User talk:A. B./October 2007

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This page is a chronological archive of past discussions from User talk:A. B. for the month of October 2007. Exchanges spilling over from late September or into early November may have been retained elsewhere to avoid breaking their continuity. In order to preserve the record of past discussions, the contents of this page should be preserved in their current form. Please do NOT make new edits to this page. If you wish to make new comments or re-open an old discussion thread, please do so on the User talk:A. B. page. If necessary, copy the relevant discussion thread to the user talk:A. B. page and then add your comments there.

Tourism spam

I don't have time to look into it today, but could you investigate the contribs of Skicolorado (talk · contribs) if you get a chance? Videmus Omnia ^Talk 14:34, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

See:

• Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Spam‎#Colorado Travel Company spam on Wikipedia (permanent link)

--A. B. ^(talk) 15:43, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

A.B.,

Good day to you.

I wasn't sure whether I should write you or Videmus Omnia in regards to our sites being removed from the external links section.

Yesterday, I added external links to our network of Colorado destination guides under the usermane: skicolorado

We have written appropriate and unique content which I feel is a bonus for wikipedia users looking for additional resources on the respective destination. We have gone through the rigorous authentication process for the .travel domain name and have been proven as authentic web sites for travel to Aspen, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper, Crested Butte, Durango, Keystone, Steamboat Springs, Telluride, Vail and Winter Park. I hope you will reconsider our external links within the topics I submitted yesterday as I feel they are a value to the readers of Wikipedia.

Kind Regards,

Brandon Quinn/skicolorado (Skicolorado, 19:55, 1 October 2007)

First of all, you're not supposed to add links to your own site. If you look at the links provided in the warnings you were given, you'll see why there are problems with your content.

I encourage you to take your concerns to Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Spam‎#Colorado Travel Company spam on Wikipedia for a second opinion. We operate on a consensus basis and others may view your links differently from the way I have.

--A. B. ^(talk) 20:01, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

ilasabba spam on Wikipedia

Could you please explain the series of edits you made with an edit summary of ilasabba spam on Wikipedia? You made a large number of edits, but I'm having problems understanding why. -- wrp103 (Bill Pringle) ^(Talk) 19:42, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Bill, these are IPs used by the person adding ilasabba links on Wikipedia.

Here are links to the relevant discussions:

• Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Spam#Ilasabba spam on Wikipedia (permanent link)
• MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist#ilasabba spam on Wikipedia (permanent link)

--A. B. ^(talk) 19:50, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Hi A. B.,

I understand I had been spamming in Wikipedia for a long time in an annoying way. I apologize for the inconveniences you people faced due to my spamming. I have stopped doing it so and I would like to request you to remove my links from the Blacklisted websites. And also I make sure that I would never spam again. I request you again please take notice of request.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Ilasabba (talk • contribs) 13:43, 9 February 2008

You've apologized before but then gone on to spam again. --A. B. ^(talk) 18:41, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi A. B.,

I want you to reconsider regarding my request. If you find any more spamming by me you may add the links to blacklisted page and block me permanently. Make this as the very last warning for my spamming. ilasabba

Wikipedia has a new administrator!

Thanks, October 2007! Thank you for voicing your opinion in my RfA, which passed today with a unanimous 79/0/0 tally. It feels great to be appreciated, and I will try my best to meet everyone's expectations. If you have any advice or tips, feel free to pass them along, as I am sure that I will need them! Cheers, hmwith talk 21:50, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

I was happy to support you -- I really had nothing to say in my comments that hadn't already been said by 70+ other editors who also thought you were an obvious choice. Good luck! --A. B. ^(talk) 21:52, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

recordgone... gone

Nice expunging. I took a look at one of the talk pages and was amazed at how much we could tell them. Best, CliffC 03:00, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

My privacy

Please, don't repeat spoiling of my privacy as you did at Wikipedia talk:Requests for adminship/Aktron. I was a bureaucrat on cs: and I was harassed there by Aktron and others. But this problem is too complex and en: is not good place to discuss it. If you with to join that discussion, please go to Meta:Babel#Pornography on cs: or Meta:Requests for comments/Cswiki issues. —V. Z. 09:23, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Hmmm:

1. I'm not aware that I spoiled your privacy. I just posted links to public discussions and block logs here and on cs. wikipedia: [1].
2. I do not know any of your personal data nor do I understand Czech.
3. I had never heard of either you or Akton before this RfA. As an American Secretary of State once put it, "I don't have a dog in this fight."
4. You posted harsh comments about Akton.^[2][3][4][5] This raised concerns about the candidate on my part and it was in the course of trying to figure out the history of this dispute that I came across all these records.
5. This controversy is relevant to any RfA for Aktron; readers need to know there's more to the story and your drive-by remarks than a purely objective observation.
6. "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones:" you chose to make an issue of this stuff at an RfA on wikipedia. If you say "en: is not good place to discuss it", then you should not have started such a discussion on en.wikipedia.

Good day, --A. B. ^(talk) 14:07, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

An additional comment: both the members of Arbcom on en.wikipedia and the Board of the Wikimedia Foundation take user privacy very seriously. If there is anything in the Arbcom, WP:ANI or WP:RFCU records I cited that violates your privacy, then I encourage you to contact Arbcom immediately (for problems with the Arbcom records) or else post a complaint at Wikipedia:Requests for oversight.--A. B. ^(talk) 17:51, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

My reply: You posted my real name, although I have asked for renaming in order to be kept private.

My comments about Akton were not harsh. I have long experience with him from cs: and I wrote only plain truth.

In fact, it was Aktron who claimed he is a sysop in cs: first as an advantage for him. I just made clear that in reality it is hi disadvantage. My problems with people from cs: who even harassed me here has nothing to do with Aktron's candidacy.

Concerning privacy, I tried to consult some oversighters for repairing Aktron's breach of mM privacy. They ignored me all. So oversights are useless – this is my own experience.

—V. Z. ^{Talk • Contributions • Edit counter} 10:35, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

If your user name compromises your privacy, I can see how that's a problem. As I said, I merely linked to existing, publicly available Wikipedia records such as Arbcom and WP:ANI. I'm not an admin or a member of Arbcom, so I really can't help you with this. --A. B. ^(talk) 12:05, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

OK, I understand. —V. Z. ^{Talk • Contributions • Edit counter} 14:59, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Bearian's RfA

Hi, thanks for supporting my RfA, which passed 63 to 1. I hope that I am doing a good job so far. Bearian 21:13, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

Notability, COI

Posted to User talk:Herbert Arthur:

Herbert, you're not supposed to edit articles about organizations and shows you're closely linked to. See our Conflict of Interest Guideline.

As for notability, your show may be notable, but you have to prove it. Take a look at the Notability Guideline to see our rules. If your show is really notable, this should be easy -- just stick links to the proof on the talk page at Talk:The Wild Wild Westmar Show (as long as you're not obnoxious, it's OK to add to the talk pages of articles where you have a COI -- just not the article pages themselves).

That guideline is pretty picky about what's acceptable as a reference when establishing notability.

I hope this helps. --A. B. ^(talk) 18:55, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

A.B., I don't see how I have a "conflict of interest". Can you please define being "closely linked" because apparently you're getting your undies in a bunch based on what I said on the White List talk page. I'm not ON the show. I'm not THAT closely linked. I'm just a big fan of the show who happens to be acquainted with it on an informal basis. That's what I meant when I said that. Because I have an INTEREST in the show. There is NOTHING on The Wild Wild Westmar Show page that is slanted or opinionated WHATSOEVER. It's general, and explains the show and its history as well as content.

I'll do my best to provide a link or two on the talk page for the show..........BUT......I must say that wikipedia isn't doing anything for its reliability as a source by trying to prevent people who ARE reliable sources from writing things about a subject as long as it's not opinionated or an advertisement. Seriously, think about that for a minute.

I'm sure Brad Westmar would love to have you explain all of this to him ON The Wild Wild Westmar Show, since he has praised me on the show in the past for the work I've done on that page. Herbert Arthur 15:21, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Herbert, my underwear's doing just fine.

I took my cue about your conflict of interest from your comment:^[6][7][8]

• "Yes, I am affiliated with the show."

Like I said, that's not what I meant. A.B., I would like to express to you my extreme disappointment with myself for being stupid enough to pose that question with regards to the url that I was having difficulty with on The Wild Wild Westmar Show wiki entry. If I would not have done that, you never would've looked at the page and raised the flag. Shame on me. Lesson learned. I guess I was flying under the radar for the past 6 months. Herbert Arthur 14:01, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

As for notability, it looks like there's already a discussion underway at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/The Wild Wild Westmar Show.
--A. B. ^(talk) 18:55, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Herbert, I was happy to help you with the link. When I saw there was a notability problem with the article, I tagged it as having notability problems. That's what editors are supposed to do. Then I took the time to drop you a note (User talk:Herbert Arthur#Notability, COI) making you aware of the issue and explaining how to quickly fix it.

I'm not your enemy, not withstanding the frustration you've vented at me and others. Likewise, you weren't stupid to pose the question about the link. However, any requests made on that page about links always draw some scrutiny because at least 50% come from spammers assuming a new identity and disingenuously explaining why they need to get their viagra and get-rich-quick links whitelisted. (Your link was never spam -- the domain us.tt was blacklisted for purely technical reasons as a URL redirect). --A. B. ^(talk) 20:57, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

RFA Thank You Note from Jehochman

		Ready to swab the deck!
		Another motley scallawag has joined the crew. Thanks for your comments at my RFA. Arrrgh! - - Jehochman Talk 03:31, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

View-Master

Where are you seeing a conflict of interest on that page? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 00:30, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

FYI, this article was one of many edited by paid editors associated with Intrapromote, a professional search engine optimization firm. For more information see:

• Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard#Inappropriate paid editing on Wikipedia by Intrapromote (permanent link)

Editors working on behalf of Fisher-Price (among many other corporate clients):

• Tommy0876 (talk · contribs · count)
• Sharpd0526 (talk · contribs · count)

and numerous IPs, only a few of whom we've listed.

--A. B. ^(talk) 14:50, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Then fix the problems in the article instead of trying to make others do your work for you. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 15:10, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Yikes, Baseball Bugs!

There are over 90 articles to be reviewed that I've identified so far; see User talk:68.58.116.72 So far I've spent 10+ hours on this and still going through edit histories edit by edit. I'm just not very fast and I have a life off-Wikipedia. I keep identifying more articles and more IPs as well.

If the COI tag offends you, then just leave the tag off that article and I'll cross this one off my list.

--A. B. ^(talk) 18:32, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Can you tell me specifically what the issue is with View-Master, without making me read some megillah? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} 19:24, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Rescue Heroes

You keep saying conflict of interest. Do you mean me? Because I do not work for Fisher Price or the TV Show, I'm just a fan of the TV Show lol. Kagome 85 21:10, 15 October 2007 (UTC)

Kagome, I did not think you were a COI editor. This article was one of many edited by paid editors associated with Intrapromote, a professional search engine optimization firm. For more information see:

• Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard#Inappropriate paid editing on Wikipedia by Intrapromote (permanent link)

Editors working on behalf of Fisher-Price (among many other corporate clients):

• Tommy0876 (talk · contribs · count)
• Sharpd0526 (talk · contribs · count)

and numerous IPs, only a few of whom we've found and listed. The tip-off was the type of edits they were making across a group of companies that are Intrapromote clients. A list of articles affected is at User talk:68.58.116.72.

I looked at this pair's edits on this article and they look OK in this case; with some other articles, they made more biased edits. I did not have time to check out all the IPs that have edited the article, so I tagged it for others more familiar with the topic to look at closely.

Thanks for watching this and other articles carefully! --A. B. ^(talk) 02:11, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

The reason they look OK is partly because I take out any edits that are not needed, or have nothing to do with the article. Thanks for the information, though. Kagome 85 10:53, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

Mopification

A. B., is there any reason you aren't a sysop already? I'm very impressed with your contributions. If you're interested, let's talk. Durova^Charge! 06:16, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Do think about it - at least you would probably get two votes :) You know where I am too, cheers --Herby ^{talk thyme} 11:28, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks -- I'm flattered. I'm quite interested however since I travel, it's hard to forecast a time when I'll have 7 days with consistent Internet access when I could quickly respond to concerns. --A. B. ^(talk) 20:58, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Sure you will see it

But just in case our beatbox friends are requesting whitelisting. Cheers --Herby ^{talk thyme} 18:32, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps I need to just develop a template for what I'm about to write. --A. B. ^(talk) 18:40, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

On second thought, I've written it all before for this guy^[9]. --18:48, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the permalink too - I may well tidy up a bit today. The "bahamas" one - I noticed you listed quite a few related sites, are you planning to list them on meta or not worth it at this stage? Cheers --Herby ^{talk thyme} 07:03, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Thank You for Your Help

Thank you for your help A. B. and for pointing us in the right direction for AfD filings, it has been much appreciated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Popperian (talk • contribs) 13:42, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

Northern Alliance Radio Network

Hi. You left a {{coi}} tag on this article. Perhaps you'd like to comment on the talk page about any problems with the article itself, when you get a chance? Happy travels, CWC 14:05, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. I left a note at Talk:Northern Alliance Radio Network. Also, on closer examination, it looks like that article may have notability problems so I tagged it for notability and left notability comments on the same talk page. --A. B. ^(talk) 16:23, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

Blacklist

Is it me or does the one here operate completely differently to Meta. There is no "logging" - I assume you would agree there should be - and random admins seem to wander in, add something that isn't listed (with no explanation) and ignore the backlog?

I've closed some delist ones and arc'd some stuff. I wonder if promoting/pushing/enforcing some guidelines/policy would help. I'll happily chip in and I am watching that & related pages closely now so I'd be better able to support, cheers --Herby ^{talk thyme} 09:09, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

It's chaotic here and that will come back to haunt us when we get whitelist requests in a year or two.

I think we can't force anything on random admins -- it's an occasional problem on meta too.

Thanks for you help here. I suppose those things you did is stuff I could have done myself; I unthinkingly assumed it was admin turf. --A. B. ^(talk) 15:05, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Maybe we start "logging" ones that are done (if/when) and "nicely" point out to admins that we would appreciate it if....?

Meta isn't bad and I'd would have a word if I saw really unlogged listings often.

And the times I need to remind myself - "It's a wiki, I can do anything"!!

I'm sure we can make it better, bit by bit --Herby ^{talk thyme} 15:12, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Plus MediaWiki talk:Spam-blacklist/log and [10] - it's a start, --Herby ^{talk thyme} 15:32, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Realised it should actually be here per Meta but that must be cascade protected as it won't let me move it - so if we ever find an admin.... --Herby ^{talk thyme} 15:43, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

"Watching" threads

x post A. B. & SiobhanHansa

Don't know how you folk keep an eye on actual threads on pages here but you may care to take a look at this. It shows you the most recent post on a thread and clicking takes you to the section. I got hooked on Commons first and would be without it now. If it is useful, fine & share it (& let me know if it misses anything you would want). If not ne'er mind! Cheers --Herby ^{talk thyme} 10:42, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

That is a very powerful tool. Thanks for showing me! --A. B. ^(talk) 15:06, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

No problem, the one on Meta is useful too - I may create a spam list only one there when I get a moment, I'll let you have the link when I do --Herby ^{talk thyme} 15:12, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Please contact me regarding "Notability" on NetQoS

Hi. My name's Brian Boyko - I'm the new media communication specialist at NetQoS, and just noticed that you added a "notability" tag to the Wikipedia page describing my company.

NetQoS is notable in our field, but I'd like to know how to go about showing it to you to your satisfaction. Please feel free to email me at brian.boyko@netqos.com - I figure that once I show you a few articles from mainstream press about our company, and if you're satisfied with the notability of the company you can remove the tag if you wish.

Thank you, Brian Boyko —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.129.167.114 (talk) 20:39, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

Great -- just list the links here and I'll be happy to take a look at them. --A. B. ^(talk) 20:43, 31 October 2007 (UTC)