Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2016 November 30

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November 30

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Bare refs + admins

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How come there's no rules regarding leaving bare references? Especially for admins who partake in this? To me, it's pretty lazy. I know it's "frowned" upon but there's no rule against it. Admins should be expected to at least be able to cite a webpage --Jennica / talk 00:36, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

WP:NOTBURO Pppery 01:03, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Help:Cite errors/Cite error ref no key

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Sorry for any misunderstanding. Please remove my name from the "bad name" list. I believe the problem was created by a different user. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JOHN MCKINNON (talkcontribs) 01:13, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

No, the problem wasn't created by a different user. It was created by these edits of yours. I have reverted them because they had a number of problems. As well as the problems with reference formatting they also removed existing references without explanation, and it appeared that there was a conflict of interest so you should read the guidance thereon. --David Biddulph (talk) 01:24, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Article Deleted - nowhere to be found or followed up on

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I submitted an article a few days ago and shortly after noticed it had been filed for speedy deletion. I can no longer find this notice or any trace of the article, leaving me no chance to contest it. Can someone help? — Preceding unsigned comment added by RyanHabs (talkcontribs) 03:54, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Normally WP:REFUND would be the place to go, but the article was deleted as an attack page and so probably will not be undeleted. I strongly recommend you read our biographies of living persons policy, our notability guidelines, and our reliable sourcing guidelines thoroughly before trying to create the article about a living person. Ian.thomson (talk) 04:34, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
RyanHabs, having looked at this, I'm prepared to accept that you didn't mean it to be an attack page, but if you state that people are criminals, you need absolutely impeccable independent verifiable sources, not the random websites you have used. I've pinged the deleting admin, Anthony Bradbury, to see if he wishes to add anything Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:23, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I would concede that the article was not meant to be an attack page; nevertheless, as the greater part of the text relates to criminal allegations, with inadequate references, I would not be comfortable restoring it. As a separate issue, and one which did not play a part in my original decision, as the subject of the article appears to be a performer only on internet sites, notability may not be seen as adequately demonstrated. --Anthony Bradbury"talk" 13:17, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Reference help requested. How do I fix this ref error? I have tried to do this for my friend but do not really know how. Sorry, I need help Thanks, BB Finnegan (talk) 05:27, 30 November 2016 (UTC) Thanks, BB Finnegan (talk) 05:27, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

  • Hi there. The diff you have provided is one from last year. In the between, one of the editors JamesBWatson removed non-notable persons, including the individual whose name you were attempting to add, from the article in this edit. Other than that, I've cleaned up other reference errors in the article; Orangemike too has edited it. Don't hesitate to ask for more help. Thanks. Lourdes 07:42, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
  • Hi BB Finnegan. As Lourdes said, Bies was removed from the list as non-notable; so don't try to fix his entry. But if you are asking where you went wrong for future reference, let me explain: As you discovered in your later edits of that series, every <ref> must end with a corresponding </ref>, and every {{cite web begins with a double bracket. Your biggest mistake was that although you discovered cite web is closed with a double bracket, the closing double bracket goes not immediately after the "cite web" but just before the </ref> -- after the vertical-bar-separated parameter list. —teb728 t c 09:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Creating a "latest stable release" template page

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Hi! I've edited a lot, but I have never created a new page, so this will be all new to me. I want to learn to create the "latest stable release" software template page, as seen on Template:Latest stable software release/Google Drive, for example. I understand the formatting of the page itself, but since it has Template in the name, I'm not sure it's the same procedure as creating a new article, so if someone could teach me how to do that simply, I'd really appreciate it! LocalNet (talk) 09:19, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You can go to Template:Latest stable software release/page name (replacing 'page name' with the title of the intended page), put your content in it and save the page when done.--My Chemistry romantic (talk) 09:38, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you! Now I'll just wait for the article to update with the template to hopefully see the correct result :) LocalNet (talk) 10:12, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

YG/ YANG HYUN SUK

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https://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Yang_Hyun-suk

This is a loooong story but there is currently a issues regarding YG entertainment's Owner Yang Hyun suk

some troll has edited the info on him to information on rats

this is bullying and unacceptable

I and many others expect it removed and back to normal and who ever this snakey person who edited the information we expect their account removed ASAP

wikipedia wasn't made for this is was made for proper information on the topic they asked for not full on bullying

change it

if it isn't changed I'd imagine a lawsuit would be in your near future

60.231.176.226 (talk) 14:55, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

It is not bullying, it's more akin to vandalism and has already been corrected. Please do not make legal threats; see WP:NLT. Eagleash (talk) 15:00, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
For your peace of mind, you might like to know more about what has been done. The initial error was detected and reversed automatically by a program, within about half an hour of it being posted. The wrong version was live from 14:19 to 14:56 (UTC). The editor who made that change has been warned. That article has been protected, which limits who can update it for the next two weeks. --Gronk Oz (talk) 15:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I am forced to confirm purges

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I am currently being prompted to confirm page purges like an anonymous user, despite being signed in. Occurs in Chrome, IE, and Firefox. Any ideas? Thanks, —swpbT 15:21, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

I have enabled Add a "Purge" option to the top of the page, which purges the page's cache at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets. This gives me a "purge" link with no confirmation step under a tab saying "More". See more at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)/Archive 149#Disable purge cache confirmation prompt and phab:T143531. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:43, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I have that option enabled; the link gives me the confirmation prompt. Looks like a project-wide problem, I'll just use the script from that VP thread. Thanks, —swpbT 16:27, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Did you disable Javascript ? Cause that would do it. —TheDJ (talkcontribs) 09:37, 2 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Hillary Rodham Clinton

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I wish to edit the Hillary Clinton page but it is protected. I have many important changes to make, constructive changes. What can I do? --Croenaarda-Rusk (talk) 15:36, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

When you attempt to edit the article, you should list a list of options under the heading "What can I do?". Have you tried any of those? The "Submit an edit request" option seems to me what would be best for you at the moment. Deli nk (talk) 15:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Hi, Welcome to Wikipedia! The Hillary Clinton article is currently Semi-Protected which means that only accounts that have existed for at least 4 days and have at least 10 edits can edit the article. Smd75jr (talk) 15:43, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
@Croenaarda-Rusk: Go to the article's talk page. Start a new section. Place {{edit semi-protected}} at the top of the new section, and then list, in detail, the changes you would like to make, along with supporting sources. ~ ONUnicorn(Talk|Contribs)problem solving 15:45, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
It's easier to click the "View source" tab and follow the instructions to submit an edit request. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:46, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Canadian alternative charts

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Dear editors: I have been improving an article about a band which apparently has had success on the Canadian Alternative Charts. The reference provided, HERE, appears to be a forum, so I thought I would find a better source. I haven't been able to find the original website of these charts, and Wikipedia doesn't have a page called "Canadian Alternative Charts". The charts are mentioned in a number of news reports, so they are real. Can someone direct me to information about them?—Anne Delong (talk) 15:52, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Syntax coloring

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I use the source editor, not the visual editor. I spend a significant fraction of my editing time figuring out where closing </ref> tags are. Is there a syntax colorer I could be using? Ideally it would use one color for text, another for the contents of ref tags, and a third and maybe a fourth for the tags themselves. Maproom (talk) 17:12, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

syntax highlighter at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets under editing header. Works most of the time.
Trappist the monk (talk) 17:25, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I use that, and it makes editing so much easier - although it does sometimes cause the editor to slow down.—Anne Delong (talk) 19:08, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you, Trappist the monk! It even has configurable colors. An unexpected benefit is that it makes me aware of unpaired < [ { . Maproom (talk) 20:10, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

VPN service

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I'm going to be travelling and would like to edit Wikipedia using a VPN for better security. I've read a bunch of pages but I'm still not sure if it's allowed or not. Do I need to get special permission from an admin? Are there any VPN services that are either preferred or forbidden? Felsic2 (talk) 21:19, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

  • @Felsic2: you do not need to ask for permission or even to declare this; there is no policy reason to restrict you from editing from multiple IP addresses (well, do not sockpuppet, but that's about it). However, there is a technical issue if the VPN provider's IPs were the source of a lot of abuse. In that case, it could have been hard blocked (meaning even logged-in editors cannot edit through this IP address) and then you will need to ask a block exemption. As I read it you cannot ask for such an exemption preventively; if you know which VPN you will use and are ok with disclosing it, maybe go to WT:IPBE and ask people there if it is hard-blocked. TigraanClick here to contact me 13:52, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
    • Thanks for that info. I don't want to sign up for a VPN that is blocked, and then have to get an exemption, but I guess there isn't any public list of which are OK. I'll ask at WT:IPBE and see if there's any guidance from the admins over there. Felsic2 (talk) 17:41, 3 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Scripps Stations

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4 Journal Stations have switched to Scripps Graphics WTMJ WTVF KTNV and WGBA have switched to them in the past 5 months. But the other 5 Stations KGUN KMTV WSYM WFTX And KIVI have not Switched to the graphics because they still have those stupid Journal Graphics And also Because of those Ray Rice And Adrian Peterson Investigations. And is Acting Lazy Come you 5 Other Stations Get Your Lazy Butts in gear now.68.102.57.28 (talk) 21:57, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

This is the page for help in editing Wikipedia. Your question (should it exist) is not clear. Eagleash (talk) 21:59, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Red name vs blue name

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I am very self-conscious due to the color of my user name. I am aware that users undergo a "color-shift" at some point in their relationship with Wikipedia. What leads to the shift from red to blue?--Quisqualis (talk) 23:45, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Its all up to you. see Wikipedia:How to use your user space......then see Wikipedia:User page design center.--Moxy (talk) 23:49, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]
I am not part of the WP culture, nor do I aspire to be. I searched your cited pages for " red " and "blue " and came up with nothing. I was not asking how to design my signature. What is the significance of the automated change from red signature to blue signature? --Quisqualis (talk) 01:00, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Any link here goes from red to blue when there is an article or page at the other end of that link. So, once you create a user page, your name will change to blue. You don't have to put anything on it. It can be blank. It just has to exist as, at least, a blank page. So, click on your user name, hit save, and your name will henceforth be blue. †dismas†|(talk) 01:03, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, that is a useful explanation.--Quisqualis (talk) 01:10, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict)The red link indicates that your userpage has not been started. If you click on it, it will take you a page where you can provide brief details about yourself and add userboxes etc. relevant to your Wikipedia editing. Editors with a blue link have initiated their userpage, but there is no 'pressure' to do so, it is at the discretion of individual editors. If you click on any of the blue usernames on this page it will take you to that editor's userpage. Eagleash (talk) 01:08, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

IN THE NEWS SECTION

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WHEN TRUMP WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT YOU DID NOT GIVE IT TOP BILLING AND NO PICTURE.....YOU HAD A PICTURE OF A POET WHO DIED....NOW CASTRO DIES AND YOU HAVE THAT KILLERS PICTURE UP FOR A WEEK....IT JUST SHOWS YOU PEOPLE ARE GLOBALSOCIALISTS..(LOOK IT UP)..... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.84.226.148 (talk) 23:57, 30 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

You are wrong. Trump did get top billing, with a picture. Look it up: Wikipedia:Main_Page_history/2016_November_9. -- Ed (Edgar181) 00:05, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Don't you usually tweet when you're upset? Maineartists (talk) 00:45, 1 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]