Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 May 14

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May 14

Wiki Statistic abilities

Hi The wiki I use has a standard Statistic's function in that I can find the hits for the pages from the time it was set up and the most hit pages. What I would like to be able to do is define the type of statistics that I require eg: enter a date and get the highest hit pages for that day, or, enter two dates eg 24/04/09 to 14/05/09 and get the highest hit pages for that time period. Is a standard wiki's statistics funtion able to do this? I can't see that it does but maybe I am missing something? If it is not is there an ADD ON that one can down load to enable me to be able to do this? PG2AN2 (talk) 00:19, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

You did not say whether your wiki runs on the MediaWiki software. (There are many wiki software packages.) If it runs on MediaWiki, see the links under WP:EIW#MediaWiki, including mw:Extension Matrix. --Teratornis (talk) 04:16, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Report a Page

How do I report a page for vulgar or inacurrate content? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.74.226.42 (talk) 01:28, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

First of all, welcome to wikipedia. On wikipedia, since you do not have an account, you are identified by your ip address, 71.74.226.42. Please sign your posts at the end with (~~~~) and your identification and the time of writing will be automatically generated. Now on to your question... If only part(s) of the page is vandalism, you can point me to the article and I will deal with it. If the entire article is advertising, copyright infringment, Patent nonsense, or rouge content, refer to this official Wikipedia policy article on dealing with serious rogue content. If you need help, point me to the article and I will help you out or do it for you. Cheers! --Mr. Mentil (Goldblattster) (talk!) 03:08, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

It depends on what you mean by "vulgar"; remember, always, that Wikipedia is not censored. On the other hand, vandals are fond of their little obscenities, so we get a lot of that (although most of it is cleaned up with heartwarming rapidity). --Orange Mike | Talk 03:18, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Of course, if you have found inaccurate information in an article, feel free to revise it- but be sure to cite a source! --Alinnisawest,^{Dalek Empress} (extermination requests here) 13:32, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Message while editing?

I notice that when editing some pages, such as Jimbo Wales's user page, there is a message at the top above the text box for editing.

What is this, how does it work, and how can I do it? thx. --Mr. Mentil (Goldblattster) (talk!) 02:53, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

That is an editnotice. You should see one when you edit the help desk as well. You can also set them up on your talk page (as I have done, see my talk page as an example). You can find out all of the details on this page. TNXMan 03:33, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

OK, thanks a lot! --Mr. Mentil (Goldblattster) (talk!) 13:59, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Wiktionary html dump

I searched in Google and mediawiki but could not find an en-wiktionary html dump. I'm also looking for es. and fr. Anyone could point me in the right direction please? Thank you. 190.17.201.142 (talk) 03:49, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Please see instructions located at Wikipedia:Database download. That page will walk you though doing what you need. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 17:53, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

What time zone are you using?

The "on this day" list on your "front page" lists tomorrow's date, the 14th, but it is still the 13th where I am. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.105.132.107 (talk) 04:39, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

In case you didn't notice... All the timestamps on all the comments here have UTC after them to indicate which timezone is being used. -- kainaw™ 05:26, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

If you create a user account, you can change the timestamps in some parts of the website by editing your preferences. Some times here will always show in UTC, though. Gonzonoir (talk) 09:25, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

The better option when creating an account is to go into preferences, and activate the UTC clock gadget. Since changing your preferences to your local timezone will not change text times, like the time stamps after signatures, its not all that useful. The UTC clock gadget puts a UTC clock at the top of every page, which makes it much easier to keep track of how long ago an comment was left, for example, rather than having to add or subtract hours from your local time to UTC. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:03, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Question

When I go on to any page on the wiki, it shows me that the page that I'm on is[1]... Why is this? A bug? Or my computer being unreliable yet again? I guess it as the latter. Dexter000 ^{Hop, Skip} 05:10, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I have no idea. You're more likely to find an answer at the technical village pump. I suggest posting there as well. Maedin\^talk 07:06, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Currently redirects to different article

I want to write an article and it is already redirecting to something (by the same company) are there any regulations on creating a page out of that? or can I just edit it, remove the redirect and add in my content? Hintswen (talk) 06:13, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Not quite sure what you mean about a page redirecting to something by the same company—are you certain that you aren't duplicating content? Please remember in the future that a link is worth a thousand words! If we know what article you're talking about, we can give you better and more specific advice. Generally, though, if you are adding content such that a redirect is no longer necessary (e.g. a page for a specific product redirects to the manufacturer), then it is fine to remove the redirect. If the redirect is in place because of a need for disambiguation (e.g. "Clare Curran" redirects to "Claire Curran") then you should consider placing a hatnote at the start of the article. Technically, though, you are correct in that you only need to edit the article as normal, and delete the redirect text, once the article is in place. Hope that helps, :-) Maedin\^talk 07:04, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Well I want to write an article about Bobba the new virtual world for mobile devices created by Sulake but it currently redirects to Habbo which is their virtual world for computers. It is redirected because Bobba is the word used when filtering out bad words (and phone numbers) on Habbo. Anyway thanks for the response =]Hintswen (talk) 07:39, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

As you've probably realised, the answer is yes, go ahead and make the article and delete the redirecting text. However, if Babbo is also something that is still directly related to Habbo (separate from the virtual world for mobiles that you want to create an article about), then I would place a hatnote. Maedin\^talk 07:55, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Your first article about creating an article that will not get deleted. If you don’t know how to edit the redirect, go to Bobba, which will take you to Habbo. Click on the Bobba link at the top of the page, which will take you to the redirect. —teb728 t c 08:32, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Spoken Articles

I was having a look at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Spoken_Wikipedia and I'm thinking of recording a few articles. I noticed at the end of the article I was listening to the reader said "this has been a ____ production" with his website in the blank. I was wondering if this is still allowed as I am planning on recording the articles that are relevant to one of my websites. Hintswen (talk) 09:02, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Though I can't find a formal guideline on this at WP Spoken Wikipedia, I think that promoting an external site would be inappropriate under Wikipedia's guidelines on promotion and advertising. The project advises that you finish with a standard phrase noting the GFDL licensing arrangement; adding anything that doesn't appear in the text version of the article seems to be against the spirit of the project. Gonzonoir (talk) 09:34, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

That's what I thought, I just listened to another article and the reader said their name at the start so you know who recorded it. I think I'll just do that so if anyone does want more information they can check my user page Hintswen (talk) 09:40, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Sounds good. You could always get more help at the WP Spoken talk page; active members of that project probably deal with this kind of question a lot. Gonzonoir (talk) 18:20, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

HELP WITH UNDERSTANDING WHY MY PAGE WAS DELETED - Page - Kim Donaldson

Resolved

I posted a page detailing information regarding the international wildlife artist Kim Donaldson and the page was Speedy deleted. The reason was G8 and I don't understand what exactly this means as the only external links were to the artists own website which exists and image files which exist. What can I do to recitfy the reason for deletion and re-submit the page. Also can I have the userfy sent to me?

Thanks in advance.

Kevin —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kevinlouispayne (talk • contribs) 09:26, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

The log shows that Kim Donaldson was deleted as a copyright violation - that's criterion G12, not G8. That would make it ineligible for userfication, since we can't host copyrighted material like this anywhere on the site. You could ask the deleting administrator, TexasAndroid, for more information. Gonzonoir (talk) 09:36, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

The G8 deletion was on the redirect page Kim donaldson (with lowercase last name). It was deleted because it redirected to the the page deleted as a copy violation. —teb728 t c 09:44, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

According to the message on your talk page, the article had an additional problem that it didn’t demonstrate the notability of the subject with references to independent reliable sources. Please see Wikipedia:Your first article for guidelines on how to write an article that won’t get deleted. —teb728 t c 09:52, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

• Copyright violations are G12, G11 is the criterion for blatant promotion or advertising. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:54, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Apologies, my mistake. Gonzonoir (talk) 11:03, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Getting warning messages without reason.

I'm not even a member of Wikipedia, and I have never done any edits to this site, as I don't feel I know anything the site cannot provide with references. I frequently use Wikipedia, although I've been getting messages that I'm making edits on articles I visit, that they are inappropriate, and that I will be blocked from further edits. I consider this a problem, as I've never done any edits to the site and certainly not on the articles I've been visiting, even though I have viewed them. What is happening, and what can I do to stop it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.110.193.170 (talk) 10:38, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

• Since you do not appear to have an account, such messages might be intended for other people using the same IP address you do. If you create an account and log in, all the messages you see will be aimed just at you. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:53, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

• Just to clarify Mgm's message, creating an account will avoid you receiving messages about edits you didn't make. At the moment, you are just receiving "news" that someone who edits under the same IP is making vandalising edits. You are at risk of being denied access to edit Wikipedia, on account of an imminent block to your IP address. If you create an account, you can browse Wikipedia as normal, without needing to worry about what anyone else on your IP may be up to. Maedin\^talk 12:19, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

• More clarification: Somebody else made the bad edits, not you. Our warnings are addressed to that other person. We have no way to know that these messages are reaching the wrong person: sorry. Wikipedia is vandalized many times per minute by anonymous editors, and most of the time, our warnings actually reach the real vandal, which is why we send them even when there is a risk that the wrong person will receive them. We allow edits by anonymous edits because on the whole, they improve Wikipedia. Because of the technical fact that IP addresses are shared, coupled with our philosophy, innocent bystanders such as yourself occasionally get unjustified scoldings. If you know you did not do it, then please simply ignore the warnings. -Arch dude (talk) 13:44, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Lyrics on song pages.

Hi. When working on Huggle, every once in a while, I will encounter a page every once in a while where an anon editor has placed lyrics on a page. I've never been sure whether to revert that or not, so I've had an inclination to leave that alone/to someone else patrolling, so some advice would be appreciated. Thanks. Until It Sleeps 12:09, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Unless the song is so old that its lyrics are public domain, please remove. :) Replicating lyrics without permission constitutes a copyright violation. --Moonriddengirl ^(talk) 12:12, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) 99% of the time, posting lyrics is a copyright violation, so you should revert it. That way also avoids the question of whether we would want them or not. - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 12:13, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Wanted to add that I discovered not long ago that there is even a user warning: {{subst:uw-lyrics}}. --Moonriddengirl ^(talk) 12:14, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

(Piling on) even if they were OK, they should almost certainly be added to WikiSource and linked to from en.wiki. Cheers, This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 12:17, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Furthermore, some people will try to get around this by posting links to lyrics websites. Per WP:EL, linking to such sites is not generally allowed either. Seriously, if people want the lyrics of songs, they can use google like everyone else. Wikipedia should focus on writing good, compelling to read articles, and not on being a lyrics database or any other repository of randomly dumped information, especially where that information is placed in an article without regard for context or readibility. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 12:53, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Is there a certain length limit to a page in MediaWiki

I was trying to update the WikiProject Check Wikipedia at Chinese Wikipedia. The source was super long (around 400K) and I cannot summit the page (My firefox turns to a blank page, someone may get http500 error). Is there a certain length limit? because I can summit about half of the report.--Ben.MQ (talk) 13:42, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

MediaWiki does not have a page length limit to my knowledge (if it does, it's certainly much larger than that), but there are various technical problems that can occur with long pages, some of which are explained at Wikipedia:Article size#Technical issues. Algebraist 14:15, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

need some help with autoEd

Resolved

 – Discussion continuing at Wikipedia talk:AutoEd. – ukexpat (talk) 17:40, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I am copying the autoEd check scripts to Chinese Wikipedia. I noticed that it will convert [[a]][[b]] into [[a]] [[b]], but this is not necessary for Chinese. Can anyone help me cancel this function?--Ben.MQ (talk) 14:19, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

You will get a faster response at the project talk page (Wikipedia talk:AutoEd) where the coders hang out. – ukexpat (talk) 16:24, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Questions

1) Can we control how much Wiki cross links? We’d like to keep users on the page as much as possible. Realize this may by going against the spirit of Wiki. 2) Can we use registration marks/trademarks, etc.? 3) Can someone review our submission to ensure it follows Wiki guidelines before going live? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.2.242.199 (talk) 14:41, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I'm not clear with regards to which article you are referring. Are you asking about writing an article about a company? If so, I would encourage you to read our business FAQ and info on writing your first article. If you still have questions, you can post here anytime. TNXMan 14:44, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I'd already written these replies before I saw Tnxman had replied:

1. 1. No, there is no way to control how other editors edit the page. The only guidelines that suggest limiting the number of links to a page are WP:OVERLINK and one about not linking every word, but other than than those high barriers, no.
   2. Yes, but there are guidelines: MOS:TM
   3. Yes, but to create any new page (either mockup or live version), you'll have to register.

As it sounds like you're representing a company or organisation, you may also be ineterested in these questions and answers, and how to remain balanced. - Jarry1250 ^{(t, c)} 14:50, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Also, in reference to the first question, that sounds like some sort of business theory about how to keep visitors in one place. While on a separate business website, such a view might be appropriate. However, Wikipedia is not a place to advertise your business. Thus, no, there is no way for you to control what links go to and from an article about something you may be connected to. That would go completely against the fundamental basis of Wikipedia- free and unlimited information to all people, on all notable subjects. --Alinnisawest,^{Dalek Empress} (extermination requests here) 18:05, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Big quote marks

Resolved

 – ukexpat (talk) 16:20, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I learn almost all of how to use Wikipedia by copy-pasting from articles which already have something, but I'm having problems finding this...though I'm sure I've seen it a few times before. Huge quote marks, on either side of the page, encompassing a paragraph of quote. How do I do them? 90.193.232.41 (talk) 15:18, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Use {{cquote}}. Nanonic (talk) 15:21, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! 90.193.232.41 (talk) 15:23, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Printing information

I am having trouble getting the full article on the word "meditation" to print. Other items have printed ok.

Please help, Milton Bothner —Preceding unsigned comment added by Milton Bothner (talk • contribs) 15:25, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Are you using Internet Explorer? If so, this is probably the problem described here. Algebraist 15:47, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

If that does not fix the problem, please let me know as I am actively monitoring this. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 16:31, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

DOWNLOADING

HOW TO DOWNLOAD ARTICLE IN PDF FORMAT —Preceding unsigned comment added by PRADZ1MX (talk • contribs) 15:48, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Click the 'pdf version' link in the left sidebar. Algebraist 15:53, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Conflict of Interest

Alright I am new to Wikipedia and I have been working on an article for my company. I have already posted it once and had it deleted because it felt to much like an advertisement. I have been making edits on it to try and make it more neutral but it is obviously very difficult since I have a conflict of interest. I do believe that my company should have a wikipedia, it is a leading youth sports camp in America and there has been quite a bit of coverage on it. I have been working so hard on this article, but I feel that it is still to promotional. I am not trying to promote my company, but that is what it is coming off as. I don't know where to go from here, like I said I have worked so hard on this article I don't want to see all that hard work go to waste. What should I do? Clinehan (talk) 16:10, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Well, you have done the right thing in asking for help. As you know, I and at least one other editor have been working on the draft in your user space at User:Clinehan/Skyhawks Sports Academy and I am sure as a result of your message here others will look at it too. I can only suggest that you be patient and see what happens to the draft over the next few days. – ukexpat (talk) 16:18, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Phase 3

Can a 3 phase motor be converted to run on single phase. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.18.129.27 (talk) 16:13, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Have you tried the Science section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. TNXMan 16:14, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Printing

When printing Wikipedia articles in Firefox 3, the images are placed a few centimeters above their correct location, and thus cover the text, making it unreadable. In Firefox 2 or IE this problem does not exist. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, Barak Sh (talk) 17:57, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

As noted about 2 threads above, you may have better luck using the "PDF version" of the article. Click the "PDF version" link in the tool bar, and then try to print THAT and see if it works any better... --Jayron32.talk.contribs 18:18, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, but there are many problems with PDF rendering, such as not allowing the user to choose font size, which leads to a considerable waste of paper. Moreover, I also encounter this problem in the Hebrew Wikipedia, where the PDF option does not exist. It seems weird that Firefox 3, which is one of the most popular browsers in the world, causes such a problem. Does it happen to others with the same browser, or is it just me? (note that I tried it on two printers, and the problem persisted on both) Barak Sh (talk) 18:30, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Just wondering...

What is Special:BlankPage for? There seems to be no point to it (and besides, it's not blank really} Just wondering, that's all. Wikiert ^{T S C} 18:45, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Huh. I've never seen that before. It's uneditable (to me, anyway). Maybe the people over at the village pump know? TNXMan 18:48, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

According to the release notes it is 'for benchmarking, etc.' Algebraist 18:50, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Where is that essay about "don't call it 'The Wiki'"

Resolved

Can't find it =) –xeno ^talk 18:48, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

WP:DAW. Enjoy! TNXMan 18:52, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Thank yar! –xeno ^talk 18:56, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

See also {{notwiki}}, made for inserting seamlessly at the end of a post about something else, but where you also want to inform a the user of the wiki vs. Wikipedia distinction.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:59, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Problem with printing

Shanghai Rum

I tried to print info-four pages-only the first page printed

How can I get the other three--Help —Preceding unsigned comment added by Djbeideman (talk • contribs) 18:58, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

If you use Internet Explorer, then please see WP:IEPRINTFIX. Please let me know whether or not this works for you, as I am monitoring this issue. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 10:14, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Tinitus Relief

Can Lycopodium have any relief from Tinitus, either temporary or permanent found in an over the counter product for Tinitus sufferers? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 56.0.84.24 (talk) 19:02, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but we cannot provide medical advice. I would suggest consulting a medical professional. TNXMan 19:18, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Re.Bernard Pearson

Can you tell me if there is a web site for this genious, I met him on several occasions and we got on extremely well.? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.22.188.230 (talk) 19:10, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Bernard Pearson. – ukexpat (talk) 19:25, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

He is apparently attached to this website and they have a contact form.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:00, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Uploaded a new logo, but no go.

I am trying to add the Official logo to a page about the organization that I work for(http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Alaska_Marine_Highway)- I have successfully uploaded the new file, but I am having trouble referencing it. When I put in the new file name, the link is broken, and when I use the old reference, I see the old logo. What to do? Alaskamarinehighway (talk) 19:25, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Hmm. I see the new logo on the article (the most recent version without the banner at the bottom). It may be that you are viewing an old version of the page. Have you tried purging your cache and reloading the page? TNXMan 19:31, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

If you don't know how to do either of those things, see WP:PURGE and WP:BYPASS.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:55, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury

Where can I find page 34 of A Sound of Thunder" by ray Bradbury? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.241.116.241 (talk) 19:28, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Your local library? – ukexpat (talk) 19:36, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

It is a short story that has been published in multiple volumes. I have no idea how you can definitively define a particular page. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 10:12, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Problem with the infobox Template:Infobox Company

I think there is a mistake regarding the layout in the infobox Template:Infobox Company. When writing the "Production output" it is placed between "Products" and "Services", which I by the way think is a correct placement. But when you have saved the page, "Production output" is at the end of the infobox. Fanoftheworld (talk) 21:29, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

That's the way it's been coded in this edit. I am not sure why it was added to the template without discussion on the talk page. It seems a meaningless concept to me unless the company just makes one product. How is it supposed to apply to multi-product companies like Dow, Bayer, BASF or DuPont? – ukexpat (talk) 21:47, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

adding a new page

Resolved

Hello! I've been trying to submit a new page on the singer/songwriter Katrina Carlson. I saved a page yesterday and for some reason can not find it when I search her name - several other pages come up that mention her but not the one I created. If someone could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kataphonic (talk • contribs) 22:58, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

I have checked the contribution history for the account you posted with here, and your edit above is the first edit you have successfully saved on Wikipedia using this account (and none of your edits have been deleted). Are you sure you hit save? And if you did, are you sure you didn't get a message such as, "this is only a preview" or "your edit could not be saved..."? I also checked to see and no article by the name of Katrina Carlson or Katrina carlson has ever been created on Wikipedia. It is incredibly frustrating to sp[end time writing long posts or articles and have them not save properly, but it does happen. For that reason, I (as with many users) am in the habit of always highlighting any post and copying it (hit Ctrl+C) before saving, and for lengthy material, such as an article being worked up for a few hours, saving the text first to an offline document as security.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:05, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

The article now exists at Katrina Carlson. I have done some reformatting per the manual of style and a few other tweaks, but it needs more work. – ukexpat (talk) 23:57, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Kataphonic now permablocked as a WP:SPAMNAME.  – ukexpat (talk) 00:58, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Red links: To remove or not to remove?

Hi, I'm a new Wikipedian. I've started out by making minor edits, like correcting wiki links. I removed some red ones, which I assumed to be for deleted articles (e.g., "polling loops" in the data acquisition article). However, I've read that people can use red links to encourage creation of new articles.

How do I tell the difference between a deleted article and a requested one?

Boxplot (talk) 23:10, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Hi Boxplot. You can always check whether an article was deleted by checking it against the deletion log. This can be done by copying the name, navigating there and typing in the name, but an easier way is to simply click on the red link. If it was ever deleted, it will have the deletion log summary above it in a pink box. See, for example Herman Rambow whom I have been meaning to write an article on but has never had an article, and this article I deleted yesterday. Note that just because an article was deleted doesn't necessarily mean it shouldn't have a red link. Many article are deleted not because an article shouldn't exist, but because the article that did exist was an attack, or failed to assert importance, or was a copyvio and so on. Red links should be removed if the person probably shouldn't have an article at all.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:17, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Its a tough call. If its for an article which seems reasonable to exist, but which does not yet, it's probably OK to leave it. For example, if the person in question was the Head of State of a country, who are normally notable, but no one has created the article yet, its likely OK to leave the red link. If it seems, however, that the target of the redlink stands no chance of ever meeting the inclusion criteria of Wikipedia as explained at WP:N then the redlink should go. In certain applications, such as disambiguation pages, redlinks are not normally desired. You are encouraged to use your best judgement on these, and if someone challeneges your edit, and reverts it, be prepared to discuss the matter on the talk page. Just do your best; its all we expect of anyone! --Jayron32.talk.contribs 23:21, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Also be aware of interwiki links. For example, many terms have Wiktionary entries. Wiktionary links can be helpful on jargon terms that the reader may not know, but which are not significant enough to have Wikipedia articles of their own. Also search Wikipedia for the term(s) in red links, because sometimes a marginally notable topic does not warrant its own article, but may have a defining section within another article. An example is the term nameplate capacity which comes up often in electricity generation topics. There is no separate article for "nameplate capacity", but that is a redirect to a section in another article which defines some jargon terms in this field. In other words, sometimes a red link is not as "red" as it may first appear. It pays to become familiar with all the articles that cover a given topic, so you know when you can link to sections of them. Of course section links are prone to breakage if someone removes the linked-to section, so it's a good idea to put an invisible comment in a section you link to, to warn other editors not to delete it or change the section title, unless they also update the (hopefully) redirect you made to the section. --Teratornis (talk) 01:17, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

The {{Anchor}} template can also be useful in such circumstances. – ukexpat (talk) 03:14, 15 May 2009 (UTC)