Wikipedia:Help desk

Welcome—ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia! (Am I in the right place?)

• For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
• Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
• If your question is about a Wikipedia article, draft article, or other page on Wikipedia, tell us what it is!
• Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
• For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
• New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners (but please don't ask in both places).

Ask a question

June 23

Put de: Nat Wolff on the article please.

Hello. There´s an article about Nat Wolff in the de: WP. Please put that [de:Nat Wolff] on the article, because it´s semi-protectet. Thanks. --Nemash (talk) 23:25, 3 June 2009 (UTC) This quote is a copy of my shout on the talkpage in Nat Wolff. There was nobody who contributed it. This should be the right help desk. I'm not sure. Bye --Nemash (talk) 01:09, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Done. You could've just made a few more edits and done it yourself, you know. Algebraist 01:12, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I keep all my knowledge for the german WP projekt :). But, that's a point. I'll try to catch up with my edits here. I've just added some articels to my watchlist. --Nemash (talk) 01:34, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Accidental Non-Capitalization

So, I recently created an article for Frenchtown High School, but the title is "Frenchtown high school," which looks extremely sophomoric. How do I change the title to the proper one? Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thomasse (talk • contribs) 01:11, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

See Help:Moving a page. Algebraist 01:15, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Just wondering

Can you make an article about a book without the cover? Rory (reply on my page!) (talk) 02:26, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Sure - there is no rule that a page about a book must contain an image; For example 3001: The Final Odyssey has one, while Lilith's Brood does not. The list of books i clicked trough does not have a book cover image for every article. Just make sure the article meets the notability, reliable sources and neutral point of view guidelines. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 05:06, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

If you're referring to the books on Wikipedia, your question may be answered at Help:Books. TNXMan 11:54, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

talkback to another wiki's talk page (Commons to be specific)

Is there a way to get {{talkback}} to point a user to their talk page on another wiki such as Commons. I want to direct a user to their talk page on Commons. I recall that there is a way to do it with {{talkback}} but I can't remember the syntax. --Captain-tucker (talk) 02:25, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

This can't be done with the talkback template AFAIK. But why don't you just leave a simple message? The linking is easy; just commons:User talk:Example. Chamal ^talk 11:21, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes I will do that, I could have sworn that I once saw a talkback on a wikipedia talk page that directed the user to a commons talk page and was just curious if it could be done. Thanks--Captain-tucker (talk) 11:52, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

An ugly brute-force method would be to substitute the template and then edit the resulting wikitext to make the commons interwiki link work. However, the {{talkback}} documentation says not to substitute the template, with no explanation of why, so I guess you shouldn't do that. You could always use a {{Notice}} template and stick in your own message, if you want something that looks fancy. For example:

--Teratornis (talk) 02:40, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

creating a book

I have read the how to save your book instructions and I still dont get it. I click on show my book and when I'm looking at the page that has my book I see there is no option or tab to click on to save it. I really want to create a book. What am I doing wrong?Jbrantwo (talk) 03:31, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I am not aware of any "save your book instructions" on Wikipedia. What instructions are you talking about? Wikipedia is an encyclopedia: it contains pages but no books. —teb728 t c 07:45, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I assume it is about this page Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 08:00, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

See Help:Books Prodego ^talk 08:03, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

sending sms

since i am now registered, how do i send sms --User:Jimojok

Wikipedia is not an SMS service. Its an encyclopaedia. --SpaceFlight89 (talk) 07:02, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Right. See Wikipedia:Talk page and Wikipedia:E-mailing users for ways to contact other Wikipedia users. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:40, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Tables

How do I set a fixed column width and control text alignment within a table? (left, centre, right alignment, but also top, centre, bottom alignment.) V85 (talk) 10:03, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

See Help:Table#Setting your column widths and other parts of Help:Table. I don't know a method to set alignment of a column in one place. You may have to do it for each cell in the column. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:24, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Allocation of articles to namespaces fails

Hello @ all,

some weeks ago, I defined some customized namespaces and everything worked fine. But now I have a problem: Let's say one namespace I recently defined is called "NewNamespace". Now I want to create a new article within this namespace, let's say "NewNamespace:HelloWorld". Then what happens is, that the new article is stored in the (Main) namespace with title "NewNamespace:HelloWorld", but not in the "NewNamespace". The strange thing about it is, that the articles which are already in the "NewNamespace" still work fine, so I don't think that it's a problem with the namespace definition. Can anyone help me? Does anyone have an explanation for this?

PS: I checked about a hundred times that I don't have any typing errors within the article's name, so this easiest explanation drops out as well.

62.157.208.213 (talk) 10:34, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Your question seems to be related to the mediawiki software, which is also used to run wikipedia. In case this is true i would advice either asking this question at the mediawiki website or at the reference desk. The wikipedia help desk is only used for questions about using wikipedia. Thank you. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 11:28, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Need help with Archival of this talk page [Resolved]

Resolved

 – MiszaBot is now archiving.[1] PrimeHunter (talk) 12:44, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

A while back, one of the editors set-up MiszaBot to archive Talk:List of downloadable songs for the Rock Band series. This worked once, but since then we've noticed that talk threads are not being archived anymore. I've since gone in an manually archived some of the content. I am not familiar with how MiszaBot works, but I'm guessing some of it is because the Talk page frequently gets unsigned edits or edits put in odd places (like the "lead" or "header") which could be throwing off the archival. Can somebody with more knowledge of this bot take a look and provide some advice on how to correct the auto-archival? Thanks! -- TRTX ^{T / C} 14:55, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I have reverted this edit which was made 3 days after the latest MiszaBot archiving. Maybe this fixes it. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:33, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I always end up having to do some hand-archiving of my talk page, for just those reasons. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:34, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Alberta Ridings infoboxes

It seems that all the maps in the infoboxes of Alberta ridings are shifted to the left. An example is the Calgary East article... Does anyone know what is making them all do that? Is it maybe the template being used in these boxes? It is Template:Calgary federal electoral districts map... Thank you! TastyCakes (talk) 15:08, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

It's right-aligned here. The alignment of infoboxes is set by site-wide CSS; perhaps your browser isn't loading it properly? Have you tried bypassing your cache? Algebraist 15:13, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Note that he's referring to the maps, not the infoboxes themselves. The map is also left-aligned within the infobox for me. Sarcasticidealist (talk) 15:15, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Looks like a common mistake in the template. It appears align:center; should center the image, but this does not work in a block element like <div>...</div>. Remove it and change the margin to margin:auto;. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 15:16, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Hmm do you mean in the Template:Infobox Canada electoral district template? TastyCakes (talk) 15:27, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Whoops— that would be helpful. Calgary East uses {{Infobox Canada electoral district}} where the imagemap parameter uses {{Calgary federal electoral districts map}} which is where the problem lies. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 15:31, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

So you mean you can't use the locator map within the electoral district template? TastyCakes (talk) 15:35, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm not sure. You would be better to ask on the template talk. I have started a discussion at Template talk:Calgary federal electoral districts map#Centered?; take a look at the testcases and see if that is what you are looking for. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 00:44, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm having trouble finding a wiki.answers.com referenced file

I have a print-out of wiki.answers.com/Q/What are Fiction genres of 6/15/2009. I'd like to find out more about "What are Fiction genres?" YOur page 2 of 3 lists "Search" as "Answers.com>Wiki Anseres>Categories>Literature and Language>Literary Terms>What are Fiction genres?" I can go as far as "Wiki Answers/..../Books and Literature/" but when I add "Literary Terms" and re-send, I'm told there is no such page or file. What should I do next?

---

(sorry, but I can't insert your requested "termination" characters!)—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.9.96 (talk • contribs)

This is Wikipedia - not WikiAnswers.com. But we're helpful folks, so here you go. Best, Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:27, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Yochanan Sofer [Resolved]

Resolved

Hello, I cannot figure out how to get the image to appear in the infobox. I tried uploading the image to Wikimedia Commons using CommonsHelperTool, but it said there was no such image on en.wikipedia. What do I do now? Thanks, Yoninah (talk) 17:45, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Done Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 18:09, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Wow, how'd you do that? The other infoboxes that I checked didn't have that "300px" attached to the image line. Did you tweak something else about the image? Yoninah (talk) 20:11, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

300px was only added to give a reasonable size. The thing that made the image appear was the double brackets around the file name in [2]. Some template parameters require brackets around file names and some don't. Look at the template documentation, or maybe at the template source, or experiment to find out. In this case the documentation at Template:Infobox Rebbe shows the brackets. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:19, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Talk page template for WP:NOTSOAPBOX [Resolved]

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 00:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Is there a template we can stick on article talk pages to remind editors about WP:NOTSOAPBOX? It's in response to this, if anyone wants some context.

Cheers, This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 17:28, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Im not aware of such a template, so i just made you one. It might need some working tweaks, but its a start at least. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 18:18, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

{{Notaforum}}. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:11, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you both - I could have sworn I'd seen one before, but these two solutions are excellent. Cheers, This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 00:32, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Today Genre [Resolved]

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 19:45, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Here is a list of today songs I found to be similar and beautiful at the same time:

• Glenn Morrison - Contact (Original Mix) [3]
• Glenn Morrison - No Sudden Moves [4]
• Deadmau5 - Not Exactly (Inpetto Remix) [5]
• Hybrid - Finished Symphony (Deadmau5 Remix) [6]
• Fragma - Tocas Miracle 2008 (Inpetto 2008 Mix) [7]
• Whigfield feat. KLM Music - Saturday Night (Secret Sunday Remix)

My wonder is: it's a today genre/subgenre, but what subgenre is? I don't think that calling it a Minimalist EDM would be enough due to the fact that all songs has the same particular sound timbres. A much more to-all-people-friendly song, in a sweeter style, a disco style composition, the first I've heard and reminiscent to all pieces from this list is Supermode - Tell Me Why (Raul Rincon Remix) (even Supermode - Tell Me Why). The genre/subgenre must be formed from 2007 to 2009. Hope someone knows or finds the answer. Thank you. --TudorTulok (talk) 18:38, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:47, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. I'll do that. --TudorTulok (talk) 18:58, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Missing space in Glycosidic bond [Resolved]

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 21:03, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

After the link to glucoronic acid, the space between acid and via doesn't seem to be showing up...not sure why.

Get rid of the code to bring up a wikitable just under the heading. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 19:40, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

 Done, seems to be OK now. – ukexpat (talk) 19:44, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

trouble logging in

I first tried creating an account using several passwords. Nothing was accepted, so I asked for wikipedia to set up a password. The first one didn't work, so I asked for a second password & it doesn't work. I tried all the correct capital & non-capital letters. Now neither the user account nor the password is accepted. I'm doing something wrong.

What is the user name? By "I asked for wikipedia to set up a password", do you mean you clicked "E-mail new password" at the login screen? By "didn't work", do you mean you didn't receive a password or that the password was rejected when you entered it? You can also try Wikipedia:Request an account. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Wrongfully Deleted Entry

We at Huthwaite corrected misinformation on our IP "SPIN Selling Model" and gave reference to our published book. Shortly thereafter this page was completely deleted, and it listed "unambiguous copyright infringement" as the reason why. We don't understand this because we used referenced the source which is our book that our company published and owns the rights to. Is it possible to renew or recreate the page without worrying about this issue in the future?

Felicity Ro (talk) 20:57, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

See WP:IOWN for the process to release copyright material for use on Wikipedia. Also, please read WP:NOSHARE - Wikipedia accounts not supposed to be shared by more than one user. Also wouldn't hurt to read WP:SPAM.  – ukexpat (talk) 21:01, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Just to be clear: If you own the copyright to a work, then you can licence the work in any way you see fit. To incorporate the work into Wikipedia, you must license the work (specifically, the portion of the work you put into Wikipedia) under a specific licence, namely the GFDL (and now also the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License 3.0.) Once you have done this, anyone in the whole wide world can then use this material, modified or unmodified, in any way they see fit, subject to the licnese, and you have absolutely no control of the material. So, yes, you can prove to us that you ar the copyright holder, and yes, you can then place teh material in Wikipedia, but you cannot later object if someone else ever uses the material. This will be true even if the material is subsequently deleted from Wikipedia. -Arch dude (talk) 23:27, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Signature problems

I'm working on a new signature:

[[User:a little insignificant|<span style="font-variant:small-caps;color:CornflowerBlue"> just a little</span>]] [[User talk:a little insignificant|<font color="#FFDB59" span style="font-variant:small-caps">insignificant</span>]]

Which translates to:

just a little insignificant

The only change I'm making to my signature is the color. The new one appears to work fine in my sandbox, but when I attempted to change it in my preferences, I got a big fat "Invalid raw signature. Check HTML tags" message. What am I doing wrong? just a little insignificant 21:15, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

You have a tag that can't decide if it's a <font> or a <span>, leading to nonsensical html. Try [[User:a little insignificant|<span style="font-variant:small-caps; color:CornflowerBlue"> just a little</span>]] [[User talk:a little insignificant|<span style="font-variant:small-caps; color:#FFDB59">insignificant</span>]]. Algebraist 21:21, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) You need:

[[User:a little insignificant|<span style="font-variant:small-caps;color:CornflowerBlue"> just a little</span>]] [[User talk:a little insignificant|<span style="font-variant:small-caps;color:#FFDB59;">insignificant</span>]]

Or:

[[User:a little insignificant|<span style="font-variant:small-caps;color:CornflowerBlue"> just a little</span>]] [[User talk:a little insignificant|<font color="#FFDB59" span style="font-variant:small-caps">insignificant</span></font>]]

Both should work, the first is shorter though. weburiedoursecretsinthegarden 21:22, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Great, it works. Thank you both so much, and Algebraist, I'll keep that in mind for next time. Thanks- just a little insignificant 21:27, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Maybe it's my eyes, but the text in both those colours, particularly the yellow, is a little hard to read... – ukexpat (talk) 21:29, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

If it's your eyes, it's mine also. Algebraist 21:30, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

The Rule of tincture may be centuries old, but it still has sage advice to lend when picking out which colors to use for a Wikipedia signature (specifically, it's best not to put yellow letters on a white background). AlexiusHoratius 21:39, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Me too, I've changed it. Sorry. just a little insignificant 22:14, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Ah, much better. – ukexpat (talk) 00:15, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Also, For colors that have such long names, try using hex triplets, it cuts down on characters, see List of colors. For instance, Cornflower blue is #6495ED, you save 7 characters there, Just a hint! ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 09:07, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

city

Which is bigger houston or chicago?

There's an encyclopaedia just around the corner...see Houston and Chicago. It's probably Chicago. Xenon54 (talk) 22:52, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Also, List of United States cities by population. This sort of question is better addressed to one of the reference desks, in this case probably Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous. TastyCakes (talk) 23:02, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

What do you mean by "bigger"? Bigger in terms of population, area, economic output, association with a particular cultural activity? --Teratornis (talk) 02:31, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Refinancing

when you refinance your home-do you have to reapply for the homestead credit76.214.130.252 (talk) 23:40, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. But note that we cannot give legal advice. – ukexpat (talk) 00:13, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Also specify where the home is. Different countries have different laws. --Teratornis (talk) 02:33, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

And possibly states as well, see for example Homestead exemption in Florida. --Teratornis (talk) 02:34, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

June 24

Assitant Manager

i want to now how to be a good assistant maneger —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.246.148.209 (talk) 24 June 2009

This page is only for help on using Wikipedia. I'm afraid we can't answer questions like this. Besides, this is something that will require quite a bit of learning and not something that can be explained by a short answer. Chamal ^talk 04:08, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

final words in a news column

My Aunt Katie has died and I want to write the final Ore City news column for our small county newspaper in her name, ending with the words which indicate that this is the last column. I know there is such a phrase, but I cannot remember it. She did this column for more than fifty years, reporting comings and goings in our small town. I would like to end her column with these words, but I do not know them, although I know I have seen them in the past. Can you help? Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.225.168.55 (talk) 24 June 2009 (UTC)

The best place to ask this is the language reference desk. I suggest you try there. Chamal ^talk 04:23, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Do you perhaps mean –30– ? --Orange Mike | Talk 17:21, 24 June 2009 (UTC) proud son of a newsman, occasional journo himself

Auto formatting of dates

Is the pissing match over the linking of dates for autoformatting over? Who won? WP:MOSNUM doesn't say that the battle is still raging but then it didn't a few months ago either when I de-linked some dates and subsequently got thrown into an arbitration case. So is MOSNUM right? Is linking for the sake of autoformatting again deprecated? Dismas|^(talk) 04:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

• You'll get different answers depending on who you answer. Personally, I don't understand why you can't autoformat without any additional code. It would be just a personal preference setting that doesn't affect anyone else. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:05, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

question?

how and where i can ask a question about a topic? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sanak3 (talk • contribs) 24 June 2009

If the question is about how to edit Wikipedia, you're already in the right place. If you're looking for a general sort of factual question, then the Reference Desk is the place for you. Dismas|^(talk) 06:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

can't open wikipedia

New computer behaviour...when I try to open a wikipedia entry in IE 8 I get an error message saying that windows does not recognize this MIME type.

HOw do I fix this? Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.109.83.152 (talk) 24 June 2009

this at the msdn blog may be of some help. The items listed there suggest:

1. Register for an account
2. Remove Google desktop
3. Clear the cache

If those items fail to resolve the problem, you may find some more knowledgeable assistance over at the Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing section if that fails. Best of luck. — Ched :  ?  07:01, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Infobox

How can I create an infobox? ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 09:02, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

For what article? ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 09:07, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

No, I mean an infobox template ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 09:20, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Use {{infobox}} as a meta-template— many infoboxes are based on it. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 09:44, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Let me give it a shot! ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 10:05, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Have you checked Category:Infobox templates to make sure that one fitting your situation does not already exist? – ukexpat (talk) 13:49, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Speed?

Is it just me, or has Wikipedia been slower the past few days? I'll be glad to know it's not just me. All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 10:01, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I haven't noticed a difference, what web browser do you use? ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 10:06, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Internet Explorer. All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 10:17, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

One strange and possibly related thing I noticed was that when I pressed "Yes" on "Restore all default settings" in "My preferences", the speed seemed to pick up, although it's since slowed down a little again. All Hallow's Wraith (talk) 10:19, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I despise IE, you have to get Mozilla Firefox it's free and very up to date. you can download it here from the official website. Plus, most internet providers aren't really compatible with IE ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 10:36, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I've been having the same problem under Firefox, but I thought it was something on my end. Try disabling addons, or if you use a skin other than Monobook, switch and see if that helps. You might also want to notify those at WP:VPT and see if they can offer any more assistance. Xenon54 (talk) 12:13, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Image reversal

Not long ago, I downloaded an image, reversed it, and then uploaded it to Wikipedia Commons. I did this because the person in the image was facing right, and the image was on the right of the page. It's almost always better to have the person in an image facing into the page rather than out from the page. And this was a situation in which the image was in the lead and had to be on the right. I have searched the FAQ and other Help pages, and it appears that the MediaWiki software does not allow a simple reversal of an image by placing some kind of reversal command or code within an image file link on an article page. I'm wondering if I've just overlooked it, or does a new reversed image have to be uploaded each time a "perspective" problem is found?  ^{.`</sup>^) Paine Ellsworth<sup>diss`cuss} (^^`.  10:36, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm am not an expert, but that may be violating copyrights depending on the photo, I never really notice where the photo is pointing, Freddy Krueger's is come to think of it. I never would go through that much effort ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 10:44, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I can see you've never uploaded an image before, do you need help? If so I'd be more than happy to give you a walkthrough ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 10:47, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Copyright's not the problem. A reversed image holds the same copyright as the original unreversed image. What I'm looking for is a command or code that can be simply added to the {{File:(image name.jpg)|thumb|right . . .}} on any given article page that will reverse the image, instead of having to download, reverse, upload each time an image needs reversed.  ^{.`</sup>^) Paine Ellsworth<sup>diss`cuss} (^^`.  11:13, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

This can't be done AFAIK. You'll just have to upload the image again as you did. Alternatively you can change the alignment of the image (left or right) so that the subject faces the text. WP:IMAGES gives pretty much everything about images, if you need it. Chamal ^talk 11:19, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

It's called Wikimedia Commons and not Wikipedia Commons. This must be about File:Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Siffred Duplessis.jpg and the reverted File:Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Siffred Duplessis left.jpg. See Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Images which speaks against image reversal for layout reasons. I also dislike this kind of image manipulation and think it's practically falsification. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:45, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I would remove the 'practically' there. Algebraist 12:02, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, just now I've seen the image reverted. I reversed it in good faith, and I hope you believe that there was never any desire to promote falsification. The deed was entirely for the benefit of the reader. An outward perspective, as it is now, tends to lead the reader's eyes away from the page, whereas an inward perspective leads the reader's eyes into the page. I promise you that this was my only objective!  ^{.`</sup>^) Paine Ellsworth<sup>diss`cuss} (^^`.  14:32, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Don't worry. I was certain you did it in good faith. I was just expressing my general view of image reversal in connection with the linked guideline and not as a comment about you. If you disagree with the guideline then you can suggest a change at Wikipedia talk:Manual of Style. As long as the guideline is at it is, I don't think you should add reversed images to articles for layout reasons. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:48, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Just a note, as I'm the one who replaced the image with the unflopped one in Benjamin Franklin: The inadvertent flopping of an image in a print publication (a not infrequent occurrence) is considered an error; and deliberately floppiing an image does indeed constitute misrepresentation, like manipulating a direct quotation to make it imply something that the author did not intend. I see no reason for Wikipedia to have lower standards than such publications in this regard. Deor (talk) 19:53, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

(undent) I fail to grasp the importance of which way a person in a photo is looking. If a photo appears at the top of an article, should the subject be looking down? If the photo is at the bottom, should the subject be looking up? And should the subject be pointing as well with an index finger? This might be akin to breaking the fourth wall, i.e. depicting people who seem to be aware of their depiction. There's nothing wrong with breaking the fourth wall, it's a common theatrical and cinematic device, usually to convey irony or humor. However, I'm trying to understand what sort of reader needs to be told where to find the text on the screen. It usually seems apparent to me. --Teratornis (talk) 19:36, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

No. Don't reverse images. That is taught in Basic Journalism 101 or Basic Photography 1A. It is dishonest. If the layout allows, you can switch the image from the right to the left side of the page so the guy or gal faces into the page (taught in most good journalism schools). It's a matter of holding the page together. Very psychological. Your pal, GeorgeLouis (talk) 20:20, 24 June 2009 (UTC) (Later) I deleted one usage from the English Wiki and one from the German, then I went to Wiki Commons and proposed to delete the image. See here. GeorgeLouis (talk) 20:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Check link [Resolved]

Resolved

 – Kateshortforbob 11:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm doing a bit of preliminary tidying of a new article, A J Dalton, which contains an external link to here. Unfortunately it's blocked by my corporate firewall :-( - would anyone be able to check whether this is the author's website or something else, as I don't want to save the article with a mislabelled link, and I won't have access to a free computer for some time. Thanks --Kateshortforbob 11:25, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

It seems to be a blog, which appears to be owned by "Adam Dalton" (At least that is the user posting article's) Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 11:28, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Wow - thanks for the quick reply! So possibly safe to list as an external link for the author, then? From what little I can see on the Google excerpt, it looks like the WP article is quoting directly from another page on that blog, which probably won't do, though. (the firewall is your friend, the firewall is your friend) Thanks again --Kateshortforbob 11:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I would say it is pretty safe to list the blog as such - it has every indication sign of a personal blog. As for the literal quoting, i cannot seem to find it in that page. I even tried finding single words that might be copied, but it seems to be a legit text :) Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 11:48, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Ha, I probably shouldn't rely on cached Google excerpts for these things! It may be a moot point, however, as the sentence has now been removed and the page prodded... --Kateshortforbob 11:54, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Why was this article not speedily deleted? I cannot see any shred of importance or significance. In any event, clearly fails WP:BIO. – ukexpat (talk) 14:48, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

The speedy (A7) was declined, I suspect because the article sort of asserted notability at the time (it's been changed since), although you'd have to ask the decliner to be sure. I was giving it the benefit of the doubt, and didn't discover it was a self-publishing job til I'd posted here. It's on a prod now, so we'll see what happens in a week --Kateshortforbob 15:30, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I know it was declined, my question was why. In any event it has been A7 speedied now. – ukexpat (talk) 15:57, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Typhoon affecting Vietnam between 8-1-1971 thru 12-26-1971

PTSD (post tramatic syndrom disorder)

The cities of Hue and Fubi Vietnam

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside involvement on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where the asking of knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck.. – ukexpat (talk) 13:51, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

(e/c)Hi - I'm not sure whether you have a Wikipedia-related question or not. Perhaps you could rephrase? Our article on the 1971 Pacific typhoon season may be of some use, and there are a number of candidates whose duration coincides with the period you mention, although not all of them may have affected Vietnam. Our article on Huế doesn't mention a typhoon, and I haven't yet been able to find an article on a city called "Fubi" (Vietnamese apparently does not use the letter 'F'). You may have more success with your question(s) at one of the Reference Desks, where people answer general knowledge questions. Make sure to give as much detail as you can when asking there. --Kateshortforbob 14:03, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Non-English Content

Sorry if this isn't the correct place to ask, but I can't find any information. How should non-English language pages in en.wiki be treated? I would add a speedy deletion tag but it's not in the criteria. Any help is appreciated, the article is Gastropunkt. ReformatMe (talk) 14:07, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Tag it as "needs translation", which has been done. (It's also been tagged for speedy, but because the group is not notable.) Xenon54 (talk) 14:16, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Place {{NotEnglish}} on the page that needs translation, and follow the instructions on the template once you saved it. If the article is present on another language wikipedia (Read: it has been literally copied over) you should tag it as a DB-A2. Keep in mind that some users are attempting to translate article's in place, so it might be a good idea to wait for some time to see if the user actively translates it. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 14:37, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

musical lirics

an excentric is giving away prizes to his vault for anyone who knows what artist did the song with 2 lines of the following lyrics,WELL NOW IT'S TOO LATE FOR TALKING,WE CAN TALK LATER ON.LET THE SAXOPHONE PLAY US UNTIL THE CHORUS OF DAWN. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.229.146.120 (talk) 24 June 2009

I'm sorry, but this desk is for asking questions about using Wikipedia. You may be better served by Googling the lyrics to see to which song they belong. TNXMan 15:01, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Oo, oo, I know this one (I think): Angel of Mercy by Dire Straits, from Communiqué. – ukexpat (talk) 15:35, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Or try Wikipedia:Reference desk ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 13:23, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Can't talk to a user reversing my changes

I'm having a problem attempting to add a EL to the orangutan page/entry. MrOllie keeps reversing my edit and although I know there may be a valid reason for him doing so, I can't "talk" to him to find out why. I've been told (by another member) I should ask the question here. His page doesn't seem to provide me with the ability to edit his talk page and I have no idea how to communicate with him. For more details you can see my talk page that has some correspondence with another member. EscapedApe (talk) 15:09, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

User talk:MrOllie is semi-protected due to vandalism so it can only be edited by autoconfirmed users. Your account happened to become autoconfirmed when you made this post so you should be able to edit User talk:MrOllie now. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:24, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Problem with article content and editor disagreement [Resolved]

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 17:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

In the article on SS Orduna, another editor added a largish (for the article) section on one particular journey of the ship by Robert Baden-Powell and Scouting leaders. I removed it, leaving a summary sentence, but then the other editor just undid it. I have left a comment on Talk:SS_Orduna explaining that I feel it should be included under the Baden-Powell or the Scouting pages - surely the article should be just about the ship? How do I get someone else to look at it and decide if I'm wrong or not - and if I'm wrong, to explain why? PhantomSteve (talk) 15:53, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I agree with you - that long section does unbalance the article and raises the question, "What about the other cruises?". If this particular cruise is worthy or more in-depth coverage, it should be in the Baden-Powell or Scouting articles, where its importance lies. You have begun the right way by opening a discussion on the article's talk page. Have you invited the other editor to participate in that discussion? If they have not watchlisted the page they may not know about it. – ukexpat (talk) 16:04, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I've had a reply from him, and given a reply of my own. I was about to invite him to contribute, but when I checked my watchlist, he'd replied! He still thinks I'm wrong, so I'm not sure! PhantomSteve (talk) 16:10, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Another thought. I am sure the folks over at the Ships Project would have useful input, so a message on the project's talk page asking for participation on the article's talk page may give rise to some additional responses. – ukexpat (talk) 16:24, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for that, Ukexpat. I have put a message on the project's talk page, and I'll leave those more knowledgeable in the project to make the decision! PhantomSteve (talk) 16:53, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Happy to help - marking as resolved. – ukexpat (talk) 17:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Notability a must on new articles, but those with no sources are permitted?

Hello,

Although the instructions in WP:FIRST are fine in creating an article, very often a new article created is deleted as soon as possible, unless it meets the notability criteria + other rules and instructions.

I'm however, wondering, that why do some pages exist which do not have any kinds of sources cited? Since if every article is required to have some show of notability in order to avoid it getting deleted, why does a huge amount of articles pass this criteria, despite of having no sources to verify the content from?

Thanks for your time,

~Iceshark7 (talk) 16:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Probably because this is such a huge project that we just haven't got around to working on them yet, whether that be finding sources or nominating for deletion. – ukexpat (talk) 16:46, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Sources are prefered but not essential: for most new pages, however, verifiablility and notability may hinge on sources, but it isn't a absolute requirement. Sources may exist in other forms, such as external links. The fact that an article lacks sources is not usually a reason for deletion per se, it is another requirement that may rely at least partly on sources. This is my understanding. Grandiose (me, talk, contribs) 18:33, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Some subjects are obviously notable, such as well-known geographical locations. Everybody knows Mount Everest exists, so there is no need to assert its notability. Such an article could hang around for a long time with inadequate sources, and not necessarily get deleted, because it is obvious that sources are available and someone needs to get around to putting them in. Even fairly obscure topics can be fairly resistant to deletion when their notability is unlikely to be an issue. See for example List of crossings of the Ohio River. As the Ohio is a major waterway, every single crossing of it is a major engineering work and is undoubtedly notable. Whenever any bridge or dam gets built on a major river, there will surely be published sources about it, the bridge or dam will have a specific name, etc. As we go upstream on the tributaries, eventually the bridges get too small to have names and become less likely to be notable. If you wanted to write an article about some culvert on a tiny stream, you would have to demonstrate its notability. Similarly, an article about some obscure musical act needs to assert notability because few Wikipedia users will have heard of it, and the existence of reliable sources is far from certain. --Teratornis (talk) 19:52, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm afraid I don't agree, Teratornis. While it may be obvious to some, the whole point of wikipedia is to provide info for the people who don't know and make sure everything in the article is accurate. There are plenty of articles that claim a subject is notable but have nothing to back it up. - 131.211.210.124 (talk) 10:30, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

If someone finds such a page, the choices according to WP:UNSOURCED include (a) improve it, by finding and adding sources; (b) challenging claims that ought to be sourced using {{fact}} or similar templates; (c) removing unsourced material, particularly where there are living people involved; (d) if these routes fail, or leave nothing worth preserving, nominating the article for deletion either with a prod template (for deletions that are unlikely to be contentious) or at a deletion discussion. Deletion of an unsourced article on sight is rarely appropriate purely for lack of sources. Bencherlite^Talk 10:41, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

News article

I'd like to suggest a news article for wikinews. The doctors in South Africa have been on strike since monday the 22nd on July. You can find more information on news24 or on ewn.co.za as well as other south african news websites. I don't know how to add news articles. Thanks Claudia

This is Wikipedia Wikinews is over there. Algebraist 16:47, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikinews is a separate project but you can head over to their breaking news page and make your request. – ukexpat (talk) 16:54, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

GA category question

Which GA category would you suggest I add this article to? Aditya ^α _ß 16:48, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

None of them really seem suitable do they? I'd say the safest bet is the Miscellaneous category, all the best Spitfire^Tally-ho! 17:42, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I think it's my only option. I don't see which other section the article would fit in. Aditya ^α _ß 17:58, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

What do you mean by "category"? "Category" has a specific meaning on Wikipedia. Transport in India is already in several categories, and Talk:Transport in India is in several more. If you are asking where to list the article on the WP:GA page, there is a WP:GA#Transport heading. If you are asking about subcategories of Category:GA-Class articles, note that these subcategories do not contain articles, but rather article talk pages, and the categorization comes from templates. Talk:Transport in India is in Category:Engineering and technology good articles, Category:GA-Class India articles, and Category:GA-Class India articles of Top-importance, among others. --Teratornis (talk) 18:36, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

If you are asking about subcategories of Category:Wikipedia good articles, look at some other good articles under WP:GA#Transport and see what categories they are in. --Teratornis (talk) 18:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Again in the case of Category:Wikipedia good articles, the categorization appears to come from templates on article talk pages, and Talk:Transport in India is in Category:Engineering and technology good articles already. I may not understand your question. --Teratornis (talk) 18:45, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I assumed the question was in relation to the categories detailed at WP:GAN, under the section "Nomination categories" Spitfire^Tally-ho! 18:47, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Okay, I'll clarify this. Once I upgrade an article to GA class, I've got to add it to a section on the WP:GA page. However no section seems appropriate for Transport in India. The Transport section does not have an adequate place for it, nor does Engineering and Technology. See? Aditya ^α _ß 15:20, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

A Bot for resolved items?

I don't know if it's possible, but would it be useful to have a bot which looks through the help areas and/or talk pages, and if it finds the {{resolved}} tag, to add [Resolved] in the section title, so this reflects in the Table of Contents for the page? Then at a glance, people can see what has been resolved, and won't need to look at those items! As an example, I hand coded the ones on this page, to show in the ToC which items have been resolved. PhantomSteve (talk) 18:10, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

That's quite a good idea, I can think of one minor problem, which is that any links to that section would then be broken, but then, they would be when the page is archived anyway, and once it is resolved there would not be much need for the links Spitfire^Tally-ho! 18:49, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

• I would consider the section link breakage problem to be a bit worse than minor, but we already have the same problem when talk pages get archived. It would be nice if the archiving bots would find all the incoming section links and fix them too.
• How about marking the unresolved items as "Unresolved"? Then readers can search directly for those items with a Ctrl+F search. It's inefficient to throw technology at marking up the resolved items when the result is still inferior to being able to search for unresolved items directly. That's like giving someone road directions by listing all the turns they should not make, the inverse of what you really want.
• The practice of marking questions as "resolved" is somewhat dubious. To say that something is "resolved" is to declare that no one else on the planet has anything worthwhile to add. Even if the person who asked the question considers him/herself fully satisfied with the answers thus far, a better answer might still be possible. It's hard to say when a question is "resolved", but much easier to say we really know that someone is unresolved. Something is unresolved as long as the person who asked a question isn't satisfied yet.

These are just my opinions, which may not reflect consensus, reality, what you should do, or anything else. --Teratornis (talk) 19:07, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I understand what you're saying, Teratornis, but surely in that case we shouldn't have a resolved tag! If the originator feels that it's not been resolved, they can always removed the tag and comment that they aren't satisfied! PhantomSteve (talk) 19:39, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

What is "that case" in your first sentence? I'm not sure which of my sentences you are commenting on. Let me try to clarify what I'm saying, since it may go against the way most of us have been conditioned to think about marking topics as resolved:

• As long as the original poster feels a topic is unresolved, it would be useful to explicitly mark it as "Unresolved" so other readers can search directly for it. The original poster is fully qualified to tell us when he or she feels an issue is unresolved, and most other users would probably want to search efficiently for unresolved topics.
• Marking topics as "Resolved" is less practically useful, because (probably) nobody wants to search for resolved topics, and nobody is qualified to declare that no further useful information is possible. At best we might know that the original poster feels satisfied with the answers thus far, but the original poster may not be in a good position to know whether those answers are the best possible answers. There is often more than one way to solve a given problem, and since the original poster doesn't know about any of those ways initially, he or she can hardly know whether the first answer that appears is the best possible answer.

So yes, it would be fair to say that I'm having trouble understanding why we mark topics as "Resolved" when we can more confidently and more usefully mark unresolved topics as "Unresolved". "Unresolved" would indicate the original poster definitely still needs help, whereas "Resolved" at best might indicate "There is no urgent need for further comment, but we cannot rule out the possibility of additional useful comment." The "Resolved" template seems useless as a search target, so I don't really understand why we have it, when we should rather have an "Unresolved" template. Perhaps the people who thought it up didn't really think it through. If my thinking is incorrect I invite correction. Obviously, there is so much momentum in favor of using the {{Resolved}} template that I don't anticipate being able to turn that battleship around, even if it's not the best way to classify questions. I'm just pointing out some problems with our current marking custom, and showing how the elaborate fix you have in mind would not be at all necessary if people used the more logical strategy of marking unresolved questions with the searchable text "Unresolved" (which they could then remove when the first workable solution to a question appears). That way we would call readers' attention to the questions obviously in need of help, while not prematurely closing off discussion on questions that might yet admit a better answer. --Teratornis (talk) 20:20, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

My bot already knows how to discern between resolved sections and unresolved sections. See Wikipedia:Coordination/noticeboards, which lists only the unresolved sections and not the resolved ones. —harej (talk) 18:59, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

It's possible to use <span id="foo"></span> to keep a section anchor working if a section header is renamed. --MZMcBride (talk) 05:59, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Rejected article - 'blank suggestions'

My article 'Days of the Week according to the Hindu calendar' was rejected by reviewer as it had 'blank suggestions'. What are 'suggestions'. How do I fill these up? Bless10 (talk) 18:50, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

You didn't submit an article, you just submitted a title with no accompanying content. If you want to write an article on the topic, go ahead and write it. If you want someone else to write it, then the place to request this is WP:RA, not WP:AFC. Algebraist 18:53, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Uploading an Article

I would like to place in Wikipedia an article entitled What is Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy, a therapy I invented that is known world wide. How can I do this?

Professor Rothbart <contact details redacted> —Preceding unsigned comment added by ProfessorRothbart (talk • contribs) 19:15, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

You may follow the instructions at WP:AFC and/or add to Proprioception, but please be aware of WP:AB.   — Jeff G. (talk|contribs) 19:38, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict)

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. – ukexpat (talk) 19:41, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Professor Rothbart, I would just point out that Wikipedia is not an advertising forum for your treatment and/or publications and/or insoles. If you can present an objective, scientific article which does not just advocate buying product(s), and with verifiable citations, then following the advice above would enable your article to be created. Also the title would need to just be Rothbart Proprioceptive Therapy, without the 'What is' prefix! PhantomSteve (talk) 19:52, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

FIFA_World_Rankings vandalism

Someone has vandalized the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Rankings page. I don't edit WIKI pages, so maybe someone else can repair it. Thanks 68.112.180.25 (talk) 21:11, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Looks to have been fixed, and User:J.delanoy has protected the page. If you would like some information on how to revert vandalism (it really isn't hard, I encourage you to try), there's information at WP:VAND. And plenty of people happy to help. Thanks and best wishes, --TeaDrinker (talk) 21:15, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

How can I ask for a review for a sub page?

Resolved

This is the URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Shipinoza/Sandbox I just don't know how to wikilink it. Thanks in advance! --Shipinoza (talk) 21:57, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

You link it like this: [[User:Shipinoza/Sandbox]].

See Wikipedia:Peer review. I took a quick look— don't go there yet. The article is written like an advertisement; I hope none of the text is copied from the company's website or other documentation. You need to check the image, as it is tagged for no copyright status. If you are connected to the company, please read Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 22:00, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. --Shipinoza (talk) 22:20, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Also take a look at WP:COI, WP:SPAM and WP:YFA. – ukexpat (talk) 04:03, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Adding a definition

As a Customer Service Expert, I "coined" a new word “customertunity .” I would like to submitt this word for consideration to be added to Wikipedia. please provide me with the instructionto do so.

Appreciative SB

See Wikipedia:Avoid neologisms. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 22:01, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Merging one's accounts

How can I find my old account, and merge my new one into it? I just created the new one so I could edit, but I think I already had one. I couldn't find my old user name, though.

Accounts cannot be merged. Algebraist 23:57, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

June 25

Login unification

I have created a unified login for different accounts such as en.wikipedia.org, en.wiktionary.org, and meta.wikimedia.org After log in, I show up as having a user page on some accounts (blue), but not others (red). Is there a way to create one user page that will be active for all accounts? Or should I create each one separately? (Seems like a waste of space.)USchick (talk) 03:15, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

You can either create a redirect to your Wikipedia user page, or copy and paste your Wikipedia userpage's content. ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 03:47, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Interwiki redirects are not quite that simple - automatic redirects do not work between projects and/or between different language versions of each project. So for example, one's user page on Commons cannot automatically redirect to one's English Wikipedia user page. Most projects and language versions have implemented {{Softredirect}} templates that point, but do not automatically redirect to, other projects/language versions. – ukexpat (talk) 04:01, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

federal reserve bank application

Federal reserve bank and participant number Linden79 (talk) 04:32, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Do you have a question? The helpdesk is for creations related to using Wikipedia. From the text you wrote i assume you have a question that is not directly related to the helpdesk - for knowledge questions, please use the reference desk, and make sure you describe the question as accurately as possible. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 06:59, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Help

Hi,

I read your faq, but it is useless as it's too hard to understand. I'd like to create a page for a band that I see is not listed in wikipedia that I really like. I want a straight, to the point answer. I'm not going to go on wild goose chases trying to figure out how the hell to create one. I'd like a simple answer on how to create a page for the band. I signed up and became a member of wikipedia, but it is useless if the faqs make no sense and I cant do what I signed up to do. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Undroath85 (talk • contribs) 06:48, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

• Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 06:56, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

• (Another reply) Hello, Undroath85, I'm sorry you've found it confusing to get started, but once you're underway it'll all be fine. You probably need to read Wikipedia:Your first article, Wikipedia:Tutorial for instructions on how to write and format articles, and criteria for deciding whether a band should have an article on Wikipedia. (This last bit is very important, because lots of people every day write articles that basically say "Nameofband is an up&coming new band from Bandsville, which is going to be fantastic when it releases its first single next year; in the meantime they're just playing some gigs. Here's their MySpace page." These articles are deleted very quickly, usually, and that can be upsetting.)

When you've collected your sources, the best way forward is to write the draft of the article at user:Undroath85/sandbox ("sandbox" being a standard term here for tests and for works-in-progress). Click on that red link to start, insert some text into the edit box (as you did with your question above), click "show preview" beneath the edit box to see how it looks, and when you're happy with that change, press "save page". Do this as often as you need to until the article is done - you don't have to write the article all in one go, you can take your time. When the article is finished, why not come back here and ask for someone to look over it and to help you move into the main encyclopaedia? Good luck and have fun. Bencherlite^Talk 07:08, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Wanted categories including ifexist

Hi! I wonder if there is a way to know the wanted categories including the categories tested with #ifexist. I noted that these categories appear in the Special:WhatLinksHere but not in Special:WantedCategories. Thanks. -- Basilicofresco (msg) 08:04, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

The long time with no answers suggests nobody here can understand your question. If you want an answer, you will probably have to give a detailed example of what you are trying to do, and how what you see differs from what you want or expect to see. Ideally you should show us exactly what you are looking at. A vague general description is no good unless someone else is already thinking along whatever lines you are thinking along. It doesn't seem anyone is, hence no answer yet. For starters, please define what you mean by "to know" and "tested with". Tested by what or whom? --Teratornis (talk) 20:09, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Online Users

Is there a way to find whether a user (in wikipedia) is online ?

Some users utilize status tools (For example, i got one of the top right of my user page), but such things are entirely opt-in. The best way to determine if a user is online is checking his or her edits. If an edit is very recent the chance he or she is online is quite high. If no edits have been made in some hours, the chance they are online is low. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 09:29, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Default languages

I would like to suggest an option to display languages of preference on top under the languages. This would be very handy because most people use most often their own language and only a few others (most English). It should be an addition, so all the languages are also still displayed in the list. 09:11, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

What do you mean, the languages displayed in their language? Because they do have that ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 09:34, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

If i understand you correctly you are requesting an option that the "Languages" section is dynamically generates, based upon user preferences? In other words: That you can choose the links to other language wikipedia's?

If this is the case i would refer you to Wikipedia:Village pump (technical), which is the preferred place to discuss technical changes in Wikipedia. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 09:43, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I've transferred the question to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Village_pump_(proposals)#Default_languages

This could be done with javascript (though not by me). Algebraist 12:28, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Disputing the neutrality of an article

How can I dispute the neutrality of an article? Is there a tag that I can place on it?

I'm not sure, have you tried leaving a message on the talk page? ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 09:32, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, {{npov}} can be used for neutrality disputation of an entire article. If you dispute just a section, you can place {{Disputedsection}} Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 09:33, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

• A combination of both answers above is best. People can't read your mind, so even with a template, you still need to explain why you think it applies. - 131.211.210.124 (talk) 10:21, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

User page RPP

If I wanted my user page to be protected, would the decision be made up by an sysop, or is it like deleting a page is my user page, where it's all me? ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 09:30, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

The final descision would always be made by a sysop, simply because protecting pages can only be done by administrators. Most times userpages are only protected in case there is vandalism, but sometimes there is some lenience with this. Talk pages are rarely to never protected due to concerns that IP's or new users won't be able to contact you. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 09:36, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Userpages can be semi-protected and/or move-protected at a user's request. Not many admins would deny that. Best, PeterSymonds (talk) 09:40, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, the request was denied... on the grounds that pages are not protected pre-emptively. Bencherlite^Talk 10:46, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

That is correct according to WP:PP. User pages may be protected at user's request "if there is evidence of vandalism or disruption". For the reason given in the request, there is no necessity to protect. Chamal ^talk 11:30, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Hm, oh well. PeterSymonds (talk) 11:47, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

According to the rule book, that is The admins would know best about it and I'm not one. Chamal ^talk 11:50, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

How to edit a page

I wanted to be able to 'save' a partial edit so as not to lose several hours work when pressing the wrong button, to that end I turned to the 'How to edit a page' section on the Help page (major edits), where, in the last paragraph it states: 'copy the code of the article and place it in Notepad'. My question is, what is and where is 'the code of the article' and how do I copy it into Notepad ? RASAM (talk) 12:07, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

It's everything that appears in the edit window when you click "Edit this page". All the raw text, square brackets for wikilinks and everything else you see there. I highly recommend the technique, which I use all the time :) Hassocks5489 (tickets please!) 12:18, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

When you click the edit tab on an article, you get a box where you can edit the article text (commonly known as the editbox). The text shown here is what is meant by 'code of the article' in the page you mention. To copy it, select the part you want and then copy it by right clicking and selecting copy (or ctrl+c). Chamal ^talk 12:19, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Alternatively, you could create your own sandbox, do the editing there, and when you've done editing just copy and paste onto the article page. To create your own sandbox, just click Here. PhantomSteve (talk) 13:09, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

If you do that, you could also ask here for someone to look at it, if you want to get comments about it before putting it on the main wikipedia pages. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 21:03, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Guiding another user

What can I do to encourage a user to add content in an encyclopedic manner? I have carried out some radical copyediting on the Al Basar International Foundation article, hopefully to bring it up to an acceptable standard for Wikipedia. However, the article's creator has largely undone my copyediting with these edits, leaving his signature, the address, phone and email details of the organisation, and using phrasing (eg: "with the help of Almighty Allah") that I think is generally to be avoided according to the manual of style. I would like to avoid an edit war, yet I think the other editor transformed an OK article into something unacceptable for Wikipedia. Astronaut (talk) 12:08, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I think your revert was required. I've not checked the creator's history, but if this is the only page that they have done this on, I'd just say do the edits/reverts as required, and maybe leave a message on the talk page (or the user's talk page if it exists). PhantomSteve (talk) 13:13, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

A welcome on the user talk is always appropriate— I like {{WelcomeMenu}} and use WP:Friendly. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 13:39, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Blocked user message

I recently reported an IP vandal to WP:AIV only to find the user was blocked yesterday. How do I add the "You've been blocked" message to the user's talk page so that somone else doesn't also make another report to AIV? Astronaut (talk) 12:35, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

If a blocked user is reported to AIV, the report is removed by a bot. As for the talk page, the blocking admin is generally responsible for the block message. If the user has been blocked, they can't edit, which means that there shouldn't be a further AIV report, unless the user resumes vandalizing after the block lifts. TNXMan 13:14, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I checked the user's talk page before submitting my report to AIV and didn't see a "You've been blocked" message. Only after the fact, did I find out the user was already blocked. Seems the blocking admin forgot to add the message to the talk page and they've now gone on Wiki-break. Should I add the appropriate message to the user's talk page to stop others making the same mistake? Astronaut (talk) 13:44, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Technically, no (block messages should be left by admins in case the user requests unblocking, etc.). Realistically, I don't think it would be a problem, just as long as you're clear that you're not trying to impersonate an admin (which you obviously are not). TNXMan 14:01, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. To save me hunting around, what template should I use? Astronaut (talk) 14:17, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

{{uw-block1}}. Be sure to subst. TNXMan 14:23, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Flagged for spam, yet I see links like mine abound on wikipedia

Hello,

I've been accused of spamming because I had added external links to the pages for the speakers my company represents with a link to the respective speaker on our company's website which includes their bio, their speaking topics, their book cover art, and their a/v requirements.

Today I am perusing the wiki entry for [Sheryl WuDunn] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Wudunn) and at the bottom of her page is a link to her speaker bureau, in fact it says, "She lectures through a speaker's bureau." with a link to that company.

I do not understand what I'm doing wrong by creating similar external links. If you could please explain this, I would appreciate it.

Diana

The relevant guideline regarding similar links is WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS, and the appropriate response is to remove links that don't comply with WP:EL and WP:SPAM. The link you noticed at Sheryl WuDunn has been removed - it shouldn't have been added in the first place, but the fact that it was is not an excuse to add similar links. Cheers, This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 13:24, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I just have to guess that you aren't a parent or a youth leader. "Someone else does it" is a logical fallacy. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 13:37, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

That's a bit unfair. I think any person going to a place for the first time would be wise to look around to get a sense of what is and is not appropriate. While existence of something similar won't be a sufficient argument to survive deletion or editing, the question is a fair one. I think a gentler response is warranted.--SPhilbrickT 16:29, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Ironic statement struck. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 17:54, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

This is worth a little more explanation. Many, perhaps most people learn to edit on Wikipedia by looking at what is already on Wikipedia. New users may take a bit longer to find their way to the friendly manuals, since the articles themselves are more apparent. This can create the problem of the "blind leading the blind", as one new user's departure from Wikipedia's policies and guidelines can train other new users to do likewise. See WP:SPAMHOLE for some commentary on this process. It's hard for a new user to be aware that Wikipedia gets edited by millions of other users at all levels of experience and understanding. Some articles on Wikipedia may therefore be far out of compliance with the rules. Most people have been conditioned through experience to take what they see going on somewhere as a definition of what is allowable. The broken window theory follows from this. --Teratornis (talk) 20:39, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Horror Infobox

If there can be a Simpson character infobox, and a Sesame Street character infobox, shouldn't there be a Horror film character infobox? If someone could please create one, please design it after Freddy Krueger's and Jason Vorhees's. ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 13:54, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

What is the benefit of such an infobox that is not already handled by Template:Infobox Film and Template:Horror navbox? -- kainaw™ 20:30, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Bronchitis

Can Bronchitis be transferred within a day from one child to another child if they live in the same house?

You might find what you are looking for in the article about Bronchitis. If you cannot find the answer there, you can try asking your question at Wikipedia's Reference Desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except about how to use Wikipedia, which is what this help desk is for). I hope this helps. TNXMan 15:09, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Instead of asking random, unqualified strangers on the internet, ask your doctor. The Ref Desk is unable to provide medical advice. Astronaut (talk) 15:19, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Bots

Resolved

If I create a bot account just used for mass edits, does it need to be registered? ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 15:12, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes. Any bot account needs approval, which can be requested here. TNXMan 15:23, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Okay, it's a legit sock now ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 02:08, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Talk 1450 WMIQ website address

The Talk 1450 WMIQ website is no longer talk1450.tripod.com The new web address is Talk1450.com — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.96.100.22 (talk) 15:17, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Fixed dead link. Thank you. Note, it would probably have been better to mention this on the WMIQ talk page. Astronaut (talk) 15:24, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Talk Page

How do you use the talk page? why do you use it? and can you talk to other wikipedia users with it?Ilovejbooboo (talk) 15:54, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

To use the talk page for any article, click the "discussion" button at the top of the page. Then click the "+" symbol to start a new section. We use talk pages to collaborate with other editors for the improvement of articles. See WP:TALK for more information. You can also leave a message for any editor on their personal talk page. For example, your talk page is User talk:Ilovejbooboo, where I will leave a message for you in a minute. --Kateshortforbob 16:00, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

General Notability, Orphan, and other article issues.

I created a page on "Paul Neebe" recently, but it came under fire from a number of issues: not citing references, general notability, orphan, no categories, and requiring cleanup. I have tried to address these issues over the past couple weeks, but there is no change on the article page; it still has all of the tags of a bad article. Will someone review the site again and make the call as to whether or not I have sufficiently addressed the problems? What is the procedure for this? 24.254.250.164 (talk) 15:57, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

The tags are still there because the article still has issues. While it now has some references (and I changed the BLP tag accordingly), they are "informational" in nature and do not speak to notability per WP:MUSIC and WP:BIO - significant coverage in reliable sources is required. It is still an orphan as it has only one incoming link, and it still needs some clean up (though I did give it a quick once over with my gnoming wand). – ukexpat (talk) 16:17, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

And don't forget to log in so that you edits are properly attributed to User:Bmw9t. – ukexpat (talk) 16:19, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Wine Distillery

Hello,

I would like to contribute on the topic of " wines with no grapes " I am the owner small winery in BC, Canada and we specialize in wines from or with herbs. Our current inventory have: Ginseng Wine, Cabernet with Ginseng Wine, Echinacea Honey Wine. We would like to share this information and also we are looking for a distribution channels. Can you help how to add this information to your Wijipedia "

Thanks,

Stan Maciaszek Aquaherbs Winery House

You will need to first register an account, which has many benefits, including the ability to create articles. Once you have registered, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 18:38, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for offering to help. You are a "content expert," and your contributions are likely to be valuable. Please be aware that our policies can be frustrating to an expert. We do not permit you to simply assert things or to contribute "original research." Instead, we require that you cite "reliable sources." We take this approach as a matter of basic philosophy: We have no way to verify that you are who you say you are, and we have no desire to put such a mechanism in place. Therefore, we require that all facts be cited to a source ( such as a newspaper, scientific journal, or book) whose publisher does (at least in theory) have such a mechanism. Wikipedia does not say "X is true." Wikipedia says "this reliable source says X is true." If you believe you can be happy with helping us under these constraints, then welcome, and thanks. -Arch dude (talk) 02:05, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Wiki's for creating

Is there anywhere that I can see if there are any Wiki's that need creating because I don't know what to create?

We have WP:RA and WP:AR1 that list article's that are requested by other users. However, since we already have 2.9 million article's you might be interested in finding article's about topic's you like to write about and improve them. Often this is an excellent way to learn editing wikipedia, as new pages are generally difficult to create for new editors, due to article requirements Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 18:38, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

One type of article we have too few of is the glossary. See:

• Portal:Contents/List of glossaries - for existing examples
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style (glossaries) - for instructions on how to edit glossaries

In theory, writing a glossary on a particular topic area should be straightforward. Pick a topic you find interesting, read its article, browse through the categories at the bottom of the article to find related articles, and start collecting jargon terms and definitions. Usually an article will define its topic in its lead section. Put the terms and definitions into your glossary. For some reason, this type of organizational improvement is usually the last thing a new editor would think to do, but it is both helpful, and less likely to get deleted. If starting a new glossary looks too intimidating, pick an existing glossary and see if you can add any related terms to it. You could do that by reading through the glossary, looking up the articles the terms link to, following links from them, and looking for related terms not yet in the glossary. --Teratornis (talk) 20:02, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

How do you stop wikipedia mobile from forcing itself on you via an iPhone 3G?

For several months I tolerated the mildly annoying banner ad for the wikipedia mobile version that appears at the top of pages accessed from an iPhone, as the G3 speed (and, from my experience, even the Edge speed) is more than adequate for downloading wikipedia pages --and the way the screen formats the page in Safari is excellent. However, in the past few weeks I've noticed that I'm often not being asked by the banner ad--wikipedia is automatically redirecting me to the lame, unnecessary mobile version --even when I'm in the middle of looking at normal pages --the added hassle of having to scroll to the bottom to "view in normal Wikipedia" is silly, and often the site will ignore the preference on the very next click. What happened? Can this be turned off permanently? Can users at least have the option to chose how we view Wikipedia without it being dictated to us? I couldn't be the only one irritated by this. Forcing a view seems rather un-wikipedia. --166.134.77.113 (talk) 19:36, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't know if this is something that is being done by Wikipedia or the iPhone. The two best places to ask would be at the technical village pump and the computing reference desk. TNXMan 19:40, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

You might ask Hcatlin, as he has been making changes to the mobile stuff in MediaWiki:Common.js over the last month or so. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 19:50, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

This started happening to me within the last couple of days, so it is most likely a javascript issue. It's extremely annoying. Titoxd^{(?!? - cool stuff)} 19:57, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

You are not the only one who complained about the malfunctioning of the mobile site. I remember handling at least two other cases over the past month with this exact same problem. It seems that Wikipedia redirects based upon browser tags, so that mobile systems are automatically forwarded to a mobile page. Yet the mechanism that allows you to view Wikipedia in normal mode seems to have broken as the preference resets at every new page. As Titoxd stated it might be a JavaScript error on (wikipedia's) side since these problems seem to have started after changes made on the server. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 20:03, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Also, since the complaints look to be coming at staggered times, that suggests that the bug is getting pushed out when a javascript file expires from cache (~ every 30 days) and is refreshed with the buggy version on the server. Titoxd^{(?!? - cool stuff)} 20:16, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)/Archive_45#Auto_redirect_to_mobile_version_of_site_for_mobile_devices. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 20:35, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

uploading a logo to my article

I would like to know how to upload a logo for my article.— Preceding unsigned comment added by CdnDigestiveHealth (talk • contribs)

Your account has to be autoconfirmed (4 days old and 10 edits) before you can upload. Then go to WP:UPLOAD and click on the "logo" link. Couple of other issues: the draft article at User:CdnDigestiveHealth/Canadian Digestive Health Foundation does not indicate why the subject is important or significant, so if moved to the mainspace in its current form it will probably be speedily deleted. It's also rather spammy and could be deleted for that reason too. I suggest that you read WP:YFA, WP:CORP and WP:RS too. Finally, you user name does not comply with the user name policy and will almost certainly be blocked as a spamname. – ukexpat (talk) 21:29, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Oops, it's already been deleted as spam. – ukexpat (talk) 21:36, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

hi

I recently got my contribution deleted....I recently had a bad experience with a company. What do I have to do keep it on the page. Do I need an invoice number or a bill for the product I bought? I just feel that someone searching for the company should know how they do business. Does this site take reputable sources for criticism? Thank you. I apologize for the inconvenience. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hikingdude1 (talk • contribs) 22:03, 25 June 2009

Sorry but Wikipedia does not include personal experience or original research. All content must have been previously published in a reliable source. —teb728 t c 01:04, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Can I narrow the "what links here" results?

When I click on the "what links here" button in an article, I'm presented with hundreds of links. Is it possible to narrow the results, e.g. by Category? (e.g., suppose I'm looking for Supreme Court cases that mention Federal Law X (centrally or tangentially); I'd start with the pages that link to Federal Law X, and then view the subset that are also part of Category:Supreme Court cases) Agradman ^{appreciates civility}/_{makes occasional mistakes} 22:05, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

The doctor says you need a CatScan. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 23:55, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

hmmm this is a fabulous tool! sadly it does not have the functionality I described (intersection of Category & "what links here"), but I will familiarize myself with it for a while. Thanks. Agradman ^{appreciates civility}/_{makes occasional mistakes} 02:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

June 26

Proper copyright license for image of non-living person

Resolved

What would be the proper copyright tag for an image from this article, if used to illustrate that article on Wayne Allwine? The closest I could think of was Template:Non-free promotional, but that doesn't seem quite right since the article isn't really promoting a product. Is there another one I should use, or would that one be acceptable?--Unscented (talk) 00:04, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

You can use {{Non-free fair use in|Wayne Allwine}} Make sure to reduce the image quality.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:21, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks.--Unscented (talk) 00:30, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Advice regarding how to structure articles

USA basketball is an organization responsible for national basketball teams representing the US. There is an article, USA Basketball, understandably short, because there are both men's and women's team. That page leads to a Men's page, which discusses the Olympic and FIBA teams (but ignores other teams). That page also links to a Women's page discussing some of the women's teams.

Here's the problem - the title of the Women's page is USA women's national basketball team. While all the teams within their purview are national teams, the term "national team" is also used to mean just the Olympic(and FIBA World championship) teams. There are other teams, such as the U19, Pan American, Jones Cup and World University teams.

The World University Games start next week, so I would like to add the World University rosters and history somewhere.

One option is to create a separate page for each team and link all pages back to the parent USA Basketball page. Another option is to discuss all the women's team within the women's page. I prefer the latter approach (partly because the Jones Cup teams are already there), but it would require a change in the article title to something like USA Basketball women's teams. I suspect that can be done with a move, but moves create their own set of issues, so I want to get some advice from veterans. (I note that if the title simply had a "s" at the end - "national teams" - I could rewrite the opening section to note that the article is discussing all the teams) --SPhilbrickT 00:28, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

You should discuss your thoughts and plans on the article talk page(s) and/or Wikipedia:WikiProject Basketball and/or Wikipedia:WikiProject Sports. —teb728 t c 00:58, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll try asking there.--SPhilbrickT 11:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Infobox: Books and Wikicommons images

The image that is making trouble.

• I just created Play Ball: Stories of the Ball Field as a part of my working try to fix up King Kelly's article. The image to the right is the public domain cover so I uploaded it to Wikicommons, but when I try to put it in the image space for Infobox: Books I just get text (as you see on the page now). Any ideas? Staxringold _talk^contribs 01:17, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

That ibox requires the full image syntax: [[File:King Kelly Play Ball 1888 front cover.jpg|150px]]. I fixed it. – ukexpat (talk) 02:25, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

• Oooooooh. Thanks! Staxringold _talk^contribs 03:50, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Removing stamps from envelop.

I have problem remove some stamps from the enveops,though put hot water.Please help me. SLJ

This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Wikipedia:Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. -Optigan13 (talk) 01:37, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but the help desk isn't here for that sort of help; we're here to help you use Wikipedia. You might try asking at your local post office. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 01:38, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The Reference Desk may be able to help. – ukexpat (talk) 02:19, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Editing special pages

How do you edit/request edits to a special page? Anxietycello (talk) 03:09, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Which page?   — Jeff G. (talk|contribs) 04:45, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Nominating an article for Deletion

The page on Stephen Grasso is an orphan page about a living person that contains peacock language ("honed his skills") and was created by a now non-existant user named BarryKane whose only contribution to Wikipedia consists of creating the Stephen Grasso page. I susopect that this is a self-prmotion page, and am not sure how notable the subject is. I would hope that someone reading this message who has more experience with nominating pages for deletion would check this out. I have no horse in this race, but the page just doesn't look right to me. I rarely edit here, so i am not asking for help on doing the work myself, just hoping that a helpful person who reads this will forward the information someone of competence. Thanks. Catherineyronwode (talk) 04:06, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I tagged it for deletion.   — Jeff G. (talk|contribs) 04:39, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Prisons in Ohio,

A couple of prisons I noticed you don't have listed are Orient Correctional Institution, and Grafton Correctional Institution... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.164.110.27 (talk) 04:14, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

You could write something about them at WP:AFC or WP:RA, as appropriate.   — Jeff G. (talk|contribs) 04:56, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

See what happens when we search for them:

• Search Wikipedia with Google for: Orient Correctional Institution
• Search Wikipedia with Google for: Grafton Correctional Institution

That finds some mentions in these articles:

• Orient, Ohio
• Pickaway Correctional Institution
• List of Ohio state prisons
• Grafton, Ohio
• Lorain Correctional Institution

etc. --Teratornis (talk) 06:08, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Advocate for a refugee in Netherlands from Iran

I need to find a Netherlands GLBTI support organisation to refer a client from Iran who has a visiting visa to Netherlands Geoff Heaviside 210.15.217.235 (talk) 06:35, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

This page is for questions about editing Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 06:47, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Sport soccer

Where do I get Soccer rules —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.242.29.253 (talk) 26 June 2009

Did you get a chance to look at our article on soccer? TNXMan 07:45, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

GFDL compliance following cut&paste copy

Bringing this here, where I suspect there are more eyes and more knowledgeable people: An eagle-eyed contributor on the New Contributors' Help Page has found this year-old edit, which copied and pasted a big chunk of Polyvinyl chloride into Vinyl chloride without attribution. This isn't a move, so I guess it's not susceptible to WP:HISTMERGE. Is there anything we can/should do to preserve GFDL compliance after this edit? Gonzonoir (talk) 08:16, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I am Tanya Chalkin's manager trying to edit and correct and add to Tanya Chalkin's biography and informatiom.. it wont let me save her bio pls help thanks

I am Tanya Chalkin's manager trying to edit and correct and add to Tanya Chalkin's biography and informatiom.. it wont let me save her bio pls help thanks Tancat11 (talk) 10:42, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

It looks like another editor believed your edit was vandalism, and reverted it. I took a look at your edit, and I don't think it was vandalism, but there are a few issues with it:

• You added a huge load of text to the start, repeating some points that had already been made in the article;
• You added the text right at the start, before "tags" which should come first (tags indicate the status of the article, and help editors to improve the article);
• Most importantly, however, as Tanya's manager you almost certainly have a conflict of interest. My advice would be to post on the article's talk page, and let other editors make the changes you propose.

Cheers, This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 10:55, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

As a further note, the text you added was a complete copy of the biography on tanyachalkin.com. Since the content of that website is copyrighted, this is against Wikipedia:Copyrights. Chamal ^talk 11:03, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

spam

Since signing-up to wikipedia I have been bombarded with spam from, among others, meyuoaoai@wikipedia.org!

• This isn't because of signing up to wikipedia. I have a couple of e-mail addresses which aren't connected with wikipedia which get spams from xxxx@wikipedia.org. you would probably have got those e-mails even if you hadn't signed up to wikipedia. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 11:42, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

• It is technically possible - and for the record, quite easy - to fake a domain name in an e-mail message. See the fourth paragraph in the obfuscating message content section on our spam article. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 11:52, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

• • A further thought: as Excirial said, it's quite easy for spammers to fake the domain name - not only do I get e-mails from wikipedia, I also get e-mails from banks I've never had dealings with (including those in other countries), and even from myself... and I know that I didn't send those ones! PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 12:32, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

SineBot

Anyone noticed that SineBot appears not to have been working the past couple of days? I have reported it on the Bot account's talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 14:16, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, it's been on leave since yesterday. I thought maybe it was down for maintenance or something but apparently it's not working today either. Chamal ^talk 14:19, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Wouldn't it be better to have all talk pages signed automatically (and for those few users who prefer not to sign, turned off in user preference)? I'm astonished at the time spent (wasted) encouraging people to do a task that is perfectly suited for a computer.--SPhilbrickT 15:49, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The plagiarism of (not by) Wikipedia

Is there a place (such as a project or group) somewhere within Wikipedia that discusses plagiarism from Wikipedia? I'm interested in the question of whether Wikipedia can actually be plagiarized (saw an example at List of plagiarism controversies, saw one in the NYT 24 June). If an author grabs a paragraph and pastes it in her book, by the time the book is printed, the paragraph could be edited so that there's no longer a close enough correlation to call it plagiarism. Or it could be deleted altogether. This seems like an interesting philosophical problem. Cynwolfe (talk) 14:17, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Maybe the talk page of WP:REUSE? – ukexpat (talk) 14:30, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia is liscenced under GDFL and recently under CC-BY-SA. This means that any content on wikipedia may be copied, adapted and even sold. Under the new CC-BY-SA liscence the only condition is that any content used from wikipedia is a) Shared alike (Meaning that adaptions must be shared under the same liscence) and b) Wikipedia must be attributed (mentioned).

As for violations masked by edits, we can find them trough wikiblame and the page history which contains a complete copy of each page modification since it was placed. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 14:32, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Will copy this and take the discussion to the talk page of WP:REUSE. Cynwolfe (talk) 15:36, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Protected Title (Novarra) -- how can I reuse it?

I was wondering how I get a page up that was deleted in the past.

Someone else wrote a "Novarra" article a couple years ago and it was deleted. I have reviewed how to write an article and have tried to abide by the guidelines. I have wrote a new version of the article entitled "Novarra Inc". Unfortunately I didn't know I had to ask permission to resubmit it as "Novarra". I have already moved/uploaded the page not realizing till I tried to entitle the page "Novarra" that it wouldn't work or that wasn't the correct process. Is it possible to change the "Novarra Inc" page to "Novarra" after you have reviewed/approved it?

Please tell me how to proceed so when someone does a search, "Novarra" will come up with the new "Novarra Inc" page.

Thanks Scotter353 (talk) 20:10, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

It seems that the page you are refering to has been salted - a procedure used to prevent continuous recreations of a page. I made a WP:RFPU request to have it unprotected, so for now the only thing that can be done is waiting till its either granted or denied. If it would be unprotected it can be used as any normal page, including page moves and redirects. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 20:19, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

How do I move a new article from my user page to the "live" Wikipedia??

How do I move a new article from my user page to the "live" Wikipedia??

In order to create or move a page, you must have an autoconfirmed user account. An autoconfirmed account is any user account that has made 10 edits, and has been around for at least 4 days. Alternatively, if you do not want to register, you can make a request at WP:AFC. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 20:23, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Column width

I know this is easy, but I can't figure it out, and I have read Help:Table

In 2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team#Player stats, I want to widen the first column. I've tried width=150, width=150px, style="width=width=150px" in several places, and nothing works. Well, except for the right way, and I haven't stumbled on it.--SPhilbrickT 20:32, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Done. I set the width to 250px as 150px yielded about the same size. Just look for the 250px and change it in case you want a smaller or larger column :). Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 20:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm not seeing it working. Note the second line, with "Renee Montgomery". I want the column wide enough so her name is on one line. I changed 250 to 500 and it didn't change. Assuming px is pixels, something is wrong. I even tried 1000, no change.--SPhilbrickT 21:22, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Remove the table width and let it set itself. If you really want the names to not wrap, span it with <span style="white-space:nowrap">}. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 01:14, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Where to find current Wikipedia usage rankings?

Isn't there a Wikipedia page that summarizes rankings of the most searched terms/articles/events for the day or week or month? If so, where do I find it? If not, would you consider adding it? --Cwright003 (talk) 21:25, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Try poking around in the sites linked at Wikipedia:Statistics#Automatically updated statistics. It looks as though the "THEwikiStics" pages linked there, in particular, contain some of the information you're looking for. Deor (talk) 00:46, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

adding an entry

how do I add an entry to Wikipedia for a new subject/person?

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Algebraist 22:42, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

June 27

How do I move a new article from my user page to the "live" Wikipedia??

it may need a tiny bit of editing, but ive been told ... " an article doesnt need to be complete to put in in the live wikipedia"....

.... or could one of you do it for me?? ... also if you recommended some changes - i would surely consider them...

i have a user name ect... let me know ok...— Preceding unsigned comment added by Indepthmusic (talk • contribs)

Looks like you figured it out - Opafire. – ukexpat (talk) 00:23, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

make a link to a reference

How do i make a link to a refernce? You will see on the wikipage b-tree. its where HFS+ is. Thanks