User talk:OctaveCoelio

Managing a conflict of interest

Hello, OctaveCoelio. We welcome your contributions, but if you have an external relationship with the people, places or things you have written about on the page Réhahn, you may have a conflict of interest (COI). Editors with a conflict of interest may be unduly influenced by their connection to the topic. See the conflict of interest guideline and FAQ for article subjects for more information. We ask that you:

avoid editing or creating articles about yourself, your family, friends, colleagues, company, organization, clients, or competitors;
propose changes on the talk pages of affected articles (you can use the {{edit COI}} template), including links or details of reliable sources that support your suggestions;
disclose your conflict of interest when discussing affected articles (see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest § How to disclose a COI);
avoid linking to your organization's website in other articles (see Wikipedia:Spam § External link spamming);
do your best to comply with Wikipedia's content policies.

In addition, you are required by the Wikimedia Foundation's terms of use to disclose your employer, client, and affiliation with respect to any contribution which forms all or part of work for which you receive, or expect to receive, compensation. See Wikipedia:Paid-contribution disclosure.

Also, editing for the purpose of advertising, publicizing, or promoting anyone or anything is not permitted. You seem to be here to promote the work of the artist Réhahn, and to work in concert with DinhGiang who works for Réhahn and/or with Sylvain Ledda who is also associated Réhan. You improperly moved the draft on Ledda to article space. What is the nature of your relationship with the photographer and his associates? Netherzone (talk) 18:05, 30 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@ Netherzone

Thank you for your message and for taking the time to explain the guidelines in detail. I understand the importance of avoiding any conflict of interest and appreciate your patience yesterday in clarifying some rules.

To respond transparently: I was asked by Giang Dinh to help with some contributions, as she seemed quite unsure about how Wikipedia works. I personally enjoy researching and editing when the topic interests me, especially in the fields of art, pictorialism, and impressionist photography, which I intend to focus on moving forward.

Regarding the draft about Ledda, I realize now that I was not yet familiar enough with Wikipedia’s processes and standards, and I acknowledge that this was premature. I’m still learning, and I appreciate the guidance.

Thank you again for your help. OctaveCoelio (talk) 22:39, 30 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

You are welcome. You clearly have a conflict of interest with Réhahn and his activities and operations. You will need to abide by WP:COI - our guidelines for COI editing. Please read the guideance there carefully and follow the procedures for COI editors.

Additionally are you paid for your contributions by either the photographer Réhahn, by Giang Dinh or by DinhGiang (who I assume is the same person), Réhahn studio or office or business affiliates or by his museum, Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, or by Sylvain Ledda or any other associates or employees or PR agents of the photographer? (The guidelines for paid editors is slightly different.)

What, specifically is your connection to Ledda?

Also please read WP:PROMO and share it with Giang Dinh and the photographer. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, and as such its integrity must be upheld. It is not an appropriate venue for promotion or advertisement or advocacy of any kind. That would lower the encyclopedia's credibility to the public. It should never be used for promotional or advertorial purposes, that's what personal websites, paid advertisements and social media and Fandom is for. It is not a venue for free advertising, it's something very, very different.

Again, thank you for responding, Octave, and for doing so promptly. I hope to hear back from you soon. I also want you to know that this is not a reflection on the photographer's work (which is beautiful), it's strictly about the encyclopedia's policies and guidelines. Netherzone (talk) 23:24, 30 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Netherzone

Thank you again for the guidance (and patience).

Just to clarify: I’m not paid for any of my contributions, and I have no professional or financial connection with Réhahn. I did try to help Giang Dinh because she seemed a bit lost and confused, but I’m not involved in any official capacity with her work either.

To avoid any misunderstanding, I will refrain from editing any articles where a conflict of interest might be perceived. I’ll focus instead on general topics such as photography, painting, and art history (once I get your green light of course), which are subjects I enjoy researching.

I’ll also make sure to wait for community feedback before editing anything further.

Please note that I contribute here during my free time, and I may not always be online due to other work responsibilities.

Thanks again for your patience and support while I learn the proper editing practices. OctaveCoelio (talk) 01:45, 31 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your response and clarification. It might be best to avoid these articles because the issues are not resolved yet. Your contributions are welcome in your areas of interest. Netherzone (talk) 01:52, 31 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Netherzonewell noted. Just to confirm, can I still work on Impressionist photography or I should also avoid it ? OctaveCoelio (talk) 02:33, 31 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your note and transparency, @OctaveCoelio, and for clarifying that you are unpaid but associated. I'd suggest that you refrain from editing Impressionist photography as well as Réhahn because you do have an unpaid COI. I am happy to work with you on improving the article, and am experienced in both the Visual arts, and in assisting good faith COI editors.

The easiest way is to use the WP:Edit Request Wizard (which is the link for unpaid, but connected editors.) It's super easy to use, and will place the request on the article talk page where it can be reviewed by an unconnected volunteer editor. Think of it like having a conversation. Netherzone (talk) 13:12, 31 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I’ve removed the last remaining mention of Réhahn to ensure he is no longer referenced on the page. I believe the conflict of interest banner can now be removed.

As you suggested, I won’t make any further edits to this or other related pages, to avoid interfering with anyone’s work.

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I genuinely value Wikipedia and its mission, and more than ever, I believe Wikipedia needs transparency. You’ve helped uphold that. At the same time, I think it’s also important to be fair with people who are still learning. Mistakes happen, and I appreciate when experienced editors remain smart and kind in the way they guide others.

Good luck. OctaveCoelio (talk) 03:52, 2 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I was talking about the impressionist photography page btw. OctaveCoelio (talk) 03:53, 2 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Octave, thanks for your note. I don't see the edit you mention unless you had forgotten to log in (an IP removed it.) I'll work on the tags.

Since you no longer have a COI with the article, feel free to edit it neutrally. However, you still have a COI with Réhahn, so I'd steer clear of that arena. If a gallery section is included in the future, I'm happy to add an image of Rehahn's work there in addition to other artists working in the genre.

I'm glad to hear that our conversation was helpful, and I agree that WP is a wonderful resource of information, with high standards. Wishing you the best, Netherzone (talk) 22:37, 2 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Netherzone

Thanks for being understanding. I do see why it matters. Still, Ms Giang was told never to touch Wikipedia again, and she almost lost her job because of her mistake. I feel like all the banners are a bit much. I’m not ignoring what happened.I just hope we can approach it with a bit more kindness. Also, covering the page with warning banners can create suspicion about Wikipedia’s reliability. Maybe it would be better to invite other contributors to help improve the article and bring it up to standard, or simply delete the article if the photographer does not meet the standards.

About adding a photograph of Réhahn, please don’t feel you have to if it doesn’t fit the context. I’d just suggest not overlooking the current exhibition in Paris about blur in photography because it’s directly connected to what Davison and the naturalist movement were discussing in 1890.

All the best OctaveCoelio (talk) 14:09, 8 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hello Octave, DinhGiang was not told by anyone here on WP to never touch the encyclopedia again, but rather they were asked to abide by the guidance and policies for paid COI editors, per WP:COI and WP:PAID. Perhaps that was her choice or someone else connected to the artist to "never touch it again"?

If you mean by "all the banners", and "warnings" are the maintenance tags, they are there for a purpose. Tags are a "heads up" to unconnected, neutral editors to review the article for NPOV and other issues that can occur when an article is created for pay, or there are COIs involved. Clean up doesn't happen on a timetable, we are 99% unpaid volunteers here. This can take time.

Re: the need to add a photo of Réhahn, there already is one in the article.

Hope that helps. Netherzone (talk) 01:48, 9 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]