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Global user pages and local messages

I've been contemplating Template:Retired again. The template does get misused ("retirements" by blocked users, meatball:GoodBye declarations), and it's occasionally irritating to see users who make only one or two edits and then announce their "retirement". (Sometimes it's even the sole edit they make here.)

But there's a special problem at Meta-Wiki: Because of Global user pages, you can "retire" from Meta-Wiki and have that banner appear at all the wikis, including wikis where you are still active.

I'm wondering if there's a way to prevent this spillover. Restrict the template to the talk space? Add some noinclude tags? Delete it altogether? WhatamIdoing (talk) 02:52, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Comment @WhatamIdoing:

1. people do retire globally, so that should always be an option
2. are you talking abuse or cluelessness?
3. do people know how to properly edit and coordinate their global user page
   • use of __NOGLOBAL__?
   • use of <noinclude>?
4. might we consider that on every user page that we give some editing instruction for users through a targeted use of Template:Editnotice. There is already a line of text that says This user page will be displayed on other wikis if a local user page does not exist there. [Noting that this message I cannot find in the mediawiki settings for meta.] ]

I will fiddle with {{retired}} and see what we can do with a #switch:.  — billinghurst sDrewth 04:15, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Thanks. I think the __NOGLOBAL__ and options would work for people who are trying to indicate Meta-Wiki only. Maybe those should be on the /doc page for that template? (If they work the way I think they will, I'm willing to write it up, but I don't want to give people incorrect advice.)

In terms of abuse, I would rather that blocked/glocked accounts did not have this template (which implies a voluntary departure), but I'm not sure that it's always quite that simple. WhatamIdoing (talk) 23:27, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees 2024 Selection

You can find this message translated into additional languages on Meta-wiki.

More languages • Please help translate to your language

Dear all,

This year, the term of 4 (four) Community- and Affiliate-selected Trustees on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees will come to an end [1]. The Board invites the whole movement to participate in this year’s selection process and vote to fill those seats.

The Elections Committee will oversee this process with support from Foundation staff [2]. The Board Governance Committee created a Board Selection Working Group from Trustees who cannot be candidates in the 2024 community- and affiliate-selected trustee selection process composed of Dariusz Jemielniak, Nataliia Tymkiv, Esra'a Al Shafei, Kathy Collins, and Shani Evenstein Sigalov [3]. The group is tasked with providing Board oversight for the 2024 trustee selection process, and for keeping the Board informed. More details on the roles of the Elections Committee, Board, and staff are here [4].

Here are the key planned dates:

• May 2024: Call for candidates and call for questions
• June 2024: Affiliates vote to shortlist 12 candidates (no shortlisting if 15 or less candidates apply) [5]
• June-August 2024: Campaign period
• End of August / beginning of September 2024: Two-week community voting period
• October–November 2024: Background check of selected candidates
• Board's Meeting in December 2024: New trustees seated

Learn more about the 2024 selection process - including the detailed timeline, the candidacy process, the campaign rules, and the voter eligibility criteria - on this Meta-wiki page, and make your plan.

Election Volunteers

Another way to be involved with the 2024 selection process is to be an Election Volunteer. Election Volunteers are a bridge between the Elections Committee and their respective community. They help ensure their community is represented and mobilize them to vote. Learn more about the program and how to join on this Meta-wiki page.

Best regards,

Dariusz Jemielniak (Governance Committee Chair, Board Selection Working Group)

[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections/2021/Results#Elected

[2] https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Committee:Elections_Committee_Charter

[3] https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Minutes:2023-08-15#Governance_Committee

[4] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_elections_committee/Roles

[5] Even though the ideal number is 12 candidates for 4 open seats, the shortlisting process will be triggered if there are more than 15 candidates because the 1-3 candidates that are removed might feel ostracized and it would be a lot of work for affiliates to carry out the shortlisting process to only eliminate 1-3 candidates from the candidate list.

MPossoupe_(WMF)19:56, 12 March 2024 (UTC)

Ready for translation: Education Newsletter February 2024

February 2024 education newsletter released for translation. Please help our readers to read education newsletter in their native language. The latest education newsletter is ready for translation: here Newsletter headlines link for translation: here (please translate by March 22, 2024) Individual articles for translation: Category:Education/Newsletter/February 2024. Regards, ZI Jony ^(Talk) 18:26, 20 March 2024 (UTC)

"Blocker" role

Hey! I'm the Master of Hedgehogs, and I'm suggesting a special role, Blocker, for trusted users to be able to block other users. Think like Rollback, but for blocking instead of the rollback function. The Master of Hedgehogs (talk) 13:57, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Username checks out. –SJ talk  04:06, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

What do you mean by "Username checks out" exactly? The Master of Hedgehogs (talk) 13:27, 5 April 2024 (UTC)

obviously I'm not SJ, but as in, your username is "The Master Of Hedgehogs" and you introduced yourself as such. I'm pretty sure it was just a little joke. Leftyy05 - chatbox Leftyy05 (talk) 13:08, 9 April 2024 (UTC)

You mean something like an admin? – Ajraddatz (talk) 14:00, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Nope, this wiki does not have such a role and I'm quite skeptical to having one as well, given that this wiki is not that large and gaining adminship here is generally easy (since we basically promote anyone who is an admin at a larger wiki and is active here at Meta). Some wikis have step-down permissions, such as "eliminator", which does allow blocking, but for this wiki the only way to get access to the blocking tool is an RfA. EPIC (talk) 14:05, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

See also (incomplete) previous discussions for a "global blocker" group:

• Stewards'_noticeboard/Archives/2019-09#Thoughts_on_revitalization_of_Steward_requests/Global
• Wikimedia_Forum/Archives/2020-07#Proposed_new_user_group:_Global_blocker

--GZWDer (talk) 16:12, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Comment I don't like floated requests like this without a user case and a realistic justification.

Why is this request being made? How are the current blocks currently not working? What are all the mechanics that you think should be in place? Please write a proper RfD and present your case and have a little courtesy to the community.  — billinghurst sDrewth 11:18, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Basically, I was asking for a role called "blocker" to allow users with the special permission to block other users, as things like pending changes reviewer, rollback, and page mover exist. Admins can use those tools, and the blocker role acts as one of those types of roles. The Master of Hedgehogs (talk) 14:14, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Installing the Dark mode gadget on Meta

I'd like to install the dark mode gadget here, currently mainly used on en:wp, for those who want to try it. It won't affect anyone who doesn't opt in to using it.

Discussed initially on MW wiki with @MusikAnimal: what do y'all think? –SJ talk  04:07, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

No concerns, given it is opt-in I also have no issues with MusikAnimal going ahead and adding it here right away. – Ajraddatz (talk) 04:27, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Okay, the go-ahead from another admin/steward is enough for me :) Done Although there's no localization, and I don't think we have a way to address that given the messages need to be mirrored in the CSS. Let me know if there are any concerns. Best, — MusikAnimal ^talk 05:07, 2 April 2024 (UTC)