User:Naconkantari/cleanup
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The following is a proposed Wikipedia policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. References or links to this page should not describe it as "policy".
A proposal's acceptance or rejection is not determined simply by counting votes. |
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This page in a nutshell: Restrict editing to autoconfirmed users for a one day period for the purpose of a "Wikipedia spring cleaning" |
Contents |
[edit] Purpose
Wikipedia as we know it has been running non-stop since June 2002. In this time, we have amassed over 120 million edits to over 8 million distinct pages. We have a little under 4 million registered users who provide every single piece of our content. Since our beginning, Wikipedia has been committed to the notion that knowledge should be free and accessible to all. We have many wikiprojects devoted to maintaining their respective articles and special-interest groups dedicated to cleaning up typos, spam, and many other minor imperfections. However, Wikipedia has to counter the negatives that come with an open project. There are the major incidents such as the Seigenthaler controversy that can be avoided with an improved monitoring of problem areas, most notably biographies. Then there are the minor problems: vandalism, months of backlogs, and other small content disputes. This proposal will create a window of time in which a majority of these minor problems emerge from by temporarily restricting editing to autoconfirmed accounts. This means that any account that has been active for more than four days will be able to help with this massive cleanup project. This is currently a one-time shot that will be evaluated in depth before, during, and after the cleanup period to see how effective it is on cleaning up our project. However, this project can not be done without the entire community's involvement. Even with restricted editing, this cleanup day can provide a great benefit to the project as there is a lot of "gunk" that gets missed due to involvement in other areas of Wikipedia. I believe that this will provide a lasting positive effect on Wikipedia's image and credibility and ultimately lead to a better Wikipedia.
[edit] Logistics
[edit] Community notification
- Main thread on WP:AN, most active location.
- Link to thread from WP:VPP, WP:CN, Special:Recentchanges, Special:Watchlist
- Community determines best possible day to implement proposal
[edit] Interface modifications
- Create sitenotice informing of pending restriction
- Change sitenotice during cleanup period to inform readers that non-autoconfirmed editing is restricted
- Notification on account registration page that new accounts will not be able to edit until cleanup is over
[edit] Developer interaction
- Disable editing for non-autoconfirmed accounts by modifying Mediawiki configuration scripts
- Disable new page creation for non-administrators
- Prevent any accounts from being created during the cleanup period
[edit] Anonymous/Un-autoconfirmed input
- Possible temporary mailing-list
- A page on Meta
[edit] Date/Time and duration
- One day from 0:00 UTC to 23:59 UTC
- Possible extension or reduction if active community deems necessary
- Must be consecutive, i.e, restricting editing from 0:00 to 6:00 and then from 18:00 to 23:59 is not permitted for sake of consistency.
[edit] Time extensions on ongoing processes
[edit] XFD
- All deletion and deletion review discussions will be suspended and have their closing time extended by one day. This will be implemented by activating cascading protection on the XFD main page.
- Prods will not be suspended or extended.
- Speedy deletions on articles will be done as necessary and may be contested at DRV when the cleanup period ends.
[edit] RFA
- RFAs scheduled to end in the cleanup window will be postponed one day to allow for maximum input.
- RFAs not scheduled to end in the cleanup window will not be extended.
- The creation of new RFAs will be suspended until the cleanup window ends
[edit] Arbcom
- Arbcom cases will be delayed by one day if an active participant is not an autoconfirmed editor, otherwise cases will continue on-schedule.
- Non-autoconfirmed editors wishing to file a case during the cleanup window will be asked to file the case when the window closes.
[edit] Cleanup groups
- Determine what issues need to be addressed and how. Divide the list of things to do into "admin" and "non-admin".
- Raise awareness in WikiProjects - bring as many people as possible to help. Send emails to inactive Wikiproject members. Organize a chat room. Make T-shirts. This would be a good opportunity for your wikiproject to come together as a group and get to know each other better.
[edit] Dispute resolution
- Since cleanup is usually not related to introducing new content, disputes should be minor. Editors are strongly encouraged to use the article's talk page to resolve disputes quickly. If a dispute can not be resolved quickly, a third opinion should be considered binding for the duration of the cleanup window. Further disputes should follow the standard dispute resolution protocols.
[edit] Aftermath
- Generate reports
- Restore interface and Mediawiki configuration to original settings
- Unprotect XFD pages
[edit] Concerns
[edit] There's too much stuff to do in one day
Rebuttal: That's probably true, but it doesn't hurt to try. This kind of action has never been done before on this wiki and nobody knows what the outcome will be. There can always be a time extenison if necessary.
[edit] This will lead to restricting anonymous edits permanently
Rebuttal: There are no plans to extend this after the cleanup window ends. The reports generated will be studied to see if there was any kind of positive effect and the community will decide where to go from there.
[edit] The window is too short/long
Rebuttal: One day will be the main window for the cleanup. If the community decides, by consensus on this village pump entry , that more or less time is required, the window will be adjusted.
[edit] This is elitist
Rebuttal: We're not trying to shut out potential editors. There will be plenty of notice given before the cleanup window and potential editors can register for an account up to four days before the cleanup begins. The editing restrictions are in place to help us limit distractions by having to involve ourselves in disputes with vandals or well-intentioned new editors. As of now, it is an important philosophy of Wikimedia that all people should get the chance to edit.
[edit] Someone will delete my page and I won't be able to stop them
If a page is deleted in the cleanup window and you are unable to voice your concerns, don't worry. You can request that your page be restored at WP:DRV after the cleanup window closes.
Comments are welcome on the talk page. If modifying this page's content, please leave a note on the talk page stating what has changed and why. Thanks
