Dead Scribe Cleanup

YouTube · Postby **Reichu** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:48 am

I was thinking that we must have a decent number of user accounts on the Wiki that have seen little to no activity (aside from maybe some "peppering up" the user page...) AND been dead for over a year. Instead of just having these fester, should they get cleared out in some way? If I recall correctly, they can't be deleted exactly, but can we "have them do something" aside from just sit there, as it were?

Also thinking that the "Scribe" rank should be systematically stripped off anyone who hasn't actually contributed within the past x months (unless they were unthinkably awesome or something).

I seriously wonder how many people got Wiki accounts just for the mere sake of it.

Vinyl collection at Discogs · Postby **Ornette** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:24 am

Postby **UrsusArctos** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:22 am

Plenty of people got Wiki accounts just for the sake of it. There are a few who decorated their user pages and did nothing else (The Imperialist comes to mind) and there are others who did nothing at all.

My ideas-

1. Users who have put in a decent amount of work can have a userpage. A new user's userpage will be locked to prevent them from editing it. Existing users who have plenty of user info but little in the way of contributions will have their user pages blanked and locked until they put in some work. Once they earn their user page (or get it back), they get to keep it.

2. The "scribe" rank should be handled in the same manner as user pages.

3. Users who have put in a substantial amount of work in the past but aren't around at present (Those on a major hiatus) get to keep their rank and userpage.

YouTube · Postby **Reichu** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:07 am

That all sounds good to me, Ursus. What about any files that the "do-nothings/littles" have uploaded for their user pages? IMO they should be ritualistically deleted to eliminate them from our "active inventory"; they can be "reinstated" later (since, like Anonymous, Wiki Never Forgets and all) if it comes to that.

I know pages that have been started can be protected, but is it possible to block the creation of pages that don't exist? (I.e., preemptively preventing newbies from making user pages.)

If no one else has a problem with these ideas (we need more feedback here, obviously), we should probably give people a little advance warning in Main/Feedback since nobody reads this subforum and so people aren't crying later, "BAWWWW WHERE DID MY USER PAGE GO".

@Ornette: With regard to revoking accounts, perhaps we could at least do away with some of the really old ones that have never been used and will probably never be used -- LuigiHann's comes to mind. They can be renamed and given to someone else, right? It reduces the clutter a little.

Twsa'teotu · Postby **Twsa'teotu** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:31 am

well its finals season so I think everyone's busy (I know I am)

Postby **UrsusArctos** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:39 pm

Reichu wrote:That all sounds good to me, Ursus. What about any files that the "do-nothings/littles" have uploaded for their user pages? IMO they should be ritualistically deleted to eliminate them from our "active inventory"; they can be "reinstated" later (since, like Anonymous, Wiki Never Forgets and all) if it comes to that.

I'll experiment and see if a user page that hasn't been written in can be protected. Blanked/deleted pages are never a problem, because, like you said, the wiki never forgets.

Image files are another matter, but I assume that most of the image files uploaded came off hard drives or online photo sharing sites. If deleted, the user in question can restore them at a later point if he/she wishes to.

If no one else has a problem with these ideas (we need more feedback here, obviously), we should probably give people a little advance warning in Main/Feedback since nobody reads this subforum and so people aren't crying later, "BAWWWW WHERE DID MY USER PAGE GO".

Agreed. I think we'll wait a couple of days before taking action.

We've given away old accounts before, and we can do the same again.

Twsa'teotu wrote:well its finals season so I think everyone's busy (I know I am)

It isn't just the immediate present we're talking about.

Postby **Sailor Star Dust** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:52 pm

Reichu wrote:we should probably give people a little advance warning in Main/Feedback since nobody reads this subforum and so people aren't crying later, "BAWWWW WHERE DID MY USER PAGE GO".

Agreed.

Vinyl collection at Discogs · Postby **Ornette** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:23 pm

This change can't be done through the wiki itself. I had to change 2 php files: LocalSettings (to add special permissions for the "User" namespace) and NamspacePermissions (to make it check the "User" namespace permissions, by default, it only checks custom created namespaces and not the ones that are default to mediawiki).

There's a Usergroup called "userpage". Sysops can give user permission to create/edit user pages by adding them to the usergroup. Right now, nobody is in this usergroup so nobody can edit user pages. I have to get drunk now so I don't have time to deal with this.

yokuchi · Postby **yokuchi** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:43 am

I agree with UrsusArctos' idea. It really would solve the problem of narcissistic self-glorification, but it won't make inactive users rise from the dead to go on a wiki-fixin'-jihad. However, I'm not sure how malleable the wiki permissions are about userpage editing.

(Note: I've been inactive on EvaGeeks for several months, maybe a year, due to RL. So, I'm also guilty of being an inactive scribe, but once I find time soon, I'll be back on the bandwagon.) /guiltyhypocrisy

YouTube · Postby **Reichu** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:57 am

yokuchi wrote:However, I'm not sure how malleable the wiki permissions are about userpage editing.

Ornette just hacked things so that users have to actually be placed into a special user group in order to edit their user page. I tested it, and it works, so the folks who've earned their pages will need to be added to the group.

Note: I've been inactive on EvaGeeks for several months, maybe a year, due to RL.

It happens. :wink:

Welcome back, for however long you're with us this time.

Postby **UrsusArctos** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:43 am

I'll be off for a couple of days, so I might not be able to follow events in this thread as closely as I should. Will get back to you soon.

So far, I think the "userpages" group idea is working very well.

YouTube · Postby **Reichu** » Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:51 pm

Okay, so how about this:

- The only people who will get added to the userpages group by default are those who have "already earned it". Those who have not will be unable to edit their userpages, but the pages' content will temporarily remain up.
- Midway through June or so, anyone who hasn't earned their user page yet will have it zapped.
- Initial note about this will be filed now ("if you can't edit your user page, this is why"), then another at the start of June ("if you don't become an active contributor by the xth, you lose your user page").

Postby **UrsusArctos** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:09 am

Reichu wrote:- The only people who will get added to the userpages group by default are those who have "already earned it". Those who have not will be unable to edit their userpages, but the pages' content will temporarily remain up.

Agreed.

- Midway through June or so, anyone who hasn't earned their user page yet will have it zapped.

- Initial note about this will be filed now ("if you can't edit your user page, this is why"), then another at the start of June ("if you don't become an active contributor by the xth, you lose your user page").

I'd rather set the first deadline to May 7. Users who have neglected the wiki (and are potentially tied up IRL) need only put in a (Edit: relatively) small amount of effort before said date to show that they're actually interested. Not enough to earn their userpage, but enough to earn a one-month deadline extension. Those who don't bother to do anything before the seventh get their userpages zapped.

You know, I think a whole lot of people will turn out to be pretty uninterested...

Dartz · Postby **Dartz** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:30 am

I'm quite happy to do technical stuff, but staring at a few pages on the wiki it quickly becomes clear that I don't actually have the series 'knowledge' to actually do much more than basic technical stuff.

I'm not nerdy enough to know the in's and outs of the CI, or what exactly everything means. IIRC, only thing I've ever done is Unit 04, and a shitload of images for a RoE article that ended up being finished by someone else. There is something daunting about staring at an article... you want to get in and add something... but then it's hard to add anything without being sure of it's relavance.

That... and I lost my password. nyoro-n

Postby **UrsusArctos** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:49 am

Ornette could help you with your password.

Never mind the series knowledge (My knowledge of the Evangelion games, for instance, is abysmal). We need help with our templates at the moment, spell-checking and image requests. All that is a very legitimate part of editing. [/offtopic]

Dartz · Postby **Dartz** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:53 am

Well, if I'm to get involved with any of that, it'll be June (at least). May is exam time for me. Hell, right now I'm on the runnup to my Fineal Year project, and final exams.

Postby **UrsusArctos** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 11:59 am

That's all right. Your userpage stays. Remind me to add you to your new group once you start editing.

Twsa'teotu · Postby **Twsa'teotu** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:49 pm

UrsusArctos wrote:
I'd rather set the first deadline to May 7. Users who have neglected the wiki (and are potentially tied up IRL) need only put in a (Edit: relatively) small amount of effort before said date to show that they're actually interested. Not enough to earn their userpage, but enough to earn a one-month deadline extension. Those who don't bother to do anything before the seventh get their userpages zapped.

You know, I think a whole lot of people will turn out to be pretty uninterested...

Again, I barely have time to check in like this much less contribute, because its the middle of finals season through May, and now you want to move the deadline even closer to finals season? My plan was to do more between May-June after testing is over.

YouTube · Postby **Reichu** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 12:54 pm

Ursus: Finals season would be enough to make a lot of people not give a shit about fan-dorkery, and it's 400% justified. Aside from being impatient simply for the sake of it, I don't see the point of not waiting until June.

Vinyl collection at Discogs · Postby **Ornette** » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:04 pm

Dartz: just type in your username and click on "Email Password". I just did that and it said it sent you email.

Dead Scribe Cleanup

Dead Scribe Cleanup

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