Wikipedia:New contributors' help page/Archive/2012/July
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July 1
Requests for Feedback
The Requests for Feedback page (referred to in A Primer for Newcomers) is currently inactive. I would like editor feedback about the page I've created in my sandbox. I'm not particularly interested in the live chat through the Teahouse, and it doesn't seem like a Help Desk topic. Will someone out there please provide feedback about my page or redirect me to the best place to obtain feeback? I am concerned about the "category" field in my page because I could not find instructions about how to properly format my chosen category (not in A Primer for Newcomers). I also don't know if you need my username/password to see my page in my sandbox. The name of my page is Transformational author. Thank you so much! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Leftyfatcat (talk • contribs) 19:54, 1 July 2012 (UTC)
- Hi, Leftyfatcat. I've had a look at the article, and as it stands, I'm afraid it is nowhere near ready for mainspace and would certainly be nominated for speedy deletion very quickly if posted there. Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia. It publishes neutral, factual, verifiable articles on subjects that are notable according to its detailed criteria. Your article reads like a marketing brochure for this lady and her business activities, not an encyclopaedia entry. It contains peacock terms like "award-winning", "visionary", "best-selling". It does not assert why the term "transformational author" is notable by Wikipedia's notability criteria. A Google search produces no independent coverage of the term (for example, in journals, newspapers or magazines), and there are absolutely no citations to back up any of the assertions made in the article; just a link to the organisation's own website. It also makes frequent use of the registered trademark symbol, which Wikipedia doesn't use in articles and which tends to be a red flag that this is a promotional piece about a commercial subject. Have you read Wikipedia:Your first article? The guidance there wil help you decide whether you can find sufficient independent evidence to support "Transformational author" as a notable topic for an encyclopaedia article, and, if you feel you can, will guide you in how to present and reference this information to produce an article that will be acceptable in Wikipedia mainspace. Best wishes, Karenjc 21:23, 1 July 2012 (UTC)
Thank you for your very helpful feedback, Karenjc. How did you access my sandbox to read my article? I'm having trouble with the mechanics of that.Leftyfatcat (talk) 15:55, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
- I see an admin has deleted the sandbox article. For future reference, if you have a draft in a user sandbox and you're struggling to access it, just put "User:Your username" into the search box above, top right. The results will be displayed as a clickable list, one of which should be "User:Your username/Your sandboxname". Karenjc 21:53, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
July 2
Is it ok to post debatable, controversial contents on wiki? If so, how to properly post them?
Is it ok to post debatable, controversial contents which might even seem to be opinion on wiki? If so, how to properly post them?TapeSiamVeganBro (talk) 09:10, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
- It depends what you have in mind. We do have articles on notable controversial subjects, such as gun control and capital punishment. These articles attempt to report the controversy in a balanced, non-partisan way, in accordance with our "neutral point of view" policy. Wikipedia is not the right place for partisan articles that only represent one side of a debate, articles based on individual opions, or articles about minority ideas that do not meet our notability benchmark. Gandalf61 (talk) 09:31, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you are considering adding something to an article which you think might be found controversial, it is always worth starting by discussing it on the article's talk page. Also note that other editors are likely to be even more insistent than usual that the material you post is supported by independent reliable sources, and that you are not proposing to post any original research or synthesis of your sources. --ColinFine (talk) 09:44, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
- You've got several problematic elements there. "debatable controversial contents which might even seem to be opinion " means it is unlikely to pass our standards of reliable sources, verifiability and neutral point-of-view; and is likely to contain original research and synthesis. It sounds like the stuff you are describing belongs on a blog or website of your own, and would be unlikely to find a place here in Wikipedia, which does not host such content. --Orange Mike | Talk 14:04, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
sandbox draft gone
The draft of my article seems to be missing from my sandbox. I had asked for feedback, and one person thought the article was deserving of deletion. Could that person have deleted it from my sandbox (or would they have)? If not, is there some trick to retrieving it that I've missed out on? Thank you!Leftyfatcat (talk) 20:55, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
- The sandbox version was totally, pathologically unsalvageable. It was deleted as utter spam. You should start again, following the excellent suggestions given to you above by User:Karenjc, but with our rules about promotion and advertisement and notability in the forefront of your mind. I believe if you do so, you will discover that it is impossible for an article on this topic to be appropriate in Wikipedia. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:32, 2 July 2012 (UTC)
- Thank you, Orange Mike. But can you help me understand what harm it does to have even a pathologically unsalvageble article in one's sandbox? There was formatting/style work in there that I would have liked to have referred to in the future. ThanksLeftyfatcat (talk) 15:28, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
July 3
Uploading an image
I am at a loss for uploading an image to Wikipedia. I shot it myself, and it is relevant to the article. When I go to the image upload page, it says I am not a confirmed user. Help?
Joddem (talk) 15:27, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you are willing to release it under one of the appropriate licences, it would be better to upload it to Commons. See WP:Image tutorial. --ColinFine (talk) 18:11, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
Beatrice Fairfax
Dear Wikipedia, The Beatrice Fairfax page on WP currently redirects to a page on Marjorie Manning, who wrote the very popular Beatrice Fairfax advice column from about 1896-1905, and then again from 1929-1950's. However, the Beatrice Fairfax column was also written by other writers, the most popular of whom was the author Lilian Lauferty (1912-1924, approx.) Nobody now knows who she is. I have a collection of Lilian's archives, including correspondence, photos, and scrapbooks of the column from when it was syndicated by Hearst. It's a great story of the influence of one woman on society, and is far more comprehensive than what's to be found online.
My questions are these: 1. because the Beatrice Fairfax page redirects to another, how do I "reclaim" it and make it more complete? 2. Virtually all the "sources" I would use in an article on Fairfax/Lauferty are primary and do not exist elsewhere for verification; would this mean I have to scan in all the materials & first post them to Wikisource? That would be a daunting task! There are several thousand pages.
I appreciate any help and advice. AbigailBWright (talk) 21:07, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
- I hate to break it to you, but it's even worse than that: if this material you have has not been published in reliable sources with a neutral point-of-view (and the Hearst syndicate is not famous for that), we can't use it at all. Wikipedia is for after somebody becomes notable, not for establishing that they should have been notable. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:15, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
July 4
Talk article not on that subjects Talk page.
Hello Wiki Jungle Dwellers, 9 days ago i posted an entry in "Talk Suzuki Super Carry" but it does not show on the page - at the time of posting i did not have a user name, today i registered (140+SSC). I had bookmarked the page - ( en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Talk:Suzuki_Super_Carry ) and am able to call it up. How do i get my Talk article on the "Talk Suzuki Super Carry" page?
Thank You for your time and knowledge to help a Wiki beginner. 140+SSC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 140+SSC (talk • contribs) 13:30, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
- I think I found your post. There are two different talk pages. One if you go to Suzuki Super Carry and then at the top click on talk, and the other at Talk:Suzuki Super Carry. I think you posted on the second one. The problem is that no one will be looking at the second page. I would recommend you restart the discussion on the other talk page, here is a direct link to that page, Talk:Suzuki Carry. GB fan 13:39, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yes: the problem is that Suzuki Super Carry is only a redirect to Suzuki Carry, so its talk page is of little use. --ColinFine (talk) 14:01, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
- Waaa? theres TWO Talk Pages?! - No wonder i was lost in the Jungle! Now- does anyone know the best way to stick hair back on? :-)) Thank You to "GB fan" and to "ColinFine" for you time and very clear information! - a nice intro for a beginner on Wiki. RESPECT! 140+SSC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 140+SSC (talk • contribs) 12:18, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
doubt about talk page
i want to tell that one wiki article "xyz" was not updated,so i have to use talk page then how to use that talk page of "xyz"? i directly put my question in talk page of "xyz" article or is there any procedure to tell that one wiki article "xyz" was not updated? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ram nareshji (talk • contribs) 14:42, 5 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yes, posting on Talk:xyz to say that part or all of it needs to be updated is helpful. You can also add the tag {{update}} right on the article xyz; and both can be done. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:59, 5 July 2012 (UTC)
can i post matter that what to be updated in "xyz" wiki article in "talk page" of that article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ram nareshji (talk • contribs) 16:32, 5 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yes, absolutely. Talk pages are the right place for proposing and discussing improvements to the article. You can post suggestions for changes or proposed wording on the talk page (although you shouldn't post material that you have copied word-for-word from other websites, even if you are planning to rewrite it before using it in the article). Or, if you are feeling bold, you can go ahead and make your changes directly to the article, remembering to provide a reliable source for your information. If any other editor reverts your changes, or queries them, you can then use the talk page to discuss the wording and try to reach consensus. - Karenjc 21:32, 5 July 2012 (UTC).
But all wikipedia articles contains some other websites links in reference section, but you wrote "not to use website links in wikipedia article" that i cant understand properly. Ram nareshji (talk) 07:48, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
- The policy is explained in WP:EXT: the rules are different for links in cited references and for other links. --ColinFine (talk) 12:07, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
July 6
if i done mistake while editing wikipedia article,what will happen to me?
Ram nareshji (talk) 07:34, 6 July 2012 (UTC) if i done mistake while editing wikipedia article,what will happen to me?
- Nothing. We care about intent. A mistake made in good faith should have no bad consequences. Even intentional vandalism usually only results in a warning to the user depending on the degree of severity. If this is about failing to sign and the reminder you received about that, don't worry about it at all.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 07:42, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
if i done major mistakes while editing wikipedia articles like erasing full article and pasting some other matter, then what will happen to me? Ram nareshji (talk) 07:57, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
- If it's a genuine mistake you will get a warning on your talk page, and maybe some advice about how not to make that mistake again. One of the great things about Wikipedia is that almost all mistakes can be easily fixed by other editors. Of course, if you keep on making the same mistake over and over again, then other editors will assume you either are not listening to advice or are making the "mistakes" intentionally, in which case you may be temporarily blocked from editing. Gandalf61 (talk) 08:08, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
can i use compliment & excuse words in wikipedia talk pages
can i use compliments & excuse words like "thank you","sir","sorry" in wikipedia talk pages? Ram nareshji (talk) 07:54, 6 July 2012 (UTC) or is there any restriction for these words in wikipedia talk pages
- You are welcome to use such words on talk pages, and politeness is always welcome: see WP:Etiquette for general recommendations. In my observation, editors from India and nearby countries are more likely to use such words in writing (especially polite forms of address such as "sir") than writers from other English-speaking areas; but nobody is likely to object to your doing so. --ColinFine (talk) 12:14, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
can i do posting the same question until reply comes in wikipedia talk pages?
Ram nareshji (talk) 08:25, 6 July 2012 (UTC) can i do posting the same question until reply comes in wikipedia talk pages? if the question is asked yesterday there is no reply, then can i post that same question today in wiki talk pages? or otherwise i should wait for the reply?
- No, it is not a good idea to post the same question again. Wait patiently until there is a reply to your question. This may take some time, as Wikipedia editors are all volunteers. As you seem to be asking a lot of good questions about using Wikipedia, you may want to consider finding a Wikipedia mentor who will help you learn your way around - take a look at Wikipedia:Adopt-a-user. Gandalf61 (talk) 09:21, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
Ram nareshji (talk) 10:34, 6 July 2012 (UTC) if my question was not answered for about 3 or 4 weeks ,in these case can i post same question or wait for the reply? if my question was not answered for about 3 or 4 weeks then my question is visible to users or not in Wikipedia:New contributors' help page/questions?
- Questions do get archived (and removed from the page) after a few days, so casual browsers are unlikely to see them thereafter. If your question has been there and unanswered for several days, it is likely that there is nobody who visits the page who has an answer for you. I would say that once your question has been archived, you could ask it a second time, but make it clear that you are doing so in the hope somebody else might notice it; I would advise against asking it a third time. --ColinFine (talk) 12:17, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
Adding a definition of wholism and holism from the www.wholism.org.nz website?
I am patroness of www.wholism.org.nz otherwise known as Wholism for World Peace NZ. I would like to refer people to our definition of wholism and Holism on our website. I placed a definition on the Wikipedia site on holism and after a day was erased though I cited the website by T. Laurence Black as the source. I notice that people googling holism are unlikely to find a website on wholism. I would like to contribute a definition as holism and wholism are very much related. Thanks, Caroline Mabry101.98.174.54 (talk) 08:50, 6 July 2012 (UTC) Guess
- I have only found one recent attempt to introduced "wholism" to the article holism, by User:Huanhoon in February (though there was some discussion on the talk page in 2005). This was unreferenced, and quite properly reverted by User:Pietopper a few hours later with the comment "Removed the introduction of unknown, unreferenced, alternative terminology". The IP address under which you have posted here has made no other edits, so I cannot track down the edit you made.
- In general, please see the explanation of notability in Wikipedia. A topic may have an article only if independent reliable sources have discussed it. If your word has not been so discussed then it may not appear in Wikipedia: see also WP:NEOLOGISM. --ColinFine (talk) 12:39, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
hobson's choice
about 1922 a.d. the British Raj in India was having problems with maintaining Rule. After a riot, a subaltern officer named Hobson was sent to an Indian city in which there had been recently a serious riot against the British occupation, with the express order to arrest a popular young scion of the ruling house and to bring him back to the British Authorities.
The order included the words "alive or dead" and Hobson took these words literally. He took a train to the "offending" city armed only with a revolver and took the princeling into custody. As he and his prisoner boarded the train, the enraged populace attacked it and the young Lieutenant knew his time was up and shot his prisoner before he was killed by the mob. That is Hobson's choice - you will die anyway, but you will die with honour. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.33.7.216 (talk) 22:47, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you can find authoritative independent references to support this anecdote, you are welcome to add it to the encyclopaedia. Karenjc 23:01, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
- That story may or may not be true, but it is clearly not the origin of the phrase Hobson's choice, which is known from 1660. It also does not match the meaning of the phrase. --ColinFine (talk) 23:51, 6 July 2012 (UTC)
July 7
Geoklix
I am a new to drafting article here and got nominated for speedy deletion and now need help.
Helpme template deleted is what is needed, if someone here can help me make this article right, it will be great.
http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Geoklix
- The article Geoklix is currently unambiguously promotional, and has no references that could establish that it is notable. You may contest the speedy deletion by following the link on the page, but you will need to familiarise yourself with the relevant policies first. Please read WP:ORGFAQ.
- (I have removed the helpme template above - if you use that, it should be on your own user talk page; but posting here is just as effective anyway.) --ColinFine (talk) 10:10, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
Adding external links
Hello there, I'm an architectural illustrator with images of various buildings in several countries. The images sit on Panoramio. I've added a few external links to the images as I didn't really understand how to upload an image. I don't wish to upset anybody there or users. Is what I'm doing ok? May I continue? If not, would I be allowed to add watercolour images to the pages themselves? I hope this is ok.
Dave6544 (talk) 15:30, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
- You are welcome to add any relevant images to Wikipedia pages, provided they are either in the public domain, or have been explicit licensed by the copyright owner under one of the licences acceptable to Wikipedia. See WP:Picture Tutorial. I'm not sure about the Panoramio links, but I would think not: see if WP:EXT gives any relevant guidance. --ColinFine (talk) 15:53, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
I can not create a Wikipedia page due to rules in place.
The page I did wanted to create was about "saveNaturefree" an iSafeSite destined to become great news. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.151.82.248 (talk) 16:04, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
- That's fine, please wait until it has become great news, and write an article about it then. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 16:09, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
- Wikipedia is a place for articles about subjects that have already attained notability, not for what you believe to be the next big thing. After all, we cannot foretell the future. --Orange Mike | Talk 23:29, 7 July 2012 (UTC)
July 8
Rob Halprin article references
The above referenced article requires the reference, http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-07-24/features/8703020270_1_air-conditioning-arbors-2-bath-house) after this data: In 1984 he took the helm of a mortgage banking and luxury residential real estate firm headquartered in South Florida.
Also, reference # 2 from Dave Scheiber's 2001 article in the St. Petersburg Times can now only be accessed via the wayback machine at, http://web.archive.org/web/20030630084909/http://www.sptimes.com/News/060101/Floridian/That_girl_can_sing.shtml
Unfortunately, I am fairly new to Wikipedia and are unsure how to make these corrections.
Scott P Soniat (talk) 02:27, 8 July 2012 (UTC)Scott P SoniatScott P Soniat (talk) 02:27, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
- Thanks for asking, Scott. I've done the first one, and if you look at the diff, you can see what I did. The important point is that the references do not go into the "References" section, they go in the section where the number is to appear, between <ref> and </ref>. I've also made use of a citation template {{cite news}}, to get the reference formatted nicely, but that part is optional. See WP:Referencing for beginners for more information. --ColinFine (talk) 13:45, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
MASADA
In the Masada page, you mention that the snake path was built by the Romans. I don't know if anyone created the snake path, but always thought it was natural. The Roman path is the ramp that was built by the Romans on the far side of the mountain.
Thanks, Michelle Schwartz 02:50, 8 July 2012 (UTC)02:50, 8 July 2012 (UTC)02:50, 8 July 2012 (UTC)02:50, 8 July 2012 (UTC)68.33.102.166 (talk)
The misinformation about the Roman ramp is on the page "Battle of Masada." The Masada page seems to be accurate. Thanks, Michelle 02:59, 8 July 2012 (UTC)02:59, 8 July 2012 (UTC)02:59, 8 July 2012 (UTC)68.33.102.166 (talk)
- Merged two consecutive questions into one --ColinFine (talk) 13:54, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
- Thank you: I have removed the claim, as it does not appear to be supported by the source. You could have done this yourself: anybody may remove unreferenced material that they think is wrong. (It's a good idea to leave an edit summary to say what you are doing, so that your edit is not mistaken for vandalism). If the material they want to remove is referenced, they need to be more circumspect and probably discuss it on the talk page. In this case, the sentence had a reference, bu when I looked at the reference, it did not support the clause in question so I removed it. --ColinFine (talk) 13:54, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
history of romania
there is absolutely no mention of the most famous romanian of all.. vlad dracula.. better known as "vlad the impaler", who rose to be the prince of wallachia in the mid 1400's. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.74.152.72 (talk) 11:27, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
- Both Dracula and Vlad the Impaler are mentioned in History of Romania#Middle Ages which also has a photo of his supposed castle. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:35, 8 July 2012 (UTC)
July 9
Can anything be done about hard-to-read tables
On the "vampire traits" page, the tables are very hard to read because they're all very long, have a lot of entries that only mean something with the column header (for example, a lot of the columns are filled with things like "yes", "no", "fatal", et cetera. The "weaknesses" table almost entirely consists of those kinds of entries), and they often have a lot of columns. So it's hard to keep track of whether a particular entry is saying that vampires from that setting are killed by decapitation, drowning, or fire, for example. If there would be any way to, for example, automatically repeat the header every 20 or 30 lines, it would make the tables *so* much easier to read. Or, a way to set them as frames with the header always visible at the top, or whatever, I'm not sure what would be technically easiest. I have an entry in the talk page about this, about halfway down: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Talk:List_of_vampire_traits_in_folklore_and_fiction 72.201.71.196 (talk) 00:42, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
- I agree that this is something which the MediaWiki folks should be working on. I don't have the energy today to look up on the MediaWiki Bugzilla to see if this is a current issue or not, so you can poke around there if you want to make an issue about raising the technical issues that may require a software change to Wikipedia and the underlying MediaWiki software that runs this website and the thousands of other websites which use the MediaWiki software. There is a way to get that to happen in HTML, I just don't know how to get that to happen with the wiki markup language.
- One thing I've done on very large tables like the ones you mention above is to include the table headers on the bottom of the table as well, so you can at least reference the context of each column from more than one place, particularly when the table fills more than a screen full of information. That isn't a perfect solution either, but it does seem to work and something you can experiment with. --Robert Horning (talk) 01:11, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
Is there email or instant messaging through Wikipedia?
Hi, I am wondering whether email or IM are facilitated through the Wikipedia website. So far as I have learned, there is just the User Talk page, which seems impersonal even for the Internet. Are there ways to more easily collaborate with other users instead of trying to use the "Talk" pages? — Preceding unsigned comment added by PatrickCarbone (talk • contribs) 12:38, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
- Go to "My preferences", and the "User profile" tab. There you should find a section on e-mail options. - David Biddulph (talk) 12:42, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
- Thanks David! I have my own profile set to enable emails, but I don't typically see this on other users' profiles when I see who is working on the same article I am. Is there a link or something I'm missing? Anyway, I found the IRC page so that may help. -PWC 13:29, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
- User talk pages work fine. See Help:Using talk pages. See also Wikipedia:Emailing users, but user talk pages are used far more. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:43, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
- Hmm. That's unfortunate - User Talk pages seem a little slow - like trying to use a fax machine when you could use a phone. I think some form of IM would help collaboration at times. I'm new to editing on a regular basis, but I wonder if the Wiki IRC channels might help. -PWC 13:29, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
- There is no requirement to enable e-mail; some folks only want to communicate via their talk page. Some editors are just squeezing in an occasional edit during coffee breaks or while on hold, or on Thursday evenings before their Irish step dance class starts, or whatever; so an IM system would be of little value to them. Given the enormous amount of work that our (mostly volunteer) programmers would have to expend to create something which is not really inherent to the functions of a reference work, I'm afraid we are unlikely to make this an item on the to-do list. IRC channels are a minority taste, and are more suited for multiple-participant discussions rather than one-to-one. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:54, 5 July 2012 (UTC)
- The thing about email or other one-to-one methods of communication between editors is that they circumvent the public record of discussion that is the essence of Wikipedia's collegiate ethos. The article's talk page (and your own, come to that) is a matter of record, and can be accessed and used at any point by any would-be contributor. Take your discussion off-wiki and you may end up with accusations of collusion, cabals, tag-team editing and <insert deity of choice> alone knows what other wiki-dness if you collaborate with someone else to edit anything even remotely contentious, no matter how scrupulously you observe the editing guidelines. And also what Orange Mike said. Karenjc 21:52, 5 July 2012 (UTC)
- The one problem with this notion is that there do exist mailing lists for various projects that you can use to get a faster reply on a particularly burning question. Those mailing lists are preserved as a matter of public record, and something I have used extensively in the past in terms of project governance, forwarding proposals, or even just commenting about a particularly troublesome article that seems to be a bit of a problem. It is disappointing when conversations off-wiki are used to make decisions that impact content or resolving a dispute between editors in some fashion, but that happens too. I am particularly aghast at decisions made on IRC discussions for precisely the reasons you mention (it does happen too) but there are other ways besides talk pages to consider. For general new users questions though (like how do I format a page to make a table or what is the policy on biographies of living people), the IRC channels are an excellent resource filled with very knowledgeable contributors to Wikipedia and it should be encouraged. --Robert Horning (talk) 03:19, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
- Hmm. That's unfortunate - User Talk pages seem a little slow - like trying to use a fax machine when you could use a phone. I think some form of IM would help collaboration at times. I'm new to editing on a regular basis, but I wonder if the Wiki IRC channels might help. -PWC 13:29, 4 July 2012 (UTC)
July 5
Deleting a page
If I create a page about a business, but later want the page deleted because I do not want the business to be exposed, would Wikipedia Admins approve that deletion request?
How hard is it to petition for a page's deletion if you are the creator?
Apennismightier (talk) 20:47, 9 July 2012 (UTC) Apennismightier
- Not if anybody else has done any editing on it. "By clicking the "Save Page" button, you agree to the Terms of Use, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 License and the GFDL." (emphasis added) When you create an article you are asserting that this is a notable topic about which there should be an article in the encyclopedia; if you were trying to publicize something that isn't actually notable, the Wikipedia community may decide that it's not notable, and delete the article; but not "because I do not want the business to be exposed"!!!! --Orange Mike | Talk 21:16, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
- You'll remember that you were told in reply to your previous question that you don't have control of the article. - David Biddulph (talk) 21:33, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
Major Edits to Pages
I am a new Wikipedia user with the intention of making major changes to a page. I was a little confused after reading through the recommended steps to perform these actions and was seeking clarification as to how to implement major changes most respectfully. Please notify me on my talk page. Gbuccinio — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gbuccinio (talk • contribs) 23:32, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
- Replied on talk page of querent. --Orange Mike | Talk 02:16, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
July 10
Forgive me, I can't figure out the talk page
Dear Orange Mike, Thank you for your reply, but I am still in the dark (see your reply below). First: The character "Beatrice Fairfax" was notable, even though she existed only through the several women who assumed her persona. There is a page on Wikipedia for Beatrice, though it redirects to Marjorie Manning, the writer who originated the character but was by no means the only one. Is there a way to keep that BF page from re-directing, add factual information about Lilian Lauferty, who wrote the column for more than ten years, and link it (of course) to Marjorie Manning? Second: the page on Marjorie Manning cites no sources, other than listing some books that she wrote (Lauferty wrote books, too, as well as early radio serials). There is only one article I have ever found on Manning, which was in American Heritage magazine (May/June 1992), which also does not cite sources (it appears that the Wikipedia article is a distillation of the American Heritage article). And both women wrote for the Heart papers -- which were clearly not neutral sources. So why does the article on Manning exist if there are no citations?
I understand Wikipedia's dilemma: if no one has told a story before, then how do we know it's true? I'm aware that knowledge can sometimes become self-referential, and I also know that women's history often resides in the shadows. I'm scratching my head over this one.
Dear Wikipedia, The Beatrice Fairfax page on WP currently redirects to a page on Marjorie Manning, who wrote the very popular Beatrice Fairfax advice column from about 1896-1905, and then again from 1929-1950's. However, the Beatrice Fairfax column was also written by other writers, the most popular of whom was the author Lilian Lauferty (1912-1924, approx.) Nobody now knows who she is. I have a collection of Lilian's archives, including correspondence, photos, and scrapbooks of the column from when it was syndicated by Hearst. It's a great story of the influence of one woman on society, and is far more comprehensive than what's to be found online. My questions are these: 1. because the Beatrice Fairfax page redirects to another, how do I "reclaim" it and make it more complete? 2. Virtually all the "sources" I would use in an article on Fairfax/Lauferty are primary and do not exist elsewhere for verification; would this mean I have to scan in all the materials & first post them to Wikisource? That would be a daunting task! There are several thousand pages. I appreciate any help and advice. AbigailBWright (talk) 21:07, 3 July 2012 (UTC) I hate to break it to you, but it's even worse than that: if this material you have has not been published in reliable sources with a neutral point-of-view (and the Hearst syndicate is not famous for that), we can't use it at all. Wikipedia is for after somebody becomes notable, not for establishing that they should have been notable. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:15, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
AbigailBWright (talk) 22:29, 9 July 2012 (UTC)
- 1 Yes, the Beatrice Fairfax page could be changed from a redirect into an article. The best way to do this would be to draft an article about the Beatrice Fairfax persona in your userspace, seek feedback on it, and, if it fulfilled the criteria for an article, then move it onto the Beatrice Fairfax page, replacing the code that currently redirects it. Such a page could mention Manning, Lauferty and any other writers of the column, provided there was a verifiable, non-primary source to confirm that they were indeed "Beatrice Fairfax". It could link to any article(s) about those individuals that currently exist or may later be written. But each of those articles in turn would have to assert the notability of its subject, and support that assertion with citations from verifiable sources.
- 2 Orange Mike's very understandable caution is based on your statement that virtually all your sources for such an article are primary and unpublished. Wikipedia articles cannot use unpublished primary sources like letters or diaries to support assertions or claims of notability. Period. But if your archive contains (for example) clippings from published works like magazines or newspapers, you can still cite these works even if there is no image of them online. It is harder to establish notability when sources are scarce or hard to access, but it is not necessarily impossible. Mike's central points - that Wikipedia cannot be used to make a non-notable subject notable, and that it does not publish original research - are 100% correct.
- 3 The Marie Manning article is indeed insufficiently referenced and I will tag it as such (and try to find some citations for it when I have the time). But see WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS - the argument that just because article A is inadequate, an inadequate article B should be permitted, is not accepted on Wikipedia,, where articles must stand on their own merits or risk a deletion nomination from a passing editor at any time. The Manning article includes several assertions that would make Manning notable by Wikipedia standards if true, and the Gutenberg link supports her status as a published author in her own right, so it is probably safe from speedy deletion at least, even if it's weak.
- If you want to try drafting an article, you can do so at User:AbigailBWright/Sandbox or a similar title. Don't hesitate to ask for help. Best wishes, Karenjc 14:42, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
MADE A CORRECTION FOR COPYRIGHT DATE ON MY OWN FILM AND NOW IT IS ENTIRELY GONE !
Moxy (talk) 17:49, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
Hi, I am confounded at how to use this and am not that tech savy. I am the producer of a video that was listed on this site and the copyright date was wrong. http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Residential_schools so i tried to put the correct date and move it . It is now entirely gone from the page. Can anyone help correct this?
It was in the Portrayals in film section and it had said title Sleeping Children Awake 1993, I had corrected it to 1992. and tried to move it up one place in the box. Now it is completely gone. I dont know how to fix this! It was my first time trying to use wikipedia. Please help! Thanks so much Wikibirdy (talk) 17:44, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
- Fixed see here - was just an extra dash.Moxy (talk) 17:48, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
Bobby Rush
An article about Bobby Rush quoted Wikipedia as its source for information about Bobby, this note is to clear up the part about where Bobby is from; he is actually from Haynesville, Louisiana, his family lived in the rural and had a Homer mail route at that time, similar situations still exist even today. Therefore, as a favor to all of us in Haynesville, please correct this information. Thanks so much! Sherman Brown, Mayor Town of Haynesville, LA <redacted> The end — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.72.188.94 (talk) 18:43, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
- You need to post this at Talk:Bobby Rush, not here. --Orange Mike | Talk 19:00, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
July 11
adding a picture
How can I add a photo to Pat Stanley's Wikipedia Bio? 75.164.222.207 (talk) 01:03, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
- If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add
[[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text.]]
to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacingFile name.jpg
with the actual file name of the image, andCaption text
with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:17, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
ماهو اعتكاف القلب الاعتكاف ؟
اعتكاف القلب
يعتكف القلب كما يعتكف الجسد
وإذا كان الاعتكاف معناه الظاهري هو المكث
في المسجد زمنا لا يبرحه مع النية
فإن معناه الباطني أن يمكث القلب
مستأنسًا بربه لا يلتفت إلى غيره .
ما أحوجك يا قلب إلى ربك ومولاك !!
لطالما اعتكفت على الدنيا حتى كدت تهلك!!
اعتكفت على المال مفكرا في جمعه
وكنزه فتعبت وأتعبت وما حصلت ما تريد.
اعتكفت على الجاه متطلعا إليه
باذلا كل جهد للوصول إليه!
فكان ماذا ؟
فكان الذل والهوان إذ لم تحصله
أو كان الفخر والاستكبار إذانلت بغيتك.
اعتكفت على الشهوات ليلاً ونهارًا!!
فنظرت إلى ما اشتهيت ومن اشتهيت
وشربت ما اشتهيت, وأكلت ما اشتهيت,
وذهبت كما اشتهيت, وصاحبت من اشتهيت
ورجوت وتمنيت, وحلمت ورأيت
وخطوت وأتيت.ثم ماذا بعد يا قلب! لقد جربت كل عكوف وسلكت كل سبيل في الدنيا أتراك سعدت ؟!! كلا !! ما أراك سعدت !! بل ما جنيت إلا التيه والحيرة والشقاء والذل والتعاسة والضنك !!! اسمع يا قلب !! أنا سأدلك على السعادة والسرور والأمل والعز والرشاد والراحة والصفاء,على الحياة الحقيقية. إنها مع الله لا حياة للقلب إلا مع الله لا سعادة حقيقية إلا مع الله حسبك فقط أن تفعل كما كان يفعل حبيبك محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم فادخل المسجد واترك الدنيا كلها في الليالي العشر الأخيرة من رمضان وعد نفسك كأنك لست من أهلها, ولازم باب ربك وقم بين يديك واشك إليه وتذلل لديه وأحضر قلبك وروحك وعقلك وفكرك وسمعك وبصرك وكل جوارحك, واطرق بابه ولازم أعتابه وابك له بكاء صبي غاضب أمه فتركها وهو يظن أنه يستطيع العيش بدونها فلم يستطع فعاد إلى باب أمه واضعا خده على عتبة بابها باكيا ذليلا لتفتح له
وناج يا قلب ربك وقل : عبدك قـد أتـــــاك و قد أساءو قد هفا يكفيه منك حـــياؤه من سوء ما قدأسلفا حمل الذنوب على الذنوب الموبقات وأسرفا و قد استجار بعفـــوك من عــقابك ملحفا رب اعف عنه و عافه فأنت أولى منعفا ولن تخسر شيئا بل ستكسب كل شيء وسيفتح لك الباب فهو أكرم الأكرمين وأرحم الراحمين رب اغفر وارحم وتجاوز عما تعلم إنك أنت الأعز الأكرم
http://www.msha3ry.com/vb/ <a href="http://www.msha3ry.com/vb/">منتديات</a> <a href="http://www.msha3ry.com/vb/" class="external">http://www.msha3ry.com/vb/</a>
- Do you have a question about using the English-language Wikipedia? According to Google Translate, this seems to be a poem or sermon. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:20, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
Request for feedback
I wrote an article and would like feedback from an editor before going live. It's in my sandbox. Thank you! LeftyfatcatLeftyfatcat (talk) 15:00, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
- That is not an article, it is an advertisement for an obscure author's book and seminars. If it were put into article space, it would be deleted immediately, both because it is an advertisement and because it has no substantive content. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:14, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
?autobiographical
the email you sent me says that you discourage autobiographical material,,,,but i did not put anything up. how can i resolve this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shelley hirsch (talk • contribs) 20:08, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
- You yourself posted, "someone had created a wikipedia page for me and i suggested that there needed to be more info. now it appears that the whole page is deleted. i would like to keep up what was there until i make changes" So apparently you first had somebody create a page for you, then you proposed to edit yourself. That's presumably why the warning about autobiography was proffered (was it actually e-mailed?). --Orange Mike | Talk 20:35, 11 July 2012 (UTC)
July 12
Interpretation of Oughterlony's technique
For example, Ag A contains two epitopes so called X and Y while Ag B contains epitope Z, if both Ags react with the mixed Ab which contains anti-X, anti-Y and anti-Z, the result should come out without any relationship (of identity, partial identity or non identity). Is that right? I think this technique was created before immunologist really understand about antigenic determinants. It originally is for study the relationship of each class of antibody. We should make it correct110.164.187.222 (talk) 06:48, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
- Please post the exact title of pages you refer to. Is this about Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion? Wikipedia has around four million articles and this seems to require specialist knowledge. You can try posting to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:14, 10 July 2012 (UTC)
- As explained at Precipitin, the antigen must be multivalent - if there's just one epitope per antigen, then it will react with an antibody, but it won't form a large gel-like complex; you'll have two dead-end epitopes stuck to one monomer antibody (four to IgE, ten to IgM - see antibody. I think F(ab')2 fragments are OK, but don't try to use Fab fragments. ;) ). Antibodies and antigens will ignore those that are not matches, so if you have two unrelated multivalent antigens, each should find its own favorite antibodies and form complexes with them somewhere or other, but ignore the other antibodies. That means that you could have multiple white lines, or even white lines crossing one another. Mix in a little bit of the right fluorescent antibody (or apply it to the gel afterward) and you could mark which is which in pretty colors if you want. Wnt (talk) 13:38, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
I am not very certain that I got the clear answer, so please let me do this again. Besides identity, non indentity and partial identity, the precipitin line(s) should come out also with another one, which might be called unrelated precipitin line. This can happen if the two antigens do not have any common epitope(s) (as shown in the picture).
Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to attach the picture that I draw to you. Anyhow, if the two Ags, one contains epitope A and B and the other one has epitope C and D, react against anti-A, anti-B, anti-C and anti-D, what should the result be?
Copy at en.wikipedia.g-webs.com
This section has been blanked as a courtesy. |
Royal Society of Canada
Hi there, I am updating the Wikipedia page for the Royal Society of Canada in English and French, and I am having issues with the Infobox on the right hand side of the page. I understand that there are certain templates available to use, however I am not able to make the French Infobox match the English box in terms of content, image size etc. If someone could have a look at the following two pages, and let me know how I can modify the French Infobox so that it is the same as the English I would greatly appreciate it: http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Royal_Society_of_Canada, http://fr.wiki.x.io/wiki/Société_royale_du_Canada
I would also like to make the red organization chart on the French page, the same size as on the English page.
Thank you very much. Jorden — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.209.146.42 (talk) 15:55, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
- Royal Society of Canada (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
- fr:Société royale du Canada
- Each language-specific project has its own standards for formatting and such like, so you'll have to work with what the two projects provide. The documentation pages for the two infoboxes are at Template:Infobox organization/doc and fr:Modèle:Infobox Société/Documentation. The size of the organization chart is set to 800 pixels in the English article - can you see
|800px|
there? The same syntax should work in the French article.
- I note, however, that large parts of the English-language article do not cite any reliable sources to explain where the information is coming from. This is an important principle at Wikipedia, as it allows readers to check for themselves, at least in theory, that the information is correct. Any editor is permitted to delete material that has no source. -- John of Reading (talk) 16:33, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
Picture
I want to add an image to the Slum Village page but I do not know how. This is the image I want to add. How do you put an image on a wiki page?
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lj3jl6nFcu1qea4izo1_500.jpg
128.104.74.182 (talk) 15:23, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
- For general advice see Wikipedia:Uploading images and Wikipedia:Picture tutorial. But this image is clearly a professionally-shot picture, and its copyright is almost certainly owned by the group or by the photographer. It therefore cannot be used in the Wikipedia article. -- John of Reading (talk) 15:34, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
Seconddaughter/Cynthia Gooding
I am very frustrated trying to get a page about my mother onto this site. She was very influential in the folk music scene in the late 50's and early 60's, recording about a dozen albums. I know that there are other people who would be interested in contributing to an article about her. The one I wrote is mostly from personal experience, and I do not know how to cite that. Perhaps someone can help me get this thing published?Seconddaughter (talk) 18:24, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
- 1. Personal experience is not verifiable, and thus has no place here.
- 2. Your severe conflict of interest suggests that you would be the least appropriate person to create an article about Cynthia Gooding here.
- 3: There is a process here to request the creation of an article, but it does have a very severe backlog. --Orange Mike | Talk 20:00, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
- Your attempt at an article is still at WT:Articles for creation/Cynthia Gooding, but as you realise, it was declined because it has few references. As Mike says personal knowledge is not acceptable in Wikipedia articles unless backed up by reliable published references. The main thing that would make the article stick is if you could find some published references that supported more of the information in the article, and convert the existing references to inline citations: see WP:Referencing for beginners. The issue of conflict of interest is significant, but not insurmountable: if you can find the references there may well be people who would be interest in working on the article with you. --ColinFine (talk) 23:05, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
- Worse, it's a copyvio cut and paste of [1]. Dru of Id (talk) 23:47, 12 July 2012 (UTC)
July 13
Translation of a German article to English
Hi,
I have been asked to translate an article about a company from German to English, this article in question is: http://de.wiki.x.io/wiki/Holidaycheck
But When I try to access the English version ( http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Holidaycheck )
it states that:
" This page has been deleted. The deletion and move log for the page are provided below for reference.
17:58, 9 June 2009 Balloonman (talk | contribs) deleted page Holidaycheck (A7: No indication that the article may meet guidelines for inclusion) "
The user "Balloonman" is retired and I do not know who the author of the initial page is. How would I go about translating the .de article into English? how do I find out why exactly the last article was blocked so that I do not commit the same mistake as the other user? I hope you can help me in this matter and I hope you understand that I am indeed a "newb" in relation to wiki's. But I really want to learn more.
Kind Regards,
Flavio Longato — Preceding unsigned comment added by Flaviolongato (talk • contribs) 10:52, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
- I have emailed the content of the deleted article which was written by User:Meparry1974. See Wikipedia:Notability (organizations and companies) for requirements which may be different from the German Wikipedia. See also Wikipedia:Translation#How to translate. And see Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations. If you were asked to translate it then I guess you have a conflict of interest so I suggest you use Wikipedia:Article wizard and submit it for review. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:07, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
adding a tag to a picture
How does one "add a tag"? I tried to add a drawing to wiki commons and got a message saying that it needs a 'tag' to say about the copyright. I would like to tag it as creative commons but I do not see how to add a tag. Please tell me how to add a tag. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Khaydock (talk • contribs) 16:53, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
- Look at WP:TAGS. However, since you mention Commons, Commons:Copyright tags may be what you want.Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:04, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
Vijaylh
Check — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.154.119.195 (talk) 18:31, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
- Do you have a question about using or editing Wikipedia? -- John of Reading (talk) 20:14, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
Question regarding review of Flavorus article
Hello, the article submitted came back with a review that the citations and references were not verifiable. Is there any way to find out which exact references in the article were not verifiable? Thank you. FlavorusSunshine2808 (talk) 20:44, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
- Well, none of the links in WT:Articles for creation/Flavorus is formatted as a citation, which makes them harder to evaluate; but looking at them, it appears that none of them is independent, apart from 7-9, which are all about rival systems. Therefore, to quote WP:ORG, the article does not show that Flavorus "has been the subject of significant coverage in reliable, independent secondary sources". This is not saying that it is not notable: it is saying that the current article does nothing to establish that it is notable, and without that an article is liable to be deleted.
- If you want to make the article suitable for Wikipedia, you need to find those independent sources which have talked non-trivially about the company or system. You also need to reference them properly: see WP:Referencing for beginners. --ColinFine (talk) 21:47, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
July 14
You seem to miss a reference to Anna Constantia von Cosel. You could use: Dieter Nadolski: Wahre Geschichten um Grafin Cosel. Tauchauer Verlag 2005
ããä — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.60.49.216 (talk) 09:14, 14 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you can improve an article, you are welcome to be bold and edit the article; or if you are not confident in doing so, to make a suggestion on its talk page. --ColinFine (talk) 09:59, 14 July 2012 (UTC)
BOBBY VALANTINO ZOE
<<copy+pasted draft article text removed>>
- The draft article is at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Liberian International Actor Bobby Valantino Zoe Mini Biography and is in the queue waiting to be reviewed. There is no need to post it here. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:53, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
how to add a picture in my created amrita raichand
please help to answer the question above — Preceding unsigned comment added by Yatharth Vohra (talk • contribs) 16:38, 14 July 2012 (UTC)
- Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL
- The article Amrita Raichand has been deleted: "No explanation of the subject's significance". Since there does appear to be some press coverage of this person, I suggest you try again using the Article wizard and select the option to submit the article for review. Take care to cite the press coverage so that the reviewer can see that the person is notable by Wikipedia standards.
- Adding a picture can come later. Most pictures of her that you find on the Internet will be copyright, and therefore unsuitable for use at Wikipedia. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:49, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
investments
i am 90 years old have xtra cash which i do not need have invested in callable c d at 3%interest am i correct in my thinking here when i pass away (dont have much of a future) the initial investment will go to beneificiary or estate .in the meantime i can enjoy my 3%return . any reply is appreciated!! bert daniels — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.242.60.99 (talk) 19:27, 14 July 2012 (UTC)
- Hi, if you want the Wikimedia Foundation (which runs Wikipedia) to benefit from your extra cash, you can donate at http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Fundraising
- For other questions about financial matters, you might be better off asking at the Reference Desk. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 19:33, 14 July 2012 (UTC)
- But they won't provide legal advice, which I think your question might count as. You would do better to consult a professional advisor in whatever country you are in. --ColinFine (talk) 17:37, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
July 15
Just got a message
Hi, just recieved a message saying that I edited an article about Tilda Swinton. To my knowledge I've never been on that page or edited it. The only things I have edited are regards to Super Rugby articles, updating them. I'll do my best to make sure that the formats work better, but other articled I haven't knowingly edited, so if you could check the IP address is correct for this and offer a date that it was edited, that would be great.
Cheers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.88.217.149 (talk) 15:06, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
- The message on your talk page was left on 8 December 2009. It's likely that your IP address was assigned to some other customer of your ISP at the time, and the edit was not made by you.
- Creating an account - WP:ACCOUNT - is the easiest way to avoid seeing messages that are unrelated to you, and only related to your IP address.
- If you are sure you were using the same IP address in December 2009, then the edit was probably made by someone else using your internet connection. Securing any wireless access points with a password, and making use of Parental controls to prevent your parents from accessing any websites that you do not deem appropriate for them, would be possible ways of dealing with this. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 15:15, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
Question about "Edit conflict" message
Hi, I'm new here so I apologise if this question has been asked&answered before, but I couldn't find an answer to it from the FAQ, and due to being a new user, am unsure where to look for an answer. My problem is that for the past couple of weeks, every time I try to edit an article, I get an "Edit conflict" message. I think I understand what an edit conflict is, but I'm puzzled why the message shows up as the pages I have been editing do not, to my knowledge, have heavy 'editing traffic' and when I check the history of the page, there is no sign of anybody else editing at the same time. I often get this message over and over again when trying to edit a page, and often have to just give up on submitting my edits – yet when I go and check the page, my new edits, which according to that Edit conflict message should not be there, have been added to the article. Interestingly, I also get this message when editing my own sandbox, which I had never used before last week and which is not used by anybody else, at least to my knowledge. Is this normal?TrueHeartSusie3 (talk) 20:01, 15 July 2012 (UTC)TrueHeartSusie3
- Other users have reported this; there is an old discussion at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)/Archive 95#False edit conflicts 2. I don't know the answer. The experts in this sort of thing will probably need to know your browser name and version, and whether you are working on a Mac or a PC. -- John of Reading (talk) 20:20, 15 July 2012 (UTC)
July 16
Is it better to add more, or less, when planning multiple edits to an article?
Hi!
Where I live, we're experiencing a lot of electrical storms and have frequent, if brief, power outages.
My preference, in editing an article, would be to undertake a series of edits, from punctuation to citations, all at once. Yet this can take time, and twice already I've seen my computer "die" and then had to remember and re-enter the information.
Of course, I've learned now to copy my changes into a Word doc which is quickly saved.
The real question is: Do the WP community members who overlook others' edits mind if I make, say, ten small changes, rather than one large one? Does anyone care?
I did search, but could not find if this has already been covered. Thanks! FiverFan65 (talk) 05:08, 16 July 2012 (UTC)FiverFan65
- I don't think that anyone could object to ten small edits, especially if they each have an edit summary. Anyone reviewing the history will quickly see what you were doing. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:07, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
- Note however that Help:Show preview says: "Saving the same article a large number of times in quick succession makes it harder for people to check what changed, and clogs up the page history." I have posted {{Uw-preview}} to a couple of users but not when it was only ten edits. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:46, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
inserting or uploading an image in article
Please tell me how to insert or upload an image in to article while creating an article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Aswanibhupathi (talk • contribs) 06:20, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
- Aarigapudi Ramesh Choudhary (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
- For images the pages you need are Wikipedia:Uploading images and then the Wikipedia:Picture tutorial. However, your first concern should be to add reliable sources to the article, as explained in the large red box there. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:58, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
Account Inquiry
An employee, no longer with my company, filed an application for the company to have a Wiki page. I would like to check the status of this application. Is there an email address available for such inquiries? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.166.125.185 (talk) 15:29, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
- Are you talking about Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Avedro? GB fan 15:32, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
- It should be noted that companies don't have pages in Wikipedia. There are many articles about notable companies in Wikipedia; but those companies have no control over the articles (just as, say, Angela Merkel has no control over the article on herself). By definition, nobody "owns" an article here; and indeed, your company would be very strongly discouraged from editing an article about itself, or paying somebody to do so. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:56, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
Villages/Chikri
Please add 'CHIKRI' in the list of villages of Zafarwal distt Narowal Pakistan — Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.194.24.162 (talk) 20:05, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
- I guess you are talking about the unreferenced list of villages near Zafarwal You are welcome to edit the article if you can improve it; but it would improve it much more if you were to add some references to reliable sources, as at present the reader has no way of knowing whether the information in the article is reliable or not. --ColinFine (talk) 21:38, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
sandbox?
what's a sandbox? and how can u talk to other people on wikipedia? thanks ;) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Crazycoolbff (talk • contribs) 20:46, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
- A sandbox is a page which is used for temporary editing and trying things out. The Wikipedia sandbox WP:Sandbox is a shared page that anybody may use to experiment with editing: it gets emptied regularly. A user sandbox is a page in your user space (which might be called User:Crazycoolbff/sandbox or User:Crazycoolbff/Title of article I want to write - the second link shows up in red because that page doesn't exist at present) where you are developing an article. Others can still see your sandbox, but by custom others won't normally edit it unless you invite them to, or unless they see a serious problem such as copyright violation or breaches of the policy on biography of living people. See WP:Tutorial for more information.
- However, what you have put in your sandbox is not appropriate to any page on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a social networking site. It is acceptable to post some information about yourself on your user page, or a subpage of your user page; but that should be mostly about what you are doing to improve Wikipedia, not other chitchat.
- You talk to other people the way you have here - by asking questions on a talk page or various project pages. But again, this should be about Wikipedia articles, or (at the reference desk) asking factual questions. Social chitchat is not appropriate. --ColinFine (talk) 21:49, 16 July 2012 (UTC)
July 17
Images not showing
Hi
I have an article that I want to add images for in my sandbox. I uploaded the files and they are currently in "Commons". How do I get them linked to the main article when the images are still in sandbox?
Please help?
--Zonkelnut (talk) 06:47, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- As far as I can see, you have uploaded only one image to commons (log), File:Open Data Quality Management Framework.png. It is not displayed in your sandbox because none of the "File" markup there mentions that image name.
- I'm sorry to say that your sandbox, User:Zonkelnut/sandbox, is very unlikely to be accepted as a Wikipedia article. A Wikipedia article should summarise information that has already been published in reliable sources such as books, journals and news reports, and it should refer back to those sources so that readers can check the sources for themselves. In contrast, your text appears to be an original essay on the subject. In addition, Wikipedia already has several articles on various aspects of data quality. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:24, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
Shared sandbox
Can more than one person share the same sandbox using different computers?--Jeffersonian.Notation (talk) 13:32, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yes. You have created User:Jeffersonian.Notation/sandbox. If anyone types "User:Jeffersonian.Notation/sandbox" into the Wikipedia search box they will find that page and will be able to edit it; or you can send them the URL of the page. Each person should have their own Wikipedia account, as the rule here is that accounts cannot be shared. Welcome to Wikipedia, by the way - I'll leave you some introductory links on your talk page. -- John of Reading (talk) 13:59, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
how do I add an image that is not on wikipedia?
How do I add an image that is not on wikipedia?--Jeffersonian.Notation (talk) 15:01, 17 July 2012 (UTC)jeffersonian.notation
- An image must be uploaded to Wikipedia or (preferably) to Wikimedia Commons - but you need to make sure that the copyright status is appropriate. An image you found on the internet is not acceptable, unless it explicitly says it is public domain, or licensed under an acceptable licence, or you get the copyright owner to explicitly license it. See WP:Picture tutorial. --ColinFine (talk) 15:10, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
Publishing my wiki page
I have updated my wiki page based on the feedback I received from the Wiki team. However, I don't know if they approved the changes and my page is not published. How do I resubmit the page to be approved by the Wiki team or find out if it is still under review? Steve Sfleming777 (talk) 15:59, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- You just need to add {{subst:submit}} to the top of the page. Mdann52 (talk) 16:00, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
TV receiving sets
Dear Sirs and Madams, Thank-you very much for your excellent ten page list of the 'television receiving set' manufacturers. It is a list I have important use of. I know of three manufacturers of TV sets that are not (not yet) in your list.
1. Barlow Wadley...a South african Firm 2. Electrohome.....a Canadian Firm 3. Hallicrafters...a USA firm
Thanks again Dan Mills — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.183.214.173 (talk) 18:44, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- The string 'television receiving set' doesn't occur in Wikipedia according to searches. Please link the page you refer to. We have over four million pages. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:47, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- But list articles in Wikipedia are not usually comprehensive, nor are they intended to be. They should contain only items which have, or could have, articles of their own in Wikipedia, that is to say, items which are notable by Wikipedia's standards. We already have articles Electrohome and Hallicrafters (though both are woefully short of inline references), so these could be added to the list; but there is currently no article on Barlow Wadley. If you think that Barlow Wadley meets the notability criteria, you could write an article or request one. --ColinFine (talk) 22:16, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
Why is this flagged as politically biased?
This article seems very fair to me. It is about a Democratic president and his New Deal policies, so we might expect it to say more about Democratic programs than Republican ones. It also gives a broad overview of the 1930s, including opposition by conservatives to the President's ideas, which is fair enough. I also found it very helpful and informative for my research. ~Helen Gordon — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.191.90.192 (talk) 19:02, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- What article are you talking about? We have over four million now. --Orange Mike | Talk 19:18, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- It would appear to be New Deal. There does seem to have been some to-ing and fro-ing over the tags. - Karenjc 22:37, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
How to Remove "too promotional" Warning from Main Page
Hello - I intend to work on a page that is (rightfully) flagged as promotional and reading like an advertisement. Once I make the changes to improve the content, how do I get the warnings removed? Is there some editorial body that reviews the content and determines if it properly written and deserves to have the warning removed? If so, how do I bring the edited page to their attention? If not, what is the process?
A second question: How are these warnings assigned to a page in the first place? Can any individual put them there, as a regular edit, or - again, must there be a consensus, or - again - is there some sort of editorial body that makes these determinations?
These is probably a really silly questions, but I am new to Wikipedia. Searching the FAQs, I was able to find a bunch of stuff about removing warnings from the Talk page, but nothing about warnings on the Main page or the origin of the warnings.
Many thanks in advance!
-Jennifer — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jlankheim (talk • contribs) 22:51, 17 July 2012 (UTC)
- It's not a silly question: anybody may add or remove these tags if they think that is appropriate. If you think it might be controversial to add or remove one (or make any other edit), it's worth discussing it on the article's talk page. --ColinFine (talk)
- There's more information at Wikipedia:Template messages. - Karenjc 08:42, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
July 18
WHY INDIA IS NOT LISTED IN LCI'S COUNTRYWIDE LIST .
WHY INDIA IS NOT LISTED IN LCI'S COUNTRYWIDE LIST WHEN STARTED.
PLEASE HIGHLIGHTIF IT IS NOT THERE.
SADAGOPAN — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.213.244.25 (talk) 10:17, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
- Calm down, man... Wikipedia is a fair place. Let me know what the page you saw.--Yodamgod (talk) 10:47, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
- Yodamgod's reply might not be clear to you: writing in CAPITALS is regarded as SHOUTING, which was why Yodamgod said "calm down". But I also have no idea which Wikipedia page (of our four million pages) you are talking about. --ColinFine (talk) 10:56, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
Removed Content
Paysach Krohn (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
I added a piece of information to the page for "Peysach Krohn." My addition was removed for lack of proper sourcing. My sources are first hand and not written or quoted anywhere. It would violate privacy to cite the names of people involved. How do I get around this issue? Thank you.
Dzyskind (talk) 15:54, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
- The only way to add that kind of information is to find reliable sources that discuss it. Without reliable sources that information does not belong in the article. GB fan 16:38, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
- See Wikipedia:No original research for the rationale behind this. Looking at the edits you made to the article, I'm afraid they were most certainly in breach of that policy and also the rules at Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons.- Karenjc 18:12, 18 July 2012 (UTC)
- If your information was studied on somewhere(ex:Book, Web, etc...), you can cite that on your information. Wikipedia is on internet and so big, some restriction exists for editing. Citing is helpful for avoiding the editing conflicts. --Yodamgod (talk) 03:33, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
July 19
Fixing a dead link
Hello,
I'm a n00b therefore pardon me if this is a stupid question.
I have found on a page a link which has been marked as broken. I have found the link in the archives and want to update it. Please let me know the steps I should take to add the live link and remove the dead link report.
Thanks and Regards, Pali Madra — Preceding unsigned comment added by Palimadra (talk • contribs) 10:51, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- Ok. This page can help you. 'Linking' and 'Citing' --Yodamgod (talk) 11:07, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- I see you have edited Parveen Babi since posting here. Please don't remove {{dead link}} without fixing that occurrence of the link. I have fixed it.[2] Does that resolve your problem? PrimeHunter (talk) 11:13, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
Photo
How do you put pictures in the editing section? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tonylennox (talk • contribs) 13:58, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
- If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add
[[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text.]]
to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacingFile name.jpg
with the actual file name of the image, andCaption text
with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:32, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
Cleaning up page
I recently cleaned up information from a page for a company I am associated with, removing false information. I do not wish to add or adjust anything further, but would like to have the notices at the top removed. How can get the page in good standing? Also, as information and figures change in the future, what is the best way to get that updated without violating rules? Thank you!
Kelliwalter (talk) 19:57, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- Thanks for asking. Normally, anybody who thinks the issue in a tag has been addressed may remove the tag, but because of your conflict of interest it is best that you don't: put a message on the article's talk page explaining what you have done and asking for the tags to be removed. There doesn't seem to be much traffic on Talk:Itex Corporation, so it might be best to go to one of the portals mentioned in the notices and ask there.
- For general information about how to proceeed in your situation, read WP:COI. --ColinFine (talk) 22:41, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
Little Matey
Mason Harley Frazier was born August 30, 2000 is a American singer-songwriter, — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.192.191.156 (talk) 20:48, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- That's nice. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:00, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- Is there a Wikipedia page you want to add some information to? Have you a reliable source for the information? If so, you can edit the article to add the information, with a citation to the source. If you don't feel confident in doing this, the article will have a talk page, where you can suggest the change you would like to see in the article. --ColinFine (talk) 22:44, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
Entropy
I can't understand this statement in the article about entropy : ....an air conditioner can reduce the entropy of air in a room ..... In fact the lower the temperature, the higher the entropy. Therefore this statement makes no sense. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 123.211.169.126 (talk) 22:02, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- In a closed environment of constant volume, entropy will generally increase with temperature, although there are special quantum situations where that is not the case (the inside of your house is not one of them). If you want to go further into this, you can ask at the science desk. Someguy1221 (talk) 22:08, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
Incorrect re-direct
I typed the address LauraLind.com. It is the site for Laura Lind who is a musician. Instead of going to her music site it went directly to the "Personality Disorders" page. What can be done about this? It seems obvious that this was done deliberately as harassment. Matildatwerp (talk) 22:56, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
- Wikipedia can't edit the code of other people's websites. I can see the problem you mean, and I agree it's probably deliberate and malicious, but if someone has added script to www.lauralind.com to send visitors to a Wikipedia page instead, that's a matter for the webmaster of www.lauralind.com. Wikipedia can't fix the redirect from this end. - Karenjc 23:17, 19 July 2012 (UTC)
July 20
Mobile maon page layout
I would like to siscuss the layout of the mobile main page. Where would this discussion take place? — Preceding unsigned comment added by NittOK (talk • contribs) 13:39, 20 July 2012 (UTC)
- I'm going to suggest WP:VPT since you mention "mobile".— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 19:51, 20 July 2012 (UTC)
Someone keeps on undoing my edits on an article
I recently made changes to this article, Kara (band), because the group's opening paragraph was too long compared to articles like Girls' Generation and Destiny's Child that are good examples. But then someone changed it back. I tried to work through it once more but the user just reverted it back to his/her own version again. I want the article to have the green cross(good article) status that's why. Masterpeace3 (talk) 23:58, 20 July 2012 (UTC)
- The other editor to the article is Applesaregoo444 (talk · contribs). Try discussing it with them. Someguy1221 (talk) 00:00, 21 July 2012 (UTC)
- I realize that sometimes trying to collaborate on developing Wikipedia articles is for some people a new experience. Thank you for at least trying to work on a particular article that holds your interest, and know that your efforts to edit the article are not completely unrewarded even if at the moment they seem to be. There are general principles like article ownership and edit warring that you need to be aware of. Discussion is generally the solution to these problems, although if you feel like you are being bullied about your participation on a particular article and have tried discussion as an approach that is getting you nowhere, you can do things like request assistance from the project administrators or even visit the Village Pump and make a general plea to the larger Wikipedia community. In general though, follow the principle of being BOLD, revering, then discussing the issues of the article, which is the purpose of the article talk pages.
- Certainly don't give up, and the goal to raise the quality of an article to "Good quality" is an admirable task that you should be commended for even trying. Thank you for even trying! --Robert Horning (talk) 16:06, 21 July 2012 (UTC)
July 21
External Links
Why is it that when I am placing external links for bona-fide sources to help further with the subject, they are deleted by reason of purporting to be advertising or promotional sites.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Rightfoot shifter (talk • contribs) — Rightfoot shifter (talk • contribs) has made few or no other edits outside this topic.
- Because the external link you added to Triumph Tiger Daytona was a link to your own web page. See #11 at Wikipedia:External links#Links normally to be avoided. Also, please sign your posts! Happy editing, hajatvrc with WikiLove @ 15:37, 21 July 2012 (UTC)
July 22
July 23
July 24
Saved article
Hi
I have started a new article with the Article Wizard called: Guy Caudamine. It's a biography. It's not finished at all. I saved it but now I can't find it anymore. Could you please guide me on how i can retrive the saved artcile please? Thanks
Acaudamine (talk) 07:04, 24 July 2012 (UTC)
- I don't see any page creations by your account. Is it possible you made the article with another account? Alternatively, sometimes the servers have a glitch and don't save, though they are supposed to give you an error message if that happens. Perhaps you can find the page in your browser's history. Someguy1221 (talk) 07:10, 24 July 2012 (UTC)
Company Page
Good morning. I have been asked to create a page about the company I work for. I see that I am NOT suppose to do that. Since I do see articles about other corporations and companies (General Motors), how do I go about creating a similar page or having one created. I have done significant research about a 110 year old company and have accumulated many historical facts that can be documented, going back to 1901. Please advise the best way to proceed. PWCrackersPWCrackers (talk) 13:50, 24 July 2012 (UTC)
- Please be aware that the references need to be predominantly from published sources independent of the company. You can use sources connected with the company to a limited extent - to support uncontroversial factual information, primarily - but it must still be published. There is a General Motors article because a lot of independent sources have written about the company, not for any other reason. --ColinFine (talk) 14:47, 24 July 2012 (UTC)
Resubmitting page
Hello!
I have edited a page and would like to resubmit it for approval (http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Telluride_Blues_%26_Brews_Festival)
. How do I got about doing that? Also, i am having difficulty with the picture coding. I would like to enter a photo into the 'infobox' area. Thank you!
Hel27 (talk) 17:22, 24 July 2012 (UTC)
- I see you have already resubmitted it after posting here.
- If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
- If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add
[[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text.]]
to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacingFile name.jpg
with the actual file name of the image, andCaption text
with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:21, 25 July 2012 (UTC)
July 25
Guru Hanuman
I noticed there is a mistake in the age written in Guru Hanuman page. Born on March 15, 1901 Died on-May 24, 1999(aged 68 years) But if you calculate the age is 98. Therefore you have to write-aged 98 years instead of 68 years. Sangeeta Sharma — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.234.169.103 (talk) 04:11, 25 July 2012 (UTC)
- Guru Hanuman (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
- Thank you for reporting this. I have edited the article to match the birth and death dates in the Obituary in The Independent. Some of the other sources say he died at age 99. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:28, 25 July 2012 (UTC)
July 26
How to Get Back to an Article I Wrote Using Article Wizard
My activity as a Wikipedian has been sporadic; therefore, I am still learning the ropes. Presently I am trying to locate the article I just drafted and saved via the Article Wizard. It had been a while since I started a new article, so I went there for guidance. Now I can't find the article. How do I get back to it so I can finish developing it and eventually release it?? I named it "Blackberry Hill" - which is a Konservat-Lagerstätte. I spent some time searching around Wikipedia for instructions on this, but with no luck so far. I wrote most of it offline, so I can always try again, but I have no idea what to do differently. Please notify me on my Talk Page. Thank you. Kenneth C Gass (talk) 07:03, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- Your draft is located here. You can always look at your past contributions by clicking on the "my contributions" link at the top right of any page. Someguy1221 (talk) 07:27, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
Getting a written article on the web
I have written an article, and it comes up as "articles for creation:Jude Southerland Kessler" only when I go into my account and find it. I cannot find it in the pending or deleted listings, yet it does not show up on the web when I type in Jude Southerland Kessler Wiki, as other articles always do. What step am I missing to get the article from my "...for creation" inside my account onto the real web for review by anyone searching that name? thank you Kessler9091 (talk) 16:29, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- When the issues I have tagged in the article have been met, it should be moved to article space; but if that happened now, it would probably be deleted.
- Two issues that I have tagged it for is that it does not have the references to independent reliable sources that it needs to establish that the subject is notable (in the special sense that Wikipedia uses this word), and that much of the material in the article is unreferenced. Further, it contains some striking peacock terms; for example, the phrase "a foremost authority" should never appear in any Wikipedia article unless directly referenced to an independent reliable source which has called the subject exactly that.
- I am guessing from your username that you are Jude Kessler, or somebody closely associated with her: if that is so, you should read why Wikipedia strongly discourages autobiography, and the more general strictures on conflict of interest. --ColinFine (talk) 18:00, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
Album Review: Mark Tremonti - All I Was
Mark Tremonti 'All I Was' Album Review.[1] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.129.0.6 (talk) 15:46, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- What is your question? Are you asking if this is an appropriate source for an article?— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 19:00, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
How to deal with spoilers in an article?
I am new and am trying to make sure I follow the rules.
I know it's ridiculous to complain about spoiler on a series that is over 30 years old, however I feel it is innappropriate to have a spoiler in the "Critical Reception" section of the article. I can understand in the other areas where the show is described in detail. The one in question ruins the last episode of "Blake's 7" (http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Blake%27s_7). I just watched the first episode and am interested to know a little about the history of the show. But this one sentence from Critical Reception gave away the ending. Quoted below:
"However, the bloody finale, in which Avon murders Blake, exemplified the programme's strengths – fearless narratives, credible but surprising character development and an enormous sense of fun."[48]
How do deal with this? Edit it? Type out ***SPOILERS***? Or just leave it alone?
Thanks for your help in advance. Anders T. Flackensmith (talk) 20:45, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- If it's any help, I've watched only the first two series and didn't know that part of the ending until I read your question here! But the agreed Wikipedia practice is described at Wikipedia:Spoiler - "Spoilers are no different from any other content and should not be deleted solely because they are spoilers." This has been discussed extensively by Wikipedia editors over the years, as you can see from Wikipedia talk:Spoiler and its 17 pages of archives. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:02, 26 July 2012 (UTC)
- That sentence is the sort of valuable information we would want.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 19:02, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
July 27
Regular Movie
— Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.192.191.156 (talk) 06:12, 27 July 2012
- Do you have a question about using or editing Wikipedia? -- John of Reading (talk) 06:40, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
Replacing an existing living biography Wikipedia page with a more accurate, detailed authorized profile
I have been authorized to replace an existing Wikipedia page of a prominent executive with a more extensive, accurate profile that I have written and resourced, and that he has approved. How is that best achieved? Thank you.Dmermigas (talk) 06:42, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- I'm sorry, this isn't how Wikipedia works. A Wikipedia article about a person isn't normally written by, or for, that person; instead, volunteer editors create the entries based on what has been published in reliable sources such as books, newspapers and respected news websites. Your inside knowledge may still be useful for improving the encyclopedia, though, because you are well placed to find the media coverage that other editors might miss. The page Wikipedia:Plain and simple conflict of interest guide was written for new editors in your position, so I suggest you have a look through that. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:32, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- And subjects of articles do not have to, or get to, approve what is written about them. Only unsourced negative or inaccurate information can be removed.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 19:03, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
Lost an article I'd started
I started an article in the article wizard and left it open in my browser for a number of days. I saved it this morning, and Wikipedia asked me to log in again. I did so and now cannot find my article. It was titled "Nebraska Christian School." Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sfrancl (talk • contribs) 14:36, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
- Unfortunately, your work is probably lost. I am not a technical expert, but Wikipedia does not save content until you press "save". What probably happened is that your browser session timed out and there is nothing we can do from the Wikipedia server side. I have found that some browsers are better at maintaining my draft within their local memory than others - Internet Explorer is aweful and never does, but Firefox will frequently keep the content available even if the session times out and will allow me to re-establishe contact with the Wikipedia servers and save. For the future, save early and often either in your sandbox or in a local word processing document on your hard drive and upload when you are ready to save. -- The Red Pen of Doom 14:47, 27 July 2012 (UTC)
July 28
Autoconfirmed?
Hi. I'm trying to edit the page Evolution. On submitting my change, I get the message: "Note: This page has been semi-protected so that only autoconfirmed users can edit it."
But I AM autoconfirmed! So I guess this message is wrong. Any advice please?
Jason Grossman (talk) 11:35, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- You are autoconfirmed as you say. This means you can edit the page. The message is only a note and doesn't claim you cannot edit. If you see edit links and get an edit box when you click them then you can edit the page. If you log out then you get a "View source" tab instead of "Edit". Click it to see what happens if you try to edit the page without being autoconfirmed. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:20, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Another possibility is that your logged-in connection was dropped, without dropping the connection; if the 'This is a minor edit' box & blurb were no longer there, this is a likely possibility. Dru of Id (talk) 19:08, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
-Thanks Jason Grossman (talk) 05:23, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
Bias in Wikipedia articles
Whenever I come to Wikipedia to look up a general subject (most recently Female Body Shape) I notice that the whole perspective is white and western. Every image in the article was of a white woman. Maybe that has to do with image rights or something, but it made me feel like somehow I wasn't as human a female as they were. I understand the US media representing the world in this way, but isn't wiki supposed to be global and represent everyone and not just US demographics? I want to get involved and add content to articles that makes them more inclusive of the world outside the US and Europe. Is there an etiquette to this kind of thing? I edited an article last year and the moderator deleted my addition claiming it wasn't referenced even though I had provided two links and some of the other entries had none. I want to avoid getting into tussles with people because they think I'm vandalizing pages they care about. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.24.203.220 (talk) 17:10, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- Was it to copyrighted material? That can be an issue. I guess the reason is, more than anything else, is that people on the English Wikipedia are probably a majority "white and western".--Wehwalt (talk) 18:00, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
- See Wikipedia:Systemic bias. There are no "moderators": No one "owns" an article. You are very welcome to add more inclusive content but please note Wikipedia's policies about verifiable reliable sources. If an unsourced addition is challenged then a source must be added even if there is other unsourced content which hasn't been challenged so far. Maybe the other content is considered common knowledge or maybe other editors have already checked it without bothering to add a source. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:28, 28 July 2012 (UTC)
July 29
I'M HAVING TROUBLE WITH INFOBOXES!!!!! D;
I'm having trouble with the code or editing. I'm working on my own wiki and I need help with infoboxes.
This is my code :
Zombies Vs. Ninjas | |
---|---|
File:Zombiesvsninjas.png | |
Created by | Michael Granberry |
No. of seasons | 1 (So Far) |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Ian Hecox, Anthony Padilla And Barry Blumberg |
Running time | 4:00 - 4:30 Roughly (With Credits) |
Original release | |
Release | May 4th, 2012 – July 6th, 2012 |
And it ends up looking like this : http://shutupcartoons.jumpwiki.com/wiki/Zombies_Vs._Ninjas
I NEED HELP PLEASE AND THANKS ;D How do I use infoboxes on a different MediaWiki web-site. Thanks!!!!! :D 91.191.35.18 (talk) 16:16, 29 July 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.191.35.18 (talk) 16:11, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- Infoboxes are not a built in feature in the MediaWiki software. They are a form of template. See Help:Template. Your code uses Template:Infobox television which itself uses other templates. If you want to be able to use code like above then you need to copy both Template:Infobox television and other things. If you see a red template link like "Template:Infobox television" when a page is rendered then it means the template is missing from your wiki and you either have to copy it or recode something so you don't need it. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:14, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
My citations were deleted, remove content?
I added content to some pages along with references. Someone came along and removed all the references, saying that they were 'spam,' but they left the content that was cited. Should I remove the content? There was no advertising on the reference pages, I didn't think that they were spam...?
http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/Science_Factory_Children%27s_Museum_%26_Planetarium
http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/University_of_Oregon_Museum_of_Natural_and_Cultural_History
http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/MacLaren_Youth_Correctional_Facility
Forgot to sign: RabbitSC (talk) 16:52, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- Please see WP:REFSPAM.--ukexpat (talk) 16:56, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
OK, but doesn't really answer my question about what to do with the content?
RabbitSC (talk) 17:13, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- They are at that address; their own web pages and any directory that correctly places them there says so; such facts cannot be copyrighted (see Feist v. Rural); no citation is necessary, and the edits adding the correct addresses are properly attributed to your account. Dru of Id (talk) 19:23, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- Okay. But doesn't Wikipedia say "editors are advised to provide citations for all material added to Wikipedia?" The ability to copyright facts doesn't seem to be the standard. When are citations not necessary?RabbitSC (talk) 19:33, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- Citations are not necessary if the material is broadly published, like an address, and unlikely to be contested; most people's first and last names, unless stage name, pen name, or professional name, are presumed to be their given name, but would be helpful to include citation for married name, legal name change, or the like. I didn't know my uncle's given name until seeing it on his tombstone; even the obituary didn't have it. Dru of Id (talk) 20:56, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- Okay. But doesn't Wikipedia say "editors are advised to provide citations for all material added to Wikipedia?" The ability to copyright facts doesn't seem to be the standard. When are citations not necessary?RabbitSC (talk) 19:33, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
Billy Ray Butler
Dear Wikipedia -
You have Billy Ray Butler the baseball player on your site as being William Raymond Butler (Country Breakfast) - His given name is Billy Ray Butler- nothing else. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.175.141.22 (talk) 23:53, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
July 30
Ur introuble
Infront of u is a big lion wth open mouth.,Left side is a sea, from right side untill back is a big fire,wt would u do to survive — Preceding unsigned comment added by 105.249.156.41 (talk) 21:29, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- This page is for answering questions about editing and finding your way around Wikipedia. We have a reference desk that specialises in factual answers to general knowledge questions in various categories. However, be aware that, like the rest of the encyclopaedia, it is not a place for debates or requests for opinions. - Karenjc 15:39, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
question regarding who took specific information down
Good Afternoon,
My question is in regards to the Charles J. Hynes wikipedia page. I am asking here because I am unfamiliar with the general practices of taking down categories. Up until recently, his wikipedia page had a "controversies" section that cited multiple sources- it was well documented, well cited, and factual. However, it was recently taken down. If not by a wikipedia administrator, I believe possibly by his office. Would you please be able to tell me whether or not it was taken down by wikipedia itsself? And if so, why? If it was taken down by an individual user, I would like to have that section put back up and protected from being further taken down. The information in that section is 100% true as to the fact that these allegations have been previously made (they were all well cited), and it is unfair that a specific user should continue to take down information that is factual in order to keep it from the publics knowledge.
Please let me know.
Mdavis2 (talk) 22:37, 29 July 2012 (UTC)
- The changes were made by NYCIsAllISee. That user offered an explanation for their changes on Talk:Charles_J._Hynes, under the heading Controversies: about half the material was placed in other sections of the article, and the other half deleted for lacking reliable sources. The material on John Giuca and Susan Cleary was not well sourced, with only a YouTube link and some circumstantial information. NYCIsAllISee is a new user whose only edits were to the article on Hynes, which is a little bit suspicious, but I don't see any serious problem with the edits. If you have reliable sources (e.g. newspaper reports) about Giuca, Cleary and Hayes, you could add this information back to the article, or post it on the article's talk page, but you may like to read WP:BLP first.
- The division of articles into sections is subjective and there are few fixed guidelines; some people feel it's a bad idea to have a separate "controversies" section when controversies can be dealt with under other headings. For example, it's sometimes hard to decide what counts as a controversy, and often the controversies relate to them doing their job and therefore can be discussed in the section on the person's job; and if controversies are disparate or make up most of the article, it's not a useful subheading. --Colapeninsula (talk) 14:50, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- You may also find WP:UNDUE interesting. Information about allegations and accusations may be acceptable in an article provided it is reliably sourced, but undue weight should not be given to any information in the overall context of the article. - Karenjc 15:48, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
There were much more citations regarding John Giuca and Susan Cleary than just a youtube video. There were press releases, news articles, and court document PDFs were also used as citations. Are these sufficient? Also, there were two other sections in there. It is suspicious because it was someone from his office- that's not what Wikipedia is for. If press releases made by Charles Hynes, news articles, and court document PDFs are sufficient, then we would like everything that was removed to go back up and would then like to take the steps to protect it. The information was factual, not just about John Giuca but about Sandra Roper and the other issues raised as well. Please let me know whether that is acceptable. Thank you.
Mdavis2 (talk) 19:09, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
Sorry, I would also like to add that if the category of a controversy section is the issue, I am sure, if it were protected, that information would fit anywhere within the article. It does not have to be specifically in its own category, just as long as the information is there. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mdavis2 (talk • contribs) 19:11, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
- Press releases are not reliable sources. PDFs and other purported scanned documents are not reliable sources in this era of Photoshop and other image alteration software; and court documents are generally not acceptable sources anyway. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:39, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Nobody gets to control an article. Page protection is not used to preserve an article in one person's preferred version. And who is "we"? - Karenjc 20:46, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
References - book or website?
Hello, I was looking to add dates and titles to the references in [3] and the 11th reference listed is for a book that i happen to own. It links to an online copy of the chapter here [4]. Now it has got me wondering, if a source is available in two places like in this case, what one should be included in the references? SRaemiA talk 02:00, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you use {{Cite book}}, there is a parameter for a URL/weblink (provided that the link complies with the guidance at WP:EL).--ukexpat (talk) 13:14, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
July 31
I want to add a photograph in Aroti Dutt's biography. How can I do it
I want to add a photograph in Aroti Dutt's biography. How can I do it Devsaday Dutt (talk) 04:04, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
- If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add
[[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text.]]
to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacingFile name.jpg
with the actual file name of the image, andCaption text
with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps.--ukexpat (talk) 13:10, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
i dont want my page that I created deleted, what should I do please Esti Dewi (talk) 13:08, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Please read the advice that you have been given on your talk page. – ukexpat (talk) 13:11, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
Dizzee Rascal
I was reorganizing the first two paragraphs of "Early life", correcting grammar to make them read more easily. I did something wrong, and now there is an insertion in red: Cite error etc. which I cannot delete. can you fix this?Berylclan (talk) 17:06, 31 July 2012 (UTC)
- Dizzee Rascal (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)
- Another editor has fixed this. I suggest you have a look at Help:Footnotes to get an idea of how the
<ref> ... </ref>
tags work. -- John of Reading (talk) 17:20, 31 July 2012 (UTC)