Wikipedia:TPS
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| A talk page stalker hiding in the foliage of an administrator's talk page. | |
| Scientific classification | |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | |
| Binomial name | |
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GrollTech, 2012 |
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| Known range, shown here in white | |
| Synonyms | |
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A talk page stalker, also known as a or talk page watcher, is an individual who keeps an eye on one or more users' talk pages (often via the watchlist) and answers or adds input to threads in which the stalker is not directly involved.
Talk page stalkers often make very constructive commentary, and should not be confused with . On the other hand, neither are they to be confused with people who have a life. While it is best to treat them politely, and even with some safe measure of kindness, they should be watched carefully for other symptoms of . If you believe your TPS may be experiencing other symptoms of this condition, you may wish to suggest diplomatically the or, for advanced cases, a visit to .
Popular targets of talk page stalkers include administrators, bureaucrats, checkusers, high-profile or highly active users, and other types of megalomaniacs. Talk page stalkers have even been known to stalk each other! Contrary to popular belief, talk page stalkers mightn`t all be scheming villains – rather, they generally contribute with some helpful piece of advice especially when the particular user the message was left for is not immediately available. Talk page stalkers have also been known to make minor tweaks to the talk pages they stalk; for example, replacing plain text archive listings with archive boxes. One can see just how stalked a particular person is by looking at their page information.
It is considered polite to announce one's intention to stalk another's talk page, perhaps through some creative means, or an amiably worded self-invitation to the talk page's owner using as many weasel words as you can manage.
Known talkpage stalkers sometimes like to display it on their own talkpages:
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