Coming here to ask why I deleted your article? Please readthis page first...
Coming here to ask about a block or other admin action that I have issued on another WMF wiki where I am an admin? Please discuss on your talk page there (if you have Talk Page Access) and ping me as it has nothing to do with enwiki and is outside of its processes. Please also do not assume that that WMF wiki has the sameblocking policy or processes as enwiki.
If you have any questions about another WMF wiki or my actions on such edition, please leave it on my talk page on that wiki and I will see it as a notification/get back to you. enwiki is not the appropriate place to discuss concerns from other WMF wikis
This user talk page might bewatched by friendlytalk page stalkers, which means that someone other than me might reply to your query. Their input is welcome and their help with messages that I cannot reply to quickly is appreciated.
If you feel that I have reverted an edit or issued a warning in error, please let me know. I am human, and I do make mistakes. Please don't interpret an error on my part as a personal attack on you. It's not, I promise. I ask you to simply bring it to my attention;I am always open to civil discussion. Thank you.TheSandDoctor (talk)04:52, 30 March 2017 (UTC)]][reply]
If I see something such as a box, template, image, etc., on another user/user talk page that catches my eye, Iwill "borrow" it.More than likely without asking. ;)TheSandDoctor (talk)04:52, 30 March 2017 (UTC)]][reply]
Hey @TheSandDoctor. Your wiki edit anniversary is today, marking 9 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❚❙❚❙❙✉18:31, 8 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Latesttech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you.Translations are available.
Weekly highlight
The Wikimedia Foundation has shared some guiding questions for the July 2026–June 2027 Annual Plan onMeta andDiff. These focus on global trends, faster and healthier experimentation, better support for newcomers, strengthening editors and advanced users, improving collaboration across projects, and growing and retaining readership. Feedback and ideas are welcome on thetalk page.
Updates for editors
As part of the current work of Community Tech team on theMultiple watchlists project, the display ofEditWatchlist will be updated as a first step towards multiple watchlists. Additionally, the pagination onSearch will be updated too, as a part of the work on theRevamp pagination / page navigation wish.[1]
The Global Watchlist is a MediaWikiextension that lets you see your watchlists from different wikis on the same page. It was recently updated to look more like the regularWatchlist, such as preparing it for temporary accounts in IP masking (including rerouting user links to contributions pages), making page titles bold, and opening links in edit summaries and tags in new browser tabs.[2][3][4][5]
View all 28 community-submitted tasks that wereresolved last week. For example, the issue where global blocks did not have the option to disable sending emails, has now been fixed, and will be available for use in the week of January 13.[6]
@Sanatani Ravi Mishra: This is the English language Wikipedia. Given your contributions here are in Hindi, you might be more at home on theHindi Wikipedia.
Hello, the key reason I made an account is to make Wikipedia pages for New Zealand up and coming indie/americana/bluegrass musicians, but looks like I might need to pay my dues first! Will look for some wiki pages along these lines to add contributions too as I don't have anything helpful to add on the automated suggestions and don't want to mess up other people's pages! --Old River Records (talk)22:45, 14 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Butter my buns and call me a biscuit: Apologies for the delayed response. Do you have any association/affiliation with the groups that you were hoping to create articles about? You might be able to gain inspiration/ideas for other articles you can improve by exploring the various categories listedhere. What I would just advise is to start small and fix typos etc. in articles as you see them, and ramp up scale etc. as you become more familiar. That and be open to suggestions and adaptable if editors raise concerns etc. Changing your username to be policy compliant as you did is a great step in indicating that you are willing to be adaptable. If you have any questions, please let me know.TheSandDoctorTalk00:21, 30 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Latesttech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you.Translations are available.
Updates for editors
The tray shown onSpecial:Diff in mobile view has been redesigned. It is now collapsed by default, and incorporates a link to undo the edit being viewed, making it easier for mobile editors and reviewers to take action while keeping the interface uncluttered.[8]
The Global Watchlist lets you view your watchlists from multiple wikis on one page. Theextension continues to improve — it now automatically determines the text direction (ensuring correct display of sites with unusual domain names) and shows detailed descriptions for log actions. Later this week, a new permanent link for page creations and CSS classes for each entry element will be added.[9][10][11][12]
View all 32 community-submitted tasks that wereresolved last week. For example, the previously observed issue in Vector 2022, where anchor link targets were obscured by the sticky header, has now been addressed.[13]
Updates for technical contributors
As mentioned in theOctober 2025 deprecation announcement, MediaWiki Interfaces team will begin sunsetting all transform endpoints containing a trailing slash from the MediaWiki REST API the week of January 26. Changes are expected to roll out to all wikis on or before January 30th. All API users currently calling them are encouraged to transition to the non-trailing slash versions. Both endpoint variations can be found, compared, and tested using theREST Sandbox. If you have questions or encounter any problems, please file a ticket in Phabricator to the#MW-Interfaces-Team board.
TheWMF Wikidata Platform team (WDP) has published itsJanuary 2026 newsletter. It includes updates on the legacy full-graph endpoint decommissioning, the User-Agent policy change, the monthly Blazegraph migration office hours, and efforts to reduce regressions caused by the legacy endpoint shutdown. As a reminder, you cansubscribe to the WDP newsletter!
TheWikimedia Hackathon Northwestern Europe 2026 will take place on 13-14 March 2026 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Applications opened mid-December and will close soon or when capacity is reached. It's a two-day, technically oriented hackathon bringing together Wikimedians from the region. Hope to see you there!
Hello! When encountering information in an article without a source, if I can't find a reliable source for it after diligent searching, is it better to add a citation request or remove it entirely? --Lilith's Comet (talk)17:03, 20 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
For example, content in a video game. A game references a certain book or real life event, and someone adds it to Wikipedia without a source. I go looking for a source, but despite the fact that independent forums and dozens of playthroughs show it to be true, none of them meet RS conditions.
@CometOfLilith: Apologies for the delayed response. In that scenario itmight be acceptable to cite the video game itself usingTemplate:Cite video game if it is content within the game itself. But we also need to consider whether it is worthy of inclusion (see:WP:DUE). Another option is indeed removal perWP:BURDEN, and addingTemplate:Citation needed is also an option. If you have any particular (real) examples in mind please let me know and I will try and assist with more tailored guidance.TheSandDoctorTalk00:15, 30 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Lilith's Comet: You're welcome! Please feel free to drop by here any time if you come across an example etc. and have questions. (Depending how long it is from now, you may have to remind me of this conversation for context but that isn't a big deal.)TheSandDoctorTalk19:45, 7 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I am hoping to add the picture in kheriki page which I created in the past ( actually it's of my village so like I feel proud that I created my village Wikipedia page) can I just take random picture from Google and put it in the page or should I have to click from myselfShibu-mc (talk)15:50, 30 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Latesttech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you.Translations are available.
All users with registered accounts can now use passkeys fortwo-factor authentication (2FA). Passkeys are a simple way to log in without using a second device. They verify the user's identity using a fingerprint, face scan, or a PIN code. To set up a passkey, first set up a regular 2FA method. Currently, to log in with a passkey, users must also use a password. Later this quarter, passwordless login will allow users to log in with a single click and a passkey. Users with advanced rights will also be required to have 2FA enabled. This is part of theAccount Security project.
Unregistered contributors on blocked IPs or blocked IP ranges can now interact on-wiki to appeal a block by creating a temporary account to appeal a block on the user talk page, unless the "prevent this user from editing their own talk page" is enabled. This solves the problem of logged-out users unable to use the default unblock process via user talk page.[14]
View all 20 community-submitted tasks that wereresolved last week. For example, the Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) methods description on the management page has been updated. It is now clearer and easier for users to understand and make use of.[15]
Updates for technical contributors
A new AbuseFilter variable,account_type, has been added to provide a reliable way to determine the account type being created in thecreateaccount andautocreateaccount actions. As part of this change, the variableaccountname has been renamed toaccount_name, andaccountname is now deprecated. Edit filter managers should update any filters that use hardcoded account type checks or the deprecated variable.[16]
Image thumbnails that are requested in non-standard sizes, and using non-standard methods such as direct requests toupload.wikimedia.org/… will stop working in the near future. This change is to prevent ongoing external abuse by web-scrapers and bots. Some users with custom CSS/JS, Interface Admins who can fix gadgets and local skins, and Tool-authors, will need to update their code to use standard thumbnail sizes.Details, search-links, and examples of how to fix them, are available in the task.
Latesttech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you.Translations are available.
Updates for editors
The "Page information" feature, which gives validating information about a page (example), now automatically includes a table of contents. If there is a localMediaWiki:Pageinfo-header page created by individual users, it can now be removed.[17]
View all 21 community-submitted tasks that wereresolved last week. For example, VisualEditor previously added bold or italic formatting inside link descriptions, making the wikicode complex. This has now been fixed.[18]
Updates for technical contributors
There was no XML dump on 20 January. Additionally, from now on, dumps will be generated once per month only.[19]
The MediaWiki Interfaces team removed support for all transform endpoints containing a trailing slash from theMediaWiki REST API. All API users currently calling those endpoints are encouraged to transition to the non-trailing slash versions. If you have questions or encounter any problems, please file a ticket in phabricator to the#MW-Interfaces-Team board.
Users are reminded that the Wikimedia Foundation has shared some guiding questions for the July 2026–June 2027 Annual Plan onMeta andDiff. These focus on global trends, faster and healthier experimentation, better support for newcomers, strengthening editors and advanced users, improving collaboration across projects, and growing and retaining readership. Feedback and ideas are welcome on thetalk page.
mr. sand doctor there are two articles and both are on the same topicwhat should i do ? and how should i report it?There are two articles both titled crayon shin-chan(one is titled crayon shin-chan other just crayon shinchan[no hyphen]) the first one with a hyphen has more valuable info and seems much more complete and longer, even if the second one has a little bit of unique info it doesn't seem like the page in necessary so would you please look into it and or help me with it? --MrShmort (talk)05:35, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@MrShmort:Crayon Shin-chan is the actual article andCrayon Shinchan justredirects there, so there is nothing to do and everything is as it should be. But given your description, it sounds like we aren't looking at the same pages. Can you please link me to both of these ones you're discussing? You can just copy and paste the URLs from your address bar when you visit both. Just so that I can be sure we're talking about the same things.TheSandDoctorTalk05:54, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@MrShmort: That explains it, thank you! The one that you just linked is on the Hindi Wikipedia. Different language Wikipedias (hi, fr etc.) are entirely different projects in different languages with their own communities, policies, norms etc. I can only help you with the English Wikipedia (here) and, to a lesser extent, somewhere likeWikimedia Commons (where images are uploaded) andMeta-Wiki. I only speak English fluently. Do you speak Hindi?TheSandDoctorTalk17:00, 14 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@FPWikiGuy: Do you have a source that backs this up?Verifiability is paramount. That article currently cites SF Gate as verifying Quinn's inclusion, and I can confirm thatthe SF Gate article does back up his inclusion. I can take it a step further, actually, and confirm that theNBAitself states he is "the first player in G League history to post a 50/40/90 season." This appears to back up the facts as currently displayed.TheSandDoctorTalk05:51, 6 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@FlorinPotor: The draft has no references whatsoever included. In order to demonstratenotability you need to back up information within the draft/article withmultiplereliablesecondary sources that areindependent of the subject of the article and cover the subject in some detail. In practice, these are peer reviewed academic articles, news reports, non-fiction books etc. They don't need to be entirely dedicated to the subject/person but they need to cover them in detail (not just trivial passing mentions). Please seethis beginner's guide to referencing and come back with at least3 of your best sources.
Your feedback is requested atTalk:North Africa andTalk:Barry Keoghan on "All RFCs" request for comments. Thank you for helping out! You were randomly selected to receive this invitation from the list ofFeedback Request Service subscribers. If you'd like not to receive these messages any more, you can opt out at any time byremoving your name.
Hello!i am a direct descendent of Saiyed Bukhari mohammad sirajuddin and I wanted to add to the total photos presented on the wiki page. Do you know how i could do so? --Xenogeist101 (talk)12:20, 8 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Xenogeist101: Can you link me to the article you are discussing (e.g., from the address bar of your web browser)? Since you mention pictures specifically, a good place to start would beWikipedia:Images. In short, images of people must be either provably in the public domain in their country of origin and the United States or released under acompatible license by the rights holder (usually the photographer) before they can be used on Wikipedia.TheSandDoctorTalk08:14, 14 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I worked on drafting my first article the other day after getting accustomed to the Wikipedia editing system. Sadly it was rejected, but I tried to take the feedback to heart and updated it. I believe it's pending review again, but wondered if you had any tips to getting new articles approved for publication. --Mistralguerreiro201 (talk)17:26, 8 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Latesttech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you.Translations are available.
Updates for editors
Logged-in contributors who manage large or complex watchlists can now organise and filter watched pages in ways that improve their workflows with the newWatchlist labels feature. By adding custom labels (for example: pages you created, pages being monitored for vandalism, or discussion pages) users can more quickly identify what needs attention, reduce cognitive load, and respond more efficiently. This improves watchlist usability, especially for highly active editors.
A new feature available onSpecial:Contributions showstemporary accounts that are likely operated by the same person, and so makes patrolling less time-consuming. Upon checking contributions of a temporary account, users with access to temporary account IP addresses can now see a view of contributions from the related temporary accounts. The feature looks up all the IPs associated with a given temporary account within the data retention period and shows all the contributions of all temporary accounts that have used these IPs.Learn more.[20]
When editors preview a wikitext edit, the reminder box that they are only seeing a preview (which is shown at the top), now has a grey/neutral background instead of a yellow/warning background. This makes it easier to distinguish preview notes from actual warnings (for example, edit conflicts or problematic redirect targets), which will now be shown in separate warning or error boxes.[21]
TheGlobal Watchlist lets you view your watchlists from multiple wikis on one page. Theextension continues to improve — it now properly supports more than one Wikibase site, for example bothWikidata andtestwikidata. In addition, issues regarding text direction have been fixed for users who prefer Wikidata or other Wikibase sites in right-to-left (RTL) languages.[22][23]
The automatic "magic links" for ISBN, RFC, and PMID numbers have beendeprecated in wikitext since 2021 due to inflexibility and difficulties with localization. Several wikis have successfully replaced RFC and PMID magic links with equivalent external links, but a template was often required to replace the functionality of the ISBN magic link. There is now a newbuilt-in parser function{{#isbn}} available to replace the basic functionality of the ISBN magic link. This makes it easier for wikis who wish to migrate off of the deprecated magic link functionality to do so.[24]
A new global user group has been created:Local bots. It will be used internally by the software to allow community bots to bypass rate limits that are applied to abusiveweb scrapers. Accounts that are approved as bots on at least one Wikimedia wiki will be automatically added to this group. It will not change what user permissions the bot has.[27]
Due to the result of a recentmotion, a rough consensus of administrators at thearbitration enforcement noticeboard may impose an expanded topic ban on Israel, Israelis, Jews, Judaism, Palestine, Palestinians, Islam, and/or Arabs, if an editor'sArab-Israeli conflict topic ban is determined to be insufficient to prevent disruption. At least one diff per area expanded into should be cited.
@Hadi.jb1111: Please don't paste LLM instructions on my talk page like you did. Don't do that anywhere on Wikipedia. I don't understand why you did that or what you are asking. What is it that you need help with?TheSandDoctorTalk08:17, 14 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Latesttech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you.Translations are available.
Weekly highlight
TheSRE Team will be performing a cleanup of Wikimedia'sEtherpad instance, the web-based editor for real-time collaborative document editing. All pads will be permanently deleted after 30 April, 2026 – if there are still migration projects in progress at that point the team can revisit the date on a case by case basis. Please create local backups of any content you wish to keep, as deleted data cannot be recovered. This cleanup helps reduce database size and minimize infrastructure footprint. Etherpad will continue to support real-time collaboration, but long-term storage should not be expected. Additional cleanups may occur in the future without prior notice.[29]
Updates for editors
The Information Retrieval team will be launching anAndroid mobile app experiment that tests hybrid search capabilities which can handle both semantic and keyword queries. The improvement of on-platform search will enable readers to find what they’re looking for directly on Wikipedia more easily. The experiment will first be launched on Greek Wikipedia in late February, followed by English, French, and Portuguese in March.Read more on Diff blog.[30]
The Reader Growth team will runan experiment for mobile web users, that adds a table of contents and automatically expands all article sections, to learn more about navigation issues they face. The test will be available on Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, and Vietnamese Wikipedias.
Previously, site notices (MediaWiki:Sitenotice andMediaWiki:Anonnotice) would only render on the desktop site. Now, they will render on all platforms. Users on mobile web will now see these notices and be informed. Site administrators should be prepared to test and fix notices on mobile devices to avoid interference with articles. To opt out, interface admins can add#siteNotice { display: none; } toMediaWiki:Minerva.css.[31][32]
View all 19 community-submitted tasks that wereresolved last week. For example, an issue onSpecial:RecentChanges has been fixed. Previously, clicking hide in the active filters caused the "view new changes since…" button to disappear, though it should have remained visible. The button now behaves as expected.[33]
Updates for technical contributors
New documentation is now available to help editors debug on-site search features. It supports troubleshooting when pages do not appear in results, when ranking seems unexpected, and when you need to inspect what content is being indexed, helping make search behavior easier to understand and analyze.Learn more.[34]
View all 28 community-submitted tasks that wereresolved last week. For example, the issue where global blocks did not have the option to disable sending emails, has now been fixed, and will be available for use in the week of January 13.[6]
Logged-in contributors who manage large or complex watchlists can now organise and filter watched pages in ways that improve their workflows with the newWatchlist labels feature. By adding custom labels (for example: pages you created, pages being monitored for vandalism, or discussion pages) users can more quickly identify what needs attention, reduce cognitive load, and respond more efficiently. This improves watchlist usability, especially for highly active editors.
Administrator changes
CheckUser changes
Arbitration
Miscellaneous
