Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 February 12

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February 12[edit]

Adding {{SharedIPEDU}} to talk pages[edit]

Is there a way to add {{SharedIPEDU}} to many talk pages at once? (Like, mark all the talk pages of IP's that belong to a particular educational institution with that template?)—Preceding unsigned comment added by Calvin 1998 (talkcontribs) 00:01, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This is (part of) the intended task of IPTaggerBot, currently up for approval at WP:RBA. Algebraist 00:11, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There's also SelketBot. • Anakin (talk) 00:16, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How to get initial capital letters into all words of a subject title?[edit]

For example, when my subject is "Holloway Sanatorium" I want the title to appear as that, not "Holloway sanatorium". I started my article with the following: Holloway Sanatorium was a hospital located in ... The article correctly starts with the words "Holloway Sanatorium" in bold, but the subject title is "Holloway sanatorium" in large. Not how I want it, but what can I do? Links to "Holloway Sanatorium" are not recognized! See the article mentioned. I would be grateful for any advice. P0mbal (talk) 00:04, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If you want to change the title of a page, you use the move tab at the top, then make sure you fix any double redirects. Hope that helps. Cheers. Earthbendingmaster 00:07, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
 Done - Moved Holloway sanatorium to Holloway Sanatorium. —Travistalk 00:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

chemistry[edit]

magnesium carbohonate is added to an iron binding capacity determination in order to A. allow color to develope b.precipitata protien c. bind with hemoglobin iron d.remove excess unbound iron —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.155.150.73 (talk) 01:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What is your question? The Help Desk is here to help with issues using Wikipedia. If you'd like to add material to an article, click "edit this page" at the top of any page. XENON54 | talk 01:10, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This sounds like a multiple choice question with 4 choices. It's not intended for homework, but: Have you tried the science section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:16, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

free DVD rewritable disc eraser.[edit]

Hi Team,I'm trying to find the above,but,i can't find one to download,i wonder if you could please help by Emailing me one or any sugestions.regards,Raymond. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pesora (talkcontribs) 01:26, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

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. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:10, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hover Text[edit]

I remember reading on some page about how to make hover text. I forgot how, and I was wondering if anyone knew how to make it? SpencerT♦C 01:36, 12 February 2008 (UTC) (Hover text is the little box of text that comes up when you put your cursor over a link, such as this. Put your cursor over the link).[reply]

You are looking for {{H:title}} which is documented at Help:Wikitext. Noah 02:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
See also Help:Link#"Hover box" on links. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:09, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Help:Link#Miscellaneous contains a section on ""Hover box" on links". Try this: {{H:title|test me|please}} produces please (try hovering over that). --Coppertwig (talk) 02:17, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks! SpencerT♦C 12:03, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How can I get the content of a deleted entry?[edit]

Resolved
 – Page content userified

I wrote an entry in August 2007 and it was deleted, apparently on October 27. I'd like to use that content for another purpose. How can I get it?

The name of the article was "Emily Posner" and it was deleted by a user named Tone. Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wwjdd (talkcontribs) 02:32, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You should contact Tone and ask to have the deleted content copied to your userspace.Travistalk 02:36, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I'll drop the content on one of your user subpages; how about User:Wwjdd/Emily Posner? Cheers, Master of Puppets Call me MoP! 02:36, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

New Version of Image Displaying Improperly[edit]

Resolved

I uploaded a new version of an image for the Info-Mac article, but the page shows the old image instead of the new one, and at the aspect ratio of the new image! The heck? Dpaanlka (talk) 02:33, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This is because your computer's web cache has not been updated. Generally, browsers load images and text once; then, when you reopen a previously visited page, they remember the content and load it more quickly. However, if the images change but keep the same source URL, the browser will not recognize that they are different. In short, to fix this, just clear your cache by following the instructions here. Cheers, Master of Puppets Call me MoP! 02:37, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, but it definitely isn't a caching issue. It is displaying incorrectly on all browsers and all computers, even random computers in this lab that I've never used before. Dpaanlka (talk) 02:42, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, not a cache issue as I’m seeing the old image too. I purged the server cache to no avail. I’m stumped. —Travistalk 02:44, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well, now suddenly it's working for me on all systems. I guess maybe that must have been it? Dpaanlka (talk) 02:49, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, it is, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was a server cache issue after all. —Travistalk 03:04, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Quiz[edit]

Moved from User talk:Jimbo Wales. [1]   Zenwhat (talk) 03:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

My quiz has been created about few weeks ago but nobody seems to know my quiz. I have already listed it at WP:FUN but I still get no response! How can I tell the others about my quiz and link it to Portal:Animals?--Mark Chung (talk) 02:05, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hey there Mark! I believe we've crossed paths before. Although your quiz may have found it's place in the Department of Fun, wikipedia is, first and foremost, an encyclopedia. As a result of this, most editors may not be here at wikipedia to take your test. You may find some other locations for your quiz by checking out the wikipedia article for Online quizzes or by googling online quiz. Hope this helps! --omtay38 03:53, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Siting Wikipedia as a Source[edit]

I was wondering how someone would be able to site Wikipedia as a source with copyright, author, publisher, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.219.187.88 (talk) 03:43, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Please see Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. Hope that helps, Master of Puppets Call me MoP! 03:46, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Translation sites[edit]

translation sites ,english to gujarati —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.95.223.133 (talk) 05:10, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. Note that this is the help desk for questions about using Wikipedia, and Wikipedia doesn't have any translation services. But I did a Google search on "english gujarati online translation", and came across a few that might be good. E.g., http://www.oilzine.com/regulars/babelfish-translator.asp, or http://utopianvision.co.uk/gujarati/dictionary/, or http://www.freelang.net/online/gujarati.php. Hope this helps. • Anakin (talk) 15:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Correcting other people's typos[edit]

Well, I was looking at a discussion page, and someone made a typo. Is it alright if I edit their post out, so it's... readable, but still the same thing? This person made a few of them, and it was troublesome reading... —Preceding unsigned comment added by The Unwanted Comment (talkcontribs) 05:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

As long you are keeping their original meaning intact, feel free to correct major typoes. However, it isn't necessary to always spellcheck other editors' posts, as some people may dislike having their comments corrected. Cheers, Master of Puppets Call me MoP! 05:20, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Correct them yourself, or tell them by replying. Visit me at Ftbhrygvn (Talk | Contribs | Log) 07:18, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If the problem is that it breaks the formatting of the page, feel free to do the minimum necessary to fix the formatting and note that you did that. While technically you could correct people's spelling and grammar in their comments, it is generally felt to be rude to do so on talk pages. In article space, go right ahead. If you're editing what someone actually said, people tend to take it badly. It's a bit like if you kept interrupting to say 'I think you meant to pronounce that ___" in a conversation, except that you're also making it look like they typed things they did not type.
By all means, if someone is making a consistent mistake find a nice way to point it out. Perhaps find a way of working versions of what they said into your own comments and type them correctly, so that you lead by example. If it's a mistake that really matters in terms of making a link work, or because they're going to include it in article space, point it out nicely. But silently 'correcting' people's comments on talk pages is likely to expose you to hostile reactions, plus they won't learn the right way to do it (unlike if you simply pointed the mistake out).
Worse than that, there is the very real danger that you will actually be changing what they said, or 'correcting' to a wrong version, because they were refering to something you were unaware of, using a word you didn't know or using a variety of English you are not familiar with. If somebody is writing with so many mistakes you can't actually follow what they're saying, nicely bring it up. Say something like "I'm having trouble following what you're saying. Do you mean'____'?". And always remember, he who lives by the sword... 130.88.140.107 (talk) 13:49, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Good Faith vs Copyvio[edit]

I'm in the process of reviewing an article for GA status, but have run into an issue I don't know how best to deal with. The "problem" is that the text of the article is by far the best prose I've ever read on wikipedia—it's all written by one user and all sourced to the same book. So, I'm torn between assuming in good faith that this user is simply a very good writer, or protecting wikipedia from copyright issues if indeed the article has been plagiarised from the text. Any advice on how I should proceed? --jwandersTalk 06:03, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I would advise that you do your best to either get your hands on a version of that book, electronic or not, or see if anyone does have a copy, and compare the too. --Evan Seeds (talk)(contrib.) 06:11, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You could try searching for the book using a Google book search. It may not be available or restricted too much to be useful but you never know. Has the editor who wrote the article written anything else so that you could compare his prose here with another example to see if there is a great disparity in writing ability?--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 14:05, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Try picking a few sentences or phrases from the article and putting them through a Google search. It may be that another site has quoted from the book. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 05:31, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Images not being displayed[edit]

For the past 3-4 days, i am not able to view the images on the main page. This includes the WIKIcommon logos at the bottom. I am using IE7 and have Norton Internet Security on my laptop, and was able to see the images earlier. However, i have not made any changes to the settings. I'm sorry, but i looked up the FAQ and tech.help, but could not find the answer.

C Ghorpade (talk) 07:07, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There are quite a few things that could cause this. I know my mother recently ran out of room in her temporary internet files, so you can try clearing that. Take a look here at the 2nd option under Internet Explorer, entitled "To completely clear the cache". Xiong Chiamiov ::contact:: help! 08:53, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Also, surprisingly often, people unintentionally block images from Wikipedia. Check any image blocking software you might have to make sure that files from upload.wikimedia.org are allowed. • Anakin (talk) 15:43, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dual purpose: list & disamb[edit]

Is it ok to format an article to serve as both a list & disamb? It seems redundant to create two articles if one can accomplish both. Any recommendations? Thanks! FieldMarine (talk) 08:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm. I'd hesitate to do that, since lists and disambigs are widely-used standard formats; although there is Ignore all rules and be bold. Why not just have a disambiguation page and no list page, and have the name of the list page contain a redirect to the disambiguation page? --Coppertwig (talk) 13:33, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Take a look at at Old Jail Museum and let me know what you think of the format. It already contains several redirects to the page. I realize that a List of jail and prison museums was just created, but it seems redundant to me to have both, including mainteance issues invloved in maintaining two lists that basically serve the same purpose. Thanks! FieldMarine (talk) 13:47, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
My reasoning in creating a list in addition to the disambiguation page was because disambiguation pages have one purpose and lists have another. As more items are added to the list that have nothing to do with the purpose of the disambiguation page, the list page will increasingly diverge in content and organization. The disambiguation page should be organized for its purpose of disambiguation of names. The list page should be organized for its purpose. Having two pages is easier for the reader and no harder for the editors. Also, Wikipedia:Disambiguation states that disambiguation pages should only be used for disambiguation purposes. Noroton (talk) 16:20, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Coppertwig or anyone else, I’m curious if using the Old Jail Museum article as a combination of disamb & list violates the spirit or intent for use of these in Wikipedia. In this case, it just seems like a good opportunity to accomplish both in one article because of the limited number of these types of museums & I’m all about being bold & innovative as you suggest. FieldMarine (talk) 17:36, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I suggest that everyone interested continue this discussion at Talk:List of jail and prison museums, and I've posted a comment there. --Coppertwig (talk) 02:00, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Adding information[edit]

Hi,

I got to know about an NGO called ETASHA, based in Delhi. However, WIkipedia has no information available about the same. I want to update the information for all to know about ETASHA's work, bu am not sure how to go about it. Please help.

Ritesh Datta (blanked email for privacy) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.162.224.71 (talk) 08:07, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

When you say NGO, do you mean non-governmental organization? FieldMarine (talk) 08:15, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You can create an account. When your account is 4 days old, you can create an article. You can get more information here. Visit me at Ftbhrygvn (Talk | Contribs | Log) 13:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You can actually create articles as soon as you get an account (some other things like moving pages and editing semi-protected pages requires 4 days old accounts). Here is general advice about creating a new article:
You will need to first register an account, which has many benefits, including the ability to create articles. Once you have registered, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.
Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.
If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:32, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

c 09:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Urgent Do it[edit]

Dear Sir I really shoked to see picture of Mohammad (PBUH) I Condemd it. Also asked to remove the picture from the web side —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.99.178.190 (talk) 12:26, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Please read the discussions at Talk:Muhammad and Talk:Muhammad/images. The consensual decision has been made that Wikipedia is not censored, and that inclusion of the images adds to the encyclopedic content of the article. AecisBrievenbus 12:51, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, editors have decided that pictures of Muhammad are acceptable, at least in some contexts like his biography and articles about depictions of Muhammad. Where is the picture that offended you? Depending on the picture and context, editors may choose to remove it. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:25, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
General agreement is that in the article on Muhammad the pictures are acceptable, but an editor recently brought up more discussion about this at Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)#Muhammad image controversy, a proposal to revisit, and I agree with him. I suggest you read the discussion there and if you think you can give a good reason for the images' removal that hasn't already been dismissed and rebuked before, then add it. • Anakin (talk) 16:05, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Expert locked out of editing by amateur[edit]

I am considered by the Blackjack elite Don Schlesinger, Stanford Wong, et. al.) to be the world authority on the casino games Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon. I have written a book on the subject, "The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon".(http://www.lulu.com/content/1239961), yet "JayMcDonald" has blocked me from editing the very page I created myself: Pontoon (game). I spent two hours entering in the basic strategy table for the game, which is not available anywhere else on the internet (and took 6 months of computer programming to generate). The next thing I knew, all my work had disappeared, thanks to JayMcDonald. This person's actions run counter to the Wikipedia ethos, the propagation of human knowledge. JayMcDonald has also ordered me not to remove "facts", when I removed one line that is incorrect, and had no references. A "fact" stands up to the burden of proof, and proof requires references. Can someone please sort this out? If you have lay people like JayMcDonald locking out experts, Wikipedia will degenerate into articles full of opinions from amateurs. Experts will be reluctant to contribute. From what I have read, it is not the first time that JayMcDonald has been a Wikipedia control-freak gatekeeper; other Wikipedians have made similar complaints. In fact, he has taken out the entire bibliography of Pontoon (game), with all references deleted, so that the article now presents as unsourced. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Iezegrim (talkcontribs) 12:26, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hi. The editor who reverted you did not remove your charts. Your "reference" was malformed and hence preventing the page from displaying. The editor could have repaired the problem by closing your reference (when you open a <ref>, you must include a properly formatted close </ref>), but probably chose instead to remove it as I have done because the link violates our external links guideline. That guideline indicates that we are to avoid "[l]inks to sites that primarily exist to sell products or services. For example, instead of linking to a commercial bookstore site, use the "ISBN" linking format, giving readers an opportunity to search a wide variety of free and non-free book sources." If you wish to provide a more full link to the book you've authored, you may certainly provide more information, but linking to a store that is selling it is not proper. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 13:10, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
You say that you added material that "is not available anywhere else on the internet". Wikipedia is not for first publication of original research, but rather for sourced and verifiable information that has already been published elsewhere. Please follow the links in this paragraph to see some of Wikipedia's policies. Another policy, which you violated in your posting above, is civility. Please address yourself to the content, assume good faith, and do not attack other editors. Thanks, Bovlb (talk) 22:41, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

288 page[edit]

I edited a page for the ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione. After i finished, i saved it. later I looked it up and it WASNT THERE!!! What happened.

P.S. I am not a wikipedia user. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.53.235.64 (talk) 16:19, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
We had an article title 'Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione', but it was deleted as a copyright violation three years ago. Is this the page you edited? The topic is currently covered briefly at Ferrari 288 GTO#Evoluzione. Algebraist 16:39, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict)What was the exact page name? The IP address used in your post has no other registered edits, Ferrari 288 GTO has not been edited recently, and Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione was deleted in 2005. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

teeth[edit]

what are the habitate affect your future —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.81.226.4 (talk) 17:00, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry but I'm not sure what you mean. Can you please rephrase the question? We have articles on teeth and habitat. • Anakin (talk) 18:34, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This page is for help with Wikipedia. Try the reference desk science. Wisdom89 (T / C) 19:49, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Need help with wikitable[edit]

When a table is aligned to the right is there a way to align a simple note placed outside the table just below it together with the table? kawaputratorque 17:16, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This is a caption. In HTML, you can use a caption tag to get the effect. I do not know of any way to do it in wiki-markup. -- kainaw 18:13, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks. Found the answer at Help:Table Caption. kawaputratorque 18:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm. Anyone know why the caption is in bold? I dont want it in bold. See the table here: Orang Asli. kawaputratorque 10:57, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It is not bold for me.--Patrick (talk) 11:31, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The class "wikitable" uses the variables at MediaWiki:Common.css of which for captions "font-weight: bold;". You can override this by adding "font-weight: normal;" to the style clause in your caption syntax. 86.21.74.40 (talk) 11:37, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
(ec) Eh, its still bold to me. Could it be a problem with my browser? kawaputratorque 11:42, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, thanks. Works fine now. kawaputratorque 11:48, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I want to close out my account ive created, and Have EVERYTHING deleted (only One Article repeated 4 times)[edit]

Is this posible? I want to start over, this website is not USER FRIENDLY AT ALL! I am starting to not like Wiki, can someone save me from this catastraphy?

Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by PhiMediaInc (talkcontribs) 17:31, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have deleted the image you uploaded and will blank your talk page. Starting over is a good idea, as your user name is problematic with regards to our username policy. Please see Wikipedia:Username policy. Taking the name of a company is not advised. Since you do not seem to want to have your previous edits associated with your new account, registering a new account may be your best decision. I'll note for future use that you apparently misunderstood and attempted to write an article in image space. These are distinct areas of Wikipedia. Once you've created a new account, if you'd like to create an article, please see Wikipedia:Your first article, which should hopefully give you all the information you need. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 17:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

how many combos[edit]

how many combos make $1 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.175.122.129 (talk) 18:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This is a math question. Ask it on the Mathematics part of WP:RD. This page is for questions about Wikipedia. -- kainaw 18:11, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

catalytic converter[edit]

How does a catalytic converter work and can its non-use injure a cars engine? Bob A —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.136.26.235 (talk) 18:18, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This page is for asking questions about Wikipedia. See catalytic converter and ask on the WP:RD science desk if you have further questions. -- kainaw 18:25, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How can a user with only one edit and no record of deletions have a blank user page?[edit]

At the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_National_Health_Insurance_Act&diff=190950543&oldid=187240562 I noticed that the user called The RADAR has only one record of contributions, has a blank user page with no record of deletions by any other user. Nothing wrong with that but it made me wonder how this can be? When I created my user page I got a welcome message and if I blank the page it will create a record in page history. How did this user manage to get a blank user page (and more to the point why would anyone want to do that)? Is this an indication that the user is also an administrator?--Tom (talk) 19:21, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The user talk page is created when someone first leaves a message there. Frequently the first message is a welcome message. It appears that no one has left them a welcome message yet. (It doesn't happen automatically.) --teb728 t c 19:46, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That user simply never created either of their pages. Your user and user talk pages do not exist by default, and have to be created either by you or by another user leaving you a message, such as a welcome template. Unfortunately, not all users are welcomed, as it seems this one wasn't. No user with less than about 1000 edits would ever be accepted as an administrator unless they carried an exceptional level of trust with the community, which is what the application process is completely based upon. Hersfold (t/a/c) 19:43, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Companies[edit]

I'm curious as to where the line is drawn for a company to be considered for a page. Is it revenue? A public vs. private issue? Cultural or historical importance? I see large companies like Microsoft, Boeing, Coca-Cola, etc. but then smaller companies are seen as only advertisements but what's the difference? If a company is a certifiable market leader, shouldn't they be considered? If someone could offer an explanation, that would be extemely helpful. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ptomisser (talkcontribs) 19:25, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The main concern is if they are notable. We have a special guideline for companies here that should be exactly what you're looking for. Hersfold (t/a/c) 19:39, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Note that articles about notable companies can be deleted if they don't show the notability and are written like an advertisement, for example with positive claims about the company with no source, or the company itself as only source. If you are associated with a company you want to write about then see Wikipedia:Business' FAQ. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:19, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

help with editing[edit]

If any experienced editors have time, would they be willing to look at an article I have on my subuser page? I know I can use help, especially with the footnotes. I will contact you if you tell me know your wikipedia-registered names. Thank you.--Voiceperson (talk) 20:41, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That's great work, I can make some adjustments if you want. For those who don't know, the page is at User:Voiceperson/Ryan Allen. Soxred93 | talk count bot 21:07, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's already better than most new articles. Sbowers3 (talk) 22:14, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

media/ artist pages[edit]

Where would I find a template for an actor's page? I am trying to set this actor's wikipedia page up in a traditional actor's profile with all the commentary boxes and an image on the side. How would I go about this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.166.19.239 (talk) 20:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

You can use {{Infobox actor}}. Wikipedia:WikiProject Actors and Filmmakers may also be of interest. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:08, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]


Suspected Plagerism[edit]

I'm Rick James (film) - reading it, it sounds like a blatant copy and paste from IMDB or the official website. Can someone peep this out for me? I'm on a PC that has limited web access. --Endless Dan 21:27, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It was a copyvio of both sites, more the official website. I removed the entire plot synopsis as it was copy/pasted by the looks of it from the official website. And now I will leave a message on the talkpage explaining the plot removal just in case someone misses the edit summary explaination. Thanks for pointing out the copyvio. AngelOfSadness talk 21:34, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Disputed accuracy[edit]

How does one dispute the truth of an article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.185.199.155 (talk) 21:44, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The entire article, or a specific assertion? Living or deceased subject? --Orange Mike | Talk 21:58, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Also are the assertions you dispute backed up by citations to reliable sources? Do you have citations which dispute them? --teb728 t c 22:26, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If the article subject is suspected to be a hoax, you can tag it with {{hoax}} and consider taking to article for deletion. If there are certain facts in it that are unsourced that you think are wrong, they are unsourced, and you know better, be bold and replace them with correct facts, ideally citing to sources. If there are sources present but you don't think they back up what they are being cited for, some of these templates might be useful: {{citecheck}}, {{dubious}}, {{failed verification}}, or if the source is unreliable, {{verify credibility}}. However, if the material is negative or controversial, appears in an article on a living person, and is not well sourced, go ahead and just remove it. That's about all I can offer in the hypothetical, but see generally, Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles for where these and other tags can be found.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:40, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Endorsements[edit]

Not sure if this question is in the right place but would it never be appropriate in an article on, say a specific football club, dietary supplement, animal, or car, have a section for "endorsements", and in this section list famous people who (don't have any other merits beside being famous) use, endorse, or speak positively about the use/existance of that object? Or would it be a judgement call? --Popoi (talk) 21:45, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If I saw such a thing, I would tend to regard it as advertising, and remove such grossly non-encyclopedic content. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:53, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Makes sense. Actually looking closer at the article in question, i noticed that it is a blatant attempt of advertising. ( Spirulina (dietary supplement) ) I'll look into a possible reversal --Popoi (talk) 22:29, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
What's the opinion on all of the musician articles which list what instruments they use, by brand name, and the tennis players, which list what company's equipment they use? Corvus cornixtalk 23:30, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Referencing - A pretty Version?[edit]

Just randomly ended up on the Playstation 3 wiki and my lord is the referencing section ugly ugly. It's got no less than 178 references - taking up about 5 screens worth of viewing! I was just wondering if there has ever been any consideration to have a 'reference' page added to articles -the little 'ref' links could still move to that page, but we could then move them off the main page as they are often (for me) making the pages a lot less readable/approachable than they could otherwise be. ny156uk (talk) 21:32, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This question is more suited for the WP:HELPDESK. I've made it 3 columns wide instead of 2, which thus makes it shorter... Looks a bit better now? ScarianCall me Pat 22:55, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
1. As far as I can see on Firefox, no, it's still two columns.
2. I agree with the first guy. That's pretty bad. F*L*RAP 23:01, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Really? It hasn't changed? I swear I changed the column width and made it into 3 columns... I'll take another look. ScarianCall me Pat 23:09, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Same here still on 2 columns (Safari). I guess there's not much we can do, but wondered if anybody had ever looked into redesigning the way ref's are noted for articles with large amounts of references. ny156uk (talk) 23:12, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, I read on some common browsers that it'll always look like two columns. I've had another stab at it... Care to hazard one last look? ScarianCall me Pat 23:16, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yep 3 columns on my browser. Fair bit shorter now - good work cheers for taking the time to look into it, i'm not really any good with the structural stuff on wikipedia. ny156uk (talk) 23:21, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

*Sigh...*[edit]

Why, when I first get on to Firefox and see the Main page, does my browser show that I am logged in, but when I go to any other page, it shows that I am logged out? I have been wondering this for a while and I can only presume that it has something to do with cookies, but...F*L*RAP 22:56, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Why don't you try purging the cache? Ctrl+F5... ScarianCall me Pat 22:58, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
TY. F*L*RAP 23:06, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dell E1505[edit]

Hello, I like to know will max 2gb work in the E1505 I have two 1gb but Like to install the one max for more speed,and make it 3gb, will it work or speed up my pc? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.199.108.173 (talk) 22:59, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ummm... This isn't exactly the place to ask that question, but no, you're going to need a faster processor. F*L*RAP 23:05, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Don't tell people it's the wrong forum and then attempt to answer anyway. --Popoi (talk) 23:08, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:18, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]