Wikipedia talk:Barnstars

Requested Barnstars

Photographer's barnstar

Can someone create a photographer's barnstar? We need one. :) [[User:Neutrality|Neutrality (hopefully!)]] 00:24, Nov 13, 2004 (UTC) (I found that request on Wikipedia:Village_pump -- ClockworkSoul 17:58, 24 Nov 2004 (UTC))

Barnstar of vigilance

What do you all think about a barnstar of vigilance for those that reliably and consistently fight the good fight against vandalism? -- Clockwork Soul 17:51, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Purple Barnstar

I've been thinking about a Barnstar based on the Purple Heart. How about a Purple Barnstar rewarded to those who consistently get their user pages vandalised because of their efforts to fight vandalism on Wikipedia? ~~I have three candidates:~~

~~This is a plain purple barnstar.~~
~~This is a purple barnstar with a graffiti-like V (for vandalism).~~
~~This is a purple barnstar with three graffiti-like Ws (for Wikipedia or World Wide Web).~~
~~(I also have a barnstar with one W, but you get the idea)~~

-- Deathphoenix 19:43, 18 Dec 2004 (UTC)

"Here's a reward for being vandalized so much." Huh? How about people who get vandalized by one idiot on a vandal spree because they said something disagreeable? And people who are just lucky enough not to get vandalized despite fighting vandalism wouldn't "deserve" one, I suppose? Sounds like an odd concept to me. Of course, everyone's free to make up their own rewards; this one just isn't my cup of tea. (Then again, it would be a good replacement for the Purple Heart thingy, which really makes no sense.) A reward for fighting vandalism, sure... But a reward for being vandalized? JRM 20:54, 2004 Dec 18 (UTC)

Well, I'm just a newbie, so I don't know enough about Wikipedia and what barnstars mean to everyone. I think ClockworkSoul's Barnstar of Vigilance would be great recognition for fighting vandalism. I'm thinking that this Purple Barnstar would be a good recognition for the people who are always the target of vandals. It's not a reward that someone would award another person who got vandalised once (like the Purple Heart's "one medal per wound")—maybe that's what you were thinking when you first saw it. I think people would prefer to give this to recipients who have been the target of multiple (different) vandals. Some people have left Wikipedia because they're always being attacked by vandals (I haven't been here long, but I think Zoe was one of those people), while others see being vandalised as a badge of honour. Maybe it would even discourage vandals from vandalising a user page when it says "Hey, I've been vandalised, and I'm proud of it!". Then again, I've never been accused of being sensible. -- Deathphoenix 23:07, 18 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I'm not sure this needs a full-blown barnstar per se, but I still think the idea has merit. As Winston Churchill said, "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.". This view might be worth some kind of recognition. Of course, it is also worth keeping in mind that those with the most-often-vandalized user pages tend to be those that don't play as nicely with others as they probably should. -- Clockwork Soul 21:28, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Yes, I feels somewhat uncomfortable with this, I fear it could be perverted into encouraging polemics and confrontation. But people are probably nicer than this... Rama 21:39, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Newbie question: Would people be more confrontational with vandals in order to get a Barnstar? And would people award barnstars to those who are confrontational with vandals? -- Deathphoenix 00:53, 21 Dec 2004 (UTC)

The short answer is: possibly. Wikipedia hosts an enormous diversity in its users and their views and attitudes. I have no doubt that some people would skew towards antagonistic behavior towards vandals if such behavior is awarded. Perhaps it would be best if we not travel down that particular road with such an award. -- Clockwork Soul 04:08, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Hmmm... good point. I certainly wouldn't want to enourage antagonistic behaviour. I was simply hoping that other people get some sort of recognition for being vandalised. However, I think such people are already recognised by other users performing reverts for them. I'll delete the purple barnstars later today. -- Deathphoenix 16:51, 22 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Barnstar of Motivation

Can't even think of what to call this one, but I can visualise it. I think a barnstar is needed for people who do a considerable amount either (a) to promote Wikipedia beyond the site, acting as "unofficial spokesperson" for it; or (b) who do wonders in "gee-ing up the troops" either through their general motivation of Wikipedians or through assistance by way of tools, contests, and other things that actually make us 'ground troops' want to go out and write, improve, and wikify - in both cases basically people who help move Wikipedia forward.

I'd see the award as being a white star with the edges and central spines of each arm marked in black, to make it five arrowheads. Unfortunately, I've only just discovered png, and I'm hopeless at it, but I've made a sketch here. Can anyone help with this one - and perhaps come up with a better name? Grutness ^hello? 11:37, 20 Dec 2004 (UTC)

The Revivalist Barnstar. The Barnstar of Faith. The Barnstar of Zealotry. :-) The Inspirator's Barnstar. The Barnstar Bright. (Getting obscure.) The Raising Barnstar. Or just plain and simple: the Community Barnstar. JRM 09:17, 2004 Dec 21 (UTC)

Community Barnstar sounds good. Now all that's needed is a better picture for it! Grutness|^hello?

07:40, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I also suck at drawing (be it on paper or on a screen). I'd like something more classy and inspirational than arrowheads, though. I just don't know an appropriate symbol for the community. A small Wikipedia globe at the center, perhaps? But then, every barnstar is awarded for services to Wikipedia, so... hmmm. A small earth globe? Nah, you'd never get the angle "neutral". :-) Olive branches, perhaps? A bit like the United Nations flag, but with the Wiki globe? Perhaps that's too political. Hm. A handshake, then? Or a barnstar with two bent "arms" holding the Wiki globe aloft? I'm not sure that works out visually, but I like the idea. Anyone else? :-) JRM 23:50, 2004 Dec 24 (UTC)

Hollywood Barnstar

If anyone cares to use this star image... Image:Hollywood Barnstar.jpg -- AllyUnion (talk) 03:01, 26 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Purple Heart

In my opinion, it is inappropriate to award a Purple Heart on Wikipedia. It is (slightly) disrespectful to the servicemen who are awarded genuine Purple Hearts. Before you say it: I know that the Wikipedia Purple Heart isn't the same as the military Purple Heart. So if it isn't the same, why not use a different name and a different picture? Axl 21:25, 29 Dec 2004 (UTC)

You mean, get rid of it? :-) I wouldn't use it either, but for the simple reason that it's too American. Of course, others are free to hand it out, though I don't know what for (the description doesn't say). If it's anything like a "reward" for being vandalized, we already had a discussion on a "purple barnstar" to replace it. I still wouldn't hand out that, but it's arguably better than the Purple Heart. JRM 21:41, 2004 Dec 29 (UTC)

I'm inclined to agree that it isn't entirely appropriate here. Not only is it slightly disrespectful and poorly-defined in purpose, but this very American symbol is simply not a good fit for our multinational community. (I feel the same way about the Hero of Socialist Labor). One last observation: it is rarely used, and has only been given to 3 users: Mbecker, Theresa knott, and Raul654. It looks to me that it was abandoned with the introduction of the barnstar. In summary: I would not miss it if it were removed from the page. -- Clockwork Soul 08:14, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

As one of the recipients, I've been asked to comment. I think Axl's point is a valid one - that it could potentially offend recipients; on the other hand, people are free to do as they please. I don't think we should advertise the purple heart or the hero of labor though; I suggest we remove that section entirely. →Raul654 16:29, Jan 2, 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for your comments, Mark. Actually, I asked you because you are noted as the person who imported the award, not because you are a recipient. :-) I'm going to remove the award from the page. If any latecomers wish to object, I will be happy to discuss further. Axl 17:08, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Doing the same for hero of labor. -- Clockwork Soul 19:31, 2 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Defender of the Wiki

Love the idea - really really dislike the image used. PLEASE change it. Wikipedia is not part of the United States, and a lot of Wikipedians would not be happy about having the image of the American eagle on their user pages. See the discussion on "Purple Heart" above. Grutness|^hello? 09:25, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Tough, I picked the LEAST visibly american of the medals awarded by the US... for christs sake it has more colors in common with nazi germany than the US, both of which used the Eagle as well! This medal merely says National Defense. Sorry but no I will not change it. I'm an American and i'll be damned if i'm gonna let someone tell me I cant chose what I want to. I dont see anyone complaining about "communist propaghanda" when they used the Hero of the Soviet Union medal. User:Alkivar/sig 10:45, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Why use an American medal at all? Why use a medal? This is a page for barnstars on Wikipedia. Use a barnstar. And yes, people have complained about Soviet Medals - again, see the comment about "Purple Hearts" above. "I'm an American and I can choose what I want to"? It's comments like yours (among other things) that make 90% of the world hate Americans. Act as though they own the world, and turn every slight bit of criticism about them into a major song and dance. Acting like a jerk does not become you. Grutness|^hello?

Sorry but YOU started it by "politely" demanding I change it. By the rest of your argument we should get rid of half of the page then, but your not arguing against those. Perhaps you should just wake up to the fact that your biased in the ANTI-American slant. I have never once declared nor implied that wiki is part of the US, and sorry but I very strongly disagree with your assumption that many wikipedians would complain about an award they are most likely to never receive. As for it being an american eagle... care to point out to me how you know its an american eagle? To quote from Eagle:

All I did was point out that the image was too Americocentric, and pointed to previous argument on other similar subjects. I did not argue against the previous medals simply because everyone else was already doing so. How did I know that it was an American eagle? Well, the fact that I did should be enough. As it happens, the line across the neck, angle and feathering of wings, and stance all clearly gave it away. The fact that America is just about the only country in the world to spell the word defence as "defense" is another clue. Grutness|^hello?

The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal, while the Romans used it on the standards of their armies. It is also part of the coat of arms of Romania and the coat of arms and flag of Moldova. It is the emblem of "Shqipëria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania.

Perhaps its an Australian Wedge-tailed Eagle, or a Sulawesi Hawk-eagle or a Madagascar Fish eagle, The medal doesnt give specifics. Methinks thou dost protest too much. User:Alkivar/sig 11:35, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

And I would have argued just as vigorously ifg any of them had been used. Wikipedia is not an Albanian project, neither is it Moldovan, Mexican, Egyptian, Iraqi, Saudi Arabian or any other country's that has an eagle on its arms. It does not belong to any one country at all. It is worldwide, and as such should not use a political symbol from any one country. Neither should it demean a medal that has been hard fought for by people facing real danger. Grutness|^hello?

Please, please, please let's not turn this into a ridiculous politically-based discussion: this has nothing to do with "eagles" or "Nazi colors" or "propaganda". In the above "Purple Heart" discussion, the basis for not using existing medals had nothing to do with nationalism or any opinion of the nations holding a medal: it was a matter of respect. To use the image of a real-life citation that somebody (of any nation) had to earn is disrespectful, and denigrates all those that suffered for that recognition. Also, Alkivar, we Americans already have enough people that think we're a nation of arrogant jingoists: please try to comprimise a little. Personally, I think this idea would make a pretty good full-blown barnstar, and would like to see it promoted to such. – Clockwork Soul 15:48, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Clockwork, its not a socalled "honor" as such by the US military, ANYONE who has served during wartime qualifies for it, it is not "earned". In fact, I as a reservist do. If it were considered a special honor awarded for above the call of duty heroism, like say a Congressional Medal of Honor, Silver Star, etc... I would not have used it. User:Alkivar/sig 18:14, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Alkivar: It certainly is an honor, though admittedly not of the significance of a Silver Star: I have not personally served, and you have (and are), and deserve recognition for that. I do see your point: that the current medal used is not an especially difficult medal to earn, but I think that a special award, specific to Wikipedia, would be even better. I would very much like your input on the design of a new barnstar: what kind of new image do you think we could use for that? – Clockwork Soul 18:34, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Well if we must, since its a derivative of the title Defender of the Faith perhaps it should be a barnstar with a closed knights helm or gauntleted fist over top of it. Its title is from the Middle Ages of Europe, so something that represents its Mediæval British origins would be good. However it most definately should not lose its aggressive appearance, as its for aggressive defense of the wikipedia. User:Alkivar/sig 19:28, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I think the helm idea is excellent, and I think the rationale behind it is also good. My artistic talents are, frankly, piss-poor, but I can try to come up with something for now. Does anybody know somebody that can whip up a pretty version of the "wiki star with knight's helm" image? – Clockwork Soul 00:44, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Rama, it looks like like you and I had pretty much the same idea. :D I moved the previous entry up into the barnstar section, and replaced the medal image. I was torn about which image to use, so I flipped a coin (honest!). If anybody doesn't like my weird creation, I won't be insulted if it's replaced. – Clockwork Soul 03:01, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I like the knight's helm, I was thinking of a sword and shield, but the helm is even better because of the "visually defensive" aspects of the helm. I like the helm in ClockworkSoul's version because it looks a little more "aggressive" than the helm in Rama's version, but I think it might be better to use the "original" colour that Rama has. ClockworkSoul's version is the same colour as the Editor's barnstar, and I think the Defender of the Faith should be a little more general than editing. --Death phoenix 03:05, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

If I might drop a thougt here, I think that the eagle give a pretty aggressive connotation to the award. In addition, the colour of the ribbon is also a quite aggressive ("it has more colors in common with nazi germany than the US", in your own words), and the eagle is quite distinctly the USA eagle, which indeed gives it a confusing connotation of being USA-specific (by contrast, the Soviet medals, though they might be disturbing to some, are medals from an authority which does no longer exist, and are thusly less cnfusing). To finish, given the present international context, the medal might be seen as offensive to some, as if they were an endorsement of the policies of the present US administration. I think it might be wise to design something else. Rama 12:13, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Alternative idea : For a suggestion, what would you people think of trying to emphasise the "search for truth" and minimise the aggressiveness of the award by using this picture ? This might make it more a "detective award for exposing truth" connotation, or this sort of idea. Just a thought... Rama 13:04, 9 Jan 2005 (UTC) (for some technical reason, the image might not been displayed. If this is the case, having a look at Sherlock_Holmes#Holmesian_.28or_Sherlockian.29_deduction might help (or not :p). Sorry for any inconvenience)

I made one of a different color scheme (black on gold). I like ClockworkSoul's design too, but blue on blue is kinda difficult for the eyes. Therefore here's the black on gold version of it. What do you guys think? --Godric 03:52, Jan 10, 2005 (UTC)

Godric, the helm is definitely much clearer on this image than in the two others (especially my blue one), although the yellow color is somewhat too "boldly primary" for me. Overall, your image is clearly the nicest so far, and I would happily put on a pair of shades and accept it. ;) I move that we accept Godric's image as the image. – Clockwork Soul 04:25, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Looks good! Grutness|^hello?

04:36, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Thanks, ClockworkSoul & Grutness. Now we can wait for the original award-introducer user:Alkivar to comment too. --Godric 04:39, Jan 10, 2005 (UTC)

Being partial to Orange, I like the 3rd option the best. I dont find it too bright, at least no more so than say the Random Acts of Kindness star. So i'll go with that. User:Alkivar/sig 05:07, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Using Wikipedia "for fraudulent purposes"? The mind boggles. I prefer the orange one, simply because it's a different colour to all of the current barnstars. Axl 11:59, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

It's not orange, it's gold people! :-) I like it. The gold barnstar behind the shining helm emphasises the knightly aspects of this award. This award would cover all aspects of "fraudulent purposes", so I can see it being widely used. --Death phoenix 13:56, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Credits of WikiDefender Barnstar's design

see Image:WikiDefender_Barnstar.png. Thank you all. --Godric 00:05, Jan 11, 2005 (UTC)

Music Barnstar

Here is a suggestion for a barnstar recognising commandable deeds of musical heroism on Wikipedia. Could be awarded to people who perform music interpretations and offer them to the Community Rama 11:03, 15 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Just a quick note, I am colour-blind. So if you find the colour terrible and don't dare to say it, well... go ahead ! :) Rama 10:42, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

The purple brings unwanted associations with a proposed barnstar, but other than that, it's not important. However, I'd like it to have no background, like all other barnstars. Compare the "Random Acts of Kindness", "Defender of the Wiki" and the Photographer's Barnstar. Surely there must be some way of integrating the musical theme with the star picture. (This is weasel talk for "but I don't immediately see a good way of doing it" :-) JRM 11:21, 2005 Jan 18 (UTC)

"Commandable deeds"? A Freudian slip, perhaps? :-)

"Awarded to people who perform music interpretations"? Does this mean "awarded to people who write about music"? Axl 15:02, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Don't know :p What does "Commandable deeds" mean?

By "Awarded to people who perform music interpretations", I mean people who play music, record it and offer the records (like on Goldberg_variations for instance). Of course it's not restricted to this kind of peope, but I think that it is especially remarkable to record music.

As for the suggestions of JRM, I might have an idea, I'll see wether I can implement it. Cheers ! Rama 15:31, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I think a purple barnstar with perhaps the lines w/ a treble clef in white on top would be better, or perhaps some 16th notes tied together. But i definately agree the background has gotta go. User:Alkivar/sig 22:59, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Alternative proposition Rama 23:42, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Hmm hmm. Definitely needs at least a border, the star is now a "ghost". Bump map overlay, anyone, to make it look like a barnstar with "depth"? (How nice that I can hurl around terms like these without being capable of actual image editing, eh? :-) Sorry... JRM 00:47, 2005 Jan 19 (UTC)

Here's my alternative, its darker and doesnt wash out. I can alter the star to any shade you want as well, just hit me back with an RGB#. User:Alkivar/sig 01:06, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Ooh, I like it a lot. The purpley-red shade is definitely off, though, it looks like its rusting through. :-) The full image also has some artifacts on the right edges, but these can easily be retouched. Maybe a lighter shade, something going towards a rich brown to contrast with the gold of the note? Slight hint of wood to suggest a "classical" theme? (No, wait, that's POV — ignore that. :-) JRM 01:14, 2005 Jan 19 (UTC)

I can make it wood grained if you want ;) I'll lighten it up a bit, and make it a more "woody" tone. User:Alkivar/sig 01:18, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

A type of barnstars typically represents a fairly broad category, such as "random acts of kindness", "diligence", or "minor edits"; usually the "Original Barnstar" is used to recognize especially well-done articles of any kind. My point is this: are "music articles" common enough to really deserve their very own full-fledged barnstar? Perhaps another type of non-barnstar award would be better? My concern here is that if we create a new barnstar for each and every little thing, in feature creep fashion, the entire idea of the barnstar will lose its value. – Clockwork Soul 01:28, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I completely agree, but that doesnt stop me from creating/suggesting variations ;) This one is lighter and has a hint of woodgrain for you JRM. Clockwork if you think it shouldnt be a star i can always rip the gold outlined treble clef out and use that instead. User:Alkivar/sig 01:45, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Oh, for the record, I also don't think we need a separate barnstar for just "editing music-related articles". Recording music or preparing sheet music examples for Wikipedia definitely deserves recognition, though, much like the Photographer's Barnstar. Perhaps "Musician's Barnstar" is a better idea. On a final note, I like Alkivars last suggestion, if only it would have a little more contrast... (I think we have enough versions now to directly update the images, though, instead of creating new ones. :-) JRM 02:35, 2005 Jan 19 (UTC)

Another idea, using bumpmap on my previous idea. Bumpmaping is easy : you just open two images in "The Gimp", select the one you want as a texture, and go to "Filters -> map -> bump"; it'll ask you which image to use as a bump mask; tweak around with the buttons and you're done ! :) (I say that because perhaps someone ould come with a better bumpmaping setting... all you've got to do is download Image:Barnstar.png and Image:Music_barstar3.png and play).

Again, I am colour-blind, so please don't be neither shy to complain about my colours, nor too impatient if I do things which look absurd to you. To give you a rough idea, I see chrominance much less than most people, but I'm more sensitive to intensity; the "its darker and doesnt wash out" comment is typical of what you get in this situation ! ^^;;

I think there is something about the proposition of Alkivar, but I find it a little bit "violent"... the yellow glow gives me a gloomy feeling... would it be possible to have a barnstar a little bit lighter and, say, a white glow ?

As for the "purpose" thing, yes, the idea is to reward special contributions related to music; when I said "performence and other things", I was just including a provision for things like music sheets (good point JRM ! I knew I had forgotten something ! :) ), but I didn't mean to suggest a secession of the music articles for the rest of Wikipedia, of course ! :) This clearly belongs to the regular barnstars (or variants of it). I think that "Musician's Barnstar" fits the idea very well. Thanks and cheers ! Rama 08:57, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)