Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2013 February 10

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

February 10

Minor sorting problem

Hello. NK Maribor seasons is a Featured list (FL) and it seems there is a problem with the sorting table, the problem being that the table doesnt sort at all. When the article was nominated for FL the table was in order and there wasnt any problem with it, therefore, the problem probably started sometime later with various updates. Could someone, who understands sorting tables:), have a look at it and fix it please. Ratipok (talk) 00:40, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

The version of the article that was promoted to featured list status on 9 September 2011 does not sort either. The article has therefore never supported sorting or something has changed in the underlying template code since the article was promoted. The table uses {{Football season start}} and {{Sort}}, neither of which I am familiar with. I am unable to fix this, sorry --Senra (talk) 13:05, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Then I dont know whats the problem:/ I have completed the table and nominated the article for FL almost two years ago and I am fairly confident that the table was sorting properly at the time (the sorting was adressed during nomination and worked at the time as the nomination wouldnt had been successfull if the table wouldnt sort properly).Ratipok (talk) 21:40, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Use of rowspan and colspan as in {{Football season start}} often cause sorting to fail. It can vary between tweaks of the sorting software whether something works. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:39, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Account being used for promotion

THE SHOW MAKERS is using their user page solely to promote a company and its website. If this is not allowed, is there an admin or someone else who can resolve this matter? Thanks. --76.189.111.199 (talk) 01:17, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

I deleted the userpage and blocked the user. GB fan 01:27, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for the quick help. --76.189.111.199 (talk) 01:28, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Deletion of my information in the last paragraph of wiki article on Christian Humanism

Could you please advise why important information I inserted in the last paragraph of the wiki article on Christian Humanism is being deleted? Christian humanism Christum (talk) 01:54, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Because it was completely unreferenced. See WP:RS.--ukexpat (talk) 02:01, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

It did not require referencing as it was purely a description of what the book said. The only unsupported assertion is that this Christian humanist perspective is completely original. I can modify or even delete that assertion if you wish, even though it is accurate.Christum (talk) 00:35, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

This edit summary adds an interesting perspective on the OP's question. --Jayron32 02:05, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

If you are referring to self promotion,take a look at this Wiki article: Historical Jesus. There are dozens of authors and their books cited here, and thousands across the Wikipedia spectrum. How many of these references are self inserted and why should it matter if they are casting important new light on a topic, as I am?

1) I have no idea how many books have been added by their own authors. That's irrelevent to the discussion at hand. You should not be adding information from your own book. Period. We're not talking to other authors. We're talking to you. 2) The discussion should occur at Talk:Christian humanism. --Jayron32 00:46, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

So if someone other than me had inserted this entry, it would be ok? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Christum (talk • contribs) 02:36, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Probably not, because there is no evidence that the book or its thesis is notable. And there is no need to bold your replies.--ukexpat (talk) 03:36, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

It was chosen as book of the month (October, 2012) by the Religious Tolerance website whose main author, Bruce Robinson said: "Your book and essays make a lot of sense, when they view Jesus as a Jewish humanist concerned primarily with the poor and disabled." Early days- I am awaiting further reviews. Should I keep you posted on future developments?Christum (talk) 06:43, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Not here. Any further discussion should go on Talk:Christian Humanism. --ColinFine (talk) 16:41, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Edit warring at Pier Giuseppe Monateri

There has been a significant edit war involving 2.158.15.126 and several other editors at Pier Giuseppe Monateri. I have no involvement, nor do I have any intention of editng the article, but I noticed a comment here at the help desk previously from 2.158.15.126, who admitted to being the article's subject.[1] He also made the same admission in his edit summary on one of his reverts.[2] In both comments, he alluded to defamation. Although I am neutral regarding the dispute, it's clear that the content in question - the entire "Legal problems" section - is extremely contentious. Interestingly, that happens to be the only content in the entire article that is sourced. (I do not know if the sources verify the content because they're all in Italian.) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the subject even notable? If not, it would seem that the issue causing the edit war is moot and the article should be deleted. I think this matter definitely deserves the attention of an experienced editor/administrator for resolution. Thank you very much. --76.189.111.199 (talk) 02:06, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

This probably belongs at WP:BLPN as it is clearly a BLP issue.--ukexpat (talk) 02:18, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. I posted it there. --76.189.111.199 (talk) 02:46, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

 Done Done here and spreading to dispute fora. Article has been tagged as Afd.--Canoe1967 (talk) 05:02, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Notability?

I'm torn. Anene Booysen was created and I'm not seeing notability. Yes, she was murdered, yes there are news sources, but there are hundreds of people murdered each day they don't get their own articles. What am I missing? --Manway 05:53, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

WP:NOTNEWS, WP:BIO1E, WP:CRIME, WP:EVENT, take your pick. The best thing to do is start an AFD discussion and see where it goes. --Jayron32 05:57, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Now at AFD - Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Anene Booysen.--ukexpat (talk) 17:03, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Personal Info

Can a Wikipedia authority please remove my name from this edit? http://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Saint_Valentine&diff=537507265&oldid=537453008 It is underneath the second paragraph I added. I would prefer that my real name was not linked with my IP Address. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 180.178.159.100 (talk) 07:56, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Materialscientist (talk · contribs) has hidden the text with revision deletion. The usual way to request this kind of help is by email, as described at Requests for oversight, since posting the details here draws attention to them - this is a very public page. -- John of Reading (talk) 12:04, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

I emailed RFO a couple of hours ago, but the volunteers there seem to be offline. This is the one part of the admin package that I could make good use of... -- John of Reading (talk) 12:04, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Disruptive editing

I am trying to create a section on all the elements of the periodic table articles explaining where to find the elements, for element collectors. I am certain I am not the only element collector in the world, and I am only trying to help, but I continue to be harassed by editors that the edits I am making are disruptive, please help. Thank you, Totalllgeek. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Totalllgeek (talk • contribs) 08:06, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

You are not being harassed. Your edits are being removed, by other editors who consider them insufficiently relevant to the articles. And I agree with them – you may not be the only element collector in the world, but element collectors are sufficiently rare (I have never had anyone invite me to see his bottle of hydrogen) that the inclusion of such information is not, in my opinion, justified. Maproom (talk) 11:26, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

A few examples, in addition to the example of obtaining hydrogen by electrolysis (which is already there), might be appropriate in the article Element collecting—though certainly not coverage of "all the elements of the periodic table". I tend to agree that this isn't sufficiently important to appear in all the elements' articles, most of which already contain information about the uses and appearances of the elements in "everyday life" that a collector (especially one willing to take risks that it would be foolish for Wikipedia to recommend or encourage) could use to obtain the elements. Deor (talk) 21:07, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

"Woodward effect"

Your article has been edited by highly biased people making false and incorrect claims regarding my work. I am not interested in spending the time to correct this erroneous material. Please take this artcle down as it is highly misleading and will continue to be a lightning rod for those who have edited in their incorrect claims as long as it is available to them. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.25.3.31 (talk) 09:15, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

I suspect that the people making the incorrect claims are deluded or incompetent rather than highly biased. And it appears that the "Woodward effect" is notable, and therefore a suitable subject for Wikipedia. It would be helpful if you could state your views on the article's talk page: but if you don't have time for that, I hope that an editor with a good understanding of physics will tidy it up sometime. Maproom (talk) 11:11, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

complaint

why you havent database about the famous carnatic singer mathangi satyamurthy — Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.110.232.206 (talk) 09:36, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

English Wikipedia has no article on this singer because no-one has written one. If you have evidence that Mathangi Satyamurthy is notable, you could write one yourself. For all I know, there may already be such an article on some Indian-language Wikipedia, which you could translate. Maproom (talk) 11:17, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Legal Information on limitation statue barred

Equitable interest for fraud miss presentation and default dis closer defendant time to be get away without justice. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.154.250.143 (talk) 11:17, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Is this a question about how to use or edit Wikipedia? If it is, which article does it refer to? Maproom (talk) 11:22, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

How to fix history for edits made while not logged in?

Resolved

Hello.

I accidentally edited my draft article without logging in to Wikipedia. Is it possible to modify the history record to indicate me as the author of the changes? All changes in the history for the moment are mine. Ant 222 (talk) 11:19, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm sorry, this isn't possible. Instead, you could make a dummy edit, using the edit summary to explain that the preceding IP edits are yours. If you are concerned about making your IP address public, you can use one of the methods described at Requests for oversight to ask for the IP address to be hidden. -- John of Reading (talk) 12:09, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks (not sure if saying so is not frowned upon in these pages...)Ant 222 (talk) 14:33, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

A "thank you" is always appreciated!--ukexpat (talk) 16:58, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Image placeholders

According to Wikipedia:Image placeholders there seems to be some form of consensus that image placeholders shouldn't be used on EN Wikipedia. However, the linked discussion Wikipedia:Centralized discussion/Image placeholders only seems to deal with placeholder images for articles about people. Also, Wikipedia:Image placeholders says "Changes to the software since then have also made the system less effective, and for both of these reasons it is not currently maintained." What software change is that referring to? Also, are placeholder images appropriate in articles about other things than people? For example, I used one in State libraries of Germany, which seemed absolutely appropriate to me. That one was later removed without a reason given. I am drafting an article where placeholder images also could be used, so should I use a placeholder image such as in this revision or not? -- Toshio Yamaguchi 12:11, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

You chose File:Placeholder-Image.jpg which displays the username of the uploader "Wingtipvortex". That would be wrong in any case. A Commons search [3] finds more suitable placeholders for buildings but I'm not sure how it's viewed at Wikipedia. One of them currently has a single use in National Issues Forums. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:56, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Regarding the username on File:Placeholder-Image.jpg, I could create a new one without a username on it myself. I could raise this issue on the Village pump if desired in order to get feedback from the community whether for example Wikipedia:Image placeholders should be promoted to guideline status, if there is consensus to use placeholder images. -- Toshio Yamaguchi 14:06, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

I have been removing placeholders for a long time on the basis that there is consensus they they should not be used. I am seeing them less and less frequently now. No one has taken me to task for it...yet.--ukexpat (talk) 16:54, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Is this consensus documented somewhere? I personally think placeholder images can be useful in specific cases, where it is clear that an image is wanted and it is clear that a free one could be obtained (as is the case in State libraries of Germany). -- Toshio Yamaguchi 22:23, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

barbel fish

I have always been told barbel fish is any fish with barbels not just carp like it says — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1007:B01A:1F85:5460:B20F:D775:229B (talk) 14:11, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

The article says "carp-like" so is a description not a restriction. If some of these fish do not resemble carps do you have a reference to this? RJFJR (talk) 18:56, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Linking to non-browsable (non-HTML) online sources

Resolved

How to place a reference to a resource available online but being some binary file or archive, for example,—an e-zine stored as a TR-DOS image (accepted by ZX Spectrum emulators) in a ZIP archive? May I use the direct download link to the archive and precede the description with "Zipped .trd: ", or should I give a link to the web-page from which this file is available followed by a comment specifying which file to download? 95.73.237.251 (talk) 16:25, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

I'm not clear on the context where you want to use that resource. If it is simply as an external link, first see WP:EL. however if it is just to be used as a reference to something within an article, it simply needs to be someone that another person familiar with the article subjet could reasonably verify or reproduce that source. However if it is to establish notability of a subject, I would discourage it unless it is easily accessible to the general public. Tiggerjay (talk) 18:32, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, WP:EL#Rich_media answers my question. Ant 222 (talk) 19:01, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Information

How do you get an article featured about your co on your website — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tsmith7235 (talk • contribs) 16:55, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

If your company meets the notability guidelines, you can ask for an article to be created at WP:RA RudolfRed (talk) 18:22, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

But if you are asking about getting your company featured, you are probably here for promotional purposes, which are not acceptable on Wikipedia. --ColinFine (talk) 16:46, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Complaint of Abuse

I am R. Davis, PR of the guitar virtuoso Joseph Ferrante. I just posted an article in Wikipedia about JOSEPH FERRANTE, who also was the piano tuner pof George Harrison, and it was deleted by one of your administrators. There is a plot in Wikipedia against JOSEPH FERRANTE by some ENVIOUS and JEALOUS moderators. They even created a prohibition for the name JOSEPH FERRANTE on Wikipedia some time ago. I have seen so MANY, MANY, MANY articles on Wikipedia about MUSIC NOTHINGS, let alone this plot blocking the page of a GIGANTIC GUITAR VIRTUOSO. Please investigate who are the moderators behind this conspiracy and SACK THEM. I just want my page about JOSEPH FERRANTE to be published at Wikipedia. There is a certain Peridon or whatever who is among others I am sure impeding the publication of Joseph Ferrante´s article. I sus pect this because there is a link to contact him in the email you sent but the link does not work, so it has been done on purpose.

Awaiting for your reply: R. Davis — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.202.185.127 (talk) 16:59, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

You are making us make a lot of guesses. You didn't log in when you posted here but I guess you are User:Rwdavisr who created the deleted article Joseph Ferrante a week ago. It was deleted for multiple reasons linked in the deletion summary. By "email" I guess you refer to User talk:Rwdavisr#Speedy deletion nomination of Joseph Ferrante 2. That is a talk page post and not an email. See Help:Using talk pages. I don't know which link you are claiming doesn't work. The post by Peridon is signed "Peridon (talk)" and both links work. And I don't know what you mean by "They even created a prohibition for the name JOSEPH FERRANTE". As the subjects PR agent you have a strong conflict of interest and shouldn't create an article about him directly in the encyclopedia. At Wikipedia:Articles for creation you can mention who you are and submit an article for review but it should be written from a neutral point of view with content already published by reliable sources showing the subject satisfies Wikipedia:Notability (music). You are not allowed to use private knowledge or promotional language. Did you write http://forums.straighthealth.com/showthread.php?1958-JOSEPH-FERRANTE-piano-tuner-of-George-Harrison? One of the reasons for deletion was a copyright violation of that. There is no sign of abuse here and nobody will be "sacked". We are all volunteers anyway and weren't hired in the first place. And when you claim a conspiracy is plotting against your client, you sound like a nutjob to be frank. The shouting doesn't help. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:17, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Hi Davis. Wikipedia can be a frustrating experience for marketing professionals. The openly editable model creates a feeling of entitlement to control the content and Wikipedia's writing style is difficult to master when you are simultaneously engaged in professional promotion. My background is in PR and I've been contributing here for five years - and still I am often criticized by my fellow editors for having a promotional writing style and a leniency to be sympathetic to the subject, both where I have a COI and where I don't.

If Joseph has been covered in substantial depth by credible, independent sources and you are willing to devote a significant amount of time to creating a quality article and learning our Wiki-ways, I would be happy to help show you more constructive ways to participate here. Just ping me on my Talk page - again - if you are willing to spend the time. CorporateM (Talk) 20:14, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Davis believes that not only Wikipedia editors are involved in this conspiracy: see Hey Jude recomposition by JOSEPH FERRANTE. Maproom (talk) 12:17, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

Does this website qualify as reliable source?

Can those with an expertise in reliable sources please give your thoughts as to whether this website can be used as a reliable source? It is an academics website which consists solely of user-submitted content (research papers, etc.) and has profiles and followers. This page from the the website was added as a source (the only source) at Pier Giuseppe Monateri last night.[4] If it cannot be used, can someone please remove it with an edit summary explaining why? --76.189.111.199 (talk) 20:02, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

This issue belongs at WP:RSN. --— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 20:32, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, I took it there. I was told that it is not a reliable source.[5] --76.189.111.199 (talk) 22:27, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Possible shutdown of WebCitation.org. Alternatives?

WebCitation.org, one of the easiest archival websites I've ever used, is warning users that it may shut-down, possibly by the end of 2013 (my concern is that it may be sooner), unless financial help is given through donations. I, unfortunately, cannot be of help, plus I am wary of donating money to an organization only to watch it shut-down in the end anyway. As evil as I am for not helping out, I love this website and am sad to see it in its current state. But work must go on—are there alternatives to this website? Someplace where articles can be archived before they are deleted by their host for whatever reasons? – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 20:22, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Related discussion at meta:WebCite. --— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 20:31, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Wow, fantastic, thank you. – Kerαunoςcopia^◁_galaxies 20:42, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Amanda and Busy

I would like the name of a tv show , I believe was Canadian , from the 1980's or early 1990's..it was about two young teen girls named Amanda and Busy.. thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.5.78.4 (talk) 20:59, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Ready or Not (TV series)?--Canoe1967 (talk) 21:04, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Canoe is Mr. Trivia. (I assume Mr.) :p --76.189.111.199 (talk) 22:28, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

The wp article was the 1st hit when I googled 'Amanda and Busy'. No Ouja board needed.

Resolved

Also see Template:Astray Template:HD for future reference questions.--Mr.Canoe1967 (talk) 23:37, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Please check the documentation at Template:Astray. The first few templates listed at Template:HD are probably better, since they point people directly to the correct reference desk. -- John of Reading (talk) 08:17, 11 February 2013 (UTC)