User talk:Personalinformation

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PersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformationPersonalinformation

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[edit] Please stop

Please stop telling people they are blocked when they aren't. If you'd like to revert vandalism and educate the person doing it, I can help you with that. But you're actually disrupting our efforts when you post misleading information like that. --barneca (talk) 01:15, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I would stop using that. I don't know the program/script that you're using, but it doesn't help to say you've blocked someone when they aren't actually blocked. It confuses the other people reverting vandalism, and is unlikely to trick the vandal. If you want to know more, ask here, or on my talk page (you can use my normal talk page, it isn't protected). --barneca (talk) 01:24, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
I don't mean to butt in, but there is a whole page full of various templates that can be used in various circumstances at Wikipedia:Template_messages/User_talk_namespace#Multi-level_templates. If you have any questions about how to make them work, ask me or barneca. I should also mention, that your efforts in combating vandalism are very much welcome. --Steven J. Anderson (talk) 01:34, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What to use

Per your question on my talk page, I've got several pieces of advice. Some of it you may not want to hear, but it's been my experience that this approach works. And in case any of this sounds patronizing, let me assure you that Steve Anderson (above) is correct; we do appreciate your help.

  1. Don't rush. Yes, there's a lot of vandalism, but there are also a lot of people reverting it. It isn't a crisis. Once you gain experience, you'll get faster and faster, and can decide which tools to use to help things go smoother. But at the beginning, concentrate on getting it right rather than doing it fast,
  2. Based on this, I'll say what most new vandal fighters don't like hearing: don't use automated tools yet. Do things manually for a while, I promise you'll get a better feel for the ebb and flow and pace of the place, and then moving to an automated tool will help you. Try it too soon, and you end up spending time correcting mistakes.
  3. The page you were using to warn vandals is actually not bad. The problem is, some of the level 4 warnings are acually block warnings; the level numbering system is a little messed up. If you want to keep using it, just read what it's adding to the vandal's talk page before saving, to make sure you aren't claiming they're blocked.
  4. If you run across a vandal who has vandalized after receiving a recent final warning, you can report them to WP:AIV for an admin to block. The key is, they have to be active now, they have to have received a final warning in the last day or so, and need to have vandalized after receiving that warning. You can check timestamps to see if this happened.
  5. Steve Ansderson's advice above is good. I like choosing from all the templates at Wikipedia:Template_messages/User_talk_namespace#Multi-level_templates. After a little bit, the jargon becomes second nature.
  6. I notice you were warning a lot of vandals whose vandalism you didn't revert. If someone reverted them, and then five minutes have gone by and they never warned the user, feel free to add a warning, but its usually considered good practice to let the person who reverted the vandalism have a chance to warn the user.
  7. When you gain more confidence in this, there are lots of tools at WP:CVU to use, but again I suggest you wait a bit before using them. Also, read WP:CVU, WP:VANDAL, and (if I think of other links I'll put them here) for more advice.

Finally, I notice you never got one of these, so let me do the honors:
Welcome!

Hello, Personalinformation, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{helpme}} before the question. Again, welcome! --barneca (talk) 01:48, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Example of what I mean

Someone has pointed out to me that some of your other warnings are little too aggressive too. For example. User:71.201.176.194 was removing unsourced information about a living person from their article; something we actually encourage, per WP:BLP, and he explained why on the talk page. You warned him for blanking content. It pays to take extra care when warning someone for blanking a biography; make sure the info they are removing isn't unsourced negative info. also, you gave User:124.188.148.24‎ a "stop or you'll be blocked" warning after they made some unproductive, but rather tame, edits. That's why there are multiple levels of warnings; a level-1 warning about test edits might have been more friendly. remember, we're trying not to attack new editors who are trying things out. More is at WP:BITE.

Finally, I noticed you removed "warning vandals" from your user page. Don't give up! Just take it easy and slow, you'll get the hang of it. --barneca (talk) 02:06, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] hiccup

looks like you had a little hiccup on Mikierusso's page [1]. He's been blanking his page to get around final warnings. Hopefully he gets blocked for a short time. joshschr (Talk | contribs) 18:40, 20 May 2008 (UTC)