Revision review group

This page is devoted to improving the tools for RC patrol and other ways of reviewing revisions as they are made to the Wikimedia projects. This includes improving interfaces to existing information, adding metadata and feedback loops, even adding new types of bots (such as bots that never edit content, only metadata) or users (high-volume RC patrollers, given extra tools which might lag the servers if used by everyone).

Feature requests

• Enable the MediaWiki checked-edits feature. Perhaps do it on, say, enwikibooks as a test, but later on enwikipedia. --w:user:unforgettableid 08:01, 15 March 2006 (UTC)
• Add fields from vandal-trackers like CryptoDerk's Vandal Fighter, and GMaxwell's related tool, to the main WP database (noting which tools' rules generated each field/flag). Make these availbale to other RC visualizaiton/tracking tools. One such field could be "viewed/checked by user".
  • Allow bots to use these vandal-checking tools; each user could choose whether or not to believe/see the "seen" flags set by bots.
• Autoblock certain types of edits. Insertion of spam external links; page blanking or massive resizing; insertion of images larger than a certain width (all only if done by non-whitelisted users). This already happens with spam-links, via a page devoted to that on meta.
• Lotsofissues' Wishlist

Mockups, prototypes, tools

Existing tools

• See CDVF, rcbirds, Magnus's review feature (not part of MW 1.5.0)...
• Gmaxwell has created a simple back end database for review but it doesn't have a user interface yet. The basic idea is to extend the recent change data so that flags can be attached by editors to *revisions*, and other editors can see what flags are attached and who attached them. Based on these flags and the other RC information, a tool like CDVF could allow users to decide what to review. An important idea behind this is the use of a persistent backend (unlike CDVF) and keeping the review policy out of the backend (unlike the previous review feature). To make this useful an API should be developed and it should become part of mediawiki.

Time delay features, to keep new edits from changing what most readers see when they visit a page.

• Bear in mind that there are 1000 reads to every write, and that currently readers are often already seeing a cached page that is 30 seconds old (even when they have just updated the page themselves). Imagine

  a) keeping a whitelist of trusted editors,

  b) holding every write by other editors for 3 minutes before displaying it, showing the previous edit until that time is up,

  c) making that edit 'live' after 3 minutes unless it has already been superseded by a whitelisted edit/rv

  d) adding RC and watchlist features that highlight time-delayed edits awaiting review; and even a way for whitelisted users to shortcut the time-delay by hitting an 'ok' button.

• For a more poetic description of a time delay feature, see the talk page.

Other useful links

See wikipedia 1.0 and related pages on meta and en:WP. See RC patrol on nl.wikipedia for a description of nl: procedures of checking all anonymous edits

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Interested members

Please add your name below if you would like to join this group

• Gmaxwell 05:45, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
• Quinobi 06:19, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
• Evil Monkey 07:26, July 10, 2005 (UTC)
• CryptoDerk 10:46, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
• Dan100 11:02, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
• Lotsofissues 23:05, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
• Redder rose 10:46, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
• Darkdeath-2 (talk) 00:10, 13 October 2021 (UTC)
• Euglou (talk) 12:40, 8 November 2021 (UTC)