User talk:Xanderlent/Signpost
This page exists to allow easy delivery and organization of signpost issues.
The Signpost: 25 February 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Questions raised over WMF partnership with research firm
A report from the external research firm Lafayette Practice has declared that the Wikimedia Foundation is the "largest known participatory grantmaking fund." Several concerns have been raised with the report, the phrase being used (participatory grantmaking), the now-former Wikipedia article on that phrase, and an alleged conflict of interest by WMF staff members.
- Op-ed: Text from Wikipedia good enough for Oxford University Press to claim as own
Doc James tells us that "The one good thing that has come out of all of this is that Wikipedia’s content passing a major textbook publisher review processes is some external validation of Wikipedia’s quality."
- In the media: WikiGnomes and Bigfoot
Andrew McMillen's February 3 profile of and his quest to rid Wikipedia of the phrase "comprised of" has been one of the most widely circulated and commented upon media stories about the encyclopedia recently.
- Featured content: The Moon, Mars, Venus, and Saturn, in no particular order. Also, Kaiser Kong.
Eleven articles and twenty pictures were promoted in the week covered by this report.
- Gallery: Far from home
The Gallery is an occasional Signpost feature highlighting quality images and articles from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons based on a particular theme, as well as an article you could help improve. This week, we feature subjects that are "far from home".
- Traffic report: Fifty Shades of... self-denial?
An odd juxtaposition this week, as interest in Fifty Shades of Grey coincided with the observance of the Chinese New Year and the annual festival of penance, Ash Wednesday.
- Recent research: Gender bias, SOPA blackout, and a student assignment that backfired
A monthly roundup of Wikimedia-related research
- WikiProject report: Be prepared... Scouts in the spotlight
This week's project is on a youth activity, one of the largest in the world; its project is commensurately large, containing around 136 active editors. It's WikiProject Scouting, a group of editors whose remit is everything relating to the Scouting movement, which has around 42 million members worldwide and celebrated the centenary of its founding only eight years ago.
- Blog: Join the Wikimedia strategy consultation
Editor's note: the Blog will be a recurring Signpost section that will highlight a recent post from the Wikimedia blog, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. This week's installment is written by Philippe Beaudette, the Foundation's Director of Community Advocacy, and focuses on planning for the future of the Wikimedia movement.
The Signpost: 25 February 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Questions raised over WMF partnership with research firm
A report from the external research firm Lafayette Practice has declared that the Wikimedia Foundation is the "largest known participatory grantmaking fund." Several concerns have been raised with the report, the phrase being used (participatory grantmaking), the now-former Wikipedia article on that phrase, and an alleged conflict of interest by WMF staff members.
- Op-ed: Text from Wikipedia good enough for Oxford University Press to claim as own
Doc James tells us that "The one good thing that has come out of all of this is that Wikipedia’s content passing a major textbook publisher review processes is some external validation of Wikipedia’s quality."
- In the media: WikiGnomes and Bigfoot
Andrew McMillen's February 3 profile of and his quest to rid Wikipedia of the phrase "comprised of" has been one of the most widely circulated and commented upon media stories about the encyclopedia recently.
- Featured content: The Moon, Mars, Venus, and Saturn, in no particular order. Also, Kaiser Kong.
Eleven articles and twenty pictures were promoted in the week covered by this report.
- Gallery: Far from home
The Gallery is an occasional Signpost feature highlighting quality images and articles from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons based on a particular theme, as well as an article you could help improve. This week, we feature subjects that are "far from home".
- Traffic report: Fifty Shades of... self-denial?
An odd juxtaposition this week, as interest in Fifty Shades of Grey coincided with the observance of the Chinese New Year and the annual festival of penance, Ash Wednesday.
- Recent research: Gender bias, SOPA blackout, and a student assignment that backfired
A monthly roundup of Wikimedia-related research
- WikiProject report: Be prepared... Scouts in the spotlight
This week's project is on a youth activity, one of the largest in the world; its project is commensurately large, containing around 136 active editors. It's WikiProject Scouting, a group of editors whose remit is everything relating to the Scouting movement, which has around 42 million members worldwide and celebrated the centenary of its founding only eight years ago.
- Blog: Join the Wikimedia strategy consultation
Editor's note: the Blog will be a recurring Signpost section that will highlight a recent post from the Wikimedia blog, run by the Wikimedia Foundation. This week's installment is written by Philippe Beaudette, the Foundation's Director of Community Advocacy, and focuses on planning for the future of the Wikimedia movement.
The Signpost: 04 March 2015
[edit]- From the editor: A sign of the times: the Signpost revamps its internal structure to make contributing easier
We received a large amount of feedback in our survey indicating that our readers found the idea of contributing to the Signpost difficult due to our opaque internal structure.
- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation and OTRS team both publish reports, indicate operating changes
The Wikimedia Foundation released their Quarterly Report last week covering the three months October to December of 2014.
- Editorial: Conspiracy theories distract from real questions about grantmaking report
Last week, my colleagues on the Signpost produced a news report covering a minor controversy about a report commissioned by the Wikimedia Foundation. Written by the staff of The Lafayette Practice, a French research firm, it proclaimed the WMF as a leader in the practice of participatory grantmaking.
- Traffic report: Attack of the movies
The Report this week is dominated by the Academy Awards, taking the top 4 spots and 13 of the Top 25.
- Arbitration report: Bradspeaks—impact, regrets, and advice; current cases hinge on sex, religion, and ... infoboxes
In the first of what the author hopes will become a regular feature of the Arbitration report, the Signpost speaks to veteran arbitrator Newyorkbrad, who recently retired from the committee after almost seven years of arbitrating. The Signpost was keen to hear his thoughts on his time on the committee and on the past, present, and future of ArbCom.
- Interview: Meet a paid editor
Before being indefinitely blocked, User:FergusM1970 made more than 4600 edits on the English Wikipedia, spread over eight years. In the last two years, he was paid to edit several articles for clients that included the Venezuelan energy company Derwick Associates. We spoke with him about his experiences.
- In the media: Kanye West rebranded; Wikipedia in court; editors for hire
Numerous news outlets are reporting that the domain loser.com now redirects to the Wikipedia article for rapper Kanye West. Page views on West's Wikipedia article skyrocketed to almost 250,000 views on March 2, up from less than 19 thousand the previous day.
- Featured content: Ploughing fields and trading horses with Rosa Bonheur
Two featured articles, four featured lists, and 38 featured pictures were promoted this week..
- Technology report: Bugs, Repairs, and Internal Operational News
The Signpost has arranged to mirror Tech news from Meta-Wiki to supplement the long-form tech coverage in our infrequent Technology report..
- Blog: Black History Month edit-a-thons tackle Wikipedia’s multicultural gaps
Black History Month is celebrated annually in the United States in February, to commemorate the history of the African diaspora. For this occasion, Wikipedians worked together to honor black history and to address Wikipedia's multicultural gaps in the encyclopedia, hosting Wikipedia edit-a-thons throughout the United States, from February 1 to 28, 2015.
The Signpost: 11 March 2015
[edit]- Special report: An advance look at the WMF's fundraising survey
The Wikimedia Foundation gave the Signpost an advance copy of the results of a survey of English Wikipedia readers regarding Wikimedia fundraising, due for official release today.
- News and notes: WikiWomen's History Month—meetups, blog posts, and "Inspire" grant-making campaign
The community has arranged a number of commemorative initiatives focused on the gender gap, under the banner "WikiWomen's History Month".
- In the media: Gamergate; a Wiki hoax; Kanye West
ThinkProgress tech reporter Lauren C. Williams wrote a long article on how the Gamergate controversy has spilled over onto Wikipedia.
- In focus: WMF to NSA: "stop spying on Wikipedia users"
In an effort to protect and maintain the privacy of Wikipedia's thousands of editors, the Wikimedia Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the United States' National Security Agency, Department of Justice, and the Attorney General.
- Traffic report: Wikipedia: handing knowledge to the world, one prank at a time
A dull week, with only three new entries in the top 10; a UFC champion, a Google Doodle and a Hindu festival involving people throwing powder at each other (though that does sound fun).
- Featured content: Here they come, the couple plighted –
Six featured articles, three featured lists, and forty featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Op-ed: Why the Core Contest matters
I continue to be excited about the Core Contest because I see it as a way of encouraging the expansion of broad articles that are typically neglected by our article improvement incentives.
The Signpost: 18 March 2015
[edit]- From the editor: A salute to Pine
We announce with sadness and gratitude that Signpost publication and newsroom manager Pine will be stepping back to focus on other Wikipedia and Wikimedia-related endeavors.
- News and notes: SUL finalization imminent; executive office shake-ups at the Foundation
This process is now entering its long-awaited final phase with the upcoming SUL finalization, scheduled for April 15, less than a month away. ... Wikimedia Foundation chief talent and culture officer Gayle Karen Young announced her retirement from the Foundation this week. Young will be replaced in that role by interim chief operating officer Terry Gilbey. According to the Foundation's job description for the title as it was applied in the past, Gilbey will be in charge of "overall administration and business operations of the Wikimedia Foundation."
- In the media: NYPD editing articles regarding allegations of police brutality and misconduct
On March 13, Kelly Weill of Capital New York revealed that numerous Wikipedia edits originated from 1 Police Plaza, the headquarters of the NYPD. Most of the attention has focused on a number of their edits to articles about incidents of alleged police brutality and controversial police practices.
- Op-ed: Does the Wikimedia fundraising survey address community concerns?
The publication of the Wikimedia survey findings on fundraising questions came three months after significant concerns were voiced about the design and wording of the December 2014 fundraising banners and e-mails.
- Featured content: A woman who loved kings
Four featured articles, four featured lists, and thirty-five featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: It's not cricket
If not for Kayne West's dubious repeat at #1, the 2015 Cricket World Cup (#2) would have made the top spot, albeit in a generally slow news week.
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The Signpost – Volume 11, Issue 12 – 25 March 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation adopts open-access research policy
Last week the WMF announced the release of its long-awaited open-access policy.
- Op-ed: How my father's railroad image collection now benefits the world: the value of digitization
Once when I was young, growing up in the 1990s, my father pulled his collection of railroad slides out from the basement, set up his projector, and shared a glimpse into American railway history with our family.
- Featured content: A carnival of animals, a river of dung, a wasteland of uncles, and some people with attitude
Four featured articles, three featured lists, and twenty-two featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Special report: Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year 2014
The Wikipedia Commons annual Picture of the Year contest has concluded, with 6,698 people voting, its largest participation yet.
- Traffic report: Oddly familiar
This week's list is reminiscent of lists from the early days of this project: a preponderance of famous faces, Reddit threads, and Google Doodles.
- Recent research: Most important people; respiratory reliability; academic attitudes
The authors attempt to answer the question "Who are the most important people of all times?" Their findings clearly show that different Wikipedias give different prominence to different individuals.
- Blog: The Wikipedia Library Team reflects on its new Visiting Scholars program
A university gives a top Wikipedia editor free and full access to the university library's entire online content—and the Wikipedia editor, who is unpaid and not on campus, then creates and improves Wikipedia articles in a subject area of interest to the institution.
The Signpost, 1 April 2015
[edit]- In focus: WMF's latest strategy document shows successes, vagueness, and the need for better data
The Wikimedia Foundation this week released a State of the WMF report, a 38-page "snapshot" of where it is and where it wants to go in the future.
- In the media: Wiki-PR duo bulldoze a piñata store; Wifione arbitration case; French parliamentary plagiarism
TruthRevolt targets another editor; edit stage right; the Nine Best Hoaxes to Have Hit Wikipedia
- Featured content: Stop Press. Marie Celeste Mystery Solved. Crew Found Hiding In Wardrobe.
Six featured articles, first featured lists, and twenty-four featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: All over the place
The Report is more of a mix of random topics than usual this week. The top spot is taken by Bhutanese passport, a Wikipedia article which contained a crazed spoken word version which drew widespread attention.
- News and notes: New edits-by-mail option will "revolutionize" Wikipedia and its editor base
The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) will announce later today that it will begin accepting edits by mail for all of the projects under its scope, including Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons.
- Special report: Pictures of the Year 2015
The Wikimedia Commons' annual Picture of the Year contest has concluded. The first 53 top-voted entries were disqualified because they were all nude.
The Signpost: 01 April 2015
[edit]- In focus: WMF's latest strategy document shows successes, vagueness, and the need for better data
The Wikimedia Foundation this week released a State of the WMF report, a 38-page "snapshot" of where it is and where it wants to go in the future.
- In the media: Wiki-PR duo bulldoze a piñata store; Wifione arbitration case; French parliamentary plagiarism
TruthRevolt targets another editor; edit stage right; the Nine Best Hoaxes to Have Hit Wikipedia
- Featured content: Stop Press. Marie Celeste Mystery Solved. Crew Found Hiding In Wardrobe.
Six featured articles, first featured lists, and twenty-four featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: All over the place
The Report is more of a mix of random topics than usual this week. The top spot is taken by Bhutanese passport, a Wikipedia article which contained a crazed spoken word version which drew widespread attention.
- News and notes: New edits-by-mail option will "revolutionize" Wikipedia and its editor base
The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) will announce later today that it will begin accepting edits by mail for all of the projects under its scope, including Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Commons.
- Special report: Pictures of the Year 2015
The Wikimedia Commons' annual Picture of the Year contest has concluded. The first 53 top-voted entries were disqualified because they were all nude.
The Signpost: 08 April 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: We are drowning in promotional artspam
Wikipedia has been gravitating towards a vehicle for business and product promotion for too long.
- News and notes: Advancement department to be created at the Foundation, milestone fixes
March saw a number of high-level hirings and executive reorganizations in the Wikimedia Foundation.
- In the media: Wikipedia on 60 Minutes, Kickstarter, and in the classroom
The venerable CBS news program 60 Minutes profiled Wikipedia and the Wikimedia community.
- Traffic report: Resurrection week
How appropriate that the theme of Easter week would be resurrection from the dead.
- Featured content: Partisan arrangements, dodgy dollars, a mysterious union of strings, and a hole that became a monument
Four featured articles, seven featured lists, and 23 featured pictures were promoted this week.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Christianity
With Holy Week having recently drawn to a close, it is an apt time to examine WikiProject Christianity, which was created in 2006, and boasts over 200 active members.
- Arbitration report: New Functionary appointments
The Committee has voted on the 2015 appointments to the Functionary team.
- Technology report: Bugs, Repairs, and Internal Operational News
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.
The Signpost: 15 April 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Erik Möller leaving Foundation; annual plan grants under community review
The Wikimedia Foundation's vice president for engineering, Erik Möller, will leave the WMF on April 30.
- In the media: Saving Wikipedia; Internet regulation; Thoreau quote hoax
Time profiles Lila Tretikov, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, and paints a grim picture of the challenges faced by Tretikov and the encyclopedia.
- Blog: Single-User Login provides access to all wikis
Later this month, everyone will be able to use the same user name on every wiki, thanks to Single-User Login.
- Traffic report: Furious domination
If it wasn't for Easter, Fast and Furious related articles would have taken the top four spots this week. The latest installment of the movie franchise, Furious 7, tops the chart for the second straight week.
- Featured content: Au-delà de les Alpes, le chien lit de Sainte Bernard. Sous les pavés, les trimes d'argent! Mes enfants, suivez-moi!
Six featured articles, four featured lists, and fourteen featured pictures were promoted this week.
The Signpost: 22 April 2015
[edit]- Special report: Sony emails reveal corporate practices and undisclosed advocacy editing
A Signpost investigation of the released data has revealed Sony's corporate practices regarding Wikipedia and uncovered what appears to be undisclosed advocacy editing of Wikipedia by Sony employees and possibly by others.
- In the media: UK political editing; hoaxes; net neutrality
Wikipedia appears to have been drawn into the drama of the upcoming, hotly contested UK general election.
- News and notes: Call for candidates as the movement approaches the Wikimedia Board elections
The Affiliates Committee this week announced the organization of a community referral for comment, currently open on the meta-wiki, to address upcoming changes to the way that the Affiliations Committee will review movement-affiliated user-groups in the future.
- In focus: 2015 Wikimedia Foundation election preparations underway
2015 will see through the biennial community election for the three community-elected seats on the Board of Trustees—the "ultimate corporate authority" of the Wikimedia Foundation and the level at which the strategic decisions regarding the Wikimedia movement are made.
- Featured content: Vanguard on guard
Six featured articles and fifteen featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: A harvest of couch potatoes
Couch potatoes rule this week, as 9 of the top 10 slots were taken by either movies, TV, or sports.
- Gallery: The bitter end
The Gallery is an occasional Signpost feature highlighting quality images and articles from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons based on a particular theme.
The Signpost: 29 April 2015
[edit]- Wikimania: Choice of small village for Wikimania 2016 ruffles feathers
Esino Lario is set to host Wikimania 2016, but volunteers and others have raised a host of concerns that raise serious questions about the town's suitability for hosting such a large conference.
- News and notes: Wiki Loves Monuments evaluation sees diminishing returns and increasing cost
The evaluations reveal that in the last three years, WLM has possibly fallen victim to its own success and seen diminishing returns.
- In the media: Scottish MEP blocked for edit warring; ranking articles by importance
David Coburn, a Member of the European Parliament for the Scotland region for the UK Independence Party, was blocked from editing Wikipedia on April 6.
- Featured content: Another day, another dollar
Ten featured articles, nine featured lists, and twenty-eight featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: Bruce, Nessie, and genocide
Though the continued predominance of movies, TV, and sports noted in last week's report largely continues, three additional topics joined the Top 10 this week.
- Recent research: Military history, cricket, and Australia targeted in Wikipedia articles' popularity vs. quality; how copyright damages economy
Reader demand for some topics (e.g. LGBT topics or pages about countries) is poorly satisfied, whereas there is over-abundance of quality on topics of comparatively little interest, such as military history.
- Technology report: VisualEditor and MediaWiki updates
The Signpost: 06 May 2015
[edit]- News and notes: "Inspire" grant-making campaign concludes, grantees announced
The Wikimedia Foundation this week announced the winning grantees in March's "Inspire" grant-making campaign.
- Featured content: The amorous android and the horsebreeder; WikiCup round two concludes
Seven articles, three lists, and ten pictures were promoted to "featured" status this week. The second round of the WikiCup has ended.
- In the media: Guggenheim image donation; Wiki campaign gets advertising award
artnet and The Next Web report (May 6) that the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is releasing a hundred images of works in its collection under Creative Commons licences in conjunction with a May 19 editathon.
- Special report: FDC candidates respond to key issues
Elections have begun for five community members of the Funds Dissemination Committee, the Foundation's volunteer body for judging and recommending millions of dollars worth of annual grants to affiliates in the movement. The election lasts just eight days, from Sunday 3 May until 23:59 UTC on Sunday 10 May, so at the time of publication, voters will need to act promptly.
- Traffic report: The grim ship reality
Like colliding ocean liners, rousing entertainment and harsh reality merged ungainly in this week's top 10 list. The much heralded pay-per-view pummeling of Manny Pacquiao by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. dominated the list's top slots, giving this list one of its highest total view counts in months.
The Signpost: 13 May 2015
[edit]- Foundation elections: Board candidates share their views with the Signpost
Three community-elected seats on the Board of Trustees—the ultimate governing authority of the Wikimedia Foundation—will be decided by Wikimedians in the election to be held 17–31 May.
- News and notes: Swedish Wikimedia chapter organizes simultaneous Wikidata contests
This week has been a busy one for the Wikidata project, with nearly simultaneous Wikidata contests, both organized by Wikimedia Sweden, now underway.
- Traffic report: Round Two
Casual viewers may think I've posted the same list twice. But no, readers just happen to be really interested in May 2's Big Fight. In fact, last week was just the weigh-in and the trash talk. This week, the numbers actually increased.
- In the media: Grant Shapps story continues
Grant Shapps, who was the co-chairman of the UK's Conservative Party until this week, has been accused of maliciously editing the Wikipedia biographies of his party's rivals.
- Op-ed: What made Wikipedia lose its reputation?
There is a public misconception of Wikipedia: that any anonymous editor can edit Wikipedia at any time, and cannot be tracked or identified.
- Featured content: Four first-time featured article writers lead the way
Eight articles, one list, and five pictures were promoted to featured status on the English Wikipedia in a slow week.
The Signpost: 20 May 2015
[edit]- From the editor: Your voice is needed: strategic voting in the WMF election
The Wikimedia Foundation's bi-annual Board of Trustees election is open for voting. Of the ten seats on the board, three are elected representatives of the global Wikimedia community—you.
- In focus: The awful truth about Wikimedia's article counts
The article counts of many Wikimedia wikis suddenly changed on 29 March 2015: as the Signpost reported at the time, sixty-five wikis fell below milestones tracked at the Wikimedia News Meta page, and three increased to new milestones.
- Traffic report: Inner Core
The list is topped this week by Danish scientist Inge Lehmann, thanks to a Google Doodle celebrating her 127th birthday. Lehmann discovered in 1936 that the Earth has a solid inner core. It is sometimes surprising to realize how recently such basic scientific knowledge of the Earth, which we now take for granted, was discovered.
- News and notes: A dark side of comedy: the Wikipedia volunteers cleaning up behind John Oliver's fowl jokes
Wikipedia editors logging in on May 19 found themselves walking into an unexpected amount of anti-vandal work to keep the site in line with its extensive biographies of living persons policy. A plethora of Wikipedia articles related to the United States House Committee on Appropriations, and the fifty-one representatives serving on it, have been hit by a raft of anonymous editors making often vulgar edits referencing "chicken fucker," or more creative combinations: "sexual conduct", "sexual congress", "fornicator", "intimate relations", or "trysts with chickens."
- Featured content: Puppets, fungi, and waterfalls
Three articles, seven lists, and seven pictures were featured on the English Wikipedia.
- In the media: Jimmy Wales accepts Dan David Prize
Jimmy Wales and five others accepted the 2015 Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University on May 17. The prize comes with US$1 million, ten percent of which goes to doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships.
- WikiProject report: Cell-ebrating Molecular Biology
This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing WikiProject Molecular and Cellular Biology, which has come a long way since our last interview in 2008. Like most projects, it has a long member list, but only a small subset of that group regularly contributes. With 28 featured articles and 58 top-importance start class ones, the project has clearly had some success, but has a ways to go. We talked to three regular project contributors.
- Arbitration report: Editor conduct the subject of multiple cases
The Arbitration Committee has an unusually large case load at present. Although perhaps not on a par with the high-profile, multi-party cases seen towards the end of last year and the beginning of this year, with five open cases the arbitrators are likely to be kept busy for the next several weeks.
The Signpost: 27 May 2015
[edit]- News and notes: WMF releases quarterly reports, annual plans
The Wikimedia Foundation recently switched to a quarterly report structure to better align reporting with the generally quarterly planning and goal-setting processes.
- In the media: Scrubbing Parliamentary biographies; Wikipedia's invisible history
British media reports on Wikipedia editing to articles of Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prior to the May 7 United Kingdom general election from IP addresses assigned to Parliament.
- Discussion report: A relic from the past that needs to be updated
To many, Internet Relay Chat is an old relic, but not to Wikipedia. Wikipedia currently has an IRC help channel designated to help and assist editors with editing Wikipedia.
- Featured content: When music was confined to a ribbon of rust
Fifteen featured articles, four featured lists, and six featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Recent research: Drug articles accurate and largely complete; women "slightly overrepresented"; talking like an admin
Wikipedia's articles on drugs are pretty good – good enough to impress even doctors. A new research study adds some substance to that impression.
- Traffic report: Summer, summer, summertime
As usual for the time of year, pop culture rules this week. The start of summer vacation in the US means a focus on summer movies, particularly blockbuster sequels Avengers: Age of Ultron, Pitch Perfect 2 and Mad Max: Fury Road.
- Technology report: MediaWiki blows up printers
...allegedly. In a post to wikitech-l, Steven Walling pointed out that the TV show CSI: Cyber had used a screenshot of MediaWiki's HTML output and claimed it was responsible for blowing up printers.
The Signpost: 03 June 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Three new community-elected trustees announced, incumbents out
The Wikimedia Foundation's volunteer election committee has announced the election results for the three vacant seats on the Board of Trustees. Dariusz Jemielnak, James Heilman, and Denny Vrandečić are set to take up their two-year terms on the Board. They will replace the three incumbents, all of whom stood this time unsuccessfully: Phoebe Ayers, Samuel Klein, and María Sefidari.
- Blog: How Wikipedia covered Caitlyn Jenner’s transition
Caitlyn Jenner—the American hero of the 1976 Olympics, a film actor, and prominent member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians—may now be the most famous openly transgender person in the world.
- Discussion report: The deprecation of Persondata; RfA – A broken process; Complaints from users on Swedish Wikipedia
Since the dawn of Wikipedia, or at least since 22 December 2005, the template named Persondata has existed.
- Featured content: It's not over till the fat man sings
Two featured articles and ten featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Technology report: Things are getting SPDYier
Over the past few weeks, developers have been working on improving Wikimedia's performance when users connect to it using SPDY.
- Special report: Towards "Health Information for All": Medical content on Wikipedia received 6.5 billion page views in 2013
Wikipedia appears to be the single most used website for health information globally, exceeding traffic observed at the NIH, WebMD, WHO et al..
- In the media: Anonymous Australian editing targets football player, shooting victim
More UK government vandalism; legend has it; minding the gender gap
- Traffic report: A rather ordinary week
The traffic report is nothing unusual this week, with a Google Doodle for astronaut Sally Ride topping the list, the accidental death of famous mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. at #2, and the normal fare of recent popular American movies and television.
The Signpost: 10 June 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Chapter financial trends analyzed, news in brief
This week saw the publication of the Chapter-wide Financial Trends Report 2013, a now-completed research project that examines the finances and outlays of the 36 movement-affiliated chapters.
- Traffic report: Two households, both alike in dignity
"Happy families are all alike," Leo Tolstoy said, "but unhappy families are unhappy after their own fashion."
- In the media: Arbitration case attracts media coverage; Wikipedia in Israel
UK media covers Wikipedia Arbitration case; Lila Tretikov visits Israel.
- Featured content: Just the bear facts, ma'am
Four featured articles, two featured lists, one featured topic, and twenty-eight featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Technology report: Wikimedia sites are going HTTPS only
Today it was announced that Wikimedia sites are going to become HTTPS only, finishing up 10 year effort of rolling out HTTPS.
- Blog: Making Wikipedia’s medical articles accessible in Chinese
The Medical Translation Project, an ambitious attempt to improve and translate Wikipedia’s medical content from English into other languages, began in 2012.
The Signpost: 17 June 2015
[edit]- In the media: Wikipedia wins Asturias Prize; printing out Wikipedia; HTTPS switch
The Princess of Asturias Foundation announced that Wikipedia would be the recipient of the 2015 Princess of Asturias award in the category of International Cooperation.
- Arbitration report: An election has consequences
The Arbitration Committee delivered its final decision in a case that reached the attention of the UK national press.
- In focus: Three weeks to save freedom of panorama in Europe
This would end a long-standing tradition in many countries that the skyline and the public scene should belong to everybody.
- Op-ed: Making a difference in Wikipedia, one GA at a time
We need to be ever-diligent in ensuring that articles remain of high quality.
- Technology report: HTTPS-only rollout completed; proposal to enable VisualEditor for new accounts
The rollout of HTTPS only has now been completed across all Wikimedia wikis.
- Interview: A veteran’s Wikipedia edits help him understand the brutality behind Yugoslavia’s wars
We interviewed an Australian veteran who deployed to the region as a peacekeeper and now writes articles on the region's history to help him understand what he encountered there.
- News and notes: Labs outage kills tools, self; news in brief
A more than usually severe outage Wikimedia Labs occurred after a massive database corruption implosion on June 17.
- Featured content: Great Dane hits 150
Six featured articles, seven featured lists, and seven featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Discussion report: A quick way of becoming an admin
Author's note: This might be a violation of WP:BEANS; read at your own risk.
- WikiProject report: Western Australia speaks – we are back
It wouldn't be the WikiProject report if we didn't feature an Australian topic once in a while, so this week we're looking at the left side.
The Signpost: 24 June 2015
[edit]- From the editor: The Signpost tagging initiative
Over more than a decade of weekly publication, The Signpost has accumulated an incredibly lengthy and detailed record about the issues, controversies, successes, and failures of the English Wikipedia community and the movement at large.
- Op-ed: Content Translation beta is coming to the English Wikipedia
The Wikimedia Foundation's Language Engineering team plans to introduce Content Translation—a tool that makes it easier to translate Wikipedia articles into different languages—as a beta feature on the English Wikipedia.
- Special report: Small impact of the large Google Translation Project on Telugu Wikipedia
During 2009–2011 Google ran the Google Translation Project (GTP), a program utilising paid translators to translate most popular English Wikipedia articles to various Indian language Wikipedias.
- Featured content: One eye when begun, two when it's done
Four articles and nine pictures were promoted to featured status this week.
- Recent research: How Wikipedia built governance capability; readability of plastic surgery articles
One paper looks at the topic of Wikipedia governance in the context of online social production.
- Technology report: 2015 MediaWiki architecture focus and Multimedia roadmap announced
This past week saw the kick-off of the 2015 MediaWiki architecture focus of improving our content platform.
- News and notes: Board of Trustees propose bylaw amendments
The Board of Trustees is the "ultimate corporate authority" of the Wikimedia Foundation and the level at which the strategic decisions regarding the Wikimedia movement are made ...
- In the media: Turkish Wikipedia censorship; "Can Wikipedia survive?"; PR editing
The Hürriyet Daily News reports that the Turkish Wikipedia has posted banners on the top of the encyclopedia to warn users that a number of articles are being blocked by the Turkish government.
- Blog: 7,473 volumes at 700 pages each: meet Print Wikipedia
After six years of work, a residency in the Canadian Rockies, endless debugging, and more than a little help from my friends, I have made Print Wikipedia.
- Arbitration report: Politics by other means: The American politics 2 arbitration
Clausewitz' pithy summary of warfare as "politics by other means" seems to be the motto of some Wikipedia editors.
The Signpost: 01 July 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Training the Trainers; VP of Engineering leaves WMF
This week The Center for Internet and Society published a promotional blog post highlighting the heritage of the center's creation of the Train the Trainer program.
- In the media: EU freedom of panorama; Nehru outrage; BBC apology
A week now remains until the vote, expected on 9 July, when the European Parliament will express either its approval, disapproval, or lack of opinion on the question of freedom of panorama in the European Union.
- WikiProject report: Able to make a stand
Here to share their wisdom are Dodger67, Penny Richards, LilyKitty, and Mirokado of WikiProject Disability
- Featured content: Viva V.E.R.D.I.
Four featured list and twelve featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: We're Baaaaack
For the week of June 21 to 27, 2015, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the most viewed pages.
- Technology report: Technical updates and improvements
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.
- Blog: These Texans are on a quest to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of their state’s revolution
Like many editors of the world's largest encyclopedia, Karanacs was browsing the site's articles and found that they were of relatively poor quality—and that the traditional narrative she'd learned was not necessarily accurate.
The Signpost: 08 July 2015
[edit]- Editorial: So you want to get your message out. Where do you turn?
It seems like a good time to discuss the various communications channels available to community members.
- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation annual plan released, news in brief
Lila Tretikov this week posted an email to the wikimedia-l mailing list announcing the final publication of the Wikimedia Foundation's 2015 annual plan.
- In the media: Wikimania warning; Wikipedia "mystery" easily solved
The mayor of Esino Lario warns that Wikimedia 2016 is "at risk of disappearing".
- Traffic report: The Empire lobs back
It's July 4 weekend and on this list that means only one thing: Wimbledon. Sure, the American Independence Day gets noticed too, but it can't hold a candle to that staggeringly British sporting event.
- Featured content: Pyrénées, Playmates, parliament and a prison...
12 featured articles, 2 featured lists, and 15 featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.
The Signpost: 15 July 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: On paid editing and advocacy: when the Bright Line fails to shine, and what we can do about it
"How long will this take?" This is one of the first questions new clients ask. They come to us because the Wikipedia entry about the company at which they work is wrong, incomplete, or even just outdated. The answer varies ...
- Traffic report: Belles of the ball
However coy they may be about it in public, Americans love to win. And when they do, they make no secret of it.
- WikiProject report: What happens when a country is no longer a country?
We return this week with an interview with a historical project that's still fairly active, WikiProject Former countries.
- In the media: Shapps requests WMUK data; professor's plagiarism demotion
In The Register, Andrew Orlowski reports that three weeks ago, Grant Shapps filed a request with Wikimedia UK (WMUK) under the Data Protection Act 1998 "for all data relating to him".
- Blog: Wikimedia Foundation releases third transparency report
The Wikimedia Foundation is pleased to announce the release of our latest transparency report.
- News and notes: The Wikimedia Conference and Wikimania
Wikimania 2015 is underway in Mexico City, and one of its sessions—a scheduled follow-up to the annual Wikimedia Conference that was held in Berlin in May—is good reason to provide a retrospective of that Conference.
- Featured content: When angels and daemons interrupt the vicious and intemperate
One featured article, seven featured lists, and 14 featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community
The Signpost: 22 July 2015
[edit]- From the editor: Change the world
We want to take a moment to ask you to consider contributing to the Signpost.
- News and notes: Wikimanía 2016; Lightbreather ArbCom case
Wikimania features remarks from some leading players from the Wikimedia Foundation as well as the free knowledge movement.
- Wikimanía report: Wikimanía 2015 report, part 1, the plenaries
WMF's Executive Director, Lila Tretikov, gave the opening plenary address.
- In the media: Novelists annotate Wikipedia; Wales promotes TPO; Working for free
Three novelists "have found a way to control the Wikipedia narrative" by using the annotation website Genius to annotate their own Wikipedia articles.
- Traffic report: The Nerds, They Are A-Changin'
Summary:When I was a kid, being a nerd meant wanting to go to Pluto.
- WikiProject report: Some more politics
WikiProject Politics of the United Kingdom
- Featured content: The sleep of reason produces monsters
Three featured articles, two featured lists, and 29 featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Gallery: "One small step..."
46 years ago this week, humanity set foot on the Moon.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 29 July 2015
[edit]- News and notes: BARC de-adminship proposal; Wikimania recordings debate
An RFC proposes to create a "Bureaucrats' Admin Review Committee" (BARC) composed of bureaucrats empowered to remove adminship rights.
- Op-ed: My life as an autistic Wikipedian
Two years ago, I discovered that I was on the autism spectrum.
- Recent research: Wikipedia and collective intelligence; how Wikipedia is tweeted
An article argues that Wikipedia displays some key characteristics of a collective intelligence process.
- In the media: Is Wikipedia a battleground in the culture wars?
"Editors representing rival political tribes [are] frequently attempting to impose their respective narratives as the official version of one or another cultural controversy."
- Featured content: Even mammoths get the Blues
Five featured articles, five featured lists, and sixteen featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Traffic report: Namaste again, Reddit
For the first time since this list began, India-related topics have claimed both the top two slots.
The Signpost: 05 August 2015
[edit]- Editorial: Wikipedia better equipped to deal with systemic bias than traditional publishers
That particular artists would be omitted through oversight or happenstance is reasonable, but that one of the world's leading publishers of art books is completely unaware of their major omissions is startling.
- Op-ed: Je ne suis pas Google
The public interest in remembering the facts about trials and convictions is, in my view, at least as strong as any "right to be forgotten."
- News and notes: VisualEditor, endowment, science, and news in brief
VisualEditor is now on slow roll-out on the English Wikipedia.
- WikiProject report: Meet the boilerplate makers
The Report checks in with WikiProject Templates.
- In the media: Probe into Nehru edits launched; dangers of the right to be forgotten
The Indian government has launched an investigation into the source of Wikipedia edits regarding Jawaharlal Nehru that caused outrage in that country.
- Traffic report: Mrityorma amritam gamaya...
Death is no stranger to this list, but it has never cast such a pall as this week, when for the first time half the slots in the top 10 were devoted to it, including the top 3.
- Featured content: Maya, Michigan, Medici, Médée, and Moul n'ga
Three featured articles, seven featured lists, and twenty-two featured pictures were promoted this week.
- Blog: Get help editing Wikipedia with the new “Co-op” mentorship program
What if there was a gathering place on Wikipedia for newer editors to find a mentor?
The Signpost: 12 August 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Superprotect, one year later; a contentious RfA
Superprotect was a novel page protection level implemented on August 10 last year, without warning.
- In the media: Paid editing; traffic drop; Nicki Minaj
The Atlantic discusses "The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia—for Pay".
- Forum: Community voices on paid editing
The community speaks out on paid editing.
- Wikimanía report: Wikimanía 2015, part 2, a community event
Our ongoing Wikimanía coverage.
- Traffic report: Fighting from top to bottom
The charts are led this week by UFC women's champion Ronda Rousey, who won her last match at UFC 190 (#9) in 34 seconds.
- Featured content: Fused lizards, giant mice, and Scottish demons
Watch out for icebergs.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Wikimedia technical news.
- Blog: The Hunt for Tirpitz
During World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz was a major threat to Allied convoys travelling across the North Atlantic and Arctic Sea.
The Signpost: 19 August 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: WP:THREATENING2MEN: The English Wikipedia's misogynist infopolitics and the hegemony of the asshole consensus
Nothing makes Wikipedians more angry than a discussion of gender and feminism on Wikipedia.
- In the media: Politically controversial science; "Wikipedia hates women"
A new article in PLOS ONE about Wikipedia's science coverage has attracted media attention.
- Featured content: Dead parrots, live frogs, a symbolic kiss and what do we get? Enrique Iglesias!
This week's featured content.
- Travelogue: Seeing is believing
Tony the Tiger tours New York City.
- Traffic report: Straight Outta Connecticut
It's a long way from the leafy bowers of Greenwich, Connecticut to the concrete barrens of Compton, California.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
- Blog: How Wikipedia responds to breaking news
Wikipedia is capable of covering news like any news agency.
The Signpost: 26 August 2015
[edit]- In focus: An increase in active Wikipedia editors
Does the data mean good news for the encyclopedia?
- In the media: Russia temporarily blocks Wikipedia
The Russian Wikipedia is blocked, more blocks may be on the on the horizon.
- Op-ed: Wikimania—can volunteers organize conferences?
Should paid event staff supplement the work of volunteers?
- News and notes: Re-imagining grants
The Wikimedia Foundation's grant structure.
- Featured content: Out to stud, please call later
This week's featured content.
- Arbitration report: Reinforcing Arbitration
The recently closed Arbitration Enforcement case.
- Recent research: OpenSym 2015 report
A look at the research presented at the OpenSym 2015 conference.
The Signpost: 02 September 2015
[edit]- Special report: Massive paid editing network unearthed on the English Wikipedia
Nearly 400 accounts blocked in largest paid-editing bust ever.
- News and notes: Flow placed on ice
The WMF collaboration team announced this week that Flow will no longer be under active development.
- Discussion report: WMF's sudden reversal on Wiki Loves Monuments
A conflict regarding fundraising banners on the Italian Wikipedia is resolved.
- Featured content: Brawny
This Signpost "Featured content" report covers material promoted from 16 August to 24 August.
- In the media: Orangemoody sockpuppet case sparks widespread coverage
Also vital statistics regarding Ja Rule.
- Traffic report: You didn't miss much
The late-summer smash success of Straight Outta Compton remains the chief talking point of the English-speaking world, interrupted only by the welcome return of a Google Doodle.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 09 September 2015
[edit]- Gallery: Being Welsh
The National Library is now releasing some of the nation's most treasured collections to Wikimedia Commons for everyone to use and enjoy.
- Featured content: Killed by flying debris
Tony1 interviews a prolific featured content participant, Ian Rose.
- Op-ed: DYK, or proudly displaying incorrect information on the Main Page with alarming regularity
Fram tells us why DYK is a problem.
- News and notes: The Swedish Wikipedia's controversial two-millionth article
First bot-created article generated from Wikidata; the Orange Bar of Doom has finally met its doom; active editor numbers still on the rise; arbitrator to resign; ne templates added in wake of Orangemoody case
- Traffic report: Mass media production traffic
This week's theme in popular articles revolved entirely around mass media productions.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
section begin "tech-newsletter-content"
- In the media: Calling all scientists!; More Wikipedia editors in the Netherlands than all of Africa combined
A recap of Wikipedia in the media this week
The Signpost: 16 September 2015
[edit]- Editorial: No access is no answer to closed access
On Wikipedia's commitment to open access and its obligations to readers and editors.
- News and notes: Byrd and notifications leave, but page views stay; was a terror suspect editing Wikipedia?
WMF CFO to depart, notifications come and go, and questions about the possible editing by a recently arrested terrorism suspect.
- In the media: Is there life on Mars?
Probably not. Also, Whitehall still editing Wikipedia.
- Featured content: Why did the emu cross the road?
This week's featured content.
- Traffic report: Another week
No particular trends to spot in this week's top article traffic.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 23 September 2015
[edit]- In the media: PETA makes "monkey selfie" a three-way copyright battle; Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
PETA launches a copyright lawsuit over the infamous photograph.
- Op-ed: Can we please stop bashing Wikipedia?
No, really, just stop.
- Featured content: Inside Duke Humfrey's Library
This week's featured content.
- WikiProject report: Dancing to the beat of a... wikiproject?
This time of year features the Latin Grammy Awards, so here for an interview are WikiProject Latin music.
- Traffic report: ¡Viva la Revolución! Kinda.
This week, drug lord and wannabe Bolivar Pablo Escobar was joined by a whole host of somewhat more primetime-friendly political insurgents.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 30 September 2015
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation fundraising report, Montreal to host 2017 Wikimania
A year of fundraising and a controversial decision.
- In the media: Irish legislative editing; coffee quarrel; more sports vandalism
More Wikipedia editing in the news.
- Op-ed: Wikipedia needs more administrators
Low numbers of active admins and high standards for adminship make a troubling combination.
- Recent research: Wiktionary special; newbies, conflict and tolerance; Is Wikipedia's search function inferior?
A look at newly published Wikipedia research.
- Tech news: Tech news in brief
Community technical news
The Signpost: 07 October 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: Walled gardens of corruption
Kazakhstan and Wikipedia: A marriage made in hell.
- Traffic report: Reality is for losers
English speakers, like most of humanity, are primarily a northern-hemispheric people, and as autumn draws close and the days grow shorter, as a group we tend to huddle around our flickering screens and remember what matters: TV, movies, sports and, of course, crazy doomsday prophecies.
- Featured content: This Week's Featured Content
Some of Wikipedia's newest featured content.
- Gallery: Winners of Wiki Loves Monuments 2015 in Pakistan
These winners of the Wiki Loves Monuments Pakistan 2015 contest were shared with the Social Media mailing list recently.
- Arbitration report: Warning: Contains GMOs
A new case was opened for ArbCom as the Genetically modified organisms case was accepted and opened on 28 September.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
A reproduced version of the Wikimedia tech newsletter.
- In the media: Jailed Saudi blogger wins award; PR editing and Wiki-embarassment; Pakistan's third-richest person?
A summary of Wikimedia's mentions in the media.
The Signpost: 14 October 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: WikiConference USA 2015: built on good faith
We believe that human interaction can only make Wikipedia stronger.
- WikiConference report: US gathering sees speeches from Andrew Lih, AfroCrowd, and the Archivist of the United States
Three days at the US National Archives.
- Editorial: Why the news media needs a Wikipedian in residence
The news coverage we usually see about Wikipedia is neither in-depth, nor specialized, nor systematic.
- News and notes: 2015–2016 Q1 fundraising update sparks mailing list debate
Everyone's talking about money.
- Traffic report: Screens, Sport, Reddit, and Death
For the second consecutive week, the most viewed article had less than one million views, the only two weeks that has happened in all of 2015.
- Featured content: A fistful of dollars
This week's featured content.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
- Blog: Third Wikimedia Spain conference takes place in Madrid
On September 25, 26 and 27, Wikimedia Spain celebrated its third Wikimedia Conference at the Colegio Mayor Universitario Isabel de España in Madrid.
The Signpost: 21 October 2015
[edit]- Editorial: Women and Wikipedia: the world is watching
Time to clean up our mess.
- News and notes: Wikimedia lawsuit against NSA dismissed; Affiliates mailing list launched
District court judge decrees that the WMF lacks standing.
- In the media: "Wikipedia's hostility to women"
"The lunatics are running the asylum."
- Special report: One year of GamerGate, or how I learned to stop worrying and love bare rule-level consensus
Examining the conflict and its participants.
- Featured content: A more balanced week
Featured content
- Op-ed: Wikipedia is significantly amplifying the impact of Open Access publications
When given a choice between journals of similar impact factors, editors are significantly more likely to select the “open access” option.
- Arbitration report: Four ArbCom cases ongoing
Open cases before the Arbitration Committee.
- Traffic report: Hiding under the covers of the Internet
We live in a harsh, uncertain world.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 28 October 2015
[edit]- From the editor: The Signpost's reorganization plan—we need your help
A call for volunteers.
- News and notes: English Wikipedia reaches five million articles
The community reacts to another milestone.
- In the media: The world's Wikipedia gaps; Google and Wikipedia accused of tying Ben Carson to NAMBLA
The week's news coverage about the encyclopedia.
- Op-ed: It’s time to stop the bullying
Gangs of bullies and trolls rove the internet and make life difficult for the rest of us.
- Arbitration report: A second attempt at Arbitration enforcement
A divisive case before the Committee opens.
- Traffic report: Canada, the most popular nation on Earth
What's this all aboot, eh?
- Recent research: Student attitudes towards Wikipedia; Jesus, Napoleon and Obama top "Wikipedia social network"; featured article editing patterns in 12 languages
New research about Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects.
- Featured content: Birds, turtles, and other things
This week's featured content.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
- Community letter: Five million articles
The community celebrates.
The Signpost: 04 November 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: You are invited to participate in the Community Wishlist Survey
The WMF wants your ideas for technical improvements.
- News and notes: Wikimedia Foundation finances; Superprotect is gone
WMF funding and the death and life of a controversial feature.
- In the media: Ahmadiyya Jabrayilov: propaganda myth or history?
The difficulties of verifying encyclopedia content.
- Traffic report: Death, the Dead, and Spectres are abroad
The week in article traffic.
- Featured content: Christianity, music, and cricket
This week's featured content.
- Gallery: Princess of Asturias Awards 2015 ceremony
Wikipedia received the 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for global cooperation on October 23.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 11 November 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: As one thousand of us requested, Superprotect has been removed
Assessing the end of a controversial feature.
- Arbitration report: Elections, redirections, and a resignation from the Committee
It's that time of the year again.
- Discussion report: Compromise of two administrator accounts prompts security review
Fallout from a recent security breach.
- Featured content: Texas, film, and cycling
Featured content
- In the media: Sanger on Wikipedia; Silver on Vox; lawyers on monkeys
Are the inmates running the asylum? Are journalists copying Wikipedia? Are monkeys filing lawsuits?
- Traffic report: Doodles of popularity
More doodles, more traffic.
- Gallery: Paris
Reflecting on the tragedy in France.
The Signpost: 18 November 2015
[edit]- Special report: ArbCom election—candidates’ opinions analysed
Our annual election coverage.
- In the media: Icelandic milestone; apolitical editing
Icelandic Wikipedia hits 400K articles; how do Wikipedia editors stay neutral?
- Discussion report: BASC disbanded; other developments in the discussion world
Discussions around the encyclopedia.
- Arbitration report: Ban Appeals Subcommittee goes up in smoke; 21 candidates running
Updates on the Committee. You know, besides the election.
- Featured content: Fantasia on a Theme by Jimbo Wales
The week in Featured Content.
- Traffic report: Darkness and light
Paris and Diwali.
The Signpost: 25 November 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: Wikidata: the new Rosetta Stone
Wikidata is set to become the main open data repository worldwide.
- News and notes: Fundraising update; FDC recommendations
Updates on the Wikimedia Foundation.
- In the media: Erasmus Prize awarded to Wikipedia; trouble on the Russian Wikipedia
The worldwide community wins a prestigious award while the Russian community struggles with government interference.
- Recent research: Do Wikipedia citations mirror scholarly impact?; co-star networks in silent films
Scholarly research about Wikipedia and related projects.
- Featured content: Caves and stuff
Featured content
- Traffic report: J'en ai ras le bol
The week's most read articles.
- Arbitration report: Third Palestine-Israel case closes; Voting begins
Another long-running case has been closed, while the voting process for this year's Arbitration Committee Elections has begun.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
- Blog: Wikimedia Foundation, Wikimedia Deutschland urge Reiss Engelhorn Museum to reconsider suit over public domain works of art
The suit concerns copyright claims related to 17 images of the museum’s public domain works of art.
The Signpost: 02 December 2015
[edit]- Op-ed: Whither Wikidata?
Issues of quality and verifiability threaten the project.
- News and notes: Online harassment consultation; High voter turnout at ArbCom elections
How the community can have its say on two important matters.
- In the media: Is Wikidata as transparent as it seems?; Wikimedia Fund-raising drive launches
Concerns about Wikidata and WMF fundraising.
- Traffic report: Jonesing for episodes
The new Netflix series heads the list.
- Featured content: This Week's Featured Content
Newly promoted featured content.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 09 December 2015
[edit]- News and notes: ArbCom election results announced
The three scrutineers announced the results, a little more than three days after the close of voting.
- Op-ed: Wikidata: Knowledge from different points of view
A response from Wikidata.
- In the media: Political editing in the context of the US presidential primaries
Another election, another series of edit wars.
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Monuments 2015 winners
The top 25 images.
- Traffic report: So do you laugh, or does it cry?
Another death tops the report this week.
- Featured content: Sports, ships, arts... and some other things
This week's featured content.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 16 December 2015
[edit]- In focus: Drone photography: New possibilities and new challenges
Creating content in the sky.
- In the media: Wales in China; #Edit2015
Jimmy Wales finds his words edited on the Internet.
- Arbitration report: GMO case decided
Keeping up with the committee.
- Featured content: An unusually slow week
Featured content
- WikiProject report: Women in Red—using teamwork and partnerships to elevate online and offline collaborations
Tackling content gaps through collaboration.
- Traffic report: A feast of Spam
More data, more problems.
- Gallery: WikiConference USA 2015: images, slide decks, and videos
A look back at October.
The Signpost: 30 December 2015
[edit]- News and notes: WMF Board dismisses community-elected trustee
In a monumental move, the Board ousted one of its own
- Arbitration report: Second Arbitration Enforcement case concludes as another case is suspended
The latest news from ArbCom
- Featured content: The post-Christmas edition
A report covering material promoted from 13 to 26 December
- Traffic report: The Force we expected
In a development that should surprise no one, Star Wars takes the first place prize
- Year in review: The top ten Wikipedia stories of 2015
We review the top ten stories that defined the Wikimedia movement in 2015
- In the media: Wikipedia plagued by a "Basket of Deception"
The latest news coverage from around the movement
- Gallery: It's that time of year again
Christmas time is here.
The Signpost: 06 January 2016
[edit]- News and notes: The WMF's age of discontent
Trouble with the Board of Trustees
- In the media: Impenetrable science; Jimmy Wales back in the UAE
Wikipedia's science articles are "effectively incomprehensible"
- Arbitration report: Catflap08 and Hijiri88 case been decided
Current Committee decisions
- Featured content: Featured menagerie
Featured content
- Recent research: Teaching Wikipedia, Does advertising the gender gap help or hurt Wikipedia?
Current academic research on Wikipedia and related projects
- WikiProject report: Try-ing to become informed - WikiProject Rugby League
Sports!
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news
The Signpost: 13 January 2016
[edit]- In the media: War and peace; WMF board changes; Arabic and Hebrew Wikipedias
A look at movement coverage "in the media"
- Community view: Battle for the soul of the WMF
Liam Wyatt shares his thoughts in "community view"
- Editorial: We need a culture of verification
Our co-editor-in-chief, Gamaliel, shares his thoughts on the 15th anniversary of Wikipedia
- In focus: The Crisis at New Montgomery Street
William Beutler discusses problems inside the WMF.
- Op-ed: Transparency
James Heilman talks about why he was removed from the WMF board.
- Traffic report: Pattern recognition: Third annual Traffic Report
What was the most-viewed article of 2015? Read to find out!
- Special report: Wikipedia community celebrates Public Domain Day 2016
WE LOVE PUBLIC DOMAIN DAY!
- News and notes: Community objections to new Board trustee
A look at community objections to a new Board trustee
- Blog: Inside the game of sports vandalism on Wikipedia
Jeff Elder talks sports vandalism on the Wikimedia blog
- Featured content: This Week's Featured Content
A review of the featured content promoted this week
- Arbitration report: Interview: outgoing and incumbent arbitrators 2016
We sat down with both incoming and outgoing arbitrators to get their thoughts on the committee.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community.
The Signpost: 20 January 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Vote of no confidence; WMF trustee speaks out
The continuing controversy over a new Board appointment.
- Op-ed: Not a pretty picture: Thoughts on the "monkey selfie" debacle
Is Wikimedia taking the right approach?
- In the media: 15th anniversary news round-up
The news media remembers we're still around.
- Traffic report: Danse Macabre
A cheery week.
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Newly promoted content.
- Blog: Fifteen years ago, Wikipedia was a very different place
A talk with MediaWiki developer : Magnus Manske.
The Signpost: 27 January 2016
[edit]- Op-ed: Lila Tretikov: the WMF needs your input in developing our strategy
Participate in the new strategy initiative.
- News and notes: Geshuri steps down from the Board
Newly appointed trustee leaves following a community outcry.
- In the media: Media coverage of the Arnnon Geshuri no-confidence vote
Board turmoil gets the attention of journalists.
- Recent research: Bursty edits; how politics beat religion but then lost to sports; notability as a glass ceiling
Current research involving Wikipedia.
- Traffic report: Death and taxes
Some things never change.
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Newly promoted content.
The Signpost: 03 February 2016
[edit]- From the editors: Help wanted
Help us continue to publish on a weekly (-ish) basis.
- Special report: Board chair and new trustee speak with the Signpost
New member María Sefidari joins the Board of Trustees.
- In focus: The Knight Foundation grant: a timeline and an email to the board
James Heilman speaks out about the events leading up to his dismissal from the Board.
- Op-ed: So, what’s a knowledge engine anyway?
Examining the issues at the heart of recent Board disputes.
- News and notes: Harassment survey 2015; Luis Villa to leave WMF; knowledge engine background
A survey released, another major departure from the Foundation.
- Arbitration report: Catching up on arbitration
More cases, more problems.
- Traffic report: Bowled
Some sort of sporting contest tops this week's traffic.
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Newly promoted content.
The Signpost: 10 February 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Another WMF departure
- In the media: Jeb Bush swings at Wikipedia and connects
- Featured content: This week's featured content
- Traffic report: A river of revilement
The Signpost: 17 February 2016
[edit]- Special report: Search and destroy: the Knowledge Engine and the undoing of Lila Tretikov
Examining the impact of the knowledge engine
- Op-ed: Shit I cannot believe we had to fucking write this month
A new column that examines the articles that are helping to fight systemic bias
- Featured content: This week's featured content
One article, three lists, and five images attained featured status this past week
- Traffic report: Super Bowling
The biggest annual event in America takes over Wikipedia viewership
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
The news for the nerd inside of us
- Blog: Antonin Scalia and the editor tracking his legacy
The American Supreme Court justice's impact on the life of a Wikipedia editor
The Signpost: 24 February 2016
[edit]- Special report: WMF in limbo as decision on Tretikov nears
The Board of Trustees may be deciding the direction of the Foundation.
- Op-ed: Backward the Foundation
Parting words from a WMF employee,
- Traffic report: Of Dead Pools and Dead Judges
Another grim week in traffic statistics.
- Blog: Wiki Loves Africa brings the continent’s fashion to the world
Wiki Loves Africa photo competition focuses on continent’s varied fashion traditions from north, south, east, and west.
- Arbitration report: Arbitration motion regarding CheckUser & Oversight inactivity
Committee motions and business.
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Newly promoted featured content.
- Technology report: Tech news in brief
Community technical news.
The Signpost: 02 March 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Tretikov resigns, WMF in transition
A tumultuous time at the Wikimedia Foundation
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Newly promoted articles and images.
- Traffic report: Brawling
Politics and wrestling top the traffic statistics.
- Recent research: Wikipedia and paid labour; Swedish gender gap; how verifiable is "verifiable"?
Current academic research about the encyclopedia and related projects.
- Blog: Wikimedia Foundation details requests to alter or remove content in new transparency report
The WMF reports on incoming requests.
The Signpost: 09 March 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Katherine Maher named interim head of WMF; Wales email re-sparks Heilman controversy; draft WMF strategy posted
Controversy, change, and everything between.
- In the media: Wikipedian is break-out star of International Women's Day; dinosaur art; Wikipedia's new iOS app and its fight for market share
Perhaps we're turning over a new leaf as a front-runner in the fight for equality?
- Op-ed: A modest proposal for Wikimedia’s future
A look at the future of our parent foundation.
- Featured content: Five articles, four lists, a topic, and five images were promoted this week.
This week's featured content
- Technology report: Wikimedia wikis will temporarily go into read-only mode on several occasions in the coming weeks
Finally, a break for the vandalism fighters!
- WikiCup report: First round of the WikiCup finishes
Your detailed look at one of Wikipedia's largest contests.
- Blog: The new alchemy: turning online harassment into Wikipedia articles on women scientists
By night, she smites trolls on the Internet with positive punishment: for each harassing email she receives, one Wikipedia article on a woman in science is created.
- Systemic bias: Revenge of "I can’t believe we didn’t have an article on ..."
Wherein I am STILL fucking angry about systemic bias and am highlighting kick-ass articles we created and improved this month in our never-ending quest to fix it.
- Traffic report: All business like show business
The Oscars, Super Tuesday, and Super Saturday"
The Signpost: 16 March 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Wikipedia Zero: Orange mobile partnership in Africa ends; the evolution of privacy loss in Wikipedia
Parties could not agree on extending the 2009 agreement.
- In the media: Wales at SXSW; lawsuit over Wikipedia PR editing
Two board members on stage at the popular yearly event.
- Op-ed: Hard work needed to address Wikimedia’s leadership challenges
The road ahead for the WMF.
- Discussion report: Is an interim WMF executive director inherently notable?
Wikipedia news sparks editing disagreements.
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Featured content
- Technology report: Watchlists, watchlists, watchlists!
An interview with a MediaWiki developer.
- Traffic report: Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States
Time to move abroad.
- Wikipedia Weekly: Podcast #119: The Foundation and the departure of Lila Tretikov
The popular podcast returns.
- Blog: It “revolutionized the way German-speaking people inform themselves about the world”: Fifteen years of the German Wikipedia
A Deutschland anniversary.
The Signpost: 23 March 2016
[edit]- Interview: Exclusive: interview with interim ED Katherine Maher
The Signpost speaks with the incoming WMF interim executive director.
- News and notes: Lila Tretikov a Young Global Leader; Wikipediocracy blog post sparks indefinite blocks
The outgoing ED to be honored at Davos.
- In the media: Angolan file sharers cause trouble for Wikipedia Zero; the 3D printer edit war; a culture based on change and turmoil
Piracy and controversy.
- Traffic report: Be weary on the Ides of March
Are readers exhausted?
- Editorial: "God damn it, you've got to be kind."
All of us can do better.
- Featured content: Watch out! A slave trader, a live mascot and a crested serpent awaits!
The week in newly promoted content.
- Arbitration report: Palestine-Israel article 3 case amended
Motions from the Committee.
- Wikipedia Weekly: Podcast #120: Status of Wikimania 2016
Discussing the upcoming Italian Wikimania.
The Signpost: 1 April 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Trump/Wales 2016
A surprise political announcement.
- In the media: Saskatoon police delete Wikipedia content about police brutality
Police haul away some article content.
- WikiProject report: Why should the Devil have all the good music? An interview with WikiProject Christian music
Rock out to this interview with project editors.
- Traffic report: Donald v Daredevil
¿Quién es más macho?
- Featured content: A slow, slow week
- Technology report: Browse Wikipedia in safety? Use Telnet!
Set your Wayback Machine.
- Recent research: "Employing Wikipedia for good not evil" in education; using eyetracking to find out how readers read articles
Current research about Wikimedia projects.
- Wikipedia Weekly: Podcast #121: How April Fools went down
A roundtable discussion about current Wikimedia issues.
- Blog: Growing hashtags: Expanding outreach on Wikipedia
Using hashtags to track the results of Wikimedia outreach.
The Signpost: 14 April 2016
[edit]- Op-ed: Should prison inmates be permitted to edit Wikipedia?
They do have plenty of time on their hands
- News and notes: Denny Vrandečić resigns from Wikimedia Foundation board
More turnover in the foundation
- In the media: Wikimedia Sweden loses copyright case; Tex Watson; AI assistants; David Jolly biography
Copyright laws, prisoners, and the future of technology
- Featured content: This week's featured content
Featured content
- Traffic report: A welcome return to pop culture and death
American politics seem to have finally bored people
- Arbitration report: The first case of 2016—Wikicology
The drought is finally over!
- Gallery: A history lesson
A look at political satire, brought to you by Wikipedia and Commons
The Signpost: 24 April 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Lunar project; steering group formed to search for next executive director
Maybe the rover could find an ED on the moon...
- Op-ed: Knowledge Engine and the Wales–Heilman emails
When is competing with Google not competing with Google?
- Special report: Update on EranBot, our new copyright violation detection bot
Help wanted!
- Traffic report: Two for the price of one
What's better than one traffic report? Two!
- Featured content: The double-sized edition
10 articles, 6 lists, and 11 pictures have been promoted in this cycle
- Arbitration report: Amendments made to the Race and intelligence case
When it rains, it pours
The Signpost: 2 May 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia Switzerland's board and paid-editing firm; passing of Ed Dravecky
Wikimedia Switzerland board members involved in paid-editing firm
- In the media: Wikipedia Zero piracy in Bangladesh; bureaucracy; chilling effects; too few cooks; translation gaps
More reports surface of pirates' new favorite database: Wikimedia Commons
- Traffic report: Purple
Prince's death breaks traffic report records
- Featured content: The best ... from the past two weeks
Seven articles, six lists, and four pictures were promoted these weeks
- Arbitration report: Two editors unbanned; Wikicology case enters workshop phase; Gamaliel restricted from Gamergate at his own request
Arbitration news
- Recent research: The eight roles of Wikipedians; do edit histories expose social relations among editors?
Making sense of Wikipedia's social network
The Signpost: 17 May 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Affiliates' nomination of WMF trustees announced; FDC's straight talking to WMF
Christophe Henner and Nataliia Tymkiv respond to the Signpost's questions
- Op-ed: Swiss chapter in turmoil
Paid-editing controversy
- In the media: Wikimedia's Dario Taraborelli quoted on Google's Knowledge Graph in The Washington Post
Citations needed
- Featured content: Two weeks for the prize of one
Nine featured articles, eight featured lists, and six featured pictures
- Traffic report: Oh behave, Beyhive / Underdogs
Prince gives way to Captain America
- Arbitration report: "Wikicology" ends in site ban; evidence and workshop phases concluded for "Gamaliel and others"
News from two arbitration cases
- Wikicup: That's it for WikiCup Round 2!
35 competitors move on to round 3
The Signpost: 28 May 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Upcoming Wikimedia conferences in the US and India; May Metrics and Activities Meeting
Dates and venues for WikiCon USA 2016, WikiCon India 2016, 2016 Glam Boot Camp and 2016 Wikimedia Diversity Conference
- Special report: Compensation paid to Sue Gardner increased by almost 50 percent after she stepped down as executive director
Sue Gardner appears to be earning more money as the WMF's special advisor than she did as its executive director
- In the media: The perils of Wikipedia's monopoly; Wikipedians' fragility; Street Sharks hoax
Not everything you read online is fact
- Featured content: Eight articles, three lists and five pictures
Another eight featured articles, three featured lists and five featured pictures
- Op-ed: Journey of a Wikipedian
Mental health carries a powerful stigma. The more we are open about it, the less that weighs all of us down
- Arbitration report: Gamaliel resigns from the arbitration committee
Gamaliel and others case nears its end, and there are new 30/500 rules
- Recent research: English as Wikipedia's Lingua Franca; deletion rationales; schizophrenia controversies
Round-up of recent Wikipedia research
- Traffic report: Splitting (musical) airs / Slow Ride
We've recently come into possession of a new tool.
- Blog: Freely licensed magic at Eurovision
Albin Olsson has been right there with them, capturing dramatic images of singers from around the world.
The Signpost: 05 June 2016
[edit]- News and notes: WMF cuts budget for 2016-17 as scope tightens
The Signpost analyzes the WMF's revised annual plan
- In the media: Jimmy Wales on net neutrality—"It's complicated"—and his $100m fundraising challenge
Recent press interviews
- Featured content: Overwhelmed ... by pictures
One article, one list, and seven images were featured this week
- Traffic report: Pop goes the culture, again.
Film and television maintain a strong grasp on Wikipedia's readership
- Arbitration report: ArbCom case "Gamaliel and others" concludes
The final results of the heated case
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Video Games
We sat down with the writers of some of the most vistied Wikipedia articles
The Signpost: 15 June 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Clarifications on status and compensation of outgoing executive directors Sue Gardner and Lila Tretikov
WMF board chair Patricio Lorente answers questions
- Special report: Wikiversity Journal—A new user group
Wikimedia enters academic publishing
- Featured content: From the crème de la crème
Eleven featured articles, nine featured lists and fourteen featured pictures
- In the media: Biography disputes; Craig Newmark donation; PR editing
Recent media coverage of Wikipedia and Wikimedia
- Op-ed: Commons Picture of the Year; Wikidata licensing
Two for the price of one—do the popular Commons image contest and Wikidata licensing serve the community as well as they should?
- Traffic report: Another one with sports; Knockout, brief candle
Wikipedia's most read articles in the last two weeks
- Blog: Why I proofread poetry at Wikisource
Poetry: “it is the stuff of the soul; it speaks to the body, the mind, and the spirit alike.” Sonja Bohm worked for years to get all of Florence Earle Coates’ poetry online, and now proofreads poetry on the English Wikisource, the free library. We asked why.
The Signpost: 04 July 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Board unanimously appoints Katherine Maher as new WMF executive director; Wikimedia lawsuits in France and Germany
News from Wikimania and the courts
- Op-ed: Two policies in conflict?
Paid-contributions disclosure vs. outing
- In the media: Terrorism database cites Wikipedia as a source
Reliability worries
- Featured content: Triple fun of featured content
Six articles, nine lists, one topic and thirteen pictures promoted
- Traffic report: Goalposts; Oy vexit
European football and politics dominate the top-10
- Blog: Jimmy Wales names Emily Temple-Wood and Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight as Wikipedians of the Year
From the Wikimedia Foundation blog
The Signpost: 21 July 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Board faces diversity and skill-base issues in new FDC appointments
Four seats to be filled in top WMF grantmaking body; General Counsel and Secretary Geoff Brigham leaves Wikimedia
- Discussion report: Busy month for discussions
New ArbCom restrictions; genetically modified food safety
- In the media: Women in science editathon gets national press; Wikipedia "shockingly biased"
Female scientists in India; Cracked.com probes Wikipedia's weaknesses
- Featured content: A wide variety from the best
Promotions in four featured-content forums
- Traffic report: Sports and esports
Northern summer makes sport the winner
- Arbitration report: Script writers appointed for clerks
Plus a clerk appointment and two motions
- Recent research: Using deep learning to predict article quality
Plus navigating the Chinese Wikipedia, and talkpage sentiment
The Signpost: 04 August 2016
[edit]- Editorial: Wikipedia policy suppresses sharing of information
And the Signpost loses and gains a co-editor-in-chief
- News and notes: Foundation presents results of harassment research, plans for automated identification; Wikiconference submissions open
WMF and Alphabet are developing an algorithm designed to detect personal attacks
- In the media: Paid editing service announced; Commercial exploitation of free images; Wikipedia as a crystal ball; Librarians to counter systemic bias
Plus Android and Taylor Swift
- Obituary: Kevin Gorman, who took on Wikipedia's gender gap and undisclosed paid advocacy, dies at 24
Condolences are being left on his English Wikipedia talk page
- Traffic report: Summer of Pokémon, Trump, and Hillary
Pokémon Go led the chart for two weeks running
- Featured content: Women and Hawaii
Eight articles, two lists and fourteen pictures were promoted
- Recent research: Easier navigation via better wikilinks
Plus: new Wiki Studies journal, Wikipedia usage on Twitter and more
- Blog: All-new notifications page helps Wikimedians focus on what matters most
WMF announces enhancements to the notifications system
- Technology report: User script report (January to July 2016, part 1)
New user scripts and other tech news
The Signpost: 18 August 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Focus on India—WikiConference produces new apps; state government adopts free licenses
Conference draws highly diverse and productive participation, and several years' advocacy pays off in a new government policy
- Special report: Engaging diverse communities to profile women of Antarctica
Guest post recaps in-depth engagement of experts to address Wikipedia gender gap while improving coverage of their field
- In the media: The ugly, the bad, the playful, and the promising
Wikipedia coverage ranged from sobering to playful in this issue's roundup
- Featured content: Simply the best ... from the last two weeks
Eight articles, eleven lists, one topic and five pictures were promoted
- Traffic report: Olympic views
Politics gives way to sports, TV and film
- Technology report: User script report (January–July 2016, part 2)
A review of numerous useful Wikipedia customizations
- Arbitration report: The Michael Hardy case
New case opened, and a reminder to administrators not to impose blocks based on private information
The Signpost: 06 September 2016
[edit]- News and notes: AffCom still grappling with WMF Board's criteria for new chapters
The Board’s two-year moratorium on new chapters and thematic organisations has expired; presentation of new criteria is reigniting smoldering controversies and introducing new ones
- Special report: Olympics readership depended on language
A comparison of the 15 most-read articles related to the Olympics, in seven language editions of Wikipedia
- In the media: Librarians, Wikipedians, and a library of Wikipedia coverage
Wikipedia gaining ground in credibility among librarians; and a healthy helping of media coverage
- WikiProject report: Watching Wikipedia
An interview with WikiProject TV member CAWylie
- Featured content: Entertainment, sport, and something else in-between
Twelve articles, eight lists and four pictures were promoted
- Traffic report: From Phelps to Bolt to Reddit
An update on two weeks of Wikipedia traffic, based on a new and improved tracking tool
- Technology report: Wikimedia mobile sites now don't load images if the user doesn't see them
New scripts and technical news
- Recent research: Ethics of machine-created articles and fighting vandalism
One study encounters critique of its ethics from Wikipedians; another critiques the ethics employed by Wikipedia
- Blog: Upload of free photos from Swiss library underway
Switzerland's largest public science library is uploading 134k photos
The Signpost: 29 September 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Wikipedia Education Program case study published; and a longtime Wikimedian has made his final edit
Medical school class's Wikipedia contributions profiled as case study; and a remembrance of Ray Saintonge, Wikimedian since 2002
- In the media: Wikipedia in the news
This edition's roundup of media coverage
- Featured content: Three weeks in the land of featured content
Nineteen articles, eleven lists, one portal and twelve pictures were promoted
- Arbitration report: Arbcom looking for new checkusers and oversight appointees while another case opens
TRM, CUOS '16, R&I, RfC
- Traffic report: From Gene Wilder to JonBenét
Four weeks of Wikipedia's most popular articles examined
- Technology report: Category sorting and template parameters
Titles with numbers now sort numerically, and a new tool to check how template parameters are used
The Signpost: 14 October 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Fundraising, flora and fauna
Wikimedia Foundation reports on fundraising challenges and new initiatives; Indian botanists rally to build Wikimedia Commons' photo collection
- Discussion report: Cultivating leadership: Wikimedia Foundation seeks input
A new "peer academy" is proposed to find and support leadership in volunteer communities
- In the media: A news columnist on the frustrations of tweaking his Wikipedia bio
And this edition's roundup of media coverage
- Technology report: Upcoming tech projects for 2017
A new editor, a new parsing algorithm, and another server switch
- Featured content: Variety is the spice of life
Twelve articles, twelve lists and twenty-one pictures were promoted
- Traffic report: Debates and escapes
Donald Trump remains a view-magnet, others change their channel
- Recent research: A 2011 study resurfaces in a media report
We explore the study, which sought insights from Wikipedia metadata into global events
The Signpost: 4 November 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Finally, a new CTO; trustee joins Quora; copyright upgrade impending
Victoria Coleman to fill long-vacant CTO role; Trustee Kelly Battles joins Quora executive team; last week for community input on Creative Commons 4.0 license
- In the media: Washington Post continues in-depth Wikipedia coverage
Plus our roundup of recent media stories
- Wikicup: WikiCup winners
Winners of the tenth annual WikiCup competition announced and profiled
- Discussion report: What's on your tech wishlist for the coming year?
Progress on the 2015 Community Wishlist for tech features; and plans for a new Wishlist
- Technology report: New guideline for technical collaboration; citation templates now flag open access content
Proposed best practices for communication and community involvement, and an improvement to Wikipedia's citation infrastructure
- Featured content: Cream of the crop
Fourteen articles, six lists and fourteen pictures were promoted
- Traffic report: Un-presidential politics
Two weeks of insights into the mind of the mob
- Arbitration report: Recapping October's activities
Two cases closed, and an administrator loses editing rights
- Recent research: Why women edit less, and where they are overrepresented; article importance and quality; predicting elections from Wikipedia
A recap of recent research in our realm
The Signpost: 4 November 2016
[edit]- News and notes: Arbitration Committee elections commence
An overview of the English Wikipedia ArbCom election; brief notes as Asian and African initiatives wind down
- In the media: Roundup of news related to U.S. presidential election and more
Election prompts media to explore themes important to Wikipedians, including news literacy, privacy, and data security
- Blog: The top fifteen winning photos from Wiki Loves Earth
115,000 images were submitted as part of the annual competition.
- Gallery: Around the world with Wiki Loves Monuments 2016
A sampling of photo submissions to the annual photography campaign
- Featured content: Featured mix
Eight articles, two lists and nine pictures were promoted
- Special report: Taking stock of the Good Article backlog
A close examination of the efficacy of the GA Cup contest, a longstanding effort to reduce the backlog of articles awaiting review
- Op-ed: Fundraising data should be more transparent
Empowering volunteers and local chapters to engage with fundraising would yield varied benefits
- Traffic report: President-elect Trump
Someone is likely to dominate traffic for a long time
The Signpost: 22 December 2016
[edit]- Year in review: Looking back on 2016
Roundup of the year's news from the Wikimedia world, featuring Wikipedia's 15th anniversary and organizational disarray at the Wikimedia Foundation
- News and notes: Strategic planning update; English ArbCom election results
WMF reflects, to some degree, on its past approaches to strategic planning
- Special report: German ArbCom implodes
The German Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee loses more than half its members amid political feud
- In focus: Active user page filter prevents vandalism and harassment
A proposal from the Inspire Campaign to address harassment was recently implemented to prevent unconstructive and malicious editing on user pages
- Op-ed: Operation successful, patient dead: Outreach workshops in Namibia
Even a well executed outreach event can yield disappointing results
- In the media: In brief: Coverage of gender gap initiatives, banner fundraising, and more
Wikipedia women in the news, and media reacts to 2016 ad banner campaign
- Featured content: The Christmas edition
Twenty-three articles, ten lists and twenty-one pictures were promoted
- Technology report: Labs improvements impact 2016 Tool Labs survey results
And a roundup of recently-added tools
- Traffic report: Post-election traffic blues
Four weeks of popular article analysis
- Blog: Wiki Loves Monuments contest winners announced
Winning photos in world's largest photography contest reveal a world of monuments—and the volunteers who love them
- Recent research: One study and several abstracts
Privacy and Tor, and several other studies
The Signpost: 17 January 2017
[edit]- From the editor: Next steps for the Signpost
Building toward better recruitment and retention
- News and notes: Surge in RFA promotions—a sign of lasting change?
A close look at the history of approving administrators on English Wikipedia, and a roundup of news
- Interview: What is it like to edit Wikipedia when you're blind?
The wiki environment can appear deceptively uniform, but it masks strikingly different editorial experiences
- In the media: Year-end roundups, Wikipedia's 16th birthday, and more
The latest media reports
- Featured content: One year ends, and another begins
Twelve articles, thirteen lists and twelve pictures were promoted
- Arbitration report: Concluding 2016 and covering 2017's first two cases
Various minor developments
- Traffic report: Out with the old, in with the new
If you're reading this, you escaped 2016 alive
- Technology report: Tech present, past, and future
Data sets now available on Commons, wishes to be worked on in 2017, and a recap of the Wikimedia Developer Summit
- Recent research: Female Wikipedians aren't more likely to edit women biographies; Black Lives Matter in Wikipedia
And several other research papers reviewed and summarized
The Signpost: 6 February 2017
[edit]- Arbitration report: WMF Legal and ArbCom weigh in on tension between disclosure requirements and user privacy
The two statements prompt extensive community discussion; plus, our updates on recent ArbCom decisions
- Special report: Wolves nip at Wikipedia's heels: A perspective on the cost of paid editing
Undisclosed paid editing by a financial broker mired in scandal spans years, impacting Wikipedia's editors and readers
- News and notes: Official WMF rebuke to Trump policy; WMF secures restricted funds
Foundation's latest foray into political waters, and grants funding structured data and anti-harassment measures, met with enthusiasm and concern
- In focus: WMF strategy consultant brings background in crisis reputation management; Team behind popular WMF software put "on pause"
Several developments in the $2.5 million strategic planning process explored, and a team within the software production department is sidelined
- WikiProject report: For the birds!
Our second interview with the productive WikiProject Birds crew
- Op-ed: How to make editing workshops useful, even if participants don't stick around
Veteran editing workshop leader responds to a previous Signpost op-ed
- In the media: Presidential politics, periodic table, and our periodic roundup of updates
Wikipedia's response to Trump inauguration and a fruitful, public "edit war" lead our media updates
- Technology report: Better PDFs, backup plans, and birthday wishes
Plus the latest scripts, bots, and tech news
- Traffic report: Cool It Now
Three weeks of the most popular Wikipedia articles
- Featured content: Three weeks dominated by articles
Twenty-eight articles, seven lists, two topics and four pictures were promoted
- Forum: Productive collaboration around coordinated protest marches; Media and political personalities comment on Wikipedia at its 16th birthday celebration
Women's marches on seven continents attracted strong Wikipedia engagement; Media luminaries and a presidential candidate joined WMF boss Katherine Maher at a New York gathering
The Signpost: 27 February 2017
[edit]- From the editors: Results from our poll on subscription and delivery, and a new RSS feed
The Signpost's poll suggests we should take a cautious approach to the Newsletter Extension, under development; and our RSS feed is functional once again
- Recent research: Special issue: Wikipedia in education
This month's edition focuses on research about the role of Wikipedia in education
- Technology report: Responsive content on desktop; Offline content in Android app
Demonstrations of developers' experiments and works in progress
- In the media: The Daily Mail does not run Wikipedia
Is the Daily Mail fake news and your media roundup
- Gallery: A Met montage
A selection of CC0 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Special report: Peer review – a history and call for reviewers
An overview of English Wikipedia's peer review process
- Op-ed: Wikipedia has cancer
Increased WMF spending every year is not sustainable
- Featured content: The dominance of articles continues
Fifteen articles, two lists, and six pictures were promoted
- Traffic report: Love, football, and politics
They may not mix in life, but they do in popularity
- Blog: WikiIndaba 2017: A continent gathers to chart a path forward
Republished from the Wikimedia blog
The Signpost: 9 June 2017
[edit]- From the editors: Signpost status: On reserve power, help wanted!
Inviting new writers, editors, and ideas
- News and notes: Global Elections
WMF Board election results, and FDC elections begin
- Arbitration report: Cases closed in the Pacific and with Magioladitis
Two cases were closed from 19 February to 27 March.
- Op-ed: Wikipedia's lead sentence problem
Lead sentence metadata is out of control and a serious impediment to readability
- Featured content: Three months in the land of the featured
Eighty-eight articles, forty-three lists, five topics and twenty-two pictures were promoted
- In the media: Did Wikipedia just assume Garfield's gender?
Garfield is male, and other places Wikipedia made the news
- Recent research: Wikipedia bot wars capture the imagination of the popular press
...but are they real?; personality and attitudes to Wikipedia; large expert review experiment
- Technology report: Tech news catch-up
Bots, scripts, tools, and changes from February to June 2017
- Traffic report: Film on Top: Sampling the weekly top 10
Two weeks of film dominance: Baahubali and the Academy Awards
The Signpost: 23 June 2017
[edit]- News and notes: Departments reorganized at Wikimedia Foundation, and a month without new RfAs (so far)
While the English Wikipedia community produces no new requests for adminhood in June, the Wikimedia Foundation makes changes to the Product and Technology departments.
- In the media: Kalanick's nipples; Episode #138 of Drama on the Hill
The anatomy of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's chest area has been the talk of the month. But so have high-profile edits, hacked articles, and one particular newborn growing up.
- Op-ed: Facto Post: a fresh take
Exploring sourcing issues in Wikimedia projects, a solution in Wikidata and fact mining, and a newsletter to continue the conversation.
- Featured content: Will there ever be a break? The slew of featured content continues
22 featured articles, 17 featured lists, 7 featured pictures
- Traffic report: Wonder Woman beats Batman, The Mummy, Darth Vader and the Earth
Summer blockbusters and sports, Trump and world events.
- Recent research: Utopian bubbles: Can Wikipedians create value outside of the capitalist system?
A researcher applies Marxist critiques of political economy to investigate whether gamification, a culture of altruism, and other anti-corporatist influences on peer production can create a sustainable gift economy in a project like Wikipedia.
- Technology report: Improved search, and WMF data scientist tells all
Search now can include sister projects; EpochFail
The Signpost: 15 July 2017
[edit]- News and notes: French chapter woes, new affiliates and more WMF team changes
The English Wikipedia sees its first new admin of the season, discord rocks Wikimedia France, some tweaks to the WMF reorg, and a new WMF annual plan mark this issue's community news.
- Featured content: Spectacular animals, Pine Trees screens, and more
Recently promoted articles, lists, and pictures.
- In the media: Concern about access and fairness, Foundation expenditures, and relationship to real-world politics and commerce
A grab bag of alt-right speech, classical scholars, the dark web, elicited European tourism, $500,000 golden parachutes, forgery, the Great Firewall, net neutrality, nukes, paid editing, porn, and terrorism.
- Recent research: The chilling effect of surveillance on Wikipedia readers
A closer look at the research that found that the 2013 Snowden revelations coincided with a significant drop of pageviews for privacy-sensitive Wikipedia articles
- Op-ed: Why Task Forces are Dying in 2017
...and is there anything we can do to stop it? Opinions and examples from across the project.
- Gallery: A mix of patterns
An interesting mix of patterns and colors to brighten your day...
- Humour: The Infobox Game
Enjoy the Parameters: The Infobox Game can be enjoyed by everyone, not just those interested in water buffalo breeds, volcanic hotspots or the mysterious heteroisoform, and some day just might spawn an important facet of the financial derivatives industry.
- Traffic report: Film, television and Internet phenomena reign with some room left over for America's birthday
Popular interest in celebrities, blockbusters and an upcoming season of a popular television show drive traffic, with a smattering of world events, holidays and a Reddit storm around – surprise – free porn for the U.S. Congress.
- Technology report: New features in development; more breaking changes for scripts
Syntax highlighting, changes to Recent Changes, Wikidata on the enhance watchlist, accessible editing buttons and jQuery upgrade may break scripts.
- Wikicup: 2017 WikiCup round 3 wrap-up
The heat turns up on the 32 contestants who entered round three: 13 featured articles, 82 good articles, 167 DYKs, but we had to pick just eight of them to advance.
The Signpost: 5 August 2017
[edit]- News and notes: Non-English special edition! 99% no news about English-based wiki communities!
Wikimania in Montreal, lawsuit in Sweden, challenges in France
- Recent research: Wikipedia can increase local tourism by +9%; predicting article quality with deep learning; recent behavior predicts quality
Local tourism gains +9% when Wikipedia articles are improved; significant improvements in predicting article quality with deep learning; recent editor behavior is a strong predictor of content quality
- WikiProject report: Comic relief
An interview with a project that is centered around comics.
- In the media: Wikipedia used to judge death penalty, arms smuggling, Indonesian governance, and HOTTEST celebrity
Wikipedia and reliable sources of information continue to define each other
- Traffic report: Swedish countess tops the list
Plus plenty of sports, film, and television
- Blog: Canadian Supreme Court rules against Google in favor of worldwide court orders
The Canadian Supreme Court ruled that Google must remove search results worldwide, dismissing concerns that this may impede freedom of expression for people outside of Canada or inspire other countries to censor speech.
- Special report: Sharing Wikipedia offline medical information in the Dominican Republic
Wikimedia contributors support each other's projects in many unexpected ways
- Featured content: Everywhere in the lead
Recently promoted articles, lists and pictures – with a very heavy one in the mix
- Technology report: Introducing TechCom
The Architecture Committee adopts a new charter and name; and the latest in script, bot, and tech news
- Humour: WWASOHs and ETCSSs
An elite squad of highly insightful editors can lead the way for other editors who may need to retrain their faces into forming a smile.
The Signpost: 6 September 2017
[edit]- From the editors: What happened at Wikimania?
Please share your Wikimania 2017 experiences!
- News and notes: Basselpedia; WMF Board of Trustees appointments
Some of the goings-on from Wikimania 2017.
- Featured content: Warfighters and their tools or trees and butterflies
Take your pick of the best of Wikipedia.
- Traffic report: A fortnight of conflicts
White supremacists v. anti-fascism groups, Mayweather v. McGregor, Moon v. Sun.
- Special report: Biomedical content, and some thoughts on its future
Wikipedia's medical and scientific content has come a long way since 2001. Here are some thoughts on how it may continue to evolve.
- Recent research: Discussion summarization; Twitter bots tracking government edits; extracting trivia from Wikipedia
A list of recent research publications on various topics.
- In the media: Google's Ideological Echo Chamber; What makes someone successful?
Plus the latest reports of vandalism and mistakes in Wikipedia.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject YouTube
WikiProject YouTube is a new project on both English and Simple English Wikipedia.
- Technology report: Latest tech news
Syntax highlighting, failed login notifications, watchlist filters, and more.
- Wikicup: 2017 WikiCup round 4 wrap-up
Ships, typhoons, birds, and more!
- Humour: Bots
They do the things you don't want to do (and sometimes things you don't want done).
The Signpost: 25 September 2017
[edit]- News and notes: Chapter updates; ACTRIAL
News from Wikimedia France, Wikimedia Macedonia, and Wikimedia Israel's; Autoconfirmed article creation trial begins
- In the media: Monkey settlement; Wikipedia used to give AI context clues
Also: Jeopedia, Dubaipedia, shaping science, fake quote reused by scholarly sources
- Humour: Chickenz
The best that poultry has to offer
- Recent research: Wikipedia articles vs. concepts; Wikipedia usage in Europe
Plus the latest research publications.
- Technology report: Flow restarted; Wikidata connection notifications
Plus more tech news, and the latest scripts and bots
- Gallery: Chicken mania
Complimenting this issue's Humour about chickens...
- Special report: Two steps forward, one step backward: The Sustainability Initiative
Finally we're seeing some initial successes, but the Wikimedia movement is still far from being environmentally sustainable.
- Traffic report: Fights and frights
Boxing, hurricanes, clowns, and more!
- Featured content: Flying high
Newly featured birds, planes, and high achievers
The Signpost: 23 October 2017
[edit]- News and notes: Money! WMF fundraising, Wikimedia strategy, WMF new office!
The Wikimedia Foundation publishes the latest fundraising report, convenes over the close of the strategic plan discussion, and moves into a new space.
- Featured content: Don, Marcel, Emily, Jessica and other notables
A variety of topics promoted.
- Humour: Guys named Ralph
If your name is Ralph, well sorry.
- In focus: Offline Wikipedia developed at OFF.NETWORK Content Hackathon
Advocates for sharing offline information gather to make content, software, hardware, and social decisions.
- Blog: The future of offline access to Wikipedia: The Kiwix example
A chat with a developer of open source software which allows users to download web content for offline reading, and the future of offline access to Wikipedia.
- In the media: Facebook and poetry
Fighting fake news and plagiarism.
- Special report: Working with GLAMs in the UK
Wikimedia UK's partnerships and achievements working with GLAM institutions.
- Traffic report: Death, disaster, and entertainment
Readers interested in the the death of Hef, Puerto Rico, films and television.
The Signpost: 24 November 2017
[edit]- News and notes: Cons, cons, cons
The first ever Wikidata conference was a con we wanted. Problematic paid editing while in a position of trust: not so much.
- Arbitration report: Administrator desysoped; How to deal with crosswiki issues; Mister Wiki case likely
Arbitration matters from October and November.
- Technology report: Searching and surveying
A new advanced search interface; the Community Wishlist Survey is back.
- Interview: A featured article centurion
Brianboulton talks about featured articles on his 100th promotion.
- WikiProject report: Recommendations for WikiProjects
A novel approach to recruit members for your project!
- In the media: Open knowledge platform as a media institution
Wikipedia seen as flawed but important; conservative think-tank fellow wants his say; volunteer in Madison wants to close the gender gap.
- Traffic report: Strange and inappropriate
Readers intrigued by the Netflix show Stranger Things, and by sexual assault allegations.
- Featured content: We will remember them
War memorials, soldiers, extinct species, and devastating hurricanes are some of the most recently promoted featured content.
- Recent research: Who wrote this? New dataset on the provenance of Wikipedia text
And other new research publications.
- Humour: Good faith (but still incomprehensible)
The entertainment value of Wikipedia.
The Signpost: 18 December 2017
[edit]- Special report: Women in Red World Contest wrap-up
Global article creation contest/editathon exceeds expectations.
- Blog: Close encounters of the Wikipedia kind
Astronaut is first to specifically contribute to Wikipedia from space.
- Featured content: Featured content to finish 2017
Seventeen articles, twenty-nine lists, three pictures and one featured topic were promoted.
- In the media: Stolen seagulls, public domain primates and more
The media discuss online copyright issues, Wikipedia's coverage of the capital of Israel and creation of a "reasonably clean, honest and reliable" work on Earth and in space.
- Arbitration report: Last case of 2017: Mister Wiki editors
Evidence phase in Mister Wiki editors case is complete; the community is proposing remedies and the Arbitration committee is slated to make a decision by end of year. Meanwhile, voting has closed on 2017 elections.
- Gallery: Wiki loving
Winners of the international photo competitions Wiki Loves Earth and Wiki Loves Monuments.
- Interview: Interview with Charlesjsharp, regular contributor of Wikipedia's Featured Pictures
Looking back on a decade of contributions including over 1,000 images and over three dozen Featured Pictures, Charles shares his wildlife photography experience and tips.
- Recent research: French medical articles have "high rate of veracity"
And other recent research publications.
- Technology report: Your wish lists and more Wikimedia tech
Including improved blocking tools, new user scripts, and the latest technical news.
- Traffic report: Notable heroes and bad guys
We like our heroes and bad guys.
- Humour: On their way to the WMF Incubator
u-nye-loo-lay-doo?Dochvetlh vISoplaHbe’.
The Signpost: 16 January 2018
[edit]- News and notes: Communication is key
Two new WMF Communications department leadership appointments; a new way for Wikimedia communities to communicate their capacities.
- In the media: The Paris Review, British Crown and British Media
Wikipedia manipulated and copied – again
- Featured content: History, gaming and multifarious topics
Historical and pop culture articles promoted.
- Interview: Interview with Ser Amantio di Nicolao, the top contributor to English Wikipedia by edit count
How do you make an average of 3,600 edits a week for over a decade? And what do you learn when you've done it?
- Technology report: Dedicated Wikidata database servers
Plus the latest technology upgrades, tools and news.
- Humour: Why don't we have an article about _________?
Notable missing articles.
- Arbitration report: Mister Wiki is first arbitration committee decision of 2018
In deciding to de-sysop an admin for efforts to evade discussion and review of paid edits made on behalf of a PR firm, Arbitration Committee doesn't significantly change the rules around paid editing, and leaves it up to the community whether to apply special restrictions to administrators.
- Traffic report: The best and worst of 2017
A look back at the most popular articles in a tumultuous and intriguing year.
The Signpost: 5 February 2018
[edit]- Op-ed: Do editors have the right to be forgotten?
Should an editor's block history be a permanent "rap sheet", or does Wikipedia forgive and forget? A reform initiative has begun.
- Featured content: Wars, sieges, disasters and everything black possible
Exemplary content recognized between January 12 and January 20, 2018
- Recent research: Automated Q&A from Wikipedia articles; Who succeeds in talk page discussions?
Also: Polish quality, Russian political mythologization, and multilingual analyses
- Blog: New monthly dataset shows where people fall into Wikipedia rabbit holes
The Wikimedia Foundation's Analytics team compiles a clickstream dataset, now available as a series of monthly data dumps for English, Russian, German, Spanish, and Japanese Wikipedias.
- Interview: Interview with The Rambling Man, Wikipedia's top contributor of Featured Lists
Lessons on Creating a Featured List
- Traffic report: TV, death, sports, and doodles
The most popular articles for January 14 to 27
- Special report: Cochrane–Wikipedia Initiative
A partnership to improve and update Wikipedia's medical content
- Arbitration report: New cases requested for inter-editor hostility and other collaboration issues
Politeness and collegial behavior about to be taken up by Arbcom, and perhaps a revisit of the infobox question.
- In the media: Solving crime; editing out violence allegations
Also, did UCF really win?
- Humour: You really are in Wonderland
Enjoy the humour of another contributor
The Signpost: 20 February 2018
[edit]- News and notes: The future is Swedish with a lack of administrators
Sweden selected for Wikimania 2019; research report on shaping the future; a scarcity of RfAs.
- Recent research: Politically diverse editors write better articles; Reddit and Stack Overflow benefit from Wikipedia but don't give back
There might be good things about an edit war.
- Arbitration report: Arbitration committee prepares to examine two new cases
Editor in self-imposed exile and infobox wars a thorn in the side of arbitration committee.
- Traffic report: Addicted to sports and pain
The Superbowl, the Winter Olympics, death, and accusations of unspeakable things.
- Featured content: Entertainment, sports and history
An eclectic mix of promotions.
- Technology report: Paragraph-based edit conflict screen; broken thanks
And other recent tech news.
- Humour: Impossible and unexplained traffic report
Stubs get a lot of pageviews.
Signpost issue 4 – 29 March 2018
[edit]- Op-ed: Death knell for The Signpost?
Is The Signpost on its last legs?
- News and notes: Wiki Conference roundup and new appointments.
Wikimedia events, group recognition, and individual appointments are ongoing.
- Arbitration report: Ironing out issues in infoboxes; not sure yet about New Jersey; and an administrator who probably wasn't uncivil to a sockpuppet.
Arbcom considers new discretionary sanctions for infoboxes and an extension of 1RR.
- In the media: The media on Wikipedia's workings: the good and not-so-good
Diplomats join Wikipedia for International Women's Day, the perfect "Human", how fringe theories are sustained, and perennial plagiarism from our pages.
- Traffic report: Real sports, real women and an imaginary country: what's on top for Wikipedia readers
Wakanda still fascinates; the Oscars happened; Winter Olympics come to a close; and International Women's Day gets over a million page views.
- Featured content: Animals, Ships, and Songs
A plethora of content.
- Technology report: Timeless skin review by Force Radical.
Reviewing a browser skin providing equal emphasis on both content and editing tools simultaneously.
- Special report: ACTRIAL wrap-up.
Retrospective on article creation trial.
- Humour: WikiWorld Reruns
Nostalgia and trips down Memory Lane.
The Signpost: 26 April 2018
[edit]- From the editors: The Signpost's presses roll again
Following Kudpung's op-ed "Death knell sounding for The Signpost?" in the 29 March issue, user comments encouraged a burst of enthusiasm to keep the newspaper in print.
- Signpost: Future directions for The Signpost
How to revive and evolve The Signpost? Big blue-sky proposals and small concrete proposals from the community and from two regular Signpost contributors.
- News and notes: Photo of Kim Jong-un. Stephen Hawking death tops hits on many Wikipedias.
Finally a free image Kim Jong-un. WMF wins legal battle. Stephen Hawking death tops all Wikipedia hits.
- In the media: The rise of Wikipedia as a disinformation mop
Internet companies use Wikipedia to police truth; Citogenesis proven yet again; early birthday greetings; and trains
- In focus: Admin reports board under criticism
A recent Community Health Initiative survey found only 27% of respondents are happy with the way reports of conflicts between Editors are handled on the Administrators' Incident Noticeboard (ANI).
- Special report: ACTRIAL results adopted by landslide
New major editing policy starting immediately: creation of articles in mainspace is to be limited to users with confirmed accounts
- Opinion: Guideline for Organization Notability revised
The standards have been raised for sources used in judging the notability of nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
- Op-ed: World War II Myth-making and Wikipedia
Wikipedia's myth of the clean Wehrmacht and what you can do about it. Or, how not to be one of "the worst distributors of pro-Nazi perspectives and the Wehrmacht myth".
- Community view: It's time we look past Women in Red to counter systemic bias
Can Wikipedia mobilize the same energy to fill other gaps in coverage?
- Discussion report: The future of portals
What should we do about Portals? Keep them, delete them, or mark them as historical? Or should they be more closely connected with their WikiProject(s)?
- Arbitration report: No new cases, and one motion on administrative misconduct
Quiet month for the Arbitration Committee
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Military History
Combat, weapons, monuments and personalities.
- Blog: Why the world reads Wikipedia
What we learned about reader motivation from a recent research study
- Humour: Our Favorite Places to Whine About Stuff
You might not get all excersized about essays but they can be as fun as talk pages
- Traffic report: A quiet place to wrestle with the articles of March
The most popular articles from March 25 to April 14.
- Technology report: Coming soon: Books-to-PDF, interactive maps, rollback confirmation
Plus the latest tech news and userscripts.
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
Material promoted from March 2 through April 20.
- Gallery: A look at some famous and not as well-known border tripoints
Honoring a day in military history, as well as peaceful borders
The Signpost: 24 May 2018
[edit]- From the editor: Another issue meets the deadline
A busy office with minimal staff.
- Op-ed: Has the wind gone out of the AdminShip's sails?
Kudpung has some thoughts on the reasons for becalmed forums and the reluctance of candidates to (wo)man the rigging.
- Opinion: Integrating my many lives on Wikipedia
Thoughts on how looking for the truth on Wikipedia brings out unexpected things in the real world.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Portals
After a recent Village Pump discussion, the Signpost looks at WikiProject Portals.
- Discussion report: User rights, infoboxes, and more discussion on portals
A busy month for discussions on major topics.
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
Science, sportspeople, video games, and history feature heavily in the community's picks this month.
- Arbitration report: Managing difficult topics
Has an attempt to prevent historical revisionism become a content battleground?
- News and notes: Lots of Wikimedia
De-recognition of Brazil user groups; brute-force attack on Wikipedia; Wikimedia Conference 2018; and assorted other silly things.
- In the media: Wikipedia in Turkish politics; COI politics in Wikipedia; most cited work
And the burning question of the day, is the monkey selfie going to space with the rest of Wikipedia?
- Traffic report: We love our superheroes
No surprises here as the summer movie season begins.
- Technology report: A trove of contributor and developer goodies
Improved mobile app, searching, citations, inline maps, voting, and more.
- Blog: Why I write about women on Wikipedia
Editor SusunW delves into reasons why she has created hundreds of articles about women.
- Recent research: Why people don't contribute to Wikipedia; using Wikipedia to teach statistics, technical writing, and controversial issues
Too many women still don't know that Wikipedia is editable.
- Humour: Play with your food
Down the rabbit hole into the realm of third-grade mind.
- Gallery: Wine not?
May 25 is National Wine Day in the United States.
- From the archives: The Signpost scoops The Signpost
The dark and twisted world of Wikipedia's most powerful media institution: The Signpost.
The Signpost: 29 June 2018
[edit]- From the editor: The Admin Ship is still barely afloat, while a Foundation project risks sinking
A Wiki not so Simple, a mayor motivating an editathon, a Marshall Plan, and a Wikimania under a cloud of criticism
- Special report: NPR and AfC – The Marshall Plan: an engagement and a marriage?
Further developments on New Page Review and Articles for Creation work sharing
- Op-ed: What do admins do?
Admins volunteer to be abused – or so it seems
- Opinion: Google isn't responsible for Wikipedia's mistakes
So it shouldn't get credit for our work, either.
- News and notes: Money, milestones, and Wikimania
Major grants announced, a new milestone for Afrikaans Wikipedia, a new WMF technical engagement team, an effort to start up a new library, two new admins – or maybe three fewer depending on your math.
- In the media: Much wikilove from the Mayor of London, less from Paekākāriki or a certain candidate for U.S. Congress
Several online battles are juxtaposed with stories about cooperation and good deeds, Arbcom hovering over it all; notwithstanding, a good action movie script is not necessarily found here.
- Discussion report: Deletion, page moves, and an update to the main page
Community discussions include style updates to project-wide icons and the main page, procedural questions on royal names and jettisoning unsuitable drafts, and deeper questions of compliance with European privacy laws and the perennial issue of shrinking admin corps.
- Featured content: New promotions
Enjoy the superb content
- Arbitration report: WWII, UK politics, and a user deCrat'ed
British politics case enters workshop phase and German war effort closes workshop, goes to Arbcom for proposals.
- Traffic report: Endgame
Two celebrities hang themselves, and the FIFA World Cup is underway
- Technology report: Improvements piled on more improvements
An AI assistant comes to watchlists; better mobile compatibility; new bots, tools and scripts; and more
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Africa
Colorful and moving.
- Blog: Wikipedia should be open for editors in Turkey
WMF appeals to Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime, and Communications Ahmet Arslan to lift the block of all language versions of Wikipedia for over a year.
- Recent research: How censorship can backfire and conversations can go awry
Studying ourselves: 'driven by a sense of mission' according to researchers.
- Humour: Television plot lines
In our next episode...
- Wikipedia essays: This month's pick by The Signpost editors
Some essays are funny, some are serious; some are just, well what exactly?
- From the archives: Wolves nip at Wikipedia's heels: A perspective on the cost of paid editing
Revisiting an editor's warning to count our kidneys and keep the wolves at bay
The Signpost: 31 July 2018
[edit]- From the editor: If only if
Ships and shoes – and if you don't like it here, just go away!
- Op-ed: The last leg of the Admin Ship's current cruise
How admin would-bes run the gauntlet.
- Opinion: Wrestling with Wikipedia reality
Wikipedia referees wag a finger at Professional Wrestling editors.
- News and notes: Another newspaper for Wikipedia; Wikimania 2018 ends; changes at NPR
New admins and Kudpung finally leaves NPP after 7 years.
- In the media: Blackouts in Europe; Wikipedia and capitalists; WMF Jet Set
One secret cabal that watches out for conspiracy theories, and another one out to stymie venture capitalists?
- Discussion report: Wikipedias take action against EU copyright proposal, plus new user right proposals
And more: a new user group for editing code, Women in Red, and arbitrator articles.
- Featured content: Wikipedia's best content in images and prose
Spanning the gamut from warfare and destruction to pop culture to celebrations of nature and humanity's achievements.
- Arbitration report: Status quo processes retained in two disputes
We don't have "state agents" in a political debate, but couldn't talk about it if there were.
- Traffic report: Soccer, football, call it what you like – that and summer movies leave room for little else
Finding the mathematician and Supreme Court nominee in this list is like playing Where's Waldo?.
- Technology report: New bots, new prefs
Useful new gadgets.
- Gallery: Independence days, national holidays, and football – all in July
Depictions of July events in several countries.
- Blog: Motivation of two editors
Those who study ancient Egypt.
- Recent research: Different Wikipedias use different images; editing contests more successful than edit-a-thons
And other recent findings, plus a roundup of research presentations at Wikimania.
- Humour: It's all the same
Merge WikiProject Professional wrestling and ANI.
- Essay: Wikipedia does not need you
Get over it!
- From the archives: The pending changes fiasco: how an attempt to answer one question turned into a quagmire
They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The Signpost: 30 August 2018
[edit]- From the editor: Today's young adults don't know a world without Wikipedia
Keep straight on – there are trolls in the hedgerows.
- Interview: 2018 Wikimedian of the Year, Farkhad Fatkullin
"Imagine a world in which every single human being is a Wikimedian. That's my commitment!"
- News and notes: Flying high; low practice from Wikipedia 'cleansing' agency; where do our donations go? RfA sees a new trend
WMF pays possible Orangemoody ring for user research, and ditches MediaWiki for publishing its own blog. Knife-edge closures at RfA.
- In the media: Quicksilver AI writes articles
But unfortunately its output is incompatible with open licensing.
- Discussion report: Drafting an interface administrator policy
Plus: Simple English Wikipedia stays open, a discussion on draft header templates, bias blind spot by admins offered cash?
- Featured content: Featured content selected by the community
Astronauts named Armstrong, babes of the Brits, Cortinarius caperatus and all that.
- Special report: Wikimania 2018
"Bridging knowledge gaps, the ubuntu way forward".
- Traffic report: Aretha dies – getting just 2,000 short of 5 million hits
Very high and very low hits; love and loss.
- Technology report: Technical enhancements and a request to prioritize upcoming work
Citation bot and mapframe enhancements; new licenses for Data space; possible hiccup on 12 September; per-user page, namespace, and upload blocking; and miscellaneous new bots and tools.
- Gallery: Leapfrog, historic Thai cave, and a rhythmic beat
Some of the best pictures of 2017.
- Recent research: Wehrmacht on Wikipedia, neural networks writing biographies
Readers prefer the AI's version 40% of the time – but it still suffers from hallucinations.
- Humour: Signpost editor censors herself
Nothing funny about it.
- Essay: Principle of Some Astonishment
Remind you of any Wikipedia articles?
- From the archives: Playing with Wikipedia words
The Wikipedia Plays.
The Signpost: 1 October 2018
[edit]- From the editor: Is this the new normal?
We keep on publishing as long as you keep on reading.
- News and notes: European copyright law moves forward
Wikipedia dodges a bullet in Brussels... maybe.
- In the media: Knowledge under fire
Can Wikipedians help save the world's knowledge and shine a light on current events?
- Discussion report: Interface Admin policy proposal, part 2
Plus: signatures, shortcuts, and reliable sources.
- Arbitration report: A quiet month for Arbcom
No valid new requests for arbitration, no new cases.
- Traffic report: John McCain's death generates over 7 million hits, followed by historical low
Fourth highest view count of the year; lowest view count since 2014; death, sports, and movies ever constant.
- Technology report: Paying attention to your mobile
Plus the latest scripts, bots, and tech news.
- Gallery: A pat on the back
A pictorial ode to the end of summer.
- Blog: After a catastrophic fire at the National Museum of Brazil, a drive to preserve what knowledge remains
As the global community of volunteer Wikimedia editors mourns the destruction of this amazing museum, this post pays tribute to all editors who have contributed restlessly to tell the story of the National Museum, our history.
- Recent research: How talk page use has changed since 2005; censorship shocks lead to centralization; is vandalism caused by workplace boredom?
And other recent research papers.
- Humour: Signpost Crossword Puzzle
What is a four-letter word for...
- Essay: Expressing thanks
You know you should...
The Signpost: 28 October 2018
[edit]- From the editors: The Signpost is still afloat, just barely
A slightly thinner issue, but out on time.
- Op-ed: Wikipedia's Strickland affair
Is a missing article on a Nobel laureate a fail? What if her draft biography was declined as non-notable?
- News and notes: WMF gets a million bucks
And it's richer than ever.
- In the media: Bans, celebs, and bias
Breitbart begone; rescued by archivists; celebrating trolls?
- Discussion report: Mediation Committee and proposed deletion reform
Plus: two pending changes-related discussions, notability, and naming conventions.
- Traffic report: Unsurprisingly, sport leads the field – or the ring
Who's reading what?
- Technology report: Bots galore!
Bots can do anything you want – well, almost.
- Special report: NPP needs you
WMF continues to stonewall development; NPP wishes again relegated to stocking fillers.
- Special report 2: Now Wikidata is six
SPARQL adds sparkle to WMF projects.
- In focus: Alexa
We are all writing for Amazon.
- Gallery: Out of this world!
No special effects here, just beautiful celestial images.
- Recent research: Wikimedia Commons worth $28.9 billion
If it weren't free, of course.
- Humour: Talk page humour
Wikipedia has a long history of talk page tomfoolery.
- Opinion: Strickland incident
The reviewer who declined the article gives his perspective.
- From the archives: The Gardner Interview
The "holy-shit" slide.
The Signpost: 1 December 2018
[edit]- From the editor: Time for a truce
Lay down your verbal weapons.
- Op-ed: Looking back, looking forward: A beginner's experience on Wikipedia
The experiences of a new user on Wikipedia, told in their own words.
- Special report: The Christmas wishlist
What do the WMF devs have in store for the community?
- Opinion: The blogosphere migrates to Galaxy WMF
Suppose they gave a blog and nobody came?
- News and notes: Reviewer of the year, WikiCup winner, and the 2019 Wikimedia Summit
Looking both backward and forward to events concerning the community.
- Reflections: Wikipedia, history, and the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day
A personal reflection on Wikipedia's role as a repository of history.
- In the media: Court-ordered article redaction, paid editing, and rock stars
Real-world news competes with the usual celeb fascination for Wikipedia's commentators.
- Discussion report: Farewell, Mediation Committee
It was a good 15 years. Plus: admins, notability, substubs, and new padlocks.
- Arbitration report: A long break ends
Arbcom takes its first new case since June.
- Traffic report: Queen reigns for four weeks straight
The "Queen" of stage and screen, that is. Is there another?
- Gallery: Intersections
Biology or technology? Form follows function in nature and the constructed world.
- Recent research: Why do the most active Wikipedians burn out?; only 4% of students vandalize
And other new research results.
- Essay: No one cares about your garage band
Nope, don't care!
- Humour: The dark side of our favorite root vegetable
Wonky carrots invoke terror.
- From the archives: Ars longa, vita brevis
ARS might continue, but some Wikipedians might not.
The Signpost: 24 December 2018
[edit]- From the editors: Where to draw the line in reporting?
Tell us what you think!
- Op-ed: Wikipedia not trumped by Trump appointee
Did World Patent Marketing pay to get Wikipedia to include flattering information on their board member, now the Acting United States Attorney General?
- Special report: The Signpost got 380,000+ views in 2018, sounds reasonable enough, right?
A statistical insight into the English Wikipedia's very own online community newsletter.
- News and notes: Some wishes do come true
NPP wins the wish list poll; Wikipedia editors will be able to work better at night; new WMF appointments and new arbitrators; and who wants to be an admin?
- In the media: Political hijinks
Wikipedia says 'ta' to British M.P. and 'buh-bye' to U.S. President's image vandals.
- Discussion report: A new record low for RfA
Plus: reliable sources, notability, and fallout from the self-blocking software changes.
- WikiProject report: Articlegenesis
Discovering how new and unregistered users make articles with the members of WikiProject Articles for Creation.
- Arbitration report: Year ends with one active case
GiantSnowman asked to chill, and other disputes addressed by Arbcom (or not).
- Traffic report: Queen dethroned by U.S. presidents
The band relinquishes its first place hold; Aquaman is swimming into view for late December.
- Gallery: Sun and Moon, water and stone
Happy solstice, and happy New Year!
- Blog: News from the WMF
In and around the WMF and its projects from the WMF's web site.
- Humour: I believe in Bigfoot
Are you a believer?
- Essay: Requests for medication
When the desire to continue to have the privilege of editing Wikipedia overrides the body's innate desire to choke the living shit out of some bastard who really has it coming.
- From the archives: Compromised admin accounts – again
Compromised accounts – especially those of inactive admins.
The Signpost: 31 January 2019
[edit]- Op-ed: Random Rewards Rejected
Lab rats deflate research to be performed on the Wikipedia community.
- In focus: The Collective Consciousness of Admin Userpages
Did you know that there was an admin who thought that the metaphor of the mop was a joke, and now they know it's not?
- News and notes: WMF staff turntable continues to spin; Endowment gets more cash; RfA continues to be a pit of steely knives
Rude or just forgetful? Eight-year WMF manager has disappeared; Facebook gives a million bucks, gets no love.
- In the media: The Signpost's investigative story recognized, Wikipedia turns 18 and gets a birthday gift from Google, and more editors are recognized
Heroes and unsung heroes: many good news stories about the work we are all doing together.
- Discussion report: The future of the reference desk
Plus: plagiarism from Wikipedia, user categories, and admin activity requirements.
- Featured content: Don't miss your great opportunity
Get yourself lost in 1730's Paris, and a wide range of other recently promoted content.
- Arbitration report: An admin under the microscope
Snowman flames newbies? Or just oversensitive snowflakes?
- Traffic report: Death, royals and superheroes: Avengers, Black Panther
The most popular articles of 2018 include a cornucopia of superheroes (Avengers: Infinity War)
- Technology report: When broken is easily fixed
Emergency server switch goes smoothly; technical glitches resolved; a new way to transfer files to Commons.
- Gallery: Let us build a memorial fit for such pain and suffering
A tour of some of the world's greatest memorials courtesy the Prime Minister of India.
- News from the WMF: News from WMF
The world’s largest photo contest, a $1 million gift, Wikipedia’s birthday, WF appoints Valerie D'Costa.
- Recent research: Ad revenue from reused Wikipedia articles; are Wikipedia researchers asking the right questions?
And other new research publications.
- Essay: How
A narrative to get you oriented to how this place works, and to the key policies and guidelines.
- Humour: Village pump
More talk pages you don't want to miss.
- From the archives: An editorial board that includes you
Four years - and nothing changed?
The Signpost: 28 February 2019
[edit]- From the editors: Help wanted (still)
This may be too wordy, verbose and loquacious – and possibly redundant – but as you know, it takes others to check our work, and if there were more people in the Newsroom, we'd be able to double check ourselves and produce a better product for our readership; if you think you are up to it, you are welcome to join us and even copyedit the Editor-in-Chief's article intros.
- News and notes: Front-page issues for the community
Encyclopedias for Deletion; Corinne; scholarships; partial blocks; and administrators headcount.
- In focus: Wikimedia affiliate organizations seek community participation in 2019 board election
This election will select 2 of 10 seats on the board. All Wikimedia users are stakeholders in the election outcome and should participate.
- Discussion report: Talking about talk pages
This month's major discussions include a WMF talk page consultation and a proposed current events noticeboard.
- Featured content: Conquest, War, Famine, Death, and more!
Horsemen of the apocalypse all represented in recently promoted content, alongside new life, pretty birds, great music, and other miscellaneous topics.
- Arbitration report: A quiet month for Arbitration Committee
Snowed in, maybe.
- Traffic report: Binge-watching
Netflix shows and TV sports dominate. A US politician breaks into the top 10.
- Technology report: Tool labs casters-up
Tool labs goes kaput, bots running wild (not really), interface administrators step into the breach, new gadgets and other tech happenings.
- Gallery: Signed with pride
A gallery of user signatures created by Wikipedians themselves.
- Recent research: Research finds signs of cultural diversity and recreational habits of readers
When watchers want the whole truth, they wind up with the wiki! And Cultural Context Content comes out of a complete cartography.
- Essay: Optimist's guide to Wikipedia
Assume good faith even if it kills you.
- From the archives: New group aims to promote Wiki-Love
The creation of the Esperanza group.
- Humour: Pesky Pronouns
Not feeling blurbish right now.
The Signpost: 31 March 2019
[edit]
- From the editors: Getting serious about humor
- News and notes: Blackouts fail to stop EU Copyright Directive
- In the media: Women's history month
- Discussion report: Portal debates continue, Prespa agreement aftermath, WMF seeks a rebranding
- Featured content: Out of this world
- Arbitration report: The Tides of March at ARBCOM
- Traffic report: Exultations and tribulations
- Technology report: New section suggestions and sitewide styles
- News from the WMF: The WMF's take on the new EU Copyright Directive
- Recent research: Barnstar-like awards increase new editor retention
- From the archives: Esperanza organization disbanded after deletion discussion
- Humour: The Epistolary of Arthur 37
- Op-Ed: Pro and Con: Has gun violence been improperly excluded from gun articles?
- In focus: The Wikipedia SourceWatch
- Special report: Wiki Loves (50 Years of) Pride
- Community view: Wikipedia's response to the New Zealand mosque shootings
Read this Signpost in full · Single-page · Unsubscribe · Global message delivery 15:42, 31 March 2019 (UTC)
The Signpost: 30 April 2019
[edit]- News and notes: An Action Packed April
New Administrators, April Fools, our competitors, and other associated updates
- In the media: Is Wikipedia just another social media site?
Harassment, a black hole, the Mueller Report, and Mötley Crüe - just another social media site?
- Discussion report: English Wikipedia community's conclusions on talk pages
Plus: another round of paid editing discussion.
- Featured content: Anguish, accolades, animals, and art
April's admirable additions.
- Arbitration report: An Active Arbitration Committee
Policies and procedures, cases and controversies, and other ArbCom updates
- Traffic report: Mötley Crüe, Notre-Dame, a black hole, and Bonnie and Clyde
Round up the unusual suspects
- Technology report: A new special page, and other news
Welcoming English Wikipedia's newest admin (bot)
- Gallery: Notre-Dame de Paris burns
Photos and videos show the damage
- News from the WMF: Can machine learning uncover Wikipedia’s missing “citation needed” tags?
Wikimedia Foundation data scientists are using machine learning to predict whether—and why—any given sentence on Wikipedia may need a citation in order to help editors identify areas of content violating the verifiability policy.
- Recent research: Female scholars underrepresented; whitepaper on Wikidata and libraries; undo patterns reveal editor hierarchy
And other recent research results
- From the archives: Portals revisited
"The future of portals", a year later
- Humour: Jimbo and Larry walk into a bar ...
Some editors will do anything to get a laugh
- Opinion: The gaps in our knowledge of our gaps
What we know we don't know, and why it might matter more than you might think
- Interview: Katherine Maher marks 3 years as executive director
Maher discusses her tenure as ED, the editing community, harassment and diversity, the WMF's 3-5 year plan, airplane travel, books, and her future.
- Community view: 2019 Wikimedia Summit gathers movement affiliate representatives to discuss movement strategy
An overview of Wikimedia Summit 2019, a working conference to discuss the Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy Process, preparing draft recommendations for Wikimania 2019 in August.
The Signpost: 31 May 2019
[edit]- From the editors: Picture that
The North Face sneaks in advertisements, apologizes after being caught
- News and notes: Wikimania and trustee elections
Get ready to go to Wikimania in Stockholm where you might meet two new trustees
- In the media: Politics, lawsuits and baseball
Wikipedia finds itself up against China, Pennsylvania politicians and the Detroit Tigers
- Discussion report: Admin abuse leads to mass-desysop proposal on Azerbaijani Wikipedia
Neutrality and copyright concerns lead and part 2 of the talk pages consultation.
- Arbitration report: ArbCom forges ahead
Resignations, new cases, administrator security, and more
- Traffic report: Dark marvels, thrones, a vile serial killer biopic, that's entertainment!
Who will be next to fill the throne at the top of the list?
- Technology report: Lots of Bots
Admin bots, approved bots, bots on trial, lots and lots of bots
- News from the WMF: Wikimedia Foundation petitions the European Court of Human Rights to lift the block of Wikipedia in Turkey
The WMF keeps working to stop Turkey from blocking Wikipedia.
- Recent research: Wikipedia more useful than academic journals, but is it stealing the news?
And other new research publications
- Essay: Paid editing
We've been talking about paid editing forever
- From the archives: FORUM:Should Wikimedia modify its terms of use to require disclosure?
A debate from 5 years ago on whether we use to prohibit undisclosed paid editing
The June 2019 Signpost is out!
[edit]- Discussion report: A constitutional crisis hits English Wikipedia
Could this be a new relationship between the Foundation and ArbCom, and between the Foundation and enwiki?
- News and notes: Mysterious ban, admin resignations, Wikimedia Thailand rising
Many administrators resign related to Fram case; Wikimedia Thailand to host Wikimania 2020.
- In the media: The disinformation age
Or is it the information error?
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories that are from the Wikiverse.
- Traffic report: Juneteenth, Beauty Revealed, and more nuclear disasters
Readers look for info on what they watch, mostly Chernobyl.
- Technology report: Actors and Bots
Database changes, new scripts, Tech News, and more.
- Gallery: Unlike the North Face, Wiki Loves Earth
Wikimedia photographers surge to contribute to the Wiki Loves Earth campaign even while rogue clothing company The North Face replaces wiki illustrations with advertisements.
- Special report: Did Fram harass other editors?
(DELETED ARTICLE)
- Recent research: What do editors do after being blocked?; the top mathematicians, universities and cancers according to Wikipedia
And other recent research publications.
- From the archives: Women and Wikipedia: the world is watching
"If you don't clean up this mess, the adults are going to come and take your toys away from you."
- Opinion: Why the Terms of Use change didn't curtail undisclosed paid editing—and what might
To reduce the incentives driving undisclosed paid editing, Wikipedia could simplify the process and meet outsiders halfway.
- In focus: WikiJournals: A sister project proposal
Academic peer review meets Wikimedia.
- Community view: A CEO biography, paid for with taxes
How an Irish state-level paid editor tried to turn me into the villain.
- Op-Ed: 2019 Wikimedia Affiliate Selected Board Seats Election Results
Wikimedia community organizations elect two members for the Wikimedia Foundation board of trustees.
The Signpost: 31 July 2019
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimedia grants less accessible for travel, equipment, meetups, and India
WMF grants program changes position on funding random individuals globally and 100 crore people in one region
- In the media: Politics starts getting rough
Are we ready for the sharp elbows?
- Discussion report: New proposals in aftermath of Fram ban
Resysop requests on the ’crat board prove controversial; plus, aftermath of Framgate.
- Arbitration report: A month of reintegration
Arbitration begins setting new boundaries after the June blow-up
- Gallery: Classic panoramas from Heinrich Berann
It looks nice and cool up in those mountains
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories that are from the Wikiverse.
- Community view: Video based summaries of Wikipedia articles. How and why?
It's easy, education saves lives.
- News from the WMF: Designing ethically with AI: How Wikimedia can harness machine learning in a responsible and human-centered way
Or, how to avoid Artificial Ignorance
- Recent research: Most influential medical journals; detecting pages to protect
And other new research publications
- Special report: Administrator cadre continues to contract
A new record set: fewer than 500 active admins.
- Traffic report: World cups, presidential candidates, and stranger things
and don't forget the movies
- In focus: The French Wikipedia is overtaking the German
Who is growing? Who is not?
The Signpost: 30 August 2019
[edit]- News and notes: Documenting Wikimania and our beginnings
The oldest surviving Wikipedia edit restored to article history, Wikimania, and the mystery of a disappearing Funds Dissemination Committee.
- In focus: Ryan Merkley joins WMF as Chief of Staff
Working with leadership and the community, taking on both operational and strategic responsibilities
- In the media: Many layers of fake news: Fake fiction and fake news vandalism
And the media report it all
- Discussion report: Meta proposals on partial bans and IP users
Can we survive without IP addresses?
- Traffic report: Once upon a time in Greenland with Boris and cornflakes
And some summer flicks with the usual heroes and villains
- Op-Ed: We couldn't have told you this, but Wikipedia was censored
Should we break the law or publish the truth?
- Opinion: The Curious Case of Croatian Wikipedia
Or how to make a concentration camp disappear?
- Community view: Chinese Wikipedia and the battle against extradition from Hong Kong
From streets to Wikipedia - What are editors from Hong Kong facing?
- News from the WMF: Meet Emna Mizouni, the newly minted 2019 Wikimedian of the Year
Emna Mizouni was named the 2019 Wikimedian of the Year.
- Recent research: Special issue on gender gap and gender bias research
A roundup of many recent publications examining Wikpedia's gender gaps in participation and content, and their possible reasons
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories that are from the Wikiverse
The Signpost: 30 September 2019
[edit]- From the editors: Where do we go from here?
Our constitutional crisis may continue
- Special report: Post-Framgate wrapup
Summary of actions around a formerly banned former administrator: Arbitration Committee action and withdrawn request for adminship
- In the media: A net loss: Wikipedia attacked, closing off Russia? welcoming back Turkey?
The internet may not be as stable as it seems
- Traffic report: Varied and intriguing entries, less Luck, and some retreads
Luck, Serena, Bianca, 9/11, bad films, mass murderers and other good stuff
- News from the WMF: How the Wikimedia Foundation is making efforts to go green
Wikipedia's footprint is equivalent to 251 average US homes’ energy use. Yes we can go green.
- Recent research: Wikipedia's role in assessing credibility of news sources; using wikis against procrastination; OpenSym 2019 report
And other recent research publications
- Gallery: Finding freely licensed photo collections
Wikimedia Commons is not the only place to find freely licensed photos
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories that are from the Wikiverse
- In focus: Wikidata & Wikibase for national libraries: the inaugural meeting
National libraries are planning to leverage Wikidata to interoperate and to bring information to the public
The Signpost: 31 October 2019
[edit]- In the media: How to use or abuse Wikipedia for fun or profit
Sweden, Poland, Armenia, Russia, the Vatican, and clueless English pubs.
- Special report: “Catch and Kill” on Wikipedia: Paid editing and the suppression of material on alleged sexual abuse
"It's time for Wikipedia to grow up."
- In focus: The BBC looks at Chinese government editing
But they aren't entirely sure they see it
- Interview: Carl Miller on Wikipedia Wars
A discussion on info wars, government editing and our defences.
- Community view: Observations from the mainland
A different point of view
- Arbitration report: October actions
An "unblockable" is blocked; a former arb resigns.
- Traffic report: Wrestling with a couple of teenagers, a Nobelist, and a lot of jokers
Plus a few celebrities.
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Broadcast
The future of public broadcasting has arrived.
- Recent research: Research at Wikimania 2019: More communication doesn't make editors more productive; Tor users doing good work; harmful content rare on English Wikipedia
And other new research publications
- Essay: Wikipedia is in the real world
Editing can have serious consequences.
- News from the WMF: Welcome to Wikipedia! Here's what we're doing to help you stick around
Twenty questions to get you started.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
The Signpost: 29 November 2019
[edit]- From the editor: Put on your birthday best
"We get by with a little help from our friends"
- News and notes: How soon for the next million articles?
And when will we get the second extraterrestrial edit?
- In the media: You say you want a revolution
Everybody wants to change Wikipedia.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- Arbitration report: Two requests for arbitration cases
Important or imprudent? Pondering portals. And an editor gets transported off-wiki for good.
- Traffic report: The queen and the princess meet the king and the joker
Could this be the end of the Terminator?
- Technology report: Reference things, sister things, stranger things
The latest tech news and updates.
- Gallery: Winter and holidays
Some interesting and unusual winter and holiday images.
- Recent research: Bot census; discussions differ on Spanish and English Wikipedia; how nature's seasons affect pageviews
And other new research publications.
- Essay: Adminitis
Some humor about the otherwise serious subject of burnout.
- From the archives: WikiProject Spam, revisited
Veteran editor: Wikipedia is losing existential battle against spam.
- In focus: An update on the Wikimedia Movement 2030 Strategy
Coming to the end of a long road formulating the strategy.
- Special report: How many people edit in your favorite language? Where are they from?
Only now can we say!
The Signpost: 27 December 2019
[edit]- From the editors: Caught with their hands in the cookie jar, again
You can buy "cleaners" but you might not come away clean.
- News and notes: What's up (and down) with administrators, articles and languages
Active administrators and articles achieved are marking milestone metrics, but in diverging directions. Plus, the first time any court has found there exists a constitutional right to read Wikipedia.
- Special report: Are reputation management operatives scrubbing Wikipedia articles?
Son of Wiki-PR.
- In the media: "The fulfillment of the dream of humanity" or a nightmare of PR whitewashing on behalf of one-percenters?
Praise for possibly pansophic Wikipedia from a Nobel laureate collides head-on with real-world events in December.
- Discussion report: December discussions around the wiki
Regarding integrity of information presented by Wikipedia, as well as the processes and people who ensure it remains trustworthy.
- Arbitration report: Announcement of 2020 Arbitration Committee
ArbCom election results and status of open and requested cases.
- Traffic report: Queens and aliens, exactly alike, once upon a December
We may have scrambled the headlines a bit.
- Technology report: User scripts and more
Customise your Wikipedia experience
- Gallery: Holiday wishes
Messages of holiday cheer from us to you.
- Recent research: Acoustics and Wikipedia; Wiki Workshop 2019 summary
16 recent papers, and other research news
- From the archives: The 2002 Spanish fork and ads revisited (re-revisited?)
A look at different approaches taken by Wikipedia's founders in 2002, as seen from the perspective of nine years when it was written; nearly twenty years ago now.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- Op-Ed: Why we need to keep talking about Wikipedia's gender gap
There's still a long way to go.
- WikiProject report: Wikiproject Tree of Life: A Wikiproject report
Eight years after our last interview, WikiProject Tree of Life continues to thrive.
The Signpost: 27 January 2020
[edit]- From the editor: Reaching six million articles is great, but we need a moratorium
How long can we ignore Wiki-PR?
- News and notes: Six million articles on the English language Wikipedia
You ain't seen nothing yet.
- Special report: The limits of volunteerism and the gatekeepers of Team Encarta
How to survive the asshole consensus.
- In the media: Turkey's back up, but what's happening with Dot-org and a new visual identity?
Plus politics and other oddities.
- Arbitration report: Three cases at ArbCom
The new arbs have a big load.
- Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2019
As only The Signpost can describe them.
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Monuments 2019, we're all winners
The top 15 international photos.
- News from the WMF: Capacity Building: Top 5 Themes from Community Conversations
Growing our community and our abilities.
- Community view: Our most important new article since November 1, 2015
Well, it's a bit subjective.
- In focus: Cryptos and bitcoins and blockchains, oh no!
Everybody needs to make a buck somehow — just not here, thanks.
- Recent research: How useful is Wikipedia for novice programmers trying to learn computing concepts?
And other new research publications.
- From the archives: A decade of The Signpost, 2005-2015
The first 10 years are the hardest.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Japan: a wikiProject Report
An interview with four members of the WikiProject Japan.
- Humour: Predicting the 6,000,000th article
I may fall in love all over again!
- Obituary: Remembering Wikipedia contributor Brian Boulton
A mentor to us all
The Signpost: 1 March 2020
[edit]- From the editor: The ball is in your court
How to stop abusive commercial editing.
- News and notes: Alexa ranking down to 13th worldwide
Falling behind Chinese websites.
- Special report: More participation, more conversation, more pageviews
A statistical insight into the English Wikipedia's very own online community newsletter.
- In the media: Mapping IP editors, Smithsonian open-access, and coronavirus disinformation
We're all over the map this month.
- Discussion report: Do you prefer M or P?
Wikimedia or Wikipedia?
- Arbitration report: Two prominent administrators removed
Arbitration Committee and the "blue wall of silence".
- By the numbers: How many actions by administrators does it take to clean up spam?
Numbers for vandalism and sockpuppeting included at no additional charge!
- Community view: The Incredible Invisible Woman
No more "Hidden Figures", let's work to make women visible on Wikipedia!
- In focus: History of The Signpost, 2015–2019
Covering Wikipedia for another five years!
- Recent research: Wikipedia generates $50 billion/year consumer surplus in the US alone
And other new research results
- From the archives: Is Wikipedia for sale?
How long has Wikipedia been for sale? When will it stop?
- Traffic report: February articles, floating in the dark
Kobe sets another record.
- Gallery: Feel the love
Renewing our vows.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- Op-Ed: What I learned as Wikimedia UK Communications Coordinator
Getting across the Wikipedia experience to the press.
- Opinion: Wikipedia is another country
Or: how to best bite a newbie.
- Humour: The Wilhelm scream
WikiWorld is back.
The Signpost: 29 March 2020
[edit]- From the editors: The bad and the good
Getting ready for anything.
- News and notes: 2018 Wikipedian of the year blocked
Wheel war on Tatar Wikipedia.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject COVID-19: A WikiProject Report
An interview with members of the COVID Project.
- Special report: Wikipedia on COVID-19: what we publish and why it matters
Wikipedia presents solid widely-consulted information on COVID-19 and related topics.
- In the media: Blocked in Iran but still covering the big story
COVID-19, Zika, edit-a-thons, and macrons.
- Discussion report: Rethinking draft space
Plus: geonotices, reliable sources, and job titles.
- Arbitration report: Unfinished business
A new case, a case returns from limbo, and an RfC being prepared.
- In focus: "I have been asked by Jeffrey Epstein …"
The twists and turns of Epstein’s portrayal on Wikipedia.
- Community view: Wikimedia community responds to COVID-19
Individually and in organized groups, Wikimedians stand up and make a difference.
- Recent research: Disease outbreak uncertainties, AfD forecasting, auto-updating Wikipedia
New research publications on "the fear of being erased" and other topics.
- From the archives: Text from Wikipedia good enough for Oxford University Press to claim as own
Five years ago with a different crisis.
- Traffic report: The only thing that matters in the world
Going to movies and sport stadiums is history, and readers turn to Wikipedia for crucial medical information and updates.
- Gallery: Visible Women on Wikipedia
Images from the Whose Knowlege? campaign.
- News from the WMF: Amid COVID-19, Wikimedia Foundation offers full pay for reduced hours, mobilizes all staff to work remote, and waives sick time
The WMF responds.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
The Signpost: 26 April 2020
[edit]- News and notes: Unbiased information from Ukraine's government?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pitches in.
- In the media: Coronavirus, again and again
Plus the importance of language.
- Discussion report: Redesigning Wikipedia, bit by bit
The Wikimedia community discusses modifying or hiding the sidebar on the left of every page.
- Featured content: Featured content returns
Movies, roads, awards and more.
- Arbitration report: Two difficult cases
Even our best editors sometimes disagree.
- Traffic report: Disease the Rhythm of the Night
Coronavirus, coronavirus, and Joe Exotic.
- Gallery: Roy is doing fine and sending more photos
A coronavirus cruise can't stop Roy!
- Recent research: Trending topics across languages; auto-detecting bias
And other new research results.
- Essay: Wikipedia:An article about yourself isn't necessarily a good thing
And it could get worse!
- By the numbers: Open data and COVID-19: Wikipedia as an informational resource during the pandemic
What COVID-19 data are available from the WMF?
- Opinion: Trusting Everybody to Work Together
In an increasingly factious world, Wikipedia's approach to collaboration and trust-building point to a brighter future.
- On the bright side: What's making you happy this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- Interview: Health and RfA's: An interview with Guy Macon
A Wikipedia editor reflects on his recent RfA and the health issues that became part of it.
- In focus: Multilingual Wikipedia
How to better integrate articles across language editions.
- WikiProject report: The Guild of Copy Editors
An interview with members of the WP:GOCE
The Signpost: 31 May 2020
[edit]- From the editor: Meltdown May?
Or will it be meltdown June?
- News and notes: 2019 Picture of the Year, 200 French paid editing accounts blocked, 10 years of Guild Copyediting
Many of these accounts now blocked on the English-language Wikipedia.
- In the media: CBS on COVID-19, Sanger on bias, false noses, and five prolific editors
Worth Every Goddamn Second!
- Discussion report: WMF's Universal Code of Conduct
It's no April Fool's joke, but we discuss those, too.
- Special report: The sum of human knowledge? Not in one Wikipedia language edition
Cultural context, diversity, and the future of languages.
- Featured content: Weathering the storm
Battles, bombs, wars, and more storms.
- Arbitration report: Board member likely to receive editing restriction
Sanctions of multiple flavors, and a non-decision on the breadth of discretionary sanctions.
- Traffic report: Come on and slam, and welcome to the jam
Time to bring on the Bulls.
- Op-Ed: Where Is Political Bias Taking Us?
Straight down the tubes.
- Gallery: Wildlife photos by the book
Birds, insects, elephants, a macaque and more.
- News from the WMF: WMF Board announces Community Culture Statement
Enacting new standards to address harassment and promote inclusivity across projects.
- Recent research: Automatic detection of covert paid editing; Wiki Workshop 2020
New results from academic research
- Community view: Transit routes and mapping during stay-at-home order downtime
Hello Columbus.
- On video: COVID-19 spurs innovations in Wikimedia video and virtual programming
Community harnesses new technologies for remote participation in events and gatherings
- WikiProject report: Revitalizing good articles
Can our energy be turned into long-term change?
- On the bright side: 500,000 articles in the Egyptian Arabic Wikipedia
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- Obituaries: Dmitrismirnov, Kattenkruid, Muidlatif, Ronhjones, Tsirel
Rest in peace.
The Signpost: 28 June 2020
[edit]- News and notes: Progress at Wikipedia Library and Wikijournal of Medicine
Plus Swedish biographies and the big oops!
- Community view: Community open letter on renaming
Reacting to the WMF's rebranding proposal.
- Gallery: After the killing of George Floyd
Protests and photos from around the world...
- In the media: Part collaboration and part combat
Racial justice, Facebook, LGBTQ+, Ryan Merkley, and a woman.
- Discussion report: Community reacts to WMF rebranding proposals
Many Wikimedia community members are upset about the WMF's plan to rebrand. Plus, a discussion of Fox News's reliability.
- Featured content: Sports are returning, with a rainbow
Battles, music, and animals feature prominently in this month's best content.
- Arbitration report: Anti-harassment RfC and a checkuser revocation
The RfC should keep everybody busy.
- Traffic report: The pandemic, alleged murder, a massacre, and other deaths
Plus Rajput, Musk, Epstein, Maxwell, Owens and Anonymous
- News from the WMF: We stand for racial justice
On these issues, there is no neutral stance.
- Recent research: Wikipedia and COVID-19; automated Wikipedia-based fact-checking
And other new research publications
- Interview: What is wrong with rebranding to "Wikipedia Foundation"?
Four signers of the open letter explain.
- Humour: Cherchez une femme
It's amazing what one can do.
- Opinion: Trying to find COI or paid editors? Just read the news
A scientific scandal and the Ronaldo of investment banking.
- On the bright side: For what are you grateful this month?
A selection of good news and encouraging stories from the Wikiverse.
- In focus: Edit Loud, Edit Proud: LGBTIQ+ Wikimedians and Global Information Activism
The history and impact of LGBTIQ+ contributions to Wikimedia projects.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Black Lives Matter
How Wikipedia is covering racial injustice, both in the outer world and on-site
The Signpost: 2 August 2020
[edit]- Special report: Wikipedia and the End of Open Collaboration?
Comparing Wikipedia to similar projects.
- COI and paid editing: Some strange people edit Wikipedia for money
And thanks for the photo, Ghislaine!
- News and notes: Abstract Wikipedia, a hoax, sex symbols, and a new admin
Plus lots of affiliations!
- In the media: Dog days gone bad
Pandemic, politics, and possibly paid editing.
- Discussion report: Fox News, a flight of RfAs, and banning policy
Plus a proposed massive invasion of privacy!
- Featured content: Remembering Art, Valor, and Freedom
soldiers, sports, and actors feature heavily this month.
- Traffic report: Now for something completely different
Death and Alexander Hamilton.
- Gallery: Photos of threatened species from iNaturalist
Sometimes you just have to ask.
- News from the WMF: New Chinese national security law in Hong Kong could limit the privacy of Wikipedia users
Privacy is critical to sustaining freedom of expression and association, enabling knowledge and ideas to thrive.
- Recent research: Receiving thanks increases retention, but not the time contributed to Wikipedia
And other new research publications
- Essay: Not compatible with a collaborative project
Some editors aren't.
- Obituaries: Hasteur and Brian McNeil
Rest in peace.
- In focus: WikiLoop DoubleCheck, reviewing edits made easy
Making Wikipedia the encyclopedia that anyone can review.
The Signpost: 30 August 2020
[edit]- News and notes: The high road and the low road
Will the Scots language Wikipedia survive?
- In the media: Storytelling large and small
COVID, Fox, Kamala, Scots, cryptocurrency, and more.
- Featured content: Going for the goal
Sports, music, military and more
- Special report: Wikipedia's not so little sister is finding its own way
Wikidata's profound impact on Wikipedia
- Op-Ed: The longest-running hoax
Watch out for those Mustelodons!
- Traffic report: Heart, soul, umbrellas, and politics
More politics than usual.
- News from the WMF: Fourteen things we’ve learned by moving Polish Wikimedia conference online
Celebrating of our community in a different format.
- Recent research: Detecting spam, and pages to protect; non-anonymous editors signal their intelligence with high-quality articles
And other new research results
- Arbitration report: A slow couple of months
Everybody deserves a vacation!
- From the archives: Wikipedia for promotional purposes?
A question from 2005 that we still haven't answered.
- Obituaries: Marcus Sherman, Jerome West, and Pauline van Till
Rest in Peace.
The Signpost: 27 September 2020
[edit]- Special report: Paid editing with political connections
WE charity and Justin Trudeau, Bell Pottinger, Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs.
- News and notes: More large-scale errors at a "small" wiki
With inline parenthetical citations!
- In the media: WIPO, Seigenthaler incident 15 years later
A celebrity quiz, Scots, and a Crypto-hating Wikipedia editor
- Featured content: Life finds a Way
Animals, sports, military, and science feature heavily in this month's best content.
- Arbitration report: Clarifications and requests
Who is that guy JzG?
- Traffic report: Is there no justice?
Perhaps on the tennis court.
- Recent research: Wikipedia's flood biases
And other new research publications.
The Signpost: 27 September 2020
[edit]- Special report: Paid editing with political connections
WE charity and Justin Trudeau, Bell Pottinger, Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs.
- News and notes: More large-scale errors at a "small" wiki
With inline parenthetical citations!
- In the media: WIPO, Seigenthaler incident 15 years later
A celebrity quiz, Scots, and a Crypto-hating Wikipedia editor
- Featured content: Life finds a Way
Animals, sports, military, and science feature heavily in this month's best content.
- Arbitration report: Clarifications and requests
Who is that guy JzG?
- Traffic report: Is there no justice?
Perhaps on the tennis court.
- Recent research: Wikipedia's flood biases
And other new research publications.
The Signpost: 1 November 2020
[edit]- News and notes: Ban on IPs on ptwiki, paid editing for Tatarstan, IP masking
Branding pause, birthday.
- In the media: Murder, politics, religion, health and books
A possible conspiracy and 2 infodemics!
- Book review: Review of Wikipedia @ 20
We made it this far, but where do we go from here?
- Op-Ed: Anti-vandalism with masked IPs: the steps forward
Getting input from editors.
- Discussion report: Proposal to change board composition, In The News dumps Trump story
Will editors be affected?
- Featured content: The "Green Terror" is neither green nor sufficiently terrifying. Worst Hallowe'en ever.
A hairy starfish flower might help!
- Traffic report: Jump back, what's that sound?
Here comes the judge.
- Interview: Joseph Reagle and Jackie Koerner
The co-editors of Wikipedia @ 20.
- News from the WMF: Meet the 2020 Wikimedian of the Year
Sandister Tei.
- Recent research: OpenSym 2020: Deletions and gender, masses vs. elites, edit filters
Ortega's hypothesis was right! (If you start with the right definitions and assumptions.)
- In focus: The many (reported) deaths of Wikipedia
The grove continues to grow – despite periods of dismal predictions.
The Signpost: 29 November 2020
[edit]- News and notes: Jimmy Wales "shouldn't be kicked out before he's ready"
Arbitration Committee elections begin.
- Op-Ed: Re-righting Wikipedia
Wikipedia deprecates more right-wing sources than left-wing sources ... but is it a problem?
- Opinion: How billionaires re-write Wikipedia
Billionaires are different from you and me.
- In the media: Relying on Wikipedia: voters, scientists, and a Canadian border guard
And yes, it does!
- Featured content: Frontonia sp. is thankful for delicious cyanobacteria
The Réunion swamphen is a lot less thankful.
- Traffic report: 007 with Borat, the Queen, and an election
Plus Alex Trebek and the Queen's Gambit.
- News from Wiki Education: An assignment that changed a life: Kasey Baker
Wiki Education and changing our encyclopedia.
- GLAM plus: West Coast New Zealand's Wikipedian at Large
Succeeding one step at a time.
- Wikicup report: Lee Vilenski wins the 2020 WikiCup
Gog the Mild and The Rambling Man in second and third!
- Recent research: Wikipedia's Shoah coverage succeeds where libraries fail
And other new research publications.
- Essay: Writing about women
Male is not the default.
The Signpost: 28 December 2020
[edit]- News and notes: Year-end legal surprises cause concern, but Public Domain Day is imminent
New laws in the US and Europe might enable trolls; sad admin milestone for English Wikipedia, or not?
- In the media: Concealment, data journalism, a non-pig farmer, and some Bluetick Hounds
As 2020 draws to a close, this website has been splattered all over the headlines.
- Arbitration report: 2020 election results
Congratulations to the new Arbs!
- Opinion: How to make your factory's safety and labor issues disappear
Edit wars fought on the back of workers.
- Featured content: Very nearly ringing in the New Year with "Blank Space" – but we got there in time.
Texas amphibia, mongeese, and Normandy invasion plans grateful.
- Traffic report: 2020 wraps up
Punks and heroes, losers and winners, the bereaved and the deceased – they're all here.
- News from the WMF: What Wikipedia saw during election week in the U.S., and what we’re doing next
No evidence of large-scale state-sponsored disinformation.
- Recent research: Predicting the next move in Wikipedia discussions
Six million talk page threads analyzed, and other research.
- Essay: Subjective importance
Is not important to notability.
- Op-Ed: An unforgettable year we might wish to forget
The year that was 2020.
- Gallery: Angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity.
- Humour: 'Twas the Night Before Wikimas
And to all a good night!
The Signpost: 31 January 2021
[edit]- News and notes: 1,000,000,000 edits, board elections, virtual Wikimania 2021
Who else but Ser Amantio di Nicolao?
- Special report: Wiki reporting on the United States insurrection
From the Hill to the news to Wikipedia in minutes!
- In focus: From Anarchy to Wikiality, Glaring Bias to Good Cop: Press Coverage of Wikipedia's First Two Decades
A new "wiki journalism" is needed.
- Opinion: Wikipedia's war against scientific disinformation
Are we getting lead by the nose?
- In the media: The world's press says "Happy Birthday!" with a few twists
Even the world's richest man is happy we exist!
- Technology report: The people who built Wikipedia, technically
Starting with trust, expanding, controversy, and opportunities.
- Videos and podcasts: Celebrating 20 years
Multimedia in many styles!
- News from the WMF: Wikipedia celebrates 20 years of free, trusted information for the world
Happy birthday!
- Recent research: Students still have a better opinion of Wikipedia than teachers
And other new research results
- Humour: Dr. Seuss's Guide to Wikipedia
With a special appearance by Senator Ted Cruz!
- Featured content: New Year, same Featured Content report!
...Well, except we did change the articles and pictures out. ...Mostly.
- Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2020
The end of the world as we know it?
- Obituary: Flyer22 Frozen
RIP.
The Signpost: 28 February 2021
[edit]- News and notes: Maher stepping down
UCC launch.
- Disinformation report: A "billionaire battle" on Wikipedia: Sex, lies, and video
Edits of the rich and famous.
- Opinion: The call for feedback on community seats is a distraction
Free as in Liberty.
- In the media: Corporate influence at OSM, Fox watching the hen house
Wikidata, Turkey, Valentine's Day and all sorts of bias!
- News from the WMF: Who tells your story on Wikipedia
You can!
- Recent research: Take an AI-generated flashcard quiz about Wikipedia; Wikipedia's anti-feudalism
And other new research publications
- Featured content: A Love of Knowledge, for Valentine's Day
Stealing your heart, and Charles Darwin's notebooks.
- Traffic report: Does it almost feel like you've been here before?
Watching the Super Bowl at the Cecil?
- Gallery: What is Black history and culture?
In paintings, photos, and recordings.
The Signpost: 28 March 2021
[edit]- News and notes: A future with a for-profit subsidiary?
Or becoming more business-like?
- Gallery: Wiki Loves Monuments
2020 international winners
- In the media: Wikimedia LLC and disinformation in Japan
Plus CPAC misinformation
- News from the WMF: Project Rewrite: Tell the missing stories of women on Wikipedia and beyond
Telling women’s stories is a radical act.
- Recent research: 10%-30% of Wikipedia’s contributors have subject-matter expertise
And other recent research results
- From the archives: Google isn't responsible for Wikipedia's mistakes
Huge profits sustained by unpaid labor.
- Essay: Wikipedia:The Free Encyclopedia
As in "free software" and "free culture".
- Obituary: Yoninah
Barukh dayan ha-emet ("Blessed is the true judge.")
- From the editor: What else can we say?
What can we link to?
- Arbitration report: Open letter to the Board of Trustees
Let's do the UCoC right!
- Traffic report: Wanda, Meghan, Liz, Phil and Zack
Another royal bash!
The Signpost: 25 April 2021
[edit]- From the editor: A change is gonna come
But not soon enough.
- Disinformation report: Paid editing by a former head of state's business enterprise
The Trump Organization's paid editors
- In the media: Fernando, governance, and rugby
Jimmy does OK too!
- Opinion: The (Universal) Code of Conduct
Explicit behavioral expectations are better than unwritten social norms
- Op-Ed: A Little Fun Goes A Long Way
Why do we work so hard to avoid having a sense of humor?
- Changing the world: The reach of protest images on Wikipedia
Wikipedia's retweet and share buttons
- Recent research: Quality of aquatic and anatomical articles
And other research publications
- Traffic report: The verdict is guilty, guilty, guilty
Plus Godzilla and Kong
- News from Wiki Education: Encouraging professional physicists to engage in outreach on Wikipedia
Even a Nobel laureate can learn more!
The Signpost: 25 April 2021
[edit]- From the editor: A change is gonna come
But not soon enough.
- Disinformation report: Paid editing by a former head of state's business enterprise
The Trump Organization's paid editors
- In the media: Fernando, governance, and rugby
Jimmy does OK too!
- Opinion: The (Universal) Code of Conduct
Explicit behavioral expectations are better than unwritten social norms
- Op-Ed: A Little Fun Goes A Long Way
Why do we work so hard to avoid having a sense of humor?
- Changing the world: The reach of protest images on Wikipedia
Wikipedia's retweet and share buttons
- Recent research: Quality of aquatic and anatomical articles
And other research publications
- Traffic report: The verdict is guilty, guilty, guilty
Plus Godzilla and Kong
- News from Wiki Education: Encouraging professional physicists to engage in outreach on Wikipedia
Even a Nobel laureate can learn more!
The Signpost: 25 April 2021
[edit]- From the editor: A change is gonna come
But not soon enough.
- Disinformation report: Paid editing by a former head of state's business enterprise
The Trump Organization's paid editors
- In the media: Fernando, governance, and rugby
Jimmy does OK too!
- Opinion: The (Universal) Code of Conduct
Explicit behavioral expectations are better than unwritten social norms
- Op-Ed: A Little Fun Goes A Long Way
Why do we work so hard to avoid having a sense of humor?
- Changing the world: The reach of protest images on Wikipedia
Wikipedia's retweet and share buttons
- Recent research: Quality of aquatic and anatomical articles
And other research publications
- Traffic report: The verdict is guilty, guilty, guilty
Plus Godzilla and Kong
- News from Wiki Education: Encouraging professional physicists to engage in outreach on Wikipedia
Even a Nobel laureate can learn more!
The Signpost: 27 June 2021
[edit]- News and notes: Elections, Wikimania, masking and more
Submit your candidacy today!
- In the media: Boris and Joe, reliability, love, and money
Will he hang it in the Oval Office?
- Disinformation report: Croatian Wikipedia: capture and release
Curious and curiouser!
- Recent research: Feminist critique of Wikipedia's epistemology, Black Americans vastly underrepresented among editors, Wiki Workshop report
Summaries of 26 new research publications
- Traffic report: So no one told you life was gonna be this way
We'll be there for you!
- News from the WMF: Searching for Wikipedia
How do our readers find us?
- Humour: Wikipedia's best articles on the world's strangest things
It's the wheel thing.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject on open proxies interview
Interview with volunteers at WikiProject on open proxies
- Forum: Is WMF fundraising abusive?
A calm discussion.
- Discussion report: Reliability of WikiLeaks discussed
WikiLeaks on multiple boards.
- Obituary: SarahSV
Requiescat in pace.
The Signpost: 25 July 2021
[edit]- News and notes: Wikimania and a million other news stories
And one new admin!
- Special report: Hardball in Hong Kong
Three strikes and you're out?
- In the media: Larry is at it again
Bias, propaganda and more murderous mistakes!
- Board of Trustees candidates: See the candidates
Watch the video!
- Recent research: Gender bias and statistical fallacies, disinformation and mutual intelligibility
And other recent research publications
- Traffic report: Football, tennis and marveling at Loki
But you can call it soccer if you'd like.
- News from the WMF: Uncapping our growth potential – interview with James Baldwin, Finance and Administration Department
Money, money, money.
- Humour: A little verse
Two poems of Wikipedia.
The Signpost: 29 August 2021
[edit]- News and notes: Enough time left to vote! IP ban
Just do it!
- In the media: Vive la différence!
May Father Will forgive us!
- Wikimedians of the year: Seven Wikimedians of the year
With two musical celebrations!
- Gallery: Our community in 20 graphs
We just look at the pictures!
- News from Wiki Education: Changing the face of Wikipedia
Moving forward.
- Recent research: IP editors, inclusiveness and empathy, cyclones, and world heritage
A monthly overview of new research results.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject Days of the Year Interview
You can start with your birthday article!
- Traffic report: Olympics, movies, and Afghanistan
Winners and losers.
- Community view: Making Olympic history on Wikipedia
Higher, faster, stronger and more informative!
The Signpost: 26 September 2021
[edit]- News and notes: New CEO, new board members, China bans
And one new admin!
- In the media: The future of Wikipedia
And a bit about the past.
- Opinion: Wikimedians of Mainland China were warned
But just disregarded the warnings.
- Op-Ed: I've been desysopped
But not banned!
- Disinformation report: Paid promotional paragraphs in German parliamentary pages
Did German Wikipedia love parliaments a little too much? Plus fake-bacon and a ponzi scheme.
- Discussion report: Editors discuss Wikipedia's vetting process for administrators
Emotional injury and rising standards against a backdrop of a dwindling sysop cadre: the 2021 Requests for adminship review grapples with tough issues.
- Recent research: Wikipedia images for machine learning; Experiment justifies Wikipedia's high search rankings
And other new research publications
- Community view: Is writing Wikipedia like making a quilt?
Help us piece together WikiProject Craft!
- Traffic report: Kanye, Emma Raducanu and 9/11
Or is it Donda, Leylah Fernandez, and Flight 93?
- News from Diff: Welcome to the first grantees of the Knowledge Equity Fund
$4.5 million for equity.
- WikiProject report: The Random and the Beautiful
An interview with members of the Random Page Patrol.
The Signpost: 31 October 2021
[edit]- From the editor: Different stories, same place
What Wikipedians can and cannot do.
- News and notes: The sockpuppet who ran for adminship and almost succeeded
And will the last person to leave the C-Suite please turn off the lights?
- In the media: China bans, and is there intelligent life on this planet?
Beam me up, Scotty – Matt Amodio for sure, and maybe just a few VIPs, billionaires, and Tucker Carlson.
- Opinion: A photo on Wikipedia can ruin your life
Section 230 in practice – this Black life should matter to us.
- Discussion report: Editors brainstorm and propose changes to the Requests for adminship process
Proposals to solve eight core problems – what many describe as a broken process – identified in the 2021 RfA review.
- Recent research: Welcome messages fail to improve newbie retention
And other new research results
- Community view: Reflections on the Chinese Wikipedia
Were the bans justified?
- Traffic report: James Bond and the Giant Squid Game
Plus German elections and movies galore.
- Technology report: Wikimedia Toolhub, winners of the Coolest Tool Award, and more
Now discovering and accessing Wikimedia tools will be easier.
- Serendipity: How Wikipedia helped create a Serbian stamp
Details can make all the difference!
- Book review: Wikipedia and the Representation of Reality
Or you could watch the video!
- WikiProject report: Redirection
An interview with participants at WikiProject Redirect.
- Humour: A very Wiki crossword
24 clues to chew on.
The Signpost: 29 November 2021
[edit]- In the media: Denial: climate change, mass killings and pornography
Will they deny non-fungible tokens next?
- WikiCup report: The WikiCup 2021
15th annual event closes with hundreds of articles improved
- Deletion report: What we lost, what we gained
1,767 nominations in November... AN/Is... DRVs... The largest AfD in history, possibly ever!
- From a Wikipedia reader: What's Matt Amodio?
Wikipedia democratizes knowledge, but is it in Jeopardy?
- Arbitration report: ArbCom in 2021
We should have at least one of these every year!
- Discussion report: On the brink of change – RFA reforms appear imminent
Editors propose modifications to Wikipedia's admin-making process.
- Technology report: What does it take to upload a file?
How MediaWiki works with media files.
- WikiProject report: Interview with contributors to WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers
From the silver screen to your computer screen
- Serendipity: "Did You Know ..." featured a photo of the wrong female WWII pilot
A worthy pilot but the photo didn't match the article!
- News from Diff: Content translation tool helps create one million Wikipedia articles
Sharing the wealth of information!
- Traffic report: Reporting ticket sales on the edge of the Wiki, if Eternals should fail
Conjuring up the jesters again!
- Recent research: Vandalizing Wikipedia as rational behavior
And other recent research publications
- Humour: A very new very Wiki crossword
Answers to last month's puzzle included.
The Signpost: 28 December 2021
[edit]- From the editor: Here is the news
And wishing our readers a healthy, fortunate and bountiful 2022.
- News and notes: Jimbo's NFT, new arbs, fixing RfA, and financial statements
Wrapping up 2021 with a pair of auctions, activity surrounding administrators, and an audit.
- Serendipity: Born three months before her brother?
Wikipedia and the Oxford Dictionary of Music have different opinions.
- In the media: The past is not even past
Even for Wikipedia critics in nappies!
- Recent research: STEM articles judged unsuitable for undergraduates below the first paragraph
And other new research results.
- Arbitration report: A new crew for '22
Elections certified, bans unlifted, mailing lists restricted, but no new cases.
- By the numbers: Four billion words and a few numbers
Commemorating a milestone: word count comparisons with other Wikipedias.
- Deletion report: We laughed, we cried, we closed as "no consensus"
More hats than a rodeo: the best, worst, and gnarliest AfDs of 2021.
- Gallery: Wikicommons presents: 2021
Some of 2021's most dramatic moments through Wikicommons images.
- Traffic report: Spider-Man, football and the departed
We'll always remember the Greek alphabet!
- Crossword: Another Wiki crossword for one and all
Answers to last month's puzzle included.
- Humour: Buying Wikipedia
Helpful how-to for the prospective buyer. Why settle for a measly single edit, when you can buy the whole thing?
The Signpost: 30 January 2022
[edit]- Special report: WikiEd course leads to Twitter harassment
Education, deletion and social media can be a volatile mix.
- News and notes: Feedback for Board of Trustees election
Plus, the incredible shrinking admin cadre.
- Interview: CEO Maryana Iskander "four weeks in"
"Impossible ideas can be created, not just imagined."
- Black History Month: What are you doing for Black History Month?
Over 1,700 U.S. congressmen owned slaves. You can help document this.
- Deletion report: Ringing in the new year: Subject notability guideline under discussion
More than you wanted to know about the massive NSPORTS RfC.
- WikiProject report: The Forgotten Featured
Interview with volunteers at the Unreviewed featured articles 2020 working group.
- Arbitration report: New arbitrators look at new case and antediluvian sanctions
The spirit of 2006 is going strong.
- Traffic report: The most viewed articles of 2021
Royals, Freddy and movies.
- Gallery: No Spanish municipality without a photograph
How many more photos are needed?
- Obituary: Twofingered Typist
Rest in peace.
- Op-Ed: Identifying and rooting out climate change denial
Will this method apply to other sensitive topics?
- Essay: The prime directive
Just imagine!
- Opinion: Should the Wikimedia Foundation continue to accept cryptocurrency donations?
One editor doesn't think so.
- In the media: Fuzzy-headed government editing
Get down and party! But no COI editing!
- Recent research: Articles with higher quality ratings have fewer "knowledge gaps"
And other research results.
- Serendipity: Pooh entered the Public Domain – but Tigger has to wait two more years
Copyright is almost always complicated, but we break it down for you.
- Crossword: Cross swords with a crossword
Featuring an experimental on-wiki entry box.
The Signpost: 27 February 2022
[edit]- From the team: Selection of a new Signpost Editor-in-Chief
Bye-bye 'bones!
- News and notes: Impacts of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Plus, the Steward Elections, Leadership Development Task Force and a contest.
- Opinion: Why student editors are good for Wikipedia
Who are the students and how do we assure quality?
- Special report: A presidential candidate's team takes on Wikipedia
Vive l'encyclopédie libre!
- In the media: Wiki-drama in the UK House of Commons
Plus, Wiki Unseen, the "Sports Wars", and much more.
- Serendipity: War photographers: from Crimea (1850s) to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022)
"The first casualty when war comes is truth".
- Technology report: Community Wishlist Survey results
Plus, DiscussionTools and dark mode.
- WikiProject report: 10 years of tea
Coffee in Teahouse and other secrets revealed in this interview with volunteers.
- Featured content: Featured Content returns
A fantastic diverse mix of a record-breaking amount of content.
- Deletion report: The 10 most SHOCKING deletion discussions of February
You WON'T believe #8!
- Recent research: How editors and readers may be emotionally affected by disasters and terrorist attacks
And other recent research publications.
- Arbitration report: Parties remonstrate, arbs contemplate, skeptics coordinate
The report on lengthy litigation.
- By the numbers: Does birthplace affect the frequency of Wikipedia biography articles?
Some evidence from people born in France.
- Gallery: The vintage exhibit
Some good-ol' posters, restored to its former glory.
- Traffic report: Euphoria, Pamela Anderson, lies and Netflix
Plus quarterbacks, half-timers, Olympians, and Hulu!
- News from Diff: The Wikimania 2022 Core Organizing Team
Meet the folks in charge!
- Crossword: A Crossword, featuring Featured Articles
Can you fill in the boxes with Wikipedia's best content?
- Humour: Notability of mailboxes
Does yours pass?
The Signpost: 27 March 2022
[edit]- From the Signpost team: How The Signpost is documenting the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
We stand in solidarity with free knowledge.
- News and notes: Of safety and anonymity
The diff that resulted in arrest and jail time in Belarus.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Kharkiv, Ukraine: Countering Russian aggression with a camera
A Ukrainian Wikipedian volunteers to document the war.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine: War diary
Reporting from on the ground in Ukraine.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Western Ukraine: Working with Wikipedia helps
Holding up the elephants!
- Disinformation report: The oligarchs' socks
For whom do the Bells toil?
- In the media: Ukraine, Russia, and even some other stuff
Lenin did not say "Wow, check out those yachts"!
- Recent research: Top scholarly citers, lack of open access references, predicting editor departures
And other research publications.
- Wikimedian perspective: My heroes from Russia, Ukraine & beyond
The thought of cities being destroyed is unbearable.
- Discussion report: Athletes are less notable now
The Discussion Report returns with a diverse mix of community proposals.
- Technology report: 2022 Wikimedia Hackathon
Plus, Desktop Improvements and a new uploading tool for Commons.
- Arbitration report: Skeptics given heavenly judgement, whirlwind of Discord drama begins to spin for tropical cyclone editors
Unclear whether storm will make landfall.
- Traffic report: War, what is it good for?
Ukraine, Russia and Anna Sorokin.
- Deletion report: Ukraine, werewolves, Ukraine, YouTube pundits, and Ukraine
Things that go "boom" in the night.
- Gallery: "All we are saying is, give peace a chance..."
The once-seen beauty of Ukraine, in high quality.
- From the archives: Burn, baby burn
A look at when early backups of Wikipedia were recovered.
- Essay: Yes, the sky is blue
There is such thing as over-citing.
- Tips and tricks: Become a keyboard ninja
And other useful Tips of the Day.
- On the bright side: The bright side of news
Happy-er current events.
The Signpost: 24 April 2022
[edit]- News and notes: Double trouble
The second case of Wikipedian persecution.
- In the media: The battlegrounds outside and inside Wikipedia
What's hot in the media this month.
- Special report: Ukrainian Wikimedians during the war
Writing Wikipedia, joining the armed forces, and volunteering.
- Eyewitness Wikimedian, Vinnytsia, Ukraine: War diary (Part 2)
"Our proud Sparta bleeds too."
- Technology report: 8-year-old attribution issues in Media Viewer
Plus, a new status page and Desktop Improvements.
- Featured content: Wikipedia's best content from March
We showcase the best content that Wikipedians offered this past month.
- In focus: Editing difficulties on Russian Wikipedia
A multi-national encyclopedia tries to move forward.
- Gallery: A voyage around the world with WLM winners
Wiki Loves Monuments 2021 winners announced.
- Interview: On a war and a map
How a war map predated Wikimedia's map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Serendipity: Wikipedia loves photographs, but hates photographers
Why not just link to an article to attribute famous photographers?
- Traffic report: Justice Jackson, the Smiths, and an invasion
Plus deaths, films, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.
- Recent research: Student edits as "civic engagement"; how Wikipedia readers interact with images
And other new research findings
- News from the WMF: How Smart is the SMART Copyright Act?
The deceptively simple Strengthening Measures to Advance Rights Technologies Copyright Act of 2022.
- Essay: The problem with elegant variation
An elegant Wikipedia essay.
- Humour: Really huge message boxes
A serious statement of Wikipedia policy.
- From the archives: Wales resigned WMF board chair in 2006 reorganization
A look at when the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees was reorganized.
The Signpost: 29 May 2022
[edit]- From the team: A changing of the guard
Your two new Signpost Editors in Chief.
- News and notes: 2022 Wikimedia Board elections
Plus, Form 990, fundraising, RfA and UCoC.
- Community view: Have your say in the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Board elections
Community shortlisting in an affiliate-based process, and a poll for you to speak your mind.
- Opinion: The Wikimedia Endowment – a lack of transparency
A little more information, please.
- In the media: Putin, Jimbo, Musk and more
A varied collection of "special operations", and interviews.
- Special report: Three stories of Ukrainian Wikimedians during the war
Tales of hope, perseverance and even a little humor.
- In focus: Measuring gender diversity in Wikipedia articles
A new approach at the article level.
- Discussion report: Portals, April Fools, admin activity requirements and more
We summarize the drama for you.
- WikiProject report: WikiProject COVID-19 revisited
March 2020 WikiProject report interviewees return discussing project's evolution and future.
- Technology report: A new video player for Wikimedia wikis
Plus, Growth Features configuration, the Hackathon, and more.
- Featured content: Featured content of April
Showcasing the very best articles, pictures, videos, and other contributions from Wikipedians last month.
- Interview: Wikipedia's pride
An interview with queer Wikimedians.
- Serendipity: Those thieving image farms
Stopping them from taking your photos from Commons.
- Recent research: 35 million Twitter links analysed
And other recent research findings.
- Tips and tricks: The reference desks of Wikipedia
Helpful advice from Tips of the Day.
- Traffic report: Strange highs and strange lows
Were Johnny and Amber exchanging blows?
- News from Diff: Winners of the Human rights and Environment special nomination by Wiki Loves Earth announced
Photos raise awareness for nature protection and human impact on nature.
- News from the WMF: The EU Digital Services Act: What’s the Deal with the Deal?
New regulations governing online censorship.
- Video: How the entire country of Qatar was blocked from editing
A lighthearted video recalling the 2006 incident.
- Gallery: Diving under the sea for World Oceans Day
Exploring Featured Pictures of the world's oceans.
- From the archives: The Onion and Wikipedia
A look at when The Onion published an humorous article regarding Wikipedia.
- Essay: How not to write a Wikipedia article
On creative works.
- Humour: A new crossword
Test your word-puzzle skills!
The Signpost: 26 June 2022
[edit]- News and notes: WMF inks new rules on government-ordered takedowns, blasts Russian feds' censor demands, spends big bucks
Office actions to secretly delete stuff when told to? Well, at least not if they're Putin's.
- In the media: Editor given three-year sentence, big RfA makes news, Guy Standing takes it sitting down
Belarusian Mark Bernstein to serve 36 months of "home chemistry" for unapproved posting, Slate covers historically large adminship bid, UBI economist with goofy infobox caption thinks it's funny.
- Special report: "Wikipedia's independence" or "Wikimedia's pile of dosh"?
A review of Wikipedia's fundraising messages and financial status.
- Discussion report: MoS rules on CCP name mulled, XRV axe plea nulled, BLPPROD drafting bid pulled
Just three for the history books this month (or not).
- Opinion: Picture of the Day – how Adam plans to ru(i)n it
Famed FP ace steps up to run main page outfit. Millions tremble in fear, or something.
- Featured content: Articles on Scots' clash, Yank's tux, Austrian's action flick deemed brilliant prose
And who can forget the black-breasted buttonquail.
- Essay: RfA trend line haruspicy: fact or fancy?
Don't be dumb, says math whiz: avoid the gambler's fallacy. Illustrated for your pleasure.
- Recent research: Wikipedia versus academia (again), tables' "immortality" probed
Tables "like to socialize" and "share genes": ooh la la!
- Serendipity: Was she really a Swiss lesbian automobile racer?
What's the deal with Anita Forrer, redlinked woman of mystery who saved Schwarzenbach archives?
- News from the WMF: Wikimedia Enterprise signs first deals
Google and Internet Archive sold on new product, more customers hoped to follow.
- Traffic report: Top view counts for shows, movies, and celeb lawsuit that keeps on giving
Plus editing stampedes for cheery subjects: shootings, deaths, and virus.
- Gallery: Celebration of summer, winter
Lest Southern Hemisphere be forgotten.
- Humour: Shortcuts, screwballers, Simon & Garfunkel
Can we offer you a nice crossword in this trying time?
The Signpost: 1 August 2022
[edit]The Signpost: 31 August 2022
[edit]The Signpost: 30 September 2022
[edit]The Signpost: 31 October 2022
[edit]The Signpost: 28 November 2022
[edit]The Signpost: 1 January 2023
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