UESPWiki:Administrator Noticeboard/Archives/A Bot's Life

This is an archive of past UESPWiki:Administrator Noticeboard/Archives discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page, except for maintenance such as updating links.

A Bot's Life

At what point in a bot's life should it get its own account? I'm just starting to make one with some basic features and test it mostly on my own testing wiki, but also doing read-only work here, like filtering Special:LonelyPages to look for the ones that weren't /Author or /Description pages. It may later become a read-write bot here too if NepheleBot and RoBoT need a friend. ☺ UESPWiki:Bots is a tad confusing, because it says I have to have community approval before I start using it, but since I'm just learning how to write one, I can't say what I would use it for. If I'm not making changes at all, just reading or maybe a post or two to a sandbox, should I just keep using my own account? Or should I have a new one just for it? Or is any use at all forbidden until approved? Being new, I don't want to be doing things I shouldn't be. Thanks. Joram 03:24, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

The UESPWiki:Bots page isn't policy. It was proposed and largely ignored so there are no rules for bots at all beyond those established for ordinary users. Personally, I take the attitude that RoBoT is a potentially dangerous tool so I keep as close a watch on it as I can and if (when) it screws up, it's my responsibility to fix it. I don't see any problem with others running bots if they follow those basic guidelines. In any case, it's impossible to prove that somebody is running a bot rather than just making edits very fast.

The only person who can grant bot status is Daveh. It would be a good idea to start using a separate account and get bot status for it before running a task that will generate hundreds of edits - purely to stop the patrollers from tracking you down and beating you to a pulp for flooding Recent Changes. Anyway. This is all just my opinion. –rpeh^{•T•C•E•} 19:57, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the info.

"get bot status for it before running a task that will generate hundreds of edits - purely to stop the patrollers from tracking you down and beating you to a pulp"

As opposed to, say, the administrators hunting you down for proposing 3000 pages for deletion?

If no one objects, I'll start a separate account for my bot. Bot status can come later when it has something to do and you've had time to get to know me. Joram 20:52, 26 December 2009 (UTC)

Oh I told 'em what I was doing. I think they like the challenge :p –rpeh^{•T•C•E•} 21:17, 26 December 2009 (UTC)