User:Blaze Wolf/CVUA/Training

(Adapted from User:ThePlatypusofDoom/CVUA/Training)

CVUA students: please don't look through this page. I will release the tasks as you are ready for them on your Academy page. Looking now will spoil the surprise, and won't achieve the scaffolding I'm going for.

Hello, and welcome! Here is where I will help you become a vandal fighter. When I post an assignment, please respond under the assignment (or in a table, if there is one). In some exercises I will ask you to provide "diffs". See Help:Diffs for how to do this.

Tools

Before we start, I wanted to show you some useful tools for counter-vandalism work which can be used by any editor. You can use all of these, none of these, or some of these. I don't mind, these links are just for your convenience. If you do use any of these I will teach you how to use them. You may have already installed some of these in the past.

Twinkle

Twinkle is a very popular gadget which is helpful for a variety of tasks. To install it, go here and tick the box that says Twinkle. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "save". When you refresh the page, a "TW" tab will be available on every page, next to the "More" tab. Scrolling over the TW tab will show a list of modules you can use on the particular page. Twinkle has a large number of useful modules, including but not limited to, one which can be used to warn users, one which can be used to request page protection, one which can be used to suggest a page is deleted, and many many more helpful features. It also adds a non-admin "rollback" feature on all diff pages. I highly suggest you enable Twinkle, as it's incredibly useful and poses no risk of harming your account.

RedWarn/Ultraviolet

RedWarn and Ultraviolet are also very popular tools that are helpful with anti-vandalism. To install RedWarn, simply go to WP:RW/GET and follow the instructions there. To install Ultraviolet, simply go to WP:UV/GET and follow the instructions there. Do note, however, that Ultraviolet is currently in a very early beta so certain features may be missing or not work properly, so install it at your own risk. If you do decide to use it I will teach you how to use it using my alt account User:Blaze Fire Wolf since it is currently not fully compatible with RedWarn. Both tools are similar to Twinkle, however, they both mostly focus on tools to aid in anti-vandalism. When you go to any page, in the top right hand corner of the actual page you will see a series of icons. Hovering over each one will tell you what it does. When viewing a diff it has a number of pre-set rollback reasons, and 2 in which you can add an additional reason, one for assuming good faith, and another for just rollback with reason. I highly suggest using these along with Twinkle as RedWarn and Ultraviolet's interface is much simpler than Twinkle's, and Twinkle is able to fill in the gaps of features not yet in either tool.

Now that you've read these, reply below with which scripts you installed/what you signed up for. I don't mind how many you installed, or if you installed none, it's just so I know and can set tasks using those scripts. Also note that there are many more advanced scripts out there, but they'll only be available to you when you have more experience.

Good faith and vandalism

When patrolling for vandalism, you may often come across edits which are unhelpful, but not vandalism - these are good faith edits. It is important to recognise the difference between a vandalism edit and a good faith edit, especially because Twinkle gives you the option of labelling edits you revert as such. Please read WP:AGF and WP:NOT VANDALISM before completing the following tasks.

Please explain below the difference between a good faith edit and a vandalism edit, and how you would tell them apart.

Please find three examples of good faith but unhelpful edits, and three examples of vandalism. You don't need to revert the example you find, and I am happy for you to use previous undos in your edit history if you wish.

Good faith

Vandalism

Warning and reporting

When you use Twinkle to warn a user, you have a number of options to choose from: you can select the kind of warning (for different offences), and the level of warning (from 1 to 4, for increasing severity). Knowing which warning to issue and what level is very important. Further information can be found at WP:WARN and WP:UWUL.

Please answer the following questions

Why do we warn users?

When would a 4im warning be appropriate?

Should you substitute a template when you place it on a user talk page, and how do you do it?

What should you do if a user who has received a level 4 or 4im warning vandalises again?

Please give examples of three different warnings (not different levels of the same warning and excluding the test edit warning levels referred to below), that you might need to use while recent changes patrolling and explain what they are used for.

Make sure you keep in mind that some edits that seem like vandalism can be test edits. This happens when a new user is experimenting and makes accidental unconstructive edits. Generally, these should be treated with good faith, especially if it is their first time, and warned gently. The following templates are used for test edits: {{subst:uw-test1}}, {{subst:uw-test2}} and {{subst:uw-test3}}.

I just wanted to make sure you know about Special:RecentChanges, if you use the diff link in a different window or tab you can check a number of revisions much more easily. If you enable Hovercards in the Hover section of your preferences, you can view the diff by just hovering over it. Alternately, you can press control-F or command-F and search for "tag:". some edits get tagged for possible vandalism or section blanking.

Find and revert some vandalism. Warn each user appropriately, using the correct kind of warning and level. Please include at least two test edits and at least two appropriate reports to AIV. For each revert and warning please fill in a line on the table below

#	Diff of your revert	Your comment (optional). If you report to AIV please include the diff
1	diff	comment
2	diff	comment
3	diff	comment
4	diff	comment
5	diff	comment
6	diff	comment
7	diff	comment
8	diff	comment
9	diff	comment
10	diff	comment
11	diff	comment
12	diff	comment
13	diff	comment
14	diff	comment
15	diff	comment

Dealing with trolls

Sometimes, disruptive users will try to harass and annoy you. In these situations, you must remain calm and ignore them. If they engage in harassment or personal attacks, ignore them, and leave a note at WP:ANI. If they vandalize your user page or user talk page, revert them and ignore them. Please read WP:DENY and WP:RBI.

Why do we deny recognition to trolls and vandals?

How can you tell between a good faith user asking about why you reverted their edit, or a troll trying to be disruptive?

Shared IP tagging

There are a number of IP user talk page templates which show helpful information to IP users and those wishing to warn or block them. There is a list of these templates:

{{Shared IP}} - For general shared IP addresses.
{{ISP}} - A modified version specifically for use with ISP organizations.
{{Shared IP edu}} - A modified version specifically for use with educational institutions.
{{Shared IP gov}} - A modified version specifically for use with government agencies.
{{Shared IP corp}} - A modified version specifically for use with businesses.
{{Shared IP address (public)}} - A modified version specifically for use with public terminals such as in libraries, etc.
{{Mobile IP}} - A modified version specifically for use with a mobile device's IP.
{{Dynamic IP}} - A modified version specifically for use with dynamic IPs.
{{Static IP}} - A modified version specifically for use with static IPs which may be used by more than one person.

Each of these templates take two parameters, one is the organisation to which the IP address is registered (which can be found out using the links at the bottom of the IP's contribution page. The other is for the host name (which is optional) and can also be found out from the links at the bottom of the IP's contribution page.

Also, given that different people use the IP address, older messages are sometimes refused so as to not confuse the current user of the IP. Generally any messages for the last one-two months are removed, collapsed, or archived. The templates available for this include:

{{OW}} for when the messages are deleted from the talk page.
{{Old IP warnings top}} and {{Old IP warnings bottom}} for collapsing the user warnings and leaving them on the talk page.
{{Warning archive notice}} for when the messages are archived, and that archiving follows the usually naming sequence (that is, /Archive 1).

NOTE: All of the templates in this section are not substituted (so don't use "subst:").

You don't need to do anything here, just tell me when you have finished reading this.

Protection and speedy deletion

Protecting and deleting pages are two additional measures that can be used to prevent and deal with vandalism. Only an administrator can protect or delete pages (I am not an admin); however, anyone can nominate a page for deletion or request protection. If you have Twinkle installed, you can use the Twinkle menu to request page protection or speedy deletion (the RPP or CSD options). If you have RedWarn installed, click the lock icon in the top right corner of the article. Currently RedWarn cannot request speedy deletion. If you want to report manually, either place a CSD tag on the page, or report at WP:RFPP.

Protection

Please read the protection policy.

In what circumstances should a page be semi-protected?

In what circumstances should a page be extended-confirmed protected?

In what circumstances should a page be pending changes protected?

In what circumstances should a page be fully protected?

In what circumstances should a page be creation protected ("salted")?

In what circumstances should a talk page be semi-protected?

Correctly request the protection of one page; post the diff of your request (from WP:RPP) below.

Speedy deletion

Please read WP:CSD.

In what circumstances should a page be speedy deleted? (very briefly, no need to go through the criteria.)

Correctly tag two pages for speedy deletion (with different reasons) and post the diff or log entry and the criteria you requested it be deleted under below.

Usernames

Wikipedia has a policy which details the types of usernames which users are permitted to have. Some users (including me) patrol the User creation log to check for new users with inappropriate usernames. There are four kinds of usernames that are specifically disallowed:

Misleading usernames imply relevant, misleading things about the contributor. The types of names which can be misleading are too numerous to list, but definitely include usernames that imply you are in a position of authority over Wikipedia, usernames that impersonate other people, or usernames which can be confusing within the Wikipedia signature format, such as usernames which resemble IP addresses or timestamps.
Promotional usernames are used to promote an existing company, organization, group (including non-profit organizations), website, or product on Wikipedia.
Offensive usernames are those that offend other contributors, making harmonious editing difficult or impossible.
Disruptive usernames include outright trolling or personal attacks, include profanities or otherwise show a clear intent to disrupt Wikipedia.

Please read WP:USERNAME, and pay particluar attention to dealing with inappropriate usernames.

Describe the what you would about the following usernames of logged in users (including which of the above it breaches and why).

DJohnson

LMedicalCentre

BIaze VVoIf

JoeAtBurgerKing

Bieberisgay

JoeTheSysop

ArticleBot9000

Revision Deletion, Oversight, and Emergencies

Revision Deletion

Revision Deletion, commonly known as revdel, can be used to delete diffs. Revdel is used for copyright infringements, or serious cases of vandalism. See WP:Revdel and WP:CRD for more information.

Oversight

Oversight, also known as Suppression, is a powerful tool used by a very small number of users on Wikipedia. Oversight allows revisions to be removed from any means of usual access, even administrators can't see it. See WP:OS. Oversight is used in 5 cases: Removal of non-public personal information, Removal of potentially libelous information, either: a) on the advice of Wikimedia Foundation counsel; or b) when the case is clear, and there is no editorial reason to keep the revision, Removal of copyright infringement, on the advice of Wikimedia Foundation counsel, Hiding of blatant attack names on automated lists and logs, where this does not disrupt edit histories. (A blatant attack is one obviously intended to denigrate, threaten, libel, insult, or harass someone), or Hiding vandalism when normal administrator measures are insufficient. Also note that Oversight is sometimes used in hiding the personal information of minors, if it makes them easily identifiable.

Emergencies

As you patrol, you may come across a threat of physical harm to oneself or others. If this happens, Report this to the Wikimedia Foundation immediately.. As the essay WP:911 says: "Notify the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) office staff of the apparent suicide note or claim or threat of violence as soon as it is posted. Foundation staff have been the key responders in prior incidents. Contact can be made by emailing emergency@wikimedia.org, which forwards to several trained staff members who handle these incidents and are available to respond to emergency incidents even outside of normal business hours. This is the preferred method for reporting threats of harm to the Wikimedia Foundation; calling the office or emailing other addresses will simply delay the report from reaching the appropriate staff in a timely fashion. The WMF will take care of locating the user and contacting authorities. The WMF will nearly always immediately acknowledge your email, so that you know they're working on it." Request oversight for any comments like this as well, or if you can't get it oversighted quickly, get an admin to revision delete it, and then email Oversight.

Someone outs another user on the other user's userpage. What do you do?

Someone says that they want to kill themselves on their user page. What do you do?

A user puts a grossly offensive statement insulting the topic of an article, the article is a BLP. What do you do?

Progress

Here's a test so I can measure your progress in this area. After this, we'll move on to more advanced topics. The following scenarios each have multiple questions that are based on WP: VANDAL, WP:3RR, WP: REVERT, WP: BLOCK, WP: GAIV, WP: WARN, WP:UAA, WP:CSD, WP:911, WP:OS, WP:REVDEL and WP:UN. Good Luck!

Scenario 1

You encounter an IP disrupting the article on Homosexuality. They are adding extremely nasty homophobic slurs, and death threats.

Would this be considered vandalism or a good faith edit, why?

Which Wikipedia policies and/or guidelines is it breaching?

Should you automatically report this, or should you give this person a warning? Why?

In what place(s) would you report this? Why? Is revision deletion or oversight needed? Why?

Scenario 2

You see a new account called "Hi999" that has added random letters to one article.

Would this be considered vandalism or a good faith edit, why?

What would be an appropriate warning template to place on the user's talk page?

Which of the following Twinkle options should be used to revert these edits: Rollback-AGF (Green), Rollback (Blue) or Rollback-Vandal (Red)?

The user now has a level 3 warning on their talk page. They make a vandal edit, would it be appropriate to report this user to AIV? Why or why not?

If this user keeps on vandalizing, can this user be blocked indef.?

Which of the following reporting templates should be used in this case: {{IPvandal}} or {{vandal}}?

What would you include as the reason for reporting the editor?

Scenario 3

A user is adding unsourced comments to a BLP, but you're pretty sure that this person is acting in good faith. Do you revert?

What would be an appropriate template to use in this situation?

This user now has a lvl 4 warning on their talk page. They add the comment again. Do you report?

Scenario 4

You see a new account called "LaptopsInc" which has created a new page called "Laptops Inc" (which only contains the words "Laptops Inc" and a paragraph copied from www.laptopsinc.com). The user also added "www.laptopsinc.com" on the Laptop article. You research Laptops Inc on Google and find that is a small company.

Should you revert the edit to Laptop, if so which Twinkle option (agf, neutral, vandalism) would you use?

If you do revert which warning template would you use?

Would you tag the article they created with a speedy deletion tag(s). If so which speedy deletion criteria apply to the article?

Would you leave a template on the user's talk page regarding their username? If so which one and with which parameters?

Would you report the user to UAA? If so what of the four reasons does it violate?

Scenario 5

You come across an account named "JohnIsAFag". You find that it's created the page "John Simmonds", which reads "John Simmonds is a guy born in 1991. He is still alive today, unfortunately, because he is an idiot. ahsjjdshhsd".

Would you tag the article they created with a speedy deletion tag(s)? If so, which speedy deletion criteria apply to the article?

Would you report this user to UAA? If so, What part of the username policy does the username violate?

The user puts the same insults in a different page 4 times, you have reverted 3 times already. Would another revert be a violation of WP:3RR?

Results

Your score:

Rollback

Congratulations now for the next step. The rollback user right allows trusted and experienced vandalism fighters to revert vandalism with the click of one button. Please read WP:Rollback.

Describe when the rollback button may be used and when it may not be used.

Rollback part 2

Apply for rollback at WP:PERM, and please show me the diff of you applying.

Tools part 2

Congratulations! You have rollback. Now, please go to WP:CUV/T and install any tools that you want to use. (I personally recommend RedWarn). Please notify me about what tools that you have downloaded below.

Monitoring period

Congratulations! You have completed the first section of the anti-vandalism course, well done. Now that we've been through everything that you need to know as a vandal patroller, you will be given a 5 day monitoring period. During this time, you are free to revert vandalism (and edit Wikipedia) as you normally do; I will monitor your progress in anti-vandalism. If there are any issues, I will raise them with you and if you have any problems, you are free to ask me. After five days, if I am satisfied with your progress, you will take the final test; passing this will mean you graduate from the CVUA. Good luck!

If you have any problems or trouble along the way please leave a message on my talk page. If you make any difficult decisions feel free to post the diff below and I'll take a look.

Final Exam

When responding to numbered questions please start your response with "#:" (except where shown otherwise - with **). You don't need to worry about signing your answers.

GOOD LUCK!

Part 1

For each of these examples, please state whether you would call the edit(s) described as vandalism or good faith edit, a reason for that, and how you would deal with the situation (ensuring you answer the questions where applicable).

A user inserts 'ektgbi0hjndf98' into an article. What would you do if it was their first warning? What about after that.
A user adds their signature to an article after one being given a {{Uw-articlesig}} warning. What would you the next time they did it? What about if they kept doing it after that?
A user adds 'John Smith is the best!' into an article. What would you do the first time? What about if they kept doing it after that?
A user adds 'I can edit this' into an article. The first time, and times after that?
A user removes reliably sourced information from an article, with the summary 'this is wrong'. First time, and after that? What would be different if the user has a history of positive contributions compared with a history of disruptive contributions?

Part 2

Which template warning would you give an editor in the following scenarios. If you don't believe a template warning is appropriate outline the steps (for example what you would say) you would take instead. Bonus points if you revert any actual vandalism on these articles (if you do provide a diff so you can get the extra credit)

A user blanks Cheesecake.
A user trips an edit filter for trying to put curse words on Derek Jeter.
A user trips an edit summary filter for repeating characters on Denis Menchov.
A user puts "CHRIS IS GAY!" on Atlanta Airport.
A user section blanks without a reason on David Newhan.
A user adds random characters to Megan Fox.
A user adds 'Tim is really great' to Great Britain.
A user adds 'and he has been arrested' to Tim Henman.
A user blanks Personal computer, for the fifth time, they have had no warnings or messages from other users.
A user blanks Personal computer, for the fifth time, they have had four warnings including a level 4 warning.
A user blanks Elon Musk and replaces it with "ELON MUSK IS TERRIBLE AND SHOULD KILL HIMSELF!"
A user adds File:Example.jpg to Taoism.

Part 3

What CSD tag you would put on the following articles (The content below consists of the article title and content).

Epic Twitter - Check out my Twitter page (link to Twitter page)!
Josh Marcus - Josh Marcus is the coolest kid in London.
JOE ENGLAND - Joe goes to [[England]] and comes home !
Smadoodle - A Smadoodle is an animal that changes colors with its temper.
WIKIPEDIA BAD - Fuck Wiki!

What would you do in the following circumstance:

A user blanks a page they very recently created.

After you have speedy delete tagged this article the author removes the tag but leaves the page blank.

Part 4

Are the following new (logged in) usernames violations of the username policy? Describe why or why not and what you would do about it (if they are a breach).

NikeShoes
IWANTTOTROLLWIKI
Brian's Bot
sdadfsgadgadjhm,hj,jh,jhlhjlkfjkghkfuhlkhj
Bobsysop
SteveTheAdminSUCKS
Justin Stevens
OfficialJustinBieber

Part 5

Answer the following questions based on your theory knowledge gained during your instruction.

Can you get in an edit war while reverting vandalism (which may or may not be obvious)?
Where and how should vandalism-only accounts be reported?
Where and how should complex abuse be reported?
Where and how should blatant username violations be reported?
Where and how should personal attacks against other editors be reported?
Where and how should an edit war be reported?
Who should you contact for material needing revision deletion?

Part 6 - Theory in practice

1. Find and revert three instances of vandalism (by different editors on different pages), and appropriately warn the editor. Please give the diffs the warning below.

2. Find and revert two good faith edits, and warn/welcome the user appropriately. Please give the diffs of your warn/welcome below.

3. Correctly report two users (either AIV or ANI). Give the diffs of your report below.

4. Correctly request the protection of two articles; post the diffs of your requests below.

5. Correctly nominate one article for speedy deletion; post the diffs of your nominations below.

6. Correctly report one username as a breach of policy.

Final score

/ 45

Congratulations!

You have passed the course. You can now put this template on your user page: {{User CVUA|graduate}} . You've done a fantastic job, and teaching you has been a great experience.

The template displays this:

This user is a Counter-Vandalism Unit Academy graduate.

Barnstars

Giving the user an anti-vandalism barnstar might be a good idea..