Wikipedia talk:Sockpuppet investigations/SPI/Clerks

Clerks' Noticeboard

Trainee/clerking interest and discussion

Active requests

Do you need more clerks?

I noticed there's a big backlog of closed cases. Does the noticeboard need more clerks? Maybe I can facilitate if so, through The Signpost. Let me know if you want this. ☆ Bri (talk) 17:42, 11 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The backlog of closed cases is not worrying, but we could use more active clerks to handle open cases. I think the pool of editors who are interested, able to commit to it, and fulfilling criteria to be accepted is fairly small. An article at The Signpost could have the effect of just attracting a bunch of candidates that are rejected, which would be quite frustrating for them. On the other hand, if it managed to motivate even just one viable candidate, it would make it worthwhile. Also active admins would generally be good clerks, but I think it's unusual for admins to consider being SPI clerks... It'd be great to hear other opinions here. MarioGom (talk) 08:11, 28 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It would also be awesome to have some clerks who speak Chinese, Bangla or Hindi, but that's even a smaller pool. MarioGom (talk) 08:15, 28 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@MarioGom: a long time ago, I was very active at NPP, which in turn made me active at SPI. I can speak/read Hindi, and Marathi. But I am not sure if I want become a clerk for now. —usernamekiran (talk) 20:29, 28 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Good to know. Best, KevinL (aka L235 · t · c) 00:20, 29 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@L235: sorry, my previous comment was sort of ambiguous. A couple of years ago, I was giving it a serious thought. But currently, my interests have shifted a little, and I'm confused regarding being a clerk. —usernamekiran (talk) 08:38, 30 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I was a clerk a long time ago and I could speak & write Chinese. But SPI clerking is such a thankless task and a time sink that I don't know if I ever want to get back in on it. One bad read on duck test and you get hauled to AN where people demand you to hand in your bits unless you come up with a strong justification. OhanaUnited^{Talk page} 04:33, 31 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have some command over Bangla and Hindi, while I don't think I have the on-wiki experience yet to be a clerk, consider me interested in helping out. :) Sohom (talk) 12:26, 2 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Sohom is a talented volunteer MediaWiki developer and very pleasant to interact with. Would make a great clerk once they've amassed enough experience :) –Novem Linguae (talk) 20:14, 2 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Where have all the administrators gone? apparently encouraged three candidates to come forth. I can't remember the last time we've had three RFAs running at the same time. If The Signpost could do the same for SPI, that would be wonderful. I'll also note that as much as we need more clerks, we also need (perhaps even more so) more admins working SPI. Admins who are also clerks would be ideal, but non-clerk admins are almost as valuable.

And for people who are thinking of RFA but aren't sure if they qualify, historically being an active SPI clerk has been a reliable road to smooth sailing at RFA. RoySmith (talk) 15:03, 28 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Also, non-admin clerks at SPI are, rightfully, a very strong pipeline to RfA. The community has historically recognized that SPI clerks have very strong uses for the tools (particularly in viewing deleted content, in blocking socks, and in deleting G5s). KevinL (aka L235 · t · c) 19:48, 28 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry I didn't see this conversation had proceeded before the latest issue of The Signpost went out today. I've started something in News and notes for the next one. By the way, is archiving closed cases a one-click process with the spihelper.js script, or does it require more? ☆ Bri (talk) 04:21, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Bri It is indeed a one-click process, but only SPI clerks and CUs are allowed to do that per WP:SPI/PROC RoySmith (talk) 14:06, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

While it is technically a one-click process, it involves a last review of the case. Some loose ends are occasionally fixed at that stage. That is why it is not automated. MarioGom (talk) 21:20, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

In fact, when I train clerk trainees, one of the first things we discuss is the (fairly large) set of things that they should double-check before archiving it. For some SPIs, the archive stage is the only double-check from a clerk or CU, as non-clerk admins can adjudicate and close cases. Best, KevinL (aka L235 · t · c) 00:11, 7 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Bri: Thanks for putting together the announcement. I think Any user in good standing is considered qualified to apply needs some editing. While any user in good standing can apply, not everyone is qualified, and I think it is quite common for applications to be rejected. So perhaps the announcement should link to Wikipedia:Advice for prospective SPI clerks to help in self-assessment. MarioGom (talk) 21:23, 6 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have experience using CheckUser to identify and block sockpuppets on other wikis (with first hand experience dealing with User:A Den Jentyl Ettien Avel Dysklyver and similar tricky sockmasters) and would be willing to train as a clerk, as long as the community is okay with someone who comes and goes as an editor serving in such capacity. I come forth realizing that sockpuppet investigations on Wikipedia is inherently more complex than on smaller wikis due to the volume of visitors on Wikipedia. PCHS-NJROTC ^{(Messages)Have a blessed day.} 23:59, 11 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I am fluent in several Indian languages, including Hindi, and I am also active at SPI. If you need a clerk, please let me know. – DreamRimmer (talk) 18:03, 12 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@DreamRimmer: Not quite how it works. They don't come to you, ask, and you choose; you go to them, ask, and they decide :) ——Serial 15:10, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@Serial Number 54129: Already did at Special:Permalink/1202349757#DreamRimmer. – DreamRimmer (talk) 15:17, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@DreamRimmer: good work pal :) ——Serial 17:10, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Merge needed

Can a Clerk please merge Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Specialkay12, which I created yesterday, to Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/Priscilla 223? Izno pointed out the possibility of a connection and I do see overlap not only in ranges used, but on one specific IP from the logs.-- Ponyo^{bons mots} 23:17, 29 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Done. Spicy (talk) 01:05, 30 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Cheers Spicy; you're a star!-- Ponyo^{bons mots} 17:34, 30 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Editor interaction utility

@The Earwig and Σ: What happened with the Editor interaction utility? It's not working any more? Vanjagenije (talk) 23:09, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

When you click on the tool, it has a link to an ongoing shutdown of toolforge tools.--Bbb23 (talk) 23:12, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Technically not a shutdown, just a migration in how the tools need to be set up & managed. How simple it is to switch EIA over to the new setup I don't know... firefly ( t · c ) 23:14, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, but apparently if the maintainer(s) of a particular tool aren't actively maintaining the utility, they are disabling the tool...as they did here. It sounds like for this tool we need to find someone to take over the maintenance AND migrate it.--Bbb23 (talk) 23:19, 20 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Maybe @The Earwig can just migrate it to wikitech:Help:Toolforge/Jobs framework, which is the goal of these tool "shutdowns" (to get people to migrate). –Novem Linguae (talk) 01:14, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Interested parties can follow the dicussion here: phab:T320041. (Thanks, Novem, for the poke. Vanjagenije, unfortunately I didn't receive your initial ping; the notifications system doesn't notify people if you change your comment after saving it – there must be a new signature.) — The Earwig (talk) 03:46, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

got it back up. still needs to do ~~afdstats and~~ the rest. 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me) 06:03, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Shutting perfectly decent systems down when there’s little chance that someone will move it to kubernetes seems unwise. Zippybonzo | talk | contribs (he|she|they) 07:50, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have not worked with the grid engine extensively, but the reasons for this deprecation can be found in this blog post. Besides, if there is a need for the tool, then the tool's got to have maintainers. The problem here is that an extension was not requested and no plan was communicated as to when it could get migrated, which resulted in this outage. 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me) 07:55, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

For what it's worth, I maintain sandals which has similar functionality. The feature set is not exactly the same, but you can enter a pipe-separated list of users, click Pages, and you get page overlap report. It includes cross-namespace (e.g. main vs talk page) and cross-wiki overlaps. It has a lot of rough edges, and some features will simply crash for users with high edit counts, but it has been my main tool for SPI work for quite some time. MarioGom (talk) 00:30, 3 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

0xDeadbeef appointed trainee clerk

I'm pleased to welcome @0xDeadbeef to the SPI team as a trainee clerk under myself. Welcome to the team Beef! Moneytrees🏝️(Talk) 17:34, 16 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@0xDeadbeef I don't know why I didn't see this earlier, but let me be the first to offer belated congratulations. Welcome to the team, and may your sock drawer be overflowing. RoySmith (talk) 15:24, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Congrats! Happy SPI clerking

. Dreamy Jazz ^{talk to me | my contributions} 23:39, 21 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks all. 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me) 04:13, 22 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Welcome to the team! Time for me to come back as well I guess. --qedk (t 愛 c) 19:40, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Quick guide for administrators

We could use more patrolling admins at SPI but I've often heard people say that they aren't sure where to start. I've tried my hand at writing an informal guide that is more accessible than the administrators' instructions: User:Spicy/SPI quick guide. I'm interested in hearing others' thoughts - is this useful? Too long? Redundant? Horrible and should be deleted? Thanks, Spicy (talk) 12:00, 23 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I think this is quite informative, though I have patrolled SPI for some time already. Might it be better to advertise this to people who haven't dealt with SPI before and see what questions they might have about SPI? 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me) 09:01, 25 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Removing Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/SPI/Clerk training

Moneytrees told me that this page is mostly historical, and the current process is that trainee clerks get promoted to full clerks after exhibiting good judgment for some time. We already seem to have correct information here: Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/SPI/Clerks#Becoming a trainee clerk: traineeship is usually for an extended period, until the Checkusers (at the recommendation of a clerk) feel the trainee's track record demonstrates sufficient judgment and experience to be relied upon without supervision.

We should remove the historical training page from {{SPI navigation}}, or turn it into a redirect to the section. 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me) 09:11, 25 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like no one objected.

Implemented by removing the link in the navigation template. 0xDeadbeef→∞ (talk to me) 14:56, 2 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Can I request an SPI / Hacked account request of myself?

I am planning to come back to editing after an extended hiatus, historically I do not avoid editing pages where emotions can run high and misunderstandings are not as infrequent as we may like. I am also moving to another country in the immediate future, which might complicate SPI / hacked account investigations later. As such I am requesting confirmation that there is evidence that the person making this edit is likely the same person as who has made the previous edits connected to my account. Sorry for the OS change, I will make amends some time in the future ;) u n☯mi 11:14, 13 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Realized I had VPN on originally. u n☯mi 11:36, 13 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

No. Spicy (talk) 13:28, 13 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This should do, thanks and have a fantastic day! u n☯mi 16:20, 13 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]