User talk:Missvain

If you are in need of help with your article or contributions please visit the Teahouse for faster assistance!

	The Drama Llama is Watching You
	The owner of this page reserves the right to delete trolling and drama at their discretion.

Visit the Archives

User talk:Luvbutrfly

User talk:Luvbutrfly is Erica, the complete newbie I met yesterday at the Hackathon.

Welcoming templates

Hello Sarah! Congratulations on your RfA for a start! I was welcoming some new users with the Teahouse templates, and I noticed that the usual welcoming templates don't have any link or mention of The Teahouse. So, I sent an email to Okeyes asking his opinion, and he's asked me to run it by yourself and "Siko" first. I can't find a user named Siko either on the Teahouse or even registered on Wikipedia, so if you do know who Okeyes is talking about could you please let them know for me? Meanwhile, your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance! Osarius - Want a chat? 14:56, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(talk page stalker)Just FYI, "Siko" is Siko Bouterse, the Head of Community Fellows at the WMF, and her Wikipedia account is User:Sbouterse (WMF). I've left her a note pointing to this thread. Cheers, Writ Keeper ⚇♔ 15:02, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Ah, thanks Writ Keeper ! Osarius - Want a chat? 15:13, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the heads up, Writ Keeper, and Hi Osarius! Nice to meet you. Man, I so wish my username was actually just Siko so it would be easier to find me. Anyhow, thanks for welcoming new editors with Teahouse templates, that is awesome! During the pilot phase of the project we did suggest adding a link to the Teahouse into some of the general welcome templates, but those suggestions were ultimately rejected. I think the main reason at the time was that Teahouse was still felt to be an unproven concept, and those who suggested adding it were fairly invested in the project - Sarah and I definitely have a POV on this issue, we obviously think the Teahouse is great :-). I do still see value in having Teahouse added to welcome templates as a resource for new editors, but it will be up to community members to start that discussion again and decide if this is the right thing to do. Siko (talk) 17:27, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks Siko and Writ for chiming in! And hi Osarius! Yes, what Siko said is true. It is up to the community - it got a little too chaotic for me when we originally pitched it, so, I've taken the role of stepping back and enjoying a cup of tea and hoping others can fight the good fight. A good place to also start thinking about it might be to stop by the host lounge talk page at the Teahouse. I think our volunteer crew at the Teahouse would surely support the idea and love to see something happen with this. I know I would. And yes, thank you for inviting new users to the Teahouse! SarahStierch (talk) 17:30, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you all for responding, and hello Siko, it is nice to meet you too! I note you had problems when you first started the Teahouse, which is a shame - it shows to me that people don't have a lot of confidence in new projects. But the Teahouse is open and established now with more people getting involved but not enough people to help out, hence my suggestion. I shall post the idea on the host lounge talk page and see what concencus I get. Thanks all! Osarius - Want a chat? 14:45, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi Osarius! You know, the best place to probably do this is at the welcome template talk page. We've talked about this extensively and everyone agrees - we need it on the welcome template. So, if you're feeling up for it, go for it and drop by the talk page at the Teahouse and let us know so people can keep an eye (or participate) in the conversation. I'd love to see this happen, but my head practically exploded while originally trying to do it. Go forth and conquer!!! SarahStierch (talk) 21:12, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

(random stalk) Osarius, maybe some of these templates will interest you: {{welcome-t}}, {{welcome-anon-t}}, {{welcome-t-anon}}. benzband (talk) 21:20, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

List of Speakers of the Croatian Parliament

Hello Sarah! A problem has occured. I added the Speakers of the pre-independence Croatian Sabor, but user Sundustund removed them. I do't know why. I have sent him a question, but it is still unanswered. Best wishes! Torstrand (talk) 22:15, 25 July 2012 (CEST)

Hi there - are you also Mbakkel2? Try to only use one account - people might investigate and you might get in trouble for being a sockpuppet which means you'll get blocked from editing! Anyway, I commented on the editors talk page and I encourage this discussion to take place on the talk page for the article. Sadly, my knowledge of Croatian history is lacking and I don't feel comfortable making any judgement calls. If we need to do a request for comment from the broader community we can. SarahStierch (talk) 20:52, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes please. On Norwegian Wikipedia I am Mbakkel2, on English Wikipedia I have become Torstrand. I tried to login as Mbakkel2, but in vain. I had to change my username. Torstrand (talk) 22:59, 25 July 2012 (CEST)

I replied to your answer and asked more questions.

Hello, Missvain. Your question has been answered at the Teahouse Q&A board. Feel free to reply there!
Please note that all old questions are archived after 2-3 days of inactivity. Message added by Tlqk56 (talk) 22:45, 25 July 2012 (UTC). (You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{teahouse talkback}} template).

I kept the discussion there in case someone else wanted to join in. Thanks. Tlqk56 (talk) 22:45, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

The right merge template?

Is this the right template to put on the other pages? Does it look right? Why is one link red? Is it the Novocaine??? (No pain, just lots of numbness, thanks. I cracked a baby tooth that never fell out.) I went ahead and contacted people who had contributed to these pages, going back a couple of years. Do I have to put a message on each talk page, too? {{Merge to|Ramona (novel series)|discuss=Talk:Ramona (novel series)#Merger proposal|date=July 2012}} Thanks. Tlqk56 (talk) 23:40, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Yup, that's the right one. I just added it to the Susan Kushner article. For some reason it shows up red on my talk page but blue when I place the template on a talk page. Weird!! SarahStierch (talk) 04:03, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

(talk page stalker) that's because it's in the user namespace, so the template assumes you're trying to move User:SarahStierch to User:Ramona (novel series). As a side note, this page is being listed in Category:Items to be merged because of the template. benzband (talk) 07:34, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, Benzband, for the explanation, that really had me puzzled. Anybody who says WP is simple is kidding themselves. :) And thank you Sarah, for posting the template. So now we just wait? Tlqk56 (talk) 14:45, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Yup, give it about a week. You'll probably see some conversation happen, and feel free to join in. We'll take a look at it in a week. SarahStierch (talk) 17:22, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

OK, a week is good. Thanks. Tlqk56 (talk)

Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Wison Group

Hello Sarah. I just did quite a few hours of work on my article cleaning up citations and references and I hope you can look it over again. I was able to remove all links to the www.wison.com website and replaced them with secondary source journal articles on the company. These really helped! I hope these secondary sources will help me with my submission. Let me know if there is anything else I can work on. Any suggestions? RossPKelley (talk) 05:45, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

A kitten for you!

Thanks for accepting my article!

1jtwidell (talk) 13:21, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Awe, thanks! Thank you for contributing to WIkipedia - keep up the great work! What do you think you'll work on next? SarahStierch (talk) 17:21, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Review of Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Abdullah_Baqui

Rashed.shah asked at the AfC help desk about his draft Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Abdullah_Baqui which you declined for notability concerns. I don't quite follow your reasoning; while the research papers are primary sources, the coverage in the Gulf Times and by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha alone should suffice to establish notability, and if the extended biography in The Lancet is considered a secondary source (not sure about that; it's in the context of a paper he published in The Lancet), there cannot be any doubt. I'll give him some advice on how to improve the draft, but if you see a notability issue despite multiple news sources, could you please explain on the help desk? Thanks in advance, Huon (talk) 16:26, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Question regarding Teahouse database report

Hi Sarah! Just as personal preference, I have been using {{User:Hajatvrc/th}} to invite new users to the Teahouse. First of all, is this okay? Second, since I keep the original Wikipedia:Teahouse/Invitation template's code intact (with the Category:Wikipedia users who received a Teahouse invitation part) and just change the message, will this be recognized by HostBot and therefore be updated at the database report? I understand that one can use the original invite template and change the message manually, but it is easier to just use {{User:Hajatvrc/th}}.
Also, is it appropriate to add notes in the Already invited? column of the "Newish Editors" section if a user is intentionally not invited, say, because they have an in-progress SPI going on? hajatvrc @ 21:29, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi Hajatvrc! Thanks so much for helping out in the Teahouse. I actually wanted to ping you about how involved you wanted to be - if you do desire to be an "official" host (even if you're just inviting, or both answering questions and inviting) I would love that! If you have interest doing so, feel free to make a profile here and review this. Hope you'll join in :) OK regarding invites - it's totally cool that you're inviting with your own mix of the Teahouse template and your words! I can't really answer though regarding the HostBot "stuff". So, I'm pinging Jonathan, who is the master of all things HostBot and database reportness! He'll reply soon. Thank you for all you do! SarahStierch (talk) 21:43, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for your quick response. I have added myself to the host page. hajatvrc @ 22:48, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

(comment) i wish had known abut the category before, because it wasn't added to the trio of templates (t, t-anon, anon-t) that incorporate the standard welcome. I've added the cat now, but there are bound to be dozens of pages that won't appear :( benzband (talk) 08:06, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi Hajatvrc, as it currently stands: no, if users are invited with this template, HostBot will not notice it. However, this is becoming an increasingly common issue in general as more invite templates are created, and as people move towards substituting rather than transcluding invite templates. So I'm working on a more robust invite detection solution (having HostBot check for links to Teahouse on the usertalk page, rather than specific templates), which I'll implement in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you should feel free to keep inviting people. We're no longer trying to track every invite that gets sent out, and a few stray duplicate invites in the meantime won't be the end of the world. :) I don't personally have a strong preference for which template you use... I'm psyched that you're inviting people! Keep it up! Regarding adding a 'notes' column to newish editors: I actually had a notes column in early versions of the report, but nobody used it, so I took it out. I'll add it back in (for 'newish editors' only) next time I touch that script. Cheers, - J-Mo ^{Talk to Me} _{Email Me} 18:41, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

RTG Bond

I'm a Wiki-newbie, so I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to respond to your edits to my proposed article. I figure if it's the wrong place, you can just delete it (or leave it around as a humorous gesture). I read you comment on my article "RTG Bond" and you are 100% correct -- the subject of the article does not meet notability requirements, yet. This is a new financial instrument, derivative of covered bonds and similar to a GIA, issued in 1999 and of which there is little on line (see Investors Guaranty Fund; Conseco; Moody's; Lazard Freres). At this time there are no secondary sources relating to the RTG, and until it's picked up by the financial press, there may not be any secondary coverage. To the extent that too much in the derivative markets in finance is shielded from the press, especially new products, my thought was to bring this product to the light of Wikipedia now rather than after the fact. Your call. If the article requires notability, which is both understandable and desirable, can I keep it in my sandbox until it receives notability and resubmit it then? In the future, my intention is to ferret out other new and esoteric financial instruments and write about them. Thanks for your editing and I look forward to your response. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wiki4rww (talk • contribs) 23:31, 26 July 2012 (UTC)

Your 200th kitten!

Congratulations on your 200th RFA vote :)

Callanecc (talk • contribs) talkback (etc) template appreciated. 15:40, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Whoa, yes, that's insane! Wow. :) Thanks for the kitten! SarahStierch (talk) 16:05, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

We had one guy get over 200 supports four years ago ... and fail :) The insane part is that it's 210 to zip. Well done and gratz. - Dank (push to talk) 20:00, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

And congratulations on your new mop. May you use it responsibly carefully :). Callanecc (talk • contribs) talkback (etc) template appreciated. 04:27, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Points at your RfA

Hi Sarah :), I have left some comments and points in my support at your RfA. I thought to inform you about this as it would have been both good and necessary to do so. Best Regards! TheGeneralUser (talk) 21:29, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi there, thanks for the support vote. I'm sorry that your request for me to review your editing was lost in the shuffle. From March through May I was in the process of wrapping up my masters - which included my thesis. I also have to admit one thing - being asked to review the skills and contributions of an editor whom I had never interacted with seemed a little odd and off the cuff for me. I'm flattered you'd think of me, but, I assumed it was an optional task (like Wikipedia is in general) and I also didn't quite feel comfortable criticizing someone I wasn't familiar with, nor did I have the time during spring to really focus on others contributions when I was busy with school and with my fellowship. I suppose it's a failure on my part that I did not contact you and inform you of this (it was the first time the review process was ever mentioned on my talk page!). I hope the review was valuable for you regardless of me contributing or not. I never intended to insult you by not reviewing your contributions. Thanks for all you do for Wikipedia. SarahStierch (talk) 22:02, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Well there is nothing for you to apologize for it Sarah :), i already know you are very busy on Wikipedia, let alone real life! Really no problem that a review wasn't given, you can give that to me next time when i open another editor review . I wish you best of luck with the administrator role and also that you complete (may have completed) your masters with great success! I sure do hope and plan to be a part of the Teahouse when i feel and know that i am ready for it . Regards and Happy Editing! TheGeneralUser (talk) 21:25, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

• From the looks of things, I'm practically the only person on Wikipedia who wasn't familiar with you prior to your RfA. You might as well have been the single most prolific non-admin on the entire site! But congrats on WP:200, it's clear you've left a pretty strong impression on Wikipedia. Good luck with the toolset once you gain it, which should be fairly shortly... Master&Expert (Talk) 00:03, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi Master & Expert! Thanks for coming by and for the kind words. It's really amazing - I'm quite speechless for the kind, critical, and introspective comments people left. A lot to absorb. It's also interesting how many old (but new to me) editors I am meeting (like you). It really reminds me that there are so many great people out there contributing - and makes me realize I'm not the only one (though it feels like it sometimes) fighting the good fight for free knowledge. Thank you again, and for all you do for Wikipedia yourself! SarahStierch (talk) 00:10, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations

The hell to formalities - congratulations on passing your RFA with such an overwhelming turnout. You got your wish - 200+ supports :) Though I must say I wouldn't be daring enough to run while I'm a fellow, but you're an awesome chick and I congratulate you - I just wish you told me beforehand :-) Steven Zhang ^{Get involved in DR!} 00:06, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Ah, thanks pal. Well, I never really knew when I'd ever actually do it. I was always afraid of it blowing up in my face and being some terrible experience - perhaps I just got lucky. Anyway, I really appreciate your support - as a Wikipedian, friend and fellow! SarahStierch (talk) 00:12, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Passing RFA is sometimes lucky. Passing with unanimous and over 200 support shows that you're just fucking awesome :P Steven Zhang ^{Get involved in DR!} 00:14, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Successful RFA

Hi Sarah, I have closed your RFA as successful — you are now an administrator. Please consider the guidance at Wikipedia:New admin school, it'll keep you from ending up here. All the best, WilliamH (talk) 00:26, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations, as the traditional new admin greeting goes: may you wield the mop with equanimity. Less seriously: when combined with the standard issue admin cape, you will look pretty fierce with that mop in your hand. —Tom Morris (talk) 00:29, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Wow, and thanks! I hit 51k when you gave me admin status, and I totally got teary eyed. :) Thank you also Tom, for putting your trust in me to associate your nomination with me! I'm pretty amazed and honored. SarahStierch (talk) 00:32, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations

Hey Sarah, I just wanted to drop by and congratulate you on your RFA. I hope you do great things with the extra set of tools and continue to see you over at the Teahouse. -- Luke (Talk) 00:27, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Yay! Congrats Sarah! Ryan Vesey Review me! 00:28, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

awe!! thank you guys! :) and thank you for supporting and the kind words - and all the awesome work you do on wiki! <3 SarahStierch (talk) 00:33, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

• I see you scraped through! Congratulations, and welcome to the crown of thorns that is adminship. --John (talk) 00:34, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you John! SarahStierch (talk) 00:38, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

• Like everyone else, I wanted to say congrats and I hope you find some good uses for the new tools. Just don't delete the main page ;-) Dennis Brown - 2¢ © Join WER 00:43, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Ha! Thanks for the tip Dennis, and thank you so much for the warm congratulations!! SarahStierch (talk) 00:45, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Well done Sarah. Very pleased for you. Tamsier (talk) 00:52, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you so much Tamiser! I really appreciate it! SarahStierch (talk) 00:53, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Almost forgot the t-shirt. —Tom Morris (talk) 00:58, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

. Um...how did you all think Sarah was going to do admin stuff without a mop and bucket? Steven Zhang ^{Get involved in DR!} 01:08, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Just stopping in to add my congrats as well. --SPhilbrick(Talk) 02:29, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations!!! --j⚛e decker^talk 02:46, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Conga rats!!!! --Orange Mike | Talk 02:57, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations, Sarah, from the resident sysoplolcat and me! --Rosiestep (talk) 03:01, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

As an aside, regarding the crappy T-shirt, I actually GOT a T-shirt from Sarah. Odd. --Jayron32 04:33, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Borrowed from another successful admin page ... Congratulations! Now get to work! :)

Seriously, you've earned it for everything you've done for the project, not the least of which is the successful launch of the Teahouse! --McDoobAU93 04:44, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Saraaah! Way to rock the RfA – you're my hero :D Accedie^{talk to me} 05:05, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congrats Sarah! TheSpecialUser ^TSU 05:51, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

• Dang, Sarah! Yer rather popular today! Sup? Best regards, Cindy(talk to me) 06:05, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

• One of the most overwhelming shows of support that I can recall ever seeing here. Very VERY impressive. Congratulations. Chedzilla (talk) 06:28, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Your RFA showed you how much you're liked here I guess! Nice one, I was astounded that you weren't already an admin though.♦ Dr. Blofeld 08:55, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

• Congratulations Sarah, you thoroughly deserve it. ItsZippy ^{(talk • contributions)} 16:25, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Congratulations :)) Kevin Gorman (talk) 02:40, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

• Congratulations! Thine Antique Pen 18:44, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

You weren't already an admin?

Congrats on passing your RFA. I guess this means we need to give you the keys to the supersecret admin club. You should be receiving your lifetime supply of 30-year-old Scotch and your own personal Batmobile. Membership has its privileges. --Jayron32 04:31, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Template:WikiProject AAA

Greetings Sarah. Congrats on the promotion. I just got an Email from a user that thought WikiProject AAA had something to do with AAA (band). Would you mind if we changed the template to Template:WikiProject Archives of American Art so its more identifying to what it actually is? This is the third or 4th time I have had someone ask about it (probably cause of my name I suspect). I created a redirect for it a while back but I think it would be a good idea to clarify it anyway. Kumioko (talk) 15:27, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

That's fine! Thanks! And thanks for your kind vote of support! SarahStierch (talk) 17:50, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. Kumioko (talk) 18:33, 28 July 2012 (UTC)

You're invited to Masterpiece Museum Edit-a-Thon!

"Masterpiece Museum" Edit-a-Thon at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and Wikimedia DC present the "Masterpiece Museum" Edit-a-Thon. Drawing from their vast vaults of art, the caretakers of the Smithsonian American Art Museum have meticulously drawn forth canvas jewels to import into Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia articles. The museum directors and staff are excited about this project, and would love to have experienced Wikimedians help in the effort! Kirill [talk] 18:07, 29 July 2012 (UTC) When August 10, 2012, 10 AM - 4 PM Where Smithsonian American Art Museum, 7th & F St NW, Washington, DC Signup Details & signup

CSD hell

Hey Sarah. Congrats on your successful RfA! Speaking of which, I've run across something that might require the use of a mop. I noticed you're the most recent admin to get in on the deletion fest over at Ruskin Fellowship. I PROD'd that article last week for notability. Then, right before the PROD was set to expire, it was CSD'd for copyvio, recreated, CSD'd for A7, recreated, deleted, recreated, and now nominated for CSD again—all within 24 hours. Wow! Anyway, what would you do? Suggest moving the article into user space for now? Page creation protection? I hate to see this continue but I am not sure how to handle it. Would you mind taking a look? Best regards. Braincricket (talk) 18:52, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

DGG has now removed the CSD template and proposed that the content is merged into Ruskin College, but I don't personally think that's a good idea, seeing as the article is completely unreferenced. Basalisk ^{inspect damage}⁄_berate 22:56, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi there! I actually don't know anything about that article - perhaps I commented on it previously and I don't remember? Maybe you're thinking of another admin (there is also Sarah the admin). I'd just merge the fellowship article into the Ruskin College article, personally, as long as citations are there. SarahStierch (talk) 01:23, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Teahouse replies

Hi, Sarah. You know I love the Teahouse, and will do what I can to support it. I've noticed over the last few days that quite a few people are just including links in their replies. I know when I started posting there, and even now, I'd usually already read the WP page and it didn't make sense to me, I needed plain English. I also know that one Teahouse principal is not to use links in replies very often. I'm just concerned that these answers aren't that helpful. I don't know if anyone has mentioned it to the people posting the replies or not, but I wanted to express my concern and thought I should start here. Thanks. Tlqk56 (talk) 01:30, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

(talk page stalker)Hey, Tlqk. Yeah, I've seen a bit of this, too, but unfortunately, I can't think of a way around it. We've tried to make the norms for replies relatively prominent, but we can't take people by the throat and force them to read and follow them. I guess the next step is to make an editnotice that talks about it, but I have a feeling that people will ignore that, too.  :( That's a necessary side-effect when we don't require people to be hosts to answer questions (which I personally am a big fan of; that's how I started at the Teahouse). Also, just FYI, the go-to place for concerns relating to the Teahouse is Wikipedia talk:Teahouse, although I'm 100% sure Sarah doesn't mind using her talk page for it, either. ;) Writ Keeper ⚇♔ 02:45, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

I know there's no requirement, and that seems important to keep on people's good side WP-wise. I'll admit I find it ironic that folks who won't read a policy page about hosting Teahouse keep sending other people links for pages to read... The Teahouse was the ONLY place on WP that I felt comfortable for the first few months, because of it's friendly, low-key style, so I guess I'm sensitive to it. I guess I just wanted to make sure TPTB are noticing. Sometimes things slip through the cracks. FWIT, would it be possible to have a way for all the answers to start with a boiler-plate "Welcome to the Teahouse" or something? Tlqk56 (talk) 03:57, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

teahouse thanks

Hello Sarah, Thanks very much for your invite to the Teahouse! Seems a great resource for folks new to wikipedia, looking forward to ascending the newbie learning curve! Hope you're well Kitfox32 (talk) 11:28, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

OTRS wording for Tea House

Sarah, it was great to finally meet you at Wikimania. That was quite an event, and leaves me pumped up to get more involved.

As I mentioned, in our brief exchange during the photo shoot (as an aside, when do we get to see the photo?) I want to create OTRS boilerplate language covering the Tea House. I write this recognizing the irony - one of the goals (I think) of the Tea House is to be personal, bespoke, while avoiding jargon and standardized wording, so designing a boilerplate paragraph is a bit in conflict with that goal. That said, I always use the template responses as a start. Sometimes they are on point, and I simply use them, but sometimes I use them as a starting point and modify them, so the same general advice can apply here; I think we can come up with a decent, descriptive paragraph, and hope that OTRS agents with modify as needed.

While I've had this on my to do list, I was motivated to write to you today, because I just handled two OTRS requests where I thought it made sense to point out the Tea House. I don't think either response works as a template, because I tried to tailor to the specific situation, but they may both be worth reviewing.

As seems to be always the case when I start a small task, it grows to a larger one.

My original goal as to come up with wording which urged editors to check out the Tea House, and described it briefly. However, when I was writing one response, I decided I should mention both the help desk and the Tea House. I'm obviously interested in your view about how I distinguished the two.

I notice that the permissions list of standard response does not have one on either the Tea House or the help desk, but the Info queues do have a help desk referral item.

So the next question - should there be a Tea House referral (only), and agents choose the help desk or the Tea House, depending on the situation? Frankly, I don't like that option. I'd prefer to expand the Help Desk referral. That response currently reads, so you don't have to look it up:

Thank you for contacting us for assistance. However, we are unable to assist you with this matter via email.

Instead, we suggest that you direct your inquiry to our help desk <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:Y>, which is staffed by a larger group of volunteers who are experts on issues such as searching, printing, how to edit, and problems with particular web browsers.

Anything you post to the help desk will become public. Therefore, we do not recommend that you post personal information such as email addresses or phone numbers.

My current thinking is that we work on an expansion to this, then add it to the permissions queue.

Another niggling point is that the help desk response is written in the context of someone writing to info, while I want one designed for someone who writes to permissions, and then starts asking other questions, or may not ask questions, but clearly need some help. We may need either a tweak, or a separate response.

OK, now I'm rambling, so I'll stop, and just post the links to the two OTRS threads:

• 2012071310001939

• 2012070910001474 --SPhilbrick(Talk) 13:47, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Great to hear from you and it was also great to meet you at Wikimania. I'm sorry we weren't able to talk more. I feel Wikimania, this year, had me being pulled in a million different directions. First, one editorial note: It's the Teahouse not Tea House :)

Second, you can learn a bit more about what makes the Teahouse different than other help spaces on meta, here. We also feel that the Teahouse is different than the Help Desk in that the Help Desk is more for technical questions. At the top of the Help Desk page they actually created this: "New users: You may also ask your questions at the Teahouse, an area specifically for new users to get help with editing, article creation, and general Wikipedia use, in a friendly environment. There is also a new contributors' help page."

I took a look at your OTRS responses. I do think it's important that we explain what a host is. I'd probably state that the Teahouse is "staffed" with a group of friendly Wikipedians who are there to help answer any questions new editors have about Wikipedia. I would love to see an OTRS response with the Teahouse in it, however, it's up to the community to propose that, I can't (for various reasons not worth getting into). We're hoping that the community will take the lead and try again to add the Teahouse link to the main welcome template, but, no luck thus far. (I tried to lead it originally and ran into such strong backlash that we decided it's best I not lead the fight!)

I hope this has helped a bit. Generally when I reply to people and share the Teahouse link with them I tell them it's a friendly space where experienced editors are waiting to answer any questions that new and experienced editors, like yourself. Not sure how much it really helps, but, at least they know there is an option. Thank you so much for wanting to lead on this re: OTRS! SarahStierch (talk) 17:12, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for your response. I accept there's a need for separation, so I'll be happy to take the lead. Given your knowledge of the place, your suggestions are helpful. For example, I've been there many times, and just now, after your prompting, noticed that there is no space. (not that it is an acceptable excuse, but I keep wanting to call it a Tea room, and keep reminding myself that it isn't tea room it is tea house, so managed to pound the wrong phrase into my head.)

Good thoughts on wording, I'll work something up.--SPhilbrick(Talk) 18:20, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Teahouse

Hey Doctree :D You probably should add yourself to the WP:Teahouse/Hosts page, darnit ;) SarahStierch (talk) 17:21, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

OK, with others piling on {melodramatic sigh}, I might as well. But I'm sticking with my strong coffee. DocTree (talk) 17:47, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

I did too, thanks for the reminder. :D Keilana|^{Parlez ici} 17:56, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Doc, does this make you the first person to make the jump from guest to host? We should throw a party! ;) Writ Keeper ⚇♔ 18:01, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Yay!!! *does a happy dance* SarahStierch (talk) 18:05, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Re: Hey!

I know you are redirecting your talk page, but, I wanted to drop by and say hi and see if you're doing okay. If you need anything, feel free to ping. Sarah (talk) 02:29, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your kindness. I've been trying to edit logged out for a while, but eventually the same kind of wikistalking happened again, with another editor who was unhappy with my work on one article (actually just its talk page) challenging and undoing my work on other articles out of spite. Let me ask you this, please: Am I allowed to create different accounts for different subject matter? I am thinking of creating different login names for editing different topics. Is that allowed? Npmay (talk) 18:00, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi there! I inquired about your question with a few folks who are well and trusted community members. I was told that a good place for you would be Wikipedia:Clean start. Make sure you leave your retired template up on your Npmay account, btw. I was also told the important part of a CLEANSTART is that you stay away from the areas that have caused you trouble when you start editing with the new account. So if you want to be avoid any problems, just don't edit those subjects (I know it's hard, but it's for your sanity)!. If you still want to focus on those areas, have a longer break and then come back once things have calmed down. I hope this helps (And feel free to send me an email (See the link on the left) when and if you make a new account, if you want, I'll keep it quiet). SarahStierch (talk) 21:32, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

I think I'd rather just stay logged out and reset my IP address every day than give in to bullying and stop editing things I care about. Npmay (talk) 22:01, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Question on the TH about history merges.

Hey Sarah, I just wanted to check with you that I provided the right information to a question at the TH. The user was asking about an administrator's ability to merge page histories, and I thought that this would not be necessary in this particular case. The conversation is here. If my information is incorrect, the correct info would be appreciated. Thanks! hajatvrc @ 18:25, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

I saw the question and I don't have an answer. I'm hoping someone else can chime in! SarahStierch (talk) 18:26, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

I responded there. More information is available at Wikipedia:How to fix cut-and-paste moves. I don't feel that it is entirely necessary, but didn't expand on that at the Teahouse. Ryan Vesey 18:41, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Ha, that is one of those pages I could just never make it all the way through. I would have to have had about six cups of coffee before hand. hajatvrc @ 19:00, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Also, questions like this should probably be best asked at WP:Teahouse/Host lounge talk page. I wish I knew it all, but, we've got an awesome crew of folks who generally, when our powers are combined, do! SarahStierch (talk) 21:29, 30 July 2012 (UTC)