[WikiEN-l] Re: ANON watchlist?

[actionforum at comcast.net]

On the pages I watch, they seem to be anon proxies.  Sometimes they will legimately make good faith edits, after inserting some nonsense, remember to remove the nonsense at the time.  Using the proxies, usually implies some level of sophistation, unlike  a true novice.

There are anon proxies that will switch to a new proxy on the list with practically every web access.  I've seen the IP address of the ANON change, yet the garbage get removed  within a minute or two, by the new IP, and the new IP only has that edit in their contrib list.  I think it would be a painful way to operate, because you'd either have to note what IP you used when you last visited the page, or perhaps see two anon edits in a row, and check to see if that diff, was consistent with what you would have done.  Then you could diff from that point to the current version to see the changes, since your last visit. 

I think it occurs too often and is too stereotyped to just be newbies.

                      -- Silverback

-------------- Original message -------------- 

> I've noticed the same thing. I assume that it's a "clueless newbie" just seeing 
> if the "Edit this page" button really works, and then running back to undo it, 
> so that (s)he doesn't get "yelled at" by a "mod". I think the uninitiated think 
> Wikipedia is a lot like a forum, where we kick out just anybody we don't like. 
> 
> --Ryan 
> 
> > From: actionforum at comcast.net 
> > Subject: [WikiEN-l] ANON watchlist? 
> > 
> > One thing that has puzzled me, is the behavior of some ANONs who 
> > will insert a bit of vandalism or trash, or just a , or something 
> > into a page and then immediately back it out with a revert. Could 
> > they be using this as a sort of "watchlist"? They put a marker 
> > into the history, so that when they return to the page, that can 
> > tell what changed since the last time they visited. 
> > As for the list itself, they could just store pages they are 
> > interested in, as we browser favorites. 
> > I've wondered about the behavior, because it occurrs too often in 
> > the same way just to be sandbox behavior. 
> > -- Silverback 
> 
> -- 
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