Talk:Community Tech/Thanks notification for log entries

Why exclude the Block log?

Hello @TBolliger (WMF):
I have created the proposal in the Wishlist Survey because I want to thank the administrators for their log actions (mainly when these actions are the consequences of my requests), whatever the log.
In the project page, you wrote "We will likely want to opt-out actions that are inappropriate to thank for, like blocking or thanks. Phab:T60485 already has some comments about what should and should not be thankable." I understand that the Thanks Log and the User creation log should be excluded, but I don't understand the reasoning to exclude the Block log. Moreover, in Phab:T60485, two users want to include the Block log and only one user wants to exclude it (because the user is imagining "really weird situations"). Instead of imagining "really weird situations", we should assume good faith (of the contributors who just want to thank the administrators).
Regards --NicoScribe (talk) 09:10, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

Hi @NicoScribe: — thank you for the well-written proposal! I'm of two minds if it is a good idea to thank someone for setting a block. I understand the desire to say "thanks for taking care of that obnoxious vandal" but my Anti-Harassment hat also gives me pause for potential trolling after a contentious block. The Thanks log just says Foo thanked Bar, which won't give away the exact edit/action that was thanked. I'm curious to hear what others think. — Trevor Bolliger, WMF Product Manager 🗨 17:46, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

@TBolliger (WMF): well, I admit that I'm lost. Let's say that Xyzzy and Baz hate each other, and each one has a "fan club of contributors", and Xyzzy opens a request against Baz, and the sysop Bar blocks Baz due to the request. What kind of harassment/trolling are you supposing? The "Xyzzy hooligans" would thank Bar in the Block log? The "Baz hooligans" would dishonestly thank Bar in the Block log?

Foo is a secret fan of Xyzzy. Foo thanks Bar. The Thanks log just says Foo thanked Bar, and that's great. If the Thanks log said Foo thanked Bar for the block of Baz then all the "Baz hooligans" would harass Foo (but not in the Block log)?

I'm still supposing that most of the blocks are not controversial, and that most of the contentious blocks do not lead to harassment/trolling, and that the sysops have the necessary experience to handle these situations. What is the percentage of blocks which would lead to harassment/trolling?

What about controversial deletions, controversial merges, controversial moves, etc.? --NicoScribe (talk) 21:15, 9 January 2018 (UTC)

You're right. The Thank log is generic and the likelihood for abuse for Thanking a contentious block, merge, deletion, etc. seems low. — Trevor Bolliger, WMF Product Manager 🗨 23:49, 9 January 2018 (UTC)