User talk:SilkTork

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Welcome!!! Pull up a chair, let's have a nice chat. I'm glad you called. I'll put the kettle on.
SilkTork

I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. Barack Obama

Our text should arise as a summary of the reliable sources, rather than editors first deciding what they want to say and then looking for sources. Agricolae

I am open to recall, using Whpq's wording from their RfA:
"if editors I trust and respect are telling me I should not be an admin, then I would voluntarily resign as an administrator."

Happy First Edit Anniversary SilkTork 🎉

Hey @SilkTork. Your wiki edit anniversary is today, marking 20 years of dedicated contributions to English Wikipedia. Your passion for sharing knowledge and your remarkable contributions have not only enriched the project, but also inspired countless others to contribute. Thank you for your amazing contributions. Wishing you many more wonderful years ahead in the Wiki journey and a blessed New Year. :) -❙❚❚❙❙ GnOeee ❚❙❚❙❙ ✉ 07:53, 12 January 2026 (UTC)

Listing for discussion of Template:Editnotices/Page/Nha Trang

Template:Editnotices/Page/Nha Trang has been listed for discussion, which may result in the template being merged or deleted by consensus. You are invited to comment on the proposed action at the entry on the Templates for discussion page. ~2026-36939-5 (talk) 19:07, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

February music

story · music · places

Today something new: a 100th birthday of someone alive, György Kurtág! In 2004 I was there when he and his wife played for the Rheingau Musik Festival where he was the featured composer. They played as the 2019 DYK said, on an upright piano, - listen, the last piece was the same. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:57, 19 February 2026 (UTC)

My story today is again about Percy Grainger (FA by Brian Boulton), this time with a video that surprised me. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:10, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Today's main page features four biographies I helped to bring there, two women and two men, three opera singers (one pictured) and an actor, - a record for me, I believe ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:59, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Precious anniversary

Precious

Six years!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:11, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

👍

I was going to click the "thank" link for this edit, but then I thought it merits more than just an automated thank message. Good faith new editors so often get negative messages, but editors (including, I'm ashamed to confess, myself) far too rarely think to let them know that they are doing well. 😒 Thanks for being an exception. 😇 JBW (talk) 19:31, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

I recall my own first experiences on Wikipedia when I was making mistakes and getting shouted at: User_talk:SilkTork/Start. I was feeling very stressed. Then GraemeL gave me an Exceptional Newcomer Award. It really helped. SilkTork (talk) 02:24, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

When I started I avoided getting into trouble, but that was because I was luckier than many new editors, not because I was better. I did some things, in good faith, which I later realised were inappropriate, and which were every bit as bad as things which many new editors get very unfriendly warnings about. A large part of my work now is checking contributions from new editors, and when I see one who has started out doing something helpful, I sometimes click the "Thank" link, but your example has encouraged me to think of doing more than just that, and more often, too. JBW (talk) 12:53, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

OK, after writing my last message above, I looked at the early history of your talk page, and I was appalled. It was an absolutely classic example of how so many established editors treat new editors. Many new editors subjected to what you were subjected to either get disheartened and give up, or get frustrated, respond angrily, and are driven away by blocks. Either way we lose many people who potentially could have become good editors. Sigh... JBW (talk) 13:17, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Yeah, and to think that I ended up writing Good and Featured articles, served three times on ArbCom, and became a 'Crat. And I might not have done if GraemeL had not given me that award. The thanks button was a Foundation idea, and it's nice, but I prefer the old days when we gave each other Barnstars, or dropped a personal note on the talkpage. It would be interesting to see if the thanks button has actually resulted in a decrease of Barnstar giving and personal messages. If so, it would perhaps be better to remove it. Getting a thanks at the time would have meant little to me. That Exceptional Newcomer Award meant the world. Somebody hadn't just casually clicked a button, they had reached out personally and made contact, and gave me something meaningful. Something that could be seen, and something I could display. I am very proud of my display cabinet, and that I have been given at least one award for almost every one of the 20 years I've been here. Barnstars are special. SilkTork (talk) 14:41, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

I certainly have the impression that barnstars are less common than they were. It had never crossed my mind that it might be due to the thanks button, but you may well be right. However, I don't feel the same way as you about the comparison between thanks button and barnstar. When I get a "thanks" notification I feel a definite feeling of satisfaction that someone has shown appreciation of my work. As for barnstars, however, the first few I received gave me a strong feeling of being appreciated, but after a while I started feeling that in many cases it was 20% "I appreciate what you've done" and 80% "I like the playing aspect of Wikipedia, such as having pretty pictures with my name displayed in people's userspaces". Obviously I can't be sure how true that is, but the impression was reinforced by the fact that when I stopped displaying my barnstars on my userpage I stopped getting barnstars. Of course taking the trouble to post an individual expression of appreciation is more effective than just clicking "Thank" (in case you've forgotten, that was the very first point I made in my first post above) and certainly posting a barnstar fits that description, but I personally find it less convincing than an individual handwritten message. Nevertheless, thinking about what you've said prompts me to think about the fact that however I feel about barnstars, they are likely to be well appreciated by many editors, particularly (though not only) new editors, so I should think about starting to give them out... so, to inaugurate this new policy, here's my original message above, reformulated as a barnstar:

		The Helping Hand Barnstar
		Awarded for helping a new editor to gain confidence, by letting them know that their efforts to improve have not gone unnoticed. JBW (talk) 18:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Brilliant. I absolutely love it! SilkTork (talk) 09:59, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

March music

story · music · places

Of the four topics I helped to bring to the main page, I'm most proud of a woman's work, so made it my story. As it happens, last year's story OTD was about the woman. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:40, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

on Bach's birthday, a story about my joy --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:58, 21 March 2026 (UTC)

? - more Bach in story and music on Palm Sunday, imagine: four Easter cantatas in today's concert, and more places in Cyprus! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:26, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

Good article reassessment for Royal Grammar School, Guildford

Royal Grammar School, Guildford has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 02:22, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

Good article reassessment for Buildings and architecture of Bath

Buildings and architecture of Bath has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. Z1720 (talk) 02:10, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

MfD nomination of Wikipedia:Good article criteria/where necessary

Wikipedia:Good article criteria/where necessary, a page which you created or substantially contributed to, has been nominated for deletion. Your opinions on the matter are welcome; you may participate in the discussion by adding your comments at Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:Good article criteria/where necessary and please be sure to sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~). You are free to edit the content of Wikipedia:Good article criteria/where necessary during the discussion but should not remove the miscellany for deletion template from the top of the page; such a removal will not end the deletion discussion. Thank you. Qwerty123M (talk) 05:33, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

June music

story · music · places

soo great music if you click on music! -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:08, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

Category:Places in Medway has been nominated for merging

Category:Places in Medway has been nominated for merging. A discussion is taking place to decide whether it complies with the categorization guidelines. If you would like to participate in the discussion, you are invited to add your comments at the category's entry on the categories for discussion page. Thank you. ^SMason_Garrison 04:26, 3 July 2026 (UTC)

Defuse proposal

Hi SilkTork. I saw this on Twitter this post. I read your assessment and I understand you are trying in good faith to improve the article, and I agree that it sounds "ex cathedra".

However, I cannot understand why you describe DEFUSE as an "unnecessary detail". Whatever position one takes about the origins, DEFUSE is central to the laboratory-origin subject and covered directly by many reliable sources. Removing it is like writing about Argentina’s 2026 World Cup team and deciding Messi is an unnecessary detail. You may debate its significance, certainly, but it cannot simply disappear.

Please can you explain your reasoning here or on the article talk page?

~2026-41834-60 (talk) 16:49, 29 July 2026 (UTC)

My wording is "Given the size of this article, unless the importance of DEFUSE to this article can be clarified in the article (not here on the talkpage), I would regard it as "unnecessary detail", and so failing criteria 3b." I stand by that. Please note I am not saying that DEFUSE itself is "unnecessary detail", nor that it should be blindly removed from the article, but that a) the importance of DEFUSE should be explained in the article, and that the amount of detail, such as the list of co-authors is best trimmed, even if the importance is explained. The article is pushing the boundary of acceptable length. SilkTork (talk) 18:51, 29 July 2026 (UTC)

It doesn't look like you or the other editor are responding on the article talk page about the deletion of the DEFUSE proposal, which is why I asked you on this page. The only synthesis there is the NYT and Cell articles, which have nothing to do with the subject. ~2026-42403-30 (talk) 16:40, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

I will comment shortly. I've done my own research, and it appears to me that a sentence or two about DEFUSE would be appropriate. I'll need to decide shortly if it would be helpful to keep the GAN open. I generally do tend to keep a GAN open if there is some progress. There was progress when I last looked, though fairly minor. The serious issue of how to deal with the neutrality issue has not yet been raised. SilkTork (talk) 18:33, 31 July 2026 (UTC)

I replied in the GA outlining which sources is saying what [1]. The only SYNTH are the NYT and Cell article, which not mention the DEFUSE proposal, and the Cell article is even predating it. Hopefully now you are understand how the editing on this article is working, even with the best of the intentions. Since was you that mistakenly suggest to remove this section, I would like to make a progress on this one topic argument. ~2026-41834-60 (talk) 19:23, 2 August 2026 (UTC) ~2026-41834-60 (talk) 19:24, 2 August 2026 (UTC)

Jill Gomez

story · music · places

Another day of two bios in the news section, and Jill Gomez is my favourite, - yesterday's story! Places of 8/8 are particularly bright, matching the Voces8 concert in our little town that day that you would have loved. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 12:26, 19 August 2026 (UTC)

Brewing GAN

Ah, good thing I looked here, the bot has failed to notify you that I've written a GA review of Brewing. It awaits your attention at Talk:Brewing/GA2. Chiswick Chap (talk) 17:48, 26 August 2026 (UTC)