User talk: Encoded

Home Send me a message Userboxes Desk Tools

Seeking Feedback and Recommendations for Wikipedia Page

Hi @Encoded!

I have a few questions regarding the TaxSlayer Wikipedia page. I’m hoping to get the page updated with accurate, neutral information ahead of the upcoming tax season. Below are links to a couple of COI requests that were previously declined due to listings of services:

Talk:TaxSlayer#Updates to consumer product

Talk:TaxSlayer#Updates to pro product

For these, I’m wondering if there might be a workable path forward where we only remove the service listings. Would the remaining portions of the request be acceptable if framed this way?

Also, I completely understand the concern around promotional tone. Do you have any recommendations on how to make these updates sound more neutral and encyclopedic? I want to ensure the information stays factual and compliant with Wikipedia’s guidelines.

Additional related request:

Talk:TaxSlayer#Update sports sponsorships

Thank you for your time and guidance. Kthapvongsa (talk) 15:28, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Kthapvongsa, apologies for not providing more descriptive feedback. I've provided some more below.

Updates to consumer product

Proposed: TaxSlayer’s consumer products allow taxpayers to electronically file their taxes online each year. The product provides several different packages to provide varying levels of assistance and support customers require when filing tax returns . TaxSlayer offers four consumer pricing tiers: Free, Classic, Premium, and Self-Employed. The Classic package supports all standard IRS forms and schedules, including those for self-employment and rental income. Premium and Self-Employed plans include access to tax professionals and audit assistance.

The highlighted section may violate NOCATALOG, this could be rectified by going less into specifics here. For example, by saying there are 4 tiers but not saying what they are - by including pricing information it makes it non-encyclopaedic and more like a sales pitch.

Updates to pro product

Proposed: TaxSlayer Pro is designed to be licensed by members of tax preparation practices and small to mid-sized accounting firms . It offers software for both desktop and cloud-based tax preparation. The software includes functionality for individual tax return filing (Form 1040), integration with financial products, document management, a client portal, and desktop or cloud based preparation. The National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) has recognized, TaxSlayer Pro among the top-rated software packages for tax professionals in the U.S .

Pretty much the same as above, feels more like a sales pitch/promotional. Happy to include non-red sections as is.

Update sports sponsorships

To be honest I find myself disagreeing with myself here, I've added it to the article.

Hope this helps, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:41, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

Thank you so much for the thoughtful response. It was incredibly helpful! For the updates to the Pro and Consumer products, could you include the non-red sections as they are? Kthapvongsa (talk) 15:15, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

^{Commenting so this isn't archived, super late rn so gonna grab some sleep but will do this tomorrow. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:24, 25 November 2025 (UTC)}

 Done Encoded  Talk 💬 23:39, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

Question from Rayan Pradhan (10:36, 14 November 2025)

My edits were flagged for COI even though I only added fact-based information with proper citations. Later I was also told it looked like I was trying to promote websites, which confused me because I added those links just to verify the information. I’d appreciate some guidance—this page is almost 10 years old and doesn’t reflect any of Alisha Pradhan’s work or achievements from the last decade. What’s the best way to move forward? --Rayan Pradhan (talk) 10:36, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Rayan Pradhan, thanks for messaging and apologies for the delay in replying. If you have any relation with the subject of an article your request may be flagged for COI. I'd recommend submitting edit requests instead of editing the page directly yourself, this is the preferred method and ensures you stay out of hot water with other editors! You can access the request page here: WP:ERW. Hope this helps, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:51, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Question from Zh25st (08:46, 17 November 2025)

Hi, I spent quite some time editing this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bergans&oldid=1322140884, and when I went to save it, I was notified that it had been reverted (flagged as spam). Fortunately, it's still in the article's history, so hopefully it's possible to improve it and get it published after some changes. However, I would love your help pointing out which parts of the article are considered spam. Can you help? --Zh25st (talk) 08:46, 17 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey, @Zh25st apologies for the delay replying. I've restored your version into your sandbox so you can edit it further before resubmitting it: User:Zh25st/sandbox. Once you're done you can copy it across to the main article. The main issues I saw were quite a few bits without citations/references, and the "Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility" seemed quite promotional in tone. Do you have any kind of relationship with the company as well? (e.g. employee, contractor, etc). It's fine if you do - just need to point you in the right direction for information! Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:58, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Making edits

I made an edit and it has been published, but there is no credit to my username about it. Did I miss a step? TheeCitationist (talk) 03:33, 18 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @TheeCitationist, sorry to hear that! It might be that your login session expired or there was an issue on Wikipedia's end, it's certainly unusual and hopefully won't happen again. As long as you're logged in it should automatically credit you. If you're continuing to have issues with it please let me know and I can help you escalate it. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:59, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

What if your edit is un done by a bot

My edits keep on getting undone Butter chicken boy (talk) 09:18, 19 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Butter chicken boy, I'm not able to see any edits on your history, are you able to send me a link to one of the pages you've edited and I'll look into it to give you the correct advice. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:00, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Question from LettuceHead2 (15:27, 20 November 2025)

Hello, how does editing work? --LettuceHead2 (talk) 15:27, 20 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @LettuceHead2, welcome to Wikipedia! This page: HELP:INTRO is full of useful information on how to edit on the site. Hope this helps, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:01, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Brookfield Corporation

Hi. I hope you are well. I wonder if you can take a look at the ER I posted at Talk:Brookfield Corporation#NPOV Issue. There was already a short discussion with another editor about my proposal, but I would appreciate another set of eyes and to see what you think. Thank you. Mf419 (talk) 14:13, 22 November 2025 (UTC)

^{Commenting to remember to come back to this, super late rn so gonna grab some sleep but will do this tomorrow. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:25, 25 November 2025 (UTC)}

Hey, I think the additional context provided by the stats and figures in the current version is important to include, so I'm in support of the current version at this time. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:43, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

Question from FelixGao0 (00:30, 23 November 2025)

when would something need to be discussed in an article's talk page thingy? --FelixGao0 (talk) 00:30, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @FelixGao0, typically talk pages are used to resolve disputes or discuss how articles can be improved. The only time something "needs" to be discussed there is if there's disagreement on something, for example editor A thinks it should be Apple whereas editor B thinks Apple, Inc. is more appropriate. The talk pages would then be used and other editors would join the discussion to find consensus on the issue instead of just fighting over it in the article. Hope this helps, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:03, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Articles for Creation backlog drive

Hello Encoded:

WikiProject Articles for creation is holding a month long Backlog Drive in December!
The goal of this drive is to reduce the backlog of unreviewed drafts to less than half a month of outstanding reviews from the current 2+ months. Bonus points will be given for reviewing drafts that have been waiting more than 30 days. The drive is running from 1 December 2025 through 31 December 2025.

You may find Category:AfC pending submissions by age or other categories and sorting helpful.

Barnstars will be given out as awards at the end of the drive.
There is a backlog of over 3000 pages, so start reviewing drafts. We're looking forward to your help! MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 06:07, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

• If you wish to opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself from the mailing list or alternatively to opt-out of all massmessage mailings, you may add Category:Wikipedians who opt out of message delivery to your user talk page.

Question from Drainbamage09 (22:12, 23 November 2025)

I made a Wikipedia page and literally everything I wrote got deleted and then I was threatened with being banned if I edited the page anymore. Why am I being threatened with editing and deleting others content when all mine was removed? --Drainbamage09 (talk) 22:12, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Drainbamage09, looks like it was in relation to some citation issues and a disagreement on content, I've looked at your recent edits regarding the cite issues and they look all good now, if you need any more help there WP:REFVISUAL might be helpful! For the disagreement on content you'd probably be best reaching out to that editor directly to discuss the best path forward, but typically removing whole sections without much explanation tends to be frowned upon, try to put your reasonings in the edit summaries - that can help others editors understand why you did it and usually results in discussions rather than warnings for disagreements. Hope this helps, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:07, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Question from Mustafa Surzil (09:14, 24 November 2025)

I am new in wikipedia, I mean i knew about it is there and got the idea clear and liked it a lot. I wanted to join the team who are making this magnificent work into reality but I didn't find a clue, now that i am in, i need support to understand the work environment and the culture behind that making this big task easy. please provide me a overview on how things are done here. BTW: I am a blogger and two of my books are published. I am a Bangladeshi writer --Mustafa Surzil (talk) 09:14, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Mustafa Surzil, welcome to Wikipedia! Editing here is super simple, you can write about something you know such as a local area, correct mistakes you come across, or write a new article that's missing from the site. If you're new to editing I'd recommend visiting HELP:INTRO which is a fantastic introduction to how editing works here.

In short:

- Ensure that you reference any new content you add with a reliable source.

- If your edit is reverted, you can discuss it at the talk page, where you should resolve any disputes.

- Consensus rules here, if the general opinion is that Option A is better than Option B, we do Option A - you're always welcome to join any discussions no matter what they are, everyone's opinion is valued! But it's important that the result of the discussion is respected, even if it's not the one you wanted.

- Finally, be bold, and enjoy!

I've left a message on your talk page with links to all our guidelines and policies, etc. Don't worry about reading these all right away, and don't worry if it's a bit overwhelming at once. It can be! Feel free to come back here and ask any questions - I'm here to help!

When you're ready to get started you can look around and edit anywhere you'd like to, write a new article, or find jobs at the task center. Happy editing, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:14, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

My article's chance of acceptance

Dear Encoded, Could you please give me an idea of how likely my article is to be accepted? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:Hushmand_Dehqan Mojgoon (talk) 21:21, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Mojgoon, the article is a great start but I agree with Patre23's assessment sent today. Currently the provided references don't show that Hushmand is "notable" (in Wikipedia's sense, not in general) - however by adding some more reliable sources you can prove their notability.

Are there any news articles about there work? I've also split the article into sections, this can make it look more "full" which can help, I've added an early life and education section and a career section (I've also put his books in - this can help). I've left some comments on the page which I'd recommend checking - if you can find something for all of them points it will be much more likely to be accepted. Once you've had a chance to see about adding some more let me know and I'll review!

Hope this helps, Encoded  Talk 💬 23:24, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Please feel free to delete my comments once you've seen them also. Encoded  Talk 💬 23:28, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Thank you for your advice!

There are more news articles about their work. I will add everything based on your guidance and let you know when it is done.

Thank you for your time. Mojgoon (talk) 07:10, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

I have filled out the author's Infobox according to your guidance. I added the photo. I expanded the content and added new, reliable references. Please review the draft again. Thank you for your time. Mojgoon (talk) 09:43, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Mojgoon that is greatly improved! I've reviewed and accepted the article with some formatting changes, just moving some paragraphs around to add his "critical reception" (reviews) into their own sub-section. Congratulations on your published article! Encoded  Talk 💬 00:03, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Thank you so much. This article would never have reached this position without your invaluable guidance. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart.I would like to raise the article to B-Class. I will probably dedicate a section to the subject's translations (from English to Persian) as well. I would be grateful if you could guide me on how to upgrade the article. Thank you and best regards. Mojgoon (talk) 00:13, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Dear friend, I have tried to improve and raise the quality and standard of the article. I have expanded it and added more reliable references. Could you please take a look at the Hushmand Dehqan page and see how it is? Thank you for your time Mojgoon (talk) 13:40, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Former Pentagon official Kathleen Hicks

Hi Encoded, you had previously handled an edit request I posted on the article for Robert Rubin, so I'm reaching out to see if you are able to look at one about a different former government official. In this case it is Kathleen Hicks, whose article contains mention of an event that is arguably WP:UNDUE, especially given the article's short length. I've held it back from the COI request queue, hoping to find someone with some experience in the subject matter, but haven't been able to find a reviewer after a few weeks. I realize how busy you are, but if you're able to take a look, I'd appreciate it. WWB Too (Talk · COI) 04:33, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @WWB Too, I'm having to log out for the evening I will get to this as soon as I log in tomorrow. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 00:03, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi there, thanks for your message, and I appreciate you responding even just to say you didn't have time. As it happens, I was successful at last in getting a fair hearing at WT:MILHIST, and the matter is resolved. Thanks again, and all the best. WWB Too (Talk · COI) 14:44, 29 November 2025 (UTC)

Apologies for taking so long to get back to you, I see this has been resolved. I've also added a message confirming my support incase it is needed in the future. If you need anything else please let me know! Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:10, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

COI request, Ryan Kavanaugh

Hi Encoded, I am trying to clean up Ryan Kavanaugh's article so that it is more balanced, according to WP:NPOV. Following an initial discussion that I had posted over a month ago, I recently updated my suggested language in a new request: Talk:Ryan Kavanaugh#Updated Career section. Since you are interested in conflict of interest edit requests, I thought you might be interested in reviewing this. Thank you Francine72790 (talk) 14:03, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Francine72790, I'm having to log out for the evening I will get to this as soon as I log in tomorrow. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 00:03, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Francine72790, sorry for taking so long to get back to you. Life has unfortunately gotten extremely busy so it's becoming less that I have time to come on here. I'm not too familiar with the subject and I'm uncomfortable removing such a large amount of content without being, so I'm going to leave this for other editors to review. I'd recommend pinging some of the editors who have been active on the talk page in the past. Apologies, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:12, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi Encoded, thanks for the update and good luck with all you have going on! Should you find some time and want to discuss the discrepancies between the live article and my suggested revisions, I am happy to detail them for you. Thanks again Francine72790 (talk) 15:34, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

Hey @Francine72790, thankfully it's winding down now - should be on here a bit more often over the next few days! Since it's such a large change for a subject I'm not familiar with I'm going to leave it for other editors, just wanted to let you know so you didn't see my edit history and think I was lying to you after saying I was super busy haha! I'll reach out to some editors who will know better than me and see if I can get this fast tracked for you. Encoded  Talk 💬 17:26, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

I've reached out to WikiProjects Biographies, United States, and Actors and Filmmakers - hopefully someone will drop by soon - if you don't hear from anyone after 7 days ping me another message. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 17:35, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from Joshua Bearnard (03:59, 27 November 2025)

What do you personally think the Illuminati represents today? General ✨ I’ve always been curious about how different people interpret the idea of the “Illuminati.”

Some say it’s a symbol of knowledge and enlightenment, others say it’s a historical secret society, and some believe it represents modern groups or communities with their own teachings.

I’m not asking about conspiracy theories — I’m more interested in the philosophical or symbolic meaning behind it.

Do you think the term “Illuminati” today refers to:

a real organization?

a symbolic concept?

a spiritual or awareness movement?

or just a misunderstood word people use online?

I’d like to hear the community’s thoughts.

How do you interpret the modern meaning of the Illuminati? --Joshua Bearnard (talk) 03:59, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Joshua Bearnard, I'm here to help with any questions you might have about editing on Wikipedia, to get in touch with the community you'd be best asking on the article's talk page, at one of the noticeboards, or the teahouse. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:19, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from WannabeChaibia (06:40, 28 November 2025)

Hello! I am (obviously) new to this. I am mostly interested learn to edit Wikipedia because I love the resource. I also live in Morocco and I noticed that there is a need for more content in that area.

The only edits I've successfully done so far are adding suggested links. That is pretty straightforward. I'm working on medium level stuff now. Finding sources to cite. I started looking around for sources to hold up some of this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Computer_Sciences,_Social_Informatics_and_Telecommunications_Engineering Before getting to far into it, how is it determined whether or not something is worthy of a wikipedia page? --WannabeChaibia (talk) 06:40, 28 November 2025 (UTC)

Hey @WannabeChaibia, welcome to Wikipedia! Glad to hear you're getting stuck in! The best way to determine if something is worthy of a Wikipedia page is if it passes the general notability guideline, that's how we determine what gets an article and what doesn't. It generally needs to have at least 3 (that's a minimum, typically they'll need more) reliable, independent, neutral sources that have significant coverage of the article's subject. Certain things such as geographical locations have exceptions to this but that's the general rule. The GNG page linked is massive and full of info about it. If you have any specific questions about sources or any specific topics feel free to let me know and I can provide more details! Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:23, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

A question

Hello there. I was just recently looking through the recent changes page and clicked on a user by the name of Hosamsaa and it looked they had a whole article on their user page titled Najd Rebellion (1819 - 1824). This may be foolish of me, but I do not know if there is something I should do about it, and if it’s even allowed. I looked through the page and searched for the title on Wikipedia but it seems that there is no article like it and that they created a draft and are editing it on their user page. As I said before, I do not know if this is allowed or not, I may just be very foolish. I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell me what to do and why or, if better, you could do something yourself if needed. Once again, thank you and sorry if I am being a fool. Goodbye, Thapy- comechatツ 04:16, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

There’s an article of that but in Arabic I translated all of it in my page and the article is ثورة نجد Hosamsaa (talk) 10:00, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

Never mind, I think this has been resolved. Thank you anyways. Thapy- comechatツ 22:42, 1 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Thereisausernamepolicy apologies for taking so long to reply. Glad it has been resolved, please let me know if you need anything else. Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:03, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

Question from Negra.perlog (22:24, 30 November 2025)

Hello, I hope you are doing well. I’m reaching out for some guidance regarding my draft article about Rea Nuhu. I have made significant revisions to the draft, especially in terms of formatting the references properly, improving the structure, and ensuring that all sources are reliable and clearly cited.

However, the draft has been declined again, and I would greatly appreciate your help in understanding what specific improvements might still be needed. I want to make sure I’m following Wikipedia’s guidelines correctly, especially regarding notability and sourcing.

If you have the time, could you please take a look at the updated version of my draft and let me know if there’s anything I should adjust or strengthen? Your mentorship has been very helpful to me so far, and I would be grateful for any direction you can offer.

Thank you very much for your time and support. Best regards! --Negra.perlog (talk) 22:24, 30 November 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Negra.perlog, unfortunately many of the websites aren't translating for me for some reason! I'll take a look again tomorrow when I'm at my other computer - maybe it will work there.

In the meantime, here's some more general advice: ensure that your references display significant coverage, they all seem (from what I can tell) to be independent, but some of them seem quite short so I'd double check that. They don't all need significant coverage especially if it's just talking about one specific thing but you need some that do. Next, ensure they're reliable. I noticed that reference 1 appears to be user-generated content (I see a list of contributors) that's unreliable.

When I get to my PC tomorrow I'll try and see if translate will work there and give you some proper, more specific advice - apologies that I can't today!

Thanks, Encoded  Talk 💬 22:32, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

Thank you so much for the support. I have declared that I have a conflict of interest with the person in question. Since I manage the artist, I need to elevate her image and reputation in Albania. I’m being very honest, which is why I need someone’s help. Negra.perlog (talk) 00:13, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @Negra.perlog, unfortunately my internet has just stopped working at home so I'm stuck using my mobile hotspot which my desktop PC cannot connect to as it requires a wired connection, I've tried my laptop again which can connect to my hotspot but the translation tool is still not working on it unfortunately. The connectivity issue is due to be resolved tomorrow so as soon as I am able to use that computer I will retry to review. Thanks for declaring your COI as well, and apologies for the delay! Encoded  Talk 💬 17:40, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

It's okay. I hope to solve the problem asap! I am waiting for an answer. Thank you! Negra.perlog (talk) 00:37, 5 December 2025 (UTC)

Disambiguation link notification for December 4

An automated process has detected that when you recently edited FNZ (company), you added a link pointing to the disambiguation page Santander.

(Opt-out instructions.) --DPL bot (talk) 07:56, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

 Done Encoded  Talk 💬 17:40, 4 December 2025 (UTC)