out of that glitch. Incidentally, now that you're registered, you're considerably less likely to be checked upon by the recent changes patrol. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to contact me (although I cannot always promise prompt replies) or an administrator. I hope you have an enjoyable experience!

Happy editing! Ayla (talk) 23:39, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Tsagoy  –  Diff(s): [40]

Re: Freddy Moore

Just a quick message to inform you that I've left a comment related to your COI report on the article's talk page. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 04:26, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Save-Me-Oprah  –  Diff(s): [41]

On a tongue-in-cheek note: are you a male chauvinist, or is the duplicate "This user is male" userbox on your user page accidental? Ayla (talk) 04:52, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Save-Me-Oprah  –  Diff(s): [42]

Haha; thanks for the heads up on the double userbox :P Hadn't realized. Save-Me-Oprah^(talk) 07:32, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks

I got the revision columns mixed up for the first time, thank you for correcting it! Otherwise it would look strange if I had undid a vandalism fixing revision. Texas Patriot (talk) 21:47, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

No problem; it's not the first time something similar happened to me. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 21:49, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you

- for the user page revert! :-) Scarian^{Call me Pat} 18:30, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Glad to have been of help. Nice diagram btw. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 18:33, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Scarian  –  Diff(s): [43]

Second opinion ...?

Hi. I was just wondering if you could take a look at the edit history on Brendan O'Connor (journalist). I saw your report on AIV about someone we both remember from a couple of months ago yesterday, and it dawned on me that there might be a link. Honestly, I'm not sure and it's more than likely that the two aren't connected, but if you could take a look? FlowerpotmaN·(t) 20:10, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the lead! Yes, on one hand, this user also persists in repeating an identical act of vandalism on the same article, started off using a dynamic IP, and then switched to multiple sock puppets. However, on the other hand, the IPs responsible for the recent cretin/homosexual vandalism – 83.70.230.170: [44], 83.70.239.219: [45], 83.70.234.59: [46], 83.70.250.121: [47], 83.70.240.116: [48], 83.70.235.164: [49] – are all within the 83.70.xx.xx block, which does not match with the other user's 86.42.xx.xx range. There were some earlier edits performed by a Brianofarrell which appear suspicious; however, the matching name is probably coincidental, especially since the other user's puppets' names always played on his "surname" rather than "Brian" (refer to his talk page for a list). Do you have any other evidence connecting the two? If you do, we could submit a request for checkuser (and hopefully get all socks blocked in the process). The course of action I would have recommended at this point would be semi-protecting the page, but this has already been done as we speak. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 21:41, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [50]

Replying at your talk page in a few minutes. But now that I look at the IPs, I am pretty sure that it isn't the same person. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 23:00, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [51], [52]

(reply)I ran a traceroute on the IP's just to see if I could narrow them down a bit. They are both on Eircom, but as that is still the biggest telecom company here, that's no surprise. (I just about remember when they were still the Department of Post and Telegraphs and the only telephone company here before privatization.). And they are both in Dublin, but they seem to be in different parts of Dublin. Eircom IPs are dynamically allocated, but IP ranges are assigned to telephone exchanges, so you can narrow them down a bit. So, I don't think there is a case for a checkuser here.

I probably have to choose my words carefully here, but I would expect some vandalism and pov on the Brendan O'Connor article in the normal course of events. (I can however definitely say that I am not a fan. ;) ). The edit from Brian O'Farrell account, while it definitely was a BLP infraction, doesn't fit in with the pattern of the guy I have been dealing with.

Which is why I was wondering if it was Reddyb. There were some stylistic similarities between the two. Have a look at the O'Connor coming out section in the vandalized versions, where there is bit about a relationship with a former boy-band member. Now, not that I am well-informed about boy bands or anything :O), but the band mentioned were never a big thing in this part of the world, so going for slightly obscure bands seemed odd. (OK, Rednex were a one-hit wonder here, but not exactly the first thing that would come to mind if I was going vandalizing.) BTW, and you might see my comment in the edit summaries, the quote is ripped straight from the Mark Feehily article, and he is in the Irish boy-band, Westlife. And my guy seems to know his way around the templating syntax, so he isn't new. The trolling messages and edit summaries and straight reverts were a bit similar, but I don't think they are the same guy, now that I look at it again. Anyhoo, he won't have the O'Connor article for a few days and he might wander off. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 23:57, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

I had assumed that the IP ranges belonged to different providers on the basis of them being on separate Class A networks, but apparently even that reasoning is now obsolete. Thanks for the background on eircom; I myself am not from Ireland (and where I come from, the fixed line telephony market is still monopolised heh). Re the stylistic similarities: there is the commonality of a band being involved, and I had arrived at the Mark Feehily quotation (through an edit summary of yours), but the Reddyb hoax tended to be much more subtle, evading capture for months; the Brendan O'Connor vandalism is too blatant in my opinion. And Reddyb was back at the Rednex page just two days ago (in the old 86.42.xx.xx range). My recommended short-term course of action is to semi-protect the page (as has been done for Rednex as well). If the vandalism persists over a long period, maybe the user could be community-banned on grounds of extensive sock puppetry – it wouldn't stop him, but it makes things much easier to get the new socks blocked immediately. However, for the time being, I agree that we should wait and see whether the page protection dissuades him. Ayla (talk) 18:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [53]

Replying sometime tonight, now that I am actually at a real keyboard..., but general agreement. :O) FlowerpotmaN·(t) 22:07, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [54]

• The Brendan O'Connor IP vandal came back last night and was a bit annoyed to find the page protected. He ended up getting blocked anyway for trolling and vandalism. I'll be watching the page and if it needs protection again, Ill go for it; eventually he'll get bored :O) FlowerpotmaN·(t) 15:01, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome

Thanks for your reversion of the recent attack to my user page and the AIV report. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 22:40, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Corvus cornix  –  Diff(s): [55]

We vandal hunters have to stick together.  :) Corvus cornix_talk 22:40, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

No prob...

Thanks for the reversion of that attack. Re your last message about Brendan O'Connor – I figure that keeping the page on watch would be the best option. I've myself kept Rednex under my radar since the Reddyb hoax. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 22:38, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [56]

Actually I did that revert by mobile phone :-), but the connection to the server keeps dropping. Will be back at a real computer with a real keyboard in a few minutes :-) FlowerpotmaN·(t) 23:35, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Admittedly, I hadn't understood what you'd meant in one of your recent posts ("now that I am actually at a real keyboard"), but I didn't think people had the dedication to edit Wiki by mobile. Keep up the good work! :-) Ayla (talk) 10:19, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Flowerpotman  –  Diff(s): [57]

• the dedication to edit Wiki by mobile. Madness. more like :O). Fun to try, though. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 21:50, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the pointer

Just a quick note: Preferably do not use HTML-encoded article names within internal links (e.g. [[Ruth_Martin_%28Neighbours%29|Ruth Martin]]), but instead use the actual article name (e.g. [[Ruth Martin (Neighbours)|Ruth Martin]]). This makes it easier for future editors to understand the name, and the wiki software would encode the article name automatically. Ayla (talk) 17:03, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:86.130.126.86  –  Diff(s): [58], [59]

Sorry re entities, just doing a cut and paste from the proper link, have spotted this on occasion, will try and correct in future 86.130.126.86 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 17:05, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

No problem, just thought it might serve you as useful for future edits. You can still copy and paste from the article heading (displayed at the top of the page) rather than the link address. Keep up the good disambiguation work! Ayla (talk) 17:09, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:86.130.126.86  –  Diff(s): [60]

Thanks

By the way, congratulations on your recent unanimously successful RfA. I was mostly inactive on Wiki in December, and only found out about the nomination a few days ago – otherwise I would've definitely supported you. Amusing that you mentioned that case :-p All the best! Ayla (talk) 11:27, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:PrimeHunter  –  Diff(s): [61]

Thanks. I managed without your vote ;-) I know and appreciate that you have dealt a lot more with that case. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

You sure did (manage) ;-) Reddyb happened to be my first case where I needed to collaborate with various other (more experienced) editors (including yourself, Durova, and (later) Flowerpotman) to resolve an issue. I said it's "amusing" (maybe "interesting" would have been a better choice of word) because I didn't think that you (or the others) would mention it as having been particularly annoying too, since I assumed you had encountered worse cases before. And, with due credit, it had been yourself who first shed light on the hoax at the help desk. Regards, Ayla (talk) 16:13, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:PrimeHunter  –  Diff(s): [62]

Template:Project Chanology protests, February 10 2008

Could you please restructure this with one city per line, in alphabetical order by city? Cirt (talk) 21:39, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Sure. In fact, I was thinking of converting it to a sortable table, with columns for city, state (maybe), country, and figure. However, I'm going to finish with adding back the cities first. Ayla (talk) 21:45, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Columns and the organization you suggest would be spectacular. But I think it should be simply alphabetized after that just by the city. Eh, or maybe country and city. Since you seem to be quite on the ball here, I'll defer on that part to you. Cirt (talk) 21:47, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Anyway to have some sort of autosum function at the bottoms of the min/max columns? Cirt (talk) 18:41, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Okay, no worries, just a thought. Thanks for the answer though. Cirt (talk) 21:48, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

That looks okay. Cirt (talk) 05:20, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Minor point: Cites should go after the commas. You're doing a great job on this! Cirt (talk) 19:19, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

That sounds good. Cirt (talk) 20:07, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Looks nice. Cirt (talk) 20:18, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

I see that you don't really include all the info that could be included in the cites at the template, though of course the info you give is plenty enough to satisfy WP:V. I generally use {{Cite news}} or other templates from WP:CIT, ever thought about including more info in the cites? Cirt (talk) 21:20, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, I meant other data, like publisher, author, I usually like the "work" to be italicized, minor stuff like that, no biggie. Either way, it's really great. Cirt (talk) 02:09, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Sockpupeteer

I reported him to WP:AIV, you may wish to doublecheck what I put down there. Cirt (talk) 22:58, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Result was blocked for 48 hours. Curious why you blanked the list? Cirt (talk) 23:26, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

Newscast

Best not to include the YouTube links w/ these, even commented out. Cirt (talk) 00:25, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

I wanted to leave a means for future editors (and myself) to verify the sources, but I guess the links on the talk page would be sufficient. Ayla (talk) 00:29, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, perhaps that is best. Cirt (talk) 00:32, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Brian Reddyb

You haven't seen the last of it, not by a long shot - or at least not until my Rednex contribution is fully recognised. Regards ReddyFoSho (talk) 20:27, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

  –  Posted: User talk:Ayla  –  Diff(s): [63]

Why did you blank the list of suspected/actual Brian Reddyb sock puppets? 217.67.140.50 (talk) 09:33, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks (second attempt)

Yup, time for that sock to go back in the drawer. FlowerpotmaN·(t) 23:08, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

• That got lost in the errrrr.. edit conflict with Reddy:O) FlowerpotmaN·(t) 23:11, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome!

Can i suggest something? To reduce your talk page, i suggest to try archiving! There is a bot on my talk page that archives discussions. They're automatically moved after 4 days. You can look at the template on my talk page...

Thanks!

--Party!^{Talk to me!} 18:43, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

AutoWikiBrowswe User Check

Hey! Congratulations! You are fully eligible to use AutoWikiBrowser! A admin will review it shortly and add you to the authorized list of users! --Party!^{Talk to me!} 04:01, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

AutoWikiBrowser

Hi,

I have approved you for AutoWikiBrowser. You can get to work immediately (you can download it from here). Good luck!

  jj137 (talk) 04:42, 18 February 2008 (UTC)   jj137 (talk) 04:42, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

New Message

Hi Ayla, would you mind taking a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Anonymous_%28group%29#Reworking_article_-_unwikipedian_attempt. I could use some input as to whether this meets WP:NPOV and WP:RS.DigitalC (talk) 09:43, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Done. Active link. Ayla (talk) 18:03, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Hello!

		The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
		Just feeling generous! Party!Talk to me! 03:44, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Reddyb

Brian Reddyb and his derivatives have been involved in a lot of coups recently.... :) Reddybop (talk) 12:56, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

Please state immediately your reasons for the revision at Malta

All the content I added was acceptable. if you do not state good enough reasons for your revert, it will be undone as seen as a POV pushing. Thank you 89.241.219.79 (talk) 13:34, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Explained at Talk:Malta#Languages. Ayla (talk) 13:36, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Replied there, and reverted to my revision but taken out the material in issue. We now need to discuss what you disagree with this sentence about though, as i do not have any problem with it. 89.241.219.79 (talk) 13:43, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Rather than having the page protected, I suggest you actually dicuss your reasons, as accusing me of propaganda is a very serious issue indeed. 89.241.219.79 (talk) 13:46, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

By the way, I would like to remind you not to mark your reverts with "minor" when they are not classifiable as so. Thank you. 89.241.219.79 (talk) 13:56, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

The reversion was minor since I had already contacted you on your talk page about the addition previously, and you had failed to reply, thus rendering your repeated edit contentious. Ayla (talk) 13:59, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

First of all, I replied here. And even if i had not replied, that does not make it a 'minor' edit. I suggest you read what a minor edit is. Thank you. 89.241.219.79 (talk) 14:03, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

In addition to this, is it not sexist that you said "he/she" and not "she/he"? Next time, please use "they" for a more neutral solution. :) 89.241.219.79 (talk) 14:04, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Conversely, is it not racist that you are favouring left-to-right over right-to-left? :-p Ayla (talk) 14:09, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Note: Refer to this request for checkuser. Ayla (talk) 01:03, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Stop reverting my Malta edits. It could be construed as vandalism. Regards, Maltese Reddy (talk) 17:07, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

You don't give up, do you? Reddyese indeed. Ayla (talk) 17:09, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

huh? what is Reddyese? Crystalclearchanges (talk) 17:14, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Another fabrication by a long-term sock puppeteer, hoax perpetrator, and community-banned user. Something you can safely ignore. Ayla (talk) 17:20, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Oh ok thanks. I saw you'd replied in this section, so I wasn't sure if you were talking to me. Crystalclearchanges (talk) 17:26, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

No, I was addressing the (now blocked) sock. Although I admit it was inconsiderate of him/her them to use your thread when there are plenty, on this very page, dedicated to them (1, 2, 3, 4). Ayla (talk) 17:33, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

Template:Project Chanology protests, February 10 2008 updates/new sourcing

• Sherman, Jerome L. (February 11, 2008). "Masked protesters target Scientology's 'tactics': 40 to 50 join global action, gather outside South Side office". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. PG Publishing Co., Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Black, Tim (February 11, 2008). "Who's afraid of the Church of Scientology?: It's Sunday morning, and 300 young people in Guy Fawkes masks have gathered in central London to protest against a 'creepy cult'. What's going on?". Spiked Online. spiked. Retrieved 2008-02-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Full cites for both of these are already in the article itself, so you'd have to do some moving around of cites between article/template to add these 2 stats to the template. Cheers, Cirt (talk) 22:42, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Another of the sources you added today was also helpful for the Anonymous article on grounds of its Facebook mention. Ayla (talk) 22:50, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

Done. If you're reading here: How about distributing the references amongst city names when these are given sequentially? For example, "Cities with turnouts of one hundred or more protesters included Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, Australia; Toronto, Canada; London, England; Dublin, Ireland; Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Boston, Massachusetts, Clearwater, Florida, and New York City, New York, United States.^{[58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]}" becomes "Cities with turnouts of one hundred or more protesters included Adelaide,^[58] Melbourne,^[59] and Sydney,^[60] Australia; Toronto,^[61] Canada; London,^[62] England; [...]". Or do you think that would be superfluous? Ayla (talk) 23:42, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

If you want to do that, go for it, I just am lazy at the moment. Cirt (talk) 23:58, 25 February 2008 (UTC)

OK, I'll leave it for tomorrow or Wed though. Ayla (talk) 00:01, 26 February 2008 (UTC)

No need to say "from partyvan" in the edit summaries when adding new sources. If the sources are secondary sources that satisfy WP:V and WP:RS, just the source/cite info itself will be sufficient. Cirt (talk) 22:22, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I use it to keep track of where the source was originally mentioned. It tends to be useful in cases where the source is a newscast with a YouTube link which could not be included in the citation. Do you think editors might have a problem with the partyvan site? I could copy the link/mention to the template talk page instead. Ayla (talk) 23:07, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Eh, either way, not really that anyone would have a problem w/ it, more that it's not necesary, but yea, the talk page idea would be better. Cirt (talk) 23:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

OK, thanks for the suggestion :-) Ayla (talk) 23:47, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

hey

WP:ANI: the bottom (well it might have moved up slightly now) thread is about me. They are saying I have been doing something wrong. Can you please go help prove that my contributions have been good? Thank you... Crystalclearchanges (talk) 22:19, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm sorry. Your intentions might have been good, but you still remain a banned user. If you wanted to make an unnoticed comeback, you should have picked a different topic area for editing. I filed the checkuser with a fleeting hope of proving you innocent, but ended up convincing myself that you are not. Ayla (talk) 01:16, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Info

Hello Ayla. You should know that Crystalclearchanges claims, in his user page, that you are one of three editors he "is close to". Cheers! The Ogre (talk) 23:03, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

So are you :-p I'm not acquainted with the Iamandrewrice case, so I'm not taking any assumptions on this one. I filed the checkuser report in order to settle the suspicions one way or the other, given that the user has expressed himself/herself willing. Ayla (talk) 23:20, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Yes, so am I :)! And I've asked him to remove me from that list. This user is highly suspect and this list seems like a strategy to demonstrate supposed support. I just thought you should know. See you around! The Ogre (talk) 23:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Seems more than suspicious now. I've presented my evidence at the RFCU, the case should be closed soon. Cheers! Ayla (talk) 01:16, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Brian Reddyb Coups

There are so many. The question is, however, how many can you find? Please note many of these coups were orchastrated by derivations of Brian Reddyb...makes them that bit harder to find and all the more interesting. Regards, QuintessentialReddy (talk) 10:22, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

So. As per what QuintessentialReddy has just said. How many have you found? Not quite as easy as the Rednex episode was, is it? Regards, REDeeBee (talk) 21:47, 1 March 2008 (UTC)