Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 October 29

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October 29

Can't Login

I created an account on 5 September. I have tried repeatedly to login with that name and password (and I know I have not made an error in either entry) and keep being told FUCK OFF AND DIE (okay, I'm loosely translating the error message from your braindead automaton). This sucks beyond belief! Username is "lawnchair" (or "Lawnchair", I've tried both). (email removed for privacy). Your site is the ONLY site I've had problems with regarding signing into an account. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.187.169.44 (talk)

Capitalization of the first letter does not matter so lawnchair and Lawnchair is the same. User:Lawnchair started editing in April 2004 [1], so the software wouldn't allow you to pick that username here at the English Wikipedia. You must create an account with a different username. If your account was not created at the English Wikipedia then it only works at the language or wiki where it was created. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:43, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Seeing how you're acting, best read WP:CIVIL. Yowuza Talk 2 me! 14:29, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

Download Image

Hey I need some help! how do you upload a picture from your desktop to the site if you are making a page? thanks maximus15Maximus15 (talk) 00:53, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Hi Maximus15. You need to use the link "Upload file" which is located on the toolbox in the left side of your browser window. Make sure that the file you are uploading is free (GFDL or similar) and provide the License information. You can also consider uploading your image in Commons if it is a picture that might be used in another wikimedia project. MaNiAδIs-τάλκ-GuεστBooκ 03:37, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Can't create article

I have an article ready to go. It will be titled Sandberg, California. Unfortunately, you will find when you click on the link, you will be taken to an existing article on the Ridge Route highway in California. No, no, bad Wikipedia! I have a brand-new article all ready to go that gives the geography and history of this tiny town in Los Angeles County. How can I actually create the page and paste all my stuff in it, now sitting expectantly at User:GeorgeLouis/Sandbox? Itchingly, your friend, GeorgeLouis (talk) 07:09, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Sandberg, California is presently a redirect. To bypass the redirect, scroll to the top of the page you just got redirected to. There will be a link back to the redirect at the top of the article, and from there you can click the edit button. Or just click the handy link I've provided right here: click me! Someguy1221 (talk) 07:28, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Many thanks for coming up with what looks to be a good new article. Anyway, under the title on the Ridge Route article's page when you go via Sandberg, California, you'll see "(Redirected from Sandberg, California)" which is a hyperlink. Click on that link and overwrite the resulting page with your article.--A bit iffy (talk) 07:32, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

• I took the liberty to perform the move and am now looking to see if any of the links to the ridge article ñeed to be pointed here. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:44, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

disaster management

Discribe the role of participatory management and good governance with particular reference to South Asia.? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.97.119.150 (talk) 07:45, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

This forum is for question on how to use Wikipedia. You might get some help at the Wikipedia:Reference desk, but they will not do your homework for you. —teb728 t c 07:56, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

New page help

Resolved

Is there a page to find the new pages you have created. I need it for the survey. Thanks --Adrian 1001 (talk) 10:41, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Hello Adrian. It depends exactly which new pages you're looking for. If you want a log of Wikipedia's recent new page creations, it is Special:NewPages (please note that by recent, this is usually in the last hour at the longest). If you want a list of new pages started by a particular user, there's escaladix's tool (just type in the username and click "Envoyer"). Hope that helps. Best, PeterSymonds (talk) 10:44, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

number of pages edited help

...and how about a page which tells you how many different articles you've edited (also for the survey)? --HughCharlesParker (talk - contribs) 14:04, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

If you look at "My Preferences", it will tell the number of edits you've made total. Alternatively, you could use an edit counter for a breakdown of your edits. At the bottom of "My Contributions", you'll see a link that says Interiot, which is a common edit counter. The one I prefer is Wannabekate, accessible at WP:KATE. I hope this helps! TN‑X-Man 14:09, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Also, see PeterSymonds' excellent answer just above this one. Cheers! TN‑X-Man 14:10, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, but that doesn't answer my question. I need to know how many different articles I've edited. --HughCharlesParker (talk - contribs) 14:21, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Does wannabe kate work for you? It shows a lot of edit info, but doesn't see edits done to pages that have been deleted. -- kainaw™ 14:28, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

It works, it tells me how many distinct pages I've edited, but it doesn't tell me how many different articles I've edited, which is what the survey asks. I think I can be pretty sure I've edited more than 500 articles, which is the survey's maximum, so I think I have the answer I need. I'm unlikely to be the last person wanting the answer to this, though, so if anyone knows how to find the number of different articles someone's edited, that would still be useful. --HughCharlesParker (talk - contribs) 14:51, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

• Interiot's edit counter gives both your total number of edits and your distinct page edits. - Mgm|^(talk) 16:27, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

How do I make suggestbot leave me alone?

I signed up for SuggestBot a while ago, and now I don't want it any more. Does anyone know how to make it go away? WiiWillieWiki 15:14, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Remove your name from User:SuggestBot/Requests. DendodgeTalk^Contribs 15:17, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

VF IRC bots

Where do the bots get their information from? (I mean... I know that ultimately it's the raw RC where it comes from but why does VF receive it from the bots not directly?) -- Mentisock 15:34, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

And another question... what's wrong with this? Why doesn't it want to sort the usernames in the category with {{PAGENAME}}? -- Mentisock 16:54, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Reference to North America

When Wikipedia makes mention of North America as it did in the "Fall Out 3" posting, are they refering to the United States alone or is it the United States and Canada combined? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.82.126.100 (talk • contribs) 18:52, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I may be wrong, but I believe that when video game release refer to North America, it refers to both the US and Canada. TN‑X-Man 18:56, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

• North America is the term used to describe the US with Canada combined. If they meant the US that is what they would have said. US and America are often used interchangeably, but America and North America are rarely confused. - Mgm|^(talk) 20:08, 29 October 2008 (UTC)
• According to the North America article it includes Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the various countries of Central America. —teb728 t c 20:13, 29 October 2008 (UTC)
  • To a geographer that is true. But to a businessman, North America means U.S. and Canada. Most frequently seen in the phrase "North American box office receipts" for movies. Rmhermen (talk) 21:28, 29 October 2008 (UTC)
    • In the North American Free Trade Agreement it includes Canada, the United States, and Mexico. —teb728 t c 23:49, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

North American energy independence refers to Canada, the United States, and Mexico, although proponents of the concept may have to reconsider Mexico, as Mexico's petroleum extraction is declining fast and Mexico will probably become a net importer of petroleum in about five years. In any case, if someone refers only to Canada and the United States, they should say what they mean rather than use a term like "North America" which can mean different things to different people. --Teratornis (talk) 01:09, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

posting pictures

I need to post a picture on a page and I am having trouble with the copyright. Our office owns the picture and the rights to the picture, but I can't figure out how to get it on the page and keep it there. It gets deleted. Please advise —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nflcert (talk • contribs) 20:10, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Please look at WP:IOWN and follow the process set out there. – ukexpat (talk) 20:45, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Wikimedia

If the questions can't be answered, please give some advice on whom to ask. Is it legal to copy an article or part of article in one wiki supported by wikimedia and then post it in another wiki supported by wikimedia that is lacking the information; so that other may then edit it to the wiki's rules and standards or to custimize it towards the wiki's needs of the article? Should the source be stated if this is legal(which wiki it was). If so, what are the restrictions of this? If not, how could you transfer information from wiki to wiki without causing an illegal transaction of information? If the information being transfered isn't verifiable, is it still legal?

Please see Wikipedia:FAQ/Copyright#Can I reuse Wikipedia's content somewhere else?. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 20:53, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Your question would be easier to answer if you specified exactly which Wikimedia Foundation wikis you want to copy from and to. If you want to translate between the various language Wikipedias, see: WP:EIW#Translate. If you want to copy some content from, say, the English Wikipedia to, say, Wikibooks, see WP:EIW#Transwiki. --Teratornis (talk) 01:15, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

new article

how do i make a new article Ubergod22 (talk) 20:45, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

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

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

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. TN‑X-Man 20:50, 29 October 2008 (UTC)