Wikipedia:Help desk

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.

Ask a question

July 22

What should I do to do edits like a bot — any restrictions?

Hello again!

• Is there is any restriction to do minor bot-like edits manually. For example, I want to place interlanguage links, repeatedly (by myself and not using programs).
• Is it legitimate to start a new account (a maintenance account) just to keep such repeated edits out of the contributions of the main account. (No editing except placing templates, language links etc.)

Vanischenum^Talk 01:54, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Maintenance tasks are specifically permitted under Wikipedia:Sock puppetry#Legitimate uses (despite the imposing page title); the other limitations and restrictions on the page still apply, so read them thoroughly. Dru of Id (talk) 02:03, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

There is certainly no restriction on performing maintenance tasks that are normally carried out by bots. So long as you're helping and not hindering (e.g. by confusing a bot with non-orthodox formatting), you are more than welcome to do such tasks manually. WP:Multiple Accounts lists the circumstances under which editing using more than one account is permitted. One such circumstance reads "Maintenance: An editor might use an alternative account to carry out maintenance tasks, or to segregate functions such as work with specific kinds of media files, so as to maintain a user talk page dedicated to the purpose. The second account should be clearly linked to the main account." You are definitely in the clear here. The best way to link your accounts is using the {{public user|username template. Happy editing! BigNate37_(T) 02:04, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you! I still have confusions; will maintenance include placing banners and interlanguagelinks? This is not for a dedicated talkpage, so is it legitimate? Will doing the inter-language link with the main account create consequences? BTW, the italicized word "maintenance" in the question is in fact copied directly from WP:Sock puppetry. To me, that part is too much technical!Vanischenum^Talk 02:35, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

No, there aren't consequences to doing those tasks on a main account. I've added tags and lang links to an article on more than one occasion with this account, which is really my only account. - Purplewowies (talk) 18:02, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Resolved

 – Vanischenum^Talk 02:17, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you so much. Now I am going to place them. (I waited enough time for bots to do it) :)Vanischenum^Talk 02:17, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Investigation of a Potential Copyright issue on our CEO's page

Dear Wiki Administrator,

This is to bring to your notice that the ‘copy right’ violation on the page below http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CP_Gurnani is an unwarranted one.

The content on the page is the standard Corporate profile (http://www.mahindrasatyam.com/about-mahindra-satyam/Gurnani.asp) of our CEO. Mr. C P Gurnani and as such his profile on the wikipage is not a copyright violation. (Ted.com would have also taken it from our corporate profile on the website.)

Would request you to remove the ‘investigation of potential copyright’ ASAP from the page.

Do mail us if you need any other clarifications. We need the page restored at the earliest, so do help!

Warm regards

The Mahindra Satyam Digital Team — Preceding unsigned comment added by 14.98.55.127 (talk) 02:00, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

You need to release that text under a licence suitable for use in Wikipedia: the CC-BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL. RudolfRed (talk) 02:03, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

The page you linked to clearly asserts copyright: "Copyright © 2012 Satyam Computer Services Limited." Even if it didn't, copyright is assumed except where clearly waived or released as above. Dru of Id (talk) 02:07, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Copyrighted material is fine, and does not preclude the usage of a Wikipedia-compatible license. However, restrictively licensed copyrighted material is a problem, as is the case here. The terms of use for the site state "4a. No material from this site may be copied, modified, reproduced, republished, uploaded, transmitted, posted or distributed in any form without prior written permission from Mahindra Satyam. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved."[1] (Emphasis mine.) There are two ways to fix this: change the terms of use on the website or at least that page to a license compatible with CC-By-SA 3.0 and the GFDL; alternatively, contact WP:OTRS and inquire with them about providing permission for the text to be used on Wikipedia. Either measure must be done by the copyright holder or an agent thereof, and neither measure guarantees that we will use the content anyways. BigNate37_(T) 02:15, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Are we even sure he's notable? Dismas|^(talk) 02:20, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm surprised no one mentioned promotional language. Usually when copyright of an "official" biography or company web site is a problem, you have to change the wording too to keep if from violating WP:NOTADVERTISING, although the page has that tag too.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:16, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Oops. After checking the history, it has that tag NOW.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 20:18, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Other than Peer Review, how can I request feedback on an article.

I'm working on overhauling an article and would like feedback on it, however I can't use WP:Peer Review because I'm not trying to make a Good Article a Featured Article, but rather make a C-class article into (hopefully) a good one. I've tried related wikiprojects, but none of them are active. What other channels could I go through? DavidSSabb (talk) 02:57, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Is this Appalachian State University? Dru of Id (talk) 03:15, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

You can use Peer review - it's not only for GA and FA reviews. It would really help if you tell us what article this is about. Roger (talk) 06:45, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Really? If I had known that, I would have asked for a review of an article I'd been working on a long time ago. To DavidSSabb, I've seen people there ask for input on how to make an article Good all the time, so unless the article is horribly woefully bad at present (since PR says it's intended for high quality articles that have gone through extensive work), I say feel free to ask for suggestions through peer review. If not, I guess you could theoretically ask here, since the old process for asking for feedback and suggestions on edits to an article that wasn't quite up to snuff for peer review (I think the old process/page had "feedback" in the name) now redirects here. - Purplewowies (talk) 07:12, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Dru of Id guessed correctly about what article this is about. There are others I'm planning to start work on as well. I will admit that this article and others I have and plan to expand are related to me personally. But I've never violated WP:COI or WP:OWN (the second one is actually the reason I want outside assessment). I'm simply adding information to noncontroversial, lacking articles because I have a good idea of where to find sources. DavidSSabb (talk) 17:03, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Athletic logos in rivalry pages.

Recently, Image:WCU Athletic Logo.jpg was removed from the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug page for not having a good enough fair-use explanation. The article covers a rivalry involving the team with that logo. I thought that non-free athletic logos could be used under fair-use in pages discussing major rivalries to illustrate the teams involved, so I searched for an example of this I could use. However the majority of athletic logos seem to be trademarked rather than copyrighted, and the ones that are nonfree have already been removed (usually by bots). So I couldn't find an example. Could a non-free logo be used in this manner, and if so what would I put in the rationale? DavidSSabb (talk) 03:06, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

I think in the Battle of Alberta the mayors of each city have to wear the jersey of the winning team. You could find images like that and include them as De minimis? Battle of Ontario you may wish to look at as well. No logos in either.--Canoe1967 (talk) 03:13, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

For the record, trademarks exist separately of copyrights which are separate again from licenses. Incompatible licenses are the reason we can't use non-free images, their trademark and copyright status is generally irrelevant. BigNate37_(T) 03:27, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes, trademark and copyright are different forms of intellectual property protection but I don't understand the rest of of your comment. The license in this context is a copyright license so saying copyright is irrelevant, that it's incompatible licensing that's at issue, doesn't grok. Copyright is 100% the issue. If we want to use something (outside of fair use) that is copyrighted, it has to bear a free copyright license compatible with ours. If it doesn't bear such a free copyright license, then a claim of fair use may be made if the intended use meets all parts of non-free content criteria.

Anyway, here the logo is copyrighted so it could only be used under a claim of fair use. I agree with the removal on the basis of not meeting WP:NFCC#8, which is contextual significance – whether the "presence of the logo in this article would significantly increase readers' understanding of the topic, and its omission would be detrimental to that understanding". This is not an article about the team itself, where the logo the team uses is integral to an understanding of the topic. It's an article about the rivalry of two teams. Imagine, if you will, if every article about rivalry between any teams, or any other article about some activity of teams, warranted each teams' logo being displayed. This would water down the restriction of fair use too much.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 07:43, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

I apologize for the misunderstanding about the difference between licence and copyright. I will say that such pages are saturated with usage of the logo, but again most of these logos appear to be public domain (ex. Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry), and I was wondering if logos licensed as non-free logos could be used in the same way. It appears from this discussion that the answer is no. DavidSSabb (talk) 17:08, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Is this actually a vandalism...

Yup! I want to make sure it is as this has been sustained by the WP for almost a year. Vanischenum^Talk 09:48, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

That is clear vandalism - I reverted it. Roger (talk) 09:53, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you!

Resolved

 – Vanischenum^Talk 10:19, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

template syntax

I've been trying to get to grips with the intricacies of template syntax. Specifically, User:U+003F/TRFC squad is defined as

{{User:U+003F/TRFC start}}
{{football squad2 player | no=1 | name=[[Jon Smith|Smith]] }}
</div>}}

and User:U+003F/TRFC start as

{{football squad | name = MyTeam F.C. squad | teamname = MyTeam F.C. | list = <div>

This works when the second template is substituted, but not when transcluded. Is the issue to do with the <div> element, or the unmatched braces? Thanks! U+003F^? 11:02, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

... or is there somewhere more specific I should take the question? U+003F^? 06:24, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

You'd better try Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). -- John of Reading (talk) 06:32, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Moved to Village pump (technical)

 – Thanks! U+003F^? 07:01, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Watchlist

When I use my watchlist and click on "Hide logged-in users" or "Show logged-in users", and then click the Go button to update the watchlist, the choice (show/hide) is preserved. When I click on "Show my edits", my edits are shown, but if I after that click Go, my edits are hidden. How can I get the watchlist to preserve the choice of showing my edits when I want to update the watchlist? Iceblock (talk) 11:02, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

There's a setting in Preferences: Preferences → Watchlist. Hope that fixes it. David1217 ^{What I've done} 15:44, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks. I knew about this option, and had set it to "Hide my edits", but I occasionally want to show them. It's just that they are hidden again if I click Go, even if I click "Show my edits" just before i click Go, This is not a big issue, I just would like to know if it's possible. Iceblock (talk) 19:35, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Cropping an image

Hi, I just uploaded an image, File:Pod sculpture in Portland, Oregon.jpg. I want it to focus more on the sculpture and less on the cars, but I can't seem to find a place to ask someone to crop it for me (I don't have the right software). Do any of you know a page (or a user talk) I can ask at? Thanks, David1217 ^{What I've done} 15:44, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

You could try asking at the Photography workshop. Sarahj2107 (talk) 16:06, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for getting to my requests so quickly—your suggestion was just right. Now I know what newbies feel like when they can't find something . David1217 ^{What I've done} 16:27, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

You could try GIMP as well. It may be faster.--Canoe1967 (talk) 22:11, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Actually, the graphics lab editors were pretty fast, plus I don't want to download anything, because I don't want to slow my computer down. David1217 ^{What I've done} 17:33, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Automatically grouping references

Is there a script one can run on a page to group all identical references using <ref name=blabla />? For example on a page like Armageddon (convention). benzband (talk) 16:18, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

WP:Expand citations - in your Toolbox menu. Roger (talk) 17:14, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

I've done Armageddon (convention). Roger (talk) 17:18, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks! benzband (talk) 17:59, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

photos of steamers

have got black/white photos & postcards of ss duchess of hamilton,ts king edward,ps waverley

want to sell how to go about it--92.22.41.125 (talk) 21:59, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

You could try eBay or Craig's list or find an antique(?) dealer to buy them or take them on consignment. But, this desk is for asking questions about how to use Wikipedia. For general questions there's the reference desk at WP:RD RudolfRed (talk) 22:06, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

login not working, user name not recognized

I've been away from wiki for about a year. Now when I try to login it says there is no email associated with the user name I enter. I've looked at troubleshooting and nothing there answers my question. thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.34.177.247 (talk) 23:04, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Cleaned up your question. What username are you trying to use? Usernames are case sensitive, so you'll need to have the caps in the right place. Also, was the account at the english wikipedia? RudolfRed (talk) 23:07, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes it was on the English site, and yes I used correct u/l case — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.34.177.247 (talk) 00:57, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

As RudolfRed asked: what username are you trying to use? Tonywalton ^Talk 01:00, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

What username are you trying to use? TimofKingsland (talk) 00:59, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Public use of 10.0.0.0/4 IPs

• 10.64.0.169‎ (talk · contribs · WHOIS)

How is this user using an IP address in the 10.0.0.0/4 block on the public internet? I thought that wasn't possible? BigNate37_(T) 23:12, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

"These address blocks are reserved for use on private networks, and should never appear in the public Internet." [2] From what I understand, it means they are somehow faking their IP address. I would have thought Wikipedia already blocked people whose IP address appears as a "Special-Use" address. Is there a way for admins to block an entire range of IP addresses? All special use addresses should be blocked, as an attempt to mask an IP address when editing Wikipedia will almost always be to disrupt the site (as it appears is the case with this user). TimofKingsland (talk) 23:36, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Would it be a WMF network that has server access? They may have forgotten to log in? It may be the poor admin in the section below.--Canoe1967 (talk) 23:45, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

I doubt it, with edits like these. TimofKingsland (talk) 23:56, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Say, does the software properly distinguish between a user account named with an IP address, and a non-account user at the address? I'm curious how it's handled and if it's possible, how it looks different, but I know better than to try creating a test account at a potentially harmful name. BigNate37_(T) 23:58, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

It seems like a username can be named as an IP address - "Some users choose to make usernames based on their static IP addresses, but this is not recommended." One way I know to tell the difference is that the username links to a user page when signing talk pages, but to their contributions if they don't have a username. See here, where this "10.64.0.169" user has signed a talk post. TimofKingsland (talk) 00:08, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Good eye. That led me to another observation: the user links on diff pages are context-sensitive as well. The advantage to knowing that is it's not within the user's power to alter. BigNate37_(T) 00:40, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Admin password lost!!

Hi there. I am not sure who to contact on this, but the Help Desk seemed feasible! I am an admin, but I can not access my e-mail or Wikipedia account. Maybe it has been changed or hacked, or maybe I have just forgotten. To whom can I contact to help me out? Many Thanks. --Betterkaark (talk) 23:28, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Could WP:OS help? Have them confirm your IP with checkuser, close the account in case it is hacked, etc.--Canoe1967 (talk) 23:41, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Have you checked the contributions and logs of the account in question? Has it been active since you last accessed it? If so, this becomes a case of challenged identities. Generally e-mail is the proof of identity for online accounts, which complicates the matter from your perspective. If you can no longer access your e-mail account either, you're likely out of luck. Wikipedia:Contact us/login problems states that the automatic e-mail password reset is the only way to recover lost passwords, and that we are unable to look up details of e-mail addresses or passwords. Whether the account is being used or not, you should head to WP:AN/I and explain the situation there so that the administrator community can decide what to do about the account. It sounds like the best case scenario for you is that if the account is clearly no longer being used legitimately, you may be able to create a new account and have the permissions from your old one given to you. That assumes that Canoe's oversight suggestion works to your advantage. BigNate37_(T) 23:46, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Creating a BLP

Hello. I have created a handful of small articles with no problem, but now I am creating my first BLP, and I would like someone to look it over first before I post it, and critique it and/or point out errors. I am aware of the special circumstances that accompany BLP articles, and I want to be cautious. The article is on a subpage of my user space at User:Michael J/George Toma. Also I noticed that an article on this person (George Toma) was deleted four years ago, so I am not sure what that means for creating this article with more complete sourcing. Thank you. (If this is not the place to seek such assistance, please direct me.)    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 23:46, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

The deleted article was made by User:Wtchtwr and only contained this:

"The Truman Sports Complex's legendary groundskeeper, George Toma, best known as the head groundskeeper for every Super Bowl, thus had the ironic job of maintaining two carpets for most of his career, the surface of Arrowhead and Kaufman Stadium.

Considered the most prolific groundskeeper."

It doesn't affect your article. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:59, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you. Is there someone who would care to review the article in my user space before I move it to mainspace?    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 00:10, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

It's a good start. On first glance, I noticed there are quite a few unsourced statements, though. Statements like "In addition, Toma was called upon to supervise the grounds crews during the 1984 and 1996 Olympic Games, and the 1994 World Cup." need to be attributed to a reliable source. TimofKingsland (talk) 00:25, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Block form

The block form is used by admins for blocking named accounts or IP addresses. There are six check boxes just above the Block button. One of them is "Autoblock any IP addresses used". It is ticked by default. I understand what it does when one blocks a named account, but it would appear to be irrelevant when blocking an IP address.

If indeed it is irrelevant, does it matter whether it is ticked or unticked?

Thanks.--Bbb23 (talk) 23:53, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Read WP:Autoblock. Autoblock will prevent contributors from contributing on the IP address that the blocked user was using, and should typically be disabled when blocking unapproved or malfunctioning bots (so as not to block the bot's operator, or other bots using that IP), though it should be enabled when blocking malicious bots. Arcandam (talk) 09:04, 23 July 2012 (UTC) p.s. To refresh the memory: Wikipedia:New_admin_school/Blocking#Username_blocks.2Funblocks

I'm not talking about bots, just regular old IP addresses, and this question arose because of a deficiency in the admin school instructions.--Bbb23 (talk) 09:11, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

When dealing with username blocks/unblocks it says: "Autoblock any IP addresses used blocks all IP addresses the editor may use in the future whilst blocked – this should be changed to ticked." When dealing with IP blocks/unblocks the autoblock option does not appear AFAIK (it doesn't on my own mediawiki install, maybe Wikipedia.org behaves differently). Arcandam (talk) 09:22, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Nothing wrong with the username block. On the IP block there's no instruction on autoblock, but the autoblock check box is on the form. (BTW, I won't be able to comment again for a while because I have to go to sleep. Thanks for your responses.)--Bbb23 (talk) 09:27, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Sleep well! Interdasting, the full blockform (Special:Block) contains the autoblock option but if you load Special:Block/RANDOMIPADRESSHERE it doesn't (on my own mediawiki install). This may be interpreted to mean that the autoblock stuff doesn't apply to IP's (which seems to make sense). Arcandam (talk) 09:28, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm going to post the question at the Pump, which is where it was suggested I go in the first place. I feel I need confirmation as to how this works technically before changing the instructions. Thanks for helping out.--Bbb23 (talk) 00:00, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

July 23

Category watching

I have been using User:ais523's CatWatch script for some time now. Recently, it stopped working. I checked the creator's user page and he is semi-retired and hasn't made any edits in almost a year now. I'm taking that to mean that CatWatch won't be developed any further. So, does anyone know of another way to watch for changes in categories? Thanks, Dismas|^(talk) 01:22, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Still works fine for me (thank goodness, don't know how I'd cope without it) except for daylight savings putting it an hour behind--Jac16888 ^Talk 10:16, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I created an article and cannot see it

Hello there, I created an article: Димитър Ковачев, Dimitri K Publishing however I can not see it, can you help me?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Dimitrikovachev — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.186.232.123 (talk) 02:50, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

That's on commons. If you want to publish the article here, you'll need to translate it to English and create an account here and post it. Or, go to http://www.wikipedia.org/ and find the link to the Wikipedia for your language and post the article there. RudolfRed (talk) 03:30, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

This is the English Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org. Your text is in Bulgarian. The Bulgarian Wikipedia is at http://bg.wikipedia.org. If you don't translate it then you will have to publish it there. I see you already saved a version in the Bulgarian sandbox but that's only for test edits and quickly overwritten. I don't know Bulgarian or the policies of the Bulgarian Wikipedia but bg:Уикипедия:Вашата първа статия may be helpful. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:53, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Question on "double redirects"

A page I've worked on got moved. Don't understand the instructions about "double redirects." Does that mean manual cleanup is needed here? http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Mono_language_%28California%29&limit=100 Djembayz (talk) 03:03, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Nope. When a page is moved, other pages that are redirects to the page the title was formerly at will now redirect to the redirect created upon the move. Thus, if you want to search for whether a move has created any double redirect, you use the what links here function to search for redirects to the old title (not the new title, as you link to). After you do so, you hide links and transclusions leaving only redirects shown. Thus the search you would want is this one. As you can see, there are no redirects pointing to the old title so everything is okay on that score. This is usually taken care of by the mover: in this case, User:Maunus, whose contribution history shows he fixed five double redirects right after performing the move. This would have been easy since the dialogue screen one is taken to upon a move instructs the mover to fix double redirects created by the move and provides a direct link to the search I provided above, that already hides links and transclusions. Best regards--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:30, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

statements with old or incorrect sources

About: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Youth_Fellowship

In the media section, the section that reads "International Youth Fellowship was showcased on a Spanish morning show called Al Despertar on March 8, 2010 [2]" has no credible source to back it up. the url that the statement is linked to leads to a youtube page with no videos, and no identifiable link to Al Despertar or IYF. Please take it down. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.26.247.165 (talk) 06:48, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

International Youth Fellowship (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

I have removed the section since it was effectively unsourced. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:39, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Date of birth sections showing Skype symbols

The date of birth section in numerous biographies appears to have been "hijacked" by Skype

How can this be corrected in "edit" or will a central fix be implemented ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.219.124.53 (talk) 09:12, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I think you installed a part of Skype in your browser. I think they call it "Click to Call". Arcandam (talk) 09:16, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

You failed to give an example so I can only say this with near certainty: It's something at your end and not done by Wikipedia. It does indeed sound like http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/on-your-computer/click-to-call/windows/. Skype tries to guess which numbers are phone numbers. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:37, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks guys ... I've uninstalled "click to call" and that's done the trick !! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.219.124.53 (talk) 15:34, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Any time. Arcandam (talk) 21:44, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Advertising (or broadly spreading awareness of) an essay

User:George Ho/Naming conventions (character) (edit | talk | history | links | watch | logs)

I want to rename this essay with a Wikipedia namespace. Also, I don't know if I must either boldly add it in related policies and guidelines or propose this page to be an essay. What can I do? --George Ho (talk) 14:40, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

You should post a link to your essay at WP:VPP if you would like it to gain guideline status; it will need a strong supporting consensus from the community before it can be marked as a guideline. You should also seek input from relevant Wikiprojects, which may enforce their own naming conventions on articles under their auspices. Hersfold non-admin^(t/a/c) 16:55, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm not planning to make it a guideline yet. I wrote it in an essay format because no one knows what to do. Even I don't know how to set up a guideline. Is there a requirement to make this essay an essay, or what else should I do if I want it to stay as an essay? --George Ho (talk) 18:36, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

The original Sorry .....is it available in the Spanish Language, if so how can it be ordered?

I like to know! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 100.43.97.207 (talk) 18:28, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6.8 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Cresix (talk) 18:33, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I know that the board game Sorry! is available in Spanish, but I could not go about telling you where to order it. You may want to try the Entertainment Reference Desk. hajatvrc @ 18:36, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

http://www.onlydosmaletas.com/product.php?id_product=104 Arcandam (talk) 21:51, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

How do I change a page's title?

My association has a Wiki page and we have recently changed our name. The title of the Wiki page is AAGP. However, we are now "GPA". How do I change this?

Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GPAmember (talk • contribs) 19:09, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Ideally, provide a link to their website which states this, or a report of it in a Reliable Source (RS). Dru of Id (talk) 19:19, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

See WP:MOVE. But read the conflict of interest and common name policies first. You should probably suggest the move on the article's talk page and get consensus on the rename.RudolfRed (talk) 19:21, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I have tagged it for deletion as blatant advertising.--ukexpat (talk) 20:03, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Question About user page

Ahron Daum (talk) 19:41, 23 July 2012 (UTC)Hello my name is Ahron Daum and i have an account and article since yesterday, now is my question:

why does it always mention before my name USER: and then my name in stead of inmediatly Ahron Daum

Now it is User:Ahron Daum, can we not delete that user, before my name?

Tahnk youAhron Daum (talk) 19:41, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi Ahron Daum! The "User:" prefix is just a way of letting other users know that they are viewing a user page and not an actual article. It appears atop every user's userpage. Here's mine: User:Hajatvrc. See? It is just a normal part of Wikipedia. As a new editor, you may want to check out the Teahouse, which is a place designed for new users to ask questions of extremely friendly experienced users who know how to explain things clearly. Hopefully I will see you there! hajatvrc @ 19:47, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm dubious here, the user's has written information on their main user page which resembles an article and is self-promotional - and I'm sure that goes against WP:NOT. Wesley Mouse 19:51, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict):Also, I see that you are using your userpage to write an article about yourself. Writing articles about oneself is not usually acceptable by the community at large. If you want there to be an article about you on Wikipedia, there is a process for requesting articles. You can see that here. If other users feel that there are enough notable sources that talk about you, then they will create the article. hajatvrc @ 19:53, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

I have tagged it for speedy deletion as purely promotional.--ukexpat (talk) 20:01, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Sidebar bug?

↑ this is starting to get up my nose: i can't hide the three oversised links (clogging up my already full sidebar). Any suggestions? benzband (talk) 21:15, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Benzband/vector.js Which script is it? Do you understand CSS? Arcandam (talk) 21:38, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks! i have located the offending script (User:Smith609/toolbox.js) on my common.js page and removed it. benzband (talk) 21:59, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Another method is to use something similar to the following piece of CSS to make those links a bit smaller (if you want to continue using the script):

div#p-stats div.pBody ul li a {font-size:80%; margin-left:-5px;} div#p-stats div.pBody ul li {list-style-image:none; list-style:none; margin:0px !important;}

Arcandam (talk) 23:07, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks again, Arcandam :-) i'm now using the "Expand citations" gadget, which when combined with this script (which i'm also using) provides the same tools and more, but without the oversized text. Cheers, benzband (talk) 07:54, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Commons

Please tell me how to post a picture that I took 5 days ago. Your "instructions" are useless to me. I THINK I got it to Wikicommons. But I DO NOT SEE ONE SINGLE THING that SIMPLY tells me how to get my picture onto the page I wish to edit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mtreader (talk • contribs) 23:17, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

No worries, we built an uploadwizard for you. It's pretty simple. Look at the bottom of User:Mtreader/sandbox. Arcandam (talk) 23:36, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

If you have already uploaded it to commons, in most cases, use [[File:Filename.jpg|thumb|Caption]] and replace Filename.jpg with the name you gave the file on commons, and Caption with a caption for the image. What page are you trying to put the image on, and where do you want to put it on the page? TimofKingsland (talk) 23:41, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Also, there is a tutorial for how to add pictures you (or someone else) has uploaded here. TimofKingsland (talk) 23:43, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Having a look at your sandbox, I think I see where you're having problems. You don't have the square brackets - [[ ]] - around the code, and if you want the caption to display, drop the "alt=" from it. The "alt=" tag is used to describe images to the visually impaired, etc. Have a look at what I did in your sandbox (you'll need to change the filename with to the name of the file on commons though, and you might want to avoid centering the image). TimofKingsland (talk) 23:52, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

@Tim of Kingsland: I don't think that is what James Allen looks like. That is a Wikipedia:Mascot. Arcandam (talk) 23:55, 23 July 2012 (UTC)

Haha, I hadn't found the image on commons yet, I just wanted to demonstrate the difference in the code to Mtreader, so they knew where they were going wrong. Thanks for finding it/doing it for me. TimofKingsland (talk) 00:00, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I on the other hand hadn't found his sandbox yet, because I was checking to see if a user with the same name ever uploaded something on Commons. Good teamwork mate!  Done Arcandam (talk) 00:02, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

July 24

Question about RS

Probably a stupid question: Does the fact that a nonfiction book is for children (as opposed to adults) affect its reliability at all? - Purplewowies (talk) 00:54, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Terms: ANF: Adult non fiction, JNF: Junior non fiction Can't imagine why it would. Non fiction is, after all, non fiction. If the answer to "why is the sky blue" is Rayleigh scattering in an ANF book but "because blue's pretty" in a JNF then the JNF is unreliable, otherwise JNF is just a simplified, but still factual, version of the same facts. Tonywalton ^Talk 01:02, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

As long as the author is an established expert, or the work is published by a respected publishing house, I'd say it's fine, with exceptions for uses like Tonywalton noted above, and any case where multiple reputable ANF sources disagree with a JNF source. Have a look at WP:SOURCES for what counts as a reliable source. TimofKingsland (talk) 01:09, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I figured as much, but I thought I'd still ask to be sure. - Purplewowies (talk) 02:20, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

It depends entirely on the topic covered. Books for children tend to be vulgarisations, have a pedagogical object rather than having as their object the accurate reporting of the current standing of the field, are usually two or three major innovations out of date, often reflect simplistic state (or other social) ideology. They are incredibly problematic. For example, if you suggested using a vulgarisation of history aimed at children to discuss early modern class in Europe, I would suggest strongly and vehemently that the work fails to meet the standards required for the claim. (There are other problems, such as children's works not reflecting the WEIGHT and coverage, which means they are undesirable in almost any non-stub article) Fifelfoo (talk) 02:29, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Hmm. Okay. There's a small bibliography in the back and a further reading section, and all the books listed there are adult books. I might just check those out, especially since I'm required to buy one of the books listed there for a class I'm taking next semester. I also realized, upon being able to look at the article I was going to put the information in for the first time in a month or two, that the information is already in there. Oh well. :l - Purplewowies (talk) 04:17, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Looking for a template name

Due to the possibility of subpages existing in talk space, Talk:A/B testing is a subpage of Talk:A. Some time back, I found a comparable page with a template saying something such as "Due to technical limitations, this is a subpage of [pagename], but it's really not". I can't now remember the template name (or the name of the page where I found it); can someone supply it? Nyttend (talk) 01:45, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

{{Correct title}} or {{Correct title|put_the_correct_title_here|reason=/}} Arcandam (talk) 01:47, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

No, that's not what I meant. Talk:A/B testing should exist precisely where it is, and {{Correct title}} is meant for pages such as Book A Novel, which ideally would be at Book: A Novel. Looking for a template that explains why Talk:PageA/PageB is a subpage of Talk:PageA when it's actually the talk page for a different article. Nyttend (talk) 01:54, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I checked some of these places, but couldn't find anything except the aforementioned {{correct title}}. Perhaps this list will help:

• WP:TM/GENERAL
• WP:TM/TALK
• WP:TM/FORMAT
• Category:Article talk header templates
  • Category:Non-subject-matter-related article-talk header templates

— BigNate37_(T) 02:07, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Dreduardoa

Is there someone who can assist me with my recent article ...to see if it merits posting on Wikipedia?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dreduardoa/sandbox — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dreduardoa (talk • contribs) 01:55, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Responded at Dreduardoa's talk. Nyttend (talk) 02:09, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

OTRS as source?

Can the OTRS system be used by the subject of an article to make a statement similar a verified self-published source? For example, if a RS said that X wrote a song, but X denies it and there are no RS saying so, could X use the OTRS system to create a reliable statement saying otherwise? It doesn't seem to mentioned as a use of the OTRS system on WP:OTRS, but I imagine it could be used for this (as in "However, X denied this in a statement made to Wikipedia in 2012"). TimofKingsland (talk) 02:23, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

You can only use published sources, and I don't think OTRS is considered "published" RudolfRed (talk) 02:39, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm fairly positive OTRS could be used for exclusion of false information. It just couldn't be used for inclusion of info. Ryan Vesey Review me! 02:40, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(e/c x 2) If there are no RS saying so, just remove the claimed false statement and it can't be added back without a reliable source being added in conjunction through an inline citation verifying the disputed fact. See WP:BURDEN. This seems to moot the example reason you gave for the use of the statement in your question. Regarding other uses, it's an interesting question. Is it publication? That is, we require that sources for material be published so anyone can verify for themselves. This is not what we normally mean by publication but it is publication in a sense, if the OTRS member goes on record as stating that they verified the subject is the person they claim to be and what they allege. How much reliability do we then assign to the fact checking and possibility of inaccuracy of the OTRS member's verification itself, since its second hand? And even if we accept that it is indeed the subject who makes a statement, it is then a primary source, which we don't use over secondary sources in most case. Anyway, quite a novel question, I can't imagine this would be useful often even if we accept that this is verifiable publication given the protection of WP:BURDEN.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:46, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

OK, thanks for your answers. I'm talking about situations where there is already a RS cited saying something that X has come to Wikipedia to dispute. It's X's dispute that has no RS. If X tries to edit the article, their edits will likely be reverted either for removing notable material or making unsourced claims or personal comments. In cases like these the encyclopedia and BLPs would be more accurate if subjects had a way to make verified, public and uneditable statements to Wikipedia. I can see it being especially useful in cases where the subject wanted to correct or update information about themselves that is cited to one or more RS. TimofKingsland (talk) 03:09, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I think that kind of thing is getting way beyond our purpose as a compilation and aggregation of published, verifiable information. If the subject cares sufficiently about it, they should take it to the press to get published by a reliable source that we can then use. "Somebody that Wikipedia trusts, verifies that somebody thaey are sure is the subject, sent them a private e-mail, which says the published reliable sources are wrong!" just sounds bogus and inappropriate to our spirit. --Orange Mike | Talk 12:40, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

There's an extent to which this might be necessary. For example, I know for a fact that there is an otherwise reliable newspaper source that lists a High School teacher as my father. An issue like this would need to be cleared up on Wikipedia, but it wouldn't be something where an article needs to be published on it in the press. There are specific instances where I believe OTRS should be used to exclude information if the subject of commentary says it is false. Ryan Vesey Review me! 14:49, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

From my experience as an OTRS agent, the answer to the original question is no. However, could we remove material? Ryan's example is excellent. Suppose we have an article on Ryan and the only published source for his father is the one he mentions, which he says is wrong. I'd argue that we could remove the material but we couldn't replace it with the correct parentage. Dougweller (talk) 15:52, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

IP Address Mix-up: How do I fix/remove this

I have moved in to this new apartment since Jan 2012 with a new internet connection, and I have this laptop since 2010. I am getting a "new message" tab for few days with the wikipedia page, where the messages are some 2007 cautionary notes about the owner of this IP address doing some vandalism in some wikipedia page. How do I make this message and the "you have new message" tab disappear? Can I do that without creating an account? (I did not own this IP address in 2007.)

Thanks in advance, AR — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.68.229.223 (talk) 03:01, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Depending on your ISP and your connection method, you may be able to change your IP address by disconnecting and reconnecting from the Internet. If that doesn't work, I would recommend getting an account if you're worried about it. The new message alert should go away once you've visited "my talk" up the top of the page though. TimofKingsland (talk) 03:38, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Recovering password when e-mail has changed

I created an account some years ago, so don't want to create a new one, but I changed my e-mail a year ago and your password recovery system is presumably sending the message to my old, dead e-mail. What can I do to recover my password, or change/modify my account to give my new e-mail? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.104.200.182 (talk) 03:55, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Sorry. Wikipedia:Contact us/login problems states that the automatic e-mail password reset is the only way to recover lost passwords, and that we are unable to look up details of e-mail addresses or passwords. You need to either remember the old password or regain access to that e-mail address. BigNate37_(T) 05:33, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

If you didn't make any edits, you can usurp it. - Purplewowies (talk) 19:04, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Having problems editing the article on the term: PHAT.

I looked up the word Phat on here and it has several deffinitions. However, it does not have the most common deffinition for the word. The most common use for the word today is: "Pretty Hot And Tempting". It is just used as slang. But that is the only way I've ever heard the word used.

For example, guys might look at a girl and notice that she is very attractive and skinny, so they may say to each other: "OMG, she is so PHAT!"

Anyway, I tried to add this deffinition to the listing of PHAT and there is no way to edit this entry. Down at the bottom of the page, it doesn't say EDIT and I can not add this extra information on the term phat.

Please help and/or fix this, by adding that deffinition to the term Phat. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.85.53.246 (talk) 07:25, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

The link to edit a page is at the top on the right, but please don't add this to the Phat article disambiguation page. Wikipedia is not a dictionary, or a slang, jargon or usage guide. TimofKingsland (talk) 07:35, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Besides, that reeks of folk etymology (see also backronym) and lacks any kind of reliable sources. --Orange Mike | Talk 12:43, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

That definition is already on the Wiktionary page for "phat". - Purplewowies (talk) 19:00, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

How to add a Table of contets

Hi everybody I'm trying to find a way how to add a TOC for my new page, I found only a horizontal TOC

. I dont need this. I even couldn't find any TOC source code.

And I want to know how to Connect header and sub-headers (sub-sections) with TOC or it is doing automatically.

I want to use a Vertical TOC with sub-header, no numerical.

TOC like are in actors pages.

Thank,

Haik

Hi Haik. If you format your headers correctly (like this: ==Header 1== ===Header 2===) then a table of contents will generate automatically after you've put three of them in. If you've got less than three subsections, just put __TOC__ where you want the table to appear. Yunshui 雲‍水 08:59, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure it's four headings, not three. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 11:15, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Yeah, I think you're right, actually. Thanks. Yunshui 雲‍水 11:51, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Creating a page

can you create a Wikipedia page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jyedavey (talk • contribs) 09:21, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(I added a new section header to separate the question from the one above it) Why not? Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 11:13, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Starting an article.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 12:31, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Ah, I see after asking this question you started a submission at Articles for Creation. You will need to cite to reliable secondary sources that are independent of the subject of the article which both verify the information content and show notability of the company for this to be accepted. I am fairly skeptical you will be able to do so for this topic which appears to be a local business like millions of others. Please also note that the article must be written from a neutral point of view both as to facts included and the form of the language used.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 12:39, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Is Ethical Hacking worth taking as career?

I want to take Ethical Hacking as a career but being related to hacking, parents not allowing as they consider it to be risky as I could get involved in crime work without I knowing it.

Please could you enlighten me on this?

I am really interested in doing something creative in the field of computers and this field of Ethical Hacking has attracted me a lot.

Please guide me on this........ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.248.61.79 (talk) 14:03, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Have you tried the Computing 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.Template:Z38 Roger (talk) 14:10, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Ref name doesn't work for multiple names

The following four sentences deliver only one reference:

=======================================================

The current debt-ceiling may also expire "as early as December" 2012.

The Tax Relief Act of 2010 and its continuation contain extensions.

It mandates one trillion dollars over nine years.

The extension is also set to expire at the same time.

========================================================

Please edit this section. Because it contains two 'ref names' (one for Romans and one for Congress) and each name is used twice, it should deliver two items in the reflist: one for the Romans reference, containing two back pointers, and one for the Congress reference, again containing two back pointers. This is what I want.

If you change both of the 'ref name "Congress"'s to simply 'ref's (duplicating Congress's Citation templete), the reflist will produce three items: one for Romans with two back pointers and two identical references for Congress. I don't want this.

What am I doing wrong? --RoyGoldsmith (talk) 14:37, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

You have left out the equals signs. The syntax is <ref name="Congress">...</ref>. -- John of Reading (talk) 14:41, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) John has already pointed out what I was going to point out, but I'll note that you also left out the closing }} in the citation template for the "Congress" ref. Deor (talk) 14:46, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I had only used one reference at a time before. Apparantly, it works with no equal sign, in that case. Who knew? (WP:REFNAME has got it correct.) Thanks a lot. --RoyGoldsmith (talk) 15:55, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I've put a space in front of each of the "=========" lines, so they don't create spurious section headers. Rojomoke (talk) 16:01, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Conflict of Interest and Revisions

7-24-2012 Maine

Dear Wikipedia;

I am puzzled by two recent actions and messages from LadyofShalott and Beyond My Ken about my Wikipedia entry, “Donald K. Fry.” (Please note that I write under two names: Don Fry and Donald K. Fry.) The entry is at Donald K. Fry

1. Both editors are warning me of conflict of interest. I did not create the Wikipedia entry on me, but in the past, I have corrected it, mostly little facts. No one objected. When I published my recent book, “Writing Your Way,” in March 2012, I added it to the entry. No one objected. Then last week, I added my freshly published novel, “How to Shoot Your Father.” Suddenly, I get these notices about conflict of interest. Please advise me. Is it a conflict of interest to correct and add details to the entry on me? How else would we keep it correct and updated?

It is a conflict of interest, and in principle, you shouldn't edit your own entry. Instead, if you feel something needs correcting or updating, you should mention it on the article's talk page (though in my experience, this generally has no effect). Maproom (talk) 16:37, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

2. Beyond My Ken edited my Wikipedia entry severely. He removed a lot of detail and the section on my journalism career and publications. He also removed my latest book, “How to Shoot Your Father,” and a reference to me as a novelist. He’s rewriting and thinning my biography, and I don’t understand why. Please advise.

Thanks.

I think that some of these changes which you attribute to User:Beyond My Ken were in fact made by User:Drmies. You can check by looking at the article's history page. I do not feel competent to judge whether they were justified. Maproom (talk) 16:37, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

≈≈≈≈≈ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Donald K. Fry (talk • contribs) 16:21, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict)Hello there. I have been looking through the editing history of that page. I do agree with most of the content-removal by other editors. You will notice that in the edit summaries of the other editors the words "not a resume", "non-notable", and "overly promotional" appear over and over again. As a writer and educator, I am sure you would not object to reading the documentation that Wikipedia has produced on these issues in their entirety. For most editors, knowing every single word of these policies is not completely necessary, but for someone who is editing an article about himself, this is extremely important. If you follow the three links above, you will be taken to the relevant documentation. There is simply to much material for me to reproduce here.

I would follow Maproom's advice and try to solve it on the article's talk page (though to really get any answers you will have to contact the editors in question on their talk pages directly as well). hajatvrc @ 16:49, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes, this situation is and always has been a conflict of interest. However that does not prohibit you from being involved. Simply having "Conflict of Interest" shouted at you does not mean you must cease all editing and leave, and if editors have been over-zealous in alerting you to the conflict of interest then I apologize for that. Regardless of what what has happened to this point, our Conflict of Interest guideline is an intricate document and not a simple rule. It has information on how to proceed, what to do in case of disputes, and helpful links such as Wikipedia:Plain and simple conflict of interest guide, which you may wish to read. There are legitimate ways you can contribute, as outlined at WP:COI#Non-controversial edits, which is why you have not experienced resistance in the past. BigNate37_(T) 20:32, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

• Dr. Fry, as much as it pains me to find fault with an article on a fellow Anglo-Saxonist, I felt it was necessary to edit the article in accordance with our guidelines. The novel, for instance, should be referenced properly, not with the mere mention of "Amazon kindle". Other information was removed for similar reasons--not because you edited the article but because they were either not appropriate for an article on Wikipedia and/or because they were not properly verified and thus (in this case) added to the overall resume-like quality of the article (listing blogs and articles, for instance). You'll note, I hope, that I have added reviews of the books published in peer-reviewed articles, and as such I am confident that my work is more constructive than destructive. Incidentally, I'm looking for a copy of Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg : A Bibliography but so far without luck. Best, Drmies (talk) 20:54, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Main page

hello, Why doesn't Wikipedia display fair use images on main page for encyclopedic purpose? is that cannot be qualified as fair use under copyright law, or just under Wikipedia's own policy? Puramyun31 (talk) 17:01, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm not familiar with that rule. Do you have a link? RudolfRed (talk) 17:04, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

For example, Ed, Edd n Eddy article. It was a Today's featured article on July 23, which includes fair use character image. Puramyun31 (talk) 17:10, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

and see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Today%27s_featured_article/July_2012. Puramyun31 (talk) 17:12, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

There's a discussion from 2008 at Wikipedia talk:Non-free content criteria exemptions/Archive 1#Removing exception in policy for "Main Page". It seems that fair use images were sometimes allowed on the main page before then, but not since. -- John of Reading (talk) 17:25, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

While it is Wikipedia policy, I believe that it's also based in US Fair Use law. While we can reasonably justify use of such an image on the actual article, it's a little harder to do so on the main page, which generates much more traffic and doesn't provide anywhere near as much detail about the subject (and may not make reference to the image at all). Fair use law/our policies also require that we provide a detailed justification for every page on which the image is used on the image's description page, and it's too much hassle to do this for every fair use image we want to put on the main page when we know the image is only going to be there for 24 hours anyway. If someone really wants pictures that badly, they can read the full article or make do with whatever freely licensed image we're able to provide. Hersfold non-admin^(t/a/c) 17:29, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

IANAL, but in general our implementation of Fair Use policy is much more restrictive than what is probably necessary. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying that it's intentional. After all, I would never suggest we try to get away with as much fair use of restrictively licensed content as possible—that's contrary to the goal of building a free encyclopedia. Our main page is the front door, so to speak, and we want to showcase content which is not only high quality, but the content which best exemplifies what we're about. That's why I'm not allowed to edit it =P BigNate37_(T) 17:41, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Section v subsections on references

Hi, can someone tell me if it's OK to name a section "Notes and references" and then name a subsection directly beneath it "Notes" (which stores the footnotes) and another subsection called "References" which stores the citations. For an illustration of what I mean see here, here and here. I can find no mention against this in MOS or any other guideline surrounding references and footnotes. -- Cassianto^Talk 17:13, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

There's no need for a deep hierarchy. If you want a notes section and a references section, they can both just be standalone level 2 headings, as is the case in your W. S. Gilbert example. The relevant part of the MoS is at WP:FNNR (i.e. foot notes, notes and references). While it's not explicit, I read it as implied that those sections are to be top-level sections and not subsections. BigNate37_(T) 17:32, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I believe what you're looking for is at Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Notes_and_References, but it sounds as though if you do wish to separate it between citations and proper footnotes, both sections should use level two headers (as in this section) and the proper footnotes should come before the citations. Hersfold non-admin^(t/a/c) 17:33, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

So, are Stanley Holloway and Dan Leno incorrect in there layout? -- Cassianto^Talk 17:45, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

From WP:FNNR, "The title(s) of these sections depend on which of the three types of item are present, and whether the two types of footnote are combined or separated." Technically, they are in the same section (the subtitles use term/definition format, not subsection format, which is why I didn't notice them looking at the TOC before). Since the actual notes and references are separate from each other, my reading of the MOS is that they ought to be separate sections. However in a case like this where the article is a featured article, there's likely at least one talented editor keeping an eye out for the article so I might dig around in the history and on the talk page a little to see why it is like that. BigNate37_(T) 17:51, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes, that's great. I only asked because I have now adopted this style throughout my edits. Both my mentor's are away, so unable to ask them. By the way, they are the talented ones! Thanks for the quick and helpful reply's. -- Cassianto^Talk 20:24, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Powerball scratch off game.

How do you enter for second chance drawings for this scratch off. It does not show the game on second chance drawings — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.40.53.131 (talk) 17:14, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6.8 million articles and thought we were affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 17:21, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Renaming category:Category:Back to the Future

Hi, I believe that Category:Back to the Future should be renamed as Category:Back to the Future (franchise), matching the category's article. But I could be wrong.--NeoBatfreak (talk) 17:41, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

You may nominate a category for Wikipedia:Categories for discussion even if you do not intend for it to be deleted, and those most familiar with the application of the relevant policy and guidelines will collaborate to determine the best course of action. Instructions for listing a category are on that page. BigNate37_(T) 17:44, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

lost access to the email used to register on wikipedia

I lost access to the email address I used to register on wikipedia. How can I retrieve my login details? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 155.48.192.101 (talk) 17:52, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

At Help:Logging in#What if I forget the password? is says: If you did not enter an e-mail address, or if the stored address is no longer accessible, you will be unable to regain access to your account, and thus will have to create a new account under a different username. hajatvrc @ 17:56, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) For short, you can't. The only way to get your login details back is to regain access to the email address, because there is no other way to get your login back. AndieM (talk) 18:01, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Unless you made no edits with the account, in which case you can usurp it. - Purplewowies (talk) 18:56, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Depending on your e-mail provider, you may be able to regain access to your account if you forgot your password or it was hacked. It depends on what you mean by "lost access." — Preceding unsigned comment added by DavidSSabb (talk • contribs)

Report vandalism

Hi, an unknown IP user with this numeral IP address (86.157.246.15) just vandalized this article, Rachel Dawes, probably just because he or she is a fan of Katie Holmes. Thought you might want to know.--NeoBatfreak (talk) 20:12, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Vandalism happens hundreds, if not thousands, of times a day here. The thing to do is to revert to a good version of the article (which is it looks like you've done already) and then inform the user of what they've done and why it's wrong. You can do this by using any one of the vandalism notification templates. If the vandalism is an ongoing problem with that user or that article, then there are a couple more options. You can request that the user be blocked or you can request that the page be protected. Please see WP:VANDALISM for more on this. Dismas|^(talk) 20:35, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Remember to assume good faith! I looked at those edits, and while they weren't an improvement, it's possible the person meant well. BigNate37_(T) 21:09, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Well, I put the vandalism notification template on IP address talk page, anyway.--NeoBatfreak (talk) 23:36, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Editing

I am editing this page but for some reason I'm having a problem taking the word, "User" off the beginning of the name, Eric Bellinger. Also, I want to put a picture up but can't seem to find where the option is to do that.

Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by EricBellinger (talk • contribs) 20:28, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

What you've done is to create a user page for yourself. That's why it says "User:" much like my own user page which is at User:Dismas, for example. If you'd like to write an article about Eric Bellinger, then you would need to click on that link there and start editing. Whichever you've intended to do, create a user page or create an encyclopedic article, you should probably rewrite it. Please see WP:USERPAGE for a user page or WP:YFA for help creating your first article. Dismas|^(talk) 20:39, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Hi Eric, and welcome to Wikipedia. The reason your page has "User:" on the front of it is because it is a page for your user account. Our relevant guideline, Wikipedia:User pages, states "User pages are for communication and collaboration. While considerable leeway is allowed in personalizing and managing your user pages, they are community project pages, not a personal website, blog, or social networking medium. They should be used to better participate in the community, and not used to excess for unrelated purposes..." If you instead intended to create an encyclopedia article about yourself, please note that this is a conflict of interest. One of our guidelines,Wikipedia:Autobiography, explicitly discourages writing autobiographies here at Wikipedia. Lastly, I have left you a welcome message on your talk page which has links that are just generally helpful to new editors. (Dismas beat me to it, actually.) BigNate37_(T) 20:40, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

This exact topic looks familiar. Someone else asked the same thing yesterday see here. Wesley Mouse 20:52, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Template:Fanpov

Someone is continuously blanking Fanpov template, I have reverted thrice and then stopped, the page is currently blank, need some help: Template:Fanpov --Tito Dutta ✉ 21:15, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

The user was trying to remove the banner from Elizabeth Turk. I (and a couple other users) told them what they were supposed to do, and it seems that they've gotten it. - Purplewowies (talk) 21:35, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Ya, I guessed it when they wrote edit summary in last edit. I also mentioned it in his talk page! Thanks! --Tito Dutta ✉ 21:42, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

No edit links on talk page sections

The discussion page Talk:PID controller is acting strange. There's no table of contents; a "show" button in the info box reveals a huge amount of content that has supposedly been archived; there are no "edit" links on the individual sections. I can't tell what's going on. Spiel496 (talk) 23:37, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

Fixed with [3] to avoid transclusion of Talk:PID controller/Archive 1. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:03, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

July 25

Redirects for recent template

I recently created a clickable button template. You can see it here It takes a bit to type out {{Clickable button}} so can someone help me think of redirects? In addition, do template redirects work the same way as article redirects or do you need to set them up to accept parameters. Ryan Vesey Review me! 02:21, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm also curious as to what is causing the template to appear on its own line. That shouldn't be occurring. Ryan Vesey Review me! 02:23, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure about the new line in your post, but it works here, and on the template's doc page. Example: I am a button RudolfRed (talk) 03:26, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

With CB taken, Template:CLB seems obvious, and possibly Template:clickb.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:31, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

This line has here no indent.

This line is here indented.

A template redirect looks just like an article redirect. See, for example, {{citeweb}}. I don't know enough HTML to solve the formatting problem; it seems to be tied up with the indentation. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:49, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Well thanks for helping me figure out the problem. I wonder what the solution could be, I'll tweak it some in my sandbox when I get the chance. I crated the two redirects mentioned by Fuhghettaboutit. Ryan Vesey Review me! 12:47, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Reference Desk and the need for further contact.....

Every now and then, i find myself in a situation where i can help someone, or they could help me, in a way that personal contact and continuing of the help privately is best. For example, if i need help with a program, and i don't want to share my code to everyone on wikipedia, or perhaps someone needs some functionality on their Windows PC and I know i can write a fast program to do what they need (It would be best to be able to email them the program directly).

I know that in general, Wikipedia advises against posting contact info directly on the reference desk. This makes a ton of sense, because any person viewing the page could use the information to do bad things like scrape up a little bulk email list for various spam.

Is there any nice way to trade contact info with another poster, in a way that doesnt put either party at risk, and is in line with any other wikipedia rules regarding such thing?

Thanks

172.130.252.94 (talk) 02:44, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that you have to be logged in to use this, but if a user allows people to email him or her in his or her preferences, you can email them by going to the page "Special:EmailUser/(Username)", where "(Username)" would be the username of the person whom you want to email. :) Hadger 02:46, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you, that might be worth looking into.... just for clarity, is it en.wikipedia.org/Special:EmailUser/Username ? I just add what you suggested to the end of the root URL?

172.130.252.94 (talk) 02:57, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EmailUser Is where you need to go. hajatvrc @ 03:01, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Insured Business

I am trying to find out who is the insurance carrier on a local business.

Terie Smith — Preceding unsigned comment added by TerieSm (talk • contribs) 03:13, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

This is the help desk for how to use Wikipedia. You can try the reference desk, someone there might be able to point to you a resource. If you ask there, be sure to specify what "local" means, since Wikipedia is viewed in many different localities. RudolfRed (talk) 03:29, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Checkuser

Is there a noticeboard besides the sockpuppet one? I just reported an IP and a user to the vandalism board WP:AIV. Two edits each, but very similar. Not worth a sock entry because they have only done the four edits total.--Canoe1967 (talk) 05:10, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

How do I get the article I just completed uploaded onto WIKIPEDIA ??

Please help

How do I get my article which I just created, uploaded onto Wikipedia? I have just spent several hours researching and writing the life story of one of Australia's greatest automotive journalists and historians, Barry Lake, and I'd like to upload it asap. Thanks.

Peter — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wannaberacer (talk • contribs) 05:15, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

The article at WP:YFA should help you. RudolfRed (talk) 05:16, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

You already did put it at Wikipedia. It is located at your userpage, located at User:Wannaberacer. --Jayron32 05:18, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I think by "upload" (to take offline data and transfer to the Internet) you meant possibly to place the article in the main part of the encyclopedia where articles reside. When a proposed article is created as a user subpage, and in this case on your userpage directly as noted and linked above, it reaches the main part of the encyclopedia by being moved there. You cannot move a page yet because you are not yet autoconfirmed, a restriction that is passed when your account is more than four days old and has made at least ten edits. You could request that it be moved for you but the proposed article is not yet ready for a mainspace appearance. The main problems are the laudatory tone (see neutral point of view for the main policy on this) and most significantly, its lack of reliable, independent, secondary sources used for citations that both show notability and verify the information content. A simple Google Books search indicates those sources do exist for this subject, but they need to be added.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 12:23, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I've moved it to User:Wannaberacer/sandbox, since it is not about you, but rather is a sandbox draft of an article (and I'll echo the criticisms above). --Orange Mike | Talk 13:37, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I can go through the draft and tag specific problems for you if you'd like, just let me know. Roger (talk) 13:52, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

File:SarahGordonDeath.JPG

Hi, I believe that this file File:SarahGordonDeath.JPG need to be reduced.--NeoBatfreak (talk) 05:59, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

The file information says it is low resolution. I think it's fine as it is. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 06:13, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

The claim of low resolution is made manually by an editor. I don't agree and have reduced it from 576 × 896 to 220 × 342. PrimeHunter (talk) 09:27, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I didn't know that. I guess you learn something new every day! Thank you PrimeHunter. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 09:37, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Resolution is not the same thing as size. Roger (talk) 13:56, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Trying to nominate an article for GA

Resolved

Hi there. I'm trying to nominate an album article I've worked on extensively, The Concert for Bangladesh, but I'm not sure I've copied in the correct text on the talk page − here. I'm going on how the page currently looks (i.e. there's no GA nom banner coming up, just my incongruous-looking text). Can you help, is there something I'm doing wrong perhaps? Many thanks JG66 (talk) 05:59, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Hey JG66 - try replacing the "pipe" with a full colon ({{subst:GAN...etc.}} Should work. The Interior (Talk) 06:14, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I can see the nomination banner just fine. However, I got rid of your signature, which was just below the banner. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 06:16, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict)You needed a colon insteaid of a pipe after subst. I fixed it for you, but I didn't realize/remember that it would say I nominated it. You should probably fix that up with your information/signature. - Purplewowies (talk) 06:18, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

The nominee must have misplaced his signature - I got rid of it. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 06:22, 25 July 2012 (UTC) (edit: fixed.)

(edit conflict) Wait - are you a co-nominee with Purplewowies? S/He made this edit that fixed it. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 06:20, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

No, I was just trying to fix the problem and forgot the template did that. - Purplewowies (talk) 06:26, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I'm the nominee! Thanks to you both/all anyway. It does appear to be fixed now. Cheers, JG66 (talk) 06:34, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Trying to help Shravanshetty502 (talk · contribs)

This user has created an article on Devita Saraf. There are multiple problems with the article, some of them with references and some with the way it is written. He keeps asking me to remove the tags at the top saying '[I] have given reference to all the statements' (sic) even though I told him not all the problems are with the sources (phrased differently). Although I am an Indian myself and can (kind of) understand what he is trying to say, I am starting to get frustrated because he posts the same thing every time I edit the article and I don't know what to do or where to take it now. If any uninvolved users want to help, you are free to do so. Floating Boat (the editor formerly known as AndieM) 08:27, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Re submission

Hi

Please can someone tell me how to resubmit an article for editing.

My article was initially rejected and I have made the changes asked of me and previewed and saved.

However, I haven't received the normal notification that I have submitted it again.

Can you please talk me through how I can find my edited article and secondly how I can find out when its on the editing list again.

Cheers Tennisbuff12345 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tennisbuff12345 (talk • contribs) 14:29, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Your draft is at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/John Gledden.--ukexpat (talk) 17:35, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Style Guide for Scientific Articles

Is there a style guide (as have all the majir scientific journals) for wiki scientific articles? In particular the use of SI units. A classic example is use the of kcals as opposed to the SI kJ. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.162.50.222 (talk) 14:36, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

We do have a style guide, which we call the Manual of Style or MoS for short and we use it for all articles, not just science. About the SI units, the guideline on units of measurement says one can "use only SI units and non-SI units officially accepted for use with the SI." Hope this helps! Floating Boat A boat that can float! 14:59, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Editing references

There is an article that has a list of references some of which are now broken links. I would like to supply the correct links but when I click edit for the Reference section, all I see is: {{Reflist}}

How do I access the references so that I can correct them?— Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.73.224.162 (talk • contribs)

Each reference is located in the text where the reference number appears; if it appears more than once with the a b c string, it is in the text only once, normally but not always at a. Dru of Id (talk) 17:42, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Hello

I was just wondering if it would be possible to copy enwp stuff to simple wiki and simply make it simpler. I would save hours of writing.TheAnnoymousUser (talk) 18:46, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

Well, the few articles I've translated to Simple English (which does have rules to how it's written) took days/weeks to translate and still aren't perfect. Let me see if I can fetch some links on how to properly translate to simple. If you just copy without doing anything to the article, it will be deleted. - Purplewowies (talk) 19:00, 25 July 2012 (UTC)

I know how simple works, been there for 1 month.TheAnnoymousUser (talk) 19:03, 25 July 2012 (UTC)