Wikipedia:Help desk

It has been suggested that Wikipedia:Editor assistance and Wikipedia:New contributors' help page be merged into this article or section. (Discussion at the village pump)

Welcome—ask questions about how to use or edit Wikipedia! (Am I in the right place?)

• For other types of questions, use the search box, see the reference desk or Help:Contents. If you have comments about a specific article, use that article's talk page.
• Do not provide your email address or any other contact information. Answers will be provided on this page only.
• Check back on this page to see if your question has been answered.
• For real-time help, use our IRC help channel, #wikipedia-en-help.
• New editors may prefer the Teahouse, a help area for beginners (but please don't ask in both places).

Ask a question

May 11

Image altered?

I need a second opinion. Is the first image of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor for real? Hard to tell, but it looks like she's cross-eyed and that nose looks like it was borrowed from Jimmie Durante. Clarityfiend 01:55, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

It was uploaded by User:Astrotrain, who seems trustworthy (10051 edits, here since July 2003). However, the user has been blocked a lot, for 3RR and personal attacks. However, I would say it is probably a real photo, since there is no evidence the user would do that. A bad photo, so if you have a better one... Prodego ^talk 01:59, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

[1] shows another photo from their wedding. Similar; same unfortunate lighting on the face. Notinasnaid 08:49, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

.OGG walkthrough

Can someone give me a short walkthrough on what to use, and how to record a pronunciation in .ogg format? Is there freeware available to convert an MP3 recording into .ogg?  LaNicoya  •TALK• 01:57, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

VLC basically does everything. We also have WP:OGG [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 04:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• You could just avoid conversion and use Audacity. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:51, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

How do I add an intricate header to my talk page

such as this?

<!---Leave this and the line below alone!---> {{User:Nihiltres/Header}} <!---Don't do anything to this line!---> <!---Leave this and the line above alone!--->

You know, without too much work, as I need to get back to editng, of course.

This was messing up the page format, so I commented it out. If you go to User:Nihiltres/Header and click on "view source," you can see how he made that page. To make one of your own, go to your userpage, and then in the URL bar type "/Header" at the end. Create you page then on your user page, add {{User:YOURNAME/Header}} at the top. This is referred to as templating. --Auto^{(talk / contribs)} 03:53, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

links

What's the policy here - use links in as many dates (e.g., 2005 etc.) as possible or link only those that are truly meaningful? Likewise, are links to common-knowledge topics encouraged or discouraged? Thanks, Ibn Battuta 03:48, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• Full dates should always be linked so a user's preference can take effect. So May 11, 2007. Whether you link a partial date depends on how useful it would be in the article. I'm not sure what you mean with common-knowledge topics. There's always something about a topic that isn't common knowledge, but say for example you are writing an article on cutlery, then you should link to fork, spoon and knife, no matter how basic it sounds. Wikipedia is also distributed to people outside the Western World who may not be familiar what you consider common knowledge. Also, make sure articles start with a definition. Don't forget to mention a Ford Taurus is a car. It may seem obvious to you, but it might not be to everyone. (If anyone has better examples, please share them). - Mgm|^(talk) 08:50, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
• But, while linking everything relevant beware of linking the irrelevant too: Wikipedia:Only make links that are relevant to the context. Notinasnaid 09:22, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
• See Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers) for more on what dates should be linked. Dates are a special case, because full dates are routinely linked to activate date formamting preferences for logged-in users. Many such links would be overlinking (at least IMO) were they not needed for the prefernces to work. Since linaks to years without full dates have no foramtting effect, there is IMO much less reason to link to every occurance of a year number. There is not universal agreement among wikipedia editors on thsi point. DES ^(talk) 15:58, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, that helped (I had no idea about the date formatting thing). Yes, and common knowledge to me are words like USA - although the article obviously contains information that the majority of the readers don't completely know, this knowledge is not relevant to most articles that mention the US. The basic information relevant to the article (it's a country etc.) is known, and whoever is interested in finding out more, can type it into the "search" field by hand. If I was talking about the US constitution, about the capital of the US or similar stuff, this would be different because the content of USA (or links from there to further Wikipedia sites) are relevant to the article. Or in you case: I might link to knife or chopstick if talking about cutlery, wooden carvings, etc., not if someone was stabbed with a knife. (BTW, knives are not just a Western invention. Nor are spoons.) Anyways, I got the idea: The English Wikipedia doesn't seem to be as critical to linking as others... --Ibn Battuta 18:21, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Checking the IP of a Registered User

Is there anyway to check the IP address of a registered user? (For example if I suspect that a person may be using an IP address to make a claim and then support it with a registered account). Thanks! Zomic_13 03:54, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

There is a [[WP:RFCU|CheckUser process]; however, such requests are generally only done if somebody has a good reason to believe (e.g., similar writing style and nearby contribution times). Veinor ^{(talk to me)} 04:00, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Ok. I was just checking to see if there was a quick and easy way to do it, because I don't really have much reason to believe that is the case. More of a curiosity thing. I will keep that in mind if I ever come across a serious case of it. Thanks though. :) Zomic_13 04:03, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Just a tiny correction of Veinor's comment; it's not only if somebody has good reason to believe two editors are the same, there must also be evidence that if the two editors are the same, they have used their dual entity in collusion somehow to gain an advantage or evade sanction. If there is no evidence of gaming the system somehow, all the textual analysis and similar edit summaries in the world won't convince one of the few trusted admins to run a CheckUser. Anchoress 04:10, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Citation Templates

Can you substitute citation templates? --Ali 05:09, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• Probably, but it would severely inhibit readability and add a lot of unnecessary code to the article it's used in. Even if it's possible, I don't recommend you do it. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:44, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Article Size is stuck

I am trying to edit an article (porta esquilina) that was a stub and it turns out that I want to add a lot more information to it. Unfortunately, not all of my text shows on the page after I press save. How can I make all my updates show up in the actual article.

Thanks

Kfd182 06:58, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

I have fixed up some ref errors, see the article's talk page for more info.--Commander Keane 07:24, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Micronations

I have a question about the copyright status regarding Micronations' flags. Specifically, those nations who either aren't recognized as sovereign, or those who don't have their own copyright sanctions. The Flag of Sealand seems to exist with PD, and Sealand was never recognized as independent. Empire of Atlantium's flag is again PD, but Atlantium I think, is a legit movement with legit citizenship (I know nothing about the subject).

The images in question are ones like Flag of Sedang, from Kingdom of Sedang, a bizarre situation, where still I don't know if anything was done about copyright. So what kinds of tags should be on these images? ALTON .ıl 07:50, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

If no free (to use) flag exists (short sighted of the micronation, I would say), then none can be used, I would say. Notinasnaid 08:23, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

The flag images are all created by someone (.svg) who claims that file under PD. Is that correct? ALTON .ıl 05:37, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

YouTube

Hello, is there any Wiki policy on linking to a Video Sharing website like YouTube? Can we write a "Wikipedia:VideoSharing" policy? BirdHunters 08:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

No special policy is needed, this is covered by other policies and guidelines. These include Wikipedia:External links, which indicates we should never link to a copyright violation, and gives guidelines on what kinds of links are appropriate. Where "anyone can post", links are rarely appropriate. In general, too, YouTube videos are not valid sources. Notinasnaid 09:19, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• While YouTube has many copyright violations, some television channels like CBS and certain celebrities have their own channels, the videos of which are not a copyright violation. Linking to those would not be a problem. -Mgm|^(talk) 11:42, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
  • I believe it is not for us to judge whether a video at YouTube is a copyright violation, that would be between the entity that has copyright control and YouTube. In other words, if CBS or others wanted the videos to be removed they would just have to ask YouTube to remove them or threaten a lawsuit. YouTube videos provide good advertising, I believe they want them left up or they would have them removed. BirdHunters 11:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
• This does not sound a valid argument. Copyright law does not only take effect when someone else threatens a law suit. Copyright law does not take into account any "good advert" effect for unauthorized reproduction, so far as I know. We should be confident of the copyright status of what we link to, and seeing a reproduced commercial news program, without any apparent legitimacy, would be enough for me to remove it. If it appears to be an official channel, that seems enough research for me on YouTube. Notinasnaid 11:52, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
  • Again, the question, if CBS or others did not want the news story on YouTube, why would they not request it be removed and any other copyright material of theirs removed ? BirdHunters 11:56, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
• Whether CBS want it there or not has nothing to do with whether it is copyright. Unenforced laws don't grant legitimacy or immunity. But anyway, that's both of our opinions. Can anyone find what policy actually says about this? Notinasnaid 11:58, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
• According to Wikipedia:External links, in the section Linking to YouTube, Google Video, and similar sites: "There is no blanket ban on linking to these sites as long as the links abide by the guidelines on this page (which would be infrequent). See also Wikipedia:Copyrights for the prohibition on linking to pages that violate intellectual property rights." So some such links would be ok, but most would probably not, IMO. DES ^(talk) 15:52, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

about downloading

How to download differant articles? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.54.42.229 (talk) 08:57, 11 May 2007 (UTC).

• In your browser menu bar, click File and then the save option. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Creating template similar to Template:Infobox Country

I would like to create a new infobox similar to the infobox mentioned above, but I want to create one about school. Can anyone please help me how to modify from that infobox into something suitable to talk about school? Such as independence day -> establishment day, etc... --Edmundkh 09:19, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• No reason to do double work. We already have Template:Infobox School and I found it by guessing. :) - Mgm|^(talk) 11:40, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

But I don't like that infobox. I want to create one for Malaysian schools, and I like the infobox for countries. Please have a look at Sekolah Menengah Poi Lam (SUWA). I've attempted to use the country infobox, but failed to function properly. Please SOS!!!! --Edmundkh 13:44, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

A A A

The statement that appears on wikipedia "A A A is a government run, boys and girls school in , India. The A A A has earned bad reputation for the poor quality of its ..." is incorrect. And I think it is absolutely unethical to allow unwarranted changes or editing into the articles of organizations. This statement appears when you search "A A A " on the google bar. Please correct this or at least allow the article for deletion so that we can avoid vandals to the article completely.

It is left entirely up to you. My own sentiments have been hurt thanks to such vandalism that prevails in the wiki articles...

Please, please help us delete this article and avoid embarrassment from parents who wish to visit the school but encounter such an alarming statement via google. This is the link: http://www.google.co.in/search?q=+A A A &ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

thank you —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tekkaranla (talk • contribs) 10:10, 11 May 2007 (UTC).

• It appears to have been removed. Claiming someone or something has a bad reputation instead of just being in dispute with one person needs to be proven with reliable sources, if those aren't included, such claims can be removed. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:45, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Geotagging articles and GoogleEarth integration

There is a small problem regarding geotagging of cities. Apparently Wikipedia uses two different systems for geotagging (to show up in the upper right corner of the article). Generally articles use a coor tag, which shows up in GoogleEarth (GE) fine. Cities can a have different geotag inside a Infobox Town tag, which does NOT show up in GE. Unfortunately it does show up in the upper right corner, so if you add a coor tag to enable GE, both are rendered above each-other which looks like gibberish. Is there any official solution for this? 80.129.90.106 13:52, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

The solution would presumably be to edit Template:Infobox Town so that it works the same way as a coor tag with respect to Google Earth. You can request changes to a protected template by placing {{editprotected}} on its talk page along with a description of (and preferably coding for, if you can write it) the change you want made. --ais523 13:54, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

{{Infobox Town}} uses {{Geobox coor}} which uses {{Coor dms}}, {{Coor dm}}, and {{Coor d}}. The documentation for {{Coord}} claims it supersedes several older templates, including {{Coor dms}}, {{Coor dm}}, and {{Coor d}}. Therefore, if you want to update {{Infobox Town}}, you should update {{Geobox coor}} to use the new {{Coord}} which is supposed to replace all the other coordinate templates from now on. The bottom of the {{Coord}} documentation mentions this:

• Google Earth Geographic Web Layer FAQ – Information on how Google uses Wikipedia's coordinate information.

so presumably {{Coord}} works with Google Earth. --Teratornis 15:35, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

St.Colum's GAA?

just asking why is this page going to be deleted? was there something offensive about it?? --Kealkill 14:55, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

An editor has proposed St.Colum's GAA for deletion with the reason "NN sports club ". Follow the link to Wikipedia:Notability to see the guideline the editor referred to. This does not necessarily mean that the article will be deleted. You can try to influence the decision by following the instructions in the box at the article. PrimeHunter 15:14, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

problems saving changes

Hello, I've been trying to edit the page on mechatronics, but although the preview looks ok, my changes are not saved when I click on the save button. Am I doing something wrong here? With kind regards, Cubber 15:10, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Presumably something's going wrong; our records show that you've never edited the page, so for some reason the save signal isn't working. However, you managed to save an edit to the Help Desk. Try again, and if that doesn't work, come back here with details about exactly what you were trying to do and any error messages you saw. --ais523 15:14, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

It could be possible that during the time you were making changes in the edit box, another user successfully made a change. This will prevent your save from being made. A message should appear letting you know this. After a successful change, you are taken to the page for which you edit. An unsuccessful save returns you to an edit page. The top edit box containing the current changes, the bottom edit box containing your changes. The message appears above the top edit box and details the situation.

Regards, LaraLove^Talk/_Contribs 15:24, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

The article history shows no edit today before the question was asked. I just saved a minor change without problems as a test. Other things can prevent a save, for example attempt to add a blocked external link, but I think all things should give an error message if the software works. You must click the "Save page" button next to "Show preview" and not choose save in your browser's menu, but I guess you know that when you could save your question here. PrimeHunter 15:32, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Free online learning?

I would like to know: Is there anywhere in Wikipedia that qualitative free online learning, such as the fee based education offered by various schools of higher learning, can be accessed by Wikipedians?

Thank you for any help, ScaiacS

• No, but there are the associated Wikibooks (textbooks, etc) and Wikiversity projects, both also run by the Wikimedia Foundation. —Dark•Shikari^[T] 15:26, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

experts

Hello I'd like to know how an expert on a particulat subject can get involved as one and do the needful for articles that have been tagged "This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject." and also who is regarded as an expert if the article is biographical in nature.

Thank you. 59.92.11.45 15:28, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

There is no registration or evaluation of "experts". Everybody can edit most articles (some articles are protected). An editor placing such a tag may just think that special knowledge is required or at least beneficial to make good edits to the article. If you feel qualified and know something about Wikipedia editing guidelines, then just go ahead and edit. PrimeHunter 15:42, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• All you have to do is start editing; you don't need to be an official "expert" but what the tag is implying is that the article needs attention from someone who knows more than the average Wikipedia editor on the topic. This does not mean they should contribute their knowledge to the article--that would be original research. What it means is that the expert should use his or her knowledge to better organize and fact-check the page, and to write better prose based off reliable sources such as journal articles that the average Wikipedian might not know about or have access to. —Dark•Shikari^[T] 15:42, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Anyone can get involved at any time by simply editing the article, or by editing the talk page to comment on how the article could be improved. "Experts" have no special standing in wikipedia, since all information ought to be cited to one or more reliable sources, the credentials of the editor are of little import, and we have no way to verify them in any case. it might be helpful for you to create an account and log in -- this allows all your edits to be considered together, which can help you build a reputation, and some editing tasks can only be done by logged in suers, such as creating and moving (renaming) pages. This also helps in building an on-wiki reputation, and it hides your IP address, which in some cases might be linked to personal information about you which you might choose not to reveal. The only advantage that an "expert" has is that an expert may know better where to find reliable information and sources. DES ^(talk) 15:48, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

To "get involved" on Wikipedia you just pick an article and start editing. Wikipedia has an extremely complex set of policies, guidelines, and procedures; the more you learn about them (by reading the friendly manuals), the more pleasant and productive your involvement with Wikipedia is likely to be. If you plan to do lots of edits and interact with other editors, you should create an account so others can identify you and track your edits (users who answer question on the Help desk tend to be pretty involved with Wikipedia, and almost all of us have created our accounts). As far as what makes a person an "expert," that's open to debate. In my opinion, perhaps the most important measure of "expertise" on Wikipedia is being able to produce reliable sources. That is, what you know is not as important as what you can source. Therefore, if you see an article tagged with one of the "expert needed" templates, and you are aware of some reliable sources which the article does not currently cite, you can add those citations to the article, and edit the article text as necessary to reflect what the sources say. If you don't know how to edit the article, you can list your sources on the article's talk page and ask someone else to edit the article. --Teratornis 15:57, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the help! 59.92.53.141 19:53, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

warning users

how exactly do you warn a user about vandalism, a speedy deletion of a page they created, or anything in that matter when they dont have a user or talk page?The juggreserection 15:33, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• You create the talk page. —Dark•Shikari^[T] 15:40, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

i feel like an idiot now. thanks for the helpThe juggreserection 15:43, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

information incomplete regarding "LexisNexis"

You need to do more research on LexisNexis. Your article only touches on a small portion of what the company does.

Your first sentence is incorrect - "LexisNexis (sometimes simply called "Lexis" among users) is a popular searchable archive of content from newspapers, magazines, legal documents and other printed sources. "

That definition is not an accurate representation of who LexisNexis is. The searchable archive is just one of our product offerings. There are many solutions available and adding more everyday. Many products that you have not mentioned are industry award winning pieces of software.

Please look into other LN offerings such as: HotDocs, Time Matters, Billing Matters, PCLaw, Clause Manager, CaseMap, TimeMap, NoteMap, NetDocuments, Total Litigator, Total Practice Advantage, Courtlink, and TopForm. 198.185.18.207 15:34, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• You can always edit the article yourself to add the information that is missing. However, you should first read the important Conflict of Interest guideline, as it sounds as if you are an employee of the company, and while you're still allowed to edit the article, you need to be careful in your additions. You must also remember that the reason the article focuses on the archive is most likely because it is by far the most well-known aspect of Lexis, and is covered the most by reliable sources. Any additional services you want to mention in the article should have sources other than your official website. —Dark•Shikari^[T] 15:39, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Additionally, along with the considerations forwarded by User:Dark Shikari, please remember the distinction between accuracy and comprehensiveness. There are many Wikipedia articles that contain "accurate" information that is nonetheless only a partial description of known facts -- not all facts related to a company and its product offerings necessarily merit inclusion in an article. This is one reason (for example) why Wikipedia does not contain restaurant menus, even though a restaurant may merit an article.

If you find an inaccuracy in an article, by all means please mention it to someone, or feel free to fix it, but please also note that Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information. WP:NOT#IINFO. Thanks for addressing your concerns here. dr.ef.tymac 16:36, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

prefab template for "please re-word"

Is there a pre-made in-line template (similar to {{fact}} and {{dubious}}) that states "I don't dispute what you are saying here, nor do I even insist that you provide an in-line citation immediately, but I do think this needs to be re-worded because it is imprecise and conveys the exact opposite meaning of what was intended". (or something similar). dr.ef.tymac 16:48, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

The standard templates are located at Wikipedia:Template messages/Disputes - I'm not sure if any of the existing templates exactly fit your requirements. Accordingly, I would suggest that you be bold and rephrase. Addhoc 19:40, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Watchlist by multiple namespace

Has anyone figured out a way to hack the URL for Watchlists to filter by more than one namespace? I tried &namespace=X&namespace=Y but that just ignored the first parameter... -- nae'blis 17:44, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

There isn't, not at least in the current version of MediaWiki. Adding the '?namespace=X' to the URL creates a HTTP GET request that sets a single variable, $nameSpace, to that value. MediaWiki then makes a database query looking for changes only in that namespace. Doing a HTTP GET with the same variable set twice (e.g. "?namespace=X&namespace=Y") sets that variable to X then sets it to Y with the later value being the one sent to the PHP page. —Mitaphane _?|! 23:44, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Wikiant lost!!

Hi! Yesterday I went to look again at the funny cartoonlike picture about a wikipedian (pictured as an antlike creature with seven hands) on the site:Wikipedia:Wikipedian. To my great dismay I saw that it had been removed. I have nothing against the new picture, but the wikiant happened to refresh my mind and keep up my spirits during the ups and downs of editing, vandal fighting and the like. Do you have a copy of it somewhere? Could I have it on my user page? --Tellervo 18:21, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

The image is here. Dismas|^(talk) 18:24, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, you can use it on your user page. ~ BigrTex 19:04, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

I can't log in!

I'm Bavaria and I am unable to log in. I'm typing in my password correctly, I made sure of everything including cap locks. I don't know what do do and I could use some help. You can reach me at 71.232.148.13. Thanks.

If you supplied an email address when you registered your account, you can have a new password sent to that address by following the "forgot your password?" link on the login page. Dismas|^(talk) 20:42, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

I've experienced the same problem (see this), it's now solved. But I'd like to know: was there an official decision and warning that all weak passwords will be rejected by the server? Did I missed such a warning? Or WP developers played a bad joke on me and other users? Ukrained 08:36, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

P.S. Thanks to the user that responded to my help request. I'm joining the helping team to do the same for other people. Ukrained 08:36, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

what is the coding to help me in user pages

i really need to know, i desperatly need help —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Sir de wario (talk • contribs) 19:56, 11 May 2007 (UTC).

If this is what you're asking... place {{helpme}} on your user talk page for help. Or you could just ask here. -SpuriousQ (talk) 20:03, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

What template message to put on user page

I have been reverting vandalism the last hour or so. After reverting some vandalism from particular user I checked their contributions to discover and then revert about seven other cases of recent vandalism. What sort of tag would be appropriate to put on their user page ? Level 3 ?, 4?, or is there a general purpose tag in which all the instances of vandalism could be listed in one tag ? BrianGV ^talk 20:14, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

I normally just escalate up to the next warning level as usual regardless of how many separate vandalism edits there were since their last warning. If they haven't seen the next warning level yet, you can hardly hold that against them. In exceptional cases, such as rapid or clearly malicious vandalism, I may jump to level 3 or 4. -SpuriousQ (talk) 20:23, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks, There were six articles vandalized with 16 minutes. I put on a level 1, anyway. Alot of gray area here it seems. BrianGV ^talk 20:35, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Kerry Park (Seattle)

Since there isn't anything on the talk page for Kerry Park (Seattle), does anyone know why this page couldn't exist at Kerry Park? The second redirects to the first. Why have a disambiguator if other similar pages don't exist? Dismas|^(talk) 21:06, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

• Because this is one of those things that is likely to exist in more than one place. The creator pre-empted dabbing by going ahead and doing so before any clashes occured. Makes things a lot easier for the next person to create a similar aritcle. - Mgm|^(talk) 22:31, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Search Assistance

How can I search for animals that begin with a specific letter of the alphabet? DeidreDeztnie 22:04, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

You could start by looking at List of animal names. Addhoc 22:09, 11 May 2007 (UTC}

Userboxes

Um, is there a complete list of Userboxes somewhere? Thanks, Meldshal42 00:47, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

See WP:UBX —Mitaphane _?|! 00:54, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

You could also take a look at Category:Wikipedia_userboxes for more pages containing userboxes. ~ G1ggy! _{Reply | Powderfinger!} 02:16, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

May 12

Login error:Incorrect password entered. Please try again.

I've been contributing to wikipedia for 2 1/2 years, but suddenly wikipedia doesn't recognise my password when I try to login. I tried to use the 'Email new address' option, but the error message said there was no email address recorded for that user. The same has happened to my account on wikicommons. What can I do? Thanks.

Maroon-colored links

For some reason all the wikilinks in Watervliet, New York article are maroon-colored instead of the normal blue. I have not see this occurring in any other pages, and I can't understand why this is happening. --Schzmo 02:11, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The article is fine as far as I can see: it may have been a momentary problem, or the problem is with your computer. Try rebooting your computer and checking again for the problem. Nihiltres^(t.c.s) 02:21, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The links also have the wrong color for me. It's an error discussed higher up and at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Redlinks that aren't. It can be fixed with WP:PURGE. Some editors or browsers may have settings where it doesn't look strange. I haven't purged, but if somebody else does then it will turn to normal. PrimeHunter 03:11, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Crippling loneliness

I can't take it anymore! I need friends on Wikipedia!! It's the only way I can operate! RttM 02:18, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Try and communicate and form friendships with people who have the same interests as you. The village pump is usually always up for a chat, so is Wikipedia:A nice cup of tea and a sit down and so are many of Wikipdia's IRC chat channels. Remember; Wikipedia is not a blog, webspace provider, or social networking site. ~Spebi 08:44, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

You might make some friends by answering questions on the Help desk. It's pretty simple to answer questions here, because so many questions are repeats, and in many cases answering questions involves little more than looking up the answers which are already written down for you in the manuals. See Wikipedia:Help desk/How to answer for instructions. Also consider joining one or more WikiProjects in your subjects of interest. On Wikipedia, socializing occurs as a side effect of working alongside people to build an encyclopedia. So, find something you want to work on that others are working on. --Teratornis 21:25, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Backround image

What is the backround image for all wiki pages? It is seen while a page is loading and the white screen hasn't come up yet. It can be seen completely here. It looks like a mountain with rays, but I'm not sure. Does it have any symbolism? Thanks!! Reywas92^Talk 02:34, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Its a book. Viridae^Talk 02:37, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, a book. You can also see it at Image:Headbg.jpg. PrimeHunter 02:57, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

That version is low-contrast, and some people have trouble realizing that it is a book. A higher-contrast version of the background image can be seen at [[2]] --Keeves (talk) 01:17, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Frequent flyer points

HOw to register for frequent flyer? Gokul <email removed>

Welcome to Wikipedia! Please create a new heading when commenting or questioning on a talk page, the easiest way to do that is by clicking the + button at the top of talk pages. Also, please sign all comments by typing for tildes (like this ~~~~). Finally, sorry for stringing you along but this question belongs at the Reference desk where you can ask specific knowledge questions. Scottydude _talk 03:58, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

User info

I have forgotten both my username and password because I stay logged in all the time. How can I get both my username and password emailed to me?74.192.40.22 03:28, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

NYAH!!!

Please create a new heading when asking a question. I don't see how you could stay logged in all the time unless you were constantly keeping your computer active 24 7 becuase the server times out and you are automatically logged out. Unless you can remember these things or prove your ownership of said account there is no way to access that information. You can however create a new account. Sorry, Scottydude _talk 03:52, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

You can stay logged in because there's a remember me tick box when you log in, also, have you put your email address in, if you have then there's an email me password option, just put your username in, you can find that in the histories if you need to, hope this helps and very sorry if it doesn't----User:Rock2e ^{Talk - Contribs} 07:17, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure you can just enter the username and then click [E-mail new password] (because I just used it today), but you can't remember your username. Can you remember any articles that you have recently edited on the account? If you can check the article's history page and the usernames listed there will definitely ring a bell.

If not then I guess you are stuck. Good luck! ~Spebi 08:38, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

article

how do i write a new article? where's the link? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Fsalim (talk • contribs) 04:38, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Wikipedia:Your first article. That should help out--$UIT 04:43, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

See also Help:Starting a new page. PrimeHunter 12:56, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

picture gallery

can i got picture —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.134.199.170 (talk) 05:18, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

You can upload pictures if that's what you mean--$UIT 05:19, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

... by clicking here. Make sure you find the appropriate license tag for the image you are uploading, and that the image was not found by you from an image search engine (e.g. Google) or just found on a random website. But you must create an account to upload a picture. But if you are looking for the gallery of pictures found on Wikipedia, see the Wikimedia Commons. ~Spebi 08:56, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

"Sorry! We could not process your edit due to a loss of session data. Please try again. If it still doesn't work, try logging out and logging back in."

RRrrRrgh!!! This f'ing message keeps appearing. I've logged in and out multiple times, cleared my cookies, switched browsers, and yet nothing is happening. I am trying to create Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Banana cream pie but it keeps rejecting it. I have even tried editing other pages in the article namespace but it keeps giving me that error message. I would appreciate some assistance. Thanks. --TV-VCR watch 05:23, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

• Hmm. It seems the page finally went through. I am still having serious problems though. It seems the only way to make an edit happen is to keep pressing the Save page button 200 million times. (So far it is taking forever for this edit to go through) --TV-VCR watch 05:36, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia servers are usually messed up and will always do that.I suggest trying once more, I assure one more try will help, hope this helps. Cheers!--Teddey 05:39, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

seems the best way to go, ontop of all those things you said you did. Also try a deep refresh (Shift + F5 on Windows). ~Spebi 08:53, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

testin tools what is the difference between validation and verification

what is the difference between validatiion and verification —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 202.65.155.142 (talk) 06:49, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

If you mean the words verification and validation, then there is not much difference between the two. ~Spebi 08:50, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

See also Verification and Validation which is specifically about software. PrimeHunter 12:46, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

How can I make my picture as the Featured picture of the day?

How can I make my picture as the Featured picture of the day? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 59.94.109.46 (talk) 07:09, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Your picture must of course be under the right license, and must meet the featured picture criteria for it to be a Candidates for featured picture. ~Spebi 08:41, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Moving pages

Hi. I don't have a "move" tab on my edit bar. Is this because I am a new user? I put in requests for the stuff I wanted moved, but I'd still like to know why I don't see a tab as described in the move help page. My skin and settings are default. Thanks. --Segaba 09:30, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it is because you are a new user, although it could be. Non-administrators can only move pages that are in the main namespace (I think). Try Special:Movepage/(The article's name here) and see if that brings up anything. ~Spebi 09:53, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

• Sorry Spebi, you're wrong. It is because he's a new users. Accounts need to be at least 4 days old to make moves. Until then, you can use Wikipedia:Requested moves - Mgm|^(talk) 10:08, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, I've already requested the moves, but I wondered why I couldn't do it myself. Now I know, thanks. --Segaba 10:12, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Lurgan Mail

The article on the Lurgan Mail contains several factual errors. For a start the Lurgan Mail is a tabloid format, not broadsheet. The article also claims the paper has a Protestant bias, this may have been true 40 years ago but the paper now serves both Catholic and Protestant communities in and around Lurgan equally. According to our circulation figures our sales in Lurgan follow the demographics of the town. The article also claims we are the subject of a boycott by the Nationalist community - this happened in the 1970s and has long since ended. The term Lurgan Liar is used by both communities in the town as a somewhat affectionate nickname for the paper. Visit our website on lurganmail.co.uk and you will see stories covering both communities in Lurgan and Craigavon.

Clint Aiken Editor Lurgan Mail —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.138.87.209 (talk) 09:48, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Hi Clint, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that anyone can edit. That includes you. If you think the article on Lurgan Mail is not up to scratch, or any article for that matter, you can click [edit this page] at the top of the article. Remember that your edits must follow Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. See Wikipedia:How to edit a page, Wikipedia:Introduction, Wikipedia:Tutorial, Help:Editing, and Help:Starting a new page for more information about editing any article on Wikipedia. Good luck! ~Spebi 09:57, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The article also claims the paper has a Protestant bias, this may have been true 40 years ago but the paper now serves both Catholic and Protestant communities in and around Lurgan equally. It may serve both populations, but that doesn't mean it can't have the claimed bias. About that boycott. Don't remove it. Simply adding that was back in the 1970s should fix it. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:06, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Geo-Coordinates

Hi, I'm working on the Wikiproject to add geo-coordinates to articles lacking them, and I can't figure out for the life of me how to get that little thing in the upper right hand corner that says "Coordinates: _____" Can you help? Thanks, Neranei 14:01, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

This question was also asked in a helpme on User talk:Neranei; I've answered there (for reference, the answer was "See Template:Coord"). --ais523 14:13, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Anonymous Editing

What percentage of Wikipedians feel that anonymous editing should be stopped? --Seans Potato Business 14:38, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

You could try looking through the relevant discussion on WP:VPE, but bear in mind that people who feel more strongly about the subject are more likely to participate there. --ais523 14:39, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Signature not working

My signature is not working. The right bracket is being displaced even though it is in the right places at My preferences. For example here it is. [[User:TonyTheTiger|TonyTheTiger <small>([[User talk:TonyTheTiger|talk]]/[[Special:Contributions/TonyTheTiger|cont]]/[[User:TonyTheTiger/Antonio Vernon|bio]]/[[User:TonyTheTiger/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM|tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM]])</small>]] 14:49, 12 May 2007 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by TonyTheTiger (talk • contribs)

Make sure that you've turned 'Use raw signature' on, and that the tags are balanced correctly. You might also want to consider making it shorter. --ais523 14:57, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks TonyTheTiger (talk/cont/bio/tcfkaWCDbwincowtchatlotpsoplrttaDCLaM) 15:10, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

pope john paul writer

I am doing a project for school about Pope John Paul II and I thought that Wikipedia would be perfect for the job. My teacher says I have to name a couple of things including the author of the article. The report is due this Wednesday, so please tell me soon.

A reader —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.118.174.46 (talk) 15:14, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Click on the 'history' tab on the top of article to get a list of everyone who has helped to write it. Wikipedia is a wiki, and many of its articles will have been written by lots of different users, many of which will contribute under a pseudonym. You could also try clicking on 'cite this article' in the toolbox to the left of the article, which will tell you how the article would be cited in a journal or similar. Hope that helps! --ais523 15:16, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

First off, you should know that many teachers frown on using Wikipedia as a source (or any Tertiary source like encyclopedias in general). As good as wikipedia is, there is a lot of inaccuracies on it. You'd be better off looking at the article on John Paul and following the references it points to. However, if you're set on referencing the wikipedia see Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia just don't say I didn't warn you if you 're docked points on your project for citing wikipedia. —Mitaphane _?|! 15:36, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Special:Cite perhaps? ~Spebi 22:56, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The top of this page says to read the very frequently asked questions before asking a question on the Help desk. See Who wrote article X on Wikipedia? and WP:VFAQ#How do I cite Wikipedia?. --Teratornis 02:20, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

How can I use my templates that are on en.wikipedia on en.wikinews?

I don't want to copy paste it all over there. Can I do something so I can make it use my templates from here or do I need to copy/paste them all over there? ~~ AVTN ^{T C}_{V A} 18:44, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm afraid that you have to copy and paste it all: templates don't transclude over projects. Nihiltres^(t.c.s) 19:23, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The MediaWiki software that powers Wikimedia Foundation wikis such as Wikipedia and Wikinews has a $wgEnableScaryTranscluding option, but it's disabled here because it's, well, too scary I guess. --Teratornis 00:54, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

It's disabled here to prevent possible vandalism. If you want to learn more, read here.—WAvegetarian (talk) 14:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

If i want to print a wikipedia article, how can i get a Printable view version of this article

If i want to print a wikipedia article, how can i get a Printable view version of this article, without the "Edit Option" that appear in all wikipedia documents. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 196.40.38.102 (talk) 19:44, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Click "Printable version" in the toolbox to the left. PrimeHunter 19:46, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

See Help:Printable. --Teratornis 00:49, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

When I print it myself, it always prints a "printable version" automatically. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 05:37, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

• The link was just put there for visibility. If a reader's CSS is working properly the printer should automatically get a printable version through CSS. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:36, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

ddeleting a wikipedia account

if idon't want my wikipedia account anymore, how can i delete it? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jojojohnson (talk • contribs) 22:45, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Well, you can't actually "delete" them - however, you can blank your talk and user pages by putting {{db-userreq}} on them. --Haemo 23:05, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

And you do have the m:Right to vanish - you can follow the instructions there. x42bn6 Talk Mess 23:18, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

send an email

i'm a new user and was wondering how to send emails. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jojojohnson (talk • contribs) 22:47, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

You need an external email account first - Wikipedia doesn't provide email account for its users. Once you've got that done, post again and I'll help you more. --Haemo 23:01, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

If you mean send emails between Wikipedia users? It is preferable that you contact another user via their talk page (see talk page guidelines for some info) but if you want to contact another user more privately, you can contact that user if they have enabled "emails from other users" function. If you have found a user you wish to contact via email, that his or her email enabled, you can click "Email this user" in the toolbox, on the side of the page. ~Spebi 23:05, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

See WP:EMAIL. --Teratornis 00:47, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

what is an external email account?

An email account that is hosted through somewhere other than Wikipedia such as Gmail, Hotmail, or your email account that you may have with your ISP. Dismas|^(talk) 10:42, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Creating Userpage

How do you create your userpage?

~Yatzu Basho —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Y Basho (talk • contribs) 22:51, 12 May 2007 (UTC).

Go to your userpage by either clicking your username up the top of the screen when you are logged in, which should be a red colour because you have not created it yet, or go to Special:Mypage and then start writing up your page. Remember to read the userpage guidelines on Wikipedia:User page, in particular the part that says what you cannot put on your userpage. Good luck! ~Spebi 23:00, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Question about which warning should be used

Ok, User talk:67.177.149.59 vandalised West Michigan, I reverted it back, but according to Special:Contributions/67.177.149.59 it has only been used for vandalism, vandalised a few times, but wasnt warned since there last block of the 9th of May 2006, I would like to know what stage of warning I should put on the talk page?BeckyAnne 23:07, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Choose whatever you think is appropriate. I would probably use a second-level warning, or even a third. --Haemo 23:09, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Thank you.BeckyAnne 23:10, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

No problem! --Haemo 23:11, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

May 13

Active users list

Is there a "special" page that lists all users who have been active since a certain date? I need a way to be able to weed out active users, so I was wondering if there were any specific Wikipedia or off-Wikipedia functions that did this. Even if not that, could I get a list of users who have made over a certain amount of edits? _└^Jared_┘^┌_t^┐  02:53, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

There's nothing I'm aware of, and I think it'd be too straining on the servers anyway. Why do you want it? -Amarkov moo! 02:56, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Hey I just talked with you here! Anyway, I was just working out a proposal for the RfA thing and thought that I may be better to use users who have been active, ensuring that users such as User:! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! is not included in the drawing. _└^Jared_┘^┌_t^┐  03:00, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

How do I delete my Wekipedia search history?

How do I delete my Wekipepia search history? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Photon942 (talk • contribs) 04:16, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

Do you use Internet Explorer, Firefox or something else? --Mschel 04:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

This question comes up routinely. Search the Help desk for "search history". --Teratornis 17:42, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Index Table

How do I make an index table?

--Drnoitall.hello 04:26, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

There are many kinds of tables, to choose your yours, go here:[3]. Hope this information helps and Cheers!--Trampton 04:54, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

If you want a table of contents for an article, then it automagically shows up when there are at least 4 section headings. You can force it to show up earlier and control other things. See more at WP:TOC. PrimeHunter 11:45, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

help with code for image scrolling

I just edited Wikipedia:Featured pictures, trying to make it so an extremely long panorama image could be scrolled across instead of being a tiny, narrow thumbnail. It left this weird rectangle outline though, and I'm not sure why. I borrowed (and slightly modified) the code from Template:wide image. Can someone tell me how to fix this? (Or if not, weigh in on whether it's better unviewably tiny or viewable, but with the distracting rectangle.) Calliopejen1 05:15, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

The border came from the outer <div>, and presumably specifically from the class="thumb" attribute on it. I removed the outer div entirely, and that seem to have fixed it. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 05:33, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! Calliopejen1 06:04, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Motorbikes?

Could someone tell me when the police (of any country) started using motorbikes, cars and ambulences first?— Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.194.62.230 (talk • contribs)

You're looking for the reference desk. --Haemo 07:35, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Pasting a chunk of your question into a Google search of Wikipedia turns up Ambulance#History:

• Perhaps the first ambulances, in the sense of a vehicle built for and dedicated (at least in part) to the transport of injured or ill persons to a treatment center, were the ambulance volantes designed by Dominique Jean Larrey (1766–1842), Napoleon Bonaparte’s chief physician.

You could also try pasting variants of your question into Google Search of the World Wide Web. --Teratornis 18:00, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Commons Images

How do you get Wikimedia commons images shown on a wikipedia page without uploading them onto wikipedia? many thank Lmc169 08:12, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

You can link to an image on commons the same way you link to an image uploaded here. There's no difference. See also Help:Images#Linking. PeaceNT 08:37, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

downloading wikipedia

is it possible to download the entirty of wikipedia as a PDF or as TXT without images? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 211.40.37.38 (talk) 08:56, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

• I believe NOT: with the millions of articles, randomly updated... However, I'm no tech expert. Anyway, I can advise other way to receive an entire Wikipedia in a readable/saveable format: selected edition of WP (where articles are checked regarding formal readiness) is published on DVD periodically. Ukrained 09:16, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Read more: Sales/downloading site for Wikipedia 0.5 DVD edition Ukrained 09:44, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Some entries from User:John Broughton/Editor's Index to Wikipedia:

• Wikipedia:Database download
• Wikipedia:Forking FAQ - downloading all of Wikimedia, and the software to run it
• Downloads of data - Wikimedia dump service

You can also search the Help desk for "PDA", as variations on your question have appeared here many times. And see TomeRaider. --Teratornis 17:40, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm on the Wikipedia Torrent Project, you can check us out here: Wikipedia:Version_1.0_Editorial_Team/Torrent_Project. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 05:34, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

SVG image not showing

I have uploaded an SVG image (Image:Oceanic basin.svg) to replace an older PNG i made, but now the svg doesn't seem to be able to render, and the png has been deleted (it had the same filename) as it has been superceded. Does anyone know why this might be, is it too large? It has been up quite a while so i can't imagine it could be database lag of any kind. Chris_huh^talk 10:27, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I uploaded an SVG image a while ago, and I had the same problem. What happens, as far as I understand, is that the (MediaWiki) software renders a PNG image for your SVG at the right size, so that people without in-browser SVG support can see the image. The reason you don't see anything right now is because the software hasn't rendered your PNG yet, which can take a while, especially if the job queue is long. Nihiltres^(t.c.s) 15:19, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Ah right, i thought it might be that but i uploaded it almost 2 months ago and WP still hasn't made it, whereas other svg images i uploaded on the same day were done almost immediately. It is actually on Commons, so i don't know if that might be the problem. Chris_huh^talk 15:42, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Articles protected?

Why do articles get protected on Wikipedia. Half the ones I have tried to edit are protected. Do you do this when vandalism gets out of hand? Malcourno 10:39, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Please see WP:PPOL. PeaceNT 10:43, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

cannot add link to my yahoo group

I run a yahoo group called Somerset Strolling Bears and placed the following in Wikepedia as a link under naked hiking. [htt://uk.groups.yahoo.co/group/somersetstrollingbears/ Somerset Strolling bears] Naturist walking group beased in Somerset, England.

Your recent edit to Naked hiking (diff) was reverted by an automated bot. You have been identified as a new user or a logged out editor using a hosting or shared IP address to add email addresses, phone numbers, YouTube, Geocities, Myspace, Facebook, blog, forum, or other such free-hosting website links to a non-talk page. Please note that such links are generally to be avoided. You can restore any other content by editing the page and re-adding that content. The links can be reviewed and restored by established users. Thank you for contributing! // VoABot II 07:08, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The above is returned. I post from a private PC in my home subscribed to my IP demon.co.uk. Can you advise me how I enter my link that will be acceptable to Wikipedia? <<Graham J May>>

• Thank you for working to improve Wikipedia, but you should under no circumstances enter a link to a site you are involved with. Please read Wikipedia:External links. Wikipedia is not a free directory service, and it is rare for links to be suitable. Notinasnaid 11:02, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Steel & Civil Engineering

interested in steel & civil engineering designs - give bis list

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. Hersfold ^(talk/work) 16:20, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Logging in is impossible even with temporary password+

I cannot log in even though I have a user name. I forgot my Password because the varification email took 24 hrs to reach my mail box, I used the temp password but does not work —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.153.234.115 (talk) 13:57, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

If your email isn't verified, you'll have to make a new account. Sorry. Hersfold ^(talk/work) 16:19, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Inputting info question....

How do I add my name in the music section of Wikipedia? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Baldwin77 (talk • contribs) 16:56, 13 May 2007 (UTC).

Can you explain further? It's not clear what exactly you want to do. Calliopejen1 17:15, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

The answer to your question might be somewhere in Wikipedia:WikiProject Music or possibly could be inferred from something in there. Also see the sub-projects relating to more specialized topics such as Wikipedia:WikiProject Guitarists. However, your question as you phrased it is unclear, as Wikipedia does not really have the concept of a "section." Wikipedia has articles, and groups them with categories, lists, and series boxes. Did you see an article which listed musicians, composers, or music producers, and are you wondering how to add your name to the article you saw? Do you meet the notability requirements? --Teratornis 17:55, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Where to leave a link for a proposal of a new barnstar?

Hello! I'm proposing a new barnstar. I would like as many users as possible to see it so that it would have a chance to be accepted. It's on Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Awards#A barnstar proposal. Are there any places I could leave links, so that people would know to come to see it? Rhanyeia 17:35, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

The section you linked to says you don't have to propose barnstars anymore, you can just make them. Anchoress 17:43, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Oh, there was a mistake in my link, sorry. Rhanyeia 18:01, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Do you mean I can just put this one among the General Barnstars? Because that's what I'm after. Do I not have to propose it for that? Rhanyeia 18:01, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

All I know about Barnstars I learned by reading the section you linked to before. Anchoress 18:18, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

We are now free from excess bureaucracy! Wikipedia:Barnstar and award proposals has been marked as historic following an epic MfD debate. From now on (actually since 3 May 2007) any user can create whatever stars they fell like with reckless abandon (though they can still be deleted). Mr.Z-mantalk¢ 19:48, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Merge

Hi, I just suggested a merge between a hardly visited pages and it's counterpart. It is obvious that Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia should be moved to Gloucester County, Virginia, because they are talking about the same place. I feel that next to no-one will view it, so could some of you review it? Thanks. --Kkrouni 19:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I would advise against a merge. Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia is about a city (pop. 2,000+) in Gloucester County, Virginia (pop. 30,000+), not the same thing. While the city article could use a human touch and some non-demographics content (almost all editors have been bots) it is still significantly different than the county. Mr.Z-mantalk¢ 19:18, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

To both of you, gentlemen: See WP:MM for the details of merging process. Note that discussion must be held at article's talkpage (not here). Wide participation is not necessary for the decision: the current policy edition allows "10 days of silence" as a reason for merging. Oh, and thank you for discussing possibly controversial issue preliminary. Ukrained 19:25, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Deleting?

Can articles on wikipedia be removed. If someone creates a stupid, inapropriate one? etc. Telcourbanio 19:46, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Yes, if the article is blatantly inappropriate, use the speedy deletion templates like {{db-bio}} to request speedy deletion. See Wikipedia:Speedy_deletion for more info and templates. -- _Hdt83 ^Chat 19:48, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

How can I edit a new page

how can i edit a new page on wikipedia? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.181.225.231 (talk • contribs)

For most pages, use the [Edit] or "Edit this page" links. To create a new page, you need to create an account. To edit a semi-protected page, you need to have an account at least four days old. Nihiltres^(t.c.s) 20:00, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Go along with the above, please read WP:EDIT and Wikipedia:Your first article. PeaceNT 08:04, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

How to embed a special page list in the text of another page

Is there a way to embed content from a special page directly into another page? I want to create a page that shows both the 5 most recent changes and 5 most popular pages on the same page. Thanks. Michaelmcandrew 23:04, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

This is a hard question but very interesting. I don't know of a way, but you might ask on WP:VPT --Ideogram 23:06, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

Bifurcated geographical naming

The following bifurcated name seems to be inconsistent with the guidelines and policies for naming and resolving conflicts for dusputed names: Imia/Kardak. I was going to summarily move it to one name only plus a redirect, however I'm not sure which one is the "standard" and the matter appears to be currently under dispute, as well as the subject of discussion on NPOV. I am requesting additional eyeballs on this. dr.ef.tymac 23:08, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm afraid that's a danged if you do, danged if you don't situation. I'm not familiar enough with the dispute in question to be authoritative - so you're probably just going to have to ask on the talk page "Hey, we need a decision, because the name violates policy", then take a poll, and add a "disputed" tag to the page. --Haemo 23:59, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

May 14

making pages

how do you make your own page? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Hackett (talk • contribs).

Help:Starting a new page and Wikipedia:Your first article are useful pages to look at. x42bn6 Talk Mess 00:04, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Also, if you need instructions on creating your own page, WP:USER might be helpful. PeaceNT 08:02, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

RIAA certifications given to music albums

Should RIAA certifications given to music albums be capitalized on pages like discographies? Some editors do capitalize (see Earth, Wind & Fire discography, Audioslave discography) and some (I actually know only one) don't (see Britney Spears discography, Eminem discography). I need opinion of at least two experienced wikipedians, thanks! Daniil Maslyuk 00:38, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

I say capitalized, because that's what the RIAA does on their website.[4] Calliopejen1 00:40, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

For more input, you may wish to ask on WP:VPM or at Wikipedia:WikiProject Albums. --Ideogram 06:50, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

MediaWiki

Currently from what I read MediaWiki can only be installed in servers. Is there any way it can be installed on a webhosting service subdomain, like my geocities site? Wooyi^{Talk to me?} 01:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

It can be, if that website supports a couple of things:

• PHP 5
• MySql database
• Apache server
• phpMyAdmin is helpful, but not required

Not all webhosting services have these. I believe that this one does, but have not personally used it. Gracenotes^T § 04:11, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Hi.

Hi, I looked through the tutorial and I couldn't find the answer to my question. I'm currently editing a page and I need help adding pictures to it. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could explain it to me or show me where to find the information on how to insert pictures onto wikipedia pages. Thank you.

~*~

-Sam <33

See Wikipedia:Images. PrimeHunter 02:27, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

For a more technical explanation on including an image once it is uploaded, see Wikipedia:Extended image syntax. If the image is free, make sure to upload it Commons! (all images at commons are free to use in Wikipedia, and in fact anywhere) Gracenotes^T § 04:03, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

empty page change, where to discuss?

I noticed a recent change to the text displayed for a deleted or otherwise nonexistent page like this, adding inter-project search links. I'd like to suggest some minor formatting changes, but I have no idea of the title of the MediaWiki talk page (at least, I assume it's in the MediaWiki namespace) at which I would do this. My searches have turned up nothing. I would greatly appreciate any help. Nihiltres^(t.c.s) 02:56, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

You are looking for MediaWiki:Noarticletext. I found the page by checking recent changes in the MediaWiki namespace, you can also find it via Special:Allmessages by using your browser to find the text "If you can't find" etc.--Commander Keane 03:29, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

how to create a corporation stub?

how do i create a corporation stub like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavium_Networks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by D2tech (talk • contribs) 04:14, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

Don't worry, it's already been done.--Trampton 04:18, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

In the future, you can add a stub by putting {{name-of-stub}} at the bottom of the page. You can find a list of stub names here: Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types. tiZom_(2¢) 04:24, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

jennifer lopez

she's famous for having a great sexy butt - i tried to add that to her bio, they keep deleting it saying it's 'nonsense' - it's actually something people talk about in the real world - come on, let's be real! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.136.13.7 (talk) 05:05, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

I suggest you try to convince them on the talk page rarther than edit warring over it. I see you have already been blocked once over this. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 05:12, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Also, one cannot just say "Jennifer Lopez has a great sexy butt." That would be violating WP:NPOV. [Mac Δαvιs] ❖ 05:29, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

I do understand your point re the quote, but I tried the talk page, and no one responded. You can't have a 3-page article about her and not mention her sex appeal - come on, this isn't bizarro universe! I even supplied references, articles - they took them out too! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.136.13.7 (talk • contribs)

Please read also WP:BLP. PeaceNT 07:59, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

deletion of the article SAMAHANG ILOKANO

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samahang_Ilokano

SAMAHANG ILOKANO

i am the main contributor of the article. i created the article using an ip and i did not register that time. that time, wikipedia seemed to be responsible enough to protect the article. but we were wrong.

i am the main representative of the organization. the article has been vandalized over and over by an unknown member of wikipedia only using an IP address. i requested for a temporary full protection but was rejected. the organization is now requeting to have our page deleted since the vandalism is continous.

for any questions,

ddfrancia4@yahoo.com jose@ brownbatterystudios.com

we are the official representatives of the organization and no one else. please contact us for any questions.

this is the official website of the organization

http://www.samahangilokano.org

http://www.samahangilokano.org/about/history

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Dondef (talk • contribs) 06:55, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

• Are you familiar with the conflict of interest policy? If you're editing an article about your own organization, you should be. Vandalism is normally not a reason to get something deleted. Even if the article isn't protected, vandals can be blocked so they can't perform any future vandalism. Can you be more specific about the vandalism you're talking about, because a quick perusal of the article history doesn't show anything I can identify as vandalism. Blanking articles can be considered vandalism though, so you should be careful not to do that again. You have the right to remove inaccurate information, but the company itself does not have any special privileges in deciding if an article is kept or deleted, because you released the material you provided under the GFDL when you wrote the entry. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:00, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Higher attention necessary [ML replies][SOLVED]

Hi again, this is being posted in following to [5], in the first few days of May.

The original post was essentially on solving a WP audience/quality issue, causing some policies to apparently collide. The solution wasn't easy so we agreed on asking to Wiki-L. Unluckly, not many people replied but the surfaced solution were indeed very elegant.

The initial point was about two article sources contradicting each other.

1. Said A,B,C were the only possible options and how to use them. This is the most authoritative resource on the field.
2. Said D was "better" but it didn't explain how this merged with the above. This is a non-autoritative but very well-known source with much wider audience.

The solution, to the error everyone committed including me up to recent was in believing one authority "stronger" than the other. Andre Engels wrote (about reference "autorities") ("Wed, 9 May 2007 09:36:13 +0200"):

“ There can't be any general rule on this, but I do have to say that there are many cases where neither takes precedence, but the NPOV thing is to give both their say. ”

In other words: because it's unclear in what field what authority has power and this is not recognized by everyone (and the limit is fuzzy), considering a reference "more important" than other is POV.

That's delighting. I really never believed this could be so easy.

So, after this has been solved, I have posted back this here so it can be useful for the people at the help desk as well.

I hope this can be useful,
MaxDZ8 talk 07:04, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Logging in

I can't log into my account. I've attempted to send a new password to my email address but I cannot recieve it. It(my password) worked perfectly well until a few days ago until the inclusion of greater security measures. What can I do to access my account again? 58.110.211.31 08:02, 14 May 2007 (UTC) (actually User:Yuanchosaan)

wiki outlook synch

Hello, I would like to know if it is possible to synchronize a wiki page with outlook, for example, read the the Contact Info from Outlook and display this information in the wiki page. Thanks, Adrian —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Adrian.groza (talk • contribs) 08:58, 14 May 2007 (UTC).

Do you mean on your own Wiki, or Wikipedia? Notinasnaid 10:25, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

I think he means that he that he wants his contact details and information from Outlook Express to appear on his userpage. ~Spebi 10:41, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Edit an album infobox

how do you start and edit an album infobox in music album articles?— Preceding unsigned comment added by Metal80sfan1987 (talk • contribs)

Replied on user talk. PeaceNT 09:50, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Deleted article

Could some administrator kindly provide me with a copy of the article List of important dates in fiction which was deleted on 10 January? Also I'd like the two hours of my life back that I've just spent searching for it. -Multivitamin 10:38, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

You might ask one of the administrators listed here. 10:43, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

Iplay TV

Hi, I went and looked at this article and noticed that it was tagged for afd. When I clicked on the discussion page it led to a discussion page about an article for game called bounce. I attempted to create the correct discussion page and link to it and somehow I have messed it up. I would be grateful if someone could look at this and help me to see what I did wrong and to make it correct. Thanks in advanceHotmann 10:51, 14 May 2007 (UTC)