Wikipedia:New contributors' help page: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 01:33, 19 February 2009

Wikipedia:New contributors' help page

What would you like to do?

Ask a question	Do something
Ask a knowledge question that you cannot find the answer to in the encyclopedia. (e.g. Did Leonardo da Vinci build a working flying machine?)	Learn about how and where you can help Wikipedia (information and resources on the basics needed to comprehend, comment on, and contribute to Wikipedia)
Ask a question at the Teahouse about using or editing Wikipedia that you cannot find the answer to in the Frequently Asked Questions. (e.g. How can I fix this problem with this article?)	Create an article now (see Your first article before you start)
Ask a question about a practical problem you have that is not related to using or editing Wikipedia. (e.g. I was cheated by a builder. Please Help.)	Request that other editors review your new article

Ways to get help

If you place {{helpme}} on your talk page, a helper will visit you there as soon as possible!
Join the #wikipedia-en-help IRC channel for real-time chat. New to IRC? Click here to be connected instantly!
The template below outlines Wikipedia's help pages and can be viewed at the bottom of most related pages.

(Click "show" on the right to expand the template)

Infoboxes

Could anyone help me with info boxes? Could anyone give me a full guide for infoboxes. I'm quite new with infoboxes. --Bo98 (talk) 17:37, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That's a big subject. I would start here: Help:Infobox. – ukexpat (talk) 17:40, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Was there a specific infobox for which you were looking? If so, we may be able to point you in the right direction. TN‑X-Man 17:44, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well the main problem is how to type in a infobox because like if you put a sub-heading it doesn't work. Do you understand? --Bo98 (talk) 17:37, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not quite. Many infoboxes provide a subheading automatically. Is there an article you could provide as an example? TN‑X-Man 18:28, 19 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well not sub-headings (sorry). Lets take Nuts TV. The Source has the opening and closing of infobox and the contents are this:

(And the opening and closure of infobox!)

But this is what comes out(sorry can't do proper view on this page):

So its really the sub-titles like 'name' and 'owner' And I would like to fix the page as the like of 'close'. Get it? --Bo98 (talk) 17:02, 28 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I figured out the problem. Every infobox template uses specific parameter names, and if the wrong parameter name is used the data won't show up in the infobox. In this case, Nuts TV was using {{Infobox TV channel}}. Looking at Template:Infobox TV channel, you can find a list of the parameters which that infobox can use. If a channel has closed down, the way to indicate the date of closure is to use the "closed date" parameter (rather than "close"). I have made this correction on the Nuts TV page and now the date of closure is appearing in the infobox. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 08:31, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If I want to write an article on a subject that has been redirected?

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 17:16, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I need to write or edit an article, and I have found a subject with not much info that I want to write about, but it has been redirected to another page. Should I write a new page under this subject, or add info on this old page? I know I need to be encyclopedic and all that, I'm needing help with this particular thing. Thanks.--Roar-the-bore (talk) 21:29, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you want advice on a particular thing, you'll have to tell us what particular article you're talking about. Otherwise we can't give the specific help you want. Algebraist 21:38, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fair enough, I am hoping to write about the Ute War. It is redirected to Ute tribe. Thanks for your help! --Roar-the-bore (talk) 21:43, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at Black Hawk War (Utah) and Walker War. The material you are intending to write may already be in these articles and you should check there first. But in principle, it is ok to turn a redirect into an article. SpinningSpark 21:54, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Cool. I had looked at these two articles, but both are about earlier wars the Ute were involved in. The one I am hoping to write about is the war from 1878-79, the final war. Thanks for your help! I will need to figure out formatting, etc. later, but first it is time to hit the books for the research! --Roar-the-bore (talk) 22:04, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Great work Roar-the-bore, not many people research before editing so its nice to see a newish user who does! Hope you stay at wikipedia for a long time! :) Spitfire^Tally-ho! 22:11, 31 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, 1879, would that be White River War. It's only a stub so still plenty for you to write. Probably Ute War should be pointing to that article instead. SpinningSpark 00:10, 1 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hey Spinning Spark, I did get that message and thanks, this is the right war, the White River War. That's perfect, I am preparing to write my edit, hopefully I'll have it done by tonight, at which point I'll prob have some more questions (trying to upload it, and formatting properly, etc.) But I do appreciate the help (and especially glad that there is an stub already existing, which I suspected there must be). Best. --Roar-the-bore (talk) 19:23, 2 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This question has been resolved, but not sure how to make that happen (with the green arrow).--Roar-the-bore (talk) 16:24, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Done – ukexpat (talk) 17:16, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

kanji test

How to eligible for kanji testShashikant dagadu jagdale (talk) 10:40, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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 is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:39, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

please help me out...

i need to know the differences bw absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy..please help me as soon as possible!!! 59.92.240.18 (talk) 14:30, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at Spectroscopy#Common_types which should answer your question. If it doesn't, you'd be better off going to Wikipedia:Reference desk/Science for more help. Tra (Talk) 14:36, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

signature code

very low priority request...is there any place on WP that lists color/font/graphic codes for signatures? or, possibly a user that doesn't mind helping a newbie design a sig? reply here or my user page...whatever is convenient. thanks. Tide rolls (talk) 15:34, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Check out this page for tips on designing signatures. TN‑X-Man 19:48, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What does [[ mean?

When I am editing the following page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ASP.NET_MVC_Framework&action=edit

at the very bottom there are 4 lines:
\{\{DotNET}}
\[\[Category:ASP.NET]]
\[\[tr:ASP.NET MVC Framework]]
\{\{Application frameworks}}

(sorry but I didn't know how to escape the brackets).

Now I get what the {{ brackets do, but when I remvoe the [[ brackets nothing changes. What are the [[ brackets for? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Andriyko (talk • contribs) 19:05, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

[[tr:ASP.NET MVC Framework]] is an interwiki link to another language Wikipedia's version of the article. [[Category:ASP.NET]] is a Wikipedia category. – ukexpat (talk) 19:45, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See also Help:Interlanguage links. [[tr:ASP.NET MVC Framework]] makes the link titled "Türkçe" to the Turkish Wikipedia in the languages box to the left of ASP.NET MVC Framework. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:57, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You say you've worked out what the curly-bracket ones do, but you might not be aware that what they produce is also editable - they are templates being "transcluded", and you can find the template pages at, for example, Template:DotNET. There's a little more information at Help:Wikitext examples. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 22:36, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh, and a way to show the actual code of what you've typed, rather than the normal formatting, is to wrap the text in <nowiki> </nowiki> - which can be inserted by clicking on the icon of a W inside a "prohibited" sign in the set of icons above the editing box (9th along, between the math tag button and the signature button). If you edit this section you can see where other people have done this. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 22:39, 3 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

seriosly need help

hi there hw r u peoples? hope so f9 by da grace f god.. well i dnt kno much english so plz help me —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.101.68.234 (talk) 01:13, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't know much English, you probably shouldn't be contributing to the English Wikipedia. Why not contribute to the Wikipedia in your native language instead? There's a list here. That said, is there anything in particular you need help with? Algebraist 01:17, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hayley Einseln, (Realtor)

My name does not appear under HAYLEY.......... WHY? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.79.17.248 (talk) 16:24, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Probably because you are not notable. If you want to post your bio online there are other options such as Wikipopuli and Wikibios. – ukexpat (talk) 16:52, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

just how far is it to the u.s.a.

wood like to know how far is from there to the u.s.a. ckelly u.s.a. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.243.237.13 (talk) 16:50, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

From where to exactly where in the USA? - it's a big, really big, place. In any event, the folks at the Reference Desk may be able to help. – ukexpat (talk) 16:54, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Article on TheraRising/Anna Maravelas

Hi! I'm a new contributor to Wikipedia and an employee of TheraRising, Inc, a company that specializes in workplace cohesion, team building, and conflict resolution. As the person in charge of outreach and PR, I've been asked to create Wikipedia entries for the company and its founder, Anna Maravelas. However, I wanted to ask first if the company seems noteworthy enough to warrant an article.

For a brief glance at TheraRising, you can visit its website here. The business and Ms. Maravelas herself have gained a significant amount of recognition over the past 20-odd years, and there are a few secondary sources in the form of an interview I conducted with Ms. Maravelas and transcribed, a book she published entitled How to Reduce Workplace Conflict and Stress, and articles from several major publications (Oprah magazine, MSNBC, etc.) So, in the expert opinions of you wiki-veterans, would the articles on TheraRising and Anna Maravelas survive the penetrating stare of the wiki-street-sweepers?

Also, I realize that this may not be the appropriate place to ask this, but I figure if I'm wrong, this is the place to go to get pointed in the right direction!

Thanks in advance, and I hope to be able to provide the community with some decent content!

(I should also note that I am aware of the conflict of interest inherent in my writing an entry for a company of which I am a part, but I assume that that's an issue to be dealt with after writing the article.)

Aswarchon (talk) 22:56, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's my bedtime so I will leave it to others to look at your company's notability and reply to you, but I would just like to say thank you for asking. Your question is a model for how this type of situation should be dealt with on Wikipedia, and, whether the subject proves notable or not, your courtesy in asking first, before you create the article, is much appreciated. Ka renjc 23:40, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I want to first echo Karenjc's response: Thank you very much for asking about this first, and for making a sincere effort to be acquainted with Wikipedia policies with regards to notability before creating such an article. WP:CORP is generally a useful reference for this sort of thing, but absolute standards have not been completely agreed upon. As it stands, it sounds as if TheraRising is at least on the border of notability, having multiple sources of media coverage. Your best bet would be to create the article now, being sure to keep it conforming with Wikipedia style and avoiding advertising and discuss it if someone raises an objection. This is usually how such borderline cases are treated, and I think there is at least a strong case to be made at WP:AfD if someone should suggest it for deletion. Best. —Verrai 03:10, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, because of the guidelines on conflict of interest, it would be advisable to not go in and create TheraRising as an article straight away, but rather to create it in a personal sandbox (e.g. User:Aswarchon/TheraRising), bring it to the attention of some impartial reviewers (this page, or Wikipedia:Help desk are often good for this, or you can post a {{helpme}} somewhere) and get them to give it the once-over and if they don't think it's overly promotional or whatever they can move it into the main namespace. The reason I suggest this isn't so much that you're not going to write a decent article, but that some people take a particularly hard line on conflicts of interest, and doing it this way will help placate them. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 03:15, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

how do I create a new entry?

Hello. I simply want to create a new entry/article here. I've read everything and yet find myself completely confused. I just want to put up a simple entry. How the heck do I do this?—Preceding unsigned comment added by Taigawalk (talk • contribs)

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 05:21, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How to make an article live

I have created an artcile in my user page and I dont know how to make it "live"?Byronafrica (talk) 08:34, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Click on the red link for Sony Entertainment Television (South Africa) and copy the text and save. For more detailed info look at WP:FIRST#How to create a page. --Stefan ^talk 13:35, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

At the moment, IMHO, the draft article reads like a promotional piece, even if that is not the intention. Phrases like "ultimate destination for complete entertainment with a broad-based mix of programming" are not encyclopedic and non-neutral. If the article is moved to the mainspace in this form, my guess is that it will be deleted as spam. – ukexpat (talk) 16:33, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What do these cites refer to?

An editor says that there are two citations needed in the following paragraph.

Sefer Hamitzvot ("Book of Commandments") by Maimonides, with a critical commentary by Nachmanides.[citation needed] Maimonides employs a set of fourteen rules (shorashim) which determine inclusion into the list. In this work, he supports his specification of each Mitzvah through quotations from the midrash halakha and the Gemara. Nachmanides makes a number of critical points and replaces some items of the list with others.[citation needed]

I'm having trouble understanding exactly what facts our editor is referring to, and why a citation is needed. Also, what do I do if I disagree with the need for a citation? Phil_burnstein (talk) 08:35, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

{{fact}} was added in [1] with the edit summary: "Citations needed" for allegedly critical commentary and modifications of Maimonides' Sefer Hamitzvot by Nahmanides. I know nothing about the subject. The editor who added it can be contacted at User talk:Miguel de Servet. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:10, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hyrax conservation information

Are Hyraxes considered a protected species in South Africa? I have heard that they are moving into towns and causing distruction (eating wiring on motor vehicles, etc) as a result, irate owners want to cull them. Is this allowed?11:25, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

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 is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:55, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Eaudaimonia

Want to know full details about Aristotle's Eaudaimonia from Ethics 117.194.96.20 (talk) 14:23, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. However, please be aware the the Reference Desk will not do your homework for you. TN‑X-Man 14:30, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But note that we do not do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 16:25, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

There's some relevant content in Eudaimonia (it helps in searching to know the correct spelling). Deor (talk) 17:26, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Japan

I was looking at your entry for Japan And saw "The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん?) and Nihon (にほん?). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji 日本". Japan has three alphabets- hiragana, katakana & kanji, while the characters after the word "kanji" are indeed kanji, the characters after "Nippon" & Nihon" are in hiragana. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kekoa1969 (talk • contribs) 16:02, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for catching that. A good idea would be to discuss what you've found on the article's talk page and establish a consensus to change the sentence you mentioned. TN‑X-Man 16:11, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Conflict of Interest Question

A major contributor to this article appears to have a conflict of interest with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (January 2009)

This message appears on IATP's wikipedia page--how do I make it comply with Wikipedia's content policies?

Please advise--thanks!

Iatpiatp (talk) 16:37, 5 February 2009 (UTC) [reply]

~~Well, read WP:COI and figure out what is wrong with the article. Also, if you give us a link, others may help. Queenie ^Talk 16:49, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]~~

Never mind. This is the article in question; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. As I said, read WP:COI and it should explain. Queenie ^Talk 16:51, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Basically, what needs to be done is removing the unnecessarily decorative phrases and unimportant information. Remember that the reader comes here to get the facts on the organization, not to learn how good the organization is. What we need here are the important facts about the organization, backed by suitable references. I suggest the long timeline of events be removed too, and only the important events be included in the prose. Chamal ^talk 17:12, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Articles for Creation Submission

Hello, I created a page, but am not sure how to submit it for review. Can you tell me how to do that? This is the page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Submissions/Mildred_Emory_Persinger

Thank you Persinger09 (talk) 20:30, 5 February 2009 (UTC)JMW 2/5/09 15:30[reply]

As the banner at the top of the page says (Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Submissions/Mildred Emory Persinger), it's under review. In the meantime take a look at the following links as they will help you improve the article: WP:LEAD and WP:MOS. There are some formatting issues but they can be dealt with in due course. One other thing, you need to beef up her notability. At the moment, notability is hinted at, but it needs to be more clearly described. – ukexpat (talk) 20:54, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

ok sources of reference??

Hi,

I have tried to add a page, but wikipedia continues to ask about sources of reference. I have one external link and two internal (to other wikipedia texts) so why can't I make it public??

Please help me!

This is the page: CFE (Confédération Fiscale Européenne)

(converted from external-style link to wikilink)

Eutax (talk) 11:43, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It may be helpful to document what the organization has actually achieved, that would bring it to the attention of the public. Has it successfully lobbied for changes to the law? Has it played any role in investigating criminal cases of improper behaviour by accountants?

Some of your questions are answered by the text in the box at the top of the article: "this article needs sources or references that appear in reliable third-party publications. Primary sources or those affiliated with the subject are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article." You need to include references to articles written about the organization in the press, from books, etc. A link to its website is not sufficient. Reference to other Wikipedia pages are also not sufficient. If the organization is notable, those references should exist. This is part of the notability test.

Also note that the box at the top gives instructions on what you should do next: "explain why you object to the deletion, either in the edit summary or on the talk page". I notice there is no talk page for the article. You should create one, and at least let others know you are trying to work on the problem, and you intend to improve the article.

I also think the title should be changed. Use only its full name, and mention the abbreviation in the opening sentence of the article, so you can use it in later paragraphs. You should also create a redirect page for the abbreviation.

Best of luck! --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 12:38, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have moved the article to Confédération Fiscale Européenne and added a link to it on the CFE disambiguation page. – ukexpat (talk) 15:02, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

marking address

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 02:56, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indian,kerala at thrissur.I wanted to mark my house in your map ,what should I do? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Suminpstcr (talk • contribs) 12:33, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is not a place for hosting personal information. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 12:41, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Three questions about creating pages

First, I really appreciate the help I have gotten in the past from this community. It makes contributing very rewarding. Maybe I'll know enough to return the favour some day.

I've written Data Stream Interface which is a computer network protocol.

Some questions around this:

1. A feature that is used in understanding network protocols is to look at network dumps. These are files that are records of what went over the wire and there are tools to help visualize these. These are often referred to as tcpdump files. I can't upload these because they aren't an image or an ogg file, but they have incredible value to people interested in network protocols. There are free tools (wireshark) to help visualize these interactively. Is there any way that I could upload these? What would you suggest?

(An added unobvious bonus is that they can actually be used as a form of citation. An example of this is a statement like "when two Apples are talking to each other, they send the magic string "slnkqrts". That can only be shown by looking at the network dump, it isn't in any written document.)

2. Is there a reference on the style of diagrams that I should use? Any suggested tools? I want to be consistent.

3. And on another page I've written Frank D'Angelo (business man). Should that have been Frank D'Angelo (businessman) (one word) instead? If I move it, will all the references to it be moved too?

Many thanks.

Alexthepuffin (talk) 15:57, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I moved Frank D'Angelo (business man) back to Frank D'Angelo - there is no need to disambiguate when there is only one Frank D'Angelo with an article. – ukexpat (talk) 16:16, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Okay... a reason I had used 'business man' was that there is a different Frank D'Angelo involved in Ontario politics who has no article. On those pages, should I make those references not linked? Or make those Frank D'Angelo? And also... how do I search for articles that contain "Frank D'Angelo" that are not Frank D'Angelo, if that makes any sense at all... Alexthepuffin (talk) 16:21, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

For the politician, either don't link him or disambiguate his name as you suggest with a redlink Frank D'Angelo (politician) - existing articles take precedence over redlinks. If and when someone writes an article about the politician, the apropriate hatnote (probably {{otherpeople4}}) can be added to each. – ukexpat (talk) 16:33, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Now, how do I search for "Frank D'Angelo" without only getting only my Frank D'Angelo ? Alexthepuffin (talk) 16:39, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A Wikipedia search for "Frank D'Angelo" - like this one that I just performed shows hits to any Frank D'Angelo, business man and politician included. – ukexpat (talk) 16:53, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Personal info

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 02:55, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hey there. I'd like to add my info to the "Editors willing to make difficult edits" list, but I don't know if there is any information that I have revealed. My email address is entered at My Preferences, and I'm pretty sure that can't be seen by other users, but I'm not too sure about other pages. Could someone please spend a few minutes to make sure there is no personal, identifiable information about me on Wikipedia, so I can add my name to the list?

Thanks. Anti venin 16:55, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Unless you have ever posted your real name, address, or e-mail address on Wikipedia (through an edit, not when you registered), there should be no identification lying around. I made an attempt to send you an e-mail through Wikipedia's e-mail system (Special:Emailuser/Username), and it correctly informed me that you have decided not to receive e-mail from other users. Ironically, registered users can be more anonymous than anonymous IP addresses if they so choose. —Verrai 18:13, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, great. I added my name to the list. Thanks! Anti venin 17:31, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Tactfully rewriting a page

I think Apple Filing Protocol should be rewritten. It looks more like a sequence of facts than a story. There's nothing wrong with the facts, but the flow and format make it hard to follow. I'd like to help fix it up, but it is hard to do incrementally. So: - how should I approach it? I want to be bold but not too bold or offensive. - how should I do this technically? It will take me some time to rewrite it. Should I rewrite it in my own personal sandbox and then cut and paste it in to the original?

Alexthepuffin (talk) 19:37, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes that's exactly how to do it. Copy and pasting in this context is OK because your changes will show in the edit history. But before you do copy and paste, it might be a good idea to leave a message on Talk:Apple Filing Protocol asking interested editors to comment on your rewrite. Let me know if you need help creating the user subpage. – ukexpat (talk) 20:33, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Want to flag fraudulant Universities

There are some diploma mills on here with articles promoting themselves, so I would like to know how to flag these articles, please notify me on my talk page, Thank You

Dallinpj1 (talk) 21:22, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Friday has replied on the user's talk page. TN‑X-Man 15:44, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

DC REGULATED POWER SUPPLY

I am interested in getting ciruits for Pre Regulation for DC Power Supplies. This circuit is to regulate primary side of the unit. It can be SCR controlled or otherwise.

Also interested in obtaining circuits for Linear DC Regulated Power Supply with series Pass using MOSFET. regds. R. Devaraj —Preceding unsigned comment added by RAMASUBBURAJU DEVARAJ (talk • contribs) 07:32, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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 is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:36, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How do you indent a paragraph of text?

I've noticed on the Talk pages when people reply to someone's post, they usually indent their text to set it apart from the original text they're replying to. How do you do this? I couldn't find an icon for indenting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Spiritquest (talk • contribs) 15:35, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To indent a paragraph, simply place a colon before the text you wish to indent. If you click on the "edit" tab for this section, you'll see that I have done so in this reply. TN‑X-Man 15:43, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think you'd benefit from having a go at the Wikipedia:Tutorial. In just a few minutes you'll get a handle on all the basics of wiki formatting. See also the Wikipedia:Cheatsheet.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:44, 7 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Creating a page with tables

I have created a page that shows the history of all the by-elections held in Botswana and wanted to add it to the page on by-elections. I started out by copying a table that was already in that section and then (in my own workspace) deleted the content and started filling in my data. I created it in MS Word and then saved it in HTML. I tried cutting and pasting it into my UserPage, but it lost all the table formatting. I'm wondering what I need to do. I didn't see anything about tables in the instructions.

Thanks.

Very5 (talk) 00:17, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have a look at Help:Table. Algebraist 00:20, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You might also find Wikipedia:Tools/Editing tools#From Microsoft Word useful if you are determined to work in MS Word. SpinningSpark 14:24, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Picture copyrights

Is it legal to use any pictures found by a google search on an article? I know the answer is out there somewhere, but I got confused by all the tech talk. Pear40 (talk) 00:24, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

99.99% of the time, no it's not. Posting a pic on the web does not automatically put it into the public domain or release copyright. For Wikipedia's policies see WP:NFCC and WP:COPYVIO. – ukexpat (talk) 02:54, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No. The vast majority of images you will find by a Google search are copyrighted in some way. Generally, if an image you turn up from Google is from anywhere but Wikipedia or a related project such as Wikimedia Commons, it can't be used on Wikipedia. The one exception to this rule are images used under fair use doctrine, but, if you aren't familiar with the rules governing fair use, just don't post random images found via Google. —Verrai 02:55, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

One site that does have a lot of free images is Flickr, but you still have to check the licence of each picture individually as not all of them have a Wikipedia compatible licence. SpinningSpark 14:19, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Creating a new Wikipedia page for a university chapter of a larger organization

Hello there. How would I go about creating an unbiased article about the University of Alberta chapter of Engineers Without Borders? Currently, the Engineers Without Borders (Canada) page does not have any links to any of the other chapters that exist (and these chapters do not have Wiki pages either). I would like to create a very small article, perhaps describing what is unique about our chapter, what it has done in the past, and providing some information about the executives and structure of the organization. Is this allowed on Wikipedia?

Thank you very much HY7 (talk) 08:37, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In general, articles on Wikipedia need to establish notability by demonstrating coverage in reliable sources distinct from the organization itself. For modern organizations this usually means a pattern of news coverage. It would be unusual, but not impossible, for a university chapter of a larger organization to be considered notable. As a rule of thumb, ask yourself, will people outside of the University and EWB care about the Alberta chapter of EWB? The answer might be yes, if the Alberta chapter in particular is well known for some reason, but in many cases local chapters are only of local interest and would not meet Wikipedia inclusion criteria. Dragons flight (talk) 08:56, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please also read WP:YFA, WP:Spam and WP:Corp for additional guidance. – ukexpat (talk) 18:01, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Correction request

How to proceed to have the following correction text be included in Vikipedia/Ellipse perimeter informations.

When estimating the perimeter of the ellipses,an error % is to be considered.For the whole range of (b/a=TAN) the world known maximum error %=0,00145...On 2009.01.15 this error is corrected,updated to be =-0,00000262...by Necat Tasdelen/Turkey.Also Ramanujan's approximations are no more valid when TAN>2,75.Ref:Iaeng conference/San Francisco/2008. —Preceding unsigned comment added by TASDELEN (talk • contribs) 20:48, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Frankly, I don't understand most of what you posted, but feel free to offer suggestions at Talk:Ellipse. —Verrai 23:03, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Also, you may want to check out the math reference desk, as they may be able to assist as well. TNXMan 23:14, 8 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Victor ganz

I made a new entry for Victor Ganz, but in the subject line the entry does not capitalize the "G" in Ganz. can you help me resolve this?

thanks

--Philip Wright (talk) 00:35, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Done. I have moved the page to the correct capitalization. This is something you can do if your account is autoconfirmed, which means that it has been active for four days and made at least ten edits. TNXMan 00:37, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

thank you! for the quick response and help. much appreciated. --Philip Wright (talk) 00:41, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

it seems to disappear. sorry i am a SUPER new user —Preceding unsigned comment added by Phildubyou (talk • contribs) 00:47, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

this is also regarding the ganz entry which i just posted

--Philip Wright (talk) 00:50, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. Also, including four tildes automatically adds your signature and a timestamp to your post. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. TNXMan 00:54, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Why is there no article on George Bell (basketball player)?

Why is there no article on George Bell (basketball player)? The tallest man in America as per the Guiness Book of World Records?Shlomo2000 (talk) 06:06, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Because you haven't written one. If you think there should be one, go and write it yourself. Algebraist 13:12, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Shlomo2000 actually did write it. George Bell (basketball player) was deleted with deletion edit summary "(Article with no useful content (CSD A3))". I don't think that criteria applies. The deleting administrator has retired. I have restored the article and added a reference. The subject seems to pass Wikipedia:Notability (people) but an expansion and more sources would be nice. I will fix a couple of incoming links but don't have time for more now. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:27, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a required degree of fame/importance for Wikipedia article subjects?

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 15:39, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am an English teacher living in Japan and I recently had my students expand the stub articles on some of the local towns (don't worry, I made sure the English was all perfect before it was submitted). But now I'd like to have my English club write an entry about their high school. It is not in any way, shape or form an unusual or important high school. Is this a valid subject for wikipedia? Or will the article be removed? 60.36.186.205 (talk) 03:51, 10 February 2009 (UTC)Taikoman[reply]

All high schools are considered inherently notable. However, student-written articles about their own schools tend to be filled with fluff: lists of clubs (or even worse, lists of clubs with rosters, officers, etc.); rosters of teachers; bragging about athletic or academic rivalries; attacks on rival schools; and general violations of our neutral point of view standards. --Orange Mike | Talk 03:58, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind, the above question's response concerning Notability took me where I needed to go.

60.36.186.205 (talk) 03:57, 10 February 2009 (UTC)Taikoman[reply]

The core guideline is WP:N and reliable sources will be required to verify claims of notability. – ukexpat (talk) 04:01, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

So OrangeMike says any High School is inherently notable, but my understanding of the notability guidelines was that my school was not notable. And if it is notable, what would you consider to be suitable (non-fluff) information? Date of establishment, student population, headteacher's name? Furthermore, would the school's own publications be suitable sources for these?　 Wikipedia:Verifiability#Self-published sources　is somewhat vague on the matter. I rather doubt that this information is published anywhere else. What might be considered a school achievement worthy of inclusion? The school’s record breaking loss at a baseball game of 0-60 was published in regional newspapers, so presumably that is ‘notable. Does the school team’s articles in those papers impact the overall notability of the school? Would the brass band club’s regular contribution to the annual Ishikawa International Jazz festival count? And finally (sorry to batter you with questions) if something is notable in Japan to the Japanese, but not particularly notable to foreigners, would that be eligible under notability criteria?

60.36.186.205 (talk) 04:53, 10 February 2009 (UTC)Taikoman[reply]

Things are considered "notable" when they have received coverage in published sources with the logic that if a few newspaper, books, or other publication in print or on the internet consider something important enough to report on then it probably is important. In the case of high schools it is usually assumed that the school is inherently notable because high schools are usually major, large budget institutions that have a lasting effect on there community. You should be OK if you high school has, like, a student count of 300-500+.

In terms of what your article should be like, I would say Kubasaki High School is a reasonable example of an article on a high school where as Morioka First High School is a rather poor one. I would recommend you include this information: name and location, school district, when founded, by whom, size (students, faculty, buildings), principal, history (construction, major changes, major awards, etc.), demographics, and then a link to school website.

About sourcing, it is highly advised, but to tell you the truth it will be OK if unsourced. Icewedge (talk) 05:20, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The school's publications are fine as primary sources. Especially for the sort of information you mention - date of establishment, enrollment numbers, and the like. Personally, I'd include the information about the band, but I'd lean towards skipping the record loss: mostly because it would be giving too much weight to the result of one game. - Bilby (talk) 05:26, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

OK, thanks very much, all four answers have been useful so thank you. And whilst the record loss might only be one game, I am sad to say that it is not entirely unrepresentative of their usual standard *weep* 61.197.139.67 (talk) 06:00, 10 February 2009 (UTC)Taikoman[reply]

Michelle Remembers

Hi, there is an article by the name of the subject line above concerning a book about an alleged Satanic ritual abduction. My impression is that the story is overly skeptical, and quite slanderous of the authors, Pazder and Michelle.

About a year ago I had tried to write an 'edit' to respond to some of the allegations, but that was my first time on this system. This is only my second. I went to the site a few days later, having thought that my responses would be there and they were not. I don't know if they were removed by the main author, or Wiki, but when I finished I thought for sure they had been added or installed.

The subject matter underlying this book is not your ordinary book review. We are talking about the possibility that a person was actually abducted, and I feel that the presentation in its present form is grossly flawed, to the point of a disturbing degree of partisan negligence, bordering on the emotive-pseudo-intellectual. I can certainly understand how some groups would want to ensure that a witch hunt doesn't ensue from a careless presentation of the actual facts, by on the contrary, if it is actually true that this girl was abducted by a 'satanic' cult, or any malevolent group, then any over-the-top defense is equally detrimental.

I would like to present some rebuttals. Regards, EncyclopediaJones —Preceding unsigned comment added by EncyclopediaJones (talk • contribs) 05:38, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs. As it is, these folks are about on a level with UFO "abductees" in credibility. --Orange Mike | Talk 14:24, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The article seems pretty fair to me, describes the allegations made in the book balancing that with the views of those who have challenged the allegations. – ukexpat (talk) 15:45, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dejan Antonić

User:Hkfans852 is keep returning Dejan Antonić to an old version. I have tried to wikify this article and fix some errors but he just keep returning. What should I do? Thanks--Antonytse (talk) 09:41, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Both of you seem to be making the edits in good faith. Therefore, I suggest you contact Hkfans852 on his talk page or on Talk:Dejan Antonić and ask why he keeps reverting your edits and also provide the reason for the changes you have made. Take both sides of the story into account and try to come to an agreement that is acceptable for both of you. And please stop reverting each other's changes without any discussion. If discussions fail, then you can follow the steps here. Cheers. Chamal ^talk 13:05, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How can I cancel a redirection?

I have noticed that Wikipedia does not have a page about our Internet service DepositFiles. When I wanted to create the page, I discovered that such a page exists and has a redirection to "File hosting service" page. - So I cannot edit the page with the name "DepositFiles" and also cannot find how I can cancel the redirection. And now it is a situation equal to such when, for example, one looking for a word "Mercedes" is redirected to "Cars" page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Infernity (talk • contribs) 12:49, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Redirect#Navigating redirects. But please also see Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations. DepositFiles is actually not redirecting and can be created. The redirect is on Depositfiles but the redirect is activated when "DepositFiles" is entered in the search box without a page existing with that capitalization. The redirect at Depositfiles is currently protected. A request for unprotection can be posted at Wikipedia:Requests for page protection. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:11, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

how do you request semi protection?

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 15:46, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am an intern at the NAI at NASA Ames Research Center and the institute has prepared a document they want posted on Wikipedia, but it should really be somewhat protected to avoid vandalism. How do I go about requesting this?Sri.dhyana (talk) 13:49, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Requests for protection for to WP:RPP. You'll need a much better reason than that though. You should also read WP:COI. Algebraist 13:54, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Right. Wikipedia:Protection policy#Semi-protection says: "Semi-protection should not be used as a pre-emptive measure against vandalism that has not yet occurred, nor should it be used solely to prevent editing by anonymous and newly registered users." Also Wikipedia:Ownership of articles. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:56, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. Though I've been a user for a long time, this is my first article so I'm learning the ropes.Sri.dhyana (talk) 14:17, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

NCL and Fanning Island

Norwegian Cruise Lines stopped going there. What's happening to the people that depended upon their support? JudieJudieandjohn (talk) 19:21, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

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 is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. TNXMan 19:23, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

confused on entry i made

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 02:57, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I just created a new entry which is a biography of a living person. Instead of the title of the name of the person up top, it lists User:Silverbritches which is my login name. I am confused as to how I change it. Silverbritches (talk) 02:21, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Instead of creating an article in the main article space, you created an article in your user space. I have moved the article for you. This is something you can do when your account is autoconfirmed, which means that it has been active for four days and made at least ten edits. You can find your article at Harry Chapman (news anchor). Best, TNXMan 02:39, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate it. Silverbritches (talk) 02:42, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No problem. ukexpat and I have cleaned it up a little as well. If there's anything else you can add, feel free to do so. TNXMan 02:58, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

About moving subpages to production.

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 14:34, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi,

I have created a subpage about an NGO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Sachin_Tewari_Chhetri/BGWA and I want to move it live. How do I move the page? How do I know that the page is ready for live? How can I make adminstrators check this? I am sorry am asking a lot of questions but this is my first article.

Please direct the answer to my talk page.

Thanks Sachin Tewari Chhetri (talk) 10:05, 11 February 2009 (UTC)Sachin[reply]

I found the answer 192.131.85.206 (talk) 13:25, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Appears to be Sachin Tewari Chhetri logged out. Marking as resolved – ukexpat (talk) 14:34, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Use of color in usernames

Hello,

Some usernames are in red color, and some are in blue color. Could you let me know what the difference is ?

Please notify me on my talk page.

Regards,

Mvanwaveren (talk) 15:21, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In article edit histories and the like a red username means that the user has not edited their userpage, blue indicates that it has been edited. Now, in the case of signatures on talk pages etc, it is possible to customise one's signature, as described here. – ukexpat (talk) 15:30, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, this answer is sufficient. - Mvanwaveren (talk) 08:37, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

question about image copyright

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 19:11, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I'm new user, and would like to add an image/illustration to a plant article from Curtis Magazine, which was reproduced digitally by the National Agricultural Library. According to the Library, the images have no copyright, but the library asks for attribution. (See the bottom of their page on copyright.) I've looked through the Image use policy and the Image copyright tags pages but can't find anything appropriate to a copyright-free image but asks for attribution. Any ideas? --Matricuria (talk) 18:06, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Tag it with {{PD-USGov-USDA}}. Generally speaking, nearly all US government images are public domain, and there are a wide variety of specialized tags. The basic tag is {{PD-USGov}}, which can be used if you aren't sure where the tag for the specific branch of the government is located. —Verrai 18:41, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, much appreciated! I found a tag for the NAL, too at {{PD-USGov-USDA-NAL}}. --Matricuria (talk) 19:05, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Using image from commons

Resolved

– TNXMan 20:27, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've been spending the last half hour trying to include an image that I uloaded to Commons in a draft of an article (in my sandbox). I'd be grateful if someone either explained how-to, or just did it for me in my sandbox ("kladd", linked to below), then I'll figure out howto myself.

The image is http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tube-stripper.jpg, and the place I'm trying to put it is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:NorwegianBlue/kladd#Tube_stripper

Thanks! --NorwegianBlue^talk 18:45, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Just insert the file name as you would for any file uploaded directly to Wikipedia: Image:Tube-stripper.jpg. —Verrai 18:47, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You were using an incorrect file name. You had File:Tube_stripper.jpg instead of File:Tube-stripper.jpg. I fixed it for you. – ukexpat (talk) 18:49, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ah... Thanks a lot! --NorwegianBlue^talk 20:14, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

assessment

how do you put an article in a project up for assessment? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.149.83.56 (talk) 19:04, 11 February 2009 (UTC) i think my number is 78.149.83.56[reply]

You can either assess the article yourself or ask someone associated with the relevant WikiProject to assess it for you. There are some criteria laid out in this guide if you would like to try it yourself. Please note that featured articles and A-class articles have their own processes that require third-party assessment. TNXMan 03:18, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

cant add a fictional character of a book to the request page

Whenever I click to add it, it takes me to a page to request authors...? Broken link? The character I want to request is David Talbot of the Vampire Chronicles

67.54.160.255 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 02:07, 12 February 2009 (UTC).[reply]

I don't know where exactly you are clicking but David Talbot (The Vampire Chronicles) already exists. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:13, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Could you clarify what you mean when you say you want to adding something to the "request page"? TNXMan 03:21, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I guess this is about Wikipedia:Requested articles where "Fictional characters in literature" links to Wikipedia:Requested articles/Culture and fine arts/Literature. That page starts with authors. A fictional character could be placed in the "Other" section. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:17, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

oceans

how do i see fish swimming in the great barrier reef —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.182.231.126 (talk) 06:28, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not entirely sure what you're looking for here, but this question is one for the reference desk, who answer factual questions. — Manti core 07:45, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried sticking your head in the water? :) --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 05:19, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

career

i am a student of engg.but my branch electrical and electronics engg. i like to make new things as many small electronic things but i have less knowledge and also money problem and not know where to buy right thing to make what i wanna make.if u can suggest me than suggest anyone can help me. so that i can do better. —Preceding unsigned comment added by VISHALSRMS (talk • contribs) 10:29, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Science section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. TNXMan 12:52, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Question About Creating New Articles

Hello, I’ve just created four new articles about forthcoming ABC Family shows: “Roommates (series),” “Ruby and the Rockits,” “10 Things I Hate About You (series),” and “Perfect 10” (series). These articles are currently on my user subpage. All of these articles are reliably sourced and are written according to WP:NPOV and WP:NOR.

I would move them into the public space myself, but considering WP:COI, I thought it would be best to ask for outside assistance. I have disclosed in my talk page that my employer represents ABC Family. While I am familiar with WP:COI, these articles were created purely from reliable sources that are readily public accessible.

Would someone please review these newly created articles, and then move them into the main space? Assuming, of course, that the articles meet all criteria. Let me know, and feel free to contact me on talk page with any questions or concerns.

Also, is this the best place to make this type of request? If not, please point me in the right direction.

Thanks! Carolina Bluebird (talk) 15:21, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Here and WP:HD are good places for seeking general help. If you want reviewers with specific knowledge of Wikipedia's TV-related policies, then WT:TV would be a good place. Algebraist 15:27, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) All of the articles have been moved to the main space. Thank you for a) disclosing your COI and b) making a good-faith effort to remain neutral. The articles appear to have good references and should be fine. If you have other questions, feel free to ask. TNXMan 15:30, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Calcium channel blockers in thyrotoxicosis/hyperthyroidism

what information can you provide me on the usage of calcium channel blockers as adjunct therapy to hyperthyroidism?

Are there any advantages over beta blockers? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ckbalani (talk • contribs) 19:45, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Science section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. However, please be aware that Wikipedia cannot and will not give medical advice. Best, TNXMan 19:46, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

chevron(overseas)oil company

I have received an Email from a posting person with Fedex? about a large amount they want to send me. They don't want very much information but I;m Leery about Emails I don't know anything about..Is this you or an affiliate? P lease answer me..The moneyis not as inportant as my computer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.247.20.98 (talk) 22:08, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 2.7 million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the online free encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If that is not fruitful, we have a reference desk, divided into various subjects areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. TNXMan 22:10, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I never open emails from strangers. It sounds like you are seeing a scam attempt. They are rather common in email spam. Check your email reader applicaiton's instructions to see how to view an email without actually opening it, which is a safe way to check suspicious messages. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 05:18, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How to make my first page live

Resolved

– ukexpat (talk) 03:11, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi,

I have created a page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Slederman/Science.gov and I can't figure out how to make it go live. I've read the information about moving pages but I can't find a "move" tab.

Also, I don't see how to give my page a category.

Help!!!

Slederman (talk) 00:01, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your account needs to be autoconfirmed before you'll be able to move pages. This simply means your account has been active for four days and made at least ten edits. I'll go ahead and move the page for you. TNXMan 00:08, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(ec)You can't move pages, as your account is not yet four days old. I have moved it to Science.gov. See Help:Category for information on them. Algebraist 00:10, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) Or I would have, had User:Algebraist not beaten me to it.:P You'll find your page at Science.gov. TNXMan 00:13, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for moving the page and for the pointer to the category help information.

Slederman (talk) 02:46, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Stubs

Hi, How can you create a stub? I've read them before, and they're smaller length articles. Thanks, GoGreen09 —Preceding unsigned comment added by GoGreen09 (talk • contribs) 03:42, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You create a stub article the same way you create any other article. Standard message follows:

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation.. – ukexpat (talk) 04:33, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

creating a sandbox

I would like to know how to create a sandboxMaggie1094 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 05:57, 13 February 2009 (UTC).[reply]

Feel free to create a sandbox in your userspace at User:Maggie1094/Sandbox or on a similarly named page within your userspace such as User:Maggie1094/Test. If you want to do only brief experimental edits, you can also use the main Wikipedia sandbox at Wikipedia:Sandbox. —Verrai 16:33, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I created one for you at User:Maggie1094/Sandbox and put a link to it on your user page at User:Maggie1094. – ukexpat (talk) 21:06, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Using a .jpg image for private use

Hello - I apologize in advance if this is not the correct area to ask this question but I poked around and this is the best I could find....

I am working on my thesis paper for Military History this term and my subject is Nicholas II's policy and social program shortfalls, bla bla bla....

I was wondering if the .jpg image at

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

is copyrighted? Or may I use the image of the family tree to imbed in my paper?

If someone could let me know it would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Waynem37 (talk) 02:40, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Waynem37. The actual image file is at File:Ruriks.jpg, which lists the licensing, which is Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 and the GNU Free Documentation License. Basically, yes you can use it, but you must provide attribution, you must allow others to use it from your work, the same way it was allowed to be used by you and more, as provided in the two links.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 11:14, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

bramley apple tree

i have 2 bramley apple trees the stems are 5foot tall but there are very few branches and none in the top 3feet of the tree. is there anything that i can do to encourage the growth of branches on the top 3 feet —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.196.114.133 (talk) 05:54, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Try asking at the reference desk. They deal with factual questions. — Manti core 08:37, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are you saying we only deal with infactual questions here? :) --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 14:50, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Altering an Edit Summary

Is there any way for an Edit Summary on an edit which I made to be changed- I made a typo: "taf" should read "tag" on edit made 13:22, 14 February 2009. Thanks Panpanman (talk) 13:36, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not possible, the only thing you can do is make a dummy edit with a correction. But only worth doing for something important, a typo I would not bother with. SpinningSpark 14:29, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Rockster

can you tell me if rockster is releasing gta5 in october as i heard it from my local games station store thank you 93.97.153.49 (talk) 18:20, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, this desk is questions regarding using Wikipedia. According to our article on Grand Theft Auto, the next release in the series is Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. A Google search may be able to provide you with more information. TNXMan 20:15, 14 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yesterday, I read in the paper, they'll be releasing at least two addons (of which this is one) so I doubt they'd have time to program an entirely new game before the year ends. - Mgm|^(talk) 12:05, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

depreciation

when depreciation is charged ? is it when asset is put to use ..or when its ready to be put to use ????? for example :there is an asset purchased on 1 jan.and its used for production purpose oon 5 jan .from which date dep would be charged ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.19.131 (talk) 12:53, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This page is for questions on using Wikipedia. You might want to try at the reference desk. Cheers.

Nationalized Banking

I would like to request an article on the topic of 'Nationalized Banking'. How do I do that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Smarcy2 (talk • contribs) 16:35, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, first, you may want to check out Nationalization, as the info you want may be there. Otherwise, there are a few ways. You can request the article at here. Or if you have a draft in mind, you can work on it in a sandbox or on your user page. TNXMan 16:46, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Images

how do i add an image? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Antony X59 (talk • contribs) 17:05, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on what you mean by add. If by "add", you mean upload a picture to Wikipedia, you must either do it here (your account must be autoconfirmed) or at Wikimedia Commons (no autoconfirmation necessary). If by "add", you mean insert an existing, uploaded image into an article, simply type [[File:Name of uploaded image]]. TNXMan 17:18, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How to study

I have a problem of losing my concentration.How can i avoid it because my exams are at my doors —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.125.74.37 (talk) 21:26, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry we can't help you, we cannot give medical advice. – ukexpat (talk) 21:35, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That's not medical advice. There are some easy tips to keep concentrated during exams. Make sure you get enough sleep and have studied so you don't panic upon receiving the question. Also, make sure you had a good breakfast before leaving home. It needs a bit of sugar to stimulate your brain and be easily degistible. _ Mgm|^(talk) 12:03, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To add to what MGM said on the sugar front, for the bar exam they recommend eating oatmeal, as supposedly it digests at a steady rate providing a steady energy flow.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:00, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

depeloped of own bussiness of chrom electro plating

Dear sir/madam, I need your help to get deeply information regarding electroplating. I want to develope my own factory of electroplating, I stayed in Batam-Indonesia I did not know about: a. How to get education book for elector plating b. How to buy for machine, tools and facilities for electro plating

Pls help me to get the answer thank youMdwinanto (talk) 07:58, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You might find what you are looking for in the article Electroplating. If you cannot find the answer there, you can try asking your question at Wikipedia's Reference Desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except about how to use Wikipedia, which is what this help desk is for). I hope this helps. Ka renjc 12:45, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Multi Corporation added

I would love to recieve feedback on my first article to further improve it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Verena Köster (talk • contribs) 09:20, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Replied on your talk page. — Manti core 09:32, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looking for a Kindly Guide for User:HannahMiley

Hello, User:HannahMiley appears to be a younger editor whose edits up until now have been related to tween or teen entertainment. Unfortunately in the last day or so, the editor has decided to flood two-letter acronym disambiguation pages with brainstorming all possible combinations of two words that could conceivably pass as meanings for those acronyms, although the plausibility of their general use as such is extremely weak (e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PP&action=history, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RR&action=history, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MC_(disambiguation)&action=history, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BP_(disambiguation)&action=history). The editor seems to be unaware of WP:NOT#INFO and WP:MADEUP.

Would a kinder, more patient soul than me like to guide him/her to the path of True Enlightenment?

-- DanielPenfield (talk) 16:37, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

uploading images

I know your new policy, at the same time I already created one entry with an image inside. I don't mind if I will upload an image and admin will look at it before allowing it to be inserted into page I wanted to edit. My login is prokurator, I was trying to upload an image of Russian writer V. Voinovich whom I met at the reading on February 14, 2009 in New York. His entry in wikpedia does not have any images.

Thanks Prokurator (talk) 17:52, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If it is an image that you took, please upload it to Commons so that it is available to all Wikipedia projects. You will need an account there to up load but with single user log in you can use your Eng Wikipedia user name and password there. The Commons upload page is at commons:Upload. Hope this helps. – ukexpat (talk) 18:02, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

mine disaster

1959 knox mine disaster film-pics —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.214.38.160 (talk) 19:10, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 2.7 million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the online free encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If that is not fruitful, we have a reference desk, divided into various subjects areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. TNXMan 19:14, 16 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

New Article Question

Hi there.

I have been a Wikipedia user for ages and love it - I have been reading up all the relevant articles to become an editor and create a new article, and have created one on "Kathleen Jones (Emeritus Professor of Social Policy" who is also a social reformer, government advisor and author. As this person is living, I have taken care to only include that which I know to be fact. Would it be possible for some expert from the Wikipedia community to look at my article and see if it might be acceptable? I have marked it "under construction" since I started working on it several hours ago. Would be very grateful to invite feedback. Thanks Rosered1963 (talk) 07:11, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I don't claim to be any sort of expert, but I did take a look at the article you mentioned. The first thing I did was move the page to a more natural title. Also, looking at the article it reads very much like a CV or a resume. Remember, articles need to read like they would in any other encyclopedia. Do you have any background information on Prof. Jones, like a date or place of birth? Be sure to add that in and you'll be off to a good start. If you have other questions, feel free to ask. Best, TNXMan 14:21, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

artforms

which is the national artform of india122.167.1.218 (talk) 08:44, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. TNXMan 14:16, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But remember, we don't do your homework for you! – ukexpat (talk) 14:45, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

suggesting and showing a new structure for an article

I have suggested a new structure for treatment of schizophrenia on the discussion page. Have produced an outline on my user page, but how can copy the contents box to demonstrate the structure I think is needed. happy for someone to go ahead and do this (and tell me the answer!) Earlypsychosis (talk) 10:41, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You cannot copy the Table of Contents because it is generated automatically by the Wikimedia software. The best thing to do is leave a message on the article's talk page directing interested editors to take a look at your sandbox to see your proposed new structure. – ukexpat (talk) 14:42, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See Help:Section for the generation of the table of contents. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:57, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Article on U.S. Soap Opera "The Guiding Light"

Question: May I edit the article by adding a list of deceased cast members? ccj —Preceding unsigned comment added by Carlossfsu (talk • contribs) 12:19, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That seems like it would get unwieldy (major cast members? minor cast members? cast and crew?) quickly. Also, remember that Wikipedia is not a memorial or an indiscriminate list of info. However, a good place to ask would be on the article's talk page. Get the views of other active editors on that page to see what they think. Best, TNXMan 14:16, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

List of Guiding Light cast members marks deceased cast members with (D). That seems sufficient. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:52, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Translating French pages into English

I'm studying for a translation qualification and I'd like to practise for it by translating some of the articles from French Wikipedia where the English article on the subject lacks detail or does not exist. Is there any kind of group co-ordinating this kind of work and/or identifying the most relevant articles? Cormaccio (talk) 15:01, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Here is a category of articles that can be translated from the French Wikipedia. You can also see this page for more info. Best, TNXMan 15:05, 17 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

????????

How do I wright my own page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Evenescence2196 (talk • contribs) 03:18, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. TNXMan 03:22, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You probably should not attempt to write an article. If you do not know how to spell "write", it is unlikely you have the ability to make an encyclopedia article that is worth the effort.—70.19.73.184 (talk) 04:54, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree witht the above advice. Wikipedia contributors are encouraged to WP:Be bold. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, Evenescence2196, other contributors can easily fix them: it's the very principle of a wiki. Just follow Tnxman's advice, and you'll be fine. Everyone is encouraged to contribute! Wecome to Wikipedia :) Puchiko (Talk-email) 11:55, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I find Evanescence2196's spelling quite interesting. The author of a play is a playwright. Why shouldn't a wordsmith wright a page? Fenneck (talk) 01:33, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

swot analysis in a hotel

I want to know how do hotel their swot analysis . In addition , I want to know ( swot analysis of a hotel in myanmar ) this with specific example —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.81.64.34 (talk) 08:01, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We have an article about SWOT analysis but it doesn't mention hotels. 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 is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I posted comments on the talk page for a site just a day or two ago and now they are gone.

I posted comments on the DETC page just a day or two ago and now they are gone. Any ideas what happened? Did I somehow do it wrong? Autodafey (talk) 11:58, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

DETC redirects to Distance Education and Training Council which is the correct name. Click "my contributions" at the top of any Wikipedia window to see your contributions which show you have not edited that. Instead you created Distance Education Training Council without "and". I have redirected it to Distance Education and Training Council. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:16, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Posting article

how can i turn my user page into an article? Amsteiner (talk) 16:42, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The page will have to be moved, but your account must be autoconfirmed (10 edits and at least 4 days old) before you can do that. However, as it stands, the draft does not indicate why the subject is notable and would be speedily deleted. It is also very spammy - another criterion for speedy deletion. – ukexpat (talk) 16:48, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) You would need to move the page to the main article space. However, please don't, as it would almost certainly get deleted. In order to for a company to have an article, it must be notable and supported by in-depth, independent, reliable sources. I would suggest expanding the article before moving it. TNXMan 16:50, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your userpage is another version of the already-deleted article Last Licks, which you created and was deleted as a blatant advertisement. Also, given that your username is a match for Steiner Sports, the owner of Last Licks, it is fairly obvious that you have a conflict of interest here, and should not be writing about this topic at all. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:21, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

how to post a new article?

How do I post an entirely new article to Wikipedia? Kindly respond to my talk page.

Thank you.

Geolux (talk) 21:58, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Replied on user's talk page. Ka renjc 22:15, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"People from Derry "section

My name is Ben Clingain and like many, I went to St Columb's College, then Queen's University, Belfast (grad 1964), with Phil Coulter, Nell McCafferty, Seamus Heaney and Eamonn McCann

I have written/edited 6 books to date (ref Google) How do I add my name to the "People from Derry"?

Thank you Ben Clingain <redacting personal info> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.10.152.252 (talk) 23:02, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you refer to Category:People from Derry then it is a category and categories have special functionality. See Help:Category. In order to be in a category there must be a Wikipedia article about you and then [[Category:People from Derry]] can be added to the article to place you in the category. But see Wikipedia:Notability (people), Wikipedia:Autobiography and Wikipedia:Conflict of interest. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:17, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

@@ Line 774: / Line 774: @@
 :I disagree witht the above advice. Wikipedia contributors are encouraged to [[WP:Be bold]]. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, Evenescence2196, other contributors can easily fix them: it's the very principle of a wiki. Just follow Tnxman's advice, and you'll be fine. Everyone is encouraged to contribute! [[WP:Welcome|Wecome to Wikipedia]] :) [[User:Puchiko|Puchiko]] ([[User Talk:Puchiko|Talk]]-[[Special:Emailuser/Puchiko|email]]) 11:55, 18 February 2009 (UTC)
+::I find Evanescence2196's spelling quite interesting. The author of a play is a playwright. Why shouldn't a wordsmith wright a page? [[User:Fenneck|Fenneck]] ([[User talk:Fenneck|talk]]) 01:33, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
 == swot analysis in a hotel ==