[WikiEN-l] Cross-Wiki accounts

[K P]

On 5/18/07, Brian Salter-Duke <b_duke at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>
> On Fri, May 18, 2007 at 08:46:33PM -0700, K P wrote:
> >  On 5/14/07, Brian Salter-Duke <b_duke at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
> > >
> > > On Sun, May 13, 2007 at 09:36:15PM -0400, Casey Brown wrote:
> > > > The account has no edits, so you can ask the local bureaucrats or
> > > stewards
> > > > to re-assing the username and give it to you (usurp).  In the case
> of
> > > SUL,
> > > > the account would definitely be re-assigned to you.
> > >
> > > I should have said that I did NOT understand the language. This is the
> > > chinese wikipedia, right? I do not understand chinese so I can not ask
> > > their crats to do that. I also do not want the accunt. Is it a problem
> > > if I just forget about it? Thanks for your help.
> > >
> > > Brian.
> > >
> > > > Casey Brown
> > > > Cbrown1023
> > > >
> > > > Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 08:47:45 +1000
> > > > From: Brian Salter-Duke <b_duke at bigpond.net.au>
> > > > To: wikien-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> > > > Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Cross-Wiki accounts
> > > > To: wikien-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> > > > Message-ID: <20070513224745.GC3348 at SALTERDUKE2>
> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> > > >
> > > > On Sun, May 13, 2007 at 03:26:07PM -0400, Casey Brown wrote:
> > > > > Many smaller wikis are cracking down on cross-wiki accounts to
> stop
> > > > > impersonation.  If you create an account on another Wikimedia
> Project,
> > > > > make sure it is linked from your main account.  Otherwise, it may
> get
> > > > blocked.
> > > > > An easy way to do all this is to create a master list of your
> accounts
> > > > > at Meta and link that page to all your other sites.  This will,
> > > > > hopefully, make it harder for you to be impersonated, and easier
> for
> > > > > your accounts to be identified.
> > > > >
> > > > > A tool that can be used to identify accounts that aren't yours can
> be
> > > > > found
> > > > > at: http://tools.wikimedia.de/~interiot/cgi-bin/queries/SUL.
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks,
> > > > > Casey Brown
> > > > > Cbrown1023
> > > >
> > > > What are we supposed to do if we find an account that is not ours?
> That
> > > tool
> > > > gave me 11 accounts I do have and one - zh.wikipedia.org, Bduke,
> that I
> > > > certainly do not have as I can understand the language.
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >           Brian Salter-Duke            b_duke at bigpond.net.au
> > > >                [[User:Bduke]]  mainly on en:Wikipedia.
> > > >            Also on fr: Wikipedia, Meta-Wiki and Wikiversity
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------
> > >
> > > --
> > >          Brian Salter-Duke            b_duke at bigpond.net.au
> > >               [[User:Bduke]]  mainly on en:Wikipedia.
> > >           Also on fr: Wikipedia, Meta-Wiki and Wikiversity
> >
> >
> >  What if it means something else in Chinese?  If you don't want it, why
> bring
> >  it up?  It's not a real obscure combination of sounds for a language as
> big
> >  as Chinese.
>
> Hang about. I was shown a tool that can be used to check accounts on
> other wikis. I used it and found all the ones I expected plus one other.
> I just asked what to do about it. I was then told it had no edits and
> would be assigned to me under SUL. I do not want it, but also do not
> want people to think it is my account if it gets used. If SUL gives it
> to me, how would I get rid of it? I'm just being security minded in the
> same way as I improved my passwd last week.
>
> Brian.
>
> >  My given name is unusual in English, but very common in another
> language--I
> >  wound up with a more obscure account name, when I was willing to use my
> real
> >  name, simply because I could not find a variation of my real name due
> to a
> >  ton of users of a non-English Wikipedia having variations on my given
> name
> >  as their account name, and these users also editing en.Wiki now and
> then.
> >
> >  KP
>
> --
>          Brian Salter-Duke            b_duke at bigpond.net.au
>               [[User:Bduke]]  mainly on en:Wikipedia.
>           Also on fr: Wikipedia, Meta-Wiki and Wikiversity



Bduke is simply not an obscure or unimaginable or distinct name.  If the
wikis mean for only one user to have each user name on all wikis, then there
should be some way of preventing users from taking an already taken name.
Why assume you have to do something about a wiki account on a foreign
language wikipedia in a language you don't read, especially that it isn't
illegal or prevented for users to sign up with an account name on another
language wikipedia when that name already exists on one other?

KP