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.

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How to submit business description.

How do I submit a description of a business. It would go under the section entitled Timeshare Companies. I am not sure how to retrieve any answers that you may send. Thank you Margelennon (talk) 20:31, 20 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

First of all you need to read some of WP's policies and guidelines. I posted a welcome message on your talk page that lists them, but here are the main ones: WP:N, WP:CORP, WP:Spam, WP:RS and WP:COI. Then read WP:YFA for guidance in writing your first article. If after all that, you think your business meets the notability guidelines and you have reliable sources, I would suggest that you create the article in draft in a user subpage - User:Margelennon/Article name for example (replacing Article name with the name of the business. When you have written it in draft, ask a few editors to review it and comment before moving the article to the mainspace. – ukexpat (talk) 21:10, 20 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

See if "reliable sources" such as news website have company information. Some companies do not want Wikipedia entries because others place negative information about the company in the wikipedia article. Chergles (talk) 00:07, 22 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Whether the company wants an article or not is really irrelevant. If the company is notable per WP:CORP, and there are reliable sources for the statements made, anyone can write an article about it, assuming it meets all other WP policies and guidelines. – ukexpat (talk) 21:00, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

how i can create my own infoboxes

pls kidly help me to create my own infoboxes for my arcticle(which is text information). in which format i can create my infoboxes for a given text. if i have to write the code for that , then in which programming language i can do it.

Arch5123 (talk) 06:05, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Before you create your own infobox templates, please check the existing infoboxes to make sure that an appropriate one does not already exist. See Category:Infobox templates. – ukexpat (talk) 14:46, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Actually i want to create an infobox regarding tribal medicinal plants category. how do i create it on wikipedia. pls help me out . if nay body know about it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Arch5123 (talk • contribs) 05:46, 27 November 2008 (UTC) We have an infobox Wikipedia:WikiProject_Tree_of_Life/taxobox_usage#Plant_species already. What do you want to do that that template doesn't facilitate? - Mgm|^(talk) 12:35, 27 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your kind support. But i want to add the details information regardinh the medicinal plant like diseases which they cure, part of plant which is used for curing the disease. mode of preparation . is there any template which provide me this kind of information. Arch5123 (talk) 05:33, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In danger of being deleted

Hi. I'm really confused. I do not know how to properly source my page OR how to properly do the referencing. Instead of references actually appearing, little 1, 2 and 3s appear instead. I notice on other people's pages ... when I go into the Edit field ... there's a code like this: {{reflist|2}}. Obviously, I missed an important step. Please advise. THANK YOU. Patty Pattymccarthy (talk) 12:35, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I assume you're talking about Meg Wolff? What you'll need to do is move the information between the <ref> and </ref> tags from the bottom of the article. References are usually integrated into the article. For example, the claim "XYZ company makes 3 million widgets a year" will have a little reference number at the end. In the reference section itself, place {{reflist}} to display the references. I hope this helps and let me know if there's anything else with which I can help. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 14:11, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have tidied it up a little pending the refs being moved in-text and added a couple of maintenance tags. – ukexpat (talk) 15:02, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the help. I guess I've misunderstood the References portion, and this is probably better suited to SOURCES, which I haven't figured out. I think I missed a step in the beginning. Right now, I'm trying to "tone down" any suggestion of advertising on the site. Thanks for your help. Any advice about SOURCES would be appreciated greatly. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pattymccarthy (talk • contribs) 17:21, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reliable sources provide in-depth, independent coverage of the subject. Things like press releases and other promotional material are not considered reliable. The link at the beginning of this reply has a lot more info. Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 17:25, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, again! I think I've fixed it... yes, sorry, it is Meg Wolff. I'm not sure it's perfect, but could you please take a quick look if you don't mind?? Thanks, Patty ... Oh, also, how do i get whoever to remove the delete warning.. will someone just review and remove if they find what I've done to edit acceptable?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pattymccarthy (talk • contribs) 17:45, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I looked over the article and cleaned up some of the promotional language. Remember, articles need to be presented with a neutral point of view. I don't see a delete warning on the article (it has been removed by another editor). There is one on your talk page, which you can remove anytime you like. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 18:42, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hi TN Man ... thanks, it still has a couple of notes at the top ... how do i get rid of those? THANK YOU... Happy Turkey Day. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pattymccarthy (talk • contribs) 19:38, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I removed the tags that were there but added a new one. The tone is much improved but the article needs in-text citations - see WP:CITE. – ukexpat (talk) 19:43, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Pelle Pelle wikipedia

Resolved

– Article re-created as a valid stub – ukexpat (talk) 17:43, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hello,

My entry of Pelle Pelle was previously deleted by NawlinWiki and I wanted to know for what reason. I wrote an objective article in my opinion and if I compare it to Sean John or Rocawear they are similar in tone. Please inform me about this so that I can adapt it.

Irfan121 (talk) 14:06, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It appears that the article did not indicate why the company was notable. Notability is established through significant coverage in independent, reliable, third-party sources. You may want to ask NawlinWiki on his talk page if he could restore the article to a sandbox where you can work on improving it. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 14:18, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I am afraid I have nominated this for speedy deletion pursuant to WP:CSD#G11 as it is far too promotional in tone. It has been tagged as under construction since 11/21 with little done since then. – ukexpat (talk) 15:13, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

About my webpage

I have a webpage that I edit based on places that I travel. I have always wanted that people know what to do when they visit a place and the page is designed keeping in mind the same. But when I list it in Wiki's external links they are cleaned up with warning. Where can I list this page?Sanketkawde (talk) 20:25, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt that a link to your site would comply with Wikipedia's external link guidelines. – ukexpat (talk) 20:52, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Please read WP:COI also . -- Tinu Cherian - 17:28, 27 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is not a travel guide. Your link may be more suited for other wikis like Wikitravel (I don't know their policies). PrimeHunter (talk) 22:33, 26 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Username Problem

Dear Wikipedia, my username RFB has become a Wikipedia item so my edits now look as if they are made by an anonymous user. How do I change my username while maintaining my edit history? RFB (talk) 18:42, 27 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Not sure what you mean by "has become a Wikipedia item" but in any event to change your user name see WP:CHU. – ukexpat (talk) 18:46, 27 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I also don't know what you mean by "has become a Wikipedia item", but I think I know what your real problem is. If some of your edits are registered to an IP address then it's because you were not logged in when they were saved. Many users are sometimes automatically logged out without noticing it. See Help:Logging in for some tips on how to stay logged in. IP edits cannot be assigned to an account. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:14, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

By "has become a Wikipedia item", the user is referring to WP:RFB. — neuro^(talk) 16:20, 29 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Writing a page for a friend

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 17:41, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Wikipedia,

I would like to write a new Wiki page for an admirable social entrepreneur who has not only an interesting life story, but who has also contributed very substantially to the fight against climate change via his own social entrepreneur projects and businesses. His views and action on climate change via his world-wide energy-saving campaigns, one of which has made it into the Guinness book of world records, i believe would be beneficial for others to learn. The purpose of this article would be to illustrate this man's achievements, commitments, and contributions to combating global warming. This article is not intended to argue points for or against global warming or be opinionated in anyway.

I do not wish to create his wiki page to promote him, his companies or support/argue for his theories or ideas, I simply believe that his achievements and goals are worth bringing to people's attention, much the same as the other 'Social Entrepreneurs' you have listed in Wikipedia, and other social enterprises you have in Wikipedia such as Greenpeace, Bodyshop, etc...

I have read all the help-pages and do's-and-don'ts of Wikipedia and believe I can create such a page that would meet all the criteria of a good, informative, fair, and unbiased page.

Please could you advise as to your thoughts on this subject, as I do not wish to write an article which you feel would not be suitable.

Thank you for your time and help - I shall review your reply via the 'My Talk' section in my user account.

Regards,

P.BlackmanCoolnrg (talk) 00:21, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

See reply on your talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 03:25, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Move button does not appear

Hi I'm having help moving the article "Asian poker tour" to "Asian Poker Tour", the move button isn't showing up where it is supposed to be. I have looked through different articles on the matter and I've definitely been a member for more than four days. Would anyone out there know what to do? Thanks! Aptwiki (talk) 10:04, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I see you've just made your tenth edit (WP:AUTOCONFIRM). Try now. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 10:09, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I would like to upload a page on my new company

I would like to upload a new page on my company. How do I go about this? HappyKiddies (talk) 11:15, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at our guide to your first article. But please also look at WP:CORP. Best, Zain Ebrahim (talk) 11:18, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

My Username has been hijacked

I have tried several times today to create an account with you. My Username is Joran on every site I have recently joined since coming back the computer. Several months ago, my husband and I were victims of a break-in and vandalism to our home and computers. Everything was downloaded off our computers onto discs, all financial info, icome tax and banking information, then, the computer fans were shut off and burned up the computers from the inside out! Prior to this happening, a gal had started "stalking" and "lurking" around every site I would be on. Now that things have quieted down a bit, we decided to give the internet a try again. I am on a new computer, with a new router, modem and (I believe) an IP address. This person had attempted to sign on the group site yesterday I belong to, called: "CafeMom's." She could not get on with username "Joran" as I already had it.

You will see my email address when I send this. I can't believe she has shown up again. What do you advise me to do? Linda M.O'Tyson (Remember, she has all my private info, down to SS card #, bank and credit cards, (which have been closed and cancelled). Thanks for your assistance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.185.31.100 (talk) 21:13, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

User:Joran has not edited English Wikipedia since January 2006. You can ask to usurp that user name at this page: WP:USURP. – ukexpat (talk) 22:40, 28 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry about the break in! Hope things improve Spitfire^Tally-ho! 17:02, 29 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Posting an existing wiki to Wikipedia

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 17:40, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have a wiki project from one of my classes at Arizona State University that I would like to post to Wikipedia, but I don't know how. Can someone help me? Please let me know on my talk page. Thanks! Sparkygirl1023 (talk) 19:34, 29 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Done SpinningSpark 19:53, 29 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

re:editing new information on Uri Geller s page

Hi, I will get straight into the point!I would like to make changes in Uri Geller s Biography because most of information provided are innacurate.Can I do this or editing my own page for the specific person?Regards Piperia

I recommend discussing any changes at Talk:Uri Geller. Most of the information seem to have sources backing it up, so changing it without discussion is likely to be controversial. You'll need to prove why your source is better than the other one. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:35, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Problerms in search

I just wrote article on finnish psychiatrist Martti Olavi Siirala, what I also gave the name of the page. Now the search doesn't find that article on name "Martti Siirala", wich will be propably mostly used. What to do? Rename the page? I'm bit lost here, can anyone clear out the situation? Jokelamaniac (talk) 14:29, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A redirect page should be used for this. The one you created was not done properly, User:Fuhghettaboutit has fixed it now. Cheers. Chamal ^talk 15:17, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

my correction to Dom Sebastien article

I would like to know why the correction I made to the article on Dom Sebastien was labelled as "not constructive" and changed back immediately. I prepared the critical edition of this opera, published by Ricordi and the University of Chicago Press in 2004. The wikipedia article credited the edition to Roger Parker, an error that was apparently copied over from a newspaper article by Rupert Christiansen. This is a simple correction and anyone who cares to look up the publication information for the edition will see this. Maryannsmart (talk) 15:32, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

User:Fribbler reverted your edit here marking it as vandalism. It would appear to be vandalism to Fribbler because the reference to the newspaper article was deleted and nothing put in its place. Wikipedia requires a reference to a reliable source so that the facts are verifiable by other editors. SpinningSpark 16:33, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

(e/c)The problem is that you did not provide a source or reference for your edit. If statement A cannot be verified by a reliable source it will be reverted if favour of statement B if B has a reference, even if incorrect. Verifiability outweighs truth on WP. If you can provide a reference for your edit, then you will be in a much stronger position, but because of your conflict of interest, you should discuss the issue first on the article's talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 16:38, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) In [1] you replaced information with a reliable source with unsourced information. You should give a source which is at least as reliable as the one you replace, and preferably more reliable or maybe two reliable sources, plus an explanation on Talk:Dom Sébastien. Further, your user name will likely cause other editors to suspect a conflict of interest, and you confirm here that you are Mary Ann Smart. Then it may be better to suggest your edit on Talk:Dom Sébastien. You can contact the editor who reverted you at User talk:Fribbler (but I have just done that). Given the circumstances (replacing a sourced claim with an unsourced claim involving your user name), I would not criticise Fribbler for reverting without investigating the claim further. A lot of bad unsourced information is unfortunately added to Wikipedia and editors don't have time to investigate everything when an unsourced addition contradicts the existing reliable source. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:39, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean this or this which you co-autored with Gabriele Dotto and Roger Parker? In the second case it does not seem reasonable for you to claim sole authorship. SpinningSpark 16:57, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This review from the Times gives Mary Ann Smart the credit. Other sources vary. (Though I hope you can see why I reverted) Fribbler (talk) 17:36, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

how do I send http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Aftermath_chicago live

I want to include my article on the legendary Chicago thrash band from the 80s on Wikipedia. I wrote the article and now I am confused. The band is not only legendary for its incredible speed, but also for its famous lawsuit against Dr. Dre Aftermath chicago (talk) 23:10, 30 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In its current form, the article would probably be speedily deleted per WP:CSD#A7. In an event, the band does not appear to be notable per WP:MUSIC. – ukexpat (talk) 02:10, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The band claims to be signed to Interscope, so it isn't CSD material (at least notability wise). — neuro^{IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!} 15:27, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Finished?

I have a scanned image here of a diagram from a Scientific journal for the Scientific evidence for Creationism article I want to complete. Can I upload it without getting in trouble about copyright material? Refreshments (talk) 16:26, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I doubt it - it sounds like copyrighted material to me. See Wikipedia:Non-free content#Text 2. – ukexpat (talk) 16:49, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I thought so., I can't do anything. I'm trying to get images and I'm having to draw everything myself. Surely ther's an easier way than this.! Refreshments (talk) 17:06, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, there is. Get permission from the copyright holder to release it under an appropriate Creative Commons or GNU license. :) — neuro^{IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!} 18:19, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reliability

Is wikipedia a reliable website?--Accdude92 (talk) 17:52, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It's as reliable as the sources on which the articles are based. Which is to say, it varies wildly. Before trusting an article on Wikipedia, I recommend checking the sources listed at the bottom. That will give you some indication of reliability. TN‑X-Man 18:13, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That depends. As for being a reliable source, some would disagree, but no. No encyclopaedia is a reliable source as such, due to the nature of them being an encyclopaedia (that goes for Britannica too!)

As for it being reliable, as long as you aren't looking at something controversial, most of the stuff on here is accurate. — neuro^{IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!} 18:14, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

See also Reliability of Wikipedia. Wikipedia articles are not allowed to use other Wikipedia articles as sources. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:17, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

My userbox

I've just created a userbox.

But... I don't know how to add colour to it! Can someone help me please? Wikiert (talk) 18:32, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You may want to take a look at WP:Userbox Maker. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 18:48, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've done it. This is what it looks like now:

This user ends up on Wikipedia every time they are on the computer.

Wikiert (talk) 19:38, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

i want to enroll as a civil engineering student

Please fill in the subject box above, then REPLACE ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. 81.199.189.30 (talk) 18:39, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Did you forget to delete all the instructions? Wikiert (talk) 18:42, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over two million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the online free 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 that is not fruitful, we have a reference desk, divided into various subjects areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. TN‑X-Man 18:45, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Suspected vandalism...

I found a load of weird symbols on Glow In The Dark Ninja's user page. I don't want to delete it because it might be sonething they've put there, and I have also told this to GlowITDN on their talk page... Wikiert (talk) 20:09, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The symbols appear to be ASCII art. I wouldn't worry about it, as the user does not appear to have been active since last year. TN‑X-Man 20:17, 1 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, definitely ASCII art, and placed by the user.[2] ASCII art is often made with a fixed width font but this is apparently not, so the result depends on how it's viewed. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:13, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This time, I REALLY DID find some REAL vandalism. (on the article for the current series of I'm a Celebrity...) It was cleaned up before I had a chance to though because I don't know how to revert. How do I revert? Wikiert (talk) 21:43, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There are a couple of ways to deal with vandalism. You can manually edit the article to correct the issues. You can also view the page history and click "undo" beside the edit you wish to change. There are also tools like Twinkle and Huggle that automate some of those tasks. TN‑X-Man 21:49, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

New Guy

What is the best way I could contribute to Wikipedia? AbsoluteZero459 (talk) 03:34, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Contributing to articles. – RyanCross (talk) 05:17, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do I edit a feature on Diamonds, when it appears to be a protected page?

I spotted an obvious error in this article (Diamonds) and as a first time user, read all the FAQ's etc. but can't see how to edit the article as the Edit this Page, TAB is not preset.

Any help gratefully Rx.

Regards, Goldpan (talk) 05:48, 2 December 2008 (UTC)goldpan[reply]

Hey there. Diamond is semi-protected due to long-running vandalism; because your account is brand new, you won't be able to edit any semi-protected articles until you are autoconfirmed. But, you can always go to Talk:Diamond and discuss any changes you wish to make, so that other editors can make them for you until such time as your account is confirmed. Tony Fox (arf!) 06:11, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You will be autoconfirmed when your account is four days old and when you have made at least 10 edits. – RyanCross (talk) 06:14, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a Wikipedia policy regarding YouTube?

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 17:38, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I won’t be surprised to find that some people have tried to create pages with nothing but YouTube links, and I’m aware that some consider YouTube to be a questionable source, but there are cases where a YouTube link might be a good addition to an article. I don’t see examples, so I’m wondering if the use is discouraged or prohibited.

(I am aware that rights would need to be obtained.) Sphilbrick (talk) 18:31, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You may want to review WP:YOUTUBE. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 18:33, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

To sum up the above link, links must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Youtube is tricky because much of the material may be copyrighted or only tangentially related to an article. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 18:36, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the prompt response. Sorry I missed the relevant reference. I’ll start the fun process of getting the rights (have them verbally, but understand I’ll need them formally) Sphilbrick (talk) 18:57, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. If you have other questions, feel free to ask. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 18:59, 2 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Notability

Hey I am wondering how to make my page qualify as being a notable subject. Do I just need to add more citations?

Overseer1113 (talk) 00:41, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

See WP:N, citations do not by themselves make a subject notable. — neuro^(talk) 16:01, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Curious about timestamp differences

Hi everybody, just take a look at this edit here and see whether you can see anything funny about the time in the sig and the time at the top. Yes, they are different by one minute. How is this so? Do you think this is a regular occurence? I hope to have any advice about this irregularity 137.154.73.31 (talk) 01:48, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I once noticed the same in one of my edits.[3] If an edit is very close to the change of minute on the server then signature and edit can apparently list times one minute apart. Your diff is to http://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?diff=255395350. The preceding edit http://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?diff=255395349 is registered one minute earlier (same time as the signature on the first edit). I guess the edit time is pulled from the same clock a fraction of a second after the signature time. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:50, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sometimes there is server lag, too. — neuro^(talk) 16:02, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Bots

can someone teach me how to make a bot?--Accdude92 (talk) 15:22, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Well, it's not for beginners, I'm afraid. It requires programming knowledge, a thorough knowledge of Wikipedia format and policies, and special authority (permission) to run it. If you have a task that you would like to have done by a bot, you can make a request for an existing bot to do it here: WP:BOTREQ. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 15:53, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

So where can i lean the wikipedia format, and the programming knowledge to make a bot?

Well, to learn policies, you can have a read through them. Most of them are linked somewhere from WP:WELCOME, but some you have to work out as you have to apply them. As for programming knowledge, I learnt it from hands on experience writing programs and scripts, but some people do prefer to learn it from books. — neuro^(talk) 16:00, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

so how long will it take to learn enough to make a bot?--Accdude92 (talk) 16:04, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on what you want it to do. To make a good bot, I'd say you need at least 3 - 4 years programming experience. — neuro^(talk) 16:39, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It also depends on how much computer experience you already have, and how enthusiastic you are about learning a new computer language. With enthusiasm you could learn in a short time, even though bots are complex programs, and need to be proven error-free to gain permission to run at WP. But if your only interest in learing programming is to perform one task, you probably won't stick to it, which is why I recommended using the bot request feature. What do you intend to use it for? --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 19:56, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

About learning the rules: WP:EIW has pretty much everything covered. (It's very long, but well worth reading) - Mgm|^(talk) 10:26, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Joining a portal

A couple of my articles have been added to portals. For instance, my article on the Argentina Wine Route was added to the Portal on Argentina. I have some other articles that should also be included in the Argentina portal, but do they need to be added by a third party? Or is a portal something that I can add an article to on my own?

Heysuk (talk)

Portals are usually maintained by a project group. Check the talk page of a portal to find the project, if it isn't shown on the portal page. You can join a project and get involved in the selection process. By the way, it's not considered good form to call articles "yours"; articles you created have probably been edited by others, and do not belong to anyone. I know you probably aren't asserting you have control over these articles, but others might presume that. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 19:49, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Questions about creating a disambiguation page and notes not showing up

I am creating a new wikipage about Musée Mecaniqué (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_M%C3%A9canique_(band) and I want to figure out how to make a disambiguation page. I have created a hatnote, but cannot figure out how to reroute Musée Mecaniqué to a disambiguation page. For the time being I have put (band) in the title help with confusion.

Also, I have seven footnotes in my article and cannot figure out how to get the references to show up in the notes section after I save it. Recordstorejerk (talk) 19:59, 3 December 2008 (UTC)recordstorejerk[reply]

To answer your second question, you had a malformed ref tag in your last reference. I have corrected it and the rest of the page should display normally. TN‑X-Man 20:03, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

As for your first question, I think a hatnote should be sufficient. If there are only two items with the same name, I would think a hatnote on both pages should cover it. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 20:06, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have deleted some of the external links that were masquerading as references and have done some other clean up. I have also changed the hatnote to {{About}} which I think is preferred to {{Dablink}}. – ukexpat (talk) 21:09, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Creating an article about a scientific society

I am a graduate student that would like to start an article about about a conference I recently attended. There was a group of students that would like to keep in touch about upcoming events and research that many of us are doing. I would like the creation of this article to be collaborative. That way we all can have input and allow us to keep in touch. is this the right place for such a creation? MEEGID Students (talk) 21:16, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry but no. It sounds like you need a networking site, which Wikipedia most definitely is not. Another option may be to do it on one of the many wiki farms or download and install the MediaWiki software on a private server to which you all have access. Take a look at alternative outlets for more suggestions. However, if you are a member of a scientific society that is notable, that society may meet the requirements for an article. See the welcome message I just posted on your talk page for links to relevant policies and guidelines. – ukexpat (talk) 21:33, 3 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

- - - Question has been removed by poster due to him finding the answer.***

ROXANNE (the song by Sting)

How can I add another group to Covers fo this song. There is a great version done by the British Reggae group ASWAD circa: 1997. It needs to be referrenced here. Cavacamite (talk) 19:12, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Aswad (band) already has an article on WP, and appears to be notable, so that takes care of the main concern. The band's name is not in caps, and according to the article, it is Arabic for "black". The article does not mention "Roxanne", and their discography does not link to articles for their 1997 albums (so I presume the articles don't exist), nor any singles, so we should have an external cite for stating which album the song appeared on, or if it was a single. If it was a single, its chart position (if any) should be noted (and that probably should be in the group's article, moreso than in Roxanne (song)). --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 21:14, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How to

how make gobelin

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6.9 million articles and thought we were 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 for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right 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. TN‑X-Man 20:03, 4 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Pictures on side of article.

Resolved

– answered on user's talk page – ukexpat (talk) 17:37, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm new to wikipedia and trying to write an article on my user page for practice. I need help adding an image on the right side of the article. Also, I'm unable to create a user talk page. Please help.

- Aaronaldo (talk) 01:43, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Answered on user's talk page. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:23, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do I Contact Administrator MBK004

Would like to clarify an edit that was offered up and subsequntly reverted by MBK004 - Thanking you in anticipation 39track (talk) 10:39, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Go to User talk:MBK004, that's their talk page. AlexiusHoratius 10:47, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do I get the new page to come up on a general search?

Mswriters (talk) 16:37, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I just wrote an article about Mississippi Writers and Musicians (mswriters) and saved it. However, it does not come up on a search. Do I need to do something else? I read about "moving the page" but don't see any place on my saved article to do that. Thank you. Mancy Jacobs

It appears that you have created an article in your userspace instead of the mainspace. In order to get the article to the mainspace, there is a "move" tab at the top of your user page. However, I would not suggest moving the article yet, as it appears to lack reliable sources that indicate why the group is notable. Moving the article now may result in deletion. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 17:01, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Move page to live Wikipedia

I still can't upload my article to wikipedia. The "move" button is not visible. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rivalmaster (talk • contribs) 20:32, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In order to move article, your account must be autoconfirmed, which simply means it must be active for four days and made at least ten edits. Once you have reached those thresholds, you will be able to move articles. Incidentally, where is the article? TN‑X-Man 20:52, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It's at User:Rivalmaster. I have cleaned it up a little but as it stands I think it is destined to be speedily deleted per WP:CSD#A7 and WP:CSD#G11 if it is moved as it does not indicate why the company is important or significant and it is very promotional in tone. In addition it is completely unreferenced. I suggest that Rivalmaster reads WP:YFA, WP:CORP, WP:Spam and WP:RS. – ukexpat (talk) 21:03, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In addition at least parts of it appear to be copyright violations having been copied from http://www.rival-marketing.com/ . – ukexpat (talk) 21:06, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I've speedied it as copyvio based on Ukexpat's notes above, although its tone, from an initial readthrough, also hurt it. I became aware of this when Rivalmaster posted an impossible rename request at CHU. -Jéské Couriano ^{(v^_^v)} 22:03, 5 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Harry Schofield

Draft start page for a new Wikipedia entry on the pilot Harry Schofield. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mrsco (talk • contribs) 10:38, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

(content removed)

I have moved the rest of your post to your user page, User:Mrsco; you may prefer to create a subpage named User:Mrsco/Harry Schofield. I also moved the "under construction" template, but it's not really needed on a user page. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 13:56, 6 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Would the real Jason Adkins please stand up?

The information in the article about the Nintendo games, Fire Emblem I and II, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, is false. Specifically, the identification of the actor who played Ike as Jason Adkins, athlete from Virginia. In fact, I, Jason Adkins, am an actor in Seattle who contributed the voice of Ike to the english version of these games. The confusion lies in the fact that we share the same name. I would like to correct this,but I don't know how. I can edit the page, but the link that is connected to the name Jason Adkins on the page goes to a bio page about this athlete. When it should go to a page about me. How do I remedy this confusion? Please help! Thank you.Poweredbylight (talk) 14:11, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

After checking your IMDB entry, I have fixed the information on you in the article, List of characters in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Super Smash Bros. Voice Cast, as well as editing the athlete's entry to remove the video game voice actor description and categories. Those were the only place I found where the confusion was in place. Are there any other places where the confusion exists that I missed? If there are others, can you identify each specific article and provide links? You can link to an article by copying its exact name, including the capitalization, and then surrounding it in brackets. For example, the way I linked to Super Smash Bros. Voice Cast earlier in this paragraph was by typing [[Super Smash Bros. Voice Cast]]. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 14:34, 7 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Correcting Wrong Info gets reverted by just an IP address

Love Wikipedia except when there is miss info about my non profit organ and I insert founders comments to correct was reverted by someone with just an IP address so misinformation replaces my factual comment as founder.

I have changed again but can anyone just reverse it if they dislike the truth?

I am talking about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberated_Christians

I am the founder, its non profit not a business just sharing ideas. I have inserted founders comments in the text like I did earlier. But in the history it shows the revert back to the incorrect deception information by: 01:03, 28 July 2008 67.235.44.183 (Talk) (1,911 bytes) (Reverted edits by Davephx to last version by 71.169.184.52)

I have now reedited but after reading all the FAQ's and details I am still at a loss on how to avoid someone just to revert by factual comments again. Davephx (talk) 01:05, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The problem is that you are going about it the wrong way - inserting "comments" into the article the way you have done is not encyclopedic. Because of your conflict of interest, you should raise these issues on the article's talk page rather than inserting them in the article without references – ukexpat (talk) 01:17, 8 December 2008 (UTC) – ukexpat (talk) 01:17, 8 December 2008 (UTC).[reply]

Whoops, edited article belonging to project

I am a frequent user of Wikipedia and an occasional, tentative editor. When I run across a page that is unclear, has typos, or is grammatically incorrect, I generally do my best to fix it. (I did read the style guide first.) Today I did some edits to the article Karen Blixen. Afterward I realized that I probably shouldn't have touched it because it belongs to an active project. Was this, in fact, an error? and if so, what should I do about it now? Also, I'm not sure I applied the refimprove template correctly. I would have loved to fix the problem of the missing citations but that's beyond me at this point. Sylvia A (talk) 07:29, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No one owns articles, and if by belonging to a project, you mean the WikiProject tags on the talk page, ignore them. They're just there so that members of that project can find articles in their bailiwick to help improve. There are many policies and guidelines as well as tacit consensus involved, but I assure you that what you are worried about is exactly the opposite of the community's standpoint: Be bold in editing! You did great and exactly what you should be doing. If you ever need help in adding citations, just drop by my talk page. On that subject, please see WP:CITE and {{Refref}}.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 14:23, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with User:Fuhghettaboutit. The edit you did was a good one. If, however, in the future you do make a mistake when you do edit something, you can revert the changes. The edit you made should definitely NOT be reverted. - Akamad (talk) 02:09, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

summary submission

How do you go about adding a submission that discusses my hometown?216.153.228.77 (talk) 15:35, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

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

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

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuhghettaboutit (talk • contribs)

Just checking: do you mean your hometown doesn't have an article already but you'd like to create one? If so, then just follow the instructions above. Note however that towns are almost always deemed notable so there would probably be no questioning of its notability. On the other hand, if you just want to add to an existing article on your hometown, just go right ahead and edit it. Also, it is usually felt that editing an article about one's hometown does not constitute a conflict of interest.--A bit iffy (talk) 06:54, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

shakespeare

I cannot print pages 4-7 in your article on William Shakespeare Why? Frank Streek 216.145.100.18 (talk) 16:02, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Did you click "Printable version" in the toolbox to the left? Which program are you printing with? What happens when you try to print? Can you print other articles? PrimeHunter (talk) 16:50, 8 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I recently had a similar issue with page 2 of the printable version of the article on Sponges. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:00, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Links

How do I add an organization to the links at the bottom of a reference pae?PreserveOurGas (talk) 19:00, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Cautiously. If you're here to promote some particular organization, it's likely that links to it will be removed. Friday (talk) 19:04, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

(e/c)Please read WP:Spam and WP:EL - note that you should not be using Wikpedia to push a point of view or for soapboxing. I know we are supposed to assume good faith but your user name sets the spidey-sense tingling. – ukexpat (talk) 19:05, 9 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Note that the "gas" that PreserveOurGas wishes to preserve appears to be the Great American Songbook. Gandalf61 (talk) 13:01, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Contibuting a new biography

I want to contribute a living person's biography. Do I write the article first and upload it, or is there a template that I fill in the blanks?Terri Fernandez (talk) 18:45, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, there is no "fill-in-the-blanks" template. However, you can look at other articles for examples on how to construct a good article. I would strongly suggest you read this guide on notability and this guide to your first article before getting started. Another good idea may be to start writing the article on your user page before putting the article into the mainspace. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 18:52, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

And if the person does not meet WP's notability criteria, there are other options such as Wikipopuli and Wikibios. – ukexpat (talk) 19:48, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Adding an Article

Hi There,

I would like to submit a new article. I have signed in with a password. I would like to advertise our company's services and capabilities. I don't have any references that I would like to include. We have several business segments that I would like to include in the company overview. Please advise how this process is done. I am having extreme difficulty. I would like to advertise like Fedex. How easy is this process?

Many thanks for your quick reply, Erika Singh —Preceding unsigned comment added by Esingh1 (talk • contribs) 20:06, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not host advertising. Articles must be written from a neutral point of view and cannot promote any service or company. If you're still interested in contributing other content, see this guide to writing articles. Please note that articles must have reliable sources. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 20:28, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

(e/c)Please read WP:Spam - WP is not an advertising service and promotional articles will be speedily deleted. – ukexpat (talk) 20:30, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have a factoid to add to the Gordon Lightfoot page but it is possibly not verifiable

I was reading the paage on Gordon Lightfoot and have my own personal anecdote that other readers may or may not find interesting. I don't know if it is verifiable in any other published source but it may be controversial in some circles and it is nevertheless true. Is there some way I can float it and perhaps another readser will corroborate it or be aware of a published source.Mullery (talk) 23:40, 10 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You could add it to the article and tag it with {{fact}}, but that would probably just get people to ask why you bothered adding it in the first place. Perhaps mentioning it on the talk page or at an appropriate WikiProject and asking if anyone has a source would work. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 05:30, 11 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Deleting Articles

Hello, Is it possible to delete an article that was added be myself, and if it is how can i do this?Aimonai (talk) 10:49, 11 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You cannot delete an article, as that action is restricted to admins. However, you can place {{db-g7}} at the top of the page and an admin will be along to delete it after a while. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 12:45, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

But only on the assumption that the OP is the sole or only major contributor to the article, which seems to be the case here: Altsoft. – ukexpat (talk) 14:32, 11 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

cud i make maoney also by posting articles like it happens with any google account

Im Nandakishore I want to post articles about TR Mahalingham and would wikipedia have a commercial site where my articles and host of other knowledge bank base be taken for international publication and also I get paid of this services. Sd/---- Nandakishore $5\%$ —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kishi007 (talk • contribs) 09:01, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No. — Manti core 10:04, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to be paid for your writing, you'd be better of writing for trade magazines or Google Knol. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:16, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

First Proper Contribution

Hi, in the sandbox I made in my userspace [4] I've drafted some improvements to the CCSM article. As my first contribution to Wikipedia that isn't reverting vandalism or correcting minor mistakes, could someone have a look over it first to check I'm doing things correctly? Orbital Delegate (talk) 10:22, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Looks very good. I made some extremely minor formatting changes which you can see the reason for from the edit summaries I used. It's a great improvement over the existing article content and you should make the changes to the existing article immediately and without hesitation. It's not a bad idea to write content in a sandbox when your basically entirely reworking a piece, but note that you don't need to worry about messing up with good faith contributions and you have the mandate of the community to be bold in updating pages!--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:43, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

One more thing. In the interests of thoroughly transparent references, you should probably add to all of the cite web templates the date you accessed the external sites to add the material. Just add to each the parameter |accessdate=December (??), 2008.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:49, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do I handle these cite requests?

I was working on the article 613 mitzvot and came across the following paragraph.

Sefer Hamitzvot ("Book of Commandments") by Maimonides, with a critical commentary by Nachmanides.^{[citation needed]} Maimonides employs a set of fourteen rules (shorashim) which determine inclusion into the list. In this work, he supports his specification of each Mitzvah through quotations from the midrash halakha and the Gemara. Nachmanides makes a number of critical points and replaces some items of the list with others.^{[citation needed]}

I imagine that the second cite could be satified by by finding a source that says that N. did that (although looking at the book and seeing any replacement would probably be sufficient), but what does the editor want with the first cite? Phil_burnstein (talk) 16:15, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The only thing I can think of is a request to prove Nachmanides actually did write a commentary. I'm not sure why the editor requested it, though. You may want to initiate a discussion on the article's talk page. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 16:32, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Redirect to Disambiguation page

What are the conventions for changing a Redirect page into a Disambiguation page? (Specifically, Randian redirects to Ayn Rand, but should instead offer the choice of Prince Randian as well. Bold is nice, correct is better: What is the proper procedure? Thanks. OldZeb (talk) 04:47, 13 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

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