Wikipedia:Help desk
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April 28
How do you create a portal?
-I have initially looked on the Portals webpage, but I am still unsure of how to complete this action. I'm new to Wikipedia, and really haven't learned much of the Wiki Code yet, but I'm interested in creating a portal for Belgium.
Thanks to Whom It May Concern, Acelor
Article Coorectness
If anyone can edit the artiles, won't some of the info be not exactly correct? Then how can we trust this encyclopedia? Shouldn't there be moderators or at least ways to check if the infi is correct? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 220.244.183.98 (talk • contribs) .
- That is true, for more information see Criticisms of Wikipedia; however there are administrators and other users that help the fight against vandalism; see Wikipedia:Vandalism. SCHZMO ✍ 02:42, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Also see Wikipedia:Replies to common objections.
- Read the links given; they provide useful information. Until then, I'll say this: Every source of information has errors. No source should be trusted blindly. While it may seem that the method of Wikipedia is prone to errors, the fact is that Wikipedia is more accurate than most other sources you can find. The reason is, to put it simply, that any mistake isn't likely to last long - it will be corrected the moment someone spots it. And using watchlists and "recent changes", most errors are corrected minutes after they are posted. As for moderators - every Wikipedia user is essentially a moderator. As for checking if the info is correct - a good article should include references where you can check the information (we're still working on that). Otherwise, looking at the edit history of an article can be used to assess the probability that incorrect information has been added recently. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 17:47, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Also see Wikipedia:Replies to common objections.
- I have encountered a user on livejournal who claims to have purposely placed wrong information into 5 different articles about 5 years ago. This person not only claims that the edits are still in place, but that there was an effort to change/remove one of the edits, but other wikipedia users defended it because it had been in the article for a long time. (the final verdict was to keep the controvesial part). I, of course, have no idea what articles were changed, but if this situation is true, it makes me think that not everything is caught and corrected within minutes. Perhaps, because this vandalism occured years ago, it slipped through the radar, and a similar attack wouldn't be successful today. But there are a large number of smaller articles that are rarely watched or edited that could probably be changed unnoticed. --Andrew c 23:03, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- An encyclopedia is a secondary source. You always need to check where the info came from. Check the references and see if the sites they point to are trustworthy and actually say what the person who edited the article claims (some vandals change text but leave old references). In fact, Wikipedia is much more transparent. You can see where the info came from and if there's an error in it, you don't have to wait until a new version is printed. - Mgm|(talk) 08:25, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
New Articles: Standards
I have gone through your policies and guidelines and FAQs and cannot seem to find an answer to my question.
I have an internet radio station for which I'm always trying to find new ways to promote.
It would seem on the face of it, and certainly from your guidelines, that my creating an article about my radio station would be a no-no.
However...
I see several internet radio stations listed on Wikipedia. The articles written about them are, for the most part, promotion.
What makes those articles eligible for a place on Wikipedia? Is it because someone other than the station owner wrote the article? Either way, it's still promotion, or a form of advertising -- unless, perhaps, the station is not-for-profit?
Please let me know if and how I would be able to include an article about my station on Wikipedia -- even if someone else needs to write it.
Thank you.
Broddybounce 03:28, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Perhaps the most relevant policy is Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not a soapbox, although also see Wikipedia:Notability. Due to its popularity a variety of interests attempt to use Wikipedia to promote any of a number of interests. Wikipedia is NOT a place for advertising of any kind. If you add articles of this nature they will (should) be deleted. You might also be interested in Wikipedia:Autobiography. -- Rick Block (talk) 03:57, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- The guideline WP:SPAM is also relevant. If you see self-promotional articles, the chances are that someone simply hasn't nominated them for deletion yet. Rather than joining them, you might consider proposing them for deletion, which results in the article being deleted if no-one objects within five days (and many spammers hit and run). If they object, you can go to articles for deletion, which starts a community-wide discussion. --Sam Blanning(talk) 08:26, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
photos in jpg
Please, how can I obtain illustrations and photos from Wikipedia in jpg? Thanks. Tamara —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 83.131.196.144 (talk • contribs) 08:42, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Hi Tamara, you can view an image page by clicking on any image you see on Wikipedia. Photos are in JPEG format, and illustrations are usually in PNG or SVG format. You'll need to convert the latter to JPEG, which can be done with almost any image editor. Hope this helps, Tangotango 08:45, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- I wonder if you mean "how can I save Wikipedia pics to my computer for later use" First enlarge the pic to the size you want to save at because usually there are three resolutions available for each pic - the thumbnail, a screen size one and a really big one.. To do this, one Left Click on the thumbnail gives a screen size version, then one click on the link under that pic often gives a giant version. Then Right Click anywhere on your chosen version and "Save Picture As" will appear in a menu. You can then choose "Save Picture As" straight away or navigate to a different folder on your computer then do "Save Picture As". Most WP pics are JPG so no worry there. Good luck - Adrian Pingstone 11:43, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
Plaguerism
As we all know, plaguerism is evil. But so far, I haven't found anything to stop me from plaguerising Wikipedia. So pretty much, if I go on to a forum, copy an article, and say its my own, what am I doing wrong? Not that I would, but is it technically legal?
- You are free to copy any text from Wikipedia, in whole or in part, for any purpose provided you follow the terms of the Wikipedia license. To oversimplify (so read the license) you must provide full credit in a particular form for the original of the text. (Of course, trying to pass that off as your own work would be morally wrong, and may be illegal, depending on the context. But with a credit included, it would be hard to accuse anyone of plagiarism). Notinasnaid 08:49, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- The act of plagiarizing itself is hard to stop. But it's quite easy to detect if you know what to look for. If you're caught plagiarizing, the consequences are NOT nice. If you put it on a website, your ISP can be told to shut it down and provide information to start a legal procedure. If you pass it off as your own writing in a book, you're writing career is pretty much over. No agent or publisher would take you on after a little research turns up a history of plagiarism. So in short: Don't do it. As Notinasnaid said, Copying Wikipedia material is perfectly as long as you provide a source. Copying material to make a thesis out of it isn't. - 131.211.210.12 10:26, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
Admin wanted to Template talk:Catmore (Renewed 2nd time)
This page is protected from editing, and numerous requests for edits to be made have been posted to the talk page, seemingly without anyone with authority noticing. Please respond! --meco 11:08, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
- Try asking at WP:AN. · rodii · 12:00, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
James Chico Hernandez
Hello and thank you for your time. This AM I submitted/contributed an article on James Chico Hernandez. The story was temporarily there and this PM the article is gone... Please contact me on what happen and how can I get the article to become a lasting/final copy story? If you need more data on the subject or have any questions please let me know... Thanks again and I hope to hear from you soon... James Chico Hernandez
- The article was deleted because it was felt that the article did not assert the subject's notability. Please see WP:BIO for the criteria for biographies of living persons - as an encyclopaedia, we don't aim to include everyone, and "everyday champion" sounds like an admission to me that the guy (you?) is, while maybe a great person (we make no judgements on that), unremarkable to the wider world. There is also no verification in the article from reliable sources. Assuming that you are Mr Hernandez, writing about yourself is strongly discouraged. If you are notable, someone independent will write about you. --Sam Blanning(talk) 16:25, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- See this page in the deletion log: [1]. You may want to post a message on User:Master Thief Garrett's page if you contest his reason for the deletion. SCHZMO ✍ 16:27, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- I've restored it now, but I still think this is quit borderline (although it is hard for me to tell since I'm unfamiliar with the competitions and other such things mentioned here). Bear in mind that without a rewrite and/or clearer assertion of which award(s) are the most notable someone else may well bring it up for deletion. GarrettTalk 20:56, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- I know quite a lot about the subject matter, and my wiki-instincts say "just notable enough for inclusion". The article needs a lot of work though, I'll see if I can spare some time to do it personally. I'll mark it for wikify and put some notes on the talk page. — Estarriol talk 14:24, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center EDITS
P.S.1 is one of the largest and oldest arts organizations in the United States soley devoted to contemporary art. Founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as The Institute of Art and Urban Resources, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the organization of contemporary art exhibitions in abandoned or underutilized buildings. P.S.1 stands out from major arts institutions in its cutting edge approach to exhibitions and direct involvement with artists. Housed in a refurbished public school, P.S.1 functions as a living and active meeting place for the general public and a catalyst for ideas, discourses and new trends in contemporary art. P.S.1 became an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art in 2000 and now operates two internationally acclaimed spaces for contemporary art: P.S.1 in Long Island city, featuring museum-quality galleries, and The Clocktower Gallery in Lower Manhattan, which now contains the radio studio for P.S.1's online radio station WPS1. WPS1 is a live audio museum in cyberspace, offering music, discussion and critical shows 24 hours a day. P.S.1 offers a broad spectrum of education and public programs.
The Young Architects Programs, an annual architectual competition hosted with The Museum of Modern Art, invites emerging architects to propose a building project for P.S.1's courtyard. The program provides an outlet for emerging young talent in architecture and also serves as a venue for Warm Up, the popular summer music series held every Saturday afternoon in the summer.
Vandalism warning
Hello,
I recently participated in editing the Wikipedia entry for Samurai Jack, per invitation by said entry. Not two minutes later I received a warning that I had "vandalized" your page!! I quickly read your vandalism policy and checked against it to insure that I had done nothing contrary to your policies. As far as I can tell, all I did was correct grammar and change one or two words ("very good" became "excellent", for instance). If this is enough to earn me a warning for vandalism then I most certainly will not participate in editing.
Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.72.41.170 (talk • contribs)
- Relax, everything's cool. You obviously got this message by mistake. The one who wrote this message is 69.179.102.230 (talk · contribs) (which himself is not using a user account), and, judging by his contribution list, it is hard to determine whether he made an honest mistake, or has some ill intent (there are those, too). Either way, this thing really shouldn't let you down. You're encouraged to create an account and contribute - among other things, this will reduce the chance of this kind of errors. Happy editing! -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 18:24, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- This is strange. The user who gave you the warning, another annonymous user, seems to have given himself and several other anons random vandalism warning messages. I checked your contribution to Samurai Jack and it seems perfectly legit. I'll drop a line to this guy and ask him to stop.--Max Talk (add) 18:23, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Of course, I, too have checked your edit to Samurai Jack (in which, incidentally, I also have an interest in), and it's great. No serious user would ever think of giving a warning message regarding it. Assuming good faith, this guy probably just got mixed up with the IP numbers (which is one of the reasons creating an account is recommended). -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 18:30, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
I recentl
I logged on and got the "you have new messages" message. When I go to my talk page I get this:
Error From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search
The database did not find the text of a page that it should have found, named "User talk:Quentin Smith (Diff: 0, 0)".
This might be because no page has yet been created with this name, in which case you can start it by clicking the "edit this page" link.
If it is a recently changed page, trying again in a minute or two will usually work. Alternatively, you may have followed an outdated diff or history link to a page that has been deleted.
If this is not the case, you may have found a bug in the software. Please report this using the procedure given at Wikipedia:Bug_reports, making note of the URL.
--{{subst:user|4836.03}} 18:07, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
what is linguistics? basic its definition with explanation new —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 193.251.135.124 (talk • contribs) .
- Basically, linguistics is the scientific study of the nature, structure, and variation of human language. See linguistics for more information. SCHZMO ✍ 20:34, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
Making Columns
Were can i find help information about putting columns in an article. such as using {{col-start}} {{col-break}} {{col-end}} syntax. I cant find it anywhere in the help. Thanks.--Gephart 22:25, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Here are two help pages: Help:Table and Wikipedia:How to use tables. Another thing you could do is to find a page with an existing format that you like and copy the code. If you have any other specific question, feel free to ask.--Andrew c 23:08, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
- Firstly, you shouldn't use columns in most articles, only when circumstances demand it (eg La Marseillaise#Lyrics.) With that in mind, there are two ways of operating columns. If you know how many columns you want, then you can use this syntax:
{{col-begin}} {{col-5}} Text to go in the first column. {{col-5}} Text to go in the second column. {{col-5}} Text to go in the third column. {{col-5}} Text to go in the fourth column. {{col-5}} Text to go in the fifth column. {{col-end}}
- to produce this:
Text to go in the first column. |
Text to go in the second column. |
Text to go in the third column. |
Text to go in the fourth column. |
Text to go in the fifth column. |
- You can use {{col-2}} or{{col-3}} or however many columns you need (up to about 6, I think.) Alternatively, you can use this syntax:
{{col-begin}} {{col-break}} Text to go in the first column. {{col-break}} Text to go in the second column. {{col-break}} Text to go in the third column. {{col-break}} Text to go in the fourth column. {{col-break}} Text to go in the fifth column. {{col-end}}
- to produce:
Text to go in the first column. |
Text to go in the second column. |
Text to go in the third column. |
Text to go in the fourth column. |
Text to go in the fifth column. |
- If there's anything else you want, just ask. --Cherry blossom tree 23:13, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
April 29
Deleting From Discussion Pages
If there's something on the discussion page that has been resolved should it be removed to make the page less congested or should it be left for posterity?
Also, what would have been the appropriate way to search for this info without having to leave a message? I typed "help:discussion" and it just told me where was no such page. -Username132 (talk) 09:05, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- In most cases it should probably be left there so that people interested can see how the article has grown and so that people won't bring up the same discussion again. If the page grows too large then it can be archived - see Wikipedia:How to archive a talk page.
- The help page you want in this case is probably Help:Talk page. If you need to find a help page the best way is probably to look through Help:Contents, and if you can't find it there then you're welcome to ask here again. --Cherry blossom tree 10:00, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Repetition Within Article
In the intro to an article (before the contents box) it mentions a statistic (a "third" it says). Later on in the article, it repeats this ("30%" it says). Is it acceptable to repeat information between the intro and main body or should the repetition be removed? -Username132 (talk) 09:15, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Repetition is fine between the lead paragraph and the main article - the lead is meant to summarise the article after all. Repetition within the article should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Havign said that, you should treat each case on its merits. If you think the article is better without the statistic in the lead then take it out. Hope this helps. --Cherry blossom tree 10:03, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- If there's repetition between the lead and the rest of the article, it is not only acceptable but preferred to keep it. See Wikipedia:Summary style. - Mgm|(talk) 08:27, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Wikipedia Localisation
Question regarding localisation of Wikipedia (I'm thinking about the Swahili edition in particular): how do you go about localising, for example, namespaces (Talk:, User:, etc)? What about code like [[Image:...]] or [[Category:..]]? — Matt Crypto 10:21, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Well, it seems that for certain Wikipedias (eg the Swahili ones) use English names for their namespaces, while others (eg the German one) use names in the local language. It seems to have been a preference of whoever set up the Wikipedia in that language. Is this what you were asking about? — QuantumEleven 07:59, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- Sort of. I'm interested in changing them after they've been set up. Is this possible? — Matt Crypto 08:42, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- Seems to me like it's more trouble than it's worth. It would mean you have to change hundreds, if not thousands of links to old namespaces. Why change it if the editors are used to it already? - Mgm|(talk) 08:28, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Well, we do want to minimise English on a Swahili-language project, and sw: editors have requested it. Imagine if here on en:, we used "Majadiliano ya mtumiaji" instead of "User talk": there'd be a lot of pressure to change it to English, right? Same thing. Indeed, most of the established Wikipedia editions have localised their namespaces. — Matt Crypto 06:56, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
I Pity The Fool Who Reverts My Edits
I just dewikified the Animal testing article to get rid of ridiculous cross references likes France, mice and 1979 etc (as per guidelines) and someone really rude came along an reverted it in one fell swoop. Could someone check out the two versions and suggest which edit is closer to wikipedia policy? I know animal testing is a controversial topic but I didn't not edit any of the actuall stuff it said, just removed some of the unnecessary wikification. -Username132 (talk) 10:52, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- There are two competing policies about that, and I don't have an opinion about which version is closer to policy, but I will say that it is considered bad form (and maybe even against policy?) to revert a good faith edit without even an edit summary explaining the reason, as happens when using rollback, as it appears SlimVirgin did here. -lethe talk + 11:01, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- It is also bad form to make such changes as Username132 did without a policy consensus to back him/her up. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:09, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- Actually, I think this page backs me up; Only_make_links_that_are_relevant_to_the_context -Username132 (talk) 05:10, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- That style guide is still under active discussion. Don't rely on it for proof of your side of the story. Ansell 05:59, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- It's always a good idea to use edit summaries. -Will Beback 06:15, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- Oh my god, this place is so confusing! Where do I go to voice my opinion that unless a link is likely to be followed then it doesn't belong there? --Username132 (talk) 09:56, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- An unrelated comment:I suggest that you refrain from using the Subject headlines like you did in this section. Its very bad to write the topic of discussion as "I Pity The Fool Who Reverts My Edits". -Ambuj Saxena (talk) 10:46, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- As always, if you find you make a change, then it is reverted, the place to go is the talk page of the article. You propose the change, and if there is a consensus, you make the change. If there is no discussion, then after a while make the change anyway and say in your edit summary that this is following lack of response to your proposal.. Don't overlook the edit summary point: if you make changes like this without an edit summary describing what you did and why, they are much more likely to be removed. Notinasnaid 10:54, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- And re the subject of this post: humorous as it is, you are violating not one but two Wikipedia guidelines, just like that: Wikipedia:Assume good faith and Wikipedia:Civility. Notinasnaid 10:57, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- That style guide is still under active discussion. Don't rely on it for proof of your side of the story. Ansell 05:59, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- Actually, I think this page backs me up; Only_make_links_that_are_relevant_to_the_context -Username132 (talk) 05:10, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- It is also bad form to make such changes as Username132 did without a policy consensus to back him/her up. User:Zoe|(talk) 01:09, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- By the way, I would think that mice is a relevant link for an article on animal testing and if 1979 is a particularly relevant year (like the first animal test, it should probably stay as well. I would indeed agree that it isn't particularly necessary to link France. I agree with the above. Go to the talk page. - Mgm|(talk) 08:32, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Question
hi there,
Truro (ship)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The Truro was the ship (from Madras) containing the first batch of 342 indentured Indian labourers to arrive in Durban on 16 November 1860. (One sentense from your site)
Is any chance to get the name of the people board from Madras. I am looking for my great grant parent name and history from last one year. I am sure he board on this ship from Madras to Durban.
It will be great if you can any more details regarding this matter.
Nijeesh —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.42.2.22 (talk • contribs) 11:50, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there. For your convenience, here's the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. -- Tangotango 11:55, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
What does __NOTOC__ do?
I've seen __NOTOC__ in some editing environments, but I can't seem to find out what it does. Can anyone clue me in? Thanks! --AaronLS2 14:46, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- It makes the TOC (table of contents) not appear. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 14:58, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Ah-ha! Makes sense. Thanks a lot! -- AaronLS2 15:00, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- See Help:Section for more info. — QuantumEleven 07:53, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- Ah-ha! Makes sense. Thanks a lot! -- AaronLS2 15:00, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Linking to a category page
Another (hopefully easy) question: how should one go about linking to a category page itself without the software mis-interpreting the code to be a request to list the page in that category. That is, if I want to link to Category:Academia without actually putting the page I'm editing into that category is there a way to do it directly (with double brackets), or do I need to resort to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Academia]? Thanks. -- AaronLS2 16:28, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Use two dots before the link, like this: [[:Category:Academia]], which turns out as Category:Academia. Fetofs Hello! 16:31, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Revision of cleanup
On Celebrity Fit Club an editor keeps readding information that was removed during a cleanup. I've tried politely asking him to refrain from doing so, but he keeps doing it. The article was full of fancruft, and had a cleanup notice on it. What do I do? Ckessler 16:45, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- If it's Whittydw you mean, his or her edits are a massive copyvio--see here. · rodii · 17:37, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Moving over an existing redirect
I have tried to move Unit disc to Unit disk. The latter is currently a redirect to the former, however, it has an edit history, so the move is rejected by the program. How do I go about making the move? Specifically, which procedure should I use to delete Unit disk? -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 18:52, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- If you're an admin you can delete it under WP:CSD G6. If not you can either list it on requested moves, where an admin will (at some point) get around for it or you could try listing it for speedy deletion using {{db-reason}} to explain what you're trying to do. I'm not sure if the latter would work - I've never tried it.--Cherry blossom tree 19:12, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Right. I didn't realize G6 applies here. Thanks! -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 19:26, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Dates with c. before the year
What does the C before a year stand for? I have seen numerous entries like this. Example: Yaa Asantewaa (c. 1840-1921) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaa_Asantewaa
- circa, maybe? (I really don't know) Fetofs Hello! 19:52, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, circa (meaning "about"). It's used when the actual date is not precisely known. -- Rick Block (talk) 19:54, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- If it's a full year then it means circa (ie c. 1086 = roughly 1086.) It can also be a shorthand for 'century' as in C10th and variations on that. --Cherry blossom tree 19:55, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Merging categories
I think that it might make sense to merge these two categories: Category:Corporal punishments to Category:Torture. They seem to contain mostly similar articles: torturing devices and methods. I don't know how to mark these for merging, and I don't want to do it myself either as I'm not really sure they should be merged (there might be some distinction between the two I don't see). Please help. – b_jonas 19:44, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- To list a category for merging use {{cfm}} and Wikipedia:Categories for deletion. I personally don't think these two categories should be merged, though they will likely contain a lot of the same entries. Torture and corporal punishment are two distinct concepts. --Cherry blossom tree 19:59, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks for the quick reply. I don't mean to imply that Torture and Corporal punishment as concepts would be the same (so the articles must surely be kept separate), only that I didn't see much difference in the articles that are currently included in these categories. I think I'll examine the two category lists some more, and decide only after that. – b_jonas 20:41, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
Can I create a list of Favorites?
Is it possible to bookmark my favorite articles within Wikipedia (as opposed to bookmarking them in my browser) that way I can log on from other computers and still have quick access to them? Is that what the "watch" feature is or does watching just track changes to articles?
If a favorites feature doesn't exist, can you please create one? Thanks.--Jmion 22:39, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Well, Special:Watchlist is used to monitor changes to pages only. However, a side effect of Special:Watchlist/edit is that you can use it as a list of favorite articles, if you don't mind seeing edits to them every once in a while.
- Making new features is actually quite hard; there's few developers and many feature requests, some of them staying open for several years. Titoxd(?!? - help us) 22:41, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Just list them on your user page. And better yet, once you've done that you can go to that page and hit the "related changes" link, and it'll show you the last change made by someone to each of those favourites. Some people user that as a topic-specific watchlist, for example. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:42, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- The watchlist works fine as a favorites list (it is used for tracking changes but you can use it as a list of links to your favorite pages), so I don't think a separate favorites feature needs to be created. SCHZMO ✍ 23:47, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- I do this by visiting my watchlist, then clicking on the link saying I can "view or edit the complete list." --Ginkgo100 02:29, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
Lowrey Organ
lowrey is a principle manaufacturer of fine organs in America. (musical instruments. They have a line of instruments in the $2,000 to $70,000 range. Would it be appropriate to me to develop an article on the organs, give some history, and tell about their many features.
I am not a muscian, but have owned several of these fine instruments. I have no financial interest whatever with Lowrey
QUESTION?? Should I start an article? Thanks Alison
- Sure. You might take a look at the articles in Category:Electronic organ builders or Steinway & Sons for comparison. -- Rick Block (talk) 23:34, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
- Most good articles start - heck, are supposed to start - in this way. We're fighting a flood of commercially-driven articles here, it's nice whenever someone starts an article just because they're interested in the article subject! If you need any help with your article, don't be afraid to ask. Thanks for editing! — Estarriol talk 14:09, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
April 30
How do I delete a page created by mistake?
I am the author of the page that needs to be deleted. How do I do it?
- Place the code {{db-author}} somewhere on your page. Fetofs Hello! 00:48, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
Paradiplomacy
Dear Sirs, I have written a new article for you under the title "paradiplomacy". It appears that it was saved twice, for in the list of "Articles to be created Today" it comes under number 151 and 153. I intend to further develop this subject, but I don't know how to delete one of the entries. --Jvlessa 03:23, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- I removed the duplicate copy for you. In any case, it would be unlikely for it to have caused a problem, since anyone trying to create the article after it was already created would come across it in the process of editing. MCB 03:57, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
how to
How do you start a page? thank you
How to
How do you put a photo on a portal or web page ?
- See Wikipedia:Images for the details of image use on Wikipedia. Please note that you must be logged in to be able to upload files. Also, please be mindful of our image use policy. --Hetar 06:44, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
Templates
How can I turn this: <div style="float: left; border:solid red 1px; margin: 1px;"> {| cellspacing="0" style="width: 238px; background: red;" | style="width: 45px; height: 45px; background: white; text-align: center; font-size: {{{5|{{{id-s|14}}}}}}pt; color: {{{id-fc|blue}}};" | '''[[Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg|40px]]''' | style="font-size: {{{info-s|8}}}pt; padding: 4pt; line-height: 1.25em; color: {{{info-fc|white}}};" | This user wouold like to wish you Happy Swiss National day! |}</div>
Into this?:
{{user Swiss National Day}}
(As a userbox)
- Just go to Template:User Swiss National Day and type the text there. Then you will be able to use the template. SCHZMO ✍ 11:02, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
My Page {help me}
I'm new to Wikipedia and i'm trying to set up "My page" I have completed the "new account" details with user name and password etc. even set up "My Preferences" and saved as required. I go to my page and indicates to me it cannot find my User name, yet it appears i'm logged in...? a little confused...?
- To set up your user page go to User:Pottsy65 and create it. Wikipedia will not find it until it has been created. Please also be aware that Wikipedia is a project to create an encyclopaedia and that your user page should be used to further this goal. --Cherry blossom tree 15:05, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- See Wikipedia:User page for more information. Most people use their userpages to state their areas of interest and expertise (including languages, human and computer), describe their contributions and provide some basic biographical data. --Sam Blanning(talk) 00:20, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
My signature
How do I change the font colors in my signature?
(Please respond on my talk page.) / / <font color="blue">Brenden</font color><font color="red">h</font color><font color="blue">ull</font color> | 20:33, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
See how bad it is?
- I think you wanted this: Brendenhull. If you're using the preferences function, be sure to mark the "raw signature" box or HTMl won't display properly. Fetofs Hello! 22:05, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
pictures
How do you insert pictures in articles? Later!!! --64.12.116.11 22:09, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
- If I may quote from Wikipedia:Help_desk#How_to_insert_an_image?:
- WP:PIC has a good tutorial, while WP:IMG has the full syntax. But briefly, the syntax you're most likely to want to use would be [[Image:Picture.jpg|thumb|Caption goes here]], which puts the image (Picture.jpg) in a thumbnail and adds a caption. To make the picture bigger or smaller than the default thumbnail size, use [[Image:Picture.jpg|thumb|250px|Caption goes here]] - the 250px is the size parameter. --Sam Blanning(talk) 18:31, 23 April 2006 (UTC)
- I think you will need to sign up for an account, though. --Cherry blossom tree 22:22, 30 April 2006 (UTC)
May 1
entering adult site
why am i not able to click "enter" tolog on?
- As you haven't even told us which site you're talking about, it's a bit difficult to answer your question. I would suggest asking the webmaster of the site, not us. Also, this question should really be asked at the mathematics reference desk (which also deals with computer questions), as this page is for questions about using Wikipedia. --Sam Blanning(talk) 01:25, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Disambiguation pages
I wanted to look up "black and tans" (as definited here: http://www.jazzinamerica.org/l_glossary.asp) but there's no article for it yet and it's not mentioned on the disambiguation page which refers to the beer, army, and ice cream flavor. I read Wiki entries, I don't edit them so I don't know how to remedy this. I was just wondering how to get it on there or if someone else would like to do it.
- If you prefer not to edit Wikipedia but have an idea for an article, please read the requested articles page, which explains how you can post a request for the creation of an article. However, looking at the link you posted, I think that a the definition of a slang term is probably not right for Wikipedia (this is an encyclopedia, not a dictionary). You might want to add it (or ask for it to be added) to the Wiktionary entry for "Black and Tan". Cheers, MCB 05:42, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Regarding relevence of articles.
My question is regarding how well known a person must be to have an article posted about them. Is there a specific line one must cross in order to be mentioned on Wiki?
That is all, thank you very much! 142.161.227.50 03:02, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- A good starting point would be to read WP:BIO. · rodii · 03:25, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Table Fix Needed
Can someone fix this table for me? I need the blue space between the top image and the second image deleted.
{{{station_name}}} | |
---|---|
File:Crail logo.png | |
All railway lines |
The overwritten text on the top picture with the train on this box is in the right place, but I need to get rid of that extra space so the table isn't so big. This is for an experiment on an existing table - but I need to get the programming right first and I'm no good with HTML. Thanks!
(JROBBO 09:11, 1 May 2006 (UTC))
- Hi. Simply changing the span to a div and increasing the margin-bottom seemed to fix the problem. Please see User:Tangotango/Sandbox2. (By the way, I've truncated your table on this page so it doesn't take up too much space - I hope you don't mind.) Cheers, Tangotango 09:37, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Just a comment: That's an awfully big element. It seems really out of scale, especially for the amount of information it includes. Does it really need to be so big? · rodii · 12:09, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Sorry, that should read "
increasingdecreasing the margin-bottom", since it's a negative value. The bit I'm talking about is<span style="position: relative; ... padding:3px; margin-bottom:-14pt;">'''{{{station_name}}}'''</span>
Tangotango 09:43, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Reinstating VFD articles
If an article is deleted using VFD votes, is it possible to reinstate it? This is assuming that the article was deleted based on notability concerns that can now be fulfilled. Is there some sort of history that I can go into to find the original article? Thank you,--Lwieise -=- Talk to Me 09:19, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, please see Wikipedia:Deletion review. Cheers, Tangotango 09:22, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- The fact that you call it VfD makes me think the discussion happened a while ago. If the deletion isn't recent, it might be a better course to just recreate the page with the new information, then put a rationale for recreation on the talk page. Be bold. · rodii · 12:12, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Oops, looks like the whole discussion came and went! Never mind. :) · rodii · 12:19, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Referencing
Do you need to list a website in the reference section of an article? (How do you do it?)--65.205.179.130 11:43, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- In theory all information in Wikipedia needs to be verifiable, so sources should always be cited.
- For the syntax on creating an external link, please see Wikipedia:How to edit a page#Links and URLs.
- For the syntax on creating inline references with footnotes, see Wikipedia:Footnotes. — Estarriol talk 12:57, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks!--65.205.179.130 19:14, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- It doesn't need to be a website. Books are excellent sources too and in several cases, they're much more reliable than online sources. - 131.211.210.12 07:38, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
How do I completely delete an entry initiated by me?
I started the Page 'John Giblin', but have had nothing but criticism since the beginning. I want to delete John giblin from Wikipedia as I no longer have the patience to keep updating it. thank you
- Just walk away from it. You don't have to maintain it. Once you create an article, it's no longer "yours," and in this case lots of other people have edited it, so any "ownership" you might have is long gone. I'm not sure what kind of criticism you mean--I don't see it on the talk page--but it should be criticism of the article, not you. Your last several edits seem to consists of taking the External Links header out, removing the stub template, and then finally blanking the page. Does the presence of a stub template feel like criticism to you? It's not--it's just an indication that it's a valid article that needs fleshing out.
- So if you're fed up, you may be taking it too personally. What you have done, in blanking the article, is no good, and Giblin does seem to be a notable artist who deserves an article, so the thing to do is to improve the article, not delete it. But this doesn't have to be done by you--there are lots of others who could help. So...sorry you feel burned by this experience--just take a vacation from the article and see what happens, is my advice. · rodii · 12:53, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Indeed - it's a useful article. I've reverted the blanking, if you no longer wish to edit it, you need do no more. Please consider Rodii's suggestion of taking a break from it for a while and see how you feel. — Estarriol talk 13:00, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- I can't see any criticism of this article, just a normal editorial process. I added a little bit of meat to it using Wikipedia's "What links here" facility. Notinasnaid 13:10, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Pictures on Wikipedia
Hi - I'd like to download an image from the Wikipedia Commons section for use in marketing materials. The image is a picture of Joseph Walker Barr. I assume there are copyright/rights-managed laws involved. Please let me know if it is possible to use a picture from your website, either for free, or at a cost.
Thank you, Courtney Bosch
- All images from the Wikipedia Commons are licensed with a free license. It probably says in the image page what is the licence, so you might try looking there. Fetofs Hello! 15:18, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- There is a link at the picture that identifies it as being a US govt. publication, so it is in the public domain. Carptrash 15:59, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Medical
Question where does urethral sounds come from?
- Have you tried the Science section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there. For your convenience, here's the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 17:36, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
Article Size
I often see comments on an article's size (saying it is X KB). How do people find this size... do they just copy the edit-page code into notepad and see? Or is there a more obvious better way of checking the size right here on wikipedia? Tyro 22:14, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- Enter the title and click search (not go). -- Rick Block (talk) 22:17, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
- This is also one of the many useful things you can do with Popups - if you mouseover a link it will tell you the size of the article. --Cherry blossom tree 23:29, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
May 2
Millionth Article Pool
What happened to the millionth article pool and will there be one for the two millionth?
- One million pool (CLOSED)
- Two million pool (CLOSED)
- Five million pool (OPEN)
- Ten million pool (OPEN)
- Hundred million pool (OPEN)
- Billion pool (OPEN)
- Eleventy billion pool (OPEN)
- Trillion pool (OPEN)
- HTH. -lethe talk + 02:03, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thank you. But wasn't there a pool to guess what the actual millionth article would be about?
Creating a redirect
Hi - I just created an entry and have run into a few issues.
1. My entry is for a protein that goes under a few names and is called different things tin other entries. How do I set thinks up so that all possible names link to the same entry e.g the protein is called the H+/K+ ATPase or the hydrogen potassium ATPase or the hydrogen potassium adenosine triphosphatase etc. I'd like to have it so that all of these synonyms link to my one entry. The netry I want to use is "hydrogen potassium ATPase". I realise I can do it by adding "hydrogen potassium ATPase|" to each link in each page that mentions my protein. Is this the only or best way of doing this?
2. In my confusion over this issue I have created two entries, one called H+/K+ ATPase and the other hydrogen potassium ATPase. I don't think we want two. How do we delete one of them.
Thanks Ianvandriel 03:08, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- No problem. Pick one title that you want to keep as the main name for the article, and turn the other article into a redirect. (Follow that link for instructions.) You can create redirects at other synonyms for the protein, too—that way, all of the names will point to the same article. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:18, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Viewing the coding for a class
Hi there. How does one view the source coding for a class, specifically, class="wikitable"
? Is that a CSS file? --AaronLS2 03:38, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
How do I find out what happened to an article?
The article for Storm Thorgerson just came up on my watchlist as having been edited. No big deal but according to the watchlist it was a new article. I guess what must have happened is that an old Storm Thorgerson article got deleted somehow, after I put it on my watchlist. Then someone, seeing the red link, created a new article which then came up on my watchlist as a new article. So, how do I find out what happened to the old Storm Thorgerson article? Dismas|(talk) 05:38, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Check the deletion log at Special:Log/delete. --Hetar 05:42, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- It was deleted as a copyright violation of http://www.takenbystorm.us/bio.php. Titoxd(?!? - help us) 07:13, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks! Dismas|(talk) 12:37, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- It was deleted as a copyright violation of http://www.takenbystorm.us/bio.php. Titoxd(?!? - help us) 07:13, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Is there a way to make two tables appear side-by-side with a definable gap between them?
For instance:
/Here is a cell/Here is a cell/Here is a cell/ <---------gap--------> /Here is a cell on table two/Here is a cell on table two/
/Here is a cell/Here is a cell/Here is a cell/ <---------gap--------> /Here is a cell on table two/Here is a cell on table two/
/Here is a cell/Here is a cell/Here is a cell/ <---------gap--------> /Here is a cell on table two/Here is a cell on table two/
Thank you -- Zytron 07:08, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Yes, one way is to use 2 nested tables inside an (invisible) layout table. See the following example.
|
|
- Another possibility (if they are of equal size) would be to use an "invisible" empty row within a single table. I'll let you work that one out (with help from Help:Table), since I think you most likely want the solution I've posted above. — Estarriol talk 08:52, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Pictures
How do you reduce the size of a picture?
- The size parameter is the number with 'px' in front of it. E.g. if the picture code is [[Image:Picture.jpg|thumb|200px]], to reduce the size change '200px' to '150px' or similar. --Sam Blanning(talk) 08:56, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Also see Wikipedia:Picture tutorial for various options. — Estarriol talk 09:03, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
How do I get to know how many people read an article--(Opus Dei)?
Hello to fellow Wikipedians! I've been helping edit the Opus Dei article. Is there a way of knowing how many people view the article? Maraming salamat po (that's thank you in Tagalog)! Cabanes 09:31, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
As far as I'm aware, there is a feature that can count how many people viewed a certain article. But I've also read that it puts a major strain on the server load and that it's disabled. I'm not fully sure of this and I might be completely wrong. Harryboyles 11:17, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- You're actually completely right. Dismas|(talk) 12:38, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Maraming salamat po!! Cabanes 04:02, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Copyrighted material
I was wodering, if contributers are restricted from using copyrighted material, how do so many movies, television series and computer games end up on Wikipedia?
- Nobody is restricted from writing about things that are copyrighted, so long as they do not copy. There is some rather suspect use of images, however. Notinasnaid 10:40, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
home buisiness for ladies
is there any ngo that can help ladies home business in lahore
- Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. --Sam Blanning(talk) 11:13, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
User Name Change?
Hello,
I was wondering if I could make one small change to my user name? I used my name, but I didn't put a space between my first and last name. I'd like to add a space so that I can create a user page. I looked through the account options but did not see any place to do this. If this cannot be done, I'd like to delete this account and remake it with the space included. Thank you for your time in this small matter.
--ScottAlbanese 11:05, 2 May 2006 (UTC)Scott Albanese
- As your only contribution is to this help desk, I would simply create a new account. There is a page for requesting username changes, but at the moment they would just tell you to create a new account. But your name shouldn't affect whether you can create a userpage or not. Yours is right here - User:ScottAlbanese (the same page linked to from your sig and where it says your name at the top of every page). Just go there, type something into the edit box and hit 'save page'. --Sam Blanning(talk) 11:12, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Citing magazine articles
Is there any template to cite a magazine article in the 'References' section of an article? If there isn't, how would I go about doing this?--Le Grey Intellectual 11:16, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Wikipedia:Citing sources shows you how to do it. -- Natalya 11:29, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Film analysis
Take a look at Reality Bites and S.F.W.. Are the analysis sections okay? They seem rather POV to me since they aren't sourced. Dismas|(talk) 12:43, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- POV, poorly written, overwikied, unsourced, you name it. Wikipedia is not a vehicle for mental doodlings. Be bold. · rodii · 13:15, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks. Dismas|(talk) 19:41, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Article 1,111,111
I notice we must have reached this milestone recently... Time to stand on one leg, perhaps (see David Shepherd). Does anybody know which article it was? I might go and put a commemoration plaque there. — SteveRwanda 13:45, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Viewing the coding for a class
Hi, I didn't get an answer to this question when I asked it earlier - let me know if it's not clear, or if there's a better place to ask it. How does one view the source coding for a class, specifically, class="wikitable"
? Is that a CSS file? --AaronLS2 13:58, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Probably. Fetofs Hello! 14:51, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- It's pretty clear, but it might take more than 10 hours. Notinasnaid 15:25, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Same Name?
I was looking for Mickey Thomas, a well known former footballer but there is already a different Mickey Thomas entry (a musician).
Is it possible to list two people with the same name?
If so, how would I go about it? --Wayneamlwch 16:09, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Sure, you would probably want to create the new article under the name Mickey Thomas (football). Just click on that red lilnk to start the article. Please remember WP:MOS and good luck! --Hetar 16:18, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Fonts
Since I formatted, I've had an issue everytime I visit the site in Mozilla. It pops up 3 windows asking for fonts to be installed, I've tried looking in various places and can't seem to get these fonts installed (one is a chinese one, one is korean, and I forget the other, maybe japanese). Can anyone provide some info on what I need to change/install and where to stop this from happening? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Crossmr (talk • contribs) 16:28, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- In Windows XP at least (please specify your operating system), you need to install these extra fonts (like Japanese etc) in the Control Panel > Regional and languages settings > Language > Supp. Lang Support. Perhaps if you do that the pop ups will no longer occur.--Commander Keane 16:37, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Can a new article be created for a term already in Wiki?
This is especially important for me, as I'm attempting to write scientific entries, and there are commonly terms used in science that are used differently in other contexts. For two specific examples, I am revising various articles related to bees; two technical terms that apply to bees are "caste" (referring to phenotypic variants within social species), and "scopa" (an anatomical feature used for carrying pollen). Both of these terms already have Wikipedia entries which are completely unrelated to their scientific definitions - the former as a human cultural phenomenon, the latter as an Italian card game. Surely there must be a way to distinguish articles sharing the same term? Assuming there is such a way, is there a way that "priority" is established, relative to the results of user searches? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dyanega (talk • contribs) 16:40, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Usually what will happen is to create a new article with a different definition, a creator will add something to the end, such as (book), (chemistry), (band), etc. Your definition seems more correct than the current ones, so you might move (or get someone to move) the existing articles to Caste (sociology), and Scopa (game), then create your articles as normal. Tokakeke 16:46, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Dyanega, Wikipedia has a thorough Disambiguation system to care for these matters. If two terms are of equal notability, create a disambiguation page at the original article's location and move the two to new names using the parentheses approach. If, on the other hand, one is more well known than the other (as I think Caste is - more people probably know about the term used in sociology) you can create a new disambiguation page at a new location (at Caste (disambiguation), for example) and link to it from both disambiguated articles using the {{otheruses}} template. (This approach is taken in the Bee article). -- Tangotango 16:56, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
How can I add specific user capabilities to my personal page?
I have seen other users' pages with icons showing their capabilities in language, special interests and positions in social disputes. I have searched but to no avail. Thank you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Paffka (talk • contribs) .
- Wikipedia:Babel contains the language userboxes and Wikipedia:Userboxes contains everything else, as well as instructions on how to use them. --Sam Blanning(talk) 20:08, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
How do I include an image from another language Wikipedia?
I'm trying to translate bg:Читалище into English (as Requested in Wikipedia:Translation into English/Bulgarian). I started my translation at: Chitalishte, but I didn't know how to include the image from the Bulgarian page. Do I need to copy the image into another location? Or can I directly include the image? I'm new at this, so please hold my hand a little. Thanks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dale Gerdemann (talk • contribs) .
- If the image has been uploaded to the Wikimedia Commons, it will appear on all Wikipedias. If not, it will have to be uploaded either there or to the English Wikipedia. The best way to find out is simply to try including the image, hit preview and see if it appears. It isn't from Commons, so as it's under a free licence, it should really be uploaded to the Commons, obviously preserving the source and copyright information. --Sam Blanning(talk) 20:21, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- I uploaded the picture in en: as I don't have an account in commons. I also haven't added the license info. GL with the article on chitalishte - that is too important not to have a serious article --Cryout 07:22, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Water Penetration
Would Wikipedia or Wikipedia readers be interested in a product that would reduce the surface tension of water to alow water to penetrate the soil faster and reduce evaporation and run off. If so call me at (<telephone number removed>or Email at <e-mail removed>. Thank You for your time. Carl Dewert
- This page is for asking questions on how to use Wikipedia. Please post in one of the Reference desk sections if you want to ask questions unrelated to Wikipedia. However, if you are only trying to advertise, please do not use Wikipedia as an advertising tool. Thank you. SCHZMO ✍ 21:40, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- We're sorry, no one is available to take your call at this time. Your call is important to us! Please hold the line, and you will be answered by the first available operator. Thank you, and have a nice day! · rodii · 21:43, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- This type of advert question, the text of which is just so much verbiage in order to get the now removed email and telephone number out there, is just as inappropriate at the reference desk as it is here.--Fuhghettaboutit 22:05, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
holsted.
where does the name holsted come from? what country of origin did the name holsted originate ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 162.40.172.76 (talk • contribs) .
- This page is for asking questions on how to use Wikipedia. Please post at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous if you want to ask a question regarding names. I hope this helps. SCHZMO ✍ 21:47, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Cover art as fair use
The morphing talk page requests an image. Would cover art from the Animorphs series be fair use to illustrate this, or is the cover art only applicable on articles directly dealing with that series? Thanks,--Lkjhgfdsa 22:09, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- For fair use to apply there must be critical commentary, so I can't see how the Animorph image would qualify. An image from a film demonstrating a morph would qualify as fair use. --Cherry blossom tree 22:14, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- I don't see how rules for films would be any different than from books. Book covers and film screenshots can only be used to illustrate articles about the book, film or persons in it IIRC. Why not ask a tech-savvy Wikipedian to make a morphing animation? - Mgm|(talk) 08:43, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Userbox alignment
Might be a stupid question but I decicded to ask anyway. How do I get my userboxes to align in a nice neat set of columns? As you can see its kinda off right now. Thanks! --Awesome Username 22:29, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
whoever did that for me thanks! --Awesome Username 22:37, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- (after two edit conflicts) I lined them up all in the right for you, which is one way of doing it. There are more stylish ways, Wikipedia:Userboxes has one under 'Grouping userboxes'.
- If you want them in sets of columns, that just needs a fairly simple change to the table syntax. See Help:Table, which has a good tutorial on how table code works. --Sam Blanning(talk) 22:42, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- Alternatively, you can code a table in HTML, as I did on my user page. For more info on using tables in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:How to use tables. SCHZMO ✍ 22:41, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
jump from one language page to the next and keeping account name
i would like to know if it is necessary for me to create an account for the other wiki-portals that are in other languages. i have one already set up through in english. but if i were to jump to a page in spanish or portugues is there a way that my username would follow. thanks in advance, 5razones
- Right now, yes. However, there's plans to change this; see Single user login. Titoxd(?!? - help us) 22:51, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
Author
How do you find out who the author is of a article? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.181.83.224 (talk • contribs) .
- Please see Wikipedia:Who writes Wikipedia for more information on this. In short, you may click on the "history" tab above any article to see a list of contributors who have edited the article. Flcelloguy (A note?) 23:33, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you mean the person who started the article, just click the "earliest" link in the top left of the history page and the first version is at the bottom. SCHZMO ✍ 23:38, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- And, if you're looking for a citation, click "cite this article" in the toolbox on the left. -- Rick Block (talk) 23:54, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you mean the person who started the article, just click the "earliest" link in the top left of the history page and the first version is at the bottom. SCHZMO ✍ 23:38, 2 May 2006 (UTC)
May 3
old article, new category
Is it appropriate to append an article that focuses on a single aspect of a concept (such as the concept's mathematics), with a remote aspect (such as the concept's history, psychological or cultural impact, etc...)? Or would it be better/possible to create a new entry?
- I'm having trouble grasping exactly what you're asking--I think it's "append" that's throwing me off, and maybe "category". Maybe an example would help. Do you mean adding material to an existing article that focuses on one specific aspect of it? I would say yes, as long as the new material is noteworthy enough to be useful (and all the other requirements are met--neutral point of view, relaiable sources, and so on). The problem comes if the new material is so detailed that it unbalances or overwhelms the original article, or where the relevance is unclear to readers. So maybe I'm back to "give us an example." · rodii · 03:05, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Heh... that kind of answers it. Example: spiral. The entry is all about the mathematics of the spiral. However, the significance of the spiral as a historic, mythological, and cultural symbol is also of interrest. Should that be a sub-category of the original article or an "other use" (disambiguation)? Thanks!
- OK, good example. I would say just add a section called "Cultural aspects" or something. Clearly distinguish the mathematical from the non-mathematical sections, at any rate. If the article ever grows unwieldy, it can be split. But for now, good verifiable facts (i.e., not a personal essay or vague symbolic musings) about the cultural significance of spirals would be a good thing to have. I'm surprised it's not already there, in fact. · rodii · 03:09, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
What Constitutes Vanity?
Hello everyone! I'm a long-time user, brand new contributor. (...still grappling with how to get my user:talk page created.)
(The following query references the deletion policies at Wikipedia. Before I make a formal request at Wikipedia:Deletion_review, it is important that I am fully informed of the typical practices here... hope this is alright.)
Yesterday I created an article based on a community website that has been active since 2002. I am a member of the community, but it was created far before I ever set my browser to it. Throughout the years, it has become common for the website to be referenced by other, larger websites. Exposure has varied, but there are internet users (globally) who have stumbled along with no clue as to the community's basis or function.
My original work was deleted once, then subsequently recreated by another individual (whose facetious prose left something to be desired considering Wikipedia's policies), and deleted again.
We have the means to record our history locally, but more than just members have claimed interest in a concrete, verifiable reference as to the site's beginnings and applications. By what means can I gather evidence sufficient to support the sustentation of an article? At what point does the article become worthy of existence? There is certainly advocation in the community, as is to be expected. (I recognize that this substantiates nothing in terms of the proposed article's worth). How can I corroborate the prospect of ecumenical importance?
Thanks for your time! Any help is appreciated! (I'm so excited... only moments ago I discovered how to do this!) --> --Zonaxx 02:50, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Welcome to Wikipedia, Zonaxx. You may want to look at Wikipedia:Notability (web); users often use these criteria when judging whether an article is notable enough for Wikipedia. SCHZMO ✍ 03:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- The killer words there are "more than just members have claimed interest in a concrete, verifiable reference as to the site's beginnings and applications". Wikipedia does not serve as a concrete, verifiable source; it must be based on concrete, verifiable sources. Only the most notable websites have any. --Sam Blanning(talk) 10:03, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Templates
I want to create a new template linking Miss Universe organization titleholders. I've created it as a table, but would ideally like to turn it into a template (similar to the succession box templates) to make these easier to add to articles. I've tried all manner of ways but it just doesn't seem to work. Would someone be able to help me with this?
Template (to be called "Miss Universe Organization titleholders":
Titleholders 2005 | ||
Natalie Glebova |
Chelsea Cooley |
Allie LaForce |
PageantUpdater 08:14, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Replied at user page. -- Rick Block (talk) 13:54, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
tenis
Tenis first played as a professional event in?
- Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there. For your convenience, here's the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. Tangotango 06:19, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Change Article Name
I tried editing the "Barasingha" article's name to "Barasinga" (without the 'h'). How do I do it. If some has time please change the name to "Barasinga" from "Barasingha". Thanks in Advance. --Siddhant 07:53, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- When I search on Google, I come up with about 800 hits on "barasinga" and 36,000 on "barasingha". Are you sure you've got the spelling right? I'll drop a redirect in place for you. 0- Mgm|(talk) 08:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
I recently visited the Kanha National Park, the only place in India to have Barasinga. I brought a Kanha Chronicle, kind of newsletter, which is officially published. From it I wrote the article. It says--"Barasinga" not "Barasingha". Anyway this is a Hindi word and I am an Indian to know it better. This is not an offence. Barasinnga (or whatever you may spell it) has 12 antlers. In Hindi Bara means 12 and sing means antlers.
I think you should change the Title. --Siddhant 08:54, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- I would have thought that how you transliterate an Indian word to European script was a somewhat academic question. Since you're the author and I would assume you'd know best anyway, I've moved the page. For future reference, when your account has been around for a bit you'll get a 'move' button at the top of every page. Although as MacGyver created a redirect, you would have had to have asked on Wikipedia:Proposed moves so someone could delete the redirect before the page move could be done. --Sam Blanning(talk) 09:55, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Thank you. The spelling has been corrected. --Siddhant 11:26, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Apologies, I forgot to check the history, so I didn't know you actually created the article yourself. Personally, I think we should use English transliterations on the English language Wikipedia, and as far as I know both transliteratiosn would be considered acceptable. I have no preference on where the article should be. So thanks to Sam for jumping in. - Mgm|(talk) 12:04, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Tagging articles?
I would like to tag an article for it not being neutral. How do i do this? Thanks
- Simply add {{npov}} at the top of the article. It generates this kind of text:
JIP | Talk 09:00, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- As the tag implies, remember to explain why you think the article isn't neutral on the talk page. Editors will expect to remove the tag when the neutrality has been fixed or the dispute is otherwise resolved. --Sam Blanning(talk) 09:35, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
No album cover picture
Hi I was just wondering where i could find a picture that says "No album cover" or a picture that is used for album pages without a cover, if there is such a thing?? thanks in advance --Sahafan 10:30, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- This image I see used for it now and then. [[image:No image.gif]] Garion96 (talk) 10:37, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you're using the album infobox, just leaving the image line blank will automatically insert
that imageImage:No cover.png. --Sam Blanning(talk) 10:40, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Is it OK to remove cleanup tags after editing?
I've edited RULE Project, and I think it's cleaned-up enough to warrant removal of the cleanup tag. Is it OK to just remove the tag, or is there something else that should be done? Thanks. Shyland 11:56, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- It's probably a good thing to check the talk page which may contain further information on why it was tagged. In this case, such information didn't exist, but I think it was clear there were spelling, grammar, formatting and wikification concerns. The article is still a little shy on information, but I think the tag could be removed, so I've done it. You could also ask whoever put it there to clarify. - Mgm|(talk) 11:58, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Popup revision 009870174190607159
Does anyone know of any discussion anywhere concerning the incredibly opaque and more and more common reversions using popups that leave edit summaries such as "Revert to revision 50944792 using popups"? Can someone explain what the number refers to, and thus why that edit summary is at all useful to provide any detail of the action apparently being described. --Fuhghettaboutit 12:38, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Hello Fuhghettaboutit, the messages are left by the Navigation popups Javascript. Basically, they have the same meaning as "Reverted edits by USER to last version by USER2". The number is the oldid referring to the revision ID that the page has been reverted to. These can be seen in the history - if you click on one of the old versions, you'll see that the URL contains an &oldid=NUMBER bit which identifies the revision ID for that edit. For example, if you look at the history for this page, you'll find that your most recent edit (fixing signature) has oldid 564696. -- Tangotango 12:48, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- This has already been discussed, see for example Wikipedia talk:Tools/Navigation popups#Reversion edit summary. Fetofs Hello! 12:56, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Oh, and the dev version has a way to customize the popups to alter this. Fetofs Hello! 13:36, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks for the reply. I'm glad there's a way to customize and think most who use it should; an edit summary that is not transparent is just a step up from no edit summary at all. The one being used is not reasonably calculated to give useful detail on the revert.--Fuhghettaboutit 15:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Like admin rollback, popups revert should only be used to revert vandals and oneself. If you notice people reverting good-faith edits, you might want to leave them a friendly message on their talk page. --Sam Blanning(talk) 15:36, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- I agree, of course ,and would do so. However admin rollbacks, although they don't give the reason for reversion, actually leave a summary you can easily follow, and by the very nature of being a rollback summary accessible only to admins, allow it to be assumed that it is only for vandalism as that is the policy. The popup summary, by contrast is almost meaningless as in order to make any sense out of it, you are first required to know that the version number refers to a designator in the URL, which is by no means intuitive, and then you still don't known which version the revert is to until you search the various urls of past versions in the page history. Moreover, because it is not an admin tool, there is far less certainty that it is only being used for matters that would be proper for a rollback. I think use of the edit summarizing at issue should be rethought (and am well aware that this is not the place for an in depth policy discussion on that issue).--Fuhghettaboutit 18:54, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
sollicitation
I want to know the terms of management security
- Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. -- Tangotango 13:32, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Billion Articles
I believe there is an error at this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources/example_style#Newspaper.2Fmagazine_articles_.28or_online_periodicals.29
Or the right side of the screen it says that a "billion" is is a "million million" Perhaps a thousand million would be better. I don't quite have the courage to change it. Phil talk 15:30, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Phil, it depends on your country - the standard meaning, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English, is 10^9, or a thousand million; in Britain, the (dated) meaning is 10^12, or a million million. Maybe it would be better to fix it to the "standard", non-dated meaning. Be bold! -- Tangotango 15:35, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- I think referring to the difference is a better thing. We don't want to drag up the old American English versus British English debate on the wiki again. See American_and_British_English_differences#Numbers. - Mgm|(talk) 15:49, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Script for checking all edits in a deleted page's history?
I'm sure I heard of a script that allowed you, when restoring a deleted page, to tick all of the revisions, so if you were looking to delete a single edit you could tick all of the revisions and then untick the one(s) you didn't want to restore. I couldn't find it at Wikipedia:WikiProject User scripts/Scripts - does anyone know what I'm talking about? --Sam Blanning(talk) 15:34, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- I can't find the link either, but I know it's out there. What you want is a bookmarklet that ticks all the boxes. Create a new bookmark in your browser and paste in the location/address:
javascript:for (i=0; i<document.forms.length; i++) { for (j=0; j<document.forms[i].elements.length; j++) { f= document.forms[i].elements[j]; if (f.type == 'checkbox') f.checked= true; } } void 0
. Then all you have to do is select that bookmark when at the restore page.--Commander Keane 16:05, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks! --Sam Blanning(talk) 22:07, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Extremely helpful. The link is here, by the way. You can find it by going to your watchlist and then going to "display and edit the complete list". Near the top, it gives you a link to click on for selecting all the check boxes. I saw it there some time ago, but thought it was too complicated, but today I asked at WP:AN/I about deleting an offending edit from a history, and when it was answered, I realized it was the same method. It's easier than it sounds. AnnH ♫ 16:21, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Dump
I have downloaded en 1.5 database tables page, pagelinks and categorylinks. Given a category (e.g. Category:Mathematics) how can I get a list of: 1. The list of 'Subcategories' titles (e.g. Algebra), currently there are 65 according to the math category web page? 2. The list of 'Pages in category "Mathematics"' (e.g. Additional logarithm topics), currently there are 71 according to the math category web page? I am looking for the way to link the tables together via SQL. Thanks very much! --Kippersnax 16:02, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
logo
Hi,
How can I add your logo to my blog??
- All images used on Wikipedia have an information page, the information page for the logo is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wikipedia-logo.png. As you can see from that page, the logo is fully copyrighted and thus I believe (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) you'd need to get permission from the foundation to use it on your blog. Sorry. :-( — Estarriol talk 18:07, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Hi, Help me PLEASE!
Please help me find the amtrak way to Chico,California!I am lost, I'm trying to get a schedule for a trip from Melbeta, Nebraska to Chico, California. For 6/01/06!
- Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. Tangotango 17:25, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Note that the folks at the Reference desk usually avoid giving direct answers to obvious homework questions but will otherwise usually help you to find your way. hydnjo talk 19:38, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Deletion discussion
If an article is deleted and I disagree with the assessment, how do I engage the deleter to discuss it? --An honest quixtar ibo 17:39, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you disagree with a deletion then ask for it to be reviewed at Wikipedia:Deletion review. Note however that articles will only be undeleted if the deletion was out of process - full details are on the deletion review page. Without knowing the article in question I cannot say whether it was deleted correctly or not. Thryduulf 17:59, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Where is the best place to put my images?
I have some images I would like to add to some articles. In the past I have uploaded them directly to English Wikipedia, but would it be more appropriate for me to upload them to the Commons? (By the way, I own the copyrights and will be releasing them under the GFDL, so that is not a concern.) --Ginkgo100 19:06, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you plan to release them under the GFDL (or any similar free licence) then the best place is at Commons, so that other projects can use them too. Go to commons:Special:Upload to do it (you will need to create an account at Commons also - the one you have here won't work.) --Cherry blossom tree 19:32, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks for the quick reply! --Ginkgo100 19:48, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Listing company names in articles
Is a selected list of company names considered advertisment or spam in an article about a type of product? The list is of specific major manufacturers of cyclocomputers. WP:SPAM and WP:EL don't clearly say not to list. Three of four previously listed ones already have Wikipedia articles and two are special cases. --21:04, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- No, it is not spam unless you use the list to advertise. In fact, a list of companies would probably be helpful. See Wikipedia:List guideline. SCHZMO ✍ 21:14, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Cheat Sheet
Long time user, fairly new at editing. Somewhere among all the help pages I saw a cheat sheet that I wanted to print out, but everytime I clicked the .pdf link, I got a blank page. I wanted to go back and look for it again today and now I can't find it anywhere. I'd like to find a good link to that...anybody?
That also brings me to another question: If I just want to search within the wikipedia help pages, is there a way to do that? In other words, is there a place I could type "cheat sheet" to find it when I know it's in the help somewhere?
Thanks! --Swalker2000 21:28, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- Here is the link to the pdf: [2]. Help:Editing also works well as a cheat sheet. When you are searching, if you just want to search within help pages, go to the bottom of the page and check only the box next to "Help". Happy editing! SCHZMO ✍ 21:41, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
Deleted article to user page?
Hi there,
I am a new user. I recently submitted my first article and it was quickly deleted. After doing a little research, I guess I can understand why, since my subject (an author) is somewhat obscure. So my question is, can I still put this article on my user page? Even though it is not about me? I am suspecting it would be wrong to create a new user ID in the name of my subject?
Thanks for any help. I don't want to get in any more trouble here. (That is to say, I already got chewed out for mistakenly re-posting my deleted article and I don't want to make things worse!) j-annastasia 23:32, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you wanted to work on the article to make it more encyclopaedic in preparation for resubmission, then you could move it to a user subpage as a work in progress (e.g. User:J-annastasia/WIP). However, it sounds like you now believe that he doesn't meet Wikipedia's notability standards, so I'm not sure what you want with it. Wikipedia is not a free web host, so any material you have hanging around in subpages should have an encyclopaedic purpose. Yes, it would be wrong to create a user ID just to keep a biography on Wikipedia (see the free web host thing again, we host encyclopaedia articles and stuff that helps create them, nothig else). --Sam Blanning(talk) 00:07, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Thanks for the clarification, Sam. I guess I'm just disappointed that my article will go to waste. j-annastasia 01:02, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
May 4
Can you delete my user name and unstarted article?
My User Name is Mark S. and I just discovered that there is already an article on the subject that I was planning to write on. Can you simply delete it without following the deletion procedure? if so, please do. And Thanks
Answer at (email excluded).—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Mark S. (talk • contribs) .
- If you are the sole author of the article, you can add {{db-author}} to have it speedily deleted. If you fit this criteria, just copy that tag, go to the article, place it at the top in edit mode and click save. I'd also leave an appropriate edit summary, like "more complete article already exists under another name" --Fuhghettaboutit 01:06, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- As for your username, under the license Wikipedia is published under, we cannot delete usernames. If you don't want to use it anymore, just don't log in with it anymore. There is nothing stopping you from creating a new username if you want to 'start anew' - just please don't use both at the same time (this is called "sockpuppeting" and is strongly frowned upon). — QuantumEleven 08:05, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Actually, you could use a second account at the same time. Just be open about the fact you own it and don't use it to push your view or stuff votes. But yes, it's best not to do it to avoid making mistakes with it. - 131.211.210.12 10:15, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Article's Space
I know that when I move an article I can move its talk page too. My question is, is it possible to move with the article, its sub pages in its space, for example: if I'll move Portal:Cannabis to Portal:Psychedelic Drugs, Portal:Cannabis/Intro will move to Portal:Psychedelic Drugs/Intro. Thanks! Psychomel@di(s)cussion 02:05, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- No. I'm afraid you'll have to do that manually or ask someone to do it using a bot. - 131.211.210.12 10:16, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Sandbox Vandalism
Is it possible to vandalize the sandbox? See this edit of mine for why I'm asking. Was my rv inappropriate? -Reuvenk[T][C] 02:55, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Yes. Like user pages, there are some ways you cannot express yourself. Psychomel@di(s)cussion 03:13, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- See on the sandbox where it says "Please do not place copyrighted, offensive or libelous content in the sandbox(es)"? You did the right thing. · rodii · 03:18, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- I see, but I thought that there was some sort of policy like "Wikipedia is not censored for the 'protection of minors,'" but I couldn't find anything with Google.-Reuvenk[T][C] 01:47, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
- I think you just used common sense in this regard. But for the policy, you can find that here WP:NOT#Wikipedia is not censored. Garion96 (talk) 01:56, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
User-Vandilism
Wiki-star: Why is my user name not red anymore? And what is all the information that has been wrong fully accused within it? Can someone please explain what is going on around here? Wiki-star 06:47, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- It was red before because you (or anyone else) never edited the page. Now that there has been one edit (or more), the link turns blue. Take for example, User:Pepsidrinka/Sandbox and User:Wiki-star/Sandbox. The former has been edited before while the latter has yet to record one edit. The stuff on your user page indicates that you are a suspected sock-puppet of another user. Pepsidrinka 06:58, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- My guess would be that the suspicions of sockpuppetry come from the shared interest you have with Zarbon and the tendency to upload copyrighted images. Before some actually acts on the accusation further investigations will be made, so if they're untrue, you have nothing to fear. Just keep up the good work people have appreciated of you. - 131.211.210.12 10:21, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- The suspected sockpuppet tag was added by User:Kafziel. If you'd like to dispute it I suggest discussing it at User_talk:Kafziel. If you can agree to remove the notice then you can have the page deleted and you will be red again. --Cherry blossom tree 10:58, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Text Size
Hi i was wondering how you change text size.. ie: like <text size=6> or something?? can someone help, many thanks in advance --Sahafan 07:55, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Are you talking about changing text size when viewing Wikipedia or when editing an article? The former can be done through your browser - for instance, in Internet Explorer, View -> Text Size. If you want to create larger text in an article, you can do it using HTML tags such as <small>. However, this is discouraged in all but talk pages (and even there should only be used sparingly) - Wikipedia is written with content in mind, not formatting. We use logical formatting (describing what a bit of text is instead of what it looks like), and you should leave the rest to the Wikipedia style sheets. Especially consider that some users use different style sheets from the default, with larger or smaller (relative) text sizes. — QuantumEleven 08:02, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
James Chico Hernandez
Please help me. I am trying to cleanup the article as advised by your staff. I would like to re-submitt the following. Thank You You very much for your time and help.James Chico Hernandez — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chico 9 (talk • contribs)
- [Article draft copied to Talk:James Chico Hernandez]
- You should probably try to familiarize yourself with Wikipedia before creating new articles; Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers is a good place to start. It appears that you are trying to write an article about yourself; This is discouraged - see also Wikipedia:Notability (people). If you still want to write the article, read Wikipedia:Manual of Style to learn what needs to be fixed. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 11:36, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- It sounds like this is an autobiographical article, which is, as Meni noted, strongly discouraged (please see WP:AUTO for an explanation). However, being quite knowledgeable in the martial arts field myself, it sounds like you may meet notability requirements (a google search of "James Hernandez sambo sombo" turns up quite a few articles, and your achievements are certainly impressive), and I recommend asking someone from Wikipedia:WikiProject Mixed martial arts to work on the article in your stead. I hope that helps, please don't be afraid to ask for further help or clarification. — Estarriol talk 14:19, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Help me.... I went to Wikipedia:WikiProject Mixed martial arts]] as advised and it is inactive. I am ready to drop all of this due to my inability to correctly get this article situtated properly according to your standards. My claim to famer is that I am a World Martial Arts champion and claim to fame is I was featured on a Box of Wheaties Energy Crunch in Nov.2001 If check out James Chico Hernandez, James Hernandez or Chico HErnandez and shift around those could be my ref. and I rest my case. Thanks for all of your all of your time and help Chico — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chico 9 (talk • contribs)
- Creating a new article isn't easy - I always advise newcomers to familiarize themselves with Wikipedia before attempting to do it. So should you. The links I provided in your talk page can be a good start. When you have gained a better understanding of how Wikipedia works, you can try working on the article again - but, as mentioned before, this might not be a good idea, as autobiographical articles are generally frowned upon. You don't have to worry - other people will also work on the article and improve it. Anyway, don't forget to sign comments in Talk pages (like this one) by typing ~~~~. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 15:43, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- I've done some work on this article, and put a tag on it that makes it likely it will be cleaned up within a few months by the wikification team. In the meantime, if you're finding it frustrating, I recommend you leave the article be and let others work on it. The information you've already supplied is useful and sufficient as the basis for an article. — Estarriol talk 16:26, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
User talk :Estarriol Thank You very much for all of your help!!! I do not know if I/ve short change myself by the original article and down sized it. It helps a lot that your a English major and have a Great command of it's usage when writing/editting... If you need any more data ,please let me know and Thanks!!!user talk:Chico9
- You're welcome - I'm making no promises as to when or how much work I'll be able to do on the article, but Wikipedia being Wikipedia, it's very likely that someone will work on it. There is some further information the article could do with, but I'll put a notice on your talk page at some later point about that - you will get a message at the top of every wikipedia page when you're logged in and have new messages on my talk page. By the way, please sign your posts on the helpdesk, and in talk pages, with ~~~~, it will produce your signature, as I am about to do here: — Estarriol talk 20:07, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Query
i am 23/m indian. i want to take home loan of about ,how shall i procced?will it be economical to me?is there any branch of bank of japan in maharastra state of india? please reply.
- I'm sorry, but you've come to the wrong place. You should discuss the matter with a bank representative. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 12:14, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- You could try Wikipedia:Reference desk, it's the place for asking reference questions and someone may be able to help you there. — Estarriol talk 13:49, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Selective demands for sources
Is there a policy or previous discussion about what happens if an editor seems to be selectively demanding sources on one part of an article, while ignoring missing sources in other parts of the article? Can this be seen as attempting to impose an editorial point of view on the article, or are sources so important (in a developing article) that selective action is better than none at all? Notinasnaid 12:48, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- If I thought someone was selectively requesting sources, I would challenge them and ask for the sources about the other unsourced stuff. At least all info would then be treated equally. - 131.211.210.12 12:53, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Sources are important. The only context in which I can see them being demanded in a developing article however is when they are requested to back up statements which seem controversial. Sources are the only real way to back up any "fact". Remember, truth is not the wikipedia standard (as it's often unknowable), verifiability is. And that's what sources are for. In theory any factual statement in Wikipedia that had no source could be contested, in practice most are not as they are fairly clearly known. However, overall in the next few years the referencing standards on Wikipedia should improve. You should feel welcome to challenge for references any edit you find controversial. Just please don't demean yourself by unnecessarily proving a WP:POINT. If you'd like me to take a closer look at the situation, let me know on my talk page. :-) — Estarriol talk 14:09, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
School Project
Who created this site?
- Since this site, Wikipedia, is an encylopedia, you can try using it like this. Just type Wikipedia into the search box (left of the page, near the top) and click the Go button. Let us know if that doesn't answer your question. Notinasnaid 13:15, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- If you want to cite an article, go to the relevant article and click on the "Cite this article" link in the toolbox on the left side of your screen. Hope this helps. Tangotango 13:25, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- History of Wikipedia may also help you. SCHZMO ✍ 19:27, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
New article
I created a new article for my band called The hazard. It was deleted for some reason, could you please help me as I would like my band to be on wikipedia. thanks
--Kremedios 19:08, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Wikipedia has some notability guidelines that a band should qualify for in order to have its own article on Wikipedia. You can read what the guilelines are at WP:BAND. --Hetar 19:15, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Guidelines for articles about authors
Is there a style guide or some other guideline for how to format and organize an article about a writer? I thought I'd seen such a thing but can't now find it. I ask because I thought I recalled that it said Wikipedia was not the place to list all of a writer's short work, as is done on James H. Schmitz, for example. Thanks -- Mike Christie 19:32, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Wikipedia:Manual of Style (biographies) is a general style guide for biographies. SCHZMO ✍ 20:02, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
cite tag
I noticed that there is a cite tag in wikipedia which can be used for making references to books or journals. I came across this tag by accident and started using it, but I havn't found any proper documentation of this tag, e.g., which keys it accepts, etc. Is there any documentation of the cite tag?
- I presume you're talking about {{Cite}}, yes? That's documented at Template:Cite and Template talk:Cite. There are also various others for specific purposes:
- If you were talking about something else then you'll have to correct me. --Cherry blossom tree 21:10, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
This example page may help you, Wikipedia:Citing sources/example style. The talk pages of Template:Cite book and Template:Cite journal also explain their use. Hope this helps.--Andrew c 21:12, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Thanks! --KYN 21:58, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
Creating whole new article
How do I do this. I want to create a whole new article and link it to an already existing one. Help me, please?
- Type the name of the article you want into the search box, then click "create this article". If you want to link to another page in Wikipedia, just type this: [[INSERT PAGE NAME HERE]]. SCHZMO ✍ 22:06, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
reply to a message on your talk page
Where is the proper place to reply to a message on your talk page - on that page or the talk page of the one who placed the message? Bubba73 (talk), 23:13, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- There's no hard and fast rule. Replying on each other's talk pages means both parties get the 'You have new messages' box, but disjoints the conversation so that it's very difficult for third parties to read and join in. My talk page header asks users to reply on the talk page where the conversation started, and many other users do the same. If you do reply on your talk page to something posted there, you really should put an appropriate message at the top of your talk page telling people that that's where you reply - otherwise they might not watch your talk page and miss it. --Sam Blanning(talk) 23:17, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- Another easy way to do it is to reply both on your talk page, and on the other user's talk page under the heading "Re:[insert subject here]". -- Natalya 23:43, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
- I agree with both the above. What you should not do is only reply on your own talk page without leaving a message on the other user's talk page—I personally feel it's quite rude to expect others to watch one's talk page for responses. I have over 3000 pages on my watchlist; if you expect me to see a message, it should be left on my talk page. Of course, disjoint conversations are problematic. As Mr. Blanning mentions, you can reply on your talk page, leaving a "Replied on my talk page" message on the recipient's talk page. What I do is follow Natalya's suggestion; I reply on the user's page and copy the reply on my page, to get the best of both worlds. — Knowledge Seeker দ 06:55, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
- I, for one, disagree with most of the above. My opinion is that it is rude to leave a message in someone's talk page and not watch it for responses. I always answer in my talk page, and expect people I communicate with to answer in theirs. Otherwise the conversation becomes impossible to follow. It is a good idea, though, to state at the top of your talk page that you'll answer there. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 07:06, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
- I agree with both the above. What you should not do is only reply on your own talk page without leaving a message on the other user's talk page—I personally feel it's quite rude to expect others to watch one's talk page for responses. I have over 3000 pages on my watchlist; if you expect me to see a message, it should be left on my talk page. Of course, disjoint conversations are problematic. As Mr. Blanning mentions, you can reply on your talk page, leaving a "Replied on my talk page" message on the recipient's talk page. What I do is follow Natalya's suggestion; I reply on the user's page and copy the reply on my page, to get the best of both worlds. — Knowledge Seeker দ 06:55, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
- Another easy way to do it is to reply both on your talk page, and on the other user's talk page under the heading "Re:[insert subject here]". -- Natalya 23:43, 4 May 2006 (UTC)
May 5
suggestion
If I would like to offer a suggestion on updating or changing a particular entry, how would I go about doing that? I'm particularly referring to a page that states it has been locked. I would like to participate in the Talk section. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.152.186.71 (talk • contribs) 04:37, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
- Hi, simply go to the talk tab of the article, and post your message to the page just like you did here. Just remember to put "~~~~" (four tildes) after your message to sign it. Cheers, Tangotango 04:39, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
What the abbreviations in an historic timeline stand for.
I earned my College Degree in 1991. Much to my chagrin, while reading a book recently, I came acroos a few abbreviations in an historic timeline that I have never seen before. How do I find the definitions for them? They are: r. ; flic. ; and d.
Thank you for your time and consideration. strshne@yahoo.com
Hi, I suggest you go to this link instead for such questions: [3] This part of Wikipedia is all about How to Use Wikipedia. Cheers! Thomas S. Major 07:19, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
Disappearing letters in the article on Opus Dei
Some letters in the text disappear by themselves. There two instances:
- "new commandment" to love one another "as I d you": between I and d should be "love"
- Catholo m: between the o and m should be "fascis"
Please help. Suggest do an Edit/Find to quickly locate these points. Thomas S. Major 07:15, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
- It's not "by themselves". This edit shows where the first one you mentioned "disappeared". I'm sure if you go through the history a bit more you can find the other. Dismas|(talk) 07:20, 5 May 2006 (UTC)
When does an official policy become effective?
Is it when a shortcut is created? Is it when the {{policy}} tag is added there? Is it when Category:Wikipedia official policy is written on it?--ComSpex 07:59, 5 May 2006 (UTC)