The fourth round of the competition has finished, with anyone scoring less than 673 points being eliminated. It was a high scoring round with all but one of the contestants who progressed to the final having achieved an FA during the round. The highest scorers were

• Epicgenius, with 2173 points topping the scores, gained mainly from a featured article, 38 good articles and 9 DYKs. He was followed by
• Sammi Brie, with 1575 points, gained mainly from a featured article, 28 good articles and 50 good article reviews. Close behind was
• Thebiguglyalien, with 1535 points mainly gained from a featured article, 15 good articles, 26 good article reviews and lots of bonus points.

Between them during round 4, contestants achieved 12 featured articles, 3 featured lists, 3 featured pictures, 126 good articles, 46 DYK entries, 14 ITN entries, 67 featured article candidate reviews and 147 good article reviews. Congratulations to our eight finalists and all who participated! It was a generally high-scoring and productive round and I think we can expect a highly competitive finish to the competition.

Remember that any content promoted after the end of round 4 but before the start of round 5 can be claimed in round 5. Remember too that you must claim your points within 10 days of "earning" them and within 24 hours of the end of the final. If you are concerned that your nomination will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews. It would be helpful if this list could be cleared of any items no longer relevant. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, please do your bit to keep down the review backlogs! Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages or by email. If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send.

I will be standing down as a judge after the end of the contest. I think the Cup encourages productive editors to improve their contributions to Wikipedia and I hope that someone else will step up to take over the running of the Cup. Sturmvogel 66 (talk), and Cwmhiraeth (talk)

Guild of Copy Editors 2023 Annual Report Our 2023 Annual Report is now ready for review. Highlights: Introduction Membership news, obituary and election results Summary of Drives, Blitzes and the Requests page Closing words – Your Guild coordinators: Dhtwiki, Miniapolis and Wracking. To discontinue receiving GOCE newsletters, please remove your name from our mailing list.

News and updates for administrators from the past month (January 2025).

Administrator changes

• Arcticocean
• Wugapodes

Euryalus

CheckUser changes

• Firefly
• L235

Oversighter changes

• Firefly
• Guerillero
• L235
• Moneytrees

Technical news

• Administrators can now nuke pages created by a user or IP address from the last 90 days, up from the initial 30 days. T380846
• A 'Recreated' tag will now be added to pages that were created with the same title as a page which was previously deleted and it can be used as a filter in Special:RecentChanges and Special:NewPages. T56145

Arbitration

• The arbitration case Palestine-Israel articles 5 has been closed.

I noticed a new user Skellyret, who created this draft "Institue for Family Studies" [1]. They were editing on this IP address prior to account creation [2] and confirmed they are this IP editor here [3].

The IP editor added: "not to be confused with the Institute for Family studies" to the Family Research Institute article: [4]

The edit before that was ChopinAficionado adding a category tag to the page [5]. You blocked ChopinAficionado for socking [6].

The Family Research Institute is a very obscure group, so I felt this a little odd.

Skellyret and the IP are editing in some of the same areas as ChopinAficionado and their sock accounts (e.g. heritability of IQ). I could be way off here, but ChopinAficionado didn't have much overlap with their other confirmed socks either. 'Fringey' editors do have a narrow topic interest I guess.

Zenomonoz (talk) 06:59, 9 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I agree there is suspicious overlap, but technical data suggests the two are not the same. Vanamonde93 (talk) 00:53, 10 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Your feedback is requested at Talk:Republican Party (United States) on a "Politics, government, and law" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
You were randomly selected to receive this invitation from the list of Feedback Request Service subscribers. If you'd like not to receive these messages any more, you can opt out at any time by removing your name.

Message delivered to you with love by Yapperbot :) | Is this wrong? Contact my bot operator. | Sent at 13:30, 12 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. My account was recently locked for being a suspected sock puppet. You were patrolling admin on my case and said my involvement is unlikely. Thank you. I am not involved with any of those users and have no idea why i was even dragged into it. There can't possibly be any technical link between us. Can you help me get my account unblocked? I don't know what to do now. Thank you so much! Here is my profile: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:BostonYadSox 75.67.112.21 (talk) 04:01, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I said nothing of the sort, and technical and behavioral data makes it clear that BostonYadSox is in fact a sock of those other accounts. Vanamonde93 (talk) 05:32, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I would like to ask for your help with an SPI investigation. You made the following comment "I'd say Unrelated. Different continent, different technical signatures otherwise, different editing style. I'll let the unblock queue handle Patgregs88. Vanamonde93 (talk) 18:44, 10 February 2025 (UTC)" I am Patgregs88. How do I get my account unblocked. How does the unblock queue work? Thank you 5.69.118.176 (talk) 22:11, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

My comment at SPI related specifically to the unblocked account reported there, which was not Patgregs88. If you are in fact Patgregs88, then you know how the unblock process works, seeing as you have already filed multiple unblock requests on your talk page. Vanamonde93 (talk) 22:38, 14 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Just an FYI, I'm not on nearly as frequent as I prefer, so I may be slow to respond if there are further questions. RickinBaltimore (talk) 17:26, 18 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

RickinBaltimore No problem, I think we see the behavior the same way, I wanted to check if there was a technical detail I was missing. Vanamonde93 (talk) 18:25, 18 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

201.227.220.197 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log), which has only participated in AFDs, used the word "notoriety" in an AFD - commonly used by Alon - and the IP is from Panama City. I'm quite certain we have another block evasion by Alon9393 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · nuke contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) on our hands. Geschichte (talk) 22:25, 18 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Another one: 201.226.200.41 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log) Geschichte (talk) 22:33, 18 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that is probable. I've blocked one of them - the other was blocked and hasn't resumed editing since. Vanamonde93 (talk) 00:53, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Another suspect, jumping straight into AFD, being from Panama and editing Israel: 201.225.5.63 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log). Geschichte (talk) 15:18, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

... and even more: 201.226.200.75 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · filter log · WHOIS · RDNS · RBLs · http · block user · block log), 201.225.7.18 (talk · contribs) Geschichte (talk) 15:26, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I placed a few range blocks, but it would appear that this user can hop IPs at will, and they aren't trying to hide. At some point it may become necessary to post these at AIV for quick action, as no single admin can keep up. Vanamonde93 (talk) 16:58, 19 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have posted at AIV in the meantime, but do you have the time for one more? It's Theking49393 (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · nuke contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) - another suspected sock because: 1) the name... 2) being a new user jumping straight into AFD 3) completely similar votes, diffs: [7] [8]. Geschichte (talk) 16:27, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Oddly enough, that's not Alon, but a different indeffed user. Possibly a Joe job. Blocking. Vanamonde93 (talk) 16:49, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wow. Thanks a lot! Will be using AIV again for the most clear-cut cases, but it's always extra assuring to know that I'm sure to reach a competent admin. Geschichte (talk) 19:00, 28 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Administrator Elections | Renewal RFC phase

 You are invited to join the discussion at Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/2024 review/Phase III/Administrator elections.

You're receiving this message because you signed up for the mailing list. To opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself from the list.

MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 06:21, 21 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. Regarding the closure of Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Miss Universe Thailand 2025, the main argument made by the nominator was that the article was unreferenced. References were added after the !votes, which none of the participants commented on. I think this should have been relisted with a ping to the earlier participants. --Paul_012 (talk) 02:54, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

It's difficult to write a policy-compliant article (WP:CRYSTAL, WP:NOTNEWS) before the pageant has actually happened. Why not wait a few months and create a more substantive page? Vanamonde93 (talk) 06:32, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I guess practically it doesn't really matter since redirections are reversible, and I would have agreed with boldly redirecting until the event anyway. But I'm wary of interpreting AfD closures beyond the arguments that were actually presented. If it's expected that re-creation would later be allowed, it's unclear since nothing to that effect was mentioned in the AfD discussion. --Paul_012 (talk) 07:39, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Generally speaking even a deletion outcome at AfD doesn't prevent recreation - I know that sounds a little odd, but it's true. What's prevented is the recreation of a substantially identical page, as that would be eligible for WP:CSD#G4; so if someone simply reverted my redirect, they would likely be sanctioned for it, but if someone waited a few months and wrote an entirely new page that's entirely acceptable (I have done it at least once myself). We sometimes have affirmative consensus for preventing recreation, but that is rare, and would be enforced via protection in any case. Vanamonde93 (talk) 16:45, 26 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The first round of the 2025 WikiCup ended on 26 February. As a reminder, we are no longer disqualifying the lowest-scoring contestants; everyone who competed in round 1 will advance to round 2 unless they have withdrawn or been banned from Wikipedia. Instead, the contestants with the highest round-point totals now receive tournament points at the end of each round. Unlike the round points in the main WikiCup table, which are reset at the end of each round, tournament points are carried over between rounds and can only be earned if a competitor is among the top 16 round-point scorers. This table shows all competitors who have received tournament points so far.

Round 1 was very competitive compared with previous years; two contestants scored more than 1,000 round points, and the top 16 contestants all scored more than 500 round points. The following competitors scored more than 800 round points:

• Gog the Mild (submissions) with 1,168 round points, mainly from 4 featured articles and 4 good articles on old military history, in addition to an assortment of GA and FA reviews.
• Generalissima (submissions) with 1,095 round points, mainly from 2 FAs, 2 featured lists, 8 GAs, and 16 Did You Know articles mainly on historical topics.
• BeanieFan11 (submissions), with 866 round points from 20 GAs, 23 DYKs, and 2 In the News articles primarily about athletes.
• Sammi Brie (submissions), with 846 round points from 16 GAs about radio and TV stations, 45 GA reviews, and 3 DYKs.
• Hey man im josh (submissions), with 816 round points from 5 FLs about sports and Olympic topics, 46 FL reviews, 3 ITN articles, and a large number of bonus points.
• MaranoFan (submissions), with 815 round points primarily from 3 FAs and 1 GA about music, in addition to 9 article reviews.

The full scores for round 1 can be seen here. During this round, contestants have claimed 18 featured articles, 26 featured lists, 1 featured-topic article, 197 good articles, 38 good-topic articles and more than 100 Did You Know articles. In addition, competitors have worked on 23 In the News articles, and they have conducted nearly 550 reviews.

Remember that any content promoted after 26 February but before the start of Round 2 can be claimed in Round 2, which begins on 1 March. Invitations for collaborative writing efforts or any other discussion of potentially interesting work is always welcome on the WikiCup talk page. Remember, if two or more WikiCup competitors have done significant work on an article, all can claim points. If you are concerned that your nomination—whether it is at good article candidates, a featured process, or anywhere else—will not receive the necessary reviews, please list it on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed. If you want to help out with the WikiCup, feel free to review one of the nominations listed on Wikipedia:WikiCup/Reviews Needed. Questions are welcome on Wikipedia talk:WikiCup, and the judges are reachable on their talk pages. Good luck! If you wish to start or stop receiving this newsletter, please feel free to add or remove your name from Wikipedia:WikiCup/Newsletter/Send. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:13, 27 February 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Guild of Copy Editors Annual Report Our 2024 Annual Report is now ready for review. Highlights: Introduction Membership news and election results Summary of Drives, Blitzes and the Requests page Closing words – Your Guild coordinators To discontinue receiving GOCE newsletters, please remove your name from our mailing list.

Sent by MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 06:37, 2 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

News and updates for administrators from the past month (February 2025).

Administrator changes

• Jarry1250
• Lethe

CheckUser changes

• AmandaNP
• Drmies

Oversighter changes

AmandaNP

Guideline and policy news

• A request for comment is open to discuss whether AI-generated images (meaning those wholly created by generative AI, not human-created images modified with AI tools) should be banned from use in articles.
• A series of 22 mini-RFCs that double-checked consensus on some aspects and improved certain parts of the administrator elections process has been closed (see the summary of the changes).
• A request for comment is open to gain consensus on whether future administrator elections should be held.

Technical news

• A new filter has been added to the Special:Nuke tool, which allows administrators to filter for pages in a range of page sizes (in bytes). This allows, for example, deleting pages only of a certain size or below. T378488
• Non-administrators can now check which pages are able to be deleted using the Special:Nuke tool. T376378

Miscellaneous

• The 2025 appointees for the Ombuds commission are だ＊ぜ, Arcticocean, Ameisenigel, Emufarmers, Faendalimas, Galahad, Nehaoua, Renvoy, Revi C., RoySmith, Teles and Zafer as members, with Vermont serving as steward-observer.
• Following the 2025 Steward Elections, the following editors have been appointed as stewards: 1234qwer1234qwer4, AramilFeraxa, Daniuu, KonstantinaG07, MdsShakil and XXBlackburnXx.

Your feedback is requested at Talk:Ba'athist Syria on a "Politics, government, and law" request for comment. Thank you for helping out!
You were randomly selected to receive this invitation from the list of Feedback Request Service subscribers. If you'd like not to receive these messages any more, you can opt out at any time by removing your name.

Message delivered to you with love by Yapperbot :) | Is this wrong? Contact my bot operator. | Sent at 20:30, 6 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]