The Wikipedia Critics' Forum
https://wikipediocracy.com/forum/
Randy is the obvious person.Randy from Boise wrote:This thread lost its leading participant and we need another person to reinvigorate it.
I wonder who might be able to do that?
RfB
Yes he would be great.Poetlister wrote:Randy is the obvious person.Randy from Boise wrote:This thread lost its leading participant and we need another person to reinvigorate it.
I wonder who might be able to do that?
RfB
Do you have any evidence to suggest that Rukomii is a paid editor? If it is indeed Craig Taro Gold, he's presumably not being paid to edit his own article.Katie wrote:Craig Taro Gold (T-H-L), or someone very close to him who's also a member of the same religion he practices, seems to have been editing his own Wikipedia article, along with those of friends like Wendell Brown (T-H-L). The accounts in question, an example being Rukomii (T-C-L), focus on promoting him, his friends, and the company he or his friends lead.
Finally blocked last month. Perhaps someone may eventually update this with some of the more egregious incidents.thekohser wrote:A couple of days ago, a construction company, PCL Construction (T-H-L), was working on a bridge on the Atlantic seaboard of North Carolina where it accidentally severed the main power line connecting Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands to the grid. About 10,000 tourists have been told to evacuate, and until the disruption is fixed (could be days or possibly weeks) surely thousands more weekly-rental tourists will be affected, as they won't be allowed onto the island. In short -- for anyone who vacations in the Outer Banks, it is a shit-show.
So, how about that Wikipedia article about PCL Construction? About 120 page views per day, about to skyrocket today, for sure. Who wrote the article? A combination of single-purpose and COI accounts, of course: [....]
Pclnahqcomms (T-C-L) (active as recently as 12 months ago)
[....]
Well said.BrillLyle wrote:I agree with much of this.Renée Bagslint wrote:As has been said before, Wikipedia has a content policy disguised as a conduct policy. Businesses will certainly see an advantage in having an entry in Wikipedia that presents them favourably, and some of them will work, or pay for work, to make that happen. This is clearly a problem for an encyclopaedia that claims and proclaims neutrality, but which anyone can edit. The sort of people who invest their time and energy on Wikipedia often seem to be the sort of people who dislike business and so are motivated to stop business articles being skewed by two factors, one high-minded and conscious (the good of the neutral encyclopaedia), one not so high-minded and often less conscious (sticking it to the man). That entitles them, in their view, to behave badly to other contributors who take a different line, even though it might be one that independent civilised human beings might reagrd as reasonably neutral. People who disagree must be labelled as an outgroup, against whom no form of abuse is too great: terms such as sock-pupper and paid editor are brought into play, and have exactly the same function as the word witch did in Salem, or communist in the HUAAC. Because the vocal minority and the silent majority agree with the anti-business line, it prevails, because that's how Wikipedia works.
I was a word processor at an investment bank for over 14 years. We did these company profile pages that had basic publicly accessible data when I worked on M&A jobs. It's basic, industry-established information.
When I've tried to add a lot of this information to business pages, I get accused of either paid editing (I'm not) or being promotional. Because often there's no understanding of this type information, it is perceived incorrectly. Just plain wrongly.
It's great anyone can edit Wikipedia. But it's also a problem when someone who doesn't understand an industry makes unilateral decisions.
There's a reason for crap business entries, ones that specifically lack basic factual information. It's too much of a battle to get this basic info up there.
I'm so tired of this. Really. I would have loved to improve business-based content on Wikipedia. It's really unfortunate.
Apologies, I'm just whinging and moaning, repeating myself here. I feel very strongly about this.
- Erika
User:BrillLyle
We don't work like that on here.Anuran wrote:Now you can tag this reply for speedy deletion (G11) as {{Db-g11}}, {{Db-promo}}, {{Db-spam}}
There's an article on Sussman yesterday in the HuffPost.thekohser wrote:Interesting comment from BC1278 (T-C-L) recently...tarantino wrote:One of the more interesting paid editors I've come across is Ed Sussman, who's BC1278 (T-C-L) and Edsussman (T-C-L). He has a law degree from Duke, was a journalist, ran fastcompany.com and inc.com, and is now a PR rep for Facebook and others. The first article he created was Social_journalism (T-H-L), where he's prominently featured. He's quite the self-promoter.
Per usual, his attempt to fully disclose and get help via the Talk pages of articles is going nowhere.Hi Trevor,
I noticed you recently did an update on [[Lyft]]. I have a number of other edits I'd like to suggest for the article, but I need them to be independently reviewed and approved because I have a Wikipedia Conflict of Interest under [[WP:COI]] as a paid business consultant to Lyft. I always follow WIkipedia policy and disclose my conflict.
How To Win Arguments And Exhaust People
Sussman’s main strategy for convincing editors to make the changes his clients want is to cite as many tangentially related rules as possible (he is, after all, a lawyer). When that doesn’t work, though, his refusal to ever back down usually will.
He often replies to nearly every single bit of pushback with walls of text arguing his case. Trying to get through even a fraction of it is exhausting, and because Wikipedia editors are unpaid, there’s little motivation to continue dealing with Sussman’s arguments. So he usually gets his way.
That dos seem pretty obvious but I note he's not edited in about 6 months.Katie wrote:Ghulam Zeeshan (T-C-L) is a "Communication Strateigist at Sahara India Pariwar (T-H-L)" along with being an "Assistant Director" there, and he's happily edited the article about the company, its founder, a certain Subrata Roy (T-H-L) and a rambling, confusing article about "investor fraud" at Sahara India Pariwar: Sahara India Pariwar investor fraud case (T-H-L). There's no disclosure I've been able to find.
When has "not edited lately" ever been a reason not to block someone?Beeblebrox wrote:That dos seem pretty obvious but I note he's not edited in about 6 months.
To the point...Need a Wikipedia editor with credible, reputable account to vote in a discussion about a nomination for deletion. ...
Please apply with a statement that describes your experience in Wikipedia editing, and tactics that you implement.
What if it turns out that someone from the inner circle accepted the deal?Beeblebrox wrote:too bad they didn't string him along until they found out what AFD they wanted influenced...
This is kind of like people who ask "what if the Bill Clinton had sex with minors at Epstein's sex island?"Osborne wrote:What if it turns out that someone from the inner circle accepted the deal?Beeblebrox wrote:too bad they didn't string him along until they found out what AFD they wanted influenced...
He seems to be addicted to writing about their products, anyway.thekohser wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 4:11 amI will eat my hat if Evilleavenger (T-C-L) is not being paid in some way by Emergent BioSolutions (T-H-L). I think I'd also be willing to bet that this User is not actually a "middle school English teacher".
If he really is a teacher, I hope that he won't succeed in encouraging his pupils to edit. The last thing Wikipedia needs is a load of 6th to 8th grade children editing.thekohser wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 4:11 amI will eat my hat if Evilleavenger (T-C-L) is not being paid in some way by Emergent BioSolutions (T-H-L). I think I'd also be willing to bet that this User is not actually a "middle school English teacher".
He's not doing a very good job. He made a few edits on 17/18 March, mostly to create a draft article, and hasn't done anything since. What's he waiting for?
Someone should tag the image used in that article as a copyright violation (taken straight from her Instagram account) and see who shows up to add a new picture...
Mangoe)Oh, thanks for the tip. I missed that Sumsphere (T-C-L) (the editor who uploaded the copyright violating picture to Commons in 2016) was responsible for creating Louisa Warwick (model) (T-H-L) in 2015. It was nominated for deletion and deleted not long afterwards. Then they created Louisa Warwick, it got also got deleted, so they just waited a year and did it again. They were active as recently as February, so I guess this is more than just a hobby.
They used some sort of Android app:2601:246:CA80:7D50:6DE7:650F:98D0:737F wrote:Reverted edits by Special:Contributions/Wbm1058 (talk) to last version by Special:Contributions/InternetArchiveBot
It is true that I made the previous edit. I removed the article's hatnote because it was an "unnecessary hatnote to a related topic which is linked from the article's lead section". However the IP did not revert me – they did not restore that hatnote – so they left a disingenuous edit summary, apparently to obfuscate the changes they actually did make.Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit
Try searching for the /64 range. There are no new edits after the ones you posted, but there are several earlier edits along the same lines.
Memon excelled academically and gained district-level recognition for participation in school activities, including plays, dance, and singing, earning medals for academic achievements.
Memon's innovative spirit drove him to establish "Green TV," an unprecedented venture known as the world's sole private "agriculture and rural knowledge bank." It is aimed to disseminate vital agricultural information, particularly benefiting rural communities.
In 2013, Memon's commitment to societal advancement led to the foundation of "ARDEA Foundation," a nonprofit organization. Working in collaboration with "Green TV India," the foundation focused on fostering sustainable agricultural practices across India, contributing to rural development.
Conceived by Junaid Memon, visionary filmmaker and ARDEA Foundation leader, the movement's third iteration begins in 2023.
If I were to post here, I would be doing so to seek help against paid editors. If in doing so, I violate or appear to have violated offline harassment or offline coordination policies, it would backfire on me, doing the opposite of what I intend. Wouldn't it?And the relevance of Wikipedia policy over here is... ?
How does anyone know who you are?
People here take pride in digging that out. And I didn't bother hiding myself well. The site owners know, and I've seen in other threads, mods sharing user info not privy to everyone else. In any case, if I started listing out paid editors, over time pattern will emerge of me interacting with at least some of them on wiki.How does anyone know who you are?
What do I think? Clearly there are what Wikipedia calls MOS:ENGVAR (T-H-L) problems here. At least I assume so. given the way biographies of Indian citizens use the word 'entrepreneur'. I suspect it means 'person who owns a suit' or something, in that variety of English. Certainly when such articles use the word, they rarely provide much in the way of evidence for the subject actually doing anything of consequence as an 'entrepreneur'.utbc wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 1:39 pm...what do you think about Junaid Memon (T-H-L) and ARDEA Foundation (T-H-L)?
Well, let’s be fair and realize that this happens everywhere in the world. I think India does have a higher prevalence of paid editing, but maybe it just gets noticed more due to the language or low quality of the articles. I read business newspapers of repute on occasion and they also rarely justify calling someone an entrepreneur, it seems to usually be based on that that person’s self-identification.AndyTheGrump wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 6:19 pmWhat do I think? Clearly there are what Wikipedia calls MOS:ENGVAR (T-H-L) problems here. At least I assume so. given the way biographies of Indian citizens use the word 'entrepreneur'. I suspect it means 'person who owns a suit' or something, in that variety of English. Certainly when such articles use the word, they rarely provide much in the way of evidence for the subject actually doing anything of consequence as an 'entrepreneur'.
Wikipedia’s South Asian articles and their editors are a community unto themselves with a different Wikipedia culture. They can play serious hardball and from what I see do a lot of off-wiki coordination. I’ve saw canvassing for an English Wikipedia AfD occurring on a Wikipedia for a South Asian language that the other group didn’t use. There’s a new thread on WP:ANI - User:Maha Sainik - that’s an example of a different style of pissing contest:AndyTheGrump wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 6:19 pmWhat do I think? Clearly there are what Wikipedia calls MOS:ENGVAR (T-H-L) problems here. At least I assume so. given the way biographies of Indian citizens use the word 'entrepreneur'. I suspect it means 'person who owns a suit' or something, in that variety of English. Certainly when such articles use the word, they rarely provide much in the way of evidence for the subject actually doing anything of consequence as an 'entrepreneur'.utbc wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 1:39 pm...what do you think about Junaid Memon (T-H-L) and ARDEA Foundation (T-H-L)?
As for the ARDEA Foundation article, pure puffery for a 'worthy cause'. Might even be a legitimate one, but Wikipedia shouldn't be acting as a webhost.
Paid editing? Self promotion? Doesn't really matter either way. Wikipedia is chock-full of promotional flim-flam for individuals and institutions from India. Some no doubt actually merit coverage in an online encyclopaedia, but many don't, and given the state of the sources most likely to be cited - the Indian media - it is nigh-on impossible to distinguish between the two. Even the most 'reliable' media outlets seem content to include abject puffery in amongst their legitimate coverage, and the sheer volume of less-credible sources has to be seen to be believed.
Not just a problem for Indian topics, obviously, but the sheer volume of Indian-topic promotional material would make trying to deal with it systematically a lost cause. Given the endless spats with the Modi government, the volume of paid/promotional editing, the lack of trustworthy sources, and the propensity for issuing legal threats when those doing the promotion don't get things their way (to be fair, the last is probably a cultural relic of the Raj), it might not be too outlandish to suggest that Wikipedia might do better to stop trying to cover such subjects entirely: do what the GDR did with west Berlin, and just leave a blank space on the map.
At the risk of derailing the thread, I'm afraid you're being rather unfair here — we actually have no idea who you are, or at least I don't, and if any of us ever did then I'm sure we've long since forgotten all about it. What's more, I'm a little disappointed about your seeming implication that you don't personally represent the University of Texas at British Columbia.
Now, we do not disclose any identifying info about a member (IP address, email, etc.). But Icewhiz made a mini-me sock to agree with him here on the forum, so I disclosed that, because he's an ass.Midsize Jake wrote: ↑Thu Aug 10, 2023 10:04 pmAt the risk of derailing the thread, I'm afraid you're being rather unfair here — we actually have no idea who you are, or at least I don't, and if any of us ever did then I'm sure we've long since forgotten all about it. What's more, I'm a little disappointed about your seeming implication that you don't personally represent the University of Texas at British Columbia.
It's true that I'll occasionally post something saying where a particular member isn't from, along the lines of "he's not posting from anywhere in North America," so as to reduce idle speculation about that member being someone he or she clearly isn't. But it almost never goes beyond that, except maybe in extreme cases (*cough* *wheeze* Icewhiz *cough*).
But not to worry, over the past 17+ years, neutral Wikipedians have cleaned up that promotional garbage, so that it now reads:The Krönleins have a long and strong brewing tradition of six generations of brewers. This tradition gives Krönleins a unique position in the Swedish brewing industry today. Not only do the Krönleins savour that tradition but also think ahead and use new technology to communicate with the market.
The Krönleins have a long and strong brewing tradition of six generations of brewers. This tradition gives Krönleins a unique position in the Swedish brewing industry today. Not only do the Krönleins savor that tradition but also think ahead and use new technology to communicate with the market.
