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User:Archeopteryx This is Archeopteryx's archive.

Welcome

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Welcome!

Hello, Archaeopteryx, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{helpme}} before the question. Again, welcome! Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshellsOtter chirpsHELP) 17:48, 21 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sniffer Rat

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{{Helpme}} Hi! I am not new to Wikipedia (this account is a "new-beginning" of another account) despite my account's young age. I am about to start an article on sniffer rats, the rats that are trained to sniff out mines, bombs and even tuberculosis in human saliva! Would the title "Snffer Rat(s)" be appropiate? Also, I haven't recieved a welcome letter yet. On my other account, I recieved one on the spot. Is there any explanation for this?--Archeopteryx (talk) 17:37, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk"

Why?

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{{helpme}} Today, I came home and checked my account, only to find my first article, "Sniffer rat," was deleted. It did have a deletion template for copyright infringement (which I contested), but I did follow directions and added the "hangon" template. Still it was deleted. I do demand (alright, want) an answer for how it was, and can I bring it back? And why wasn't I notified of the deletion?--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:20, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

As a matter of fact, you were properly notified, but you removed the notification yourself in this edit. Hqb (talk) 17:34, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, the most I could do now is recreate it.--Archeopteryx (talk) 22:30, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hate list

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{{helpme}} Since I have a former account, I checked an account of a vandaliser, User:Area51 director, and to my surprise, he knows this account. Also, I am on one of his cew section's hatelist. How can I remove this without angering the "base commander?"--Archeopteryx (talk) 01:19, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Two questions

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{{helpme}} I have two questions: 1.) Is there an article that gives lessons to make your own userboxes? and 2.) What is your definition of an "established user?"

1.) WP:UBX. and 2.) That's a relative term. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshellsOtter chirpsHELP) 22:48, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What is your (or Wikipedia's) definition of a realtive term?--Archeopteryx (talk) 22:54, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It depends on who you ask. Some users have been here for years and still don't know how to do most of anything, whereas other users pick up fast and learn everything (and even gain adminship) in a few months. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshellsOtter chirpsHELP) 23:16, 23 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Is there anything you have to do in order to become an admin in a couple months?--Archeopteryx (talk) 22:19, 24 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]


Adminship

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Hiya - I saw your note at the helpdesk and thought I'd respond. Basically, no there is not a quick route to becoming and admin. Whilst there are no official guidelines, users with less than 3/4 months editing and 3,500/4,000 edits are very unlikely to pass WP:RFA. In reality at least 4 or 5 months and 4,500+ edits are a minimum - and it doesn't end there. People who comment at RFA look for diverse editing traits (including both building the encyclopedia and working in administration areas) as well as a calm manner, policy knowledge, consensus discerning skills and a willingness to help. Please bear in mind being an admin on Wikipedia is not a big deal and it's best to just enjoy the place before worrying about moving on to the administrative side. Please feel free to ask if I can be of any help. Pedro :  Chat  22:48, 24 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Committed Identity

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{{helpme}} I placed a Committed Identity userbox, but I do not know what it means! I checked the article, but it is very complicated on my terms, so can someone explain to me how to create a string on, say, simpler terms?--Archeopteryx (talk) 23:10, 24 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

New article; suspicious credible references

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{{helpme}} I am about to create an article which the only professional piece of reference is a magazine article; the rest are websites. Type, "Operation Atlas" into [Google], and you'll see what I mean. Can you give your opinion if these are credible, and if not, how can I use just one reference to sastify the criteria?--Archeopteryx (talk) 22:56, 25 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Oops. Sorry. :) -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 23:17, 25 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Mt. Tamalpais Railroad

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I am starting an aritcle about the Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway. The corporation had many names, so is there any way to redirect ceratin names to the article with the official title?--Archeopteryx (talk) 17:52, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Create pages w/ those names and the text: #REDIRECT [[Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway]].--Res2216firestar 17:57, 27 September 2008 (UTC)

Criteria

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{{helpme}} 1.) I am currently constructing an article titled Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway. By the time you get there, you may see the last sentence as incomplete (we are still editing). Does the content meet the criteria for railroad articles specifically? 2.) Is there a suggestions page where can send ideas?--Archeopteryx (talk) 18:53, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Well, the railway looks notable, if that's what you're asking, and shouldn't be deleted :) I don't know of any particular standard for how railway articles should be laid out, apart from just looking at similar ones; it looks mostly fine except for some minor formatting stuff. For 2), I'm a bit confused as to what you're asking. Tombomp (talk/contribs) 19:03, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm, pretty sure nothing like that exists. You can post ideas on talk pages, I suppose, or post them here and I could give you some advice or something! Tombomp (talk/contribs) 19:21, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • My two suggestions are 1.) Creating articles, I noticed that extensive writing will bring the text off the page. It would be better if there wasa new margin made. 2.) Maybe there should be spell check -

like in Microsoft Word. Maybe I should create the page! --Archeopteryx (talk) 19:28, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

For the spellcheck one: if you use a web browser like Firefox, it automatically comes with a spellchecker for this sort of thing. For the first, I've never seen that problem, so I can't really help sorry :( Tombomp (talk/contribs) 19:37, 27 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Visitor count

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{{Helpme}} Is there a way to tell if people visited an article you made even if no changes were made?--Archeopteryx (talk) 01:19, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I can't remember if I had to set this in preferences, but on my left-hand menubar (a couple boxes below the search box) there is a section marked 'statistics'. This may help you; I've never tried it. Prince of Canada t | c 01:27, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
To Ten Pound Hammer: Well, you must understand I am still new and trying to find my way around. Do you know how distressing to ask for help every single day? It is frustrating when it feels like you are the only one who needs help.--Archeopteryx (talk) 01:30, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry about this earlier comment. I just get frustrated that helpme tags sit around and ping #wikipedia-en-help forever and a day because nobody can be arsed to answer them. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshellsOtter chirpsHELP) 19:08, 11 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Let's just pretend this never happened. Friends?--Archeopteryx (talk) 21:08, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There is also this web page. The data it uses is only updated once per month or even less often, but your articles will eventually appear there. – Sadalmelik 18:55, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Your article

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Hi.. yes, I'll be happy to look over the article. I would like to comment on the information you just removed from your talk page: a warning about copyright/licencing information is not an insult. Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia require accurate copyright and licencing information on all images for legal reasons. Prince of Canada t | c 01:53, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Alright, I must admit, insult was an exageration.;)--Archeopteryx (talk) 02:06, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, I've fixed it up a bit. The article needs more information, especially information on what makes the railway notable. Cheers! Prince of Canada t | c 02:32, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I go to my friend's house to write the article, since he had the main book/reference. I'll schedule an appointement ASAP to continue revisions of the article Cheers!;)--Archeopteryx (talk) 17:53, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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I notice you have been having trouble with image copyright issues: [3]. If you need some help correctly formatting the image information pages to avoid these problems in the future, just use the helpme template, and someone can come by to answer your questions. Or, you can simply drop me a note at my talk page, and I'd be glad to help. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 01:59, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your invatation; I will ask for help on your talk page when needed, since various users are getting frustrated when I use the helpme template so much:)--Archeopteryx (talk) 17:53, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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Thanks for uploading Image:Scenic Railway Mount Tamalpais California 42.jpg. The image has been identified as not specifying the copyright status of the image, which is required by Wikipedia's policy on images. If you don't indicate the copyright status of the image on the image's description page, using an appropriate copyright tag, it may be deleted some time in the next seven days. If you have uploaded other images, please verify that you have provided copyright information for them as well.

For more information on using images, see the following pages:

This is an automated notice by OrphanBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. 06:40, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Welcoming users

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Thanks very much for your recent efforts welcoming users. If you don't mind, I'd like to give you some advice about this. If you click on the "User contributions" link to the left of any user page or user talk page, you can see when their most recent contributions were. If they haven't done anything in several months (or even years), as is the case with some of the people you've welcomed, they're probably not active and not likely to see your message. Just wanted to save you some trouble! Thanks again, Chick Bowen 19:04, 28 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You know something, I really never thought of doing that!--Archeopteryx (talk) 02:47, 29 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Your help desk enquiry...

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...simply add in the width as a new parameter (as I've done for you here) by adding "|250px" (or whatever size you want to force the image to be) to the image tag. GbT/c 18:46, 9 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In response to your help desk inquiry, Bold and Red. To get red text you need to type insert text, and to get bold you need to type three of these "'" either side of the text.--intraining Jack In 21:32, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
um I did not exactly turn out how I wanted, You might want to check the your edit page to see how I did it.--intraining Jack In 21:35, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I got my message up, thanks.--Archeopteryx (talk) 21:41, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Glad to be of assistance.--intraining Jack In 21:55, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Also (yeah, another question), would you recommend posting conversations from my old talk page (from an abandoned account) onto the top of current entries? And how does my message/warning look? (e.g. scary,

invitive, authoritative, etc.)--Archeopteryx (talk) 21:59, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In short "No", you might want to read this.--intraining Jack In 22:15, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Regarding your message warning, it looks as it is aimed at people who are unfamiliar with Wikipedia guidelines, As vandalism IS removed from talk pages you should not delete any criticism (constructive or otherwise) that is directed at you that does not constitute vandalism.--intraining Jack In 23:14, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't mean it toward newcomers, but toward anyone who hasn't thought twice before vanalising the page. Speaking of thinking, I am thinking of removing it; thankyou for your comments.--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:10, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No problems mate, I have tried to help you out at the help desk regarding your Skins/Image questions.--intraining Jack In 01:26, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Adoption

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Hey, I saw you were seeking adoption, if you're still interested, I'd be happy to provide that for you. Feel free to browse through my user page more specifically my adoption program and drop me a line if you would like to take it further, regards ——Possum (talk) 21:44, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't want to go through the adoption process, I'm happy to act as more of a mentor if that's what you prefer? If you have any wikipedia related questions, I'd be happy to help you out ——Possum (talk) 22:25, 12 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I think a mentor would be a more apropiate program. Thank you for your consideration!--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:07, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In praise of a job well done

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The Exceptional Newcomer Award
You are doing wonderful work on Wikipedia. You deserve this award for your fine contributions. Ecoleetage (talk) 02:37, 15 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Keep up the great work! Ecoleetage (talk) 02:37, 15 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the award you presented to me!--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:06, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
And thanks for the 10 Wiki-dollars! I am off to play the horses! :) Ecoleetage (talk) 00:54, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Change of name

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See Wikipedia:Changing username. Your edits will appear under the new name. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:25, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

However it will not change the signatures you have already posted. —teb728 t c 00:40, 16 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Code Enforcement Department

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I don't know, sounds a little WP:BITEy to me. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshellsOtter chirpsHELP) 19:30, 18 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Well, this (CEB) would be just like the Code Enforcement Dept. in a city.--Archeopteryx (talk) 19:33, 18 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This sounds a lot like the WP:CVU, an already existing project that patrols recent changes, issues templated warnings, and reports repeat vandals to WP:AIV once they've vandalized past a level four warning. I'd recommend you take a look at that, as it sounds like your plan would be a bit redundant to what they're already doing. Hersfold (t/a/c) 22:07, 18 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Basically, CEB will just copy WP:BITE. Is there any way I can become a member of that department?--Archeopteryx (talk) 03:07, 20 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No, as WP:BITE is a guideline - something you should follow. There is no associated department. DendodgeTalkContribs 18:06, 21 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Indeed, there are no "departments" at Wikipedia. There are voluntary associations of members which facilitate some aspect of Wikipedia editing, such as the Wikiprojects or the aforementioned new pages patrol, however you should be aware that none of these groups affords their "members" any special privileges at all. There is nothing that being a member of a group will allow you to do that you couldn't do on your own. --Jayron32.talk.contribs 19:14, 21 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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In case you are interested, there is a properly tagged NSA logo at Image:National Security Agency.svg. —teb728 t c 00:10, 19 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thankyou, but I do not think I will be needing it.--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:40, 21 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Many References...

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{{helpme}} Hello. On one of the articles I am editing, I am unable to list something like < ref name="Doring"/). How is the correct way to list it?--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:39, 21 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

  • Here's an example (I used the nowiki tags that show up if you edit this only to show the reference syntax, they are not needed when actually referencing):

Javier came to my talk page to show me how to use a named reference.<ref name=javier>JavierMC</ref> He provided an example of how this may be accomplished by using the named reference without having to type the previous reference in it's entirety.<ref name=javier />

  • This would produce this:

Javier came to my talk page to show me how to use a named reference.[1] He provided an example of how this may be accomplished by using the named reference without having to type the previous reference in it's entirety.[1]

  • And would show up in a reference or footnote section as:
  1. ^ a b JavierMC

Hope this helps you with the formatting. If you have any questions, please leave me a message on my talkpage and I'll try to help. You might also find WP:CITE and WP:CITET helpful. Thanks. --JavierMC 01:58, 21 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thankyou!--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:23, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Your user page

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Please do not be alarmed by this post. I have opened a thread at WP:ANI in reference to your user page. You have provided your full name, birthdate, city and state in which you live and also the school you attend. This IMO is way too much personal information to provide about yourself and I wish to advise you to please remove it as soon as possible. I have asked at the ANI thread to have the information deleted not only from the page, but also from the page history by oversight. This is nothing "bad" that you have done, it is just not within the projects guidelines for minors to provide that amount of information and this policy is in effect for your protection. If you see this message before action is taken at the ANI, please delete this material yourself and the ANI thread will follow through with oversight as deemed necessary at it's conclusion. Again, this is only for your protection and does in no way reflect on your participation and continued contribution to the encyclopedia. Thanks. --JavierMC 02:06, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I just re-read what I thought was a guideline on this subject, but the actual policy/guideline failed consensus in 2006. I would strongly suggest, however, that you edit the information for your own protection, but this concern is for you to address as you determine. Cheers. --JavierMC 02:57, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I've removed your userpage because of our best practices regarding childrens' privacy. Please be careful in the future to not reveal personal information about yourself, such as your real name, birthday, school, address, AIM or phone number. Let me know if you'd like me to email you the code to the page so you don't have to slave away at making it look great if you want to put it back up without your personal info. east718 // talk // email // 21:23, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, i recreated it from EastSides' e-mail (thanks). However, will it still be possible

to view my history page and select the prior form?--Archeopteryx (talk) 23:17, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

only editors with access to deleted pages, such as administrators or higher access users, will be able to view the previous deleted page, normal users can not.--JavierMC 23:27, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Speedy deletion of Bryan Boyd

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A tag has been placed on Bryan Boyd requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section A3 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because it is an article with no content whatsoever, or whose contents consist only of external links, "See also" section, book reference, category tag, template tag, interwiki link, rephrasing of the title, or an attempt to contact the subject of the article. Please see Wikipedia:Stub for our minimum information standards for short articles. Also please note that articles must be on notable subjects and should provide references to reliable sources that verify their content.

If you think that this notice was placed here in error, you may contest the deletion by adding {{hangon}} to the top of the page that has been nominated for deletion (just below the existing speedy deletion or "db" tag), coupled with adding a note on the talk page explaining your position, but be aware that once tagged for speedy deletion, if the article meets the criterion it may be deleted without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag yourself, but don't hesitate to add information to the article that would would render it more in conformance with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. Lastly, please note that if the article does get deleted, you can contact one of these admins to request that a copy be emailed to you. --The Firewall 23:21, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

As you can see, I have added information. Please respond.--Archeopteryx (talk) 23:33, 22 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yep, I've seen it. I tagged it because at that time there was no content except the underconstruction tag, although I shouldn't have seeing that the article is coming from an established editor. You may already know about this, you can use a personal sandbox at User:Archeopteryx/Sandbox for developing articles before bringing it to mainspace. Regards, --The Firewall 00:53, 23 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, understood. I just saved with no text because it was an experiment to see if Wikipedia would accept the article. As for your conclusion, you mean I am an established editor?--Archeopteryx (talk) 01:45, 24 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah - you've been around for a month, you pretty well know what you're doing... that counts, I'd say. On the other hand, I came to your talk page to tell you that the article on Bryan Boyd doesn't really say much about notability. I'm going to move it into your userspace, so you can improve it. Let me know when it's done, okay? DS (talk) 14:08, 26 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Photo

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We have to assume that LifeTouch retained the copyright unless you have some evidence to the contrary. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:08, 24 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Columns

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{{helpme}} Hello. I want to add to an article a couple columns; there will be a time column on the left hand, and the occured event on the right. How do I do this?--Archeopteryx (talk) 02:20, 24 October 2008 (UTC) You can use a table, if you know how to do them. I'm not exactly sure what you're going for here, but if I don't say something, this helpme will sit unanswered for a week, like they always do. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshellsOtter chirpsHELP) 02:25, 24 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, how do I create one?--Archeopteryx (talk) 02:27, 24 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Check out Help:Table. It has a lot of options for formatting tables. --JavierMC 08:14, 24 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]


Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railway

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Why did you request deletion? it seem OK to me. Please respond on article talk page. DGG (talk) 22:35, 26 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Poppy seeds

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Are you sure that this refers to Eschscholzia and not Papaver? I don't currently have access to the reference, but it seems high for Eschscholzia, which has seeds around 10× the volume of Papaver seeds.--Curtis Clark (talk) 04:33, 27 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hello; sorry I was unable to reply sooner, because my homework was excessive this week. I just realized: yes it does refer to Papaver! Thanks for catching that!--Archeopteryx (talk) 00:11, 9 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hey

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No, you're missing the point.

What you've written about Bryan Boyd - so far, it's not enough. You haven't shown why the article should exist. I'd be justified in deleting it.

I'm giving you a chance to improve it. Supply more information about Boyd - why he matters. DS (talk) 13:30, 27 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Archeopteryx! I wanted to let you know that I linked your Bryan Boyd article to three WikiProjects (Biography, California and Education) where the subject would be of interest. If you ever need help in expanding an article or confirming references, feel free to tap into the member base of any related WikiProject and request assistance on their Talk Pages. And if I can be of help in any article that you are planning to create, just let me know! Keep up the fine work! Ecoleetage (talk) 14:03, 29 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

AfD nomination of Bryan Boyd

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An article that you have been involved in editing, Bryan Boyd, has been listed for deletion. If you are interested in the deletion discussion, please participate by adding your comments at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bryan Boyd. Thank you. Metros (talk) 20:23, 31 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Speedy deletion of Bryan Boyd

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A tag has been placed on Bryan Boyd requesting that it be speedily deleted from Wikipedia. This has been done under section A7 of the criteria for speedy deletion, because the article appears to be about a person or group of people, but it does not indicate how or why the subject is important or significant: that is, why an article about that subject should be included in an encyclopedia. Under the criteria for speedy deletion, such articles may be deleted at any time. Please see the guidelines for what is generally accepted as notable, as well as our subject-specific notability guideline for biographies.

If you think that this notice was placed here in error, you may contest the deletion by adding {{hangon}} to the top of the page that has been nominated for deletion (just below the existing speedy deletion or "db" tag), coupled with adding a note on the talk page explaining your position, but be aware that once tagged for speedy deletion, if the article meets the criterion it may be deleted without delay. Please do not remove the speedy deletion tag yourself, but don't hesitate to add information to the article that would would render it more in conformance with Wikipedia's policies and guidelines. Lastly, please note that if the article does get deleted, you can contact one of these admins to request that a copy be emailed to you. DARTH PANDAduel 20:26, 31 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]