Managing a conflict of interest

Hello, DaveJWhitten. We welcome your contributions, but if you have an external relationship with the people, places or things you have written about in the page WorldVistA, you may have a conflict of interest (COI). Editors with a conflict of interest may be unduly influenced by their connection to the topic. See the conflict of interest guideline and FAQ for organizations for more information. We ask that you:

avoid editing or creating articles about yourself, your family, friends, colleagues, company, organization or competitors;
propose changes on the talk pages of affected articles (you can use the {{request edit}} template);
disclose your conflict of interest when discussing affected articles (see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest#How to disclose a COI);
avoid linking to your organization's website in other articles (see WP:Spam);
do your best to comply with Wikipedia's content policies.

In addition, you are required by the Wikimedia Foundation's terms of use to disclose your employer, client, and affiliation with respect to any contribution which forms all or part of work for which you receive, or expect to receive, compensation. See Wikipedia:Paid-contribution disclosure.

Also, editing for the purpose of advertising, publicising, or promoting anyone or anything is not permitted. Thank you. Chris Troutman (talk) 17:29, 4 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your information about conflict of interest. To my knowledge, I have only made changes to wiki pages to improve their quality, and sometimes to help them toward an NPOV viewpoint, never to advertise or receive compensation. I went to your user talk page Chris Troutman (talk) , and it suggested you have chosen to watch this page, so If I reply here, you will be notified that I have done so.

Is this a general message or have you felt that something I edited evinced actions in conflict of interest?

I did edit the WorldVistA page today, but as far as I know, my changes clarified some things on the page that weren't clear. I will add a note to the talk page to make sure that information is available if you think that would help someone review what I have done.

For example, the WorldVistA page blurred the distinction between the non-profit organization named WorldVistA and the software supported by WorldVistA, which is usually referenced as WorldVistA EHR. Today was the first day I realized there was actually was a WorldVistA page, actually.

I am interested in the method of revealing a conflict of interest, as the last time I mentioned a website on my User page : User:DaveJWhitten the entire page was deleted with no copy available to edit. Perhaps this was done by a bot, and the writer of the bot did not realize the problem. I choose to be generous and assume that is what happened.

Any guidance you would choose to share with me will be accepted gladly. DaveJWhitten (talk) 21:34, 4 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not characterizing your edits to that article. The boilerplate notice I posted warns against editing where you may have a conflict of interest. You do have a conflict; your current userpage says that you are "currently (as of 2020) on the board of WorldVistA". Because you are not independent of the subject, you should not edit there at all regardless of what your edits accomplish. Instead, suggest on the article's talk page what you would like to see changed. Chris Troutman (talk) 21:47, 4 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion on another page (User Talk:Fastily )

THe following is a discussion on another page: User:Fastily's page

I expect I could transclude this, but I'm not sure exactly how to transclude a section from another page, so I copied it here instead. If you can share how, I would appreciate the knowledge.

Please see WP:SELECTIVETRANSCLUSION. Chris Troutman (talk) 22:03, 4 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, my third try failed:

#1 This does not work:  {{#section-h:User Talk:Fastily|9}} 
#2 This also does not work:  {{#section-h:User Talk:Fastily|Please_review_my_current_User_page}} 
#3 This also does not work   {{#section-h:|User Talk:Fastily|Please_review_my_current_User_page}}

I'm going to read the page again.

After reading it again, I still don't know what I am supposed to do. It suggests one method (parameterization) where I edit the other page I'm planning to transclude. Since this is Fastly's User Talk page, that seems rude to me, so that method is a non-starter.

I'll try again later.

Speedy deletion nomination of User:DaveJWhitten

A tag has been placed on User:DaveJWhitten requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section U5 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because the page appears to consist of writings, information, discussions, and/or activities not closely related to Wikipedia's goals. Please note that Wikipedia is not a free web hosting service. Under the criteria for speedy deletion, such pages may be deleted at any time.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason, you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. However, be aware that once a page is tagged for speedy deletion, it may be deleted without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself, but do not hesitate to add information in line with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. If the page is deleted, and you wish to retrieve the deleted material for future reference or improvement, then please contact the deleting administrator, or if you have already done so, you can place a request here. // Timothy :: talk 13:42, 3 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I posted this this message on Timothy Blue's Talk page today:

User:DaveJWhitten

I logged into my Wikipedia account today and saw a notice on my Talk page that you have nominated my User Page for speedy deletion. The comment said that I could contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking on a button. I do NOT see this button, perhaps the software did not work properly ?

I am concerned that my effort to be verbose about myself and my interests has caused you to feel I don't have the best interests of Wikipedia at heart. It is also a bit confusing as I have made pages and edited pages for over twenty years here. Many of them anonymously, but still, I have been a participant. I remember when the Wiki wasn't even using SQL but solely text files.

Have I done something personally to offend you ? I don't think I have ever met you or interacted with you in the past. 18:02, 6 August 2020 (UTC)

There's no button because I already declined the speedy deletion. You can see the old version here, if you're curious. —Cryptic 18:04, 6 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Cryptic: Thank you for declining the speedy deletion. Could you explain more context so I don't feel paranoid ? Thank you for your advice/reply.

Speedy deletion criterion U5 (see here for the gory details) is aimed at misuse of your user page for things completely unrelated to Wikipedia, and authorizes administrators to delete qualifying pages on sight. The original examples used when the criterion was enacted were things like "fantasy online reality shows or roleplay", résumés, and social networking. Limited autobiographical information is allowed; what you currently have isn't problematic. User pages of users who've made any significant contributions aren't covered, and that doesn't describe you now. So the short version is that your user page didn't qualify for speedy deletion.

The previous deletion of your user page was, at the time, borderline, but at least defensible: you didn't have any other edits, and it could have been read as promotional by an administrator in a hurry. I think it plainly doesn't qualify anymore, now that you've made useful edits to mainspace, and I'll restore it if you want. —Cryptic 23:53, 6 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Cryptic: I appreciate your advice. I was paranoid that since I added the details about Conflict of Interest on my page that the admins didn't want to be well known. I'm glad that isn't what happened.

My (DJW) approach to Conflict of Interest issues when editing pages

@Cryptic: @TimothyBlue: @Chris troutman:'

Thank you for all of y'all's instruction. and efforts on behalf of Wikipedia.

Naturally, any pages that I actually know about are going to be the ones that I will be capable of sharing useful information, unless the change is a grammatical, spelling, or link, or REDIRECT page to make the page more useful.

This is the approach I am taking for pages which might be seen as where I have a conflict of interest

Place a notice that I intend to modify those pages on the respective talk page.
The date of that notice will be the base date used for any wait periods in this approach.
Wait at least a week or so for someone to object that the change would be a conflict of interest.
If there is an objection, I will discuss it and understand it, modifying my actions accordingly.
With no objection, I will make the changes I am thinking about, then revert the change so my change is in the page's history.
I will then add to the note on the talk page with a link to the reverted page with my intended changes
Anyone interested could look at that page, available for review by anyone who might think it is a conflict.
Wait at least a week or so for someone to object that the change would be a conflict of interest.
If there is an objection, I will discuss it and understand it, modifying my actions accordingly.
If there is no objection, I will make the change and not revert it, making the change part of the current page.

Do you have any ideas about how you think I should change this approach ?

Is there already a page on Wikipedia that discusses an approach to this kind of issue ?

16:05, 9 August 2020 (UTC)

FYI, I am now reviewing this talk page, and there is no discussion here. DaveJWhitten (talk) 21:38, 19 August 2020 (UTC)[reply]

FYI, I am now reviewing this talk page and there is still no discussion here. DaveJWhitten (talk) 15:56, 11 September 2020 (UTC)[reply]

FYI, I am now reviewing this talk page and there is still no discussion here. 14:15, 4 November 2020 (UTC)

@DaveJWhitten: The standard approach for users with COI is to have COI editors use the {{requestedit}} template, which is what you should be using for any pages you have a COI with. Thanks.--- Possibly (talk) 15:54, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your note. I need to integrate the requestedit template ties my planned approach above. DaveJWhitten (talk) 16:01, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

It's not the way we process COI edits; that is covered in WP:COI. Anyway, the subject does not appear notable and I have nominated it for deletion. --- Possibly (talk) 16:05, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

What subject does not appear to be notable that you want to delete ? 16:07, 4 June 2021 (UTC)

Confict of Interest Process Pages

First notice of Changes #1

WorldVistA - want to try to resolve some issues mentioned on the page.

 This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2016) 
 This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (June 2016)

Final changes from Step #10

WorldVistA Final version published on 16:02, 11 September 2020‎

These "notices" go on the talk page for the article, not here. You've also invented a pretty strange process here. Just use {{Requestedit}} in future, on the page page of the article. --- Possibly (talk) 15:55, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Oz or Magic Land pages

The Yellow Fog moved to draftspace

An article you recently created, The Yellow Fog, is not suitable as written to remain published. It needs more citations from reliable, independent sources. (?) Information that can't be referenced should be removed (verifiability is of central importance on Wikipedia). I've moved your draft to draftspace (with a prefix of "Draft:" before the article title) where you can incubate the article with minimal disruption. When you feel the article meets Wikipedia's general notability guideline and thus is ready for mainspace, please click on the "Submit your draft for review!" button at the top of the page. ... discospinster _talk 20:57, 19 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Fiery God of the Marrans moved to draftspace

An article you recently created, The Fiery God of the Marrans, is not suitable as written to remain published. It needs more citations from reliable, independent sources. (?) Information that can't be referenced should be removed (verifiability is of central importance on Wikipedia). I've moved your draft to draftspace (with a prefix of "Draft:" before the article title) where you can incubate the article with minimal disruption. When you feel the article meets Wikipedia's general notability guideline and thus is ready for mainspace, please click on the "Submit your draft for review!" button at the top of the page. ... discospinster _talk 20:58, 19 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Seven Underground Kings moved to draftspace

An article you recently created, The Seven Underground Kings, is not suitable as written to remain published. It needs more citations from reliable, independent sources. (?) Information that can't be referenced should be removed (verifiability is of central importance on Wikipedia). I've moved your draft to draftspace (with a prefix of "Draft:" before the article title) where you can incubate the article with minimal disruption. When you feel the article meets Wikipedia's general notability guideline and thus is ready for mainspace, please click on the "Submit your draft for review!" button at the top of the page. ... discospinster _talk 20:58, 19 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Urfin Joos and his Wooden Soldiers moved to draftspace

An article you recently created, Urfin Joos and his Wooden Soldiers, is not suitable as written to remain published. It needs citations from reliable, independent sources. (?) Information that can't be referenced should be removed (verifiability is of central importance on Wikipedia). I've moved your draft to draftspace (with a prefix of "Draft:" before the article title) where you can incubate the article with minimal disruption. When you feel the article meets Wikipedia's general notability guideline and thus is ready for mainspace, please click on the "Submit your draft for review!" button at the top of the page. John B123 (talk) 18:22, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

List of Magic Land books moved to draftspace

An article you recently created, List of Magic Land books, is not suitable as written to remain published. It needs citations from reliable, independent sources. (?) Information that can't be referenced should be removed (verifiability is of central importance on Wikipedia). I've moved your draft to draftspace (with a prefix of "Draft:" before the article title) where you can incubate the article with minimal disruption. When you feel the article meets Wikipedia's general notability guideline and thus is ready for mainspace, please click on the "Submit your draft for review!" button at the top of the page. John B123 (talk) 18:26, 21 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

How talk pages and Wikipedia processes work

Hello! I've noticed that you may not understand how to use talk pages and certain Wikipedia processes and I wanted to pass along some advice.

In the case of COI edits, you should use the {{requestedit}} template on the talk page of an article that you have a COI for. An impartial editor will then assess the requested edits. The above ten-step process ("My (DJW) approach to Conflict of Interest issues when editing pages" above, and the subsequent "notice of changes") that you invented for COI edits, which culminates in you making edits to a page for which you have COI, as long as no other editors object, is not the way we do things; use the established requestedit process instead. The current version of the article looks very much like an advertisement, which is one reason we ask editors such as yourself not to directly edit the article.

Regarding AFDs, when an article is nominated for deletion, there is a discussion on the AFD page that you are welcome to join. I am not sure what you are trying to achieve by posting the entire process of the AfD onto the article talk page, as you did here. There is no need for it, as a link to the AFD results is archived to the article talk page if the page is kept. The AFD discussion is always available on Wikipedia, whether or not the article is kept or deleted.

In general it seems like you may think talk pages are for announcing your intentions. While that is true to some degree, talk pages are mainly for back-and-forth discussion, between editors, of questions relevant to the encyclopedia. Those discussions are almost always about trying to achieve consensus. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions. --- Possibly (talk) 19:13, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I created my ten steps (10) because I did not know how else to do things. I only have a limited amount of time for Wikipedia, and I don't even know where to hang out to learn stuff like I did when Wikipedia first started. I posted the discussion page onto the talk page to make it easier for others follow what is going on. DaveJWhitten (talk) 21:03, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the specific details you gave when you proposed the page for deletion. I explained what the different acronyms meant because I took quite a while to figure all that out. DaveJWhitten (talk) 21:31, 4 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Copying within Wikipedia requires attribution

Thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia. It appears that you copied or moved text from List of Canadian voice actors into Draft:List of American voice actors. While you are welcome to re-use Wikipedia's content, here or elsewhere, Wikipedia's licensing does require that you provide attribution to the original contributor(s). When copying within Wikipedia, this is supplied at minimum in an edit summary at the page into which you've copied content, disclosing the copying and linking to the copied page, e.g., copied content from [[page name]]; see that page's history for attribution. It is good practice, especially if copying is extensive, to also place a properly formatted {{copied}} template on the talk pages of the source and destination. Please provide attribution for this duplication if it has not already been supplied by another editor, and if you have copied material between pages before, even if it was a long time ago, you should provide attribution for that also. You can read more about the procedure and the reasons at Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia. Thank you. — Diannaa (talk) 14:06, 5 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Concern regarding Draft:The Fiery God of the Marrans

Hello, DaveJWhitten. This is a bot-delivered message letting you know that Draft:The Fiery God of the Marrans, a page you created, has not been edited in at least 5 months. Draft space is not an indefinite storage location for content that is not appropriate for article space.

If your submission is not edited soon, it could be nominated for deletion under CSD G13. If you would like to attempt to save it, you will need to improve it. You may request userfication of the content if it meets requirements.