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A fact from The World's Billionaires appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 4 June 2014 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
Not done: as you have not requested a specific change. If you want to suggest a change, please request this in the form "Please replace XXX with YYY" or "Please add ZZZ between PPP and QQQ". Please also cite reliable sources to back up your request, without which no information should be added to, or changed in, any article. - Arjayay (talk) 19:05, 22 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Semi-protected edit request on 29 October 2014
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I just had a look at the last 50 edits, and with one single exception[1], all of these consisted of edits by unregistered or new users that were later reverted (and the reverts themselves - kudos to Kuru and everyone else who is watching this article). I'm normally all for enabling contributions by unregistered users, but the ratio of useful edits seems very low here. The article has seem several semiprotections of up to three months before; I propose to semiprotect it for one year and then reevaluate. Thoughts, before filing a request at WP:RFP? Regards, HaeB (talk) 06:29, 23 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I would be in agreement here. Essentially this list has one source that seems to be published the first week of March every year. Once updated, there is relatively little need for changes other than typos as above. Due to the high incidence of vandalism (usually marginally literate IP idiots replacing Bill Gates name with their own), we can deal with those kinds of minor corrections through edit requests much more efficiently than 100+ vandals and reverts in a month. Trackinfo (talk) 08:45, 23 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that we see very few constructive edits apart from the March updates and lasting semi-protection would help this article. But should we take a strategic view - is this article a useful honeypot? It is well watched and vandalism is often reverted in minutes. Which said, I wouldn't object to semiprotection at all. NebY (talk) 09:51, 25 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the request at WP:RFPP. I see the problem with this article and the constant job it is to maintain this article. At the same time we are the encyclopedia that anyone can edit. I have put Pending changes protection on the article. That means that IPs will still be able to edit, but the edits have to be accepted before it goes live. Hopefully that will stop IPs from replacing Bill Gates. Rettetast (talk) 15:03, 25 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]
[2] It still isn't working. What we have are repeated cycles of IP and single purpose new accounts editing junk, mostly replacing Bill Gates' name and a revert by an established editor. This still requires active attention from well meaning watching editors, which this proves do exist, to keep reverting such changes. In most cases, I fully support IP editors--I have been sent on incredibly interesting paths by IP edits that were legitimate. This article, with its finite source, is wikipedia's perfect sting operation. Any account that attempts to change Bill Gates' name etc. should get an automatic block. It has demonstrated it is up to no good. The rare legitimate corrections to this article can be handled by established registered users from formal edit requests 51 weeks a year. Trackinfo (talk) 11:07, 15 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's working well. Vandalism's caught at leisure without becoming generally public. Looking at this month's edits, vandalising editors aren't going on to vandalise other articles the same day, at least not with the same IPs, so they may also be gaining the impression that vandalism fails. On the face of it, we don't need to block them - which is great. NebY (talk) 13:27, 17 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: as you have not requested a specific change.