Wikipedia:New contributors' help page

Wikipedia:New contributors' help page

What would you like to do? Ask a question Do something Ask a knowledge question that you cannot find the answer to in the encyclopedia. (e.g. Did Leonardo da Vinci build a working flying machine?) Learn about how and where you can help Wikipedia (information and resources on the basics needed to comprehend, comment on, and contribute to Wikipedia) Ask a question at the Teahouse about using or editing Wikipedia that you cannot find the answer to in the Frequently Asked Questions. (e.g. How can I fix this problem with this article?) Create an article now (see Your first article before you start) Ask a question about a practical problem you have that is not related to using or editing Wikipedia. (e.g. I was cheated by a builder. Please Help.) Request that other editors review your new article   Ways to get help If you place {{helpme}} on your talk page, a helper will visit you there as soon as possible! Join the #wikipedia-en-help IRC channel for real-time chat. New to IRC? Click here to be connected instantly! The template below outlines Wikipedia's help pages and can be viewed at the bottom of most related pages. (Click "show" on the right to expand the template)

• Shortcuts:
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• WP:NUH
• WP:N?
• WP:NCHP

electricity

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 15:22, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

what was the first town to get electricity in the united states —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.59.42.233 (talk) 23:04, 26 May 2009 (UTC)

I guess it will depend on how much is required before saying the town got electricity. History of electrical engineering#19th century developments says: "In 1882 Edison switched on the world's first large-scale electrical supply network that provided 110 volts direct current to fifty-nine customers in lower Manhattan."

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. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:39, 26 May 2009 (UTC)

But note, we don't do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 01:03, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

"Get electricity" is vague and not specific. Some towns had Arc lights before Thomas Edison turned on his power plant in New York City in 1882, but that is probably the best answer. Menlo Park, New Jersey had electricity in terms of street lights and light bulbs in some buildings as a demonstration before that, in December 1879 [1]. Edison (talk) 19:20, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

outlining article

Resolved

 – Question answered. Fleetflame 05:53, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

HOW DO YOU Successfully OUTLINE AN ARTICLE?Student803 (talk) 14:52, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

Do Outline or WP:Outlines help? If not, then maybe the folks over at the Reference Desk can help, but note that we will not do your homework for you.  – ukexpat (talk) 15:00, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

Or if you're trying to get a "Table of Contents" to show up in an article, see here. Fleetflame 00:35, 12 June 2009 (UTC)

My Book

Resolved

 – ....I think. Fleetflame 15:36, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Information (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

I recently listed my book, The Nature of Information (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987) to the list of further reading on the Wikipedia "Information" page. I now find it has been deleted. This work has been cited as a major reference on information by a number of prominent scientists, not least of whom was physicist, John Archibald Wheeler. The complete list of references can be found in a Google Scholar search for "The Nature of Information by Paul Young". Can you please tell me why this reference was deleted, and if there is anything that can be done to reinstate it. This is a work that deserves to be on a page for further reading on the subject of Information.

I would appreciate any help you can be on this matter.

Sincerely,

Paul YoungNatureofinformation (talk) 19:37, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

For a start I would change my username as it is against our username policy. You may request a username change at Wikipedia:Changing username. Not sure about the book and why it was removed someone will give you more info on that soon. BigDunc^Talk 19:42, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

your addition was removed (according to the user removing it) because you have a conflict of interest and it was interpreted as spam, if you wish to re-add your book please gain a consensus on the articles talk page: Talk:information. All the best Spitfire^Tally-ho! 19:45, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

I do not know what conflict of interest your editor is referring to, since it was not specified. All I am trying to do it add a legitimate reference to your article on Information, one that ought to be there. Your lack of specificity in this area makes it difficult for a contributor to know how to respond. I would argue that the Wikipedia Information page is itself fairly incomplete and lacking in significant references, so for some unknown editor to eliminate my listing without even giving me a clear reason for it is counterproductive to what Wikipedia is supposed to be. I can live without the reference; it's no big deal. But I say again that the book belongs on that list. Thank you for your consideration. Paul YoungNatureofinformation (talk) 20:13, 3 June 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Natureofinformation (talk • contribs) 20:10, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

As suggested above, the best approach would be for you to go to the Talk:Information page and leave a comment there regarding your book and how it would benefit the article to have it included. Often, when a new editor arrives and immediately starts placing links into articles, it is a sign that the person in question is attempting to use Wikipedia for promotional purposes, which is not its role. There is also a clear conflict of interest policy that you should read - it will give you some useful information to avoid such issues. Again, drop by the article talk page, and discuss the insertion with editors there - if the consensus is that the inclusion is a benefit to the article, then it won't be a problem. Cheers. Tony Fox (arf!) 20:15, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

I thought you might not understand what I meant, so I left links for your convenience, just click on the blue text in my above comment, thanks Spitfire^Tally-ho! 20:19, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness, Mr. Fox; it is much appreciated. However, it is not worth all that trouble to me. I believe the book should be listed because it belongs there. I'm not willing to press the point, nor argue for its inclusion. I say with no arrogance intended that it is to the detriment of the Wikipedia article on Information that it will have failed to list one of the seminal works on the subject of the identity of information. Thanks again.Natureofinformation (talk) 20:30, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

It is possible due to your username that it was deemed as spam a quick look at google books and it appears that it might warrent its addition but I make no judgement on it. BigDunc^Talk 20:40, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

Dear Mr. Young , please do not waste the time of the good people at this page with this drivel. Of course your link is spam and was quite rightly reverted. The second sentence of the linked page unequivocally states that the page is selling something, further down I read that "All major credit cards are accepted securely via PayPal". This is the very definition of spam. You waste the time of at least half a dozen volunteers who have reviewed you contribution and taken the trouble to reply to your complaints and then have the nerve to say "it is not worth all that trouble" when advised how you should proceed. There is no right to have sites listed in our external links, in fact the default position is not to put in a link unless there is a good reason, from the external links guideline we should not include,

Any site that does not provide a unique resource beyond what the article would contain if it became a Featured article.

That is, even if your site was not contravening the rules about promotion and payment it still would not be acceptable. In short, you are in contravention of multiple Wikipedia policies and guidelines including WP:COI, WP:SPAM, WP:EL and WP:UN. Please give it a rest before an administrator blocks you. SpinningSpark 21:10, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

I posted two links - one was a listing of the book in the Further Reading section. The other was in External Links, a link to the website that sells a paper that is a distillation of the book. I understand the reason for the link to the website being blocked, and have no problem with it. However, the listing for the book itself was nothing but a reference to the existence of the book and its publisher. There was no reason for this to be removed. They are two separate issues. Your inability to distinguish between the two listings demonstrates a poverty of intellect. And your arrogant, patronizing tone toward me does Wikipedia no credit. It is an excellent example of drivel. I say again, the Wikipedia article on Information lacks a reference to one of the seminal works in the field. Block away.Natureofinformation (talk) 21:53, 3 June 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Natureofinformation (talk • contribs) 21:49, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

• Mr.Young, please be civil, and stop the personal attacks. You have stated that your external link that you put in was inappropriate, and Spinningspark was addressing that. The reason that the listing was removed was probably because of your inappropriate external link, and the user who reverted it probably assumed that both additions were spam, and removed them accordingly.Fingers^OnRoids 22:16, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

It is astonishing that you would accuse me of personal attacks, when your previous editor referred to my request to have my book listed as drivel. Again, I say, the fact that your editors could not discriminate between the two listings I posted does Wikipedia no credit. I am not trying to sell Wikipedia anything. If you don't think my book belongs on the Further Reading list, don't list it. But attacking me and then accusing me of attacking you is sheer hypocrisy.Natureofinformation (talk) 22:23, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

I have to agree about the unidirectional warning. But that is a distraction; let's not get bogged down with that. We all agree now the external link isn't appropriate. So all that's left is the addition in "Further Reading". If you do not want to pursue this, then I guess that's done too. If you change your mind, Tony Fox's advice above is spot on. I see you've visited WP:Changing username, and you've been given two (!) welcomes with some useful links. Seems we might be done here, except for a reminder to those who've been here a while to not bite the new editors. --Floquenbeam (talk) 22:57, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes. I think Spinningspark was a little hard and things easily escalate on the Internet. Natureofinformation only added the book to one article and didn't readd it when it was removed but came here to discuss instead. People are not blocked for that. And Natureofinformation requested a new user name right after being asked here, but it was rejected because the wanted name had already been taken. Some administrators can be quick to block promotional names so please make a new request. It's obvious to Wikipedia editors that a book author has a strong conflict of interest in Wikipedia's sense when adding their book to an article, but outsiders may fail to follow the link and not realize what Wikipedia means. They could for example think that the book itself was claimed to have been written with a conflict of interest. Note that Wikipedia has almost 3 million articles and the editors of Information who can be reached at Talk:Information are probably better suited to evaluate the book than the people who happen to see your posts here. If you still think the book should be added then I really suggest you bring it to Talk:Information. You are right there is a difference between the book itself and a website selling the book or something about it. A technical note: The article history [2] shows your website edit was automatically tagged as "possible conflict of interest" by our software. If an editor of the article sees that and confirms the tag is justified (which it was) then it's common to revert the whole edit(s) without spending time examining the details for salvageable parts which there are usually none of. Remember there are millions of articles and unfortunately a lot of people who add bad things to them. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:18, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

Primehunter - Your courtesy and thoughtfulness are much appreciated, as are your explanations. All I can say is that having my book listed as a reference in the Wikipedia article on Information, where I think it belongs, and will help enrich the reference potential of Wikipedia's article, has turned out to be a lot more trouble than I anticipated. I will contact Talk: Information. Many thanks for your help.Natureofinformation (talk) 00:24, 4 June 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Natureofinformation (talk • contribs) 00:14, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, I went off the deep end there a little, my apologies for my rudeness. I admit I did not realise that you had made two seperate entries, I only went back three edits in the history, all tinkering with the website link (which I still say is unsuitable) but missed the book reference four edits back. Asking other editors on the article talk page to make the edit for you is definitely the proper procedure on Wikipedia when you are connected with the material. You might also want to mention that Google Scholar shows the book is cited in a fair number of other works when you make the request, that is always a good sign. SpinningSpark 00:58, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for that, Spinningspark; it's very much appreciated.Natureofinformation (talk) 14:16, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

I notice that a "Resolved" sign has been placed at the top of this section. Although it is correct that any personal dissent between editors in this matter has been resolved, the underlying issue, my original request to have my book listed in the Further Reading section of the Wikipedia article Information, has not yet been resolved. I have posted a request on the Talk:Information page, as suggested, but there has been no response so far. I have no idea how long the process should take before a decision is made as to whether to list my book or not, but wanted to set the record straight as of the moment.Natureofinformation (talk) 20:00, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

There is no problem with keeping this thread unresolved (I think the bot will archive it anyway once no one has written to it for a period), but if none of the editors here are willing to make that edit there is not a lot of point. It is also true that many articles do not have a lot of editors watching them. The project the article belongs to are shown on templates at the top of the article talk page with links to the project pages. There is more chance of finding someone knowledgable on the subject at those project pages. I know the mathematics project in particular has an active group of members. SpinningSpark 17:38, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you so much for your suggestion. It is much appreciated. I have to say that the process that has unfolded here, following my mistake in adding an External Link that was inappropriate, has involved me in a maze of correspondence, all with only one purpose in mind - to ask Wikipedia to consider listing my book in the Further Reading section of the Wikipedia article on Information, where it belongs, and to consider this as a separate issue from the mistaken link problem. Logic would suggest that all Wikipedia has to do is reconsider this one request, but it seems that this is not the case, and that I must somehow continue to argue for its inclusion. It is astonishing to me that this one matter cannot be handled with a simple yes or no - either Wikipedia accepts that this reference should be added, or it does not. But to make me chase around trying to find someone to approve my request is unnecessarily complex, time-consuming and burdensome. I have paid a price of considerable time and energy trying to get one book listed in a section in which it truly belongs. As mentioned above, a search of Google Scholar for "The Nature of Information Paul Young" will result in thirty-four scholarly references to my book. Surely this should be enough for Wikipedia to see the legitimacy of my request, and, indeed, with no arrogance intended, that the book, The Nature of Information, belongs on the Wikipedia article on Information. As a last resort, could I go back and re-list the book in the Further Reading section of the artiole, and, if I did, would its inclusion be considered on its own merits, separate from the mistaken link I added, or will that follow me around wherever I go in Wikipedia? I should note also that I applied for and received a user name change, as advised by two Wikipedia editors, as a sign of my interest in resolving this matter. Any help you can be in this will be greatly appreciated. At some point, it simply is not worth the time it takes for me to have to hunt down an answer to what seems to me to be a very simple question - will Wikipedia accept the listing of my book in the Further Reading section of the article on Information, or not?Natureofinformation (talk) 18:31, 6 June 2009 (UTC)

There is no deadline in Wikipedia. It may feel important to you when it's your book but to others it's probably just a minor detail in one of around 3 million articles. Wikipedia is primarily an encyclopedia to provide information by itself. A further reading section is usually not considered an important part of an article. Your suggestion is at Talk:Information#My Book where it can be seen by people considering to edit the article. Maybe some have already seen the section and decided to not get involved in what looks like a long discussion because you copied all posts from here at the time. Wikipedia editors are volunteers, nobody can tell them what to work on, and there is no chain of command or rigid review process for suggestions. Even if one editor said no on the talk page, others might say yes later and add the book. Or if one editor added the book, others might remove it later. Articles change and Wikipedia has another structure than you may expect from other organizations. I once made a conflict of interest suggestion to an unimportant article and got no replies for 10 months until somebody made the suggested addition. Spinningspark mentioned something which may attract attention to your suggestion. Another possibility is {{Request edit}}. Whether you want to spend time on discussing with editors or trying to get a fast reaction is your decision. If you had posted to Talk:Information when it was first suggested here 8 minutes after your original post, and you had not discussed further here or elsewhere, then you wouldn't have used much time. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:47, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and explain something of Wikipedia's structure. Now that I understand the process, I'm happy to leave it there. I didn't realize that entries such as the one I have been suggesting - a Further Reading reference, could be added and removed by different editors. I assumed that once a reference is listed, it would remain listed. Again, I am most grateful, as not understanding enough about how Wikipedia works was the most difficult aspect of this for me. I wish you the very best with your personal projects. Paul YoungNatureofinformation (talk) 04:30, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Further reading is not considered references by Wikipedia. See Wikipedia:Layout#Further reading. By the way, it's especially external links sections where editors add and remove entries. A common cycle is that various editors add links one at a time (often with a conflict of interest like their own site), and at some time another editor comes along and cleans up, often removing several entries. A further reading section may be more stable. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:55, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you again, Primehunter. You are very thoughtful and all your input has been much appreciated.Natureofinformation (talk) 21:01, 8 June 2009 (UTC). For the record, my new user name is InformationZone.InformationZone (talk) 21:06, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Creating a page that is currently redirected?

Resolved

 – Question answered and page created. Fleetflame 15:43, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Hi, I want to create a page for Cavapoo. Currently when you search for Cavapoo it redirects to List of Dog Hybrids and so on. How can I stop this redirect and create the page? Matt Cherubrokker (talk) 11:58, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Redirect#Navigating redirects. Note that the page history [3] shows there has been an article [4] in the past but an editor redirected it for not satisfying Wikipedia:Notability. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:26, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

The article also has an unencyclopeadic tone. It needs a rewrite in a more neutral and factual style. SpinningSpark 10:06, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Nazi criticism

Absurd (band) (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

Since when is it "unsourced" and/or "negative" to qualify Nazis as racist, uneducated, and dangerous? Please reconsider and allow me to add "which, of course, places them near the top in the disgusting class of racist, uneducated, and dangerous music acts that popped out as so many sick worms during the 90s." to the "Absurd (the band)" page. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.201.145.38 (talk) 11:44, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Such language violates Wikipedia's policy of neutral point of view. Remember, this is an encyclopaedia; there are places on the internet to voice your own personal commentary on subjects, but this is not one of them. haz (talk) 11:52, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Besides, you don't even need to use those adjectives. Just list very plainly what they do and who they are and then they'll be condemned by simple facts. —harej (talk) 02:50, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Getting a Page Live

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 15:22, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

I have written an article in my sandbox but have no idea how to make it 'live', nor how to title it correctly - it is currently titled with my own username, but the article is obviously not about me. One of my external links should also have the subject matter as it's reference but it keeps putting my own username in there instead. I have searched the tutorials and FAQs for half an hour now but am going around in circles!!

a) How do I give my page a proper title? b) How do I then make it live? c) Why can't I find the answers these simple Qs anywhere in the tutorials (sorry to drive you mad!)?

Thanks,

Prince60 (talk) 12:01, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Hello, im about to help you. I have had a look at the article in your sandbox and i think you have done a good job. Read Wikipedia:Your first article to find out all the information you need about making your page "live" and im sorry you couldn't find the answers in the tutorial. I know when i first started, there was just so much information it drove me crazy but this is the place to ask questions and hopefully i've answered yours. Cheers 211.30.120.216 (talk) 12:32, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

a) The title on top of the page is automatically generated by the mediawiki software, and displays the location where the page currently resides. Since that is currently your userpage sandbox, that title is displayed. Once it is moved to the correct location, the title will switch.

b) To make a page go live, it must be moved to the correct name in the article space. There is a tab called "Move" on top of the page - which i presume you do not see at this time. In order to move a page a user must have been around 4 days, and have made at least 15 edits. This is a means to counter pagemove vandalism from new accounts. To solve this wait for four days and stack up 15 edits, or, as a more simple means, just tell me what title the page has to go to, and i will move it for you.

c) I see you did not receive a welcome template - i added one to your talk page now. A slight annoyance is that wikipedia actually has masses of help pages - in fact i personally think that due to the large amount, man can't even figure what help page is the correct one anymore. Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 12:39, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Oh that's wonderful and so clear, thanks so much! Yes, I realise now it is because I haven't got 15 edits under my belt, so there is no 'move' tab. The article is simply titled 'Sarah Deane' and I have referenced everything accordingly. Would you mind moving it for me? Hopefully I shall have the required 15 edits soon. And thanks for the welcome template! Mich.

Prince60 (talk) 12:45, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Done. The article is not located at Sarah Deane (And see, the title changed). I removed the the headnote as it directed the user to the same page the user is already on. Also, i reformated the references a little bit to allow usage of them as footnotes. Apart from that: Its a rather good article, and if this is truly the first you ever wrote on wikipedia, you can up that "Rather Good" a notch or two to "Very good". :) Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 13:00, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you!! And thanks as well for the 'polish'. Yes it is my first time but I did take my time over it and used other similar bios as a template. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon. Cheers again, very much appreciated, you've been wonderful. Prince60 (talk) 13:04, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Your more then welcome. In case you need any further assistance, feel free to ask for it: Generally taken the best method is to ask it here or at the general helpdesk as those placed are generally actively watched by multiple editors. Of course you can always contact me at my talk page in case you need help, though that might not always be the fastest method to get an answer :). Excirial ^{(Contact me,Contribs)} 13:11, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I am having the same issue not being able to publish the page that I have created here [[5]]. My plan is to update all the hotels in Singapore, then in surrounding countries and this is the first article. I appreciate any assistance and advice that you are able to provide for this project. —Preceding unsigned comment added by H6657-MK (talk • contribs) 03:59, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Mahendra Mohan Das

Mahendra Mohan Das is a 16 year old Assamese boy who recently got all Assam 11th rank in class X SEBA board exam. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mahendramohandas (talk • contribs) 04:26, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Did you have a question or require any help? Gonzonoir (talk) 08:02, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

URLs for cited books

When providing an optional URL for a cited book:

• Is it appropriate to link to a book's "free preview" on Google Books?
• Is there any recommendation for/against Worldcat links?
• Would it generally be acceptable to replace an existing Worldcat link with a Google Books link, since the latter gives instant access to the text? Or is this something that should be discussed on the talk page first?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.0.94.81 (talk) 09:40, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm not aware of any specific policy for or against either Google Books or Worldcat. We have templates you can use to link to titles on both services: Template:Worldcat and Template:Google books. I tend to link to Google Books copies of texts copiously. Depending on the case (which articles are you looking at?), I'd say it's probably a good idea to link to both, rather than replacing Worldcat links with GBooks links. Google Books is a good way to provide instant access to (part of the) text online, but the Worldcat record is then very useful in tracking down the full text. So I'd say be bold and augment the pages by adding Google Books links as well as the Worldcat ones; if anyone objects, then you can move to the talk page and discuss. Gonzonoir (talk) 20:45, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

The best way to link to a book is to use its ISBN number. This is done automagically, for instance ISBN 0838980147. This takes the reader to a page where they can choose to look up the book in a large number of different catalogues, including Google books and World cat. Some users have priveleged access in certain catalogues, for instance, customers of Amazon books get a "See inside" feature that is often better than Google preview. I also personally think relying on Google books (or any other site) for a preview is a bad idea, if that site shuts down that then leaves our refs as dead links. SpinningSpark 20:56, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for your responses. Since I don't have a particular article in mind, let's say a hypothetical article contains the following citation:

{{cite book
  | last = S. S.
  | first = Schweber
  | title = Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Meaning of Genius
  | publisher = [[Harvard University Press]]
  | date = 2008
  | location = [[Cambridge,_Massachusetts|Cambridge, MA]]
  | page = 81
  | url = http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/175218496
  | isbn = 9780674028289}}

And, let's pretend there's a controversial claim in the article, so I'd like to provide the following URL (direct link to p. 81 on Google Books) for readers to check the cited source:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Mpgs6qqNERwC&pg=PA81

Question: How would I, following Gonzonoir's suggestion, provide both Google Books and Worldcat links when using the cite book template? Please use the above code to demonstrate, as appending either the GBooks or Worldcat templates seems to look too... wordy.

SpinningSpark – When the ISBN is already automagically linked (as above), would you say that the convenience of one-click access to the cited passage (via Google Books) is worth the potential risk of a dead link?

Other questions:

• It seems that most citations do not Wikilink the city – is this not recommended?
• Is it possible to perform a site-wide search of article source code, e.g., to find examples of particular templates in action?

Thanks! 24.0.94.81 (talk) 16:28, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Here's an attempt to answer my own question. When using "cite book" or similar templates, set:

• isbn = ISBN
• oclc = Worldcat ID
• url = direct link to text (if using Google Books, &pg=PA# can be used to jump to a specific page)

This seems to be the most concise method, rather than using both Template:Worldcat and Template:Google books...

Note to SpinningSpark – I think you were saying that one should at least provide an ISBN – if you meant that one should only provide an ISBN, please let me know.

24.0.94.81 (talk) 21:39, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Sorry for the delayed reply: your suggested solution looks very sound to me. And you're right, it's at least not only an ISBN. The Gbooks and Worldcat templates are, I think, primarily intended for the External Links section of an article; within {{Template:Cite book}}, your suggestion is entirely appropriate. Good work! Gonzonoir (talk) 10:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Citing References of a non-English Language

Is it possible to cite a reference that is in a language other than English? Why? Kayau (talk) 10:58, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, though English is preferred. See Wikipedia:Verifiability#Non-English sources. Algebraist 11:10, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

I will clarify this. Kayau has been adding Chinese references to the List of vegetarians article. There are many foreign language references on there such as Portuguese, Dutch, German etc but since they share the English typeface they can still be verified and translated. The Chinese language doesn't use the same typeface and just comes out as gibberish. So what Kayau is actually asking, is it permissable to use a typeface which can't be rendered on English language computers? I removed them because I think that on the English language Wikipedia the references should at least be readable which is the case even if they are in German but this is not the case with Chinese. This is the English Wikipedia after all, so I think references should at least use the English typeface so that someone who is versed in German or whatever will at least be able to translate them without having to install other typefaces on their computer. Foreign languages are verifiable through translation, other typefaces makes them non-verifiable. Betty Logan (talk) 00:42, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Lots of non-Chinese computers can display Chinese without the user installing something extra, for example my computer with Windows Vista (Danish version). I don't know Chinese but the source added by Kayau in [6] is http://www.vegsochk.org/yueso/ys140/ys14002.php. I entered that at http://translate.google.com. The translated heading says "Cheung Adhere to a vegetarian", and the text starts "Jacky Cheung addictive eating vegetarian". Not perfect English but understandable. You should be able to make and read the translation on your computer and it seems a lot more accessible than many offline sources in English. I have not evaluated the reliability of the source. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:15, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

That google tool is very useful. I don't have a problem with the reference per se since there are many foreign langauge references there. However, I think you have to appreciate this is the English version of Wikipedia so while there may be many computers that can display Chinese there are many that can't and this should be taken into account. I think if Kayou wants to add the references he should put them into the google translater and use the google address http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=n&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vegsochk.org%2Fyueso%2Fys140%2Fys14002.php&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&history_state0= as the reference. That way the page is translated into the English typface and there is an option to go to the original Chinese page if you want to. Is that ok by Wikipedia rules? Betty Logan (talk) 01:25, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Don't link to a translator in a reference. How to use a reference is up to the reader. You can place {{Zh icon}} to show a reference is in Chinese, or use the language parameter in for example {{Cite web}}. See Wikipedia:Linking#Non-English-language sites. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:05, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you very much. Kayau (talk) 02:46, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

My report about a dictionary.

greetings my friend!i'm a new user in this community,and i'm wondering if you can help me out about my report in my literature subject,regarding the"uses and functions of a dictionary"and how can i discuss it clearly in front of my professors and classmates about all the facts and knowledge about my recent topic.thank you very much my friend.Jsnrepil (talk) 12:20, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

You might find what you are looking for in the article dictionary. 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. Algebraist 12:28, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

to link the existing pages

• Outline of India (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
• Ports in India (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

with reference to the Out line India; the topic Ports & harbours to be linked with the existing wiki pages on Ports in India; e.g. Kandla Port, Mumbai Port, Port of Veraval, Port of Navlakhi, Port of Jakhav, Port of Magdalla; Port of Dahej, etc. Please help in this respect. 2. I have other details of Ports of Gujarat State to hoisted as Ports of Gujarat - India. Can any one help me editing in the format as per Wiki standarad. Thanks moti 15:17, 17 June 2009 (UTC) moti / shiptradenews; V N Jhaveri—Preceding unsigned comment added by Shiptradenews (talk • contribs) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

You are not entirely clear, but you seem to want to add the details of those ports to the Ports in India article and correct the link in Outline of India#Infrastructure of India. I have corrected the link, you should feel free to add additional ports, but make sure all your information comes from reliable sources and you reference these in the article. Feel free to ask more specific questions if you need to.

By the way, the sub-titles in Outline of India should not repeat "in India" each time, they should all be deleted: it is enough to have "India" in the main title.

SpinningSpark 20:31, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you. Further I would like to add more Ports in the exisiting list, but, I donot know to how to add the same. e.g. details of Bedi- Port are placed in Book Ports of Gujarat. Similar details for Ports of Mundra, Bhavnagar, Jaffrabad, Okha, Porbandar, Mul Dwarka, are available with me. I would like to submit the same. Can you help me in the matter. Thanks moti 15:39, 19 June 2009 (UTC) Moti/Shiptradenews - V N Jhaveri —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shiptradenews (talk • contribs)

Are you asking how to edit the table? You can find details of how table markup works at Help:Table. However, the easiest thing to do in this case is to copy and paste an existing line of the table and then edit the details for the new port. Use the preview button to make sure it is right before you save. If you cannot get it right, just write the information in plain text below the table then ask someone here to help you format it properly. SpinningSpark 17:56, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Mohammed Abdul Rahman Sahib

Mohammed Abdul Rahman Sahib (1898-1945)was born in Kodunagallor now in Trichur district. He studied in Calicut, Madras and Aligarh.

It sounds like you are trying to create an article. I would suggest looking at our guide to writing your first article or our articles for creation page. TNXMan 16:29, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Football Kits

Hi, I've created a football kit to accurately represent the clubs colors but I cannot figure out how to upload and use it. Help would be very much appreciated. Thanks. Cmym410 (talk) 16:43, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Your account is too new to have image upload rights. You either need to wait four days, after which you will get an "upload file" link in your toolbox to the left, or else you can pop over to Commons and upload it there. Commons is usually preferred in any case since all Wikimedia projects can then use it, not just Wikipedia. SpinningSpark 20:10, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Wrong Picture in Today's Featured Article

The picture included with Today's featured article on the Euclidean Algorithm is a picture of Euclid of Megara, not Euclid of Alexandria, the latter being the famous mathemetician. The main article for Euclid of Alexandria even mentions that some writers in the Middle Ages confused Euclid of Alexandria with Euclid of Megara. The main article for Euclid of Megara shows the same picture as the one in Today's featured article for the Euclidian Algorithm.24.209.187.123 (talk) 03:48, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

It is apparently uncertain who the artist thought he was painting. I have posted to Talk:Euclidean algorithm#Wrong Euclid picture? Error reports for the main page can also be posted to Wikipedia:Main Page/Errors but when you edit there it says to discuss first on the article talk page if the problem was copied from the article. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:16, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Blank 'canvas' maps

Hi,

I am still fairly new to using Wikipedia, and I am wandering about uploading / editing maps.

I have noticed that in a variety of articles there seem to be the same generic map of the world, and of regions in countries. Quite often, a country or region is shown in a certain colour. As I am interested in editing one of these maps, I was curious if there was a 'template' map of each country on Wikipedia, that people can edit and insert into an article. I was also wandering if there was a guide as to how to edit these maps.

Any help would be appreciated.GeorgeK 16 (talk) 06:32, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

You can find a variety of maps at Wikimedia Commons. You can find them under commons:Category:Maps. Otherwise just search in commons with the name of the country you are looking for and you'll find some maps (but there will be quite a lot so it might take quite a bit of searching and you could also use some relevant keywords). Chamal ^talk 07:51, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

See also Wikipedia:Blank maps and Wikipedia:WikiProject Maps. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:46, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

upload picture

Resolved

 – Question answered. Fleetflame 05:31, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

how do i upload my picture —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mykerich (talk • contribs) 07:31, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Uploading images. Note you can only upload pictures to Wikipedia when your account becomes autoconfirmed (4 days old and at least 10 edits). At Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org you can upload right away and use the picture in Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:42, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

I cannot find my live page

Resolved

 – Elan Group Ltd has been redirected to Manpower Inc. and OP blocked indef for username policy violation. Fleetflame 05:27, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Hello,

I have just added my company’s page (Elan Group Ltd), but I cannot find it from a search.

We are known as Elan computing or Elan IT as well and this is stated in the opening sentence. Should this not appear in search results for 'Elan'.

Currently the only way to find us is through our parent company - Manpower, whereby Elan is mentioned but this is by no means ideal.

Am I doing something wrong? PLease can you respond through my 'talk' funtion?

Thanks in advance.

Elanmktg09 (talk) 09:19, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

No, you are not doing anything wrong, odds are, your page got deleted by an administrator, but don't feel disappointed, that happens a lot when you're a newcomer, if it is true that your page got deleted, you can find out which administrator deleted your page and ask for a copy of it. Mr. Prez (talk) 11:14, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Actually, it hasn't been deleted, but can be found here. Tagged accordingly...Lectonar (talk) 11:22, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

If you write Elan in the search box and click "Search" instead of Enter or "Go" then you get a search page and it shows up. If you click Enter or "Go" then you jump straight to Elan which is not a search page but a manually edited disambiguation page where Elan Group Ltd could be linked. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:37, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Korean war promotions.

Resolved

 – I don't think so. Fleetflame 05:24, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Did congress or Gen Eisenhower freeze military rank promotion during Korean war? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.19.235.116 (talk) 10:45, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

The Wikipedia new contributors' help page only answers questions about Wikipedia. Mr. Prez (talk) 11:16, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

You might have better luck if you ask your question at the Humanities section of our Reference desk, all the best Spitfire^Tally-ho! 11:25, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

Have you looked at our article on the Korean War? It may have the answers you need. TNXMan 00:57, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

People or Business Referenced in a Movie

I would like to add information to an individual or company page about a movie(s) or book(s) that that individual or company has been in, referenced in, or other... I feel that this is good info for those researching not only into a persons or companies bio but there impact on pop culture or other...

How can I do this and not violate your policies?

Violations I wish to avoid: Advertising, Soapbox

Thanks Much

Bryan wikiedit (talk) 01:00, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Are the references significant? A lot of these items are so trivial as to constitute undue emphasis; i.e., there's no need to list every reference ever made to Jeffrey Dahmer or Richard Nixon in a song, movie, TV show, etc., in the articles about them. --Orange Mike | Talk 01:41, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

True, I was thinking of significant references... for example:

On the page of the company: Monsanto

Documentary

The company Monsanto is significantly featured in this film.
The Future Of Food (1:28:54)
Description: The Future Of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.
Genre: Documentary and Biography
Producer: Catherine Lynn Butler
Writer: Deborah Koons Garcia
Released: November 13, 2007

Thoughts?

Bryan wikiedit (talk) 02:07, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia's guideline on reliable sources states, "The term "published" is most commonly associated with text materials. However, audio, video, and multimedia materials that have been recorded then broadcast, distributed, or archived by a reputable third-party may also meet the necessary criteria to be considered reliable source. Like text sources, media sources must be produced by a reliable third-party and be properly cited. Additionally, an archived copy of the media must exist. It is useful but by no means necessary for the archived copy to be accessible via the internet." As long as your documentary (or movie, or whatever) meets those criteria, I don't see why it would be a problem. The Monsanto article isn't desperate for refs (it has 92); you may want to ask on the article's talk page to make sure everyone who watches the article knows you aren't trying to promote anything or soapbox. If or when you do insert it, just make sure you follow the pattern at Wikipedia:Citing sources and you should be fine; and remember, you can always ask in the future at the Reliable Sources Noticeboard if a source can be used. Good luck! Fleetflame 05:18, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

There is a difference between "references" (which are strictly there to support a particular fact, or facts, in the article) and "further reading" (or in this case, further viewing) which point the reader to other material they might be interested in. If you are adding as a reference, then it would be expected that additional material is added to the article, since it must be referencing something. A "further reading" section, on the other hand, should be treated in the same way as external links (see WP:FURTHER). The most relevant guideline of those is provide(s) a unique resource beyond what the article would contain if it became a Featured article. SpinningSpark 22:10, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Hide/show tables

Can you make tables in a article hide/show like the content box? Source code or an example will be appreciated. Anybody can fix something thats broken, but it take a genius to fix something that working. 15:34, 19 June 2009 (UTC) - Edit made by Kelaidis.

See Help:Collapsing. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:28, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! got it Anybody can fix something thats broken, but it take a genius to fix something that working. 09:33, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

Good. By the way, your signature should link to your account. See Wikipedia:Signatures#Internal links. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:18, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

How to remove an advert warning placed on an entry

Americas United Bank (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) I've been working on an entry and when I initially set it up, an 'advert' warning was put on the entry. Since then I have worked to improve the neutrality of the piece and am wondering how to check back with Wiki editors to find out if the entry meets neutrality standards and if the {{advert... warning can be removed? (entry is "Americas United Bank") Belladawn (talk) 18:05, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

I'll go through the article and try to weed out the promotional text....also, you have references, but no citations - adding those may help. I'll do that too, and we'll see if it has a better tone then. Fleetflame 18:35, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

• Going through the article, I see it appears most of the text was simply copied from the sources. This is not allowed on Wikipedia. Please see Wikipedia:Copyright violations for more information. We'll have to rewrite the article from the sources now. Fleetflame 19:10, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the quick help - still new at this. I'm assuming the entry was deleted? Should I start over from scratch? Belladawn (talk) 21:28, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes, it was deleted. We cannot allow copyvios (copyright violations) to remain on Wikipedia. I kept the list of sources here, and I'm trying to fish out whatever information we can keep (the infobox, for example). The rest will just have to be rewritten out of the sources. I'm willing to help if you want me to. Fleetflame 00:08, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

Understood, didn't realize I'd gone down that path. Thanks for keeping the list, I saw your other message and will retrieve the info and start from scratch. I'll try to do as much as possible, but will probably take you up on your offer of help soon. thanks so much. Belladawn (talk) 18:09, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Cite error at Stalin Line

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 02:42, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

I am extremely sorry for troubling, but I don't know how to resolve an error I think I've made. Before I started editing, I read about citing. I cited stuff I added to Ali Khamenei, and it seemed to work. However, when I added cited text to Stalin Line, this came up at the bottom of the article: "Cite error: There are tags on this page, but the references will not show without a tag; see Help:Cite errors." Help:Cite errors isn't a hyperlink, so I couldn't find it. I am sorry if the solution is really obvious or easy, I just don't know what to do. Renoti (talk) 21:40, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Fixed. You just forgot to put {{reflist}} at the bottom of the article. The mediawiki software needs to be told where you want the list of references to appear. In many articles this is already done, but in this case yours was the first reference so you also need to indicate the position of the reflist. SpinningSpark 21:53, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you very much :). On another note, when a friend introduced me to Wikipedia he vaguely spoke of a program where experienced editors 'adopt' new ones. Was he correct, and if so where can I find more information on it? Renoti (talk) 22:13, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Adopt-a-User. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:18, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

Cheers. I won't take up anymore time, I've really appreciated all the help, and based on my first experiences I'll be keeping up with Wikipedia :). Renoti (talk) 22:23, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

News Corporation also called Murdoch group in latin languages (How add that ?)

Please, explain me if this is a consensus question or a technical question (how make decision): Talk:News_Corporation#Why_also_called_.22Murdoch_group.22_.28first_question.29_again. can I add to the voice News_Corporation that News Corporation is called Murdoch group in latin languages ? I want pacifically resolve the undo made by nationalistic english wikipedians. --Caceo (talk) 23:27, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

First of all, the accusation nationalistic is not assuming good faith which you are required to do on Wikipedia. The other editors seem to be open to discussion. You are being asked on the talkpage of the article to answer the question: is "Murdoch group" the official corporate name of the organisation in those countries or merely a translation into another language? I suggest you provide an answer as this will settle the issue. It is the intention of English Wikipedia to have a world perspective, but it is still the English Wikipedia. That means that it is written in English and we do not provide translations into other languages - that is what the other Wikipedias are for. The only exceptions are articles that have a non-English subject where the name may also be given in the original language as well as English in the lede paragraph. SpinningSpark 00:29, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

thank, but my question was: how to make decision on tecnical or consensus questions. --Caceo (talk) 00:37, 20 June 2009 (UTC) - I apologize for "nationalistic" referred to wikipedians, I want refer to posture that seem to me so, because on defence of pure english language. Thank you --Caceo (talk) 01:02, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

As I said, the first step is to discuss the issue on the article talk page with the aim of reaching consensus. This is usually the only step required, most editors here are open to reasoned debate. It is the wrong attitude to be thinking in terms of dispute resolution this early, that just polarises people and shuts down debate. Wikipedia is a collaborative project and only works properly when editors can work together in a collegiate atmosphere. Sometimes of course, there will be times when outside help is needed, I don't think you are there yet but to answer your question; you can read about the options at Wikipedia:Dispute resolution. SpinningSpark 06:37, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

I tank you very very much for a huge good help. Ciao --Caceo (talk) 00:08, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Historical edits on a specific section

How can I view historical edits on a specific section or paragraph of an article? Is there any way besides using the article-wide diff on the "Revision history" page? (I think it can sometimes be helpful to see what people have added/removed/contested before trying to make an edit myself...)

Also, a semi-related question: are revision histories permanent? Or will old edits eventually be erased?

Thanks! 24.0.94.81 (talk) 23:53, 19 June 2009 (UTC)

There is no way of filtering just the edits of one section. It would not be very easy for the software to do that, article structure changes - headings are deleted, created, renamed, sections of text move location - and often editors edit more than one section in a single edit. However, if you are trying to find when and who inserted a paticular piece, this tool, Wikiblame, might be helpful.

The history is permanent, even deleted edits are still visible to administrators. SpinningSpark 00:16, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm glad the history is preserved. Thanks again. Any chance you can look at my follow-up questions above (#URLs for cited books)? You've been very helpful and I certainly appreciate it. 24.0.94.81 (talk) 13:10, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

tecnical or consensus questions

Please how to make decision on tecnical or consensus questions ?

• If i think that a question is tecnical shall I ask to an administrator ?
• If i think that a question is of consensus with other wikipedians, what can I do to resolve it ? --Caceo (talk) 00:43, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

Answered above in News Corporation post. SpinningSpark 06:41, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

Improving a weak redirect

Chicken à la King redirects to Chicken (food), which has no information on the recipe. One who clicks Chicken à la King would surely rather read List of foods named after people#K, where the recipe's origin (but not its ingredients) is explained and cited. Most people would never find this information. I want to help make it visible but my options leave me unsure:

1. I could import the information into a new section of Chicken (food).

2. I could redirect Chicken à la King to List of foods named after people#K.

3. I could kill the redirect and fill out Chicken à la King solely with the information from List of foods named after people#K.

With what rules or criteria does one determine the best action? Thanks! JoeFelice (talk) 02:27, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

Provided you have sufficient references to meet the general notability guideline and you can write it without it becoming a recipe/how to, I think 3. would be the preferred course. – ukexpat (talk) 02:39, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

2 articles in user space

Is it possible to have 2 articles in your user space?1027E (talk) 05:09, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes. You can create subpages and keep any number of articles in them. But they should not be in violation of our userpage guidelines. See here for instructions on creating one. Chamal ^talk 05:37, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Digital References

I am working on an article of a playwright who died in 1994. There are not a lot of digital references: Intute Arts and Humanities and a 20 minutes lasting program on Dutch television. I have a posters, flyers and reviews that I scanned but that are not digitally accessible. How can get the article in Wikipedia and keep it in? 1027E (talk) 05:17, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

References don't always have to be accessible online. You can use offline references too. See Wikipedia:Citing sources and Wikipedia:Reliable sources. However, if the subject is notable, it's likely that there will be sufficient online sources as well. Chamal ^talk 05:31, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Notability local or universal?

If something is considered "notable" on, say, Dutch Wikipedia, or Spanish Wikipedia, is it therefore automatically notable on English Wikipedia as well? (And vice versa.) --88.110.22.71 (talk) 09:59, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

In short, no. Notability guidelines are created by each project independently. There tend to be considerable similarities amongst the notability guidelines of the more mature Wikipedias, but they are not identical, and no Wikipedia is bound by decisions made on another. Someguy1221 (talk) 10:19, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

But notice that notability per se does carry over - the different Wikipedia editions differ by language. If there are multiple independent sources for a topic in Chinese, those are in principle fine to establish notability for the English language Wikipedia. In practice, of course, there is a significant WP:BIAS. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 13:55, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

CD reissues and expanded editions

Are expanded editions of studio albums suitable for inclusion in a band's discography? I've checked a few entries and can't seem to find any but want a second opinion. Razmagaz (talk) 11:28, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Unless and until someone comes up with a response here (not an area on which I'm knowledgeable, I'm afraid) you could try asking at the talk page of the article you're proposing to add to as well. Alternatively, someone at Wikiproject Music might be able to help. Gonzonoir (talk) 22:22, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

My take would be that expanded/special editions warrant a mention on the original album's page, unless they are completely notable on their own. TNXMan 11:52, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Oh no.

My page is deleted after watching an episode of "LOST" instead of 70/4 birthday static.Is LOST An episode or an TV show?--Brent camp (talk) 20:48, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

If you are referring to the article Stop Motion Director, it was redirected by I42 with the reason, "Existing article non-sensical. Valid redirect, though." If you think he was incorrect in doing this, I would suggest you let him know on his talk page. LOST is a TV show. Any other questions? let me know! Fleetflame 21:15, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Cartoons In the 70s and 80s to the 2000s

what cartoon?what year? do you watch on TV? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Brent camp (talk • contribs) 22:05, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

Your question is a little unclear. This page is intended to help new contributors learn how to use Wikipedia; do you have a question relating to that? Gonzonoir (talk) 22:14, 21 June 2009 (UTC)

adding a city in the main caption box

I wanted to add a city where a protest has occurred in the main caption box in the page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_election_protests

However, I wanted to cite this properly. For almost all of the cities already listed, there are not citations near them. Where are you supposed to put the citation?

SlaterDeterminant (talk) 00:08, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Evidently there is only one city listed that has a citation: Bucharest. If you are adding a city, just place your citation just after the city name, like that one. Simply put it in "<ref></ref>" tags and it will be placed in order in the "References" section. Any other questions? let me know! Fleetflame 01:22, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

I took a glance at the article and it seems that the others are given in the main text of the article (with references). Bucharest, which is not given in the main text, is given only in the infobox and referenced there. You can ask at the article talk page that you are suggesting to add the city to the article (give your reference as well) and decide where it would be best to place it. Chamal ^talk 01:25, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

What to do about those who deliberately post misinformation out of malice?

There are several instances when people post misinformation out of malice. What to do about it? Correcting doesn't help because the person posting misinformation has an agenda and therefore deletes any correction. Frustrated.

DieWahrheitBitte —Preceding unsigned comment added by DieWahrheitBitte (talk • contribs) 03:21, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but you'll have to be more specific. Someguy1221 (talk) 09:00, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

If you can show that the information posted is indeed incorrect (by supporting the correct version with reliable sources), then you're halfway home. It's very hard to argue with facts. If discussing the issue on the article's talk page doesn't help, you can pursue dispute resolution. Of course, if the misinformation is simple vandalism, then you can report the user to this noticeboard. TNXMan 11:50, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Questions from Chenniparambath

Sense organs in human beings Can we smell out our family members from a dark room.Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC) (we know a human baby can identify the smell of its mother.) At what point of time does a human baby during its growth to adulthood lose this faculty.Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC) Have we explored smells capable of wild responses from sexual pairs (armpits etc).Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC) How does a human mother during her pregnancy know that the baby growing in her womb requires a particular mineral and that she asks for a fruit/food item rich in that mineral.Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC).What chemical processes are at work.Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC) Does this not the mean that "Knowledge is within".Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC) Can a human baby swim soon after its birth.If not, why.Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 June 2009 (UTC) Is grey hair a message that the individual is past prime.Chenniparambath (talk) 08:28, 22 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. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:39, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

two questions regarding wikitable-layout and counters

1) I have a long wikitable with 6 columns. Is there a possibility to get the columns aligned specifically without spend an extra align in each cell? Say, 1 colmn left, 2. colum, center, 3 colmn right, e.t.c. I know the e.g. style="text-align:right" for aligning all cells by default e.g. right.

2) Is there a possibility to get counters? So a template:Count which on each call increases by 1 and returns this value as a numerical string (perhaps even with an initialization value)? I only found fixed variables in Wikipedia, but not user-definable variables.

Thanks for your help in advance, Achim1999 (talk) 09:46, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried Help:Table and its talk page? – ukexpat (talk) 14:59, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

I tried, read two times carefully the Help:Table but not the help Talk:Table page. But I already have asked two other users on WP, but got no response. Achim1999 (talk) 16:11, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

I just checked the help Talk:Table. There is a section, entitled How do i centre whole columns in a table? containing only this question. Sadly no answer given since February 2009. :-( Achim1999 (talk) 16:17, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

In that case, the technical section of the Village Pump or the main Help Desk may be the best places to ask. – ukexpat (talk) 16:26, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikilinking citations

Resolved

 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:48, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Are there certain parts of citations that should generally not be wikilinked, apart from the dates? How about the city (it rarely seems linked)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.0.94.81 (talk) 12:05, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

The relevant guideline's at WP:OVERLINK: "Provide links that aid navigation and understanding, but avoid cluttering the page with obvious, redundant and useless links." Ask yourself whether reading up more on the word you're considering linking would aid a reader's understanding of the article at hand. For example, does a reader need background information on New York to understand a topic, if New York's only relevance to the topic is that a book about it happened to be published there? Usually not. Gonzonoir (talk) 14:22, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Ah, that's a good way to put it. Thanks. 24.0.94.81 (talk) 21:41, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Deletion template

Resolved

 – Click23 (talk) 14:34, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

I have seen a deletion template for fixed articles that had copyright issues. I asks an admin to delete out copyright revisions back to a specific point after someone edits out the copyright material, but I cannot seem to find now. Any know what I am talking about?? Thanks! Click23 (talk) 13:47, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

{{Copyvio-histpurge}}? PrimeHunter (talk) 14:27, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

That is it. Thanks! Click23 (talk) 14:34, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Adding an article when one exists with the same name

I have written an article about Richard L. Hay, a scenic designer. An article already exists with that name. There is a redirect page from Richard Hay to that Richard L. Hay. I've read up on redirecting and disambiguation but still don't know how to handle this. At first I thought I would edit the existing article and add

For the American theatre and scenic director, see Richard Hay (American theatre and scenic director).

--and a similar one on my new article. But what about the existing redirect page?JanetFA (talk) 15:39, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

What I'm guessing is that you got confused with redirects. For the redirect to work, the title of your page has to be Richard Hay (American theatre scenic director). Since I'm guessing you can not move pages (change the titles of pages) yet, you should ask another user who can to do it for you, I'll do it if you would like. Mr. Prez (talk) 16:01, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you. Would you rename the existing Richard L. Hay page to Richard L. Hay (American geologist)? When I see that's done, I'll post the new one: Richard L. Hay (scenic designer)JanetFA (talk) 17:23, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

I would give your new article the title Richard L. Hay (theatre director) (keeping the stuff in brackets as short as possible) and turn the existing redirect page into a disambiguation page.  – ukexpat (talk) 16:04, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

I think I understand your suggestion and will try it as soon as the original page is renamed by Mr. Prez.JanetFA (talk) 17:23, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Deleting Content

Can i delete any of the content that I have added at anytime? Im also in the process of writing information on some companys. If i find content to not be accurate or true do I just follow the steps listed on the vandelism FAQ page?Joethistle (talk) 18:11, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

It depends. If you create an article and you are the only contributor to it, you can request deletion with the {{db-author}} template. If you are talking about material you have added to an existing article, you should make sure it's accurate and sourced before you add it. If you later find it to be inaccurate, delete it, but explain in your edit summary what you have done and why, and maybe even leave a message to that effect on the article's talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 19:26, 22 June 2009 (UTC)

michelle johnson

Resolved

 – Question answered. Fleetflame 01:06, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I want to be a fan of michelle"s. how do I contaact her?

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. TNXMan 11:40, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

We have articles about a few people called Michelle Johnson but we are not connected with them and don't give contact information for subjects of our biographies. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:05, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Is deleting an entire section of an article possible?

Dear Wikipedia, I created an account today as a response to reading, for the first time, an entire section within an article that was nothing but personal opinion. Since I have never been inspired to edit a page before, is it ok to go ahead and delete this section entirely or do I have to draw someone else's attention to it to get it removed? Essentially: what is the protocol regarding sections of articles that are plainly nothing but personal opinion with little attempt to disguise it as fact? Pey'j (talk) 13:42, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

It depends on the circumstances. Others might disagree with your evaluation of the section. Many things should be suggested first on the talk page of the article. Some others are OK to delete with an informative edit summary explaining why. Which section is it? Some policies which may be relevant: Wikipedia:No original research, Wikipedia:Verifiability, Wikipedia:Reliable sources. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:48, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Username

Hi, I just created an account and realized that I do not like the username. Is there any way that I can edit the current username?

Thank you! Columbusfoundationacorn (talk) 15:47, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Changing username says:

• If you have not made very many edits, please just create a new account and discontinue use of the old one. It does not need to be deleted; disused accounts are harmless and may be safely ignored. This will save you the trouble of submitting a request and waiting for it to be fulfilled. You can copy your old watchlist to your new account.

PrimeHunter (talk) 15:54, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

• You would probably have been asked to change that username anyway, since it seems to be that of a corporate entity of some sort. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:37, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

How to correct an article who will be deleted

Hello, I am new in Wikipedia editing. I am working in an Article about an NGO in Ottawa and it is going to be erased because it seem to be like adversting a product. I want to make clear that I am not an employee or even part of this NGO, only a volunteer who wants to put in Wikipedia and article of this organization who helps people with disabilities in Ottawa. I don`t know what I have to do to correct this situation. I really appreciate your help. Alfredo GarciaAlfredo Garcia 18:16, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Please see WP:NOTABILITY. We only cover topics which have reasonable, independent secondary sources. If you want to keep an article from being deleted, you need to point out why it is notable, and provide reliable sources to back this claim. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 18:22, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

See also WP:CORP and WP:SPAM. – ukexpat (talk) 19:12, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

created new page "Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal" to link to "Air Vice-Marshal"

I wnet through the procedures to redirect a newly created page "Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal" to link to the already existing page "Air Vice-Marshal". I got a pink response box essentially saying i have to wait for approval. That's fine...I just want to make sure I get help linking those pagesDFKAL (talk) 02:34, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

We have separate articles for Major General and Air Vice-Marshal. Why do you want this page to direct to Air Vice-Marshal? Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "pink response box". No one has to wait for approval to create a redirect. Chamal ^talk 04:00, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

I see you edited Napoleon Ashley-Larsen to list the rank as Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal. If you want that text to be displayed while actually linking to Air Vice-Marshal then you can make the piped link [[Air Vice-Marshal|Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal]] which renders as Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal. I don't see a need for a redirect at Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal, but exactly how did you try to create the redirect when you got a pink box and what exactly did the box say? Maybe you tried to do something only autoconfirmed users can do, but you shouldn't have to be autoconfirmed to create a redirect. You can just place the code #REDIRECT [[Air Vice-Marshal]] on Maj-General / Air Vice-Marshal. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:20, 24 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??

I created an article on my user page first,(I have a user id ), I would now like to move it into the "live" Wikipedia now that it is ready for prime time, how do I move the article into the "live" Wikipedia ?? please answer on my talk page if possible, thank youIndepthmusic (talk) 19:55, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

• User:Indepthmusic/Opafire. Fleetflame 19:59, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

But it's clearly not ready for prime time; you need better citations, formatting in line with the Wikipedia Manual of Style, etc. --Orange Mike | Talk 20:03, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

Articles don't need to be "complete" before they can be put into the main namespace. —harej (talk) 19:49, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

I think, though, that the writer would be better off adding citations, curing redlinks, etc., before putting this into mainspace. --Orange Mike | Talk 20:13, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Assist me on uploading a document

Dear Wikipedia,

I am Navas Khan from India, i would like to publish an article about a charity group "V-Care V-Share" which we are running in Chennai. Could you please assist me on the same?

Thanks, Navas Khan.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Sm navaskhan (talk • contribs)

It sounds like you are trying to create an article. Before you do, please read our info on what makes a company notable (and thus worthy of inclusion), how to write your first article, and most importantly, our info on conflict of interest. Wikipedia discourages people from writing articles with which they have a close connection, which it sounds like you do. TNXMan 11:45, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Solicitation

A Government Solicitation calls for 5052 Aluminum to be empered to H32-H34 per Spec. QQ-A-250/8

I would like the proper procedurer to do this!!

Thanks Don Pritchard <blanked>— Preceding unsigned comment added by Scottdale34 (talk • contribs)

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. TNXMan 13:25, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Victor Antonio

I just post an article Victor Antonio and receive 'met criterion for speedy deletion'. I am a 'motivational speaker' new to Wiki from a contributor's standpoint and didn't think the page was 'self promotional' and just gave my history, books written and movies.

Can you guide me on what I need to to do to make it more wiki friendly.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Victorantonio (talk • contribs)

Our guide to writing your first article should answer your question. You should also read up on our policy on conflict of interest: it's not a good idea to write an article about yourself. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:39, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Your user page is also in breach of the user page guidelines as it is nothing more than an advertisement for your services. It has been tagged for deletion. Please read WP:UP and WP:SPAM. – ukexpat (talk) 14:24, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Copyviol?

I think this is a copyviol or something similar, cause appear some numbers such as "[29]", that are related to a "paste&copy" procedure (perhaps from an other wikipedia's page?). --Aushulz (talk) 02:30, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I think you're right: It was copied and pasted from Wikipedia's article Polyvinyl chloride (see [7]). Unfortunately, it happened over a year ago, which could make this a bit of a headache from a GFDL compliance perspective. I'll go and try to find out what we should do about it. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:07, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I've asked] over at the more heavily-trafficked help desk. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:18, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

OK, per Teratornis's suggestion over at the Help Desk, I've added a note to the article's talk page giving notice of the copy from Polyvinyl chloride. I've also now brought over the references from Polyvinyl chloride to replace those numbers in the text, so it's properly referenced again. Gonzonoir (talk) 10:00, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

"Favorites" script, or use watchlist?

Is there a script available to add a "favorites" section to my user page, or am I missing something painfully obvious? Or should I just add pages I want to remember to my watchlist? I use several different computers, so would like to have this info portable with my profile.

Thanks, Kiki Weller (talk) 04:33, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

There is no script for adding favourite articles to your user page. You'll have to do it manually. Adding articles to your watchlist will enable you to keep track of changes to those articles. Both are not saved on your computer and are part of your Wikipedia account. They can be accessed from any computer. Chamal ^talk 11:44, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

New Page

I have created a new page for a non-profit education organization "Parents Without Partners". I got a message stating it's going up for speedy deletion. It is a international organization that serves the single parent family and I included our mission statement as well as our website address.

What else do I have to do to keep this on wikipedia? I feel this is a great source for single parents to find a support organization that will assist them.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Squeakyracer (talk • contribs)

The editor who tagged the page for deletion left a note on your talk page to explain this: the article, as it stood, apparently didn't explain why the organization was important (I can't see it now, because it's been deleted, and I'm not an admin). You need to indicate why the subjects of articles you create are significant; the best way to do this is by showing they've received recognition and coverage in independent, reliable sources. To avoid speedy deletion, an article just needs to make a plausible claim that its subject is important, but our more stringent deletion processes, Proposed deletion and Articles for Deletion, may also delete an article that doesn't demonstrate notability - i.e., that doesn't cite coverage of the article's subject in reliable sources. The links on your user talk page, on notability and writing your first article, explain this in more detail. Please take a look at those, and let us know if you have any more questions. Gonzonoir (talk) 08:37, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Infogain Wiki

Resolved

 – User referred to appropriate guidelines and policies, username blocked as a spamname.  – ukexpat (talk) 15:14, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

I am unable to understand which section of my artcile is not acceptable? Infogain Corporation (talk) 11:33, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The tag itself on the Infogain page gives the answer. It has been tagged for speedy deletion for "unambiguous advertising or promotion" (CSD G11). Wikipedia is not a place for advertising and articles should give only facts in an encyclopedic nature. Also, the article does not show any notability of the subject. Chamal ^talk 11:40, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

In addition, your user name is a blatant spamname and has been reported to WP:UAA. – ukexpat (talk) 14:09, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Username blocked. – ukexpat (talk) 15:14, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (JFFLS)

• (Blanked content that copyviolates http://fex.ennonline.net/29/juniorfarmer.aspx) Gonzonoir (talk) 14:50, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia's New contributors' help page only answers questions about Wikipedia. Mr. Prez (talk) 14:46, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Catalino Women

Sections grouped for ease of reading. Fleetflame 01:52, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

how will i make my article acceptable to wikipedia? --Jmaagad (talk) 15:29, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

See below... – ukexpat (talk) 17:30, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

how will i make my article acceptable to wikipedia?Jmaagad (talk) 15:32, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

The organization would have to be already notable enough to be included in an encyclopedia. Instead, you yourself admitted on the talk page of the article that "we would like to make the project known to the public." This is called "promotion" and is not permitted here. The articles Catalino Women Association, Inc. and Catalino Women Association have been deleted. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:13, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

Picture Licencing Question

I got this picture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OpenHouse60s.jpg#file)...I got the picture from this site: http://www.nmjc.edu/aboutnmjc/history.asp. I do believe that this photo was taken from the Hobbs News-Sun at some point in time, but not exactly sure when. I do think that it can help a bit with the article. I am just unsure at what license to classify it under. Please help Nemle22 (talk) 06:45, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

For one thing, I'm afraid you tagged the image incorrectly; a fair-use (non-free) image of this type probably needs the {{Non-free promotional}} tag. If possible, you could try to contact the News-Sun and get them to confirm they took the image and release it under the GFDL. Otherwise, if we can't use it under the fair-use rationale and it's not a free image, we can't use it (but you probably knew that already). Further questions? let me know! Fleetflame 02:06, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

about my pages and allowing me to uplod logog &images

Dear Sirs,

Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquates(SCTA) would like to have a wiki pages for it's name as provided below and have the ability to upload our logo and some image regrading our organization, therefore I would like you to make my user Yazeedscta have the leverages on those two pages(Saudi_Commission_for_Tourism_and_Antiquities) & (Saudi_Commission_for_Tourism_%26_Antiquities).

Please if you any information or any concern you can reach me at:

Yazeed K. Almarshoud <contact details redacted> eSolutions - IT Dep. Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities Riyadh, Saudi Arabia— Preceding unsigned comment added by Yazeedscta (talk • contribs)

Your article was deleted as a copyright violation. Please see WP:IOWN for assistance with releasing copyright materials for use on Wikipedia. – ukexpat (talk) 15:44, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Please do not include contact details in your questions. We are unable to provide answers by any off-wiki medium and this page is highly visible across the internet. The details have been removed, but if you want them to be permanently removed from the page history, please email oversight-llists.wikimedia.org. You also posted your email and telephone on your user page; please see Wikipedia:Personal information. We cannot allow this information to remain on Wikipedia. Further questions? let me know! Fleetflame 16:26, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

how do i make a new page?

how do i make a new page? there is a young enterprise company which i think should be on here

thanks, jaanki Jaankik (talk) 13:56, 27 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. Algebraist 13:56, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Kingdom Dominion

I have a question. I was working on a new article about Kingdom Dominion. I am a new user. I want to write the article and open the discussion regarding the information about the facts pertaining to current developments in Christian world. I am a first time user and would like to contribute to wikipedia. How can I go about doing it. Ajay 19:42, 27 June 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ajayphillips (talk • contribs)

Since you've recently written Kingdom Dominion and Kingdom dominion, as well as The Apostolic Reformation, all of which have been speedily deleted, I think you should probably devote some time to carefully reading Wikipedia:Your first article along with the pages you'll find linked therein. Pay particular attention to WP:SPAM, WP:N, and the various sections of WP:NOT. At this point, it might be a good idea to consider creating the article first in your user space and ask other editors to help you work on it. Deor (talk) 20:07, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

Swine Flu 2009 - Heading Vaccine

How do you find out why your edit was removed?

05:27, 26 June 2009 (hist) (diff) 2009 flu pandemic ‎ (→Vaccination: possibly a faster vaccine and a prediction of pandemic? Tfcmc (talk) 04:04, 28 June 2009 (UTC)Tfcmc)

Thanks in advance —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tfcmc (talk • contribs) 28 June 2009

I would talk to the user who removed it, Wikiwatcher1 for an explanation. As far I as I can see, he removed it in an edit here, though he was shifting things around at the time, and I'm not sure if the removal of your text was inteneded or not. I'd drop him a note on his talk page, asking why it was removed.Fingerz 04:16, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks for the speedy reply, Fingerz. I'll ask Wikiwatcher1 for some feedback.Tfcmc (talk) 04:31, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

comparativ study in convent &nonconvent schools of bhandara

sir' i am planning to write an artical comparing study of convent(private english medium)schools with that of government'municipal schools of bhandara district.how can i find related litrature in wikipedia. kindly guide me in this regard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sharda pali (talk • contribs) 16:01, 28 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. – ukexpat (talk) 14:44, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Misspelled searches

I have just contributed an article on the painter T'ang Haywen. A common misspelling of his name is Tang Haywen, but of course if you type that in as a search you don't get a result. Is there any way that searchers can be given a suggestion if they type in a "near miss" like that? Kurov (talk) 05:51, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Yup, if you create a page called Tang Haywen, and enter this code: #REDIRECT:[[T'ang Haywen]] then anyone who misspells it in a search will be redirect immediately Spitfire^Tally-ho! 06:28, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Hewell AKL14

You state the Hewell returned to Pearl Harbor dry dock in June of 1953 when she in fact entered dry dock in Yokosuka Japan on April 10th 1953 and remained there until June 10th moving to Taura Japan on that date and on to Ulsan Korea on th 14/15th.She stayed in the far east until sometime in 1954. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.51.244.150 (talk) 16:39, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Please discuss this issue on the talk page(s) of the relevant article(s). You will need reliable sources to support any changes. – ukexpat (talk) 18:02, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Wait time for confirmation from editors

I was curious to make a style change on how an article was presented, and as such posted the suggestion on the discussion page. How long is it appropriate to wait for other editors to have a chance to look at the proposal before going ahead and making the changes? I ask this due to the Manual of Style stating:

Do not change from one style to another unless there is substantial reason for the change, and consensus for the change with other editors.

Thanks! --DMBradbury (talk) 23:19, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, that's up to you. I would wait a week or so probably, and if no one has commented then, nobody must care. For more information on consensus, see Wikipedia:Consensus. Further questions? let me know! Fleetflame 23:31, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Assuming that your question is related to your edit here, I'd say that there's no compelling reason for the change. The guideline you quoted (WP:ERA) says elsewhere that "no preference is given to either style," and the usual practice in such situations is to stick with the style established by the previous editors. In any event, it's an incredibly unimportant point to worry about. Deor (talk) 22:05, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Talking?

How do you talk to editors that would like to dispute your work, to defend it?Niljay (talk) 04:53, 30 June 2009 (UTC)Niljay

Each article has a talk page where issues related to the article can be discussed. At the top of each page, look for the "talk" tab. This is the best place to discuss what should and should not be in an article. If someone is disputing what you are adding, be sure to support your position with reliable sources. TNXMan 11:50, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Depending on your user settings, the "talk" tab may be labelled "discussion". – ukexpat (talk) 15:42, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

How to replace an old url with the new url globally in all pages not manually

Hai,

I need to replace old url with new url in each page. I dont want to do it manually. I want to change globally in all pages whereever the old one is there. i.e for example : Replace http://www.doc.com with http://www.document.com

I am in need of doing the updates in Wiki where i am working at the client side, i have no permissions for changing it globally with any script. so, right now i am updating manually. Can u suggest me how to update old url with new url globally so that it will redirect to the new one in all wiki pages whereever it exist.

With Regards, Chaitanya. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Anvkc (talk • contribs) 10:34, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I see you have deleted an old section with replies.[8] This page is a place to get help with editing and finding your way around Wikipedia. It is still unclear to me whether you are asking about Wikipedia or another wiki. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia located at the website wikipedia.org like this page. Many other wikis are made with the same MediaWiki software as Wikipedia but are othwerwise unrelated to Wikipedia. Are you asking about pages at wikipedia.org or not? If it's not then possible ways depend on details at whatever wiki it is, but we may have no inside knowledge of that. And questions about the MediaWiki software but not about Wikipedia should be asked at other sites, for example mw:Project:Support desk. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:01, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I suspect that it may be neither, it might need a Wikipedia Bot. I'm not sure where you would ask about that -- Q Chris (talk) 14:16, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I suggested a bot and the editor who posted the question blanked the section, so I took that as a "no thanks" :) In any case, it would be helpful to know what URLs you want to change. A bot would be a good idea if there are lots of edits to make, but the work required to get one approved might not be worthwhile if there's only a few cases to change. Gonzonoir (talk) 14:24, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Changing the content of wiki page dynamically

Hello I was looking for it on google then on wiki. I dont think its available but I still have to ask. Can you alter the wiki page by script, or any other remote way? FYI I want to update my wiki not the world wide. I presume there is no option like that for wikipedia.org cuz of spammers etc. But for your own one? Regards MarcinGottimw (talk) 11:35, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure about what you are asking. However, if you have your own wiki, then the MediaWiki support desk may be able to assist you. TNXMan 11:48, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

RE: how to contribute information and edit or enhance a page.

Good Morning,

I am a community relations person for an agency that is on wikipedia. Our agency is concerned that the most pertinent information listed at the top of the article are comments made by the media about past history of the agency - most of which was considered inflammatory. We wanted at the very least to enhance the page with the most recent website link which I was able to update and some of the inflammatory information we wanted to edit and add at least the most recent information about the agency. Additionally, we want to add FACTUAL historical information about the timelines and agency development over the past 125 years. However, I have tried to add these features and it keeps being returned that this information is a copyright issue and I am not understanding how this can be when this information is in print for our agency as well as on our public website. Can someone please get back to me about what needs to be done. Our administration would like this handled. Thanks, Bonickp (talk) 15:19, 30 June 2009 (UTC) — Bonickp (talk • contribs) has made few or no other edits outside this topic.

OK couple of points. As you appear to have a conflict of interest you should go to the talk page of the relevant article and post there a note about the changes that you think should be made. You will need to supply reliable sources to support them. If you want to release copyright materials for use on Wikipedia, please follow the process set out at WP:IOWN. I have posted a welcome message on your talk page with links to a number of Wikipedia policies and guidelines. – ukexpat (talk) 15:39, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

You may also want to read Wikipedias copyright policy. Even though your press releases have been published on your website, the website carries a copyright mark right at the bottom (© 2009 Maryville Academy 1150 N River Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016) which means material copied from there isn't usable in Wikipedia mainspace. Livewireo (talk) 15:45, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

It can be released for use on Wikipedia by following the WP:IOWN process. – ukexpat (talk) 15:51, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

New page User:Floropolou

Hello! I have already created page called CITY College, Affiliated Institution of Sheffield, but it was deleted because the content was too advertizing. I now created a new page called User:Floropolou http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Floropoulou (just for the test) and I am sending to you in order to get second opinion over the content (is it OK or not) and can it be publish in Wikipedia without deleting. If everything is OK, the page should be named CITY College, International Faculty of Sheffiled. I am working for the CITY College, and we would like top have our page at Wikipedia, hence this is a very important for us! Many thanks in advance. Best regards Floropoulou (talk)FloropoulouFloropoulou (talk). —Preceding undated comment added 10:37, 1 July 2009 (UTC).

Hello, judging by your username it seems that you have a conflict of interest. To make sure that our articles stay objective, we highly discourage users from creating articles in which they have a conflict of interest. However, if you submit the article to articles for creation, and a user reviews it, does not find a COI problem, and accepts it, it will be created.Fingerz 10:59, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Floropoulou, you don't seem to understand: you have a severe conflict of interest with regard to CITY College, and should not be creating or editing articles about it! Various other editors have been trying to tell you this at least since last January, and you continue to ignore them. --Orange Mike | Talk 12:48, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

COI editing is strongly discouraged, but not prohibited. As long as the article satisfies guidelines it should be fine. WP:AFC is probably the way to go here. Aditya ^α _ß 15:21, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Chlorodifluoromethane

What is the freezing point of Chlorodifluoromethane?78.154.200.253 (talk) 22:28, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

You might find what you are looking for in the article about Chlorodifluoromethane. 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. Algebraist 22:32, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Adding picture to profile from public site

I was looking at the page for Alex Kelly (rapist) from Darien Connecticut. As a new user, I cannot upload a picture if I wanted... even if I wanted to, it says I need to own the copyright of the picture. What about using his Connecticut Sex offender registry image? Here is the link. http://www.sor.state.ct.us/pls/sor/wsor$offender.queryview?P_SPBI_ID=432167&Z_CHK=31032 —Preceding unsigned comment added by TheBigBopper80 (talk • contribs) 02:26, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

The SOR main page at http://www.ct.gov/dps/site/default.asp has a copyright notice at the bottom so the image is copyright and not appropriate for uploading to, and using on, Wikipedia. – ukexpat (talk) 03:25, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Girlosophy

I am attempting to create an article on the Girlosophy book series. I cannot seem to find any third party scholarly information on it and most he information I am finding is on the actual Girlosophy website which summarizes the series, or on other book websites that summarize the series. I do not want to be called out for spamming because that is not my intention however as i sad I can find no other places to get information. Is the girlosophy website or sites that summarize the books okay to reference? If you could notify me on my talk page it would be appreciated. Thank you--KayPet (talk) 03:13, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

If there isn't significant coverage in reliable sources, then maybe the series isn't notable -- WP:BK, but I know nothing about the series. – ukexpat (talk) 03:20, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

From what I've read on the publishers page and these other websites named before at least one book of the Girlospohy series has won a Food Media Award, the series is a bestseller and award winning and renowned by multiple celebrities such as Opera. Are these just facts that don't even need sourcing. I noticed that Wikipedia discussed plot summary of fiction books but not non-fiction. Am I able to summarize the content of the series? Would this need sourcing? Would the publishers website or one of the ones I mentioned be okay to use for that purpose?--KayPet (talk) 13:48, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

For matters of notability, winning prizes etc, you cannot rely on the publisher's website as that is a self reference not a reliable source. – ukexpat (talk) 14:42, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Draft Article to b checked

Hi, I have generated an draft article at Stephenpenndb7/Frazer-Nash Consultancy, I would like more experienced people to have a look at the article and offer any advice/edits before the page 'goes live', how do I get people to look at it? Thanks. Stephenpenndb7 (talk) 08:34, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

You need to find references that indicate why this company is notable per WP:CORP. As far as I can see two of the three current references just confirm that deals have been done, they don't speak to notability.  – ukexpat (talk) 14:41, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

new article ?

I am going to submit an article but I want to set the editing permissions to only myself and my editor. How can this be done. I have created my logon id and my editor also has his logon id. We will be setting up a discussion section.

Question #2, is there a way to submit an article for review by WP before publishing it?

Thanks,

Ken —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.7.2.156 (talk) 15:26, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia articles are freely editable. If you want something only you can edit, you'll have to go elsewhere. Algebraist 15:29, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) I'm sorry, but any articles published on Wikipedia are editable by anyone. There is no way to limit who can and cannot edit something (except for page protection, but that is only used rarely). If you are referring to your own personal wiki, then you may want to ask at the MediaWiki support desk. TNXMan 15:30, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict)You will have to make yourself an account before you can create an article, I echo Algebraist and Tnxman307, anyone can edit wikipedia, Spitfire^Tally-ho! 15:31, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Uploading family photograph

I have a family photograph of relevance to an article. The photograph is approx 80 years old and will have been taken professionally, though there is no record of who this photographer is. Does this qualify under Wiki rules for uploading? Milomaisie (talk) 15:02, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Are the people in that picture still alive? If no, then we can't find a free substitute and provided it satisfies fair use conditions, I'd say you can use it.

Cheers!

Λuα ^{(Operibus anteire)} 15:15, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

BTW, in the US, any work published before 1923 is in the public domain so you might want to check when the picture was taken exactly.

Cheers!

Λuα ^{(Operibus anteire)} 15:22, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Though as a personal photograph it may not have been "published" anyway, so that public domain rule may not apply. See Wikipedia:PD#Unpublished_works. Gonzonoir (talk) 15:46, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Rule 5

Not for the first time "Rule 5" has been mentioned in the course of a discussion (End of section. I have searched (and asked) with (due ?) diligence for an explanation about Rule 5 but I have had no luck, only advice not to adhere rigidly to rules. HELP! (Please/thanks)--Damorbel (talk) 15:22, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

I could be very wrong on this one, but is it possible that SBHB was talking about WP's fifth pillar?

Cheers!

Λuα ^{(Operibus anteire)} 15:30, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

I like it! I think user Boris is just trying to impress a relative newcomer with his magic powers, rather like the Wizard of Oz--Damorbel (talk) 14:36, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

St Elmo's fire or ball lightning?

In 1946, flying out of Germany through a fierce lightning storm, repeated strikes on the airframe, I encountered a blue glowing ball moving inside the metal-framed aircraft and thus within a Faraday cage. Where do I ask what this was? Royalairforce46 (talk) 16:35, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Try the WP:Reference Desk/Science or WP:Reference Desk/Miscellaneous. Cureden 16:39, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

You may also find more info in our articles on ball lightning, Faraday cages, or St. Elmo's fire. TNXMan 16:43, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

I can't write my own article!

I'm very frustrated. I can't figure out how to actually write an article. There are lots of tutorial articles on how to start one, but I can't find where to go to actually write one. Can somebody please help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sublevel27 (talk • contribs) 23:14, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Try here. --Orange Mike | Talk 23:25, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia avoids the truth, but accepts obvious P.R..puffery

I have access to a terrific database on brands that covers most of the major brands marketed in the U.S. -- 653 of them. It is based on a recent survey of a demographically representative sample of midscale/upscale 18-54 year old Americans. The survey data has been available since early 2009 and has not been sold to anyone; no one has paid anything for any of the analyzed information. And I do not work for the company that conducted the survey.

As I have shown in the references in my edits, flattering articles have been published about the study in reputable media. I know the intimate details of how the information was collected and how it was analyzed and know that this kind of information is not the kind that normally ever enters the public domain -- except in selected press releases from companies who purchased the information because it showed that they had something to brag about.

I have tried to introduce this rich, unusual, and objective information into four Wikipedia writeups -- A.C. Moore, Bed Bath & Beyond, Canon, and Dannon -- pretty much selected at random. In two cases, the information was accepted and is currently in the Wikipedia articles. In the two other articles, it was flatly rejected, once as advertising for the study (Dannon). In the other case, I asked for an explanation but none was given.

The main reason I have done this is because this is the kind of information to which the public is rarely exposed, but it is the very kind of information that actually alters and shapes the strategies of these huge, powerful companies. For instance, the study attempts to quantify the specific personal aspirations of consumers that subconsciously drive the choice of particular brands over others. This is one powerful way these big companies manipulate consumer behavior.

Also, there is large-sample information that quantifies the actual satisfaction of purchasers/users of each of the 652 brands versus each other -- including comparison of brands from different categories. For instance, Brand A may be better in satisfying consumers than Brand B and C in the category which includes A, B, and C, but all three brands may be doing a poor job (or, a great job) compared to Brands D, E, and F in another category.

I have no doubts about the objectivity, accuracy, or value of this information to consumers or academics -- and also know that they will not find it elsewhere. But apparently Wikipedia is happy to have self-serving company P.R. men write the summaries on their own companies (under the disguise of an anonymous "user name"), but rejects hard-edged, totally objective, scientific, highly valuable/insightful information because of suspicions about "motivations". Who can really accurately "know" the motivations of a total stranger who has written a few paragraphs (i.e., "this is just advertising for the research")? The real questions should be: a) is the information of value to Wikipedia readers? and b)is it objective and accurate? You cannot sell research if you are giving it away freely, as I have in my writeups. You are defeating your own purpose.

Well, there are certainly other means than Wikipedia to make this information freely available to anyone who wants it. And that is where I am proceding now. But I came here first because of my respect for Wikipedia and all the help and great information it has provided me in the past. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Brandnerd (talk • contribs) 01:33, 4 July 2009 (UTC)Brandnerd (talk) 01:35, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

which is the first well educated and well developed community in the world's history

waiting for answer —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ashvin.Varde (talk • contribs) 10:04, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but your question appears to be a homework question, which unfortunately, we we can't answer for you. If are stuck on a concept or specific part of your homework, feel free to ask at the reference desk, as they answer specific knowledge questions. You may also want to search Wikipedia for the answer. TNXMan 13:49, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Special Education in the Philippines

Philisophy of Education "Education shall develop citizens who believe in God, love their country and fellowmen, and actively participate in building a just Filipino society and in conserving and developing in the nation's human and material resources." The stae shall promote the right of every individual to relevant quality education. The state shall therefore promote and maintain equality of access to education as well as the enjoyment of the benefits of educatin by all its citizens.(BP Blg.232) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.4.8.51 (talk) 16:37, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

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 track 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 asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. – ukexpat (talk) 16:47, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Pulinhal

Pulinhal is one of beautiful village in Wayanad district in the Indian state of Kerala. The land lies on the hill land and the Valley of Banasura Mountain. Pulinhal is one attracting with mountain and paddy fields. So pulinhal got into the tourist map of Kerala. In the village living some aboriginal named Kurichiyar,Paniyar and Kadar. Some old home and Thayepalli Masjid are expressing the old artworks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pulinhalshareef (talk • contribs) 17:03, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I'm assuming you think Wikipedia should have an article on Pulinhal. You can write your own! See Your first article and make sure you have factual claims that are verifiable with reliable sources. Further questions? let me know! Fleetflame 17:14, 4 July 2009 (UTC)

proving a a bands sponsorship

how can i prove a band is a bands sponsored? i have a page that i am going to edit and i want to make sure everything is in line before i make a page so i do not have to remove anything so please get back with me on this, its really all i need —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dirtdawg666 (talk • contribs) 15:25, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

It will need confirmation by citing a reliable source. – ukexpat (talk) 15:38, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

Cayenne pepper vs ground red pepper

Is there a difference between Cayenne pepper and ground red pepper?20:03, 5 July 2009 (UTC)