User talk:SilkTork

Hey @SilkTork. Your wiki edit anniversary is today, marking 20 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 and a blessed New Year. :) -❙❚❚❙❙ GnOeee ❚❙❚❙❙ ✉ 07:53, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

Template:Editnotices/Page/Nha Trang has been listed for discussion, which may result in the template being merged or deleted by consensus. You are invited to comment on the proposed action at the entry on the Templates for discussion page. ~2026-36939-5 (talk) 19:07, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

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Today something new: a 100th birthday of someone alive, György Kurtág! In 2004 I was there when he and his wife played for the Rheingau Musik Festival where he was the featured composer. They played as the 2019 DYK said, on an upright piano, - listen, the last piece was the same. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:57, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

My story today is again about Percy Grainger (FA by Brian Boulton), this time with a video that surprised me. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:10, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Today's main page features four biographies I helped to bring there, two women and two men, three opera singers (one pictured) and an actor, - a record for me, I believe ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:59, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Precious anniversary

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Precious

Six years!

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--Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:11, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

I was going to click the "thank" link for this edit, but then I thought it merits more than just an automated thank message. Good faith new editors so often get negative messages, but editors (including, I'm ashamed to confess, myself) far too rarely think to let them know that they are doing well. 😒 Thanks for being an exception. 😇 JBW (talk) 19:31, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

I recall my own first experiences on Wikipedia when I was making mistakes and getting shouted at: User_talk:SilkTork/Start. I was feeling very stressed. Then GraemeL gave me an Exceptional Newcomer Award. It really helped. SilkTork (talk) 02:24, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

When I started I avoided getting into trouble, but that was because I was luckier than many new editors, not because I was better. I did some things, in good faith, which I later realised were inappropriate, and which were every bit as bad as things which many new editors get very unfriendly warnings about. A large part of my work now is checking contributions from new editors, and when I see one who has started out doing something helpful, I sometimes click the "Thank" link, but your example has encouraged me to think of doing more than just that, and more often, too. JBW (talk) 12:53, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

OK, after writing my last message above, I looked at the early history of your talk page, and I was appalled. It was an absolutely classic example of how so many established editors treat new editors. Many new editors subjected to what you were subjected to either get disheartened and give up, or get frustrated, respond angrily, and are driven away by blocks. Either way we lose many people who potentially could have become good editors. Sigh... JBW (talk) 13:17, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Yeah, and to think that I ended up writing Good and Featured articles, served three times on ArbCom, and became a 'Crat. And I might not have done if GraemeL had not given me that award. The thanks button was a Foundation idea, and it's nice, but I prefer the old days when we gave each other Barnstars, or dropped a personal note on the talkpage. It would be interesting to see if the thanks button has actually resulted in a decrease of Barnstar giving and personal messages. If so, it would perhaps be better to remove it. Getting a thanks at the time would have meant little to me. That Exceptional Newcomer Award meant the world. Somebody hadn't just casually clicked a button, they had reached out personally and made contact, and gave me something meaningful. Something that could be seen, and something I could display. I am very proud of my display cabinet, and that I have been given at least one award for almost every one of the 20 years I've been here. Barnstars are special. SilkTork (talk) 14:41, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

I certainly have the impression that barnstars are less common than they were. It had never crossed my mind that it might be due to the thanks button, but you may well be right. However, I don't feel the same way as you about the comparison between thanks button and barnstar. When I get a "thanks" notification I feel a definite feeling of satisfaction that someone has shown appreciation of my work. As for barnstars, however, the first few I received gave me a strong feeling of being appreciated, but after a while I started feeling that in many cases it was 20% "I appreciate what you've done" and 80% "I like the playing aspect of Wikipedia, such as having pretty pictures with my name displayed in people's userspaces". Obviously I can't be sure how true that is, but the impression was reinforced by the fact that when I stopped displaying my barnstars on my userpage I stopped getting barnstars. Of course taking the trouble to post an individual expression of appreciation is more effective than just clicking "Thank" (in case you've forgotten, that was the very first point I made in my first post above) and certainly posting a barnstar fits that description, but I personally find it less convincing than an individual handwritten message. Nevertheless, thinking about what you've said prompts me to think about the fact that however I feel about barnstars, they are likely to be well appreciated by many editors, particularly (though not only) new editors, so I should think about starting to give them out... so, to inaugurate this new policy, here's my original message above, reformulated as a barnstar:

		The Helping Hand Barnstar
		Awarded for helping a new editor to gain confidence, by letting them know that their efforts to improve have not gone unnoticed. JBW (talk) 18:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Brilliant. I absolutely love it! SilkTork (talk) 09:59, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

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Of the four topics I helped to bring to the main page, I'm most proud of a woman's work, so made it my story. As it happens, last year's story OTD was about the woman. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:40, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

on Bach's birthday, a story about my joy --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:58, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

? - more Bach in story and music on Palm Sunday, imagine: four Easter cantatas in today's concert, and more places in Cyprus! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:26, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

Royal Grammar School, Guildford has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 02:22, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

Buildings and architecture of Bath has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 02:10, 5 May 2026 (UTC)