User talk:Softlavender
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Research info from User:Cunard
[edit](copied from his talkpage)
I find a lot of the sources through databases available through Wikipedia:The Wikipedia Library (TWL) as well as other databases I have access to. When searching for sources for AfD, the resources I find most useful are the British Newspaper Archive, EBSCO, Gale (Wikipedia:Gale), ProQuest, and Wikipedia:Newspapers.com, and to a much lesser extent Wikipedia:Newspaperarchive.com. I also have access to NewsBank which The Wikipedia Library is missing. NewsBank frequently has sources that the other databases don't have (and vice versa). Some academic institutions and public libraries grant access to NewsBank. I also do searches on Internet Archive, Google, Google Books, Google News, and Google Scholar.
Using Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Oasis (British TV series) as an example: For Oasis (British TV series), I was able to find a television review in The Stage via the British Newspaper Archive and ProQuest as well several articles in Newspapers.com. Compared to to topics with unique names, it was more difficult to find sources for Oasis, which is a common name. I refined the search by searching for "Oasis" and people or topics related to the television series such as "Carlton Television", "Carlton", "ITV", "CITV", "Zenith North", "Dean Gaffney", "John Simm", "Posh Robert", "wasteland", "The Jungle", and "Byker Grove" which helped filter out irrelevant results. Another tip is I used quotation marks around search terms so that the query returned only results with those exact phrases. When there were too many results, I also refined the searches by narrowing search results to the years 1992 to 1994 since the television series aired in 1993. For some topics, I do several combinations of searches in multiple places which is why for some of the harder cases it takes me between one and three hours for source searches.
The Signpost: 22 May 2026
[edit]- News and notes: Offline: Osama Khalid still in prison
He has been imprisoned since 2020 for his Wikipedia edits. A fresh campaign is calling for his release.
- In the media: Indonesian editors, you shall return!
And lawspam, may you be away.
- Disinformation report: Who is a typical paid editor? Who are their typical clients?
Remember the golden rule!
- Recent research: WikiLambda the Ultimate
Does Abstract Wikipedia help fight "One ring to rule them all" solutions for knowledge access - or does it implement one itself?
- Traffic report: This is where I'll be, so heavenly, so come and dance with me Michael!
A real off the wall thriller, invincible, can't beat it, or is it dangerous and just bad?
- Forum: WikiAnnotate: help us build a dataset of article quality evaluations
A research project to build better automated article assessment tools.
- In focus: Demystifying the 2026-27 Annual Plan
A guide to WMF's Tech Annual Plan for the next year.
- Opinion: Wikipedia isn't a battleground. So why does it feel like one?
Do we really have to fight?
- Serendipity: Wikinews: Into the Wikiverse
The early suggestions for what the wiki could have been.
- Special report: Wikimedia Foundation closes Wikinews after 21 years
Displaces 700 active editors among 31 language editions.
- Community view: Wikipedia's traffic drop: more on languages and freshness
Which topics are dropping, and is the pattern the same everywhere?
- Gallery: Earth Day and Mother's Day
Earth Day was on 22 April, and Mother's Day was on 10 May (in the US and many other countries).
- Comix: Brother, can you spare a page?
What would you say?
Hiya!
[edit]Sorry abt the misunderstanding. My talk page has sections, which are linked on there. Here is the complaints section, where your message is: User talk:Spravato/Complaints. I have no COI, but sometimes I get impulsive and just act on bad ideas basically. If admins feel a TBan is needed I can take that tho. đĽ¤Spravato!đ/đ§ 06:47, 12 June 2026 (UTC)
The Signpost: 21 June 2026
[edit]- From the editors: Ways for beginners to support The Signpost community journalism
Pointing the way to your contribution to The Signpost!
- News and notes: Community Tech development team disbanded
And English Wikipedia reaches a milestone in number of highly active editors.
- Disinformation report: PR for the people?
Or, "PR using PR for PR"?
- Recent research: Proposed tagging system for AI involvement; successful and unsuccessful AI tools for contributors
And other new research publications.
- In the media: Who won a 14th century battle and who won the 2026 Iran war?
Media take issue with portrayals of recent and medieval history on Wikipedia. Plus a team supporting Wikipedians gets dissolved, and a few other things.
- Community view: Putting the Wish into the Wishlist
A history of the Wikimedia community's request process to Foundation developers.
- In focus: A global standard for Neutral Point of View
Wikipedians are commenting on a proposed global standard for neutral point of view.
- On the bright side: Flowers, blue helmets, reefs, pride, and Juneteenth
Nice things around the world.
- Op-ed: Breathe, Donât Panic, there is a different story about Wikimedia + AI futures
We can build a strategy about AI that doesn't just center on readers; there are still plenty of humans to write the encyclopedia and work on diverse global knowledge.
- Opinion: Wikimedia Foundation staff develop union and Wikimedia user community reacts
Why should editors support the Wiki Workers United union drive? Lessons the Wikimedia movement can learn from other labor struggles.
- Technology report: Community Tech team is disbanded, controversy erupts
WMF disbands Community Tech, sparking community backlash over the future of the Wishlist and concerns about unionization.
- Traffic report: 'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
Horror movies and Michael Jackson dominate theaters in the lead-up to the World Cup.
- WikiConference report: Report of Volunteer Supporters Network Annual Meeting 2026
Outreach staff of Wikimedia chapters host a global discussion.
- Comix: Take your turn
In a maze of twisty little edits, all alike.
- Humour: Group of banned T-shirt makers comes out of hiding to sell new Wikipedia-themed merchandise
It ain't WikiProject United Nations, but you will find some PUNs.
ANI notice
[edit]
There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. The thread is Conduct concern regarding User:Softlavender at AfD. Bes2224 (talk) 11:30, 10 July 2026 (UTC)
The Signpost: 13 July 2026
[edit]- News and notes: An exclusive club
Wikipedia Co-Founder Larry Sanger gets a community ban for canvassing.
- In the media: Battle for a soul â who won?
Commissars, winners and losers, blocks or bans, a Wiki red card, social engineering on wikis, and Swift action!
- Opinion: We need to innovate with Wikimedia decision-making
Rules we can actually read, trust and change!
- Recent research: LLMs and NPOV, 20 years of user blocks, Esperanto and VolapĂźk Wikipedias
And other research findings.
- News from Diff: How to host Wikicurious in your own community
The Wikicurious team shares their approach to Wiki-event organizing.
- Community view: CUNY Newmark Wikimedian-in-Residence Quarterly Brief â April to June 2026
Quarterly update on the activities of the City University of New York's Wikimedian-in-Residence, Richard Knipel.
- Special report: Wikipedia escapes Category 1 designation under the UK Online Safety Act â for now
A possible future recategorization by the UK Government remains an existential threat to Wikipedia.
- On the bright side: Fatherhood, weather, and diplomacy
Father's Day, Canada Day, and the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.
- Op-ed: A Layup Easy Proposal for Wikimedia at 25: Spend 25% of Donations on the Community
If strategy priority 1.1 is supporting the community, can we not increase the support to the community? Increasing grantmaking to 25% of the budget would be a move toward equality in the movement.
- Traffic report: The grass was greener, the light was brighter
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of World Cup.
- Comix: schnozzed
on lollerskates.
Articles for Creation backlog drive
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Hello Softlavender:
WikiProject Articles for creation is holding a month long Backlog Drive in August!
The goal of this drive is to reduce the backlog of unreviewed drafts to less than a month of outstanding reviews from the current 3+ months. Bonus points will be given for reviewing drafts that have been waiting more than 30 days. The drive is running from 1 August 2026 through 31 August 2026.
You may find Category:AfC pending submissions by age or other categories and sorting helpful.
Barnstars will be given out as awards at the end of the drive.
There is a backlog of over 5000 pages, so start reviewing drafts. We're looking forward to your help! MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:38, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
- If you wish to opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself from the mailing list or alternatively to opt-out of all massmessage mailings, you may add Category:Wikipedians who opt out of message delivery to your user talk page.
ITN recognition for Bill McGlaughlin
[edit]
On 31 July 2026, In the news was updated with an item that involved the article Bill McGlaughlin, which you updated. If you know of another recently created or updated article suitable for inclusion in ITN, please suggest it on the candidates page. Schwede66 07:59, 31 July 2026 (UTC)
The Signpost: 2 August 2026
[edit]- In the media: Union drive, most prolific editor make headlines
AI's impact on Wikipedia, World Cup editing, and encyclopedia's place in public life.
- News and notes: Foundation rejects voluntary recognition of union, proposed board eligibility rules sharply restrict candidates
Further: harassment allegations at Wikimania, and new RfC for Abstract Wikipedia.
- WikiConference: "Kurier, Signpost, wikipress: You can be a Wikimedia journalist" - Wikimania presentation by User:NoĂŠ Recap
A recap of NoĂŠ Gasparini's Wikimania 2026 presentation on the variety of wikipress outlets.
- In focus: Is Larry Sanger the co-founder of Wikipedia?
A look over the years.
- Arbitration report: Think, and not just about content
ArbCom continues business.
- News from Diff: Meet the Wikimedians of the Year 2026!
Wikimedians of the Year 2026 announced at Wikimania 2026 - Paris.
- On the bright side: The beautiful game
2026 Men's FIFA World Cup, Wikimania music, and wikipress.
- Traffic report: Odyssey and Oyarzabal
To take you in the sun to (Ithaca), to show you the World Cup, it's the time of the season for editing!
- Comix: Well-spotted
You dasherdlyâdashâdashâdash-dash!
File:Bill McGlaughlin recording Exploring Music.jpg listed for discussion
[edit]
A file that you uploaded or altered, File:Bill McGlaughlin recording Exploring Music.jpg, has been listed at Wikipedia:Files for discussion. Please see the discussion to see why it has been listed (you may have to search for the title of the image to find its entry). Feel free to add your opinion on the matter below the nomination. Thank you. Based5290 :3 (talk) 18:32, 2 August 2026 (UTC)
Disputed non-free use rationale for File:Bill McGlaughlin recording Exploring Music.jpg
[edit]
Thank you for uploading File:Bill McGlaughlin recording Exploring Music.jpg. However, there is a concern that the rationale provided for using this file on Wikipedia may not meet the criteria required by Wikipedia:Non-free content. This can be corrected by going to the file description page and adding or clarifying the reason why the file qualifies under this policy. Adding and completing one of the templates available from Wikipedia:Non-free use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your file is in compliance with Wikipedia policy. Please be aware that a non-free use rationale is not the same as an image copyright tag; descriptions for files used under the non-free content policy require both a copyright tag and a non-free use rationale.
If it is determined that the file does not qualify under the non-free content policy, it might be deleted by an administrator seven days after the file was tagged in accordance with section F7 of the criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions, please ask them at the media copyright questions page. Thank you. Wikipedian Talk to me! or not⌠22:25, 6 August 2026 (UTC)
The Signpost: 24 August 2026
[edit]- News and notes: Union process progresses, unanswered questions about Littler Mendelson remain
And Raju Narisetti leaves WMF board after nine years.
- In the media: Wikipedia editors save Sam Altman's life
Can AI do that? Meanwhile, Ruwiki gives porn the shaft, and has Grokipedia ghosted?
- Recent research: Women in blue? Wikipedia's gender gap reverses in some areas
And other new research findings.
- Discussion report: Again and Again
The community comes to consensus.
- Traffic report: Look out, here comes the Spider-Man!
Plus The Odyssey and varied topics caught in his web.
- Humour: Her tastes, her Wikimania, her upcoming tour... Baby Globe reveals everything
A short (parody) interview with Baby Globe via the French wikipress outlet, Regards sur lâActualitĂŠ du mouvement WikimĂŠdia (RAW).
- On the bright side: The great outdoors
Blue Angels, Indigenous Peoples' Day, and the Perseids meteor shower.
- Opinion: Are we embarrassed yet?
One editor wants to find out more about a Department of Justice investigation of Wikipedia and its editors.
- Special report: Paris Syndrome: Labor Strife, AI Anxiety, and a Leadership Test at Wikimania 2026
Notes from a delightful Wikimania and the ugly week that followed.
- Comix: WP:FAOWN
"Explaining civilly" probably should go both ways...
The Signpost: 16 September 2026
[edit]- News and notes: The Balance of Power
Wikimedia employees unionize, officer departs, The Signpost gains sister on Wiktionary
- In the media: Shocking photos may be changed on Wikipedia
The image gallery anyone can edit.
- Disinformation report: Have UN Secretary-General candidates manipulated Wikipedia?
Speaking diplomatically, not all of them.
- Recent research: Google's AI overviews may have reduced search engine referrals to English Wikipedia by 5%
And other research findings.
- WikiConference report: The backwater symbiosis â reflections from Wiki Conference India 2026
The fourth iteration of Wiki Conference India.
- Traffic report: Heaven let your light shine down
The recently deceased dominate while still leaving room for some entertainment.
- Serendipity: Wikipedia Family Mosh Pit
A poem by Mollystarkdean.
- Obituary: Passing of Gobonobo, community leader advocating for women and minorities
Promoter of cultural knowledge and organizer of global cooperation.
- On the bright side: Fantasy video games, hopeful science fiction, and the change of seasons
The Legend of Zelda, Star Trek, and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
- Comix: The Adventure of the Unknown Corpse
An elementary case for fiction's greatest detective.
New cross-language page link: Jack Lowden
[edit]A new page Jack Lowden on the Romanian Wikipedia has been linked to the page Jack Lowden, which you created, via Wikidata (Q6113745).
You will not be notified about future links to pages you created. To opt in to these notifications, follow the opt-in instructions.
The Signpost: 13 October 2026
[edit]- News and notes: AELECT returns, Jimbo gives a union update, VisualEditor is now default
Plus a survey for North Americans, proposed changes to BoT elections, and developments in the Puerto Rican editing community.
- Serendipity: From a rare portrait of a female millionaire in Nancy to a Japanese painter in Lyon
Images from Leuven Libraries popular on Wiki.
- Obituary: Doug Weller
Twenty-year editor, long-term admin, dearly missed.
- In the media: A(I)pocalypses afoot
Cannibals, freeloaders, rogue agents, scams ... the usual.
- WikiConference Report: WikiConference 2026 & the importance of in-person community
Celebrating 12 years of WikiConference North America.
- By the numbers: Does the country of birth affect the likelihood of having a Wikipedia biography?
A cross-country and cross-wikipedia comparison of the likelihood of having a biography in Wikipedia.
- News from Diff: OpenAI "rogue" agent activities found on Wikimedia projects
CPO/CTO Selena Deckelmann explains the recent detection of AI agent activities on Wikimedia projects.
- On the bright side: Good people
Nice comments and real-life rescuers.
- Op-ed: Who are our readers?
The movement makes progress when we know what our scope is.
- Traffic report: This world is big and wild and half insane
Criminals, 9/11 25 years later, artists expelled for politics... we lived in troubled times.
- Comix: Fudging the numbers
Take 'em away, officers!
The Signpost: 1 November 2026
[edit]- News and notes: AELECT5 concludes, a Wikimedian arrested for treason, and updates to GANs and FARs
Nine new admins, three arrests, and a lot of GAN RFCs.
- Recent research: How Wikipedians use (or don't use) LLMs; experienced editors contribute more to "underproduced" articles than newbies
And other new research findings.
- Disinformation report: Better bots or bothersome baby borgs?
Have the Borg landed on Wikipedia?
- In the media: Stop the internet, I was deleted
Can toeing the line stop the apocalypse?
- News from Diff: Why Wikimedia Is Speaking Up in a Major AI Copyright Case
When AI companies use copyrighted information, does it qualify as fair use?
- By the numbers: Wikipedian Nobel Prize 2026
Which language versions of Wikipedia had biographies of laureates before Nobel announcements?
- On the bright side: Gone fishing
Touring Thailand, exploring iridescence, and translating prairie dog.
- Traffic report: October, and the articles are stripped bare
Lots of deaths, Indian movies, and monsters. Happy Halloween!
- In focus: Two Roles, One Wikimedia Education Ecosystem
What happens when different approaches to Wikimedia education connect?
- Comix: Inactivity
Zounds!
