User talk:Rhododendrites

Been thinking recently about how much Wikipedia does act as a social network, and how valuable that can be. Articles aren't social media, of course, but Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and a community, and healthy volunteer communities need to foster forms of communication that aren't strictly "talking shop". In that spirit, how about some music talk. Might just be me sharing, but who knows.

Well congrats! This proves that you are just as certifiable as the rest of us! And I thought that I was nerdy when I saw that one article had a totally needless fair use image and another one had a really crappy image. So I spent some quality camera time with my old LP collection and made new Commons:Categories for these two rather uninteresting and rarely viewed subjects. (No, I don't stalk your edits, and I rarely visit Twitter now, but when TFG gets indicted you have to take a look at what the site makes of it. ;-) Just in time for your announcement there.) cart-Talk 21:28, 9 June 2023 (UTC)

And I thought that I was nerdy - No argument from me. :) Nice job illustrating cataloging systems there! Regarding SatanCon, I was more excited than I'd like to admit when I realized the milestone was coming and found a fitting topic. Woke up early (before my alarm, even), and wound up refreshing {{numberofarticles}} for ... a while, before publishing. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 22:53, 9 June 2023 (UTC)

I was thinking of something you said when we talked last? An idea has kind of been bouncing around my head the past few days... maybe I could go around interviewing people around my age and seeing what we have in common and what we don't. Asking questions like

• When did you start editing Wikipedia?
• Why did you start editing Wikipedia?
• If you could go back in time, what do you think would've helped you be a better editor?
• Did you have help as a new editor? What worked and what didn't?
• As a new editor, were you aware that there was a community behind the scenes?
• Do you think you'll keep editing for the foreseeable future?
• Were you involved with WikiEd? If so, what was that like?
• Have you ever edited on mobile? Why or why not?

I think the cumulative effect of asking these questions might be useful. What do you think? Clovermoss🍀 (talk) 19:11, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

@Clovermoss: - cumulative effect of asking these questions might be useful - Could be. Something I've found interesting is how wikiphilosophies seem to evolve with each "generation" of Wikipedians. If we think of Wikipedia's 22 years as being four generations, I guess I'm in the second generation. When I got here, my take on things like deletion, blocking, immediatism, etc. was a bit different from some of the old timers. These days I find that the newer generations make me feel like one of those old-timers (and I guess I am?). To reduce what I mean to a single example, back in 2013 I was most often called a deletionist. These days, though I don't feel like my take on deletion has changed that much, I find myself lumped in more often with the inclusionists (to the extent those sides even exist at all, of course). To your questions, there's one in there about Wiki Ed, which sure seems like it's intended for me, but I don't think I'd be included in the "people around my age" that you started with. :) Happy to answer if it would be helpful, though. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 17:54, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, the WikiEd question was directed at you :) Since I've never really interacted with that side of the community, I was curious about the similarities and differences we face. Ever since you said something about how people can struggle even with a ton of resources at their disposal... I just went on to this whole train of thought full of ideas. Is it possible that you might have some idea of how I could connect with some students working with WikiEd? I really think it'd be insightful to interview some if they're open to that but I have no idea where to start. I like to plan things out a bit before I actually go about doing things. Clovermoss🍀 (talk) 00:52, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

It's okay if you don't really know if that's possible, though. Even if you could point me in the direction of someone who might be able to that'd be useful. Regardless, it was nice to meet you and I appreciate everything we've talked about. Clovermoss🍀 (talk) 01:49, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

@Clovermoss: Late reply, sorry.

Is it possible that you might have some idea of how I could connect with some students working with WikiEd? - You can always head over to dashboard.wikiedu.org, where you can find all the classes active in a given semester (and all of the courses Wiki Ed has supported since ~2015). You might have more luck reaching out to the professors, though, who can then connect you with interested students.

Some brief other answers:

When did you start editing Wikipedia? - 2007. A professor had us edit Wikipedia. I was fascinating by how much of a garbage fire it wasn't, and set out to study it. Highly active editing came a few years later.

If you could go back in time, what do you think would've helped you be a better editor? - I don't think I'd change anything, now that I think about it. There were times that I had different ideas of "what a Good Wikipedia ought to do" but in hindsight that's mostly nonsense. I did exactly what I wanted to do on Wikipedia at each stage, I suppose. If the question were "what advice would I give myself" it would probably be to think about anonymity a little more.

Did you have help as a new editor? What worked and what didn't? - I was an atypical newbie in that I spent a long time reading and researching before diving into editing, so I didn't need too much help. I learned from some veterans when I was researching, and when I solicited feedback on my first article. The names FT2, Dana Boomer, Wikid77, and DGG come to mind as early, helpful interactions (sadly now one is deceased, one long-inactive, and one banned).

Do you think you'll keep editing for the foreseeable future? - Yes. There have been a few discussions and trends over the past few years that I've found discouraging/demotivating, but there's just too much that I like about this place.

Were you involved with WikiEd? If so, what was that like? - It was overall a very positive experience. I was already teaching with Wikipedia and they needed an interim program manager shortly after my last semester teaching... then I stuck around for five years. Generally positive. It reframed my relationship to Wikipedia a bit as it meant I was no longer purely a volunteer (even if I separated my work and volunteer accounts), but I didn't let it affect my editing all that much. There were a bunch of layoffs early in the pandemic, which included me. The upside is it gave me time to finish my dissertation. :)

Have you ever edited on mobile? Why or why not? - Almost never. It's just too hard with a tiny screen. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 18:50, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

I don't mind the late reply. Thanks for your input :) I will check out the dashboard. Do you mind if I mention your answers to my interview questions in a userspace essay? Clovermoss🍀 (talk) 19:42, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

@Clovermoss: No I don't mind (thanks for asking). — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 20:01, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

And thank you for humouring me with the answers. :) If you want to check out the future progress of all this, it's at User:Clovermoss/Editor reflections. Clovermoss🍀 (talk) 20:31, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia owes its existence to the dedication of volunteers who contribute encyclopedic content according to fundamental principles, often with as much commitment as one would give a full time job. These volunteers make personal sacrifices to ensure that what the world sees when it visits Wikipedia is as comprehensive and reliable as possible. These individuals are not paid for their work, but driven by the conviction that free access to knowledge has the power to improve lives.

Unfortunately, as we've become more popular, we have attracted not just those who want to influence Wikipedia for personal gain, but those who see our editorial policies as a threat to their own power. That means the labor we donate to pursue ideals like neutral point of view comes with vulnerabilities. The anonymity or pseudonymity of many contributors is essential to maintaining our integrity and diversity of voices. But it is fragile. Sometimes, members of our community find themselves navigating complex, hostile political and legal landscapes just for the audacity of upholding our policies. Protecting volunteers like these is not merely an act of gratitude; it is absolutely necessary for the future of our project.

Many people, companies, and governments look at articles that meet our standards for neutrality and sourcing and want to replace them with their own preferred narratives. If they can effectively use their money, influence, and power to pierce anonymity and threaten, intimidate, sue, or arrest volunteers simply for making edits in accordance with our basic policies, it threatens the neutrality and accuracy of those articles. More importantly, it signals that these are effective strategies for silencing voices one doesn't like and creates a pernicious chilling effect for all contributors.

For an anonymous or pseudonymous contributor here, there is exactly one organization with the capacity--and the responsibility--to defend Wikipedians against powerful entities: the Wikimedia Foundation. We, the undersigned, appreciate the complexities of international legal disputes over release of personally identifying information and commend the foundation for both routinely resisting disclosure and assisting editors who find themselves in legal jeopardy. However, in light of cases around the world whereby powerful people seek to influence Wikipedia by attacking its users, we call upon the foundation to:

(1) prioritize the safety and well-being of volunteers even if it comes with a risk of legal action against the foundation;
(2) create a dedicated team of staff and advisors focused on procedural, technical, and legal assessment, strategies, and tools to preserve the pseudonymity or anonymity of contributors who need it. While this statement comes during a high-profile case, these are principles which apply broadly, and this team should be prepared to address censorship threats both in places where they exist now and where they may arise in the future as political landscapes evolve.

We, the volunteers, must be able to contribute with the assurity that the Wikimedia Foundation will defend those of us whose guilt is in upholding our shared principles, and will hold that defense even if it comes at a cost. Because the cost of failing is even greater. The choice to stand firm for our most vulnerable contributors in the face of censorship is an ethical one--it's existential. It is a fundamental decision to preserve the independence, credibility, and mission of the world's largest free encyclopedia.

[putting this here because it's a very rough draft and I don't want to dump more text over at VPW] — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 04:54, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

Just a quick note to say that I hope you don't feel that I stepped on your toes here, Rhododendrites. I saw a consensus emerging for a concise letter and was encouraged by Ipigott (albeit based on what turned out to be an incorrect assumption) to write a shorter draft, and felt like time was pressing. Regards, Espresso Addict (talk) 02:48, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

No, no worries at all. I'm not worried about credit, if that's what you mean. As I just wrote at VPW, I'm just not sure I want to sign on to something that's explicitly about one ongoing case rather than a broader statement of principles. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 14:25, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, Rhododendrites, and obviously everyone can only support whatever wording they feel personally works for them. We're all on the same page here. I'd encourage you to work up a broader general statement of principles that doesn't mention the case to collect signatures in parallel, because in the current (US) climate, it is clear that this is just going to be the tip of a very big iceberg, and I'd like more clarity from WMF about what they are going to do about it. Cheers, Espresso Addict (talk) 00:52, 8 November 2024 (UTC)

		The Socratic Barnstar
		Nice job crafting Wikipedia:2024 open letter to the Wikimedia Foundation. It's well-written, concise, and presents a balanced perspective. Cheers, Sdkb talk 16:17, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, Sdkb, although I had floated a [decidedly less concise] version that didn't name the ANI case and was written more broadly to apply to future situations, too. I commend Espresso Addict and Airshipjungleman for cutting through the wall of text to actually get something concrete started, but I haven't signed the current letter (and haven't made up my mind whether I will). i.e. this. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 16:24, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

	Happy New Year!
	Hello Rhododendrites: Did you know ... that back in 1885, Wikipedia editors wrote Good Articles with axes, hammers and chisels? Thank you for your contributions to this encyclopedia using 21st century technology. I hope you don't get any unnecessary blisters. Wil540 art (talk) 14:55, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

Spread the WikiLove; use {{subst:Happy New Year elves}} to send this message

Wil540 art (talk) 14:55, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

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@Rhododendrites Thank you so much for your time! Have a great weekend =) Phoebezz22 (talk) 12:31, 11 January 2025 (UTC)

You've been a great editor for a very long time and have really made some pages I care about much better, but I just realised what a talented contributor you are over at Commons as well. You are a real asset to this community, and I don't think that is said often enough. Cheers, Last1in (talk) 16:09, 13 January 2025 (UTC)

An image created by you has been promoted to featured picture status Your image, File:Proboscis bats (81721).jpg, was nominated on Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates, gained a consensus of support, and has been promoted. If you would like to nominate an image, please do so at Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates. Thank you for your contribution! Armbrust The Homunculus 18:58, 28 January 2025 (UTC)

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Congratulations! - Thank you for coming to my talk, and happy new year 2025, which opened with trumpet fanfares that first sounded OTD in 1725 (as the Main page had)! Near the end of the month, I have vacation pics to offer and the story of Werner Bardenhewer. I took the pic, and it was my DYK on his 90th birthday, in both English and German. He spent the day in Africa, and after his return said - chatting after a mass of thanks he celebrated at Mariä Heimsuchung - that we'd have to talk about these articles. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:54, 30 January 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: You're always working on interesting music content. With those photos, I have to ask (if you don't mind), do you work in music? I seem to recall learning you were a musician some time ago, but can't recall. No problem if you'd prefer not to say, of course! — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 18:17, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Check out the infobox on my user page ;) - just returning from a trip, so brief, - I will be back --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:18, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

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On the main page today, 300 years after its first performance, Bach's cantata BWV 125, - a lovely very intimate piece, with peace and joy in the title. Enjoy listening with score - I discovered that only now! - Today is also the birthday of James Joyce, who has an article by many authors. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:47, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Today's story is about Edith Mathis, who portrayed young women by Mozart. The video of a 1993 interview has videos of her performances. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:13, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

I point at a composer today, as the main page does. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:44, 20 February 2025 (UTC)

@Gerda Arendt: Thanks -- November Steps was the soundtrack to my afternoon the other day -- enjoyed it! — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 20:22, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

The article Rockwood & Company you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:Rockwood & Company for comments about the article, and Talk:Rockwood & Company/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of RoySmith -- RoySmith (talk) 18:03, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

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Thanks for the review, Jon698! I'm curious what you think of the big results table at the bottom (apart from the GA review). It's a big block on the page, but at the same time I like being able to sort the numbers. Couldn't come up with a cleaner way to do so. Maybe a collapsed table somewhere, but I don't know. In looking around, I found some other articles that include full results like that, and some that don't. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 15:39, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

The results table is fine and is a common for pages like this. Jon698 (talk) 16:17, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

Thanks, Jon698. Also, I only just realized the numbers in that table changed and no longer reflect the numbers at the official elections site. Where did those come from? — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 18:53, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

@Jon698: Just bumping this -- could you tell me where you got the different vote counts? — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 19:14, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

I got those numbers from the Proposition 1 page of the official elections site. Blank votes are not valid and should not be factored into the final result percentages. Jon698 (talk) 21:45, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

Oh, that's the discrepancy, then. Blank votes are valid -- invalid votes are counted separately. Blanks are a quantification of confusion, ambivalence, lack of information, etc. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 01:29, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

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On Ravel's birthday, we also think of a conductor and five more composers ;) -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:27, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

Today I could have written five stories off the main page, and chose Sofia Gubaidulina. I find the TFA also interesting, and two DYK, and a birthday OTD. How about you? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:23, 16 March 2025 (UTC)

Still Ravel: today his opera, 100 years old OTD, on Bach's birthday, - I saw it, see music. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:58, 21 March 2025 (UTC)

Today, 300 years of Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1! We sang works for (mostly) double choir by Pachelbel, Johann Christoph Bach, Kuhnau/Bach, Gounod and Rheinberger! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:38, 25 March 2025 (UTC)

Hi there. You recently made some edits to this page: Misinformation related to abortion. I wanted to let you know, that I personally agree with you. I personally believe that it should be presented as fact, as you did in your edit that "it is not possible for the fetus to experience pain before 24 weeks of gestation" instead of "The prevailing viewpoint among most medical organizations..." I also agree with you that we should not be including a minority viewpoint most present in the Linacre Quarterly - a Catholic Medical journal.

Unfortunately, there is an anti-abortion advocate who's extremely active on the talk page and trying to come to consensus on certain things has made things clunky. The way the section is phrased now is what was begrudgingly agreed to on the talk page. So, unfortunately, I have tentatively reverted your edit in favor of the one that was technically reached by consensus since that just happened today.

That being said, if you feel strongly, and prepared to wade into the talk page of that article, feel free to keep the conversation going as to why that part should potentially be changed. (I definitely would be in favor of that paragraph being more definitive toward the current medical literature.) InquisitiveWikipedian (talk) 01:31, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

Doesn't seem ideal when the best sources don't appear to equivocate. Posted over at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Medicine#Misinformation_related_to_abortion_could_use_some_additional_eyes_from_this_project to get additional opinions. Looks like the talk page was mostly a back-and-forth between the two of you. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 03:14, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

Agreed. Thank you for saying so. And yeah, it's mainly me and him and I think two other editors have chimed in now and again on some of the topics. I'm trying to be as collaborative as possible without completely threatening the integrity of the page. So, I appreciate you trying to get more people in the conversation. Thank you InquisitiveWikipedian (talk) 03:25, 7 April 2025 (UTC)

I'm currently writing the article for the Official White House Portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama that were comissioned by the White House Historical Association. I've previously written the official portraits of the Reagans, the Clintons and the Bushes. Your incredible research of Michelle's portrait would be vital to and most welcome in the article - would you like to add it once I have launched the article or could I interpolate it and main article a link on the Sharon Sprung page? I'm not sure how to proceed! Regards No Swan So Fine (talk) 22:25, 27 April 2025 (UTC)

Hi No Swan So Fine - glad you'll be working on that article. Probably what makes sense is to expand the summary in the Sprung article and add a {{main}} template, and add a brief summary of Sprung to the article you're working on? I'm pretty overwhelmed with real-life projects at the moment, but happy to take a look at the article when it's available. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 20:19, 28 April 2025 (UTC)

The article Bryant Park restroom you nominated as a good article has passed ; see Talk:Bryant Park restroom for comments about the article, and Talk:Bryant Park restroom/GA1 for the nomination. Well done! If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of ZKang123 -- ZKang123 (talk) 06:07, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

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Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:American avocet (84292).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for August 29, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-08-29. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 21:30, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

The American avocet (Recurvirostra americana) is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae, found in North America. It spends much of its time foraging in shallow water or on mud flats, often sweeping its bill from side to side in water as it seeks crustacean and insect prey. The bird is around 40–51 cm (16–20 in) in length and has a bill which is black, pointed, and curved slightly upwards towards the tip. Its breeding habitat consists of marshes, beaches, prairie ponds, and shallow lakes in the Midwestern United States and southern Canada. This American avocet was photographed in Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge East Pond, New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: "I Have a Dream" Pardachirus marmoratus Willistead Manor Archive More featured pictures

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It was lovely to see "your" bird yesterday! - see my talk for music --Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:55, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Thanks Gerda Arendt. Listening to Bach now. I know little about Bach, and this makes me recall a question I have. Maybe you can help. :) About 20 years ago I was interviewing an indie rock musician, John Vanderslice, for my little radio program. At some point he went on a tear, getting very nerdy about music, and got me way out of my depth. At one point he said he was exploring "Bachic dissonance". I just smiled and acted like I knew what I was talking about, because I was not a good interviewer. :) But I remember it because afterwards I went to my friend outside the studio and said something like "what am I supposed to say about 'Bachic dissonance'??" Does that mean anything to you? Perhaps you can help me now, two decades later! — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 22:36, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

I don't know what he meant but Bach is known for using dissonance - more than others - to express tension, sadness, suffering ... Perhaps listen to this Crucifixus. - I had to sing a funeral service for a friend today, but the music chosen was intentionally on the uplifting side and for consolation, which Bach could do also better than others. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:50, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

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(trialing replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 08:30, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Hello there. I was wondering if you had time to give feedback on the workshop text for the understandability guideline (comparison with the existing text). Always tough to write guidelines for a wide variety of topic areas, and would love to hear if the new text works for articles related to law. The goal is to make the understandability guideline more useable and concrete. If we could get an example in from the field, that would be even better :). More general feedback is also very welcome. I'm happy to trade for a review at GAN if you'd like! —Femke 🐦 (talk) 09:04, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

Hi Femke and thanks for the invitation. I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen that guideline before! Before I give it a review, to be clear are you looking for feedback on the new guideline or on the changes? Also, I should say I'm not a lawyer and don't have much legal expertise. I get a little bit into tech policy as an internet researcher, so wound up with a couple law articles at GAN, but I don't know if I'd be much help on best practices for presenting the technical side of the law. Regardless, happy to review with or without a GAN review (at some point I'll probably have to trade someone in order to get United Nations Convention on Cybercrime up to GA before it's in the news for the signing ceremony in October -- if the American Privacy Rights Act article is any indication, the UN article won't likely get reviewed in 2025 :/ :/ -- I presume my kvetching about that in Discord is what led to this invitation). — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 22:29, 30 August 2025 (UTC)

I looked at the open GANs and FACs to try and get at least one person per major technical topic area to look at it before it's RfC time. In terms of familiarity, the guideline's most-cited part is probably WP:EXPLAINLEAD. It's an undervalued part of our P&Gs, possibly because it's not that practical?

I'm mostly interested in feedback on changes, even though I'm also keen on hearing if there's stuff unnecessary or missing. One of the interesting bits I found in the research for the rewrite: assuming prior knowledge starts when you become familiar with a topic, not when you're an expert. —Femke 🐦 (talk) 06:26, 31 August 2025 (UTC)

Hi Femke - catching up on my various wiki tasks I fell behind on over the past several months. Just making sure this is still current and would still be useful before I jump into this in the next day or two. :) — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 03:35, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

It is still useful! The proposal failed in the first instance, and I'm keen to bring it over the line, not quite sure when however. —Femke 🐦 (talk) 19:26, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

Your good article nomination of the article United Nations Convention against Cybercrime is under review. See the review page for more information. This may take up to 7 days; feel free to contact the reviewer with any questions you might have. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Femke -- Femke (talk) 07:24, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Your good article nomination of the article United Nations Convention against Cybercrime has been placed on hold, as the article needs some changes. See the review page for more information. If these are addressed within 7 days, the nomination will pass; otherwise, it may fail. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Femke -- Femke (talk) 17:03, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

A tag has been placed on Foolproof Brewing Company requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section A7 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because the article appears to be about a person, a group of people, an individual animal, an organization (band, club, company, etc.), web content, or an organized event that does not credibly indicate how or why the subject is important or significant: that is, why an article about that subject should be included in an encyclopedia. Under the criteria for speedy deletion, such articles may be deleted at any time. Please read more about what is generally accepted as notable.

If you think this page should not be deleted for this reason, you may contest the nomination by visiting the page and clicking the button labelled "Contest this speedy deletion". This will give you the opportunity to explain why you believe the page should not be deleted. However, be aware that once a page is tagged for speedy deletion, it may be deleted without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag from the page yourself, but do not hesitate to add information in line with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. If the page is deleted, and you wish to retrieve the deleted material for future reference or improvement, then please contact the deleting administrator. OldPalChummus (talk) 17:47, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

@OldPalChummus: Please review the documentation about A7. Credible claim of significance is satisfied by citations to reliable sources discussing the subject. You're welcome to take it to AfD if you wish. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 18:08, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

@Rhododendrites: Thank you. Please refer to the AfD discussion. OldPalChummus (talk) 18:56, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on August 16. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• Wikimedia Futures Lab: Apply before Sep 4 to join The Wikimedia Futures Lab, the in-person convening hosted on January 30 – February 1, 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany with participants from affiliates, contributors and external experts, to learn more about global trends and discuss potential movement-wide responses.
• Wikimania 2026: The theme and date for Wikimania 2026 have been decided: Liberté, Équité, Fiabilité (Freedom, Equity, Reliability). This edition will take place in Paris, from July 21 to July 25, 2026.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Research · Web · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Tech News: Some of the latest updates from Tech News week 34 and 35: An A/B test comparing two versions of the desktop donate link launched on testwiki and English Wikipedia for 0.1% of logged out users on the desktop site. The experiment will run for three weeks, ending on 12 September; Administrators can now access the Special:BlockedExternalDomains page from the Special:CommunityConfiguration list page. This makes it easier to find.
• Spread Wikilove, thank comments: A new improvement was added to the "Discussion tools" Beta feature; it is now possible to thank a user for their comment. This new feature is released for a 3-months long test.
• Community Wishlist: Template authors can now use additional CSS properties, since the CSS sanitizer used by TemplateStyles was updated. These improvements are a Community Wishlist wish.
• Wikipedia Mobile Apps: The Android app team has launched a new experiment in Italy that lets logged-out readers of Italian and English Wikipedia set their own donation reminders based on how often they read. This new approach responds to feedback from donors who say their motivation to give is tied to their reading habits. Instead of one-size-fits-all banners, readers can now choose reminders that fit their own usage, all while keeping their privacy intact.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Wikipedia 25: To celebrate Wikipedia’s 25th birthday, the Wikimedia Foundation is adding several resources to the Wikipedia 25 Meta-Wiki hub.
• The Wikipedia Library: Collections from Dow Jones & Company, including the The Wall Street Journal, are now available to editors who are eligible for The Wikipedia Library.
• Don't Blink: The latest developments from around the world about protecting the Wikimedia model, its people and its values.

Board and Board committee updates
See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• Affiliate recognition: The recognition of new User Groups, Chapters, and Thematic Organizations is paused until March 31, 2026.
• Board of Trustees selection: The voting period for the upcoming Board selection process will now open on October 8 and close October 23.
• New Board member: Wikimedia Foundation welcomes incoming Board Trustee Mayree Clark.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 18:13, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Arenal volcano_(70785p)_(cropped).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for September 7, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-09-07. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 22:19, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Arenal Volcano is a stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica, in the province of Alajuela. It is within the Arenal Volcano National Park. The volcano is conically shaped with a height of 1,633 metres (5,358 ft) and a crater with a diameter of 140 metres (460 ft). Arenal is a young volcano, estimated to be less than 7,500 years old. The volcano was dormant for hundreds of years and exhibited two craters at its summit, with minor fumaroles activity, covered by dense vegetation. In 1968 it erupted unexpectedly, destroying the small town of Tabacón. Due to the eruption three more craters were created on the western flanks but only one of them exists today. By duration, Arenal's eruption from 1968 to 2010 is the tenth longest volcanic eruption on Earth since 1750. Since 2010, Arenal has been dormant. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Galah John Cage Lady Peak Archive More featured pictures

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(trialing replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 09:31, 4 September 2025 (UTC)

More information September 10: Annual Election & Members Meeting, P.S. Next event, September 19 — NYC 400 Edit-A-Thon: Nueva Yol ...

September 10: Annual Election & Members Meeting
You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our Annual Election & Members Meeting, in-person at Prime Produce in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan and also via Zoom. The Members' Meeting is similar to other WikiWednesday meetups, except that its primary function is to elect new members to the Board of Directors. We will elect three board seats – half of the elected seats on the board – and the elected board can appoint up to five more board members. As part of the Members Meeting, we will also focus on the Wikimedia NYC Programs Plan for the coming year, our Financial Report, and Annual and Monthly event teams for the coming year. Election info: To run for election or to vote, you must be a dues-paying member of Wikimedia New York City, having renewed in the past 12 months. Voting will be both online, via emailed ballots from the ElectionBuddy service, and in-person. The poll will be open for the 48 hours between 8pm EDT on September 8 and 8pm EDT on September 10. For additional information, please consult the Election FAQ. Meeting info: Wednesday, September 10 Annual Election & Members Meeting (optional RSVP on-wiki). 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Open Hour) 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Wiki Salon) (Prime Produce, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan) Also online via Zoom All attendees are subject to Wikimedia NYC's Code of Conduct and Photography Policy.
P.S. Next event, September 19 — NYC 400 Edit-A-Thon: Nueva Yol

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--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:47, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

@Pharos: Heads up this and the email both link to the 2024 meeting (in the heading). — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 03:42, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 20:30, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on August 29. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• Wikimania 2026: The scholarship application for Wikimania 2026 is open. Apply now by October 31.
• Wikipedia 25: Help us find inspiring stories to share during birthday celebrations by September 23.
• Wikimedia Research Showcase: "Readers and Readership Research" will be the featured theme for the next research showcase taking place on September 24 at 16:30 UTC.
• Update to banner and logo policies: Feedback is requested on proposed policy and documentation updates regarding the use of banners and logos for advocacy purposes.
• GLAM Wiki 2025: The registration for GLAM Wiki Conference is open until September 30.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Better bot detection: How we are improving bot detection and replacing our CAPTCHA.
• Temporary Accounts: Temporary accounts are now deployed to almost all wikis except the last 11.
• User Info: This new feature displays data related to a user account when you tap or click on the "user avatar" icon button next to a username. It's meant to be useful for different users with extended rights as well as newcomers.
• Newsletter highlights: The latest Readers Newsletter is now available. It includes considerations about Wikipedia's declining pageviews in the recent years, how the Foundation and communities may work on addressing this together, and the formation of two new teams — Reader Growth and Reader Experience.
• Activity Tab Experiment: The Foundation launched an experiment testing a new Activity tab in the Wikipedia Android app to our beta testers. Instead of only showing editing activity, this tab also surfaces insights about reading and donation behavior.
• Search Suggestions: To make it easier for users to find articles, logged-out users on both desktop and mobile will see suggestions of articles for further reading on English Wikipedia beginning the week of September 22. All non-English wikis received this update in June and July.
• Paste Check: The Foundation is working on a new check: Paste check. This check informs newcomers who paste text into Wikipedia that the content might not be accepted to ensure it is aligned with the Movement's values. This check will soon be tested at a few wikis.
• CampaignEvents extension: The CampaignEvents extension has been enabled for all Wikisources. The extension makes it easier to organize and participate in collaborative activities, like edit-a-thons and WikiProjects, on the wikis. To request the extension for your wiki, visit the information page.
• Structured Task: The Add a Link Structured Task has been fully released at English Wikipedia. This release is an important step in making editing more accessible for new contributors, especially on mobile.
• Tech News: Read more updates from Tech News week 36 and 37.
• Wikifunctions: Wikifunctions is now available on 65 Wiktionaries and has a new capability to copy function calls from one Wikipedia to another.
• Multilingual Contributors: The Language and Product Localisation team is launching a CentralNotice campaign to attract multilingual contributors to specific Wikipedias. The campaign will feature regionally targeted banners to reach potential native speakers.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Global Resources: Introducing the interim Global Resource Distribution Committee (GRDC).
• Funding the Movement: Key Takeaways, Trends, and Lessons from FY 2024-2025 Community Fund Grants.
• Open Indonesia: Reflections on Open Indonesia, an event in Bandung gathering communities dedicated to advancing open knowledge to build the country's Open Knowledge Roadmap.
• WikiWomen*: Reflections from the WikiWomen* Summit 2025.
• Gender & AI: Is Gendering AI Possible? Reflections from the 2025 Gendering AI Conference.
• Wikipedia 25: What one centenarian can teach us about 25 years of Wikipedia.
• Knowledge Equity Fund: Wikimedia Ghana User Group receives Knowledge Equity Fund Connected Grant.
• Wikimania 2025: ESEAP First Timers at Wikimania Nairobi.
• César do Paço Lawsuit: Update about a lawsuit in Portugal and the Foundation's appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
• UK Online Safety Act: The Wikimedia Foundation will not appeal the UK High Court’s decision to dismiss our challenge to the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) Categorisation Regulations.

Board and Board committee updates
See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• August board meeting: Updates on board appointments and selection, CEO search, work to strengthen Wikipedia's approach to neutral point of view and updates on three pilots around more shared decision-making and shared accountability across the movement.
• New Endowment board members: Welcoming New Wikimedia Endowment Board Members, Kevin Bonebrake and Ike Kier.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 01:04, 17 September 2025 (UTC)

Your feedback is requested at Wikipedia:Village pump (policy) on a "Society, sports, and culture" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 13:32, 17 September 2025 (UTC)

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our Wikipedia NYC 400 Edit-A-Thon: Nueva Yol on Friday Sep 19 from 5pm to 8pm, hosted with the NYU Latinx Project. And if you're interested in the development of wiki-based games, we'd like to invite you to apply for the WikiGameJam on Oct 3-5 — we're hoping to publicly showcase some of the best projects at our next Wikipedia Day! All attendees are subject to Wikimedia NYC's Code of Conduct and Photography Policy.

(You can subscribe/unsubscribe from future notifications for NYC-area events by adding or removing your name from this list.)

--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:52, 17 September 2025 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 70, July–August 2025

• New collections:
  • Times of Malta
  • Africa Intelligence
  • Intelligence Online
  • La Lettre
  • Glitz
• Spotlight: Wikimania

Read the full newsletter

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery on behalf of The Wikipedia Library team – 13:15, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

(This message was sent to User:Rhododendrites and is being posted here due to a redirect.)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 20:33, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 22:31, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

I have reverted your edit. I do not mean to start an edit war, but I believe you have mistaken at the Conservapedia article. Thank you. Hussain Romuzi _{Nothing to see here…} 02:44, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on September 13. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• CEE Meeting: Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2025 will be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, September 26-28.
• Learning Clinic: The next Let's Connect Learning Clinic will talk about "Mastering the Capacity Exchange (CapX) Tool" and will take place on September 30 at 13:00 UTC.
• Big Fat Brussels Meeting: The tenth in-person gathering of Wikimedians enthusiastic in free knowledge advocacy, Big Fat Brussels Meeting, will take place on October 3-4.
• Wikimedia Research Showcase: "Celebrating 13 Years: Wikidata’s Role in Learning and Culture" will be the featured theme for the next research showcase taking place on October 15 at 16:30 UTC.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Research · Web · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Tech News: Read updates from Tech News week 38 and 39.
• Wikifunctions: Wikifunctions is now available on 123 Wiktionary languages and have more than 3,000 functions available.
• Collaborative Contributions: A new feature, called Collaborative Contributions, allows editors to see the impact of their collaborative editing activities. It was live demoed earlier and you can follow instructions to test it out.
• CampaignEvents extension: The CampaignEvents extension was deployed to Wikimedia Commons and all Wikisources -80+ wikis.
• Event registration: Starting the week of October 6, on small and medium wikis that have the CampaignEvents extension enabled, all autoconfirmed users will be able to use Event Registration as an organizer. No changes will be made for large wikis unless requested in Phabricator. More information on Meta.
• Search Suggestions: Upon clicking an empty search bar, logged-out users now see suggestions of articles for further reading on all Wikipedias, in order to make it easier for users to find articles.
• Datacenter server switchover: A successful datacenter server switchover backup test took place on September 24.
• Activity Tab now on Android: Beta users of the Wikipedia Android app can now try the redesigned Activity tab, which replaces the Edits tab. The new tab offers personalized insights into reading, editing, and donation activity, while simplifying navigation and making app use more engaging.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Banners & Logos policies: The Wikimedia Foundation has published draft proposals for policies related to the use of banners and logo changes for advocacy purposes.
• Wikipedia 25: Wikimedia Foundation is creating playful, celebratory interventions on the Wikipedia portal page, the Wikipedia app, and potentially any interested Wikipedias to celebrate Wikipedia’s 25th birthday. Please share your inputs and add your username on the Talk page if you think your community would be interested in participating.
• Regional Funds: Welcoming new ESEAP Regional Funds Committee Members.
• Peer Learning: Reflections from Let’s Connect at Wikimania Nairobi 2025.

Annual Goals Progress on Effectiveness
See also: Progress on the annual plan

• Enterprise: Structured Contents now supports Wikipedia tables as structured JSON.

Board and Board committee updates
See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• Wikimedia Georgia: Wikimedia Georgia becomes the newest Wikimedia Chapter.

Foundation statements

• Knowledge integrity: The Wikimedia Foundation launches a new series that explores how Wikipedia can inspire new standards of knowledge integrity for our times.

Highlights from other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

• National award: Wikipedian and current chair of Wikimedia Deutschland, Alice Wiegand, receives the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for her voluntary commitment to Wikipedia and the global Wikimedia movement.
• Supporting admins and patrollers: Motivating, training and networking – Wikimedia Ukraine’s plan to support Wikipedia admins and patrollers.
• Wikimania roundup: A roundup of Wikimania and this year's Wikimedians of the year by the French-speaking community's newsletter, Regards sur l’actualité du mouvement Wikimédia (Views on Wikimedia movement's events, or RAW).

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MediaWiki message delivery 16:26, 30 September 2025 (UTC)

You are invited to an October event series focused on improving content about Dorothea Dix Hospital and creating a Wikipedia page for Dix Park. Join us for one or all three of the following: online kickoff October 5, in-person tour of the Hospital site at Dix Park on October 10, and an online editathon with a special guest from the State Library of North Carolina on October 19. Instructions on registering for the tour and joining us for the editathons on Zoom are included in the Meetup page.

You received this message because you are on the global message delivery list of the North Carolina Wikipedians, probably because you signed up on our user page or because you attended one of our events. If you would like to remove yourself, please remove your username from our global message delivery list or e-mail me for help.

Hope to see you at one of these events! -- Gaurav via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 15:41, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 17:30, 1 October 2025 (UTC)

Your feedback is requested at Wikipedia talk:Article titles on a "Wikipedia policies and guidelines" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 01:30, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 16:31, 2 October 2025 (UTC)

Hi and thanks for your recent participation in AfD. I would like to hear your thoughts about the process. Please check this survey if you are willing to respond.Czarking0 (talk) 02:18, 6 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 23:31, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Can you clarify this guideline please: On one hand it says, "Expressions of support, use of particular hashtags, comments about donating to a campaign, and other forms of praise of a candidate is often included as an "endorsement"." but the heading says "Lists of endorsements should only include endorsements which are specifically articulated as "endorsements"."

Which is true? Thanks. Freeatlastforever (talk) 06:56, 9 October 2025 (UTC)

Great work on Book banning in the United States (2021–present). I saw The Librarians (2025 film) last night, such a powerful and timely piece. My most belvoed article still hanunts my dreams. No Swan So Fine (talk) 08:24, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

Your good article nomination of the article American Privacy Rights Act is under review. See the review page for more information. This may take up to 7 days; feel free to contact the reviewer with any questions you might have. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of MasterfulNerd -- MasterfulNerd (talk) 17:26, 13 October 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on September 26. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees Selection: Announcement of the final ballot for the 2025 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees election and more answers about the decision. Eligible voters can vote between October 8 – October 23.
• Wikipedia 25: Are you planning to organize events to celebrate Wikipedia's 25th birthday? The Wikimedia Foundation offers grants to support active Wikimedia groups in organizing short-term, low-cost projects to celebrate this milestone. Applications are open until November 1.
• WikiConference North America 2025: WikiConference North America will take place from October 16–19 in New York City, USA.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Mobile Editing: Insights on mobile web editing on Wikipedia in 2025 are now available. This report highlights that ~95% of IP mobile users editing via wikitext open the editor but make no changes at all, a vast untapped potential. It also pinpoints where contributors most often drop off.
• Dark Mode: Dark Mode user interface will be rolled out on all Wikimedia sites on October 29. All anonymous users of Wikimedia sites will have the option to activate a color scheme that features light-colored text on a dark background. This is designed to provide a more comfortable reading experience, especially in low-light situations.
• Community wishlist extension: The new Community Wishlist extension has been released. This will allow users to add tags to their wishes to better categorise them, and (in a future iteration) to filter them by status, tags and focus areas. It will also be possible to support individual wishes again, as requested by the community in many instances.
• Paste Check: 22 Wikis are now testing a new Edit Check feature, Paste Check, to help avoid and fight copyright violations. When editors paste text into an article, Paste Check prompts them to confirm the origin and licensing of the content.
• Tone Check: The Wikimedia Foundation is working on a new check for newcomers: Tone check. Using a prediction model, this check will encourage editors to improve the tone of their edits.
• Search Suggestions: Search Suggestions was deployed on English Wikipedia. Upon clicking an empty search bar, logged-out users see suggestions of articles for further reading. The feature is available on both desktop and mobile.
• Unsupported Tools Working Group: A new Unsupported Tools Working Group has been formed to help prioritize and review requests for support of unmaintained extensions, gadgets, bots, and tools. The group has chosen Video2Commons as the first tool for its pilot cycle. The group will explore ways to improve and sustain the tool over the coming months.
• Tech News: Read updates from Tech News week 40 and 41 including about Sub-referencing – a new feature to re-use references with different details.
• Wikimedia Research Showcase: Don't miss the next Wikimedia Research Showcase, "Celebrating 13 Years: Wikidata's Role in Learning and Culture" taking place on October 15 at 16:30 UTC.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Wikimania: Wikimania Nairobi has been featured in more than 100 stories across community platforms and international media outlets.
• Wikifunctions: Rich text is now available for embedded Wikifunctions calls across the 150 wikis where it’s enabled.
• WikiLearn: New Wikipedia online courses you can join to strengthen your Wikimedia editing skills.
• Human Rights: Making sure AI serves people and knowledge stays human: Wikimedia Foundation publishes a Human Rights Impact Assessment on the interaction of AI and machine learning with Wikimedia projects.
• Don't blink: The latest developments from around the world about protecting the Wikimedia model, its people and its values.
• Digital Safety & Privacy: Frequently Asked Questions about Wikimedia Foundation's Legal Work.
• Transparency Report: Wikimedia Foundation publishes its Latest Transparency Report.
• Privacy Policy: The Wikimedia Foundation Privacy Policy is getting a minor update in preparation for Temporary Accounts.
• Learning Clinic: Join the next Let's Connect Learning Clinic on the topic of "Mastering the Capacity Exchange (CapX) Tool (Part 2)" taking place on October 20 at 17:00 UTC.

Foundation statements

• Knowledge integrity: Lessons from Wikipedia on the 3 building blocks of trustworthy information. This is part of the new series from the Wikimedia Foundation that explores how Wikipedia can inspire new standards of knowledge integrity for our times.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 14:50, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 14:30, 15 October 2025 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Lower Manhattan from Governors Island with a fishing boat (46294p).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for October 28, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-10-28. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 20:18, 17 October 2025 (UTC)

Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan, is the southernmost part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The area is the historical birthplace of New York City and in the 17th and 18th centuries composed the entirety of the city. Lower Manhattan serves as the seat of government of both Manhattan and the city as a whole. Lower Manhattan's central business district forms the core of the area below Chambers Street and includes the Financial District and the World Trade Center site. At the island's southern tip is Battery Park. This view of the Lower Manhattan skyline was taken from Governors Island in New York Harbor. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Theodore Roosevelt Grey-breasted partridge Human gait Archive More featured pictures

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Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Black-throated green_warbler_in_PP_(14050).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for November 2, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-11-02. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 17:18, 19 October 2025 (UTC)

The black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens) is a small songbird in the New World warbler family, Parulidae. It breeds in coniferous, mixed forests and sometimes cypress swamps in eastern North America and western Canada, with migration to southern Florida, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and occasionally northern South America. It has a length of around 11 to 12 centimetres (4.3 to 4.7 inches), with an olive-green crown, yellow face and olive markings. Adult males have a black throat and upper breast; females and immature males have a pale throat and black markings on their breast. The bird's song is a buzzed zee-zee-zee-zooo-zeet or similar, while the call is a sharp tsip. This male black-throated green warbler was photographed in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne Nosferatu Oxybelis aeneus Archive More featured pictures

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Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Eastern amberwing_(75121).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for November 5, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-11-05. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 21:35, 22 October 2025 (UTC)

The eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is very small, reaching a total length of no more than 25 millimetres (0.98 in). Males have orange or amber wings, and both sexes have a red pterostigma. The species is found in eastern North America, from northern Mexico northwards to south-eastern Canada. The eastern amberwing is one of the only types of dragonfly that actively mimics a wasp; the yellow and brown stripes on its abdomen encourage predators to stay away. This male eastern amberwing was photographed in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Linaria vulgaris "Dewey Defeats Truman" Black-throated green warbler Archive More featured pictures

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 07:30, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 13:30, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Rhododendrites. Your wiki edit anniversary is today, marking 18 years of dedicated contributions to English Wikipedia. Your passion for sharing knowledge and your remarkable contributions have not only enriched the project, but also inspired countless others to contribute. Thank you for your amazing contributions. Wishing you many more wonderful years ahead in the Wiki journey. :) -❙❚❚❙❙ GnOeee ❚❙❚❙❙ ✉ 08:35, 25 October 2025 (UTC)

Happy First Edit Day! Hi Rhododendrites! On behalf of the Birthday Committee, I'd like to wish you a very happy anniversary of the day you made your first edit and became a Wikipedian! DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 09:02, 25 October 2025 (UTC)

Thanks DaniloDaysOfOurLives and Gnoeee. Finally, my account is old enough to !vote! :) — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 13:53, 25 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 22:30, 26 October 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on October 11. Please help translate.

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Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees selection: Additional perspectives on current and future board selection processes.
• Global trends: We are seeing 8% declines in human page views on Wikipedia as some users don't directly visit Wikipedia to get information. Learn about this new user trend, how the Wikimedia Foundation anticipate these changes, and how you can help.
• WECUDI 2025: The second conference of Wikimedia, Education, and Digital Cultures will be held from October 29–31 in Mexico City, Mexico.
• GLAM Conference: Wiki GLAM Culture and Heritage Conference (WGCHC) will take place on 30 October – 1 November in Lisbon, Portugal.
• WikidataCon 2025: WikidataCon 2025 will take place online from October 31 – November 2.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Making it easier to say thanks: Users on most wikis will now have the ability to thank a comment directly from the talk page it appears on. Before this change, thanking could only be done by visiting the revision history of the talk page.
• Account security: Improvements to account security and two-factor authentication (2FA) features were enabled across all wikis. Another part of the project is making 2FA generally available to all users. Along with editors with advanced privileges, such as administrators and bureaucrats, 40% of editors now have access to 2FA. You can check if you have access at Special:AccountSecurity.
• Abstract Wikipedia: The naming contest for the new Wikimedia project, known until now as Abstract Wikipedia, is ongoing. Voting is now open until November 3.
• Tech News: Read updates from Tech News week 42 and 43 including the community-submitted tasks that were resolved last week.
• Wikimedia apps: The Wikipedia iOS App launched an A/B/C test of improvements to the Tabbed browsing feature into Beta for select regions & languages. Called “More dynamic tabs”, the experiment adds user-requested improvements and introduces article recommendations within the tabs overview, showing “Did you know” or “Because you read” content depending on how many tabs are open.
• CampaignEvents extension: Campaignevents extension will be deployed to all remaining wikis during the week of 17 November 2025. The extension currently includes three features: Event Registration, Collaboration List, and Invitation List. For this rollout, Invitation List will not be enabled on Wikifunctions and MediaWiki unless requested by those communities.
• Event registration tool: Autoconfirmed users on small and medium wikis with the extension can now use Event Registration without the Event Organizer right. This feature lets organizers enable registration, manage participants, and lets users register with one click instead of signing event pages.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Digital safety: Explore how you can help make Wikimedia safer by taking our new self-paced course, Safety for Young Wikimedians.
• Wikimedia Core Curriculum: The Wikimedia Foundation has developed seven online video learning modules covering the core English Wikipedia policies. You are invited to use, adapt, and translate the course.
• Advocacy: The Wikimedia Foundation has signed onto a statement that calls on governments and UN bodies to keep discussions about the future of internet governance accessible to non-government actors like industry and civil society. This statement is part of ongoing joint advocacy with affiliates to influence UN discussions about the future of internet governance such as the Global Digital Compact campaign and WSIS+20 deliberations.
• GLAM: The Wikimedia Foundation and several affiliates have signed onto the Open Heritage Statement, which supports galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM institutions) to have the legal rights they need to collect, preserve, and provide access to cultural heritage.

Foundation statements

• How Wikipedia works: Wikimedia Foundation responds to questions about how Wikipedia works.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 16:08, 28 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 15:30, 31 October 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 02:30, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Large milkweed_bug_(23188).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for November 12, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-11-12. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 20:55, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

The large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) is a medium-sized hemipteran (true bug) in the family Lygaeidae. It is distributed throughout North America, from Central America through Mexico, the Caribbean and the United States, to southern Canada. It inhabits disturbed areas, roadsides, and open pastures. Due to this widespread geographic distribution, this insect exhibits varying life history trade-offs depending on the population location, including differences in wing length and other traits based on location. Adult large milkweed bugs are around 11–12 mm in length and have a red/orange and black X-shaped pattern on their wings underneath the triangle that is typical to hemipterans. Its diet often consists of milkweed seeds, but it has also been observed feeding on aphids, monarch caterpillar eggs, and larvae, displaying opportunistic behavior. The insect is often used as a model organism and reared for laboratory experiments due to being easy to rear and handle, short developmental time, few instars, and high fecundity. This large milkweed bug was photographed in the Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Kurt Vonnegut Buddha's hand Kumaon Archive More featured pictures

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Hi. We would normally have a 'portrait' as the infobox image. What do you think is best here? Charlesjsharp (talk) 09:54, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

I opened a thread on the article talk page with some other options. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 21:19, 6 November 2025 (UTC)

More information November 15: Kelly Street Garden edit-a-thon ...

November 15: Kelly Street Garden edit-a-thon

You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for an urban gardening-themed edit-a-thon at the Kelly Street Garden in Longwood in the Bronx. This is the third event in the Community Garden series and is part of a collective project of remembrance. All are welcome, new and experienced! All attendees are subject to Wikimedia NYC's Code of Conduct and Photography Policy. Meeting info: Saturday, November 15 Kelly Street Garden edit-a-thon (RSVP on-wiki) 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Kelly Street Garden, the Bronx

Close

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--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 19:49, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 02:30, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites, it's nice to meet you. I'm wondering if you could weigh in on some of my proposed updates to Ryan Kavanaugh's article. Kavanaugh is a film financier and, as you are a participant in WP:Media, I thought the topic might interest you. Beyond that, because the page is considered a contentious topic, I would appreciate a neutral, level-headed editor reviewing my request, which you'll find here: Talk:Ryan Kavanaugh#Trimming details for NPOV. I'd be happy to discuss further, as well. Thank you Francine72790 (talk) 16:42, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 17:30, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on October 24. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• Wikimania 2027: Santiago, Chile is announced as the location for Wikimania 2027. The annual conference returns to Latin America after more than 10 years, following previous editions in Buenos Aires (2009) and Mexico City (2015).
• Wikidata recognized as a Digital Public Good: Wikidata became the second Wikimedia project to be officially recognized as a digital public good by the Digital Public Goods Alliance.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Tech News: Read updates from Tech News week 44 and 45 including the community-submitted tasks that were resolved last week.
• Activity Tab: The Wikipedia Android app expands the new Activity tab to all users. It offers a complete view of your Wikipedia activity: reading time, saved articles, edits, and donation history (for known donors). This change aims to make Wikipedia a more engaging experience for readers and contributors alike, while keeping all personal data private and stored locally on your device.
• Tabbed browsing: Tabbed browsing is now available on the Wikipedia App for iOS. Tabs will let you keep more than one article open at a time, making it easier to explore complex topics, follow links without losing your place, and pick up where you left off.
• CampaignEvents extension: Autoconfirmed users on small and medium wikis with the CampaignEvents extension can now use Event Registration without the Event Organizer right. This feature lets organizers enable registration, manage participants, and lets users register with one click instead of signing event pages.
• Image browsing: The Wikimedia Foundation launched image browsing, an experiment that puts images on top of your Wikipedia article reading journey, on Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, and Vietnamese Wikipedias.
• Temporary accounts: Temporary Accounts are now enabled on 1,000+ projects including English Wikipedia.
• Abstract Wikipedia naming contest: The first round of “abstract content wiki” naming vote has ended and the first legal review had begun to determine the 6 names that will make it to the second round on November 17.
• Wikifunctions: Wikifunctions is now deployed across 12 Wiktionaries and 4 Wikipedias.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Privacy in Wikipedia research: The Wikimedia Foundation published Privacy in Public: Navigating Research, Personal Data, and Safety on Wikipedia, a whitepaper which guides researchers in navigating privacy of Wikipedia editors in their research. Read the highlights and key takeaways for researchers and Wikipedians.
• Digital Safety: The Wikimedia Foundation is launching Digital Safety Office Hours to explore how to stay safe digitally, what does digital safety mean, what extra precautions can Wikimedians take. The first session will take place on November 28 at 9 AM and 7 PM UTC. Check out also our Digital Safety Resources Center to learn practical tips and tools you can use immediately.
• Volunteer roles for movement governance: The Movement governance committees are seeking new volunteers to support essential and high-impact work across the Wikimedia ecosystem. The current appointment cycle is open for the AffCom, Ombuds Commission, and Case Review Committee. Applications for these committees will remain open until December 11. The team will host a community conversation on November 26, at 3 AM UTC.
• Don't Blink: The latest developments from around the world about protecting the Wikimedia model, its people and its values.
• Wikimedia Core Curriculum: Want to learn how to edit Wikipedia? – A new free self-paced course, all in video with subtitles, is available from the Wikimedia Foundation!

Foundation statements

• Transparency builds trust: The latest edition from the series "Lessons from Wikipedia" explores how deep transparency has helped make Wikipedia one of the most trusted sources on the internet.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 23:05, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 18:31, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 19:30, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 71, September–October 2025

• Spotlight: 1Lib1Ref 2025 in Nigeria
• Frankfurt Book Fair
• Tech tip: Wikipedia Library access template

Read the full newsletter

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery on behalf of The Wikipedia Library team – 15:21, 18 November 2025 (UTC)

(This message was sent to User:Rhododendrites and is being posted here due to a redirect.)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:American robin_(71307).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for December 8, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-12-08. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 21:54, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory bird in the family Turdidae, the thrushes. It is named after the European robin because of its reddish-orange breast, although the two species are not closely related. The American robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering from southern Canada to central Mexico and along the Pacific coast. It is active mostly during the day and assembles in large flocks at night. Its diet consists of invertebrates (such as beetle grubs, earthworms, and caterpillars), fruits, and berries. The American robin's nest consists of long coarse grass, twigs, paper, and feathers, and is smeared with mud and often cushioned with grass or other soft materials. It is among the earliest birds to sing at dawn, and its song consists of several discrete units that are repeated. This American robin was photographed in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Hugh McCulloch Curly-tailed lizard Till the Clouds Roll By Archive More featured pictures

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Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on November 7. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• Board election: The 2025 Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees vote has elected two new trustees, Bobby Shabangu (Bobbyshabangu) and Michał Buczyński (Aegis Maelstrom), who will be appointed at the next Board meeting in December 2025.
• Wikipedia 25: Wikipedia is turning 25 and it’s time to party! Register now for Wikipedia’s 25th virtual birthday bash on 15 January at 16:00 UTC.
• Wikimedia Hackathon: The 2026 Wikimedia Hackathon will be taking place in person May 1 - 3, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Scholarship applications are open until November 28.
• Language Community: The next language community meeting will be held on November 28 at 16:00 UTC.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Tech News: Some of the latest updates from Tech News week 46 and 47: Wikimedia Foundation is experimentating with reading lists on mobile web, allowing logged-in readers with no edits to save private lists of articles for later; One new wiki has been created: a Wikisource in Minangkabau.
• Wikifunctions: The second round of voting for naming the wiki with abstract content is kicking off with six name proposals to vote for.
• Reference check: The A/B test for reference check has begun on English Wikipedia and will run until December 17. This is a feature which prompts new editors to add citations before they publish an edit adding content to an article.
• Image browsing: Wikimedia Foundation is launching an experiment called "Image browsing" to test how to make it easier for readers to browse and discover images on Wikipedia articles. This experiment, a mobile-only A/B test, is taking place on on Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, and Vietnamese wikis, affecting a small number of users.
• CampaignEvents extension: Campaign events extension is now available on all Wikimedia wikis. The extension offers tools for running and coordinating events and other on-wiki collaborations. These features include Event Registration, Collaboration List, and Invitation List, plus a new feature, Collaborative contribution, which helps organizers and participants see the impact of their collaborative activities. Join the upcoming learning session to see the new feature in action and share your feedback.
• Dark Mode: Dark mode is now available on all Wikimedia projects for all anonymous users! This enhancement aims to deliver a more enjoyable reading experience, especially in dimly lit environments. Learn how to activate this feature.
• Wikimedia Apps: The Activity tab in the Wikipedia Android app is now available for all users. The new tab offers personalized insights into reading, editing, and donation activity, while simplifying navigation and making app use more engaging.
• Usability Improvements: Improvements for talk pages is being rolled out. Users can opt out of these changes in their user preferences in “Show discussion activity.”

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Wikipedia 25 Press toolkit: Wikimedia Foundation is providing press toolkit as guidance and resources to Wikimedia volunteers and affiliates to spread the word about Wikipedia’s 25th birthday to local and regional media.
• Language and Internationalization: Read some key highlights from the October 2025 edition of the Language and internationalization newsletter.
• Information integrity: Wikimedia Project from South America Selected by the UNESCO Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change Fund.
• The Wikipedia Library: The Wikipedia Library team attended the CEE Meeting 2025 celebrated a new partnership with Times of Malta.
• Understanding movement organizers: Wikimedia Foundation concluded a literature review on organizers in the Wikimedia movement focused on capturing their personas, motivations, and impact in order to highlight best practices and opportunities for further support.

Annual Goals Progress on Effectiveness
See also: Progress on the annual plan

• Wikimedia Enterprise: Reef Media uses Wikimedia Enterprise Snapshot API to Fact Check and Verify Sources.

Board and Board committee updates
See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• Affiliations Committee: Draft recommendations on three strategic areas that need continuous consideration to best support Wikimedia affiliates.

Foundation statements

• Lessons from Wikipedia: The latest edition from the series explores the art of disagreement and how Wikipedia navigates disputes.
• Artificial Intelligence: In the AI era, Wikipedia has never been more valuable. This explainer shows how human-created knowledge isn’t replaceable.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 17:30, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

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More information December 5: Free Culture Friday ...

December 5: Free Culture Friday

You are invited to Foundation and Friends' Free Culture Friday at Prime Produce on Friday, December 5. This event will be held upstairs in the Cybernetics Library and will feature a reception with Wikimedia Foundation staff in the afternoon, followed by a more informal gathering for editing and socializing into the evening. No experience of anything at all is required. All are welcome! Friday, December 5, 2025 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (Wikimedia Foundation staff + community meet-and-greet) 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Open salon, hacking, and board games) Prime Produce, 424 W 54th St All attendees at Wikimedia NYC events are subject to the Wikimedia NYC Code of Conduct and Photography Policy.

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--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:30, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Brooklyn Glass (32606)a.jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for December 13, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-12-13. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 13:51, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

Glassblowing is a technique which inflates molten glass into a bubble (or parison), with the aid of a blowpipe. A person who blows glass is called a glassblower, while the head of a glassblowing workshop is known as a gaffer. The process was invented by Syrian craftsmen from Hama and Aleppo between 27 BC and 14 AD, who discovered the previously unknown property of glass that a molten blob can be inflated by introducing a small amount of air into it. It was then adopted across the Roman Empire and has been in use since then. Glassblowing utilises the liquid structure of glass, the atoms being held together by strong chemical bonds in a disordered and random network, which means that molten glass is viscous enough to be blown and gradually harden as it loses heat. This photograph shows a man working on a glass project after removing it from a kiln at Brooklyn Glass in New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Guanaco Isabella I of Castile 2021 Western Kentucky tornado Archive More featured pictures

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Hi, for your information, as you were involved in the previous discussion at Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Airport destination lists or the RfC on consensus of WP:DESTNOT at WT:NOT, I wanted to let you know that the discussed broader RfC has been opened at WP:VPP#RfC - The inclusion of destination lists in Airport articles. If you wish to contribute, please feel free. Many thanks! Danners430 _{tweaks made} 21:11, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on November 21. This will be the final bulletin for 2025 and we'll be back in late January 2026 with the next issue. Please help translate.

---

Upcoming and current events and conversations
Let's Talk continues

• CEO appointment: The Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees has appointed Bernadette Meehan as the new CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. She will be meeting communities around the puzzle globe when she officially joins on January 20, 2026.
• Wikipedia's 25th birthday party: Join the virtual celebration for games, prizes, musical performances, volunteer spotlights, data visualization, surprise guests and more. January 15 at 16:00 UTC. Register on Meta.
• Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees: Join the next Conversation with the Trustees on December 11 at 17:30 UTC.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Wishathon: 15 patches were written and 5 merged, as part of a Wishathon for the Community Wishlist. One wish from the community was completed ("Preview page with this template" should not work with pages that do not transclude the template), and three more now have a clearer path forward.
• Activity Tab on Mobile App: The Wikipedia iOS app is running an experiment that replaces the History tab with a redesigned Activity tab. This new tab surfaces personalized insights about reading, editing, and donations — all stored locally on your device for privacy. The goal is to see whether the new experience increases engagement and retention among logged-in readers.
• Wikipedia Year in Review in Apps: The Wikipedia Year in Review 2025 is now available for the iOS and Android apps. This year introduces new personalized insights, updated reading highlights, and refreshed designs.
• Add a Link: A feature that suggests links to be added to articles based on a prediction model, Add a link, has been deployed at Japanese, Urdu and Chinese Wikipedias. While this feature has already been available on most Wikipedias, the prediction model could not support certain languages. A new model has now been developed to handle these languages, and it will be gradually rolled out to other Wikipedias over time.
• Abstract Wikipedia: The second round of voting on the name of Abstract Wikipedia concluded with Abstract Wikipedia as the top-voted name with 100 votes, followed by Wikigenerator with 91 votes. The name for the wiki project will now remain Abstract Wikipedia.
• Anti-vandalism tool: Automoderator, now has the option to choose between two machine learning models to power the software on wikis using the tool.
• Tools to support newcomers: Newcomers failing to add a citation to support added content has been one of the most common mistakes on Wikipedia. Reference Check, a tool that prompts them to add a citation before publishing an edit, has gone live for an A/B test on English Wikipedia.
• Tech News: Latest updates from Tech News week 48 and week 49 include the Foundation working on improving the text and presentation of the Verification Email sent to new users to make them more welcoming, useful, and informative; and two new wikis being created: a Wikipedia in Toki Pona and a Wikiquote in Nigerian Pidgin.
• Infrastructure: Unifying our mobile and desktop domains achieved 20% faster mobile response times, improved SEO, and reduced infrastructure load.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events

• Legal win in France: Wikimedia Foundation secures crucial legal win in France against legal attacks on freedom of speech.
• CEE Hub: Overview of three years of growth, learning, and regional impact of CEE Hub.
• Don't Blink: The latest developments from around the world about protecting the Wikimedia model, its people and its values.
• Digital Violence: How the Wikimedia movement is responding to digital gender based violence.
• Wikimedia Research Showcase: The next research showcase will feature a special panel on "Experimentation on Wikipedia" and will take place on December 10 at 17:30 UTC.

Annual Goals Progress on Effectiveness
See also: Progress on the annual plan

• Audit Report: Key takeaways from the Foundation’s audit report for fiscal year 2024-2025.
• Wikimedia Enterprise: Wikimedia Enterprise Financial Report for fiscal year 2024-2025.
• Annual Plan Progress: A look back at progress made against the plan during the second half of our fiscal year. Up to date regular updates are included in the Foundation Bulletin.

Board and Board committee updates
See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• Sister Projects Task Force: Results of the consultation about Wikispore and Wikinews: No immediate changes should be made to Wikispore's current technical setup and archive all editions of Wikinews, preserving their content.

Foundation statements

• Wikipedia's unique revenue model: How is Wikipedia funded and how does the Wikimedia Foundation use donations to Wikipedia?
• Most read articles: Wikipedia’s most-read articles of 2025.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · The Wikipedia Library · Milestones · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters

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MediaWiki message delivery 04:50, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 00:31, 14 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Black-capped chickadee (41417).jpg, a featured picture you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for January 7, 2026. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2026-01-07. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 16:46, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. The species is native to North America, ranging from the northern United States to southern Canada and all the way up to Alaska and Yukon, living in deciduous and mixed forests. It has a distinct black cap on its head, a black bib underneath, and white cheeks. The black-capped chickadee has a white belly, buff sides, and grey wings, back, and tail. It is well known for its vocalizations, including its fee-bee song and its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call, from which it derives its name. The black-capped chickadee feeds primarily on insects and seeds, and is known for its ability to cache food for use during the winter. Its hippocampus grows during the caching season, and is believed to help it better remember its cache locations. It builds nests in tree cavities, with the nesting season starting in late April and lasting until late June. This foraging black-capped chickadee was photographed in Central Park, New York City. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: January 6 United States Capitol attack Chromodoris annae Larsen Ice Shelf Archive More featured pictures

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You recently reverted my edit. I believe that the Manhattan Institute is a trustworthy source as it respected based on being part of the Global go to Think Tank index from UPenn. If their is another issue with it please let me know. Nameofuser1 (talk) 14:56, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi Nameofuser1. As far as I know, you can rank highly on that index purely by visibility, impact, collaborations, etc., even if the quality of your reports isn't good. Think tanks in general are tricky in that they self-publish their reports (WP:SPS), and -- in cases of think tanks with a partisan alignment like Manhattan -- only run studies or publish results that conform to predetermined values. I would put Manhattan as higher quality than some others in that index, but it's still not a great source for a contentious claim. More to the point, though, when we're citing high quality sources like peer reviewed scholarship, a "However..." sentence tacked onto the end of a paragraph, supported by a lower quality source is always kind of a neutrality red flag. Better to actually dig into the studies, summarize what they claim, attribute the findings to them in the text, etc. than just reference "other studies". I would not be surprised if you could find some peer reviewed work about conservative self-censorship. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 15:36, 16 December 2025 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 06:31, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

 — Amakuru (talk) 15:26, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

I just discovered this point. Currently WP:MRCOMMENT says Commenters should identify whether or not they were involved or uninvolved in the RM discussion under review, so literally, "uninvolved" was correct. However, I agree that it could be seen as misleading, so with hindsight, it would have been reasonable to put (uninvolved in this RM; involved in a related earlier RM). Too late to correct it this time around; I don't think that editing the archived page qualifies under the exceptions.

For the record, both I (and probably most?) of the people working on the WP:GENOCIDE draft have also been heavily involved in mass-atrocity articles. The more uninvolved people (from a mix of biases and backgrounds) who take a look, the better. Boud (talk) 11:31, 31 December 2025 (UTC) (fix link Boud (talk) 11:37, 31 December 2025 (UTC))

More information January 25: Wikipedia Day ...

January 25: Wikipedia Day
You are invited to Wikipedia Day 2026, hosted by Wikimedia NYC at City Tech in Brooklyn. Help us celebrate the 25th birthday of Wikipedia! Together we will explore the past, present, and future of the free knowledge movement, and celebrate all the people, communities and ideas that make Wikipedia possible. Eventbrite registration is required for entry: Register here We'll also have a session of 3-5 minute lightning talks and we invite community members to sign up for one, though space is somewhat limited. Sunday, January 25, 2026 11:00 pm – 5:00 pm The Theater at City Tech, 275 Jay Street, Brooklyn
All attendees at Wikimedia NYC events are subject to the Wikimedia NYC Code of Conduct.

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--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:52, 6 January 2026 (UTC)

Quick facts

story · music · places

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happy new year! - inviting you to check out "my" story (fun listen today, full of surprises), music (and memory), and places (pictured by me: the latest uploads) any day! -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:06, 10 January 2026 (UTC)

20 January is the 100th birthday of David Tudor (see my story) and the 300th birthday of Bach's cantata Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen, BWV 13, if we go by date instead of occasion as he would have thought, so see my story for last Sunday, and celebrate ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:32, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on December 5. Please help translate.

---

Highlights

• Wikipedia turns 25: Time to start the party! Join the virtual celebration featuring musical performances, games, and more on January 15 at 16:00 UTC. and The party will be live interpreted into Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Join the celebration

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Annual planning: Key questions for the Wikimedia movement to shape the Wikimedia Foundation’s 2026-2027 annual goals. Join the discussion on-wiki.
• Hackathon:
  • Apply to join the Northwestern Europe 2026 Hackathon from March 13-14 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Application will close mid-January 2026 or earlier based on event capacity.
  • General Registration for the 2026 Wikimedia Hackathon is now open! The hackathon will take place in Milan, Italy from May 1 - 3, 2026. Event details can be found here and registration will remain open until March 30th or until event capacity is reached.
• Semantic search: Wikimedia Foundation is working on making it easier to find the information readers want.
• Tech News: Latest updates from Tech News week 50, week 51, and week 52 include that now edit filters can be set to automatically suppress their details which will help oversighters to prevent doxxing.
• Wikifunctions: The first Wikifunctions Volunteers' Corner of the next year will take place on February 9.
• Blazegraph Migration: To support the migration away from Blazegraph as the backend of Wikidata Query Service (WDQS), we are hosting regular calls starting on January 27. Wikidata users and tool maintainers are are invited to join, ask questions, and share migration-related concerns.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · list of movement events · The Wikipedia Library

• Upcoming Conferences: Announcing the six Wikimedia conferences funded for 2026 in the first round.
• Wikimania 2026: A glimpse on what the team is currently working on to prepare for Wikimania 2026 in Paris.
• Public Policy: Explore the resources available for public policy advocacy work, including explainers that describe key policy positions, guides on how to build a campaign or write a policy brief, and examples of open letters submitted to governments.
• Don't Blink: The latest developments from around the world about protecting the Wikimedia model, its people and its values.
• Public-Interest content: The Project Gayatri content expansion program brought 7,656 new articles on Indonesian Wikipedia.
• Wikimedia Research Showcase: The research showcase will return on January 22 at 17:30 UTC with the theme "Celebrating 25 Years of Wikipedia and the Research Behind It".
• Wikimedia Research Report: The Wikimedia Foundation has published its 13th bi-annual Research Report, highlighting the work completed during the first six months of this fiscal year.

Annual Goals Progress on Effectiveness
See also: Past issues of the bulletin for progress on the annual plan

• Wikimedia Enterprise: Read the full annual wrap-up of 2025 of Wikimedia Enterprise and how the year marked a fundamental shift in open knowledge.

Board and Board committee updates
See Wikimedia Foundation Board noticeboard · Affiliations Committee Newsletter

• Board of Trustees: Wikimedia Foundation welcomes two new Board Trustees Bobby Shabangu and Michał Buczyński.
• Affcom News: Read the year-end issue of AffCom News (July-December 2025), the newsletter that distributes relevant news and events about the work of Wikimedia's Affiliations Committee.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
See also: Diff blog · Goings-on · Planet Wikimedia · Signpost (en) · Kurier (de) · Actualités du Wiktionnaire (fr) · Regards sur l’actualité de la Wikimedia (fr) · Wikimag (fr) · Education · GLAM · Wikidata · Central and Eastern Europe · other newsletters ·Milestones ·

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For information about the Bulletin and to read previous editions, see the project page on Meta-Wiki. Let foundationbulletinwikimedia.org know if you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement!

MediaWiki message delivery 00:30, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Your feedback is requested at Talk:Nicki Minaj on a "Wikipedia style and naming" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 10:31, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

Your good article nomination of the article United Nations Convention against Cybercrime has passed; congratulations! See the review page for more information. If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of Femke -- Femke (talk) 09:03, 18 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites, your lengthy reply to the Signpost Special Report was well written contained a lot of good points, thought I might reply/inquire here as that page has devolved. I made a very similar point on the great divergence framing when this was discussed in Discord, although I focused more on the different expectations regarding what "being online" means when for so many people it means having a phone with Facebook and WhatsApp apps etc. However, you have a different impression of the community's response than I do. I feel the community has responded very slowly to the topic of llms. Rather than instinctively respond to the topic like an allergy, it did very little. The few llm-related policies and guidelines we have were produced after extremely slow and very contested procedures. We have a backlog of llm article text that is becoming just another forever-filled maintenance category. Reactions on ANI tend to be stronger, but that is usually because the AI exacerbates communication issues. (And away from en.wiki I have definitely not seen an allergy in some other projects or in WMF/meta, but this may be off-topic to your post.) I am thus curious as to the factors that brought you towards a very different impression. Best, CMD (talk) 00:45, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

Hi Chipmunkdavis. My impression is that while we be a little slow to formally implement concrete policies and guidelines, the reality on the ground is that any use of LLMs for writing articles, talk page messages, or just about anything brings quite strong pushback. I agree that other projects, and especially Meta and in-person events, have seen a lot more interest in LLM experimentation. But to actually implement any of those on enwp seems like a fool's errand. I remember that time there was some sort of ... game, maybe? ... that the WMF promoted using an image that a bunch of English Wikipedians were certain was AI-generated, leading to much fury until it was revealed that no, it was created by a human. That's just to say I see a lot of skepticism and cynicism towards any generative AI use, but especially on talk/project pages and especially associated with the WMF.

I'm surprised that there's a backlog of LLM article text, though. When there's no doubt about it being LLM-generated, is it controversial to just undo/remove it? Or is the challenge that it's suspected LLM-generated text that needs to be more carefully scrutinized? — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 16:25, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Thanks. I would say while on the ground there is sometimes very strong pushback, it tends to be inconsistent. A lot of the WMF-associated furor is likely backlash due to the simple article summary experiment and its being revealed as scheduled deployment. I don't know if similar experiments were tried on other projects. (I remember that AI-image incident, and to my knowledge the final conclusion was that it was probably AI-generated but we don't actually know as the WMF staff in charge of the game was not the creator.)

We do have a lot of AI-written content scattered around and repeated opposition to even tagging it. There are challenges both to undoing/removing (eg. 'should be assessed on merit') and as to whether it is llm text or not, the second one being a particular effective way of bogging everything down. We have very recently become much more effective as a community at deleting fully AI-generated articles, but that came after a few years of inaction and disputes, and other edits remain harder to manage and assess. CMD (talk) 02:23, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

@Chipmunkdavis: late reply, sorry: and repeated opposition to even tagging it - This is, again, really surprising. What is the objection to tagging? Like it is disputed because "no, it's not LLM-generated" or because "LLM-generated content is ok"? What about the use of detection systems? I know they're imperfect, and I think I was initially skeptical, but let's say I'm coming around. :) It looked like Wiki Ed had some success with Pangram. — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 03:59, 15 February 2026 (UTC)

No problem. Both of those objections have been raised in various discussions. The first one can be resolved by community discussion and usually by editing the text in question if specific problems are identified. The second one is trickier, as there are different community feelings on the less obviously problematic LLM-written text. The Wikipedia:The World Destubathon for example, was won using an LLM to generate articles. Another objection I've seen not uncommonly raised is that the tag is vague and doesn't point to specific textual problems that can be fixed. The tag has had |reason and |partial parameters added in recent months to help make the tag more useful in this respect.

That said, the tag does exist and is used. Detection systems on the other hand seem to lack any positive consensus; every time they are raised it is common for "detection systems aren't perfect" to pop up almost immediately, sometimes accompanied by "the irony of using an LLM to accuse someone else of using an LLM" or similar. In typical en.wiki fashion, it is community consensus over whether something is llm-written that seems to shift most threads on specific examples (especially on AN/I). I personally found the WikiEd claimed false positive rate of 0.00 very surprising; I expected a small number, but 0.00 is a not only a 0 but a very specific 0. I'd like to see that replicated somehow. CMD (talk) 04:58, 15 February 2026 (UTC)

The Wikipedia Library: Books & Bytes
Issue 72, November–December 2025

• Renewed partnerships
• Spotlight: Strengthening Wikimedia Collaborations with and for Open Science

Read the full newsletter

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery on behalf of The Wikipedia Library team – 12:43, 29 January 2026 (UTC)

(This message was sent to User:Rhododendrites and is being posted here due to a redirect.)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Gray catbird_(85315).jpg, a featured picture that you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for February 3, 2026. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2026-02-03. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 21:45, 1 February 2026 (UTC)

The gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) is a species of bird in the mimid family, Mimidae. It is native to most of temperate North America east of the Rocky Mountains, mostly migrating to the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean in winter. It is gray in color across most of its body, and with a length ranging from 20.5 to 24 cm (8.1 to 9.4 in) and a span of 22 to 30 cm (8.7 to 11.8 in) across the wings. The gray catbird's diet consists mainly of arthropods and berries, with foraging taking place on the ground in leaf litter, and also in shrubs and trees. This gray catbird was photographed in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Euromaidan Yarrow Mamout Choriaster granulatus Archive More featured pictures

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A note to say thanks for the common sense you've been posting at the WMF VP. I also saw some sensible comments from Sohom. Having enwiki as customers must be nightmarish for the WMF developers, and I assume the liaisons that are forced to engage with us quickly realize they have to discount a great deal of what they hear from us, without having a good way to tell what part to discount. I am embarrassed almost every time I look at the way WMF staff get treated. I have the WMF VP page on my watchlist but I don't have the stomach to read all of it and comment, though I've intermittently done so in other venues in the past. Seeing your comments there is a relief. I appreciate your fairhanded approach (I certainly don't think the WMF can't improve) and I hope you have the stamina to continue there. Thank you. Mike Christie (talk - contribs - library) 17:52, 3 February 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for the note, Mike Christie. I was thinking about this a bit as I sat in on one of my local community board meetings (in NYC, community boards advise various lawmakers and agencies on a range of issues like land use, permits, development deals, zoning, etc.). The meetings are open to the public, and follow a format along the lines of: (1) updates from local representatives; (2) updates on past official business, (3) new official business, (4) the airing of grievances. Frequently, much of the crowd shows up because of a desire to participate (either as a speaker or an audience member) in the last part. Last time this was about a bike lane that some people felt very strongly about. It occurred to me it must be difficult for the board to sit there, seeing the same crowd that shows up anytime things change, and having to assess to what extent attendees represent the neighborhood. There must be a term for the phenomenon in political science or sociology. Let's call it an "intensity bias" subset of selection bias or something -- people who feel the strongest are more likely to self-select and coordinate and are thus overrepresented in any public forum. And when we're talking about discussion of governance structures themselves, as we do with the WMF on that village pump, it's just not realistic to think there's anyone who feels as strongly in a positive direction as all those who feel strongly in a negative direction, so it skews negative. I'd like to see some sort of structure where they look at everyone with more than 5k-10k edits who have been active in the last month, reach out to random N users from that list, and form a discussion involving just them, but then you do lose out on the deep knowledge of the already self-selected. What a hassle! — Rhododendrites ^talk \\ 17:59, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Here is a quick overview of highlights from the Wikimedia Foundation since our last issue on Jan 10. Please help translate.

---

Highlights
Let's Talk continues

• Annual planning: The Annual Plan is the Wikimedia Foundation’s description of what we hope to achieve in the coming year. This is a time of urgency and focus for the Wikimedia projects and we invite you to shape this plan together with us.
• Year 2 of PTAC: As it reached its first year, Product & Technology Advisory Council (PTAC) shared a retrospective and proposed future improvements.

Annual Goals Progress on Infrastructure
See also newsletters: Wikimedia Apps · Growth · Product Safety and Integrity · Readers · Research · Wikifunctions & Abstract Wikipedia · Tech News · Language and Internationalization · other newsletters on MediaWiki.org

• Account security: All users with registered accounts can now use passkeys for two-factor authentication (2FA), providing a simple and secure way to log in.
• Wikifunctions: An overview of the quarterly plan (January–March) and how it connects to the broader goals for Abstract Wikipedia and Wikifunctions.
• Tech News: Latest updates from Tech News week 03, 04 and 05 include unregistered contributors on blocked IPs can now interact on-wiki to appeal a block by creating a temporary account.
• Collaborative contributions: Wikimedia Foundation is hosting a learning session to share new releases around collaborative contributions and discuss future project ideas.
• Structured task: The Revise Tone Structured Task is now live in A/B testing on pilot wikis: English, Arabic, Portuguese, and French Wikipedia. It helps new editors improve promotional language in existing articles through a quiz style onboarding experience and a guided in article suggestion.

Annual Goals Progress on Volunteer Support
See also blogs: Global Advocacy blog · Global Advocacy Newsletter · Policy blog · WikiLearn News · The Wikipedia Library · list of movement events

• Wikimania 2026: Call for sessions is open until March 1.
• Wikipedia 25: Wikipedia celebrates 25 years of knowledge at its best with docuseries, time capsule, and more.
• Virtual celebration: In case you missed it, over 10,000 people have watched the virtual celebration that brought together generations of Wikimedians, featured an ode to the talk page, a dramatic reading of a real talk page, a Magnetikpunk song dedicated to Wikipedia, a passing of the cake baton from Maryana to Bernadette, "The Birthday Cake Song" and more. All of it written and performed by humans of Wikimedia.
• Birthday mascot: Meet the Wikimedian whose casual sketch inspired Wikipedia’s 25th birthday mascot.
• Legal: Learn about two recent submissions advocating the need for proportionality in Brazil’s new online child safety law.
• Policy: The Global Advocacy team shared a report from digital policy organization InternetLab about the intersection between the open knowledge movement and public interest journalism.
• Global Resource Distribution Committee: Refreshed Funding Principles are ready for review.

Annual Goals Progress on Effectiveness
See also: Progress on the annual plan

• Solving puzzles together: A final reflection from Maryana Iskander.
• Wikimedia Enterprise: Mistral AI and Wikimedia Enterprise announced a new strategic partnership.

Other Movement curated newsletters & news
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MediaWiki message delivery 02:05, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Hi Rhododendrites,

This is to let you know that File:Yellow warbler_(82905).jpg, a featured picture that you uploaded, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for February 13, 2026. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2026-02-13. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 22:09, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

The yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) is a species of bird in the New World warbler family, Parulidae. It is the most widespread species in the diverse genus Setophaga, breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, as well as northern South America. It has 35 subspecies, residing in various different habitats. Depending on the subspecies, the yellow warbler may be between 10 and 18 centimetres (3.9 and 7.1 in) long, with a wingspan from 16 to 22 centimetres (6.3 to 8.7 in). It weighs 7 to 25 grams (0.2–0.9 oz). In winter, female and immature birds all have similarly greenish-yellow uppersides and are a duller yellow below, while males acquire breast and sometimes head coloration. This yellow warbler was photographed in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in New York City, United States. Photograph credit: Rhododendrites Recently featured: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor Ilulissat Sabellastarte spectabilis Archive More featured pictures

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 23:36, 7 February 2026 (UTC)

Your feedback is requested at Talk:Sexual and gender minorities on a "Society, sports, and culture" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk) 05:30, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

More information February 15: WikiConference North America scholarship deadline February 25: WikiWednesday @ Prime Produce ...

February 15: WikiConference North America scholarship deadline February 25: WikiWednesday @ Prime Produce

WikiWednesday is back, and please register soon if you want a scholarship for this year's WikiConference North America, being held in September 2026 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! You are invited to join the Wikimedia NYC community for our WikiWednesday Salon at Prime Produce in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, with an online-based participation option also available. No experience of anything at all is required. All are welcome! All attendees are subject to Wikimedia NYC's Code of Conduct and Photography Policy. Meeting info: Wednesday, February 25 WikiWednesday @ Prime Produce (optional RSVP on-wiki). 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Open Hour) 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (Wiki Salon) (Prime Produce, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan) Also online via Zoom

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--Wikimedia New York City Team via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 23:26, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

Your good article nomination of the article American Privacy Rights Act has been placed on hold, as the article needs some changes. See the review page for more information. If these are addressed within 7 days, the nomination will pass; otherwise, it may fail. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of MasterfulNerd -- MasterfulNerd (talk) 04:04, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk|contribs) 11:30, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

Your feedback is requested at Talk:FCSB on a "Society, sports, and culture" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
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(replacing Yapperbot) SodiumBot (botop|talk|contribs) 21:30, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

Your good article nomination of the article American Privacy Rights Act has passed; congratulations! See the review page for more information. If the article is eligible to appear in the "Did you know" section of the Main Page, you can nominate it within the next seven days. Message delivered by ChristieBot, on behalf of MasterfulNerd -- MasterfulNerd (talk) 04:02, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

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