Template talk:Sprotected: Difference between revisions

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{{protection templates}}
== First vandal ==
{{permprot|doc=no}}
{{vandal|JosephBostwick}} is the first vandal of [[George W. Bush]] under semi-protection, and he did so 2 minutes after registering the username. Clearly, the time-delay aspect of semi-protection hasn't been implemented yet.
{{archives}}
 
== Specifying the length of time ==
Probably we should introduce some artificial delays for registering an account... make them do [[captcha]]s and answer skill-testing questions for about 30 to 60 seconds. Something that can't be automated: random skill-testing questions like "how many legs does a dog have?" that any human can answer but would stump a registration bot. This wouldn't be much of an annoyance to actual users, but would raise the hassle factor for throwaway accounts. It's like spam... if you could charge 1 cent per e-mail message, spam becomes uneconomical. Same concept. -- [[User:Curps|Curps]] 11:11, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
: [[Captcha]]s can be defeated, although I doubt the average kiddie vandal is sophisticated enough to get around one. [[User:Can't sleep, clown will eat me|Can't sleep, clown will eat me]] 14:53, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
:: However, can you make a computer solve questions like "how many legs does a dog have?" Just have enough questions, maybe on a MediaWiki namespace page, and a computer can't possibly get through it. [[User:Bart133|Bart133]] 21:05, 6 March 2006 (UTC)
 
I understand the idea that we should not specify the time period necessary to become "an established user" but I don't agree with it. The idea behind semi-protection is to stop spur-of-the-moment drive-by vandalism. It does not and cannot stop determined or sophisticated vandals. Anyone sophisticated enough to get ideas like "Hey, I could build a vandalbot which creates accounts, ages them for four days and then hits semi-protected pages en masse" is sophisticated enough and interested enough in Wikipedia to get that idea regardless of the wording of this template. To me the idea of having a vague or cryptic message here is [[security through obscurity]], a principle which doesn't really make sense for an open project like Wikipedia.
==Wording of the template==
Didn't we all agree that semi-protection also protected against editing by newly-registered accounts? Why does the template read "This page is temporarily protected from being edited by unregistered users" rather than what was discussed on the [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy]] page? [[User:Can't sleep, clown will eat me|Can't sleep, clown will eat me]] 14:51, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
:Because of an unintentional bug in the implementation that is being worked on. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 15:28, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 
I think that words like "only established users can edit it" sound like semi-protection is ''way'' more restrictive than it actually is, making it sound like only a small elite can edit. The truth is that almost any user account is good enough to edit semi-protected pages and we shouldn't shy away from telling this to potential contributors. If people think "I'll just get an account and then I can edit this page in a few days" then that's ''good'', not bad. [[User:Haukurth|Haukur]] 16:13, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
== Changes to the template ==
Dan100, I think we need to discuss it if you want to make changes. What is here is what was agreed for the 103 to 4 vote on this. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 15:48, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:If the choice is between (a) inadvertantly alienating real newbies, or (b) inadvertantly educating the vandals (I'm not going to bother explaining my position on that spectrum), I'd suggest reverting back to the text-free floating icon version. — <small>Jul. 2, '06</small><span style="font-family: monospace, monospace;"> '''[14:55] <<u class=plainlinks>[{{fullurl:user:freakofnurture}} freak]&#124;[{{fullurl:user talk:freakofnurture|action=edit&section=new}} talk]</u>>'''</span>
I reverted the changes you made, because what we had there was what was agreed to by a 103-4 vote. If you want changes made, let's discuss it at [[Template:Sprotected]], ok? "This is going to be on alot of pages". Maybe, maybe not. I don't think we know yet. I just don't like making changes before it's fully bugfree and implemented. Anyway, let's discuss it. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 15:54, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
:a) That vote was on the policy, not the template (of course)
:b) I did not change the wording, only the design
 
::It is a little bit pointless to suppose that anyone determined enough to make a bot or go to even the most minimal length to work around semiprotection is not going to take the 10 seconds to read the first line or two of [[WP:SEMI]]. Particularly when both the icon and the text-box version necessarily link to that page! If we are alienating real newbies, we should rework the entire policy and its implementation. We have bigger problems than vandals, despite the impression one might get from spending long periods in the CVU IRC channel. -[[User:Splash|Splash]] - [[User talk:Splash|tk]] 14:06, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
I therefore don't see your edit as valid. But see below now... [[User:Dan100|Dan100]] ([[User talk:Dan100|Talk]]) 16:11, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 
==Too bigProtection==
Splash, you reverted to a previous version then protected, which we're not supposed to do, so I've unprotected, but I'm not sure how to proceed. What was your reason for reverting? [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 03:15, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
In my opinion, this banner is too large, if it is to be used for extended periods of time. One good reason to semi-protect a page is to prevent vandalism after specific media attention draws a lot of readers, and vandalism, but the current banner feels hostile and defeatist.
Also, the text feels restrictive, when it should be inclusive.
 
:[[Wikipedia:Protection_policy]] says that editing a protected page is justifiable when the edit is "Reverting to an old version of the page from a week or so before the controversy started if there is a clear point before the controversy." I would guess it is this clause that Splash had in mind. [[User:Haukurth|Haukur]] 08:00, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
My proposal:
 
::That should be reworded, because what it's trying to refer to is situations where it would be bad to leave the material on the page for some reason. Where it's a simple content dispute between two equally acceptable versions, admins are not allowed to choose one version and then protect. Also, the part of the policy you pointed to is discussing an admin editing a protected page after it has been protected, not reverting then protecting. [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 08:41, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
{| class="messagebox" id="sprotected"
| valign="center" | [[Image:Lock-icon.jpg|35px| ]]
|style="font-size:85%;"|'''Editing this page is temporarily [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|restricted]] to [[Special:Userlogin|registered]] users in order to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|deal with vandalism]]'''. <br />Please discuss changes on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|}
 
:::People are going to have to make up their minds either to have the small symbols and have the template on articles, or to have the words and have it on talk pages, but we can't have these very intrusive tags on articles that are continuously protected, or protected in the long-term, because they're very ugly. [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 08:44, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
-- [[User:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 15:58, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
:Yes, that is quite nice. Can I also suggest shrinking the lock to 25px, or getting rid of it altogether? -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 15:59, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:::I think that whether you revert first or protect first when you intend to do both is not an important distinction. I think that the clause I quoted from the policy page is indeed meant to refer to exactly the sort of case we have here - the case you have in mind, where one version is unacceptable, is the point below: "Reverting to a favored version." I do, of course, agree that Splash protected the ''wrong version'' - he should have protected one of mine! :) [[User:Haukurth|Haukur]] 09:11, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
::We should come up with a logo that we can use for S-P only. Any ideas? I like using an icon. But yeah, that wording is better, I admit. :) --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 16:03, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:I dealt with this particular accusation and explained myself in the section above. It was the right thing to do (and I thought obviously allowed both by common practise and the part of the policy that Haukurth cites - it's meaning pretty clear - do note that I very clearly stated why I reverted to that particular version). -[[User:Splash|Splash]] - [[User talk:Splash|tk]] 12:01, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
{| class="messagebox" id="sprotected"
| valign="center" | [[Image:Lock-icon.jpg|25px| ]]
|style="font-size:85%;"|'''Editing this page is temporarily [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|restricted]] to [[Special:Userlogin|registered]] users in order to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|deal with vandalism]]'''. <br />Please discuss changes on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|}
 
::Most revert wars are about an edit that someone regards as controversial, so that sentence in the policy would allow any admin to revert and protect whenever they wanted to. We're really not supposed to do it. [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 18:40, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
How about that? --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 16:04, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
:::Not when the full sentence is involved:
::::''Reverting to an old version of the page from a week or so before the controversy started if there is a clear point before the controversy''
:::Is there a clear point before the controversy? Check.
:::Is it about a week old? Check.
:::I had not participated in the reversion sessions nor in any relevant way on the talk page; I don't care whether it is iconfied or not. Yes, I had edited the template prior to the iconification, but that's just because that's how the template was(!) before we try to tie me up in that one. There are a good number of controversial articles (those to do with Eastern Europe spring to mind) where there is no clear point before the controversy that would not involve a large-scale revert back over a lengthy period of time. In those cases, it would be impractical (at best) to revert, and that part of the policy would really not be useful or appropriate. It is natural that you should think I chose my preferred version and then reverted to it: this is the essence of the well-known page relating to the wrongness of the protected version; but admins shouldn't fall into the trap of complaining about that. -[[User:Splash|Splash]] - [[User talk:Splash|tk]] 19:51, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
 
::::I have no idea what your preferred version is, so I'm certainly not accusing you of that. What I'm saying is that, when you arrive to protect a page, you should protect it on the version you find it, unless there are strong reasons not to do so e.g. vandalism, libel, something offensive etc. [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 20:03, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
I prefer this:
 
== In support of the status quo ==
{| class="messagebox" id="sprotected"
| valign="center" | This page is temporarily [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|protected]] from being edited by [[Special:Userlogin|unregistered]] users in order to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|deal with vandalism]]. Please discuss changes on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|}
 
I disagree with having to choose between moving a large box to talk pages and shrinking the box to an icon. I see several considerations here:
It's simply less cluttered, less ugly. (The wording is, of course, identical). [[User:Dan100|Dan100]] ([[User talk:Dan100|Talk]]) 16:12, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
:I really do actually quite like the wording suggested above. It's less of a kludge from {vprotect} and the grammar is smoother, not to mention the use of the word "restricted" being better. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 17:12, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
::Also, gotta remember Dan100 that we need it to be at least a little eye catching, even if it's a long term template. I've learned that on RfP. If the banners aren't big enough, people don't notice them and the purpose is defeated. We have huge warnings on the RfP page for people not to use the page for edit disputes but guess what people use it for? Fine line. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 23:49, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 
* Prevent confusion/frustration - Reducing the visibility of the box will definitely increase confusion and frustration. New editors are the lifeblood of the project, and it is important to make the site as friendly as possible to them. At the very least, the title "view source" tab must be changed if this box is de-emphasized.
:I've reduced the size of my version to 35px (25px seems a bit cramped, to me). I'll agree with finding/creating a more fitting icon (though the template deserves an icon if it is to be used for extended periods of time), but would like to see the current template changed as soon as possible. -- [[User:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 00:39, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
* Improve aesthetics - I don't think it's particularly ugly. It's a little glaring, but then, that's the point. If it wasn't glaring, you wouldn't notice it.
::It's not clear how to introduce the fact that it is restricted to editors who are not unregistered or very new without kludging the grammar. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 12:20, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
* Transparency - "Citizens alarmed at sign indicating their freedoms are being abridged. Recommended solution: remove sign." OK, editing Wikipedia is not civil right, but I think the project would definitely get negative style points for looking like it's trying to be sneaky. Especially since as people have mentioned, it contradicts the "anyone can edit" reputation and PR.
:::Duh, obviously it's '''Editing this page is temporarily restricted to registered users with accounts older than 4 days.....''' since that is how it wound up getting implemented. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 12:34, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
* Separate content from scaffolding - This information is not irrelevant to readers. It is an interesting piece to know that this article apparently covers a controversial topic (that actually makes the article content seem a little more enticing) and that it has been fought over. It should put them a bit on guard - this article is not subject to the same processes as other articles, because not everyone who sees a mistake can just fix it. Then again, it may increase confidence in the project, because it shows that we're actively monitoring our content. Every reader is a potential editor, and it is useful to steer them toward the talk page because the normal process is broken for these pages.
* Help reduce overprotection - I'm an admin, and when I come across protected or semi-protected pages, I sometimes examine the talk page and history to see if it's still warranted. Having easily-noticed signs on protected articles is healthy for the project for this reason. I've seen many notice on talk pages that get quite out of sync with the article page, because people don't bother to cross-check.
 
In short, after considering Jimbo's suggestion, I think the current version of the template is best. -- [[User:Beland|Beland]] 00:46, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
Woohoo, c'mon, the fact that there's a gurt big rectangle above the article is eye-catching! But really it doesn't need to be - IPs will find out they can't edit as soon as they try, even if they have managed to miss the box :-). Comparing this to RfP is comparing apples to oranges, as that's an instruction and this is information. BTW Why does it ''need'' an icon? [[User:Dan100|Dan100]] ([[User talk:Dan100|Talk]]) 14:13, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
 
== A nicer icon ==
:Um. Not sure that the protected template is an instruction. It's also informational. As for the icon, we need something eye catching, especially since this covers new accounts as well as IPs. We want to make sure that people with new accounts know that eventually, they will be able to edit the page. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 00:26, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
Perhaps a picture of a shield, or a suit of armour, might be a nicer way to say 'protected'? Regards, [[User talk:BenAveling|Ben Aveling]] 02:15, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
==Bug is fixed!==
I am going to change the template to add "newer accounts". We can change it again later. But SP is working now. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 01:42, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
:Why not change the wording as well? -- [[User:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 09:39, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
 
== Potential edit war over two different versions of the template. ==
==Template suggestions==
 
There's now an imminent edit war between two versions of the template; [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Sprotected&oldid=72269260 this one] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Sprotected&oldid=72248816 this one]. I've improved on the Silver padlock icon, But, {{user|TheM62Manchester}} has reverted it saying it looks ugly. In my opinion, the silver padlock is an unlocked padlock which represents the article as unlocked to some, it also matches the color scheme of the template box and the other templates. I used the silver padlock since it has a more accurate symbol than a large gold lock, used on fully protected articles. I'm open for any input on this before [[WP:3RR]] gets involved. --[[User:Lbmixpro|LBMixPro]] [[User talk:Lbmixpro|<sup>&lt;Sp</sup>]][[Wikipedia:Esperanza|<span style="color:#0c0;"><sup>e</sup></span>]][[User talk:Lbmixpro|<sup>ak|</sup>]][[WP:CCD|<span style="color:#0cc;"><sup>o</sup></span>]][[User talk:Lbmixpro|<sup>n|it!&gt;</sup>]]
I suggest:
{| class="messagebox" id="sprotected"
| valign="center" | [[Image:Lock-icon.jpg|35px| ]]
|style="font-size:85%;"|'''Editing this page is temporarily [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|restricted]] to [[Special:Userlogin|registered]] users with accounts older than 4 days in order to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|deal with vandalism]]'''. Please discuss changes on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|}
 
:The silver padlock icon is only licensed under the [[GNU Lesser Public License|LGPL]], as a [[:Image:Crystal 128 password.png|key image]] which was used on this template in the skin version is. We perhaps don't recommend using it, because of different licensing issues. We probably use any icon that is part of the GFDL. -- [[User:ADNghiem501|ADNghiem501]] 02:22, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
Note the smaller (35px) lock. -- [[User:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 12:52, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
 
Firstly the "new" icon is not an improvement but a disimprovement. Secondly the text runs all over the place and throws the box into a mess. I've reverted to the standard text and standard icon. [[User:Jtdirl|<span style="color:green; background-color:pink">'''Fear''ÉIREANN'''''</span>]][[Image:Ireland-up.png|15px]]\[[User talk:Jtdirl|<sup style="color:blue;">(caint)</sup>]] 02:12, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
:Looks good to me. Let's try it! [[User:Dan100|Dan100]] ([[User talk:Dan100|Talk]]) 14:14, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:I've tried for something in the middle, shorter, while still being explicit. I've left the copper icon. I think the silver is prettier, but I prefer closed to open, given that padlocks can't really be half open. Regards, [[User talk:BenAveling|Ben Aveling]] 03:13, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
::I agree. the current template as of my comment looks as though it's saying that only really new members are allowed to edit it, when it means to say that only "well-known" members or accounts older than 4 days can edit it. --[[User:Motmajor|ymmotrojam]] 23:58, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
 
::The new silver icon looks bad on Mozilla Firefox. --[[User:TheM62Manchester|TheM62Manchester]] 15:19, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
==Lock image is ugly==
The "lock" image extends outside the box, and it distracts from the actual article. I like the proposal above that gets rid of it. [[User:Ashibaka|Ashibaka]] <small>[[User talk:Ashibaka|tock]]</small> 05:01, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
::A silver icon is not identifiable on a white background. Not bothered whether it is open or shut, as long as it is visible. -- [[User:Zzuuzz|zzuuzz]] <sup>[[User_talk:Zzuuzz|(talk)]]</sup> 15:55, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
==Why is this page protected?==
 
I like of the silver padlock because it's semi-protected. [[User:FML|<span style="color:green;">FML</span>]] [[Image:IconSP.jpg|16px]] <sup>[[User_talk:FML|<span style="color:blue;">hi</span>]] [[:pt:User:FML|<span style="color:blue;">me at pt</span>]]</sup> 13:50, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
Shouldn't this page be only ''semi''-protected? [[User:Matt Yeager|Matt Yeager]] 09:32, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
== Small font ==
:Agreed, everything that is (currently) permanently protected should be semi-protected instead. —[[User:Locke Cole|Locke Cole]] 09:36, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
What's wrong with smaller font? I can't see any consistency on the two other semi-protection templates I found - one has small font, the other has big font. I personally think big font just looks horrible on this template, and when used on some pages, the first sentence is on two lines (on my monitor), and the second line has only one word on it. <sub>[[User:J Di|J Di]]</sub><sup>[[User talk:J Di|talk]]</sup> 21:46, 6 September 2006 (UTC)
==Lock icon==
As a side note, I've uploaded an 8-bit transparent version of the lock icon used (maybe it's just me, but the white background on the JPEG makes a barely noticeable box around it when used on the template).. I'd like to propose using this PNG as a replacement for the JPEG. Here's two samples–
:<div style="background-color: red; padding: 1em; width: 80px">[[Image:lock-icon.png]]</div>
:<div style="background-color: black; padding: 1em; width: 80px">[[Image:lock-icon.png]]</div>
—[[User:Locke Cole|Locke Cole]] 10:01, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
== Not mentioning the time period, but ==
Looks good to me. I agree, I don't like the white box around the icon. - [[User:Brian Kendig|Brian Kendig]] 14:48, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
If you're not signed in, clicking View Source (where Edit This Page normally is) tells you "if it is semi-protected, any registered user with an account older than four days can do so." on the View Source page. If we're trying not to advertise the time period on sprotected pages... it doesn't make sense to me. It's mentioned where one would normally click Edit this page, and it's a new tab for users who haven't come across an s/protected page before, which means they're likely to click it. [[User:TransUtopian|TransUtopian]] 13:52, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
:Why not just upload it as a .png? That way, you can have a transparent background... (see the WP logo). -[[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">Mys</font>]][[WP:EA|'''''<font color="green">e</font>''''']][[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">kurity</font>]]<sup>([[WP:SPP|<font color="gray">have you seen this?</font>]])</sup> 03:13, 25 December 2005 (UTC)
:I changed it. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 14:53, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
::I just clicked View Source on an sprotected page I hadn't visited with the IE browser (and cleared my cache beforehand), and it says
 
{{cquote|View source
::Er.. that's what I did. Or am I misunderstanding? —[[User:Locke Cole|Locke Cole]] 14:16, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
for Steve Irwin
 
This page is either protected or semi-protected.
== Confusing wording? ==
 
*If the page is fully protected, only administrators can edit it; if it is semi-protected, any registered user with an account older than four days can do so.
Right now the template reads: ''Editing of this page is temporarily restricted to registered users (other than new accounts) in order to deal with vandalism.'' To me, the parenthetical comment appears to be saying: "Editing is restricted to registered users, unless you're a new account," which is the opposite of what it means. I'm going to edit it in an attempt to simplify and clarify, and also to fix a problem I'm seeing in Safari where the lock icon appears to be falling out of the box (the box is too short for it, and so the bottom of the icon is below the bottom of the box). - [[User:Brian Kendig|Brian Kendig]] 14:47, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
*Why some pages are protected
:I agree... the parenthesis have been removed, but I still find the wording a bit odd. The last sentence is awkward, but okay-enough, but I think we should emphasize the positive more on the part about new users (though I can't think of anything now, and as an admin, I can't really make changes while it's protected, unless it's for someone else). In any event, Happy Holidays to all, and to all a goodnight. -[[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">Mys</font>]][[WP:EA|'''''<font color="green">e</font>''''']][[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">kurity</font>]]<sup>([[WP:SPP|<font color="gray">have you seen this?</font>]])</sup> 03:21, 25 December 2005 (UTC)
*Discuss this page with others or request unprotection
 
HereYou arecan aview fewand areas ofcopy the wordingsource that Iof don'tthis likepage:}}
::Did someone change it back? Also, am I correct that only admins can change the View Source dialog? [[User:TransUtopian|TransUtopian]] 15:18, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
:::It was reverted, you can bring it up at it at [[MediaWiki talk:Protectedtext]]. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 00:05, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
 
== Print a Page ==
*"In order to ...": What's in order about it? Why not just say "To..."?
*"... deal with vandalism...": How is this "dealing"? It's more like "avoiding" vandalism! I think saying "In response to vandalism" would be more accurate, and show that pages are not protected pre-emptively.
*"... editing is restricted to...": I can never remember - if something is restricted to X, does that mean X is prevented from doing it, or X is the only one who can do it?
*"... logged-in users, other than new users...": It's not about the users, it's about the accounts.
 
You have this Template on the page self, no problem.
- [[User:Brian Kendig|Brian Kendig]] 04:54, 25 December 2005 (UTC)
 
But why do you print it?
== Centering ==
 
Or better:
Should this template not be centered like every other one on Wikipedia? --[[User:Comics|Comics]] 21:41, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
 
Why don't you use
== Template looks ugly ==
<nowiki><div class="noprint"></nowiki>
<nowiki></div></nowiki>
this feature?
 
When I print a Wikipedia site, I don't want do see things like this and it doesn't look profesional.
This template looks very ugly on 1024x768 resolution. There are three lines, and the only word on the second line is "new". I suggest something like this:
 
-- [[User:MichaelFrey|MichaelFrey]] 18:06, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
{| class="messagebox protected" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:8pt;"
:Okay. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 19:17, 23 September 2006 (UTC)
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|In order to deal with [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], '''editing of this page is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily restricted]]'''<br />to users who are [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]]to an account that is not new.<br/> Please [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discuss changes]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
==Overuse==
Or, perhaps, make it fit on two lines. -- [[User:RattleMan|RattleMan]] 01:46, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
I'm sad to look at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Whatlinkshere&target=Template%3ASprotected what links here] showing around 700 entries, is there any policy on the limits to use of protection (time limit, limits on reasons for using, etc.)? I have an [[Wikipedia WP]] account but I prefer to edit anonymously and it's one of the things I think makes WP such a huge success, the new protection policies seem to be a way of eroding that.
 
:There's no official limit, per se, but articles should generally be unprotected as soon as possible and reasonable. We're committed to making Wikipedia as open as possible, and semiprotection was a way to reduce the number of fully protected pages. If you see a page which you think can (and should be) unprotected, please feel free to request the unprotection at [[WP:RfPP]], or even drop a note on the talk page; admins sometimes forget to go back and unprotect some articles after a while. Thanks! [[User:Flcelloguy|Flcelloguy]] <small>([[User talk:Flcelloguy|A <span style="color:brown;">note?</span>]])</small> 21:18, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
:Well said! It's ugly on my screen, too. Not only that, the wording is ugly, though there's no easy way around that. [[User:Matt Yeager|Matt Yeager]] 01:54, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:Most are unprotected within a week. In general, they are checked and unprotected after about a month, but are usually unprotected before that by people at the article or on request. Note also that 700 out of 1.4 million is pretty good. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 21:45, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
{| class="messagebox protected" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:8pt;"
::700 pages may "link here" but that includes discsussion pages, project pages referencing this, etc. There are only 407 pages in [[:Category:Semi-protected]] (normally added by this template), and this template is only '''transcluded''' onto 380 total pages. So ~400 is closer to the total. — [[User:Xaosflux|<span style="color:#FF9933; font-weight:bold; font-family:monotype; font-size:larger;">xaosflux</span>]] [[User_talk:Xaosflux|<sup style="color:#00FF00;">Talk</sup>]] 00:22, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
|-
:::I occasionally go through the aforementioned category and can remove the protection template from up to 10 per cent of the articles there at a time, because (usually) newbies have used the template on unprotected pages thinking it applies protection. You should factor that in. There is also usually a few user pages using the template when they shouldn't. On the other hand there seems to be ''quite a few'' semi-protected pages which do not use the template. -- [[User:Zzuuzz|zzuuzz]] <sup>[[User_talk:Zzuuzz|(talk)]]</sup> 01:49, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
::::They are still listed at [[WP:PP]]. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 02:44, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
|align="left"|In order to deal with [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], '''editing of this page is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily restricted]]''' to users who are [[Special:Userlogin|logged in]]to an account that is not new.<br/> Please [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discuss changes]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
And we are in the process of unprotecting old ones at the moment, so this was at a high ebb. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 01:29, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
|-
:::::Prompted by this, I cleared about 10-20 pages a lit'l while ago. — [[User:Xaosflux|<span style="color:#FF9933; font-weight:bold; font-family:monotype; font-size:larger;">xaosflux</span>]] [[User_talk:Xaosflux|<sup style="color:#00FF00;">Talk</sup>]] 03:07, 3 October 2006 (UTC)
|}
 
== Spanish ==
Well if we remove the br you added to make it three lines... and change the aligment on the text to left align... it works at 1024x768. &nbsp;[[User:Alkivar|<font color="#FA8605">'''ALKIVAR'''</font>]][[User_talk:Alkivar|&trade;]][[Image:Radioactive.png|18px|]] 01:54, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
Add [[es:template:Sprotected]]
 
:Has been added; thanks. [[User:Flcelloguy|Flcelloguy]] <small>([[User talk:Flcelloguy|A <span style="color:brown;">note?</span>]])</small> 02:58, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
:No, that's three lines. The problem still remains. [[User:Matt Yeager|Matt Yeager]] 01:55, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
==Only "established" users==
==Umm... really... why IS this page protected?==
How is this true? I just witnessed a user with only 4 edits with manage to contribute to [[SSBB]] [[User:FullMetal Falcon|FullMetal Falcon]] 02:58, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
:It is done by the date the account was created. It might make sense to add a requirement for the number of edits too, but that might increase junk edits. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 03:03, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
:The template says "newly registered" not "established". —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 03:04, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
::Isn't that basically the same? It's stated above the semi-protected article that's being edited. [[User:FullMetal Falcon|FullMetal Falcon]] 20:58, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
:::"Newly" is specifically about time; "established" can be interpreted to be something different than related to time. "Established" is what is used to positively assert that "established users are allowed; "new" is what is used to negatively assert that "new users are not allowed". These are not contiguous meanings; what do you suggest instead of "established" for the positive one? "Old" and "Non-new" are not good. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 22:20, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
 
== Recent changes ==
Seriously. The template's ugly; that's the general consensus. Why are we stopping people from improving it by putting in full protection? [[User:Matt Yeager|Matt Yeager]] 02:04, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
I thought I explained the changes pretty well. The template was smaller, less obtrusive for an encyclopedia that does have ''readers'', a simpler explanation that did not have needless self-references, and divided options for action from that explanation. Which of the changes did you object to? —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 06:48, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
:Publicity ... templates are easy targets for vandals to stick a penis in and make it show up on multiple pages. As such most high visibility templates are full protected. &nbsp;[[User:Alkivar|<font color="#FA8605">'''ALKIVAR'''</font>]][[User_talk:Alkivar|&trade;]][[Image:Radioactive.png|18px|]] 02:11, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
:To be honest, the new configuration might confuse readers. Here's my objections:
:#Sprotection, if I'm not mistaken, is only supposed to be used to head off vandalism. See [[WP:SPP]]. In practice, the only other time I can think of it being used is to head off edit-warring with IP addresses, which usually are sockpuppets violating 3RR, thus a form of [[WP:vandalism|vandalism]].
:#This is the most important point: a reader will not know ''why'' he/she cannot edit an article. They will only know that some of the more important articles are off limits. A new editor probably ought to be told ''why'' he/she can't edit the article, to avoid confusion. We don't need to baby new users and refuse to tell them the whole story because the word "vandalism" might be uncivil; as a new user, I would consider it a ''greater'' offense to not be told why I couldn't edit a page, then not be told on the grounds that I might be offended by such a term. In any case, I don't see how it's uncivil to say "this article has been vandalized". Even our subtle template message (e.g., [[:Template:test2]]) use the term vandalism. You see my point?-[[User:Patstuart|Patstuart]]<sup>[[User_talk:Patstuart|(talk)]][[Special:contributions/Patstuart|(contribs)]]</sup> 11:00, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 
I´m absolutely convinced of the new template format by Centrx.It´s and slim less obstrusive.
::It's high visibility, but no more so than, say, [[George W. Bush]]--that's only semi-protected. Tons of templates aren't protected, by the way--why is this one so much more more special? (Especially when it's so in need of improvement?) [[User:Matt Yeager|Matt Yeager]] 02:16, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
The reader does not need reasons for a disabled page,especially not in a head line.
I´m even opposed having this template at the front page. It would be more useful at the
discussion page or better on the editpage itself. all the best [[User:Lear 21|Lear 21]] 11:18, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
:Perhaps you could address my second point, which is that it's confusing to readers. -[[User:Patstuart|Patstuart]]<sup>[[User_talk:Patstuart|(talk)]][[Special:contributions/Patstuart|(contribs)]]</sup> 11:22, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 
It is even more confusing having this template as headline in the first place.
:::It's semi protected, not full protected. If you want to improve it, go ahead. You can. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 03:19, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
Probably more than 95% of the users are just readers, who don´t want or even need to know
what kind of technical status an article is in. To minimize the template as much as possible is
the most urgent priority. all the best [[User:84.189.108.242|84.189.108.242]] 14:16, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
:I agree, it is ugly and is a pain for administrators to add and remove. The reasons given for having it have been that editors would be confused at not seeing an "edit this page" tab at top, and it includes the page in a category. I find the first reason not very compelling, and the second reason is not especially relevant as there is currently a bot that keeps track of them; the category could also be done without a visible messagebox. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 19:53, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 
Note that the original change[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Sprotected&oldid=88149574] included the wording "Because of recent vandalism". So, there are a few options here, which can retain an explanation. Also, there were a few other minor changes, to which there appears to be no objection? —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 19:42, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
::::The protection policy is clear that things should only be protected ''in response to'' vandalism, not as a preventative measure. Anyhows, I see that the protection is gone now. - [[User:Brian Kendig|Brian Kendig]] 13:52, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
:I think the template should be as small and unintrusive on the experience of readers as possible. Readers don't need to know that there was vandalism. Unlike a {{tl|NPOV}} or an {{tl|unreferenced}} template which warn the ''reader'', these editor-only templates shouldn't be presented as first sentence in an article. [[User:Kusma|Kusma]] [[User_talk:Kusma|(討論)]] 20:01, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
Perhaps I'm a bit dense, but I'm not understanding the reasoning as to why they can't read that the article was vandalized. Centrx, I like that other proposal you have btw. The original was a bit clunky; if we could get the message in and still make it trim and pretty, that would be nice. BTW, if people really hate this template, we could put it up for tfd and try to get a consensus on how it should work. -[[User:Patstuart|Patstuart]]<sup>[[User_talk:Patstuart|(talk)]][[Special:contributions/Patstuart|(contribs)]]</sup> 20:30, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 
:The reason for minimizing semi-protection information is that articles, with many more readers than editors, should be pristine and separate from the mechanics of Wikipedia, to which reader should not be exposed. (see also [[Wikipedia:Avoid self-references]]). Whereas neutrality, etc. templates inform the reader of information that is relevant while reading the article, that it may or may not be accurate, the semi-protection template does not have this purpose. Typically once an article is semi-protected the article remains rather clean, and there is no need to warn the reader about vandalism, which is pretty obvious; we also, rightly, don't use a template for articles that have active vandalism but which are not protected, such as articles on the main page. With the increasing popularity of Wikipedia, there are and will be more articles that remain semi-protected for a longer period of time. This was briefly discussed in other forums with regard to [[George W. Bush]], which is effectively permanently semi-protected and will likely remain so at least until 2008. The information about an article being protected, and what to do about it, is present in the MediaWiki page that shows when someone tries to edit a protected page; this text can also be improved if necessary. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 20:57, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
:Agreed, it doesn't make sense to protect these templates "permanently" anymore than it makes sense to protect articles permanently (which it doesn't, so generally they're only protected temporarily). I think "permanently" semi-protecting problem templates would address 90% of the vandalism associated with templates. —[[User:Locke Cole|Locke Cole]] 14:15, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
::Also, the vandalism wording, especially referring to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism]], is a [[WP:BEANS]] problem. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 02:29, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
:<nowiki>*Considers*</nowiki> I may agree with you, if absolutely and only on that last point. But then again, it may not be a big a problem as we might think, given that the article is protected, so they'd have to go vandalizing elsewhere. [[User:Patstuart|Patstuart]]<sup>[[User_talk:Patstuart|(talk)]][[Special:contributions/Patstuart|(contribs)]]</sup> 02:40, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
::They do, at least at the linked pages [[Wikipedia:Vandalism]] and [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy]], before they were protected. For similar reasons, to discourage people creating accounts just to vandalize, we should link to [[Wikipedia:Why create an account?]] instead of directly to the Userlogin page. It is just one click more, but anyone who wants to create an account is going to create one (?), and anyone else will just see how easy it is to create a bunch of bogus accounts to vandalize semi-protected pages. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 04:11, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
 
I'd like to return to having the symbol of the locked page. This template is very ugly, especially on BLPs, and particularly when they have to be protected in the longer term. Does anyone agree? [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 04:14, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
== How's this? ==
 
:This template does ultimately not belong on the frontpage . Keeping it as small as possible is only the first step. The protection note should be displayed on the editpage and nowhere else. all the best [[User:Lear 21|Lear 21]] 12:41, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
The wording is too horrendous to look at, and I considered being bold (or assinine) and updating this template, but decided it would be better to get feedback first, so I'm submitting my changes:
 
Imagine a crime happening on open street, somebody gets hurt. Does the Police come and span a banner
'''New and anonymous users are [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily restricted]] from editing this article''' to deal with [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]].
ATTENTION PLEASE! THIS WAS A CRIME! , ? '''NO''' - it is kept quiet and investigated behind the scene.
all the best [[User:Lear 21|Lear 21]] 13:12, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
 
:I'm tired of the "less obtrusive" stuff. I mean come on. We need to actually say WHY the page is sprotected and what sprotection means. Just saying it is sprotected is unclear to those who don't know what semi-protected means. The problem I've had all along with the "less obtrusive" folks is that I don't think they see this from the point of view of the IP users or the newly registered users. They don't have the intimate knowledge of Wikipedia that we have. Many of them don't know what protection even means, much less semi-protection. That's why there is a need to explain why a page has been sprotected.
It's still a bit awkward, and doesn't get it across completely, but it isn't as ''wtf''-inducing as the current version. Thoughts? {{unsigned|Mysekurity|05:00, 27 December 2005 (UTC)}}
: Hmm... I was bold and changed the template, at least a bit based on your idea. [[User:Titoxd|Tito]][[Wikipedia:Esperanza|<span style="color:#008000;">xd</span>]]<sup>([[User_talk:Titoxd|?!?]] - [[User:Titoxd/Flcelloguy's Tool|help us]])</sup> 05:00, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
::Oops! I hate when I forget to sign! (Stupid MediaWiki...), but thanks for the change, and thanks for signing. I'm going to check it out now (nice tool, by the way!) -[[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">Mys</font>]][[WP:EA|'''''<font color="green">e</font>''''']][[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">kurity</font>]]<sup>([[WP:SPP|<font color="gray">have you seen this?</font>]])</sup> 05:24, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:And I'm tired of the "well the template is ugly". Let's face it folks. ALL templates are ugly. I don't see the difference between this template and any others. I mean, Lear 21, don't all templates express things going on "behind the scenes"? Almost all templates that are put on articles (be it wikify or sprotect or clean-up) are indicative of behind the scenes work. And it's generally accepted that that's an ok thing. Most people who go to Wikipedia never read a talk page. The entire purpose of these templates is to get the attention of people in the hope that they will cleanup a page or make it more pristine. Or the template is informational, such as the protection templates. The whole purpose of informational templates is to give information to the users so we can explain why actions have been taken. If we're to make them as small as possible, what's the bloody point of having them?
"New and anonymous users" isn't ''quite'' accurate. It's anonymous users and new ''accounts.'' If a longtime (not new) anon makes a registered account, he might be confused as to why he can't edit an sprotected page. - [[User:Brian Kendig|Brian Kendig]] 05:27, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
:Like [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template%3ASprotected&diff=32845033&oldid=32843985 this]? -[[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">Mys</font>]][[WP:EA|'''''<font color="green">e</font>''''']][[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">kurity</font>]]<sup>([[WP:SPP|<font color="gray">have you seen this?</font>]])</sup> 05:31, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
:Comparing this to the police at a crime scene is full of faults, the main one being what I just said. The purpose of informational templates is to be informational. Making this template as small as possible defeats that purpose. Another fault with your analogy is that without an explanational template, there is nothing to tell users what the "crime" even is. They are left to just guess.
Re: [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Sprotected&curid=3352351&diff=32845188&oldid=32845033]. I was thinking that as I clicked save. Thanks, and I'm off to bed. Good night, all! {{unsigned|Mysekurity|05:45, 27 December 2005 (UTC)}}
 
:In the end, I'm tired of this discussion. And I've been tired of it since it first started. I think those who want to make this template look like [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Sprotected&oldid=88414176 this] don't seem to understand what informational templates are for. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(meow)]]</sup> 11:11, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
:Please try and keep it down to two lines though - three lines (often with just an orphan on the second) looks particulary ugly. [[User:Dan100|Dan100]] ([[User talk:Dan100|Talk]]) 09:01, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
::I'd prefer it even smaller than that for BLP pages. The reason I don't like to see it on BLPs is that it implies there may be a problem and it encourages people to go looking through the edit history to see what the issues are. Short of deleting all dodgy edits to BLP pages, we can't avoid that if we draw attention to the issue. So my preference is not to draw attention to it, especially on long-term sprotected pages. [[User:SlimVirgin|SlimVirgin]] [[User_talk:SlimVirgin|<sup style="color:purple;">(talk)</sup>]] 17:05, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
::There's really no way to control that. Some people may be viewing Wikipedia on an 800x600 laptop display (as I am right now); others may be viewing it on a display that's 1600 pixels wide, or more. Trying to wordsmith the template so that it doesn't flow a single word onto the next line, that'll never work unless everyone looks at it with the same-width window in the same browser using the same font. - [[User:Brian Kendig|Brian Kendig]] 13:49, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
There are many useful templates like the need for citation or clean up. This template is useless
== I wish ==
to any reader in the first place who just wants to read an article. It bears no value information
We'd come to an agreement on the talk page as to how the template should look. As it is, it is changing several times a day. That's unacceptable to me. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 09:07, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
for me as a reader and I´m confronted with it in the headline. Only as an editor, which is the vast minority, it makes sense. That´s why it has to be on the editpage and nowhere else. It has to be less obstrusve as possible, because it is dispensable. all the best [[User:Lear 21|Lear 21]] 14:15, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
:Ah ha. It sounds like your goal is actually just to eliminate the template totally. That's what I figured. I mean that's essentially what you are doing here. Making it this bland and uninformative is essentially eliminating it. And you basically just stated that you want it gone. So. What's the big deal with this template over say [[:Template|Protected]]? Or any of the other purely informative templates? My point is that if you really want these sorts of templates gone, I'd suggest starting up a discussion at the Village Pump instead of making this template useless because that's what is happening here. And again, I don't understand why this one is so terrible. Yes GWB and other articles are permanently semi-protected but I know of a few pages that have had the moveprotected template on for months and months. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(meow)]]</sup> 00:42, 19 November 2006 (UTC)
::The move-protected one is completely pointless and should never be used. —[[User:Centrx|Centrx]]→[[User talk:Centrx|''talk'']]&nbsp;&bull; 06:31, 19 November 2006 (UTC)
 
== Self-reference ==
 
I love it how the semi-protection templates are semi-protected and how almost all the full protection templates are fully protected :) --[[User:WikiSlasher|WikiSlasher]] 04:05, 19 November 2006 (UTC)
:Okay. I think that this is how it should look--what do you all think?
{| class="messagebox protected" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:8pt;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|'''In response to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disallowed]].''' Please discuss changes on this article's [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
== Can someone add an interwiki please? ==
:As opposed to its current state:
{| class="messagebox protected" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:8pt;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|'''In response to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disallowed]].''' Please [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discuss changes]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
Can someone with admin rights add an interwiki to <nowiki>[[eu:Txantiloi:Erdi-babestua]]</nowiki>, please? Thank you ;) [[User:62.175.87.134|62.175.87.134]] 22:13, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
:Still not very wordy, still just two lines... (and "talk page" is a redlink because, well, talk pages don't have talk pages =/) [[User:Matt Yeager|Matt Yeager]] 19:47, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
:Done. -[[User:Patstuart|Patstuart]]<sup>[[User_talk:Patstuart|(talk)]][[Special:contributions/Patstuart|(contribs)]]</sup> 00:05, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
 
== Protected ==
::I can accept that. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 20:59, 27 December 2005 (UTC)
 
I have protected the template because of the recent edit dispute, please discuss changes here and come up with a compromise. --[[User:Winhunter|WinHunter]] <sup>([[User talk:Winhunter|talk]])</sup> 03:26, 22 November 2006 (UTC)
::Acceptable to me as well. —[[User:Locke Cole|Locke Cole]] 02:17, 28 December 2005 (UTC)
 
== If your not editing ==
The font appears so small on some browsers that it is all but unreadable. This is happening all over as a handful of people shrink templates. If many users can't read the damn thing the template becomes worthless. [[User:Jtdirl|<span style="color:#006666; background-color:orange">'''Fear''ÉIREANN'''''</span>]][[Image:Ireland-Capitals.PNG|15px]]\<sup><font color="blue">[[User talk:Jtdirl|(caint)]]</font></sup> 01:18, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
 
It currently reads
::If you are having problems, perhaps you could instruct your browser to enlarge the text for you. Many browsers include a sort of zoom function which allows you to blow up text.
:''Please discuss changes, request unprotection, or create an account.''
::As for the template, while it may be true that it is hard to read for some people, since the template is relatively static it isn't hard to grow accustomed to specific templates. Most experienced editors/reader don't actually read the NPOV banner any more, for example, but simply recognise it. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 01:38, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
Shouldn't it say
:''If you wish to edit this page please discuss changes, request unprotection, or create an account.''
instead?
 
After all, if you are only on Wikipedia to read an encyclopedia, it sounds a bit like a general requirement. What do people think about this? [[User:HighInBC|HighInBC]]<small> <sup>(Need help? [[User_talk:HighInBC|Ask me]])</sup></small> 22:41, 23 November 2006 (UTC)
''I'' know what it means. The problem is that other users may not be able to read it. (It is showing as size 6 font, for Chrissakes!!!) New users shouldn't have to adjust their browsers when they come onto WP because some users on WP have developed a fad for making things as small as possible. Everything on WP should be compatible with all standard browsers without need for special adjustment. [[User:Jtdirl|<span style="color:#006666; background-color:orange">'''Fear''ÉIREANN'''''</span>]][[Image:Ireland-Capitals.PNG|15px]]\<sup><font color="blue">[[User talk:Jtdirl|(caint)]]</font></sup> 01:42, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
 
This template is useless
::I'll agree with you that the text may be difficult to read for some readers. (6 points? I thought it was defined in percentages. Huh.) I do prefer smaller text though, because it gets the message across without being too noticable. A boiler with small text is easy for a reader to overlook, or to ignore, so an article featuring the boiler isn't immediately defaced. Larger text, even text the same size as the text in the article, appears important (''Read this first''), even though this template may just as well not exist, as far as most readers are concerned. I do in fact hope that most readers completely gloss over the boiler, or read it just once, on a single page. I also find the smaller text more aesthethically pleasing. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 02:02, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
to any reader in the first place who just wants to read an article. It bears no value information
for me as a reader and I´m confronted with it in the headline. Only as an editor, which is the vast minority, it makes sense. That´s why it has to be on the editpage and nowhere else. It has to be as least obstrusive as possible, because it is dispensable. [[User:Lear 21|Lear 21]] 00:11, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
 
:What about the people that want to edit the article but have not looked on the talk page? [[User:HighInBC|HighInBC]]<small> <sup>(Need help? [[User_talk:HighInBC|Ask me]])</sup></small> 18:08, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
I agree that when too big notices can distract. But too small can be worse, because if it is big but readable people glance at it, think "I'm not reading that" and ignore it. But if it is too small, people glance at it, can't read it, wonder what it is, maybe try to adjust the screen to read it, and their curiosity at the unreadable message proves far more distracting than a larger message. The template is appearing at ''less'' than two-thirds the size of this text. That is quite frankly ludicrously small. If the notice is on the page it obviously is ''meant'' to be read. It isn't there for decoration. So by definition it ''has'' to be big enough. Showing something at size 6 font on the average browser screen is so bizarre as to beggar belief. (In many countries, it is actually illegal to post messages in size 6 fonts on work computers, because of fears that it would damage the reader's eyesight. If WP was an employer and its contributors were employees, in many states posting text that that size would break health and safety legislation and lead to a court case and a massive fine!!! [[User:Jtdirl|<span style="color:#006666; background-color:orange">'''Fear''ÉIREANN'''''</span>]][[Image:Ireland-Capitals.PNG|15px]]\<sup><font color="blue">[[User talk:Jtdirl|(caint)]]</font></sup> 02:29, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
 
== Sprotected should be a MediaWiki feature ==
::Hmm, it appears, upon inspection of the code, that the font was set to 8 points. Still, how's this?
 
Instead of relying on its users to add the template after an article has been semi-protected, MediaWiki should really add the notification automatically based on whether or not it is semi-protected. --[[User:Burstroc|Burstroc]] 21:04, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
::wider; 95% font:
{| class="messagebox protected" style="width: 100%; background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:95%;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|'''In response to recent [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disabled]].'''<br /> Please [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discuss changes]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
:Mediawiki is designed to allow for policy change at the community level, I think the change you proposed would create a technical limitation on future policy change. Good idea though, perhaps a bot could go through the list of (s)protected pages and the list of pages the templates are on and make a page showing discrepencies that is updated regularly. If this idea has community support I could write this bot, although it is possible an existing bot can do this easier. Opinions people? [[User:HighInBC|HighInBC]]<small> <sup>(Need help? [[User_talk:HighInBC|Ask me]])</sup></small> 21:15, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
::wider; 8pt font:
{| class="messagebox protected" style="width: 100%; background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:8pt;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|'''In response to recent [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disabled]].'''<br /> Please [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discuss changes]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
::Don't forget to make sure it uses the right html tags on sprotected template pages so that it doesn't include it in the template itself. --[[User:WikiSlasher|WikiSlasher]] 01:08, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
::standard width; 95% font:
{| class="messagebox protected" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:95%;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|'''In response to recent [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disabled]].'''<br /> Please [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discuss changes]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
== Semi-protect for featured articles ==
::100% font doesn't seem to fit into the small box, without breaking the third line. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 02:57, 3 January 2006 (UTC)
 
I'm thinking of semi-protecting featured articles of the day because they might be visible to many vandals... [[User:Bigtop|<span style="color:blue;">Big</span>]][[User talk:Bigtop|'''<span style="color:gray;">top</span>''']] 23:18, 1 December 2006 (UTC)
==The template is way too dominating==
The template is ugly and dominating the articles they are on way too much with info about something that 99.9% of the readers don't care about. I'd like the template to either disappear and just have a note shown when people try to edit it, or have it reduced to a single small icon somewhere with a descriptive alt-text explaining it for those very, very few readers who care. [[User:Shanes|Shanes]] 14:42, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
 
:Please see [[Wikipedia:Don't protect Main Page featured articles]]. (Also note that simply adding this template doesn't semi-protect a page; only [[Wikipedia:Administrators|administrators]] can protect and unprotect pages.) Thanks! [[User:Flcelloguy|Flcelloguy]] <small>([[User talk:Flcelloguy|A <span style="color:brown;">note?</span>]])</small> 04:10, 2 December 2006 (UTC)
:We can't make it "disappear". For one thing, it's a tool for admins so we can see easily what's protected and what isn't when we go to a page. Secondly, we need something there to explain to new users and anons why they cannot edit. "Very, very few readers care". Well. 800 admins. Plus countless IP editors and new users. And to me, just putting it up when they try to edit might not be feasible...and even if it is, it's not something we do for any other templates. Thirdly, except for GWB, this template isn't on articles any longer than vprotect or protected are. So are you suggesting that we make those disappear as well? They aren't any prettier. And actually, most our warning templates (attention, cleanup, et all) are ugly. Do we remove those as well? Here are the protected and sprotected tags.
 
== Removing sprotected ==
'''Protected template:'''
{| class="messagebox protected"
|-
| valign="top" | [[Image:Lock-icon.jpg|45px| ]]
|'''This page is [[Wikipedia:This page is protected|protected]] from editing until disputes have been resolved on the [[:{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|discussion page]].''' <br> Protection is [[Wikipedia:Protection policy|not an endorsement]] of the current [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=history}} page version]. Please discuss changes on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|}
 
I think we should add a sentence to the template documentation indicating that "Removing this template does not unprotect the article", perhaps with a link to RFPP. It seems like some people don't grasp that, so if it's stated right here with the template, that'll help clarify the issue when informing users of how this works.
'''Semi-protected template:'''
 
Also, if there is a talk page template being used out there for good-faith notification of users that remove this template, that should be linked to as well.
{| class="messagebox protected" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:9pt;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|38px]]
|align="center"|'''In response to recent [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disabled]].''' Please discuss changes on this article's [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
Finally, would it make sense to use the template doc transclusion pattern here?
:Not a whole lot of difference. Templates like this serve a purpose. Making that invisible or tiny defeats that purpose. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 14:56, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
 
Thanks... <span style="color:blue;font-weight:bold;font-size:larger;font-family: Monotype Corsiva;"> [[User talk:Warrens|-/-]] [[User:Warrens|Warren]]</span> 18:38, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
::We are writing an encyclopedia for people to read. The open editing and adminship and protecting and all that are just ways to the means. Spending much time editing and admining and all that can make one lose sight of what really matters, and that is to present articles where people in the world can find clearly structured information without ugly distractions irrelevant to the topic. And we definitely don't need to have a big ugly box to inform 800 administrators. I'm quite confident that both you, me and the other 798 (or whatever the number is nowa days) can learn that a small icon on the top means it's sprotected. And yes, I hate the vprotect template as well. But a poor guy full of hatered has to start somewhere, so I'm puking here first. [[User:Shanes|Shanes]] 15:24, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
:I've added the /doc subpage. Hoping for a little more input before we go ahead and add that other note to the template, though. Anybody have any thoughts, on that? [[User:Luna Santin|Luna Santin]] 08:11, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
::I removed the editprotected request as the doc page can be edited freely. --[[User:Ligulem|Ligulem]] 08:41, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
:::Eeerm... apparently I need more better reading skills, I had the idea we were adding the note to the template itself. But there it is, in black and white. Silly me, heh. [[User:Luna Santin|Luna Santin]] 08:44, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
 
:Thanks, Luna. <span style="color:blue;font-weight:bold;font-size:larger;font-family: Monotype Corsiva;"> [[User talk:Warrens|-/-]] [[User:Warrens|Warren]]</span> 03:56, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
:::OK. So then what makes these different than our other templates? I mean, using your argument, wouldn't we be making all of the warning boxes smaller or put at the bottom of the screen? --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 15:35, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
 
== Wording change ==
::::This is of course just mine opinion, but templates that are importent for the reader include all the [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Disputes|dispute templates]], the afd template, and all the [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup|cleanup tags]]. I'm all fine with them being promenently displayed. They are either important for understanding bias or they are there to more loadly then else ask the reader to help in the editing since what's there is far from perfect (expand, verify facts, etc). But templates being there just to explain that editing is restricted at the moment for whatever reason (like the reader looking for info on something cares what that reason is) don't need to be so promenently displayed. The best IMO would be to have a mediawiki message, like the one we show blocked users when they try to edit, explaining the situation when they click edit. That will probably need some software change, so I should request that elsewhere, but as my second choice I want the protect templates we have now to be less dominating and distracting. I feel ashamed everytime I come across a protect-taged article and feel that it's ruining the layout and look of otherwise fine work. The only good thing with having big ugly protect templates is that it makes me (and hopefully others) more eager to get them unprotected sooner so we can ridd the article of that hiddeus box. Heck, we don't even label featured articles with anything, except on talk, since it's seen as distracting. And I'll say that informing readers on that this article has passed peer review etc and is considered good is much more worth some reader-distraction than screaming to them that what they are reading now is un-editable for the moment for some reason. Most readers really don't care. [[User:Shanes|Shanes]] 16:12, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
:::::I think you're asking for a wholesale change in practise, which is probably best discussion somewhere like the Pump rather than in this comparative backwater. I would observe, however, that I think people ''do'' read the template on the basis of one particular piece of evidence: There have been pages with {{tl|sprotected}} added to them, but ''not'' actually protected and they have ''still'' seen their edit rate fall sharply (in one case to zero). So the tags do get noticed, at least by those they affect. I think perhaps most of the trouble is the image, and i agree that it is distracting. I was fine with the image-free version, but there seems support for it. We should make a new semi-lock logo, perhaps. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 16:17, 4 January 2006 (UTC)
 
I'm not an admin, so I can't edit the template, but I believe the second sentence should read, "Such users may discuss changes, request unprotection, or create an account and log in." [[User:Xiner|Xiner]] ([[User talk:Xiner|talk]], [[Special:Emailuser/Xiner|email]]) 22:00, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
== Self reference? ==
:The "log in" is also for users who have an account, but have not yet logged in. — [[User:Xaosflux|<span style="color:#FF9933; font-weight:bold; font-family:monotype; font-size:larger;">xaosflux</span>]] [[User_talk:Xaosflux|<sup style="color:#00FF00;">Talk</sup>]] 02:35, 30 January 2007 (UTC)
 
== Unregistered? ==
Isn't this template a self-reference? It only relates to the functionality of Wikipedia. If it is, I'm not familiar with the procedures that well but shouldn't the whole thing be put in a {{tl|selfref}} tag or something? [[User:Bigbluefish|BigBlueFish]] 17:18, 10 January 2006 (UTC)
 
I think the template wording "Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled." isn't correct. I haven't Signed in as [[User:Dzubint]] so I'm just plain old unknown IP 68.146.221.56 however I was able to make an edit to the [[Ian Richardson]] page which has the {semiprotected} tag on it. Or am I just confused as to what "unregistered" means? [[User:68.146.221.56|68.146.221.56]] 11:13, 10 February 2007 (UTC)
==Explanation of changes by Tony Sidaway==
:(in case you're wondering why I haven't signed on, it's because I'm on a computer that I haven't done a security lock-down on yet...I'll sign on in about twenty minutes)
This template looked so much like the protected page template that I think it made some editors think that they could not edit the page.
 
::Someone had put the template in the article by mistake. The page was not protected in any way. -- [[User:Zzuuzz|zzuuzz]]<sup>[[User_talk:Zzuuzz|(talk)]]</sup> 12:39, 10 February 2007 (UTC)
I've changed the background color, reduced the size of the padlock icon and moved the icon to the right hand side of the text, all of which should provide enough of a visual cue to give the template a separate identity.
==Request: Adding interwiki==
I wish to ask the admin if it is possible to add the following interwiki within the template's page:
 
*<nowiki>[[ar:قالب:حماية جزئية]]</nowiki>
The wording was also wrong, being substantially a copy of the wording from the other template. If an article is semi-protected, it's inappropriate to ask people to discuss changes on the talk page, they should just go ahead and edit the page as they normally would, so I've changed the wording to match the circumstances. --[[User:Tony Sidaway|Tony Sidaway]]|[[User talk:Tony Sidaway|Talk]] 02:32, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
:Oh, I didn't notice this message. That background makes it look a lot like a cleanup tag and (entirely personally) I don't like coloured boxes at the top of articles, so I took away the bg colour. I moved the tag to the left thinking it was a mistake, I don't mind where it goes. The grammar didn't seem to flow quite right, so I reordered things slightly, keeping the bolded text about "everyone else is ok". -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 02:45, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
:One other thing: it's true about others not needing to discuss changes. I think it was intended to tell anons+newbies that ''they'' could go discuss on talk, rather than to tell everyone that. But I can see how confusion might arise. Maybe your new sentence will fix that. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 02:49, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
::I kind of wish we'd stop changing it every damn day. Let's discuss a "permanent" version here and then upload it. Template has been changed multiple times just since 1/1. Not acceptable. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 02:31, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
 
- [[User:Qasamaan|Qasamaan]] 23:32, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
It's been restored to a version that looks too much like the protected page template. I've moved the emphasis back to make sure that normal logged-in users don't think they cannot edit that page, and clarified the wording somewhat in the following ways: the word semiprotection now appears in the text, and the proposals that need to be discussed on the talk page are named explicitly: not just "changes", but changes to the state of semiprotection. --[[User:Tony Sidaway|Tony Sidaway]]|[[User talk:Tony Sidaway|Talk]] 14:46, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
:Done. [[User talk:Picaroon9288|Picaroon]] 03:01, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
:Here's my problem (and it's not with you Tony, it's with the process). The template is being changed everyday. The policy has been in use for 22 days and we've had 100 edits to the template. 100. I know what's happening. We're trying to come up with a definitive version. So. What we need to do is to propose 2 or 3 versions and then vote or have some sort of discussion on them. Otherwise, what's happening is that the semi-chaos of the template is almost as bad as the chaos that is happening on the pages that we are semi protecting.
 
:It just looks bad. I don't even follow all of the changes we've had, but just from doing PP patrol, I've seen 4 lines or 3 lines or 2 lines...large font or small font...one word linked or 5 words linked or no words linked...a bolded section or a section in italics..."restricted" or "disallowed"..."accounts" or "users"..."in response" or "because" or "As a result". What irks me is that there isn't alot of discussion on here. We had some for a bit but now we're back to a semi edit war. Done with lecture. I don't care *which* version we go for. Let's just get some consensus on one and go with it. Tired of seeing a different template every time I see a SP page. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 15:39, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
 
No, if there's substantial agreement on the template, the last thing we need is a vote which will only exacerbate existing disagreements. I've given my reasons for use of emphasis and wording to make it easy to distinguish one template from the protected page template. Perhaps we could have a discussion on this. It seems likely that we can get substantial agreement that such use of visual cues is desirable. On the frequent editing of the template, I don't see why this is regarded as a problem on a wiki. --[[User:Tony Sidaway|Tony Sidaway]]|[[User talk:Tony Sidaway|Talk]] 18:08, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
 
:I'll let you guys have it and keep quiet. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 01:14, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
 
== Thank goodness.... ==
 
...after a month of little activity I come back to see semi-protection finally created. Good stuff. [[User:Marskell|Marskell]] 17:54, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
 
One problem we seem to have is that we now have ''three'' sprotected templates, two of them hideous substandard and unreadable but being pushed for inclusion in just one page in preference to this one. The two substandard versions are now on the [[WP:TFD]] for deletion. Please cast your votes. This duplication is pointless. [[User:Jtdirl|<span style="color:#006666; background-color:orange">'''Fear''ÉIREANN'''''</span>]][[Image:Ireland-Capitals.PNG|15px]]\<sup><font color="blue">[[User talk:Jtdirl|(caint)]]</font></sup> 18:51, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
 
:Duly noted. At the risk of offering another unneeded change, could the lock on this be changed (popped into my head example) to a yield sign or something that indicates caution rather than go away? And could it be reduced, say, to 75% of current (I think it's already been shrunk)? Finally, could we drop "as a result of vandalism"? Make the statement: "this page is prohibited to X and Y" and leave it there. If we have the policy (and damn we needed it) we should go ahead and say so. There is something to be said for being unintrusive and also for being decisive. [[User:Marskell|Marskell]] 22:57, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
::The mention of vandalism should remain as a reminder to people that the tag should not be used for anything else. What's a yield sign? The hand in an octagon? That's probably much scarier than an impersonal lock. We need a half-open lock or something. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 23:16, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
:::How about an UNLOADED gun ;)? [[User:Marskell|Marskell]] 06:11, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
 
==Temporarily==
I'd like to suggest that 'temporarily' be replaced with 'currently'. There are plenty of sprotected articles that will likely stay that way until someone unplugs the last server, and saying 'temporarily' is disingenuous at best. - [[User:Chairboy|C<small>HAIRBOY]]</small> ([[User_talk:Chairboy|☎]]) 20:53, 21 January 2006 (UTC)
:No, the only article likely to stay semi'd long term is [[George W. Bush]]. There is no basis in policy for keeping anything permanently protected, although some pages spend longer protected than others. [[WP:SEMI]] is for dealing with vandalism and the vast majority of vandals get bored pretty quickly when their playground is taken away and so the page can be unprotected quickly. It's a pity that many admins just "protect and forget", but that is their own fault (for which they need a slap), rather than any disingenuity on the part of the tag. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 01:28, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
::I patrol the protected pages list every day. Only articles that have been SP more than a week are Bush, disputed status of Gibraltar, history of Gibraltar and Bogdanov affair and those last 3 are special cases. Otherwise, the average time for semi protection is 3-4 days at most. It is temporary. And the 4 where it isn't are well known cases on Wikipedia. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 13:00, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
:::And these four cases (the latter three in any case) are still temporarily protected, I'm sure. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 13:12, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
::::Actually they are mostly permanent. I mean the Bush article has gone through periods of SP but they have been brief. The 2 Gibraltar articles are SP due to blocked user Gibraltarian, who is now up to 40 dynamic IPs that he has used as sockpuppets. He's said he'll never give up. And then Bogdanov Affair is basically an arbcom ruling. I don't see that unprotected in the neat future unless the controversy around the Bogdanovs ends and I doubt that. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 13:30, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
:::::The boiler currently reads that semiprotection is temporary. If these articles are to be permanently protected, the boiler should be modifier to reflect that. Perhaps an optional modifier could change the text on specific articles (<nowiki>{{sprotect|permanent}}</nowiki>}}). Alternatively another template could be created, for specific use in these articles, but the tempatation to create wholly dissimilar templates would exist. In any case, adding this current boiler to the Bush article may not be entirely honest. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 13:55, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
 
</nowiki>
 
==Still ugly==
 
The template is still imposing and very ugly - which needlessly punishes articles that are unfortunate enough to suffer fate of being semi-protected. Can someone with adminstrator access please adjust the template at least so it uses smaller text? I feel [[User:Ec5618|Ec5618]]'s were a step in the right direction. [[User:Cedars|Cedars]] 00:38, 26 January 2006 (UTC)
 
{| class="messagebox" id="sprotected"
| valign="center" | [[Image:Lock-icon.jpg|35px| ]]
|style="font-size:85%;"|'''Editing this page is temporarily [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|restricted]] to [[Special:Userlogin|registered]] users in order to [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|deal with vandalism]]'''. <br />Please discuss changes on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]] or [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|}
 
==Removal of box==
[[User:Philwelch|Philwelch]] just edited the template to remove the box, without discussion such a change. The template is currently protected, so I am unable to revert this change. More to the point, the template is protected to prevent vandalism and edit warring, not to limit access to administrators.
 
Please, someone, revert the template to the boxed version, as per current consensus. I'll agree the template is noticable, but that is no reason to remove the box that sets it apart from actual content. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 01:40, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
:Why don't we wait until someone actually disagrees with the change? Or have we repealed [[WP:BOLD]]? — '''[[User:Philwelch|Phil]]''' ''[[User_talk:Philwelch|Welch]]'' <small>[[User:Katefan0/Poll|Are you a fan of the band Rush?]]</small> 01:43, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
::I also dislike the removal of the box. The formatting of this template (as well as the other protected templates, such as [[Template:Protected]] and [[Template:Vprotected]]) should be uniform. —[[User:Locke Cole|Locke Cole]] • [[User talk:Locke Cole|t]] • [[Special:Contributions/Locke Cole|c]] 01:44, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
::: (edit conflict) The box was there to reflect the appearance of {{tl|protected}} and {{tl|vprotected}}, so I ''do'' disagree with the change. [[User:Titoxd|Tito]][[Wikipedia:Esperanza|<span style="color:#008000;">xd</span>]]<sup>([[User_talk:Titoxd|?!?]] - [[Wikipedia:WikiProject edit counters/Flcelloguy's Tool|help us]])</sup> 01:46, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
::::Not to pile on, but my initial comment showed that ''I'' disagreed. Wait until someone disagrees, indeed. Had I been able, I would have reverted in seconds. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 01:49, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
:::::Glad to know your sensibilities. I don't negotiate with edit warriors. — '''[[User:Philwelch|Phil]]''' ''[[User_talk:Philwelch|Welch]]'' <small>[[User:Katefan0/Poll|Are you a fan of the band Rush?]]</small> 01:51, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
::::::Being bold does not give you licence to kill, and being an Admin does not give you the right to make unilateral changes. Also, please observe civility. There is no need for namecalling .ere. Now, are you going to revert your changes? I don't respond well to stonewalling. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 01:56, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
::::::ps. What on Earth are you doing calling me an obstructionist on your Talk page. I simply asked you to revert your changes. Again, civility. I shouldn't have to call for help. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 01:56, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
:Given the amount of opposition to the change, I've reverted for now while we discuss the changes and come to a consensus. Thanks! [[User:Flcelloguy|Flcelloguy]] <small>([[User talk:Flcelloguy|A <font color="brown">note?</font>]])</small> 02:10, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
::Thank you kindly.
::As the template is still protected, I shouldn't hurt to start a discussion of sorts, for proposed edits. For discussion purposes, I find it helps to have a copy of the template to look at. It also gives one a feeling for the different ideas that have been suggested. This is what the template currently looks like. Anyone who would like to discuss changes, feel free to do so -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 02:44, 28 January 2006 (UTC):
{| class="messagebox protected" style="border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:9pt;"
|-
|align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"|As a result of recent [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], '''editing of this page by new or anonymous users is [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|temporarily disabled]]'''. Changes can be discussed on the [[{{NAMESPACE}} talk:{{PAGENAME}}|talk page]], or you can [[Wikipedia:Requests for page protection|request unprotection]].
|-
|}
 
 
===Okay, my stab at it===
{| class="messagebox protected" style="border: 1px solid #8888aa; padding: 0px; font-size:9pt;"
|-
|valign="middle" align="center"|[[Image:Lock-icon.png|left|25px]]
|align="center"| <span style="white-space:nowrap;">Due to recent [[Wikipedia:Vandalism|vandalism]], '''an [[Special:Userlogin|established account]] is required to edit this article'''. </span><span style="white-space:nowrap;">See our [[Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|semi-protection policy]] for more information.</span>
|-
|}
 
Succinct and one line - if one follows the semi-protection link one will learn that you can still use he talk page and request unprotection. I also think the focus should be on what is allowed and what is disallowed hence "an established account is required to edit" as opposed to "anonymous and relatively new user acounnts are not allowed". Also a lot less cumbersome. Just my $0.02. --[[User:Wgfinley|Wgfinley]] 04:06, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
:Actually, that still shows as two lines at my resolution (1024px wide). In fact, the whole thing seems less balanced, as the second line is now rather short (''.. policy for more information.''). I've modified your proposal, and used <nowiki><span style="white-space:nowrap;"></nowiki> to force the template to wrap the text into two clean lines when there isn't enough space. It should have no effect on your screen, but does on mine. the only drawback is that it won't wrap onto three lines now, for people with even smaller font.
:I do like your wording. An 'established account', that's just right. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 04:39, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
I don't like this one especially. It's quite useful (even important) to have an indication on the tag, i.e. in the article itself that people can go to the talk page and discuss whatever, rather than referring them to some other policy page (which doesn't deal with talk page discussions, particularly). The template needs to include the word "temporary" to remind editors and admins alike that sprotection ''is'' only temporary. Brevity should not sacrifice clarity. I don't see what's wrong with the template as it stands; there are an infinite number of possible revisions that would fix something that ain't broke. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 12:49, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
:I don't like the term "established account". It could be construed to mean any registered account. Needs to be clearer. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 12:56, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
::I'm afraid I focussed on the technical aspects, without even noticing that the link to the talk page had been removed, as has the link to 'protection requests'. I see no reason to change the template. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 13:08, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
I support changes to make the note less intrusive, and in particular I like [[User:Philwelch|Philwelch]] change that removed the distracting box. A small discreet note is enough. [[User:Shanes|Shanes]] 13:28, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
:You do realise that that would make this template unique among the protection templates, don't you? [[Template:protected]], [[Template:vprotected]], even [[Template:Suggestprotect]] all look alike, right now. Also, in my opinion, the box sets the message appart from the article; in the same way that banner ads are easy to ignore, a boxed template may be ''more'' discrete.
:Finally, semi-protection is supposed to be a temporary measure. If this template is to be used on a number of articles under long term semi-protection, perhaps the template should include a parameter to make it appear slightly different on those pages. A lighter box, perhaps, or less text. -- [[User talk:Ec5618|Ec5618]] 13:47, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
::I don't think the existence of uglyness is a very good argument for spreading it. If a template is too distracting and intrusive, we should make it less so. We are writing an encyclopedia for people in the world to read. And when people come to an article we shouldn't distract them from what they want to learn about by forcing them to read a completely irrelevant note about vandalism on wikipedia or whatever. Regarding [[Template:Suggestprotect]], I didn't know that silly template existed and have tfd'ed it now. [[User:Shanes|Shanes]] 14:43, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
:::It isn't 'distracting' since it appears for only a few hours or days at a time. If it is appearing for longer, then please ask the protecting admin (or [[WP:RFP]]) to lift the protection. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 14:47, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
::::It's distracting when it's there. A reader isn't being less distracted by the template not being there tomorrow. He is reading the article now. [[User:Shanes|Shanes]] 15:04, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
The whole semi-protection policy doesn't need to go into the template, that's why it's so dang long now. Yes, "established account" is a bit vague but it is explained in the policy. Yes, anons and new accounts can still post on the talk page, the template makes no reference to not being able to edit the talk page. Finally, yes, they can request unprotection, but, again, that is in the semi-protection policy as in everything else and there is a clear link that says to check it for more information. Our insistence on putting a lot of stuff into the box is what is making it too long, ponderous and ugly. --[[User:Wgfinley|Wgfinley]] 18:37, 28 January 2006 (UTC)
 
== Request to have sort keys added ==
 
Please add sort keys to the categories. The following
:<tt><nowiki>[[Category:Article header templates]]</nowiki></tt>
:<tt><nowiki>[[Category:Semi-protected]]</nowiki></tt>
should change to
:<tt><nowiki>[[Category:Article header templates|{{PAGENAME}}]]</nowiki></tt>
:<tt><nowiki>[[Category:Semi-protected|{{PAGENAME}}]]</nowiki></tt>
&ndash; [[User:Doug Bell|Doug Bell]] <sup>[[User talk:Doug Bell|talk]]'''&bull;'''[[Special:Contributions/Doug Bell|contrib]]</sup> 08:01, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
:Edit made by [[User:Alkivar|Alkivar]]. <span style="font-family:Verdana;">'''[[User:Howcheng|<span style="color: #33C;">howch</span>]][[WP:EA|<span style="color:#0F0">''e''</span>]][[User:Howcheng|<span style="color:#33C">ng</span>]]''' <small>{[[User talk:Howcheng|chat]]}</small></span> 17:18, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
 
==Replace image==
 
Replace current copyvio image with [[:Image:Lock-icon.png]]. Thanks. —[[User:Cantus|Cantus]]&hellip;[[User talk:Cantus|<big><big>'''&#9742;'''</big></big>]] 05:22, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
: done. -- [[User:Zondor|Zondor]] 06:13, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
 
==add see also==
Please add the following to the page:
&lt;noinclude>
----
==See also==
* &#91;[Template:High-traffic]]
* &#91;[Template:P-protected]]
&lt;/noinclude>
-- [[User:Zondor|Zondor]] 06:15, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
: Done. [[User:Titoxd|Tito]][[Wikipedia:Esperanza|<span style="color:#008000;">xd</span>]]<sup>([[User_talk:Titoxd|?!?]] - [[Wikipedia:WikiProject edit counters/Flcelloguy's Tool|help us]])</sup> 06:17, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
 
==Umm... really... I'm really serious... why IS this page protected?==
 
I'd like to be able to make edits to this template (it's kind of in need), but it's full-protected. Why is this page full-protected? Could someone semi-protect it instead, please? [[User:Matt Yeager|<b><font color="#DF0001">Matt Yeager</font></b>]] [[Special:Random|<b><font size="3" color="#B46611">♫</font></b>]] <font color="#00AA88">([[User_talk:Matt Yeager|<font color="#00AA88">Talk?</font>]])</font> 23:25, 6 February 2006 (UTC)
:From [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=&user=&page=Template%3ASprotected the log]:
:::''13:13, 18 January 2006 Voice of All protected Template:Sprotected (full, 700 editors can change this high-usage page that doesn't need much editing; fully protected like the other templates [edit=sysop:move=sysop])''
:This page is just too tempting for vandals, and I'm not sure I agree with VoA, but what would you like to see changed? -[[User:Mysekurity|<font color="black">Mys</font>]][[WP:EA|'''''<font color="green">e</font>''''']][[User talk:Mysekurity|<font color="black">kurity</font>]] 04:22, 7 February 2006 (UTC)
 
::There's an extra line break at the bottom. It makes pages look a bit ugly. Also, I'm not too fond of the aesthetics of the template in general. It's not particularily pretty, and there's no real need for full protection. Right? [[User:Matt Yeager|<b><font color="#DF0001">Matt Yeager</font></b>]] [[Special:Random|<b><font size="3" color="#B46611">♫</font></b>]] <font color="#00AA88">([[User_talk:Matt Yeager|<font color="#00AA88">Talk?</font>]])</font> 22:24, 8 February 2006 (UTC)
:::I second the request to remove the extra line break at the bottom, (please remove "<tt>&lt;/noinclude></tt>[line break]<tt>&lt;noinclude></tt>") but I don't think anything else needs to be changed. Matt: you can subst: this and change it to taste in individual articles. --''[[User:Nrcprm2026|James S.]]'' 05:04, 9 February 2006 (UTC)
 
== How is this implemented? ==
 
There is some interest in using this feature on the English Wiktionary. How is semi-protection accomplished? Is it the simple addition of the category? --[[User:Connel MacKenzie|Connel MacKenzie]] 20:20, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 
:No. If you are familiar with full protection, it's similar. An admin has to change the status of the page so it goes from allowing all users to only allowing either accounts older than 4 days (semi protection) or just admins (full protection). Then we add the tag (usually). But the tag itself does nothing. [[WP:SEMI]] has more info. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 21:22, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 
::Thanks. That's what I suspected at first, but I saw nothing even remotely like "Block new and unregistered users" on the protection page at the sister project Wiktionary. Any idea how that is added as a list item on the "Confirm protection" special page? --[[User:Connel MacKenzie|Connel MacKenzie]] 21:49, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 
:::We had to go to [[User:Brion VIBBER]] for that. I would suggest that for you as well. Or you can post at the technical part of the Village Pump. That's what I would recommend. It's something they have to enable on the server side. They did it for at least one other Wikipedia (Spanish) recently, so I don't think it'd be a big deal. --[[User:Woohookitty|''Woohookitty'']]<sup>[[User talk:Woohookitty|(cat scratches)]]</sup> 21:52, 17 February 2006 (UTC)
 
::::Thank you! I'll catch up with Brion on IRC. --[[User:Connel MacKenzie|Connel MacKenzie]] 01:00, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
For the record, it is implemented in the site preferences (but enabled on request), so you have to go with [[User:Brion Vibber|brion]] or another system administrator to turn it on. [[User:Titoxd|Tito]][[Wikipedia:Esperanza|<span style="color:#008000;">xd</span>]]<sup>([[User_talk:Titoxd|?!?]] - [[Wikipedia:WikiProject edit counters/Flcelloguy's Tool|help us]])</sup> 01:20, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
 
:Thank you all. I caught up with Brion on IRC, and the requisite magic has been performed. For future reference, this type of request is probably best handled by making a bugzilla request; enter a new bug of type "Wikimedia." --[[User:Connel MacKenzie|Connel MacKenzie]] 20:53, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
 
== Please remove extra line-break ==
 
There's an extra line break after the box, causing an extra gap to appear on articles. Please remove it. Thanks. [[User:Infinity0|Infinity0]] <sup>[[User_talk:Infinity0|talk]]</sup> 00:47, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
 
== InterLink addition req ==
 
Could you please add [[:it:Template:Avvisobloccoparziale]] to the Interlinks? TY --[[User:M7it|M7it]] 14:52, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
:Done. Does anyone else quite like the idea of using an amber traffic light for semiprotection? -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 14:55, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
::Uh, you changed where you want the link to go to. But the new target does not exist. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 14:57, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
:::Ok, now re-done. -[[User:Splash|Splash]]<small><sup>[[User talk:Splash|talk]]</sup></small> 14:59, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
:::Thanks a lot, I got blamed about template name uniformity :) --M/
 
==The text is in Wikispeak and is incorrect in real world English==
Only regular Wikipedians know that in Wikispeak "Anonymous" means "unregistered". I have over 20,000 edits, but I am here anonymously in the real world meaning of the term. Cal isn't my real name, I have never told anyone on here what my real name is and they have no means of finding out other than asking me, which I would ignore. That is anonymity in my book. Please consider amending the text to read that editing by "Unregistered and recently registered users" is suspended, as that is what the template actually does. [[User:CalJW|CalJW]] 05:19, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
 
:Good point. I've changed the template. [[User:Jtdirl|<span style="color:#006666; background-color:orange">'''Fear''ÉIREANN'''''</span>]][[Image:Ireland-Capitals.PNG|15px]]\<sup><font color="blue">[[User talk:Jtdirl|(caint)]]</font></sup> 05:33, 26 February 2006 (UTC)
::Your amendment is a big move in the right direction, but I don't think it's where it should be yet. I edited for a year before I had an account, so I was not "new" when I registered. I really think it should say "recently registered". Registration is the crux of this function so its role shouldn't be under represented in the public explanation of the template. [[User:CalJW|CalJW]] 06:52, 26 February 2006 (UTC)