Wikipedia:New contributors' help page

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New contributors' Help page
A place to get help with editing and finding your way around Wikipedia. Please read the instructions before posting.

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This page is for answering questions about editing and finding your way around Wikipedia.
If you have a general knowledge question please see Wikipedia:Reference desk. Please make sure you search the FAQ for your question before asking it here.
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[edit] Article deletion

Hi there. I wrote the article under my user name. Having completed it I tried to save it, which is when I received notification that it had been deleted. Is there any way I can retrieve what I wrote? If the reason for the deletion was on the grounds of advertising, then I would appeal against this as the company is one of the major pioneers of the technology used for the production of solar silicon for solar panels. Indeed they were responsible for the development of the industry standard size of ingot. I would find it hard that it was subject to a speedy deletion. I have the article in word format. Is there any chance of having it translated by someone such as yourself for inclusion in Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by David de Leyser (talk • contribs) at 09:40, 9 May 2008

According to the query interface, it doesn't seem like your page was submitted at all; what message did you get, and what is the name of the article that you were trying to create? Wikipedia:Deletion review is where you can appeal page deletion. haz (talk) 11:11, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] how to make edits become article

My editing changes are saved but not made to my original article. what am i not doing? Jcbierley1 (talk) 12:32, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Can you clarify what you mean by that? Are these related to edits to Lykes Brothers? Are there edits that you <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Lupin/navpop.css&action=raw&ctype=text/css&dontcountme=s">think you made that are not showing up in the edit history? If you can give us a clearer description of the problem, we'll do our best to help. -- Natalya 13:30, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
Edits become part of the page immediately after they are saved. Maybe you have to bypass your cache to see the latest edits. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:59, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
If you mean why some of the text in the edit window for Lykes Brothers was not displayed in the article, then it was because there was a stray <ref>. I have removed it.[1] What comes after <ref> is supposed to be a reference which is displayed later, for example with <references/>. See Wikipedia:Footnotes. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:06, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] IMAGE CANDIDATE FOR SPEEDY DELETION - NO COPYRIGHT INFO

I uploaded one of my own images and don't see where to put the copyright info they are requesting! Please help! It is on the Thomas T. Riley page. Thank you! 41.251.5.161 (talk) 13:15, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Go to the Thomas T. Riley article, and click on the image. This will take you to the image description page. Click on the "edit" tab at the top to edit the page. You can add the required information there. Papa November (talk) 13:27, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
Assuming that this is the same question, you appear to have an answer at Wikipedia:Help_desk#PHOTO_COPYRIGHT_INFO_-_WHERE_TO_ENTER_IT.21.21. If that is not clear enough, try to clarify what is confusing? -- Natalya 13:28, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Do you just enter the tag

GFDL I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.

after source= ? I did that and the photo still says it is candidate for speedy deletion...thank you so much for your prompt help!41.251.5.161 (talk) 14:39, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

You also need to remove the speedy deletion notice from the page manually if you have fixed the tag issue. Redfarmer (talk) 11:05, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Jordan Jeffries

Jordan Jeffries is so cooooooooolll!!!!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jordan Jeffries (talk • contribs) 17:32, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Congratulations on that. Do you have a question about Wikipedia? PrimeHunter (talk) 17:52, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] looking for joob

Iam Nwankwo Kelechi,i hail from imo state.iam a OND holder in marketing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.3.61.4 (talk) 19:18, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Your question is? And what are those random numbers?...... Dendodge .. TalkHelp 19:19, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
Sorry, I think you're on the wrong site. Wikipedia is a volunteer-run encyclopedia. Hersfold (t/a/c) 19:20, 9 May 2008 (UTC)
This is an online encyclopedia, we can't offer you a job. Sorry. You might want to try monster or hotjobs. While we have articles describing both of these sites, we are not in any affiliated with them.--VectorPotential Talk 19:21, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Change Wikipedia UserName

How do I change my account Username Dean Barron 23:48, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Changing username --Karenjc 23:50, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Not blatant advertising.

I am trying to add an article, but it was deleted due to "Blatant advertising". My artical is below, please compare it with the wiki page on 'Palazzo Versace'. There is no difference! Potus1 (talk) 01:50, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

For others commenting, User:Potus1/Qualia. Potus, you'll notice that Palazzo Versace is also tagged for reading like an advertisement; and in any event, pointing out that other similar articles exist is not a reason to not delete it. Wikipedia articles need to be written from a neutral point of view, and the article you have written appears to be more like a brochure. Phrases such as "each pavilion has been handcrafted from the finest imported timber and stone" and "the Library is sure to provoke your imagination" are extremely promotional and what we call "peacocky", because they make the subject look pretty without providing much encyclopedic information. The policies I've linked, as well as this one, should help provide some tips on how to improve your article. Hersfold (t/a/c) 02:17, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Would like to make a temporary page

Hi there. I would like to make a temporary page that is set up as if it were about a celebrity, but instead I would like to have it be about my husband and/or I to have him read on our anniversary (June 3rd). Is this possible? Steph. 75.94.32.121 (talk) 03:17, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

No not really, Wikipedia is not a webspace provider so you couldn't even do that in your own userspace if you registered. You could, I suppose use the preview function to render such a page and take a screenshot of it, so long as you didn't save it. —Elipongo (Talk contribs) 03:45, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

hello appaa —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jokirk2 (talk • contribs) 00:06, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

oh come on ! just for one day ! save it and send him a link, then delete it the next day. I'll volunteer to delete it in case you forget. Machete97 (talk) 20:23, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Did you even read what Elipongo said? Wikipedia isn't a personal website, its a encyclopedia. Sethward (talk) 22:10, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] editing index page

I want to edit the Category: People from Barnstable County, Massachusetts, because there is at least one incorrectly included person, and I'm a local historian with several more people to add. But all I see on the edit page are bracketed lists/links of the categories, without any actual people listed. Capehistory (talk) 01:26, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Categories behave a little differently to normal articles - see Help:Category. Basically, if an article is listed in Category:People from Barnstable County, Massachusetts, then to remove it you have to go to that article and remove the listing of the category there. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 04:11, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] geographical map

Please fill in the subject box above, then replace this text with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. 59.93.8.38 (talk) 06:00, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Did you have a question? It appears you have simply copied the instructions for asking a question on this page. Redfarmer (talk) 11:06, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Updating Wikipedia for The American College, Bryn Mawr, PA

I am updating The American College's Wikipedia with information i have recieved directly from the executitve offices at our institution. Wikipedia is telling me that my information is too much like an advertisement, however, my boss and i have taken the information from published college materials. Will my information be deleated if i dont change it, and is there a possibility that notice can be taken off my edits?

TACollegePR (talk) 19:27, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

I took a quick look at the article in question, and the WP:TONE is simply not fit for an encyclopedia. You may want to read neutral point of view and WP:ARTICLE. These should address the issues that other users may have with the article. Wisdom89 (T / C) 20:38, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] In development tags?

Where did they go? they were there before and i can't find them now! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kcollis (talk • contribs) 06:11, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Template messages/Maintenance -- KTC (talk) 06:32, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How can I add a word or "term" to Wikipedia that I created about 2 years ago and has become widely used in some very popular (Craigslist) discussion boards? Rvanhuss2 (talk) 07:54, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

About two years ago, while on a Craigslist discussion board, I created a term that caught on like wildfire. Now it is a very commonly used term on all Craiglist discussion boards that refers to the action of "flagging" someone else's posts. How can I add this term to the Wikipedia database?

Hi Rvanhuss. The article WP:your first article gives information on contributing material to Wikipedia. However, from your description it seems unlikely that the term would meet our notability guidelines. You might want to read WP:notability and in particular WP:notability (web). If your term hasn't been used by independent third-party sources outside Craigslist, it probably doesn't qualify. If it is extremely popular on the site, a redirect to the main Craigslist article might just be appropriate. Best wishes, and thanks for your interest in contributing. Olaf Davis | Talk 08:13, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
One other thing - it makes things easier to read for other editors if you put your signature at the end of your comment, rather than in the section heading. Olaf Davis | Talk 08:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] identifing a plant.

the plant that i need help with : a bulbous root, growth that resembles an allium , from 18 to 24 inches leaves fall over as plant matures, one central stalk 8 to 10 feet tall, the stalk is extremly strong withstands high winds,flowers are very small blooming from the bottom up,6 petals resembling a camas, seed ball forms at the base of flower but only a hand full actually make the seed pod, the pod itself is as just smaller than a ping pong ball, when mature the pod opens to three sides.

i hope that you can help me as i have looked in all the books i can find.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.80.83.58 (talk) 16:14, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Science reference desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps.
Image:Signature_icon.png Please sign your post by typing four tildes (~~~~) or clicking the signature button above the edit box (as shown to the left ←). Do NOT sign in articles....... Dendodge .. TalkHelp 16:18, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Why was my edit reverted?

Hi i put some details on word hindu and it was not accepted pls advice why Mukeshmakhija (talk) 17:51, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
The editor who reverted you claimed the content you added was a copyright violation. In general, Wikipedia does not accept content copied from other sources. You may wish to read the policy I have linked to. Someguy1221 (talk) 18:12, 13 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Request for article

Please i will like have the article on Aninri Loacl Government in Enugu State. The year the local government was created, how many communities are there in the local government, history of the local government. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nnamdiugwueke (talk • contribs) 08:45, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Nnamdiugwueke. If you want to have a go at writing the article yourself, please do! This page will help you get started on writing. If you want to request the article be written by someone else, add it to the appropriate section of Wikipedia:Requested articles/Social sciences - but it may take a long time before anyone decides to work on it. Let me know if you have any further questions, and welcome to Wikipedia! Olaf Davis | Talk 08:56, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] made a text and now it's gone

Last night I joined wikipedia. I made a post asking come questions on the chiropractic talk page. TOday I went to look to see if I had any replies and I can't find the post I made at all. How do I find it? How do I check to see if someone took it off?

Thank you Lvs2bAdjstd (talk) 11:50, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Lvs2bAdjstd. Your post was reverted with the edit summary provided: "Sorry, but Wikipedia isn't for getting medical advice." You can see the "diff", meaning the the difference between the version before the revert and after with the edit summary versions here. Generaly, talk pages on Wikipedia are only for providing a space for editors to discuss changes to the associated article or project page and we have a general medical disclaimer which is what is referred to in the edit summary as the basis for the reversion. In the future you can check to see what happened to a disappeared post by going to the target page's page history. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 12:26, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Userpages and Userboxes?

I've seen users with different userpages, how do I personalize mine with colors and more? And where can I find specific userboxes that match my interests?--Panic!out (talk) 20:10, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The userbox gallery can be found here: Userbox Gallary --Captain-tucker (talk) 20:37, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Posting a new article to Wikipedia

How do I post a new article to Wikipedia? David W. Sumner (talk) 20:45, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Please see Your first article.
  1. Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article.
  2. Find references
  3. Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
  4. Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
  5. Click 'Create this page'
  6. Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout
  7. Be aware that Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones....... Dendodge .. TalkHelp 20:51, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] User recognized in English Wikipedia, but not in Danish.

Why can I log in with my user name and password to discuss a topic in English, but when I try to discuss the same topic in Danish, I am prompted with a log-in, which does not recognize my user name? --Globetrotterdk (talk) 20:47, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Accounts are on a single language, they are not universal...... Dendodge .. TalkHelp 20:50, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
... though they will be Real Soon Now. Algebraist 20:58, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Publishing an article from User Page

I created my article on Seventh-day Adventist Kinship Internation on my user page about a month ago, then have been out of town. Now I want to publish it. How can I do this without losing all my formatting? Carrol Grady (talk) 21:57, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Carol, simply click edit this page, and copy all the text including all formating and then paste it into the page. Do you know how to create pages? Please let me know. Adam (Manors) 22:23, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
Thanks, John. No, I can't seem to find specific information on creating pages. Carrol Grady (talk) 23:00, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
Excuse me Carrol, but I'm reading your userpage right now, and it's not clear to me that this organization meets the notability requirement. The easiest way to demonstrate this is to note reliable sources that have covered the movement, but had no association with the movement itself, such as independent newspapers or magazines. If notability is not demonstrated, the article is liable to be deleted. Someguy1221 (talk) 22:52, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
This is an organization similar to other gay-supportive religious organizations, such as Dignity USA or Affirmation, which have articles on Wikipedia. Carrol Grady (talk) 23:00, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
That's actually a fairly common argument in deletion discussions, and one that is uniformly dismissed by administrators, unfortunately. It is considered that the existence of articles that do not conform to standards makes evident only that the standards are not being universally enforced, and not that the standards should not be enforced. So that actually doesn't protect the article at all from possible deletion. Someguy1221 (talk) 23:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
(edit conflict) That's generally not considered a decent argument to include the article - see WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS. Personally, I think it would be good to get a little feedback on your article before moving it off your user page, which you can do at Wikipedia:Requests for feedback. Once you're fairly sure the article will meet notability standards, the easiest way to get it into main space is to move it with the tab up the top that says "move". This will preserve the exact format of the page as it is now. Once you do that, though, your user page will become a redirect which you will need to undo by following the instructions on the help page under "Changing a redirect". Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 23:18, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
Would a website that lists denominational gay support groups be acceptable for notability requirements? Carrol Grady (talk) 23:35, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
Not really; such sources generally fail the "non-trivial" requirement of a notability-establishing source (i.e. it has to be more than just an entry in a list or a passing mention, the source should actually discuss the organization, and the source should meet Wikipedia's definition of reliability). Someguy1221 (talk) 23:41, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

The website, www.religioustolerance.org, discusses the Seventh-day Adventist Church and has a section on homosexuality that talks about SDA Kinship. Would that work? Carrol Grady (talk) 00:56, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately, my searches on the subject of your article results in [2] and [3]. The latter is news. Notice the lack of sources. As for the former, there doesn't seem to be a single noteworthy mention of this organization beyond the scope of run-of-the-mill websites, directories or primary sources. In other words, in a deletion discussion it would most likely fail our general notability guidelines regarding coverage. Wisdom89 (T / C) 03:04, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Carol, it is often pointed out that Wikipedia is not the only Wiki website in existence, and many others have completely different rules which accept articles that would not be appropriate for Wikipedia. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 23:02, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, All. I'm working on finding reliable independent references now. I didn't realize self-references weren't acceptable. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Carrol Grady (talk • contribs) 23:22, 15 May 2008 (UTC)
Well, they're useful in some cases (see WP:PSTS), but not for determining notability. I think the easiest way to demonstrate that is to tell you that I am, in fact, a world-famous movie actor, and in my spare time I work on a cure for cancer. I could probably even write something about that, and get it published on Lulu. Sadly, you can see why such a self-published reference is not particularly useful for getting me a Wikipedia article. I've even been mentioned in the newspaper at least twice - once when I got good marks for the Higher School Certificate, and once when I got my Honours degree. On both occasions, though, my name was listed with thousands of others, so you can see why even in a reliable source, a "non-trivial" mention is required to establish notability. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 02:23, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

I have now finished writing this article and hope it is ready to move to mainspace. There are a good number (I think) of independent references to help it meet notability requirements. I have listed it on the "Request Feedback" page, but there seems to be a big backlog there. Is anyone here willing to take a look at it and see if it meets muster for posting? Thanks. Carrol Grady (talk) 19:09, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Editing on page Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya or HEMU

While editing above page on 14th May 2008, around 2.00PM some body deleted half the lower page, which contains all the references and three other paragraphs.The deleted portion is on record i.e. it appears when we open the entire page for editing.Please help in consolidating the balance portion with half the page which appears on screen on opening the page. 117.198.129.148 (talk) 10:55, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi. What had happened was that a </ref> tag, signifying the end of a reference, had lost its > - so the parser thought the rest of the article was part of a tag. I've fixed it now. Olaf Davis | Talk 11:08, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What is Wikipedia?

Burnis wants to know what Wikipedia is and Bri is making fun of me for using it. This page speaks to both by saying:

wiki is whatever you want it to be, it's your encylopedia.

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

Wikipedia's greatest strengths, weaknesses, and differences all arise because it is open to anyone, has a large contributor base, and articles are written by consensus according to editorial guidelines and policies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Domenachi (talk • contribs) 18:19, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that anyone can edit. It is free, open source, and online...... Dendodge .. TalkHelp 18:21, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Copyrighted Material"

Hi I recently added information to a page with my own material from one of my webpages on my website.. Recieved the message below... Is this simply not do able or do I have to specify where the material came from, that it is mine in this case as well... etc?

I really thought it was a help to the page!

Please let me know what the rules are on this...

And for example if it was copied from the Encyclopedia Britannica then it would be considered public and ok. Would you have to specify there or what??


"Please do not add copyrighted material to Wikipedia without permission from the copyright holder, as you did to Fortaleza. For legal reasons, we cannot accept copyrighted text or images borrowed from other web sites or printed material; such additions will be deleted. You may use external websites as a source of information, but not as a source of sentences. Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously and persistent violators will be blocked from editing."

Gerard Anthony (talk) 01:05, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Gerard. It may be your material but it is clearly marked copyrighted on the bottom of the external site where you pasted it from. If you are the author of the text, you must show us that connection and that you have the authority to release that material, under the terms of the GFDL, which is what our content is licensed under. Note that by doing so you are not just releasing the content for our use but for other's use and redistribution under that license. In order to do this, you should either:
  • Make a note permitting reuse under the GFDL at the site of the original publication, in place of the copyright notice; or
  • Send an email from an address associated with the original publication (in this case the website) to permissions-en at wikimedia dot org or a postal message to the Wikimedia Foundation.
In the absence of such a showing, no matter how much someone claims they are the author, we must balance the ability of any anonymous person to so claim, with our serious concern over respecting others' copyrights and keeping our site free of infringing content.-Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:26, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Hey Ab-so-lu-te-ly

I appreciate the quick response and i will send an email to the to permissions-en at wikimedia dot org address and then wait for a response or just upload it againa after i send the email??

Gerard Anthony

Fortaleza —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gerard Anthony (talk • contribs) 02:04, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Probably best to wait for a response or you'll only have people trying to delete the content again. As an aside, it's helpful for editors to follow discussion if you sign your posts by putting four tildes (~~~~) At the end. Happy editing. Olaf Davis | Talk 07:50, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Olaf I will do just that and see what happens!

Gerard Anthony —Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.12.20.14 (talk) 15:38, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How to make a page

How do you make a page? Kmorehead (talk) 15:52, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Please see Your first article.
  1. Make sure the subject is notable enough to have their own article.
  2. Find references
  3. Make sure no article on the subject exists under a different title by typing the subject into the search box to the left (←) and clicking 'Search'
  4. Type the page name in the search box to the left (←) and click 'Go'
  5. Click 'Create this page'
  6. Create the article, including all your references, making sure you adhere to the Manual of Style and our article layout guidelines
  7. Be aware that Wikipedia deletes thousands of new articles for failing to adhere to our policies and guidelines. New articles by new users are at extra risk of deletion, due to new users' unfamiliarity with our rules. Consider gaining experience by editing existing articles before attempting to create new ones. -CWY2190(talk • contributions) 15:55, 16 May 2008 (UTC)


[edit] K. Alonzo Hart

K. Alonzo Hart(born June 14 1970) is an American writer and motivational speaker. He has appeared on several American urban talk radio shows such as Los Angeles based KJLH Front Page with Dominique Deprima,Atlanta's WAOK's The Right Side with Shelly Wynter,Philadelphia's 99fm The Sam Sylk Morning Show,and a host of others where he has articulated and fiercly debated many of his most controversial and provocative solutions aimed at restoring the African American family and community.

Early Life

K. Alonzo Hart was born the son of R&B entertainer William "Poogie" Hart lead vocalist of the Grammy award winning 70's soul group The Delfonics who penned such hits as La la La means I love you. After leaving West Philadelphia in 1976 as a child K. Alonzo Hart was raised in the South east section of Atlanta, Ga. where he attended High School and excelled as a football and track stand out. On the campus of Norfolk State University, Hart sharpened his writing and public speaking skills while he led the largest campus organization at the time. Under his leadership the Fellowship student organization grew to over 350 members. It was there that Hart began to handcraft his message of “family first" —Preceding unsigned comment added by SwanSong89 (talk • contribs) 03:10, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Hello SwanSong. It looks as though you were trying to create an article but have accidentally placed it here, which is the help page for inexperienced Wikipedians. You might want to read Wikipedia:Your first article, and then click this link K. Alonzo Hart and create the page there. Olaf Davis | Talk 07:21, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Why doesn`t my first article look like other Wikipedia articles?

I created an article several days ago on an obscure person (already mentioned in Wikipedia) for my first attempt at a contributing article to Wikipedia. I submitted the text with my three references listed at the top following the instructions provided in the Help area. My article is displayed, but exactly as I entered it with the three references listed at the top. This does not look like a normal Wikipedia article where the references are listed at the end. Have I made a mistake or does an editor eventually check new articles and reformat them if required and I should just wait? Yameogo (talk) 10:07, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

I've had a go at reformatting it. Have a look at Wikipedia:Manual of Style for more information on how to make your article look like others on Wikipedia. Hope that helps! haz (talk) 13:00, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
Thankyou Haz, the article looks much better now. I`ll have to study the Manual of Style before posting another article. I didn`t see this aid when I was writing my first one, maybe it should be displayed more prominently for use by newbies. Another question please - you dumped two of my references in your reformatting but one of them was important to statements that I`d made in the article. Does this matter? Yameogo (talk) 14:00, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
It is more important than almost any other consideration. Unsourced content is a plague. The article would be better off unformatted but with the references than without. I'll go take a look now.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 14:07, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
Okay. I have added in one of the pages you cited as references for the second paragraph. Please see WP:CITE for information on the syntax I used. The other two links didn't appear to have been actually used for the content exactly but are just external links containing related content (the information in the first paragraph still needs citationsm but this is still a stub). Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 14:27, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Thankyou Fuhgh One of my references was simply a photo with caption in a news story which I used to identify a person (the mother) in the first paragraph. But I could not corroborate her identity anywhere else which is why I needed the reference (photo), in case it was disputed. Can a photo and caption be used as a reference for a fact in an article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yameogo (talk • contribs) 15:27, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] adding text from a website from which I am authorized to borrow

Dear Wikipedia,

I recently tried to create my first article on Wikipedia using a text from the website of my workplace, a text which I am, of course, authorized to borrow. The article was, understandably, blocked by the copyright search engine. The text is the artist introduction from the website of a commercial gallery. Is there anyway that I can use this text - for instance, by citing it - or am I required to write a new entry? Thank you in advance for your help. Cosmicgalerie (talk) 14:36, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

You could use it and cite it, but you should rewrite it in your own words. See WP:COPYVIO. RedThunder 15:02, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] edit a page

Resolved.

how do edit an artical because i would like to update an artical and i don't know how. please help. thank you Eweelittlechick (talk) 17:26, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

An article will have an "edit this page" tab at the top of the screen. Simply click it and a white box will pop up which you can then edit yourself. See also Wp:EDIT. Wisdom89 (T / C) 17:28, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
Please see Wikipedia:How to edit a page and consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:29, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
Also, a pretty important point, whenever you make an edit, small or large, use the edit summary box (located underneath the editing space) to provide a brief reasoning. This helps other users understand the changes. Wisdom89 (T / C) 17:30, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

ok i did all that and it still isnt working. if it helps to give me an answer, then the pag is semi protected whatever that means? please help (Eweelittlechick)

See WP:PROTECTION. If the page is semi protected it means that unregistered users (IPs), and registered users whose accounts are less than four days cannot edit. You'll have to wait it out. Wisdom89 (T / C) 17:36, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

oh ok then, thanks very much for your help Eweelittlechick (talk) 17:39, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

You are certainly welcome. Happy editing! Wisdom89 (T / C) 17:40, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] pictures

Hi its Eweelittlechick (talk) 17:43, 17 May 2008 (UTC) here and i was just wondering, how do pictures of say drew barrymore or john travolta or someone like that get put on here, because surely they must be copyrighted? and if not then where did they get the pictures from? please answer thank you :)Eweelittlechick (talk) 17:43, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

They're taken by individuals who then release the copyright to Wikipedia under the GDFL licence. For example, the picture of Drew Barrymore here was taken by David Shankbone, who contributes pictures to Wikipedia. GBT/C 17:44, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

oh ok then thank you for your help.Eweelittlechick (talk) 17:48, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Contributing to other wikipedia versions with the same name?

Hi! My question is: I'm an English and Greek Wikipedia user. Is it possible to contribute to another version of Wikipedia (for example the Swedish or the French wikipedia) by signing my comments/edits etc with my username without having to create a new userpage in the other wikipedia versions? I mean, can I sign my contributions to the Swedish and French wikipedia as "Pel_thal" without having to create the relevant userpages? Please post your answer on my discussion page. Thanks in advance! Pel thal (talk) 19:38, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Will copy to talk page. You will need to create an account, but not necessarily a userpage...... Dendodge .. TalkHelp 19:42, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] My Bio

I've read the requirements and still can't see that what I filled in as far as my bio breaks any rules. I'm getting the sense that the warning to me was an automasted one. Also, what little info on me that Wikipedia displays was not written by me to begin with. Can you help? Robert Florczak. Robzak (talk) 04:54, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Writing autobiographies on wikipedia is generally frowned upon as they can rarely be written with a neutral point of view, one of the cardinal rules of wikipedia. You may also like to see WP:COI 59.94.253.196 (talk) 09:08, 18 May 2008 (UTC)
See Wikipedia:Autobiography for more info. haz (talk) 13:18, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] cover pictures

hi, i was wondering, if i am allowed to put a picture of a dvd case cover on her. please help! Eweelittlechick (talk) 07:37, 18 May 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Eweelittlechick (talk • contribs) 07:36, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi there. the answer is yes. If you go to Wikipedia:Upload then you can go through the options. As "It is a cover or other page from a book, DVD, newspaper, magazine, or other such source" you would select this option and come to this page where you can upload it in the normal way. If you need more help with this just ask. ·Add§hore· Talk/Cont 08:53, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How do i do it? (NPOV issue)

I'm really struggling to get information out there without breaking some rule or another so if anyone can offer assistance as to how i do this i'd appreciate it.

Right, essentially i am part of an online international foundation dedicated to spreading information about "ratsnakes". As a result our website holds a wealth of information and photos of just about every "ratsnake" species out there.

What i'd like to do is get a copy (in some form) of an information sheet onto each page and then link in the relevant section of our photo gallery so viewers have access to photos of the species aswell as basic info available to them. An example of the info sheet and photo gallery can be found here on this wiki stub:

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

I tried to do this last year but was met with opposition from someone unwilling to listen to my arguement on the issue. In fairness i did lose my temper so that wont have helped.

The reasoning i was given was that because we charge membership for extra priveledges (ie monthly articles etc) then it wasn't allowed. My arguement was that the information we are providing on here is free for everyone so it made no difference to us in terms of "getting members via wikipedia" - The only people that pay to join are those that have a real passion and not just a passing interest.

So, is there a problem with the above linked example? If so, how can we fix it?

All i want to do is get the information out there so i am willing to listen, unfortunately i can't do anything about the gallery link as the photos are not owned by us. We have permission to link to them but not just post them up any where.

Dan - (Editor) The Ratsnake Foundation 20:56, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Dan, firstly, I should point out that what you are proposing is in potential violation of Wikipedia's conflict of interest and advertisement policies. Also, your username is in violation of Wikipedia's username policy, and as such you may be blocked from editing under this username, but you are welcome to create a new name or edit anonymously. However, if you wish to release your content into the public domain for use in Wikipedia articles, you can file a request using the Wikimedia OTRS system. If you get permission from the owners of the photographs (using the same system if you wish) then you could also upload a couple of selected photos to Wikipedia for use in articles, but adding mass links to your photo gallery is not advisable. I hope that helps you. haz (talk) 21:10, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

Well, didn't i just get off on the best footing!! Yes, the COI policy was probably also mentioned before. The OTRS system wasn't though so i'll go look at that shortly. As a side note, bit annoying that my example has been altered so my link looks a bit daft now. Can i just confirm though that while mass links to the gallery are not "advisable" they aren't forbidden or am i just clutching at straws?

Would i be able to "copy and paste" our information sheets into the stubs as a lest resort? Dan - (Editor) The Ratsnake Foundation 21:37, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Hilton

Please fill in the subject box above, then replace this text with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. 24.31.170.48 (talk) 23:09, 18 May 2008 (UTC) How did the Hilton Hotels get started and how much is their stock?23:09, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

You might find what you are looking for in the article about Hilton Hotels. If you cannot find the answer there, click here to post your question at that article's talk page. If that does not solve your problem, you can try asking your question at Wikipedia's Reference Desk. They will be glad to try and answer questions about anything in the universe (except about how to use Wikipedia, which is what this help desk is for). I hope this helps. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 03:54, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How to search for a newly uploaded article

Hi,

This is Ketan here. I wanted to know that I have created a new article on wikipedia about a company MSPL limited on Saturday. I wanted to know that what would be the procedure to get it pulished in the search engine so that all the people searching wikipedia can review and edit the article. As I tried to search after two days but I found that the article cannot be searched until we put the username like User:______*. Please do let me know if there is any other formalities to be done from our end.

Thanks & Regards,

59.98.176.10 (talk) 04:25, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Could you provide a link to the present location of the article? Someguy1221 (talk) 04:36, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Here is the link to the present location of the article. Please do let me know if you need more information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Mspleditor

Thanks, 59.98.176.10 (talk) 04:57, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

The article had to be moved into the correct title. Only accounts older than four days may do this, and IPs cannot either, so I've done this for you. I've also removed quite a bit of content that appeared to be advertising. Such material violates our neutral point of view policy, which maintains that articles about companies, for example, should report factual statements about the company, as referencable to reliable and independent sources; it is generally inappropriate to devote any appreciable space to the company's own opinion of itself, and especially inappropriate to present the company's opinion of itself as fact. I've also removed the omnipresent links to the company's website (this should only appear once in the infobox, and once in the external links). I've also marked it as needing footnotes, which it is completely lacking. In any event, it is now viewable to anyone who types MSPL into the search bar. Someguy1221 (talk) 05:48, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for all your help. Also, please do let me know if I can add some more data about the company which is not an advertising data and can I upload the company logo and other images in between the text. Looking forward to your help.

Thanks & Warm Regards, 59.98.176.10 (talk) 06:10, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

It is permissible to upload a low-resolution version of the company logo, and this should be placed in the article's infobox (there is an element called company_logo). You may also upload other images, but only images that are freely licensed (i.e. anyone can use it for any purpose without paying the copyright owner), so you can generally only use photos that you have personally taken, or photos owned by the company, lets say, with notification of release of copyright emailed to Wikipedia via OTRS. So if you want to put photos in, it's easiest to only put your own in (our arcane practices are necessary to comply with US copyright law). As for more information, anything that is mentioned in a reliable source can potentially be placed in the article. The best sources for MSPL are probably going to be any newspaper or industry magazine articles that discuss the company or its activities. There should also be references provided for the statements on MSPL's revenue and output; while a source outside the company would be ideal, you could also use a public report the company filed with the state (some equivalent of form 10-K in the United States), if such a report exists. For future reference, I have placed the article on my watchlist, so I will see any comment you post to Talk:MSPL. If you place new content or references in the article, I will see your changes and review them. When I have time (been very busy lately), I plan to read the references and see what else can be added, or citations made. I'll also do this for any new references you add to the article. Someguy1221 (talk) 06:35, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks a lot for the response. Also, I just got confused as the text at the top of the page of MSPL says that: This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. I am not able to get the point out here. Does it mean that we have not given the reference link in order to confirm that the data given out here is valid or not. Also, please do let me know how and where to put these citations in the article.

Mspleditor (talk) 09:17, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

That notice means that although there are references, since they all appear in a list at the end it's hard for a reader to tell which fact in the article appears in which reference. The solution to this is inline citations (see here and here), which produce little footnote marks in the body of the text to show which reference has been used. As for where to put them, they're most helpful after significant or controversial facts, or say at the end of a paragraph to indicate that that section is from a new source. If you want to get a look at footnotes 'in action' why not look over a few featured articles, since those are pages which have been rated as the best on Wikipedia. Happy editing! Olaf Davis | Talk 22:25, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks a lot Davis for your feedback. But in the article of MSPL could you please guide me as which data can be put in citation and which data can be put in references. However, I am trying to screen the data at my end but I'll really appreciate your help to solve the citation problem. Look forward to your feedback and help.

Thanks & Regards,

Ketan Vaidya

203.187.229.181 (talk) 04:22, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] hide a segment of an article from younger viewers

My daughter, nine years old, wants to reasearch Jane Addams. I'd prefer to omit the section on her love life. It's just not relevant for my kid yet. Can I delete just what we look at without changing the article in database?Devepedia (talk) 04:58, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

No, there is no ability to do that, although you could click the "edit this page" tab at the top of that article, remove the section, and then click "preview" (DON'T CLICK SAVE PAGE). Upon clicking preview, you can then print the article, if that meets your fancy. Someguy1221 (talk) 05:44, 19 May 2008 (UTC)
Someguy is correct. However in case it comes up, you can prevent certain images from displaying: see Wikipedia:Options to not see an image Olaf Davis | Talk 08:18, 19 May 2008 (UTC)
Wikipedia is not censored for minors. If you wish to not allow your child to see a section of text, I suggest that you copy the page to a word processing document and edit it locally to remove any content you do not wish your child to see. Hope that helps. haz (talk) 08:37, 19 May 2008 (UTC)


Someguy's idea is much better than Haza's. Haza's was a pretty pointless post. Or you could - you know - stop being so oppressive and let her read what she wants. Machete97 (talk) 20:30, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

That wasn't a nice thing to say ("pretty useless post"). I have frequently copied text from the web to word processing documents for editing and printing. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 04:27, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I have. I used to do that all the time, but Someguy's idea means she could look at it on screen in a browser window, and if printed direct from the preview, it would look more like a printout of the original article.Machete97 (talk) 08:56, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] reporting a mistake

Hi, I just wanted to report you a mistake I've found in a page, I'm a newbie and actually don't know if I'm able to change it. The page is: [4] in the first line there's a link to Pepper Martin, but Eric Martin's father was not that famous baseball player, he was Frederick "Pepper" Martin, a U.S. officer, I've found it here: [5] and here [6] (english version at the bottom, question "your memories of Italy"). Thank you for your help! Dewi75 (talk) 19:37, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi there! To change an article, all you have to do is edit the page by clicking the "edit this page" tab on the top of the article, and press "save page" when you're done with your fixes. Good luck! Juliancolton Tropical Cyclone 19:40, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] adding picture to article

I have uploaded a jpeg photo (my own) and I want to insert it into an article on Fossil Falls. I have no idea how to do that. please advise. Thank-you Honorsgeology (talk) 21:46, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Uploading images#Adding images to articles. Someguy1221 (talk) 22:06, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Notability questions?

Please fill in the subject box above, then replace this text with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. RosettaLady (talk) 08:35, 20 May 2008 (UTC)


Afer readingl the guidelines, it is my understanding people must be notable to be in Wikipedia???

But perusing randomly through the site, I notice all kinds of people who seem less than notable.....porno actors (e.g. Christy Canyon, etc) who could not be known to any large mainstream segment of the public..... or musicans (eg. Marina V etc) who are obscure unsigned artists. It seems these kinds of listings also violate NPOV guidelines since the listings seem designed by the subjects and agents for promotional purposes?

It seems the notability guideline is very arbitrary and inconsistent, isn't it? Can you clarify the policy and explain some of these aberrations? Why are certain individuals branded with Wikipedia guideline breaches while others are immune from any notability requirements?

Hi RosettaLady. While you're correct that notability is required, being 'known to a large mainstream segment of the public' is not. Many subjects deemed worthy of inclusion are of interest only in very narrow areas. For example, I doubt many of the mainstream public care very much about the amino acid Phenylalanine but it's notable within biochemistry.
To address the example of Christy Canyon which you brought up: the specific policy page most relevant is WP:PORNBIO, which states that pornographic actors are worthy of inclusion if they've won notable awards for their work. Since Christy has, she's deemed notable - simply being in porn films is not what qualifies her.
You say that these listings are designed by the subjects and their agents. Although that does sometimes happen, such pages are usually deleted when found or overhauled to assume a more neutral tone. The vast majority of biographical pages on Wikipedia are written by unconnected editors who happen to have an interest in the subject or their work.
Finally, I don't deny that there are many unencyclopedic articles on Wikipedia, many of them biographical. This is inevitable given how the project works: people can't check every article immediately and poor ones do slip through. However, the fact that policy will never be perfectly policed does not mean the policy itself is insufficient. (As an analogy, consider the argument that since there are many unpunished criminals in the world, the criminal justice system must be arbitrary and inconsistent).
I hope that helps answer your questions. Please let me know if not, or if you have more. Olaf Davis | Talk 09:08, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

I understand the concept of what you say but I still find the guideline extremely inconsistent. I mean, if awards are the determination of notability, shouldn't those awards be coming from well known entities (e.g. Nobel, MacArthur, Fields Medal, etc), comprised of genuine disinterested third parties, where a huge public holds interest? After all, porno awards are created by a single peripheral agency whose honors go unreported in MOST media....or in the case of unsigned music artists, the awards are often of a niche variety, the kind that can be purchased for a fee or provided through friends, bed-mates, etc. They are more in the vein of popularity awards than awards recognizing genuine achievements. I find it strange to discover certain people missing from Wikipedia while it includes many unknowns who are using it for PR purposes only and who so obivously violate your NPOV guidelines.

Notability is not synonymous with popularity. Wisdom89 (T / C) 22:25, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
The general notability guideline, on which all the others are based, is located at WP:N. Essentially, we want Wikipedia to have articles on as many topics as is physically possible, while maintaining the core policy of verifiability, and the notability guidelines are an interpretation of that policy. If there are people who are somehow "more notable" that don't have articles yet, that's just a function of the fact that all Wikipedia content is user-generated; if no user has been interested in that person's field, then the article hasn't been created. If you feel that there should be an article, then the standard response is {{sofixit}}. (And if you find an article that doesn't meet the notability guidelines, then you're well within your rights to put it through the deletion process.) Also, please remember to sign your posts on this page with four tildes (~~~~) to make it easier to follow the discussion. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 01:40, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
Wisdom and ConMan are correct. If there's a particular person you have in mind who's obviously violating the conflict of interest and NPOV policies, or a particular award being used to confer notability which you think is purchasable or otherwise a bad indicator, by all means be bold and propose them for deletion or cleanup (be prepared to provide justification, too). If you think the problem is so endemic (and I personally don't, but you may) that only a change in policy will do you can also propose that. However, I'd recommend spending a more time working on Wikipedia before doing anything too drastic: you might come to change your mind about the policy, and if not the experience will allow you to argue against it all the better. Finally, bear in mind that if we restrict notability to people like Fields medalists or those with a huge public interest, we'll be excluding many thousands of articles even a traditional paper encyclopedia wouldn't hesitate to include. Olaf Davis | Talk 07:56, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] I am now blocked from uploading files. Please help

Please help. Am blocked from uploading files.

Thanks,

pkapreli Pkapreli (talk) 01:10, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

Accounts must be autoconfirmed (at least 4 days old) to upload files. A new rule has just been implemented: Accounts must also have at least 10 edits to be autoconfirmed. I guess already autoconfirmed accounts with less than 10 edits lost their status. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:23, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
You have uploaded five files, all now deleted. Presumably the creation of the image description page counts as an edit, but I'm not sure if deleted contributions count for auto-confirmation. I don't see any attempt to refer to these PDFs in articles, which would also have counted as edits, even if they were reverted. Before uploading new files, please check that you know how to record their copyright status correctly, and think about how they will be used in articles. Cheers, Bovlb (talk) 19:38, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Uploading

I'm trying to make my own page, but I have no clue anymore, first I had to wait before I was an automatic user or something, I waited longer than that and I still can not upload.. I think i'm doing something wrong. I can just click on upload in my toolbox and then make an entire new page? Please help Tascq (talk) 11:02, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

I see you have created Tascq since your post. Upload restrictions for new users are only for uploading files (typically images), not for creating pages. Please see Wikipedia:FAQ/Business. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:19, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] External Links

I just joined Wikimedia and I have been trying to post on the External Links a newly formed blog for Leisha Hailey. But I have been having the hardest time going through the proper channels to get my blog displayed on this page under "External Links"--Can someone please take me step by step through the process.. Leisha12 (talk) 19:08, 21 May 2008 (UTC)Leisha12

"Per our guidelines for external links, blogs are to be discouraged in this section. Usually the only exception is if it's written by a professional in their field and is secondary to the topic at hand, and even then it should be used with caution. Wisdom89 (T / C) 19:38, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Blog External Links

I saw under a Rose Rollins Wikimedia page that she had a blog spot on her page, which is what prompted me to inquire about a blog spot on Leishas page. Is there anyway possible to get her blog featured. What would be the exceptions? Is there anyone we can contact to try to get displayed? --Leisha12 (talk) 19:49, 21 May 2008 (UTC)Leisha12

Rose Rollins doesn't have that anymore; generally, fan pages aren't considered to be acceptable under the external links guidelines. Tony Fox (arf!) 20:10, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
Response also posted at Wikipedia:Help desk#External Links for blogs. haz (talk) 20:32, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Automatic Archiving: "Greenhouse Effect"

I have been following the "Greenhouse Effect" talk and I find that a large part of it has now been archived in a way I think is inappropriate, material contributed in 2008 has already been taken away. I do not know if this archiving can be reversed as I am not very experienced, can you help please? Damorbel (talk) 11:26, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Busy talk pages should be archived more often than others to keep a reasonable size. In [7] you wrote: "I might accept it if the archives were directly accessible." What do you mean by "directly accessible"? The box at top of Talk:Greenhouse effect has archive links on the text "Archives: 1, 2". The archiving was done in [8]. Do you think something is missing from the archive? PrimeHunter (talk) 12:18, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Oh silly me! I thought I might find the archives for "Greenhouse Effect" in a similar place to those here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ivor_Catt Having checked the GHE archives, I still find them unsatisfactory, archive 1 has three items from 2008 and archive 2 has about 17, the last on 29 April, not at all conducive to discussion. This is a shambles and it should be revised. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Damorbel (talk • contribs) 12:50, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

The bot is configured to archive all threads that have had no new comments in two weeks. Since the page is not too busy, we could up this to four. However, the talk page is for ongoing discussion with the aim of improving the page. It's not there to document old discussions forever. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 13:27, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, but two weeks is wildly oppressive. I do not see that Stephen Schultz is a contributor or editor to Greenhouse EfFect but perhaps like me you are intending to do so, good! Nevertheless all interested parties have surely got a right of direct access to discussion on this subject, a subject which is being ratcheted up the political rather than the scientific scale. Your proposal of upping the archive limit to 4 weeks would only re-include one item in the direct Talk. Currently there are items from 2006. The original archive proposal was made by someone whose first contribution seems to have been made 3 weeks ago, I am not sure his intentions are informed by a deep experience. I suggest archiving discussion items closed before 2007. At present I am not experienced enough to do this but after 4 weeks? Don't they call that vandalism in Wikipedia?--Damorbel (talk) 14:12, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Talk:Greenhouse effect is currently 34 kb. That seems reasonable to me and the archived pages are only one click away. Archiving inactive discussions to reduce talk page size is common and certainly not called vandalism. Some Internet connections and browsers have problems with long pages. Wikipedia:Article size has something about article size but doesn't mention talk pages. You can suggest a change at Talk:Greenhouse effect#Automatic archiving but please don't imply that people are vandals or may have bad intentions just because they prefer another archive age (see Wikipedia:Assume good faith). The time is easy to change in "algo = old(14d)" at top of the page. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:58, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
It is easy to undo any archiving, and it's perfectly fine to continue an old discussion if you have something new to add that would benefit the article. There were discussions no one had commented on since 2003. Maybe two weeks was unnecessarily short? I don't mind setting a longer delay (a month, two months, etc). Again, you are free to continue any discussion that's in the archives and you can move it back if you want (or I'm sure someone else will be happy to help you do it if you don't know how). Regards.
— Apis (talk) 15:33, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Password not accepted; how to make one upload listing

I registered several days ago and received an email confirmation, yet when I attempt to log in I continually get "password not accepted" I initially found out my nickname was not accepted and I changed it to one that was. Once you tell me how to get around this glitch, I need to know how to upload a listing for a magazine to the magazines section. It is not currently listed and is similar to two others that are; it is written exactly the same way as the other two listings. 216.99.209.77 (talk) 18:53, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Is Help:Logging in of help? What is your username? Being similar to existing articles isn't necessarily good. See Wikipedia:Other stuff exists. And some magazines are less notable than others. See Wikipedia:Your first article before creating an article. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:21, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
If it's a web magazine like Audiophile Audition then see Wikipedia:Notability (web), and if you are associated with it then see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest and Wikipedia:FAQ/Business. PrimeHunter (talk) 19:33, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Mike Cejka" entry

This referenced article has been flagged as an autobiography. What is the process for elimination of the autobiography flag? Thanks in advance for your assistance. Mcejka (talk) 20:28, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

You can remove the autobiography tag by deleting the text {{autobiography}} which appears at the top of the article. It might be wise to address the issue to which the tag refers before doing so! Nk.sheridan   Talk 20:54, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Delete a Wikipedia Account

How can I delete my Wikipedia Account? Gesz (talk) 20:48, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

It's not possible to delete accounts. Amongst other reasons this is because all contributions need to be assigned to an identifier. However, you can request to have your userpage deleted by adding the tag {{db-userreq}} to the top of the page. Nk.sheridan   Talk 21:04, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] paul borgman

I wish to edit the entry on me, Paul Borgman. I have a new book from Oxford University Press, for example. And some of the wording could be improved and slightly expanded for clarification.

Please instruct

Paul Borgman

Hi Paul. It's generally not recommended that you edit your own biography, due to the conflict of interest involved. However, you are welcome to make suggestions on the article's talk page, or you could try contacting the Biographies WikiProject or leave a message on the Noticeboard for issues with biographies of living persons. This helps to ensure that your article is updated but kept within Wikipedia policies such as verifiability and neutral point of view. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 23:37, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Etiquette for a major change

There is an article I'd like to completely rewrite. It's not very active as far as talking or editing users go--may I just post a notification on the talk page? And if yes, then how long should I leave it up before I proceed? I plan to incorporate some of the previously-posted info, but would like to rework it, then add major additions. An answer here or a link to a discussion would be appreciated. Grumpy otter (talk) 16:21, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Hello Grumpy otter. (Nice name!) I would recommend you be WP:BOLD and make a start on your rewrite. The fact that you've come here and asked about the etiquette first is a pretty good indicator that you have the right attitude. Yes, if your changes are likely to be major it is considered courteous to open a discussion on the article's talk page, setting out your plans for the article and inviting discussion and contributions from other interested parties, but there's no set period of notice you are required to observe before embarking on changes thereafter. With any luck, you'll arouse interest in previous contributors who may wish to offer help or suggestions. If they have the article on their watchlists they'll see when you start making changes and show up to have a look. If nobody comes along, don't be discouraged - just make your changes and perhaps summarise what you've done from time to time on the talk page as an update to your original posting, so other users can follow your train of thought. If you need any help, there are some very useful links at WP:Article development. Have fun! --Karenjc 17:24, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
Thank you so much for the info! The article development link is especially appreciated! Grumpy otter (talk) 17:36, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Paul Tansley

Paul Tansley (21 July 1959) is a radio broadcaster for Sheffield Live 93.2fm which transmits in The Sheffield area and on line at www.sheffieldlive.org every Friday. His show generally concertrates on dance and is unique in radio because the track lists are voted in by the listeners unknown on any other station. The highest voted tracks are selected into the Sheffield Live dance top 10.

Peronal Life.

Paul is married to Gillian since 15 Decemeber 1979 and has 5 Children, Chantelle, Dominic, Paul, Xavier and Lucien. Eldest being 27 and youngest 8.

Latest

Paul is currently working on the Rock n Roll years a new radio show which concerntrates on music from 1954 to 1963 and will be broadcast this summer on Sheffield Live. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.38.190.164 (talk) 08:42, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Are you trying to create an article? You can do this here. After you create an account. WikiZorrosign 10:51, 24 May 2008 (UTC)
Also, before you do so, be sure that your subject meets Wikipedia's notability standards, otherwise it's highly possible that the article will be deleted. -- Natalya 13:35, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] My Article Was deleted As Soon As I Tried To Submit It

I took over an hour to include a new article and as soon as I hit the button for submitting, it told me that i was not authorized and I was not able to retrieve any of my info. That was alot of my personal info< that i really need to create stories for the foundation. Tlapr (talk) 20:24, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Your article wasn't deleted, as articles can only be deleted once they have been created, which requires you to submit the page. What has probably happened is that your account login has timed out, due to the length of time which it took to write the article; this would either manifest as a "session error" or, as seems likely in your case, you were seen as an anonymous user (logged-out or anonymous contributors are unable to create pages). I don't think there's a way of retrieving the article draft if you've already closed the browser window. If you still have the original window open, then you could try using your browser's "back" button and see if you can retrieve it. haz (talk) 22:14, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What is internet-capable devices

219.93.152.11 (talk) 05:42, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

Your question lacks context. An internet capable device very broadly is just what the words mean: a device that is capable of using the Internet in some manner. If you have a more spoecific question on this topic please clarify you question but not here, please ask it at the miscellaneous or computer sections of the reference desk. This page is for questions about using Wikipedia.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 10:38, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Biography boxes and Song boxes

I know this seems silly, but can't figure out where to find the little boxes we use for musicians' information at the top right of their pages.. Likewise, I don't know where to go to find an "info box" just to create a page for a song. Would someone please help me? Thank you! --leahtwosaints (talk) 13:36, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I believe the musician information box is Template:Infobox Musical artist. Most of those boxes are templates. If you want to find out the specific name of one of the templates, if you click to edit the page, you can find the name of it there. (You may already know some of this), but templates are implemented by putting the name of the template, and any required information, between curly brackets: {{ }}. Different templates require different inputted information, which you can usually find out about on the template page. -- Natalya 14:24, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] NPOV

I have been working for some time trying to get an article on Seventh-day Adventist Kinship, International ready to publish. It is currently on my user page. The most recent suggestion I had (on the feedback requested page) is that I may have a problem with NPOV. I would appreciate it if someone could point out where this is a problem. Although this is a controversial subject (a support group for glbti Adventists which is opposed by the Adventist Church), I have tried to present any conflict in a factual way. Carrol Grady (talk) 18:09, 25 May 2008 (UTC)

I noticed a similar problem - I think the reason for the NPOV issue is the tone and wordage of piece. It reads like a borderline advocation of the group. For instance, the lead section should start with an objective definition of the group, not what they strive to accomplish or a mission statement rewritten in your own words. Wisdom89 (T / C) 18:46, 25 May 2008 (UTC)
Thank you. I'll keep working on it! Carrol Grady (talk) 19:33, 25 May 2008 (UTC)
You are welcome. I noticed you've decided to play with the wording of the article. That's good. I was WP:BOLD and did a little tweaking to the lead. Let me know what you think. Wisdom89 (T / C) 00:38, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] image appearing in article

I can't get the picture I have added to the article to appear. I have tried to follow the rules about the copyright, but all I get is a big copyright box, not the picture.

I am editing the article Betsy Atkins, could you help? Orlo1234 (talk) 15:45, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I fixed the photo in the article (you had put .jpeg instead of .jpg, and unless you type in the file name exactly right, it will only appear in red). However, it looks like you may still need to work on the attribution part for the image. My guess is that you were trying to do this with the attribution tag, but this needs to go on the image page, not the article. AlexiusHoratius (talk) 16:06, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Dear AlexiusHoratius - thank you for fixing the picture. I have been reading through the copyright rules, but they are very confusing. Here is the situation, Ana Leon is a colleague of Betsy Atkins and Ana took the picture. Both Betsy and Ana have given permission for the picture to be used. How do I do that? Orlo1234 (talk) 16:16, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Drive by media" is not the same as "Media Bias"; Create it's definition, don't re-direct.

"Drive by media" is currently re-directed to "Media bias". It should have it's own definition. It has nothing to do with bias. It has more to do with describing the irresponsibility and recklessness of certain media sources. It is analogous to "drive by shooters". The scenario is as follows: --The "drive by media" become aware of a discussion area. --They spray a hail of incendiary words at the crowd of readers. --The words do not have to be accurate and may be intentionally misleading. --It causes mass hysteria, confusion, mistakes, and misinterpretation. --Sometimes people and their careers actually die. --The drive-by media ride away, unnoticed in the excitement. --They're never blamed, they're never held accountable. --Wabrahams (talk) 17:25, 27 May 2008 (UTC)William Abrahams, email address commented out

If this is indeed the case, you are welcome to create the appropriate article!. Help:Starting a new page may be of some assistance to you in this endeavor. If you go ahead to make this article, please be sure that you can cite reliable sources about the topic. -- Natalya 18:03, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Help

I hope this is the right place. I have a question. Are my pages supposed to jump to scott free when I click on them? - I see (Redirected from User:Skyelarke). What does that mean? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Skyelarke (talk • contribs) 20:54, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

That name was previously used and redirected after a name change. I removed the redirect. GtstrickyTalk or C 22:41, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] how do i get the green light that says #1 on the right hand side of my computer

Please fill in the subject box above, then replace this text with your question, and don't forget to sign by leaving the following four tildes (~'s) in place which automatically formats to your signature once you click "save page" below. 69.29.72.64 (talk) 22:33, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

This help desk is for using Wikipedia. Please see the reference desk if you need help with your computer or ask you question here again if it has to do with using Wikipedia. GtstrickyTalk or C 22:44, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Can't upload an image

Hi, I just signed up to upload some photos I took (later on I might add some more detail on the articles in question) because hey, I've got 'em so may as well use 'em, but I'm not able to until I make 10 edits and wait 4 days. While I can understand the need for this, it's a PITA. Anyway around it? I was going to start by adding a pic to this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Sumner —Preceding unsigned comment added by ProcyonNZ (talk • contribs) 00:15, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi ProcyonNZ. Thanks for your interest. We definitely need more good images for illustration in articles. There would be no way around the autoconfirm restriction if the best place to upload these images was to Wikipedia; it isn't. Free images (I assume you are going to release these into the public domain as you took them) should not be uploaded here but to the Wikimedia Commons using the license {{PD-self}}. In fact, when free images are uploaded here, we import them to the Commons and delete them from here. We allow such uploads here because we don't want to discourage anyone from providing free images and there's no easy way to explain that this isn't really the right place to upload them, but it actually adds work because they get transferred to the Commons anyway. Anything uploaded to the Commons can be used on all other Wikimedia projects which includes Wikipedia. As far as I know, there are no time or editing restrictions before uploads are allowed there (though you must register for an account, which takes just a minute). Once an image is uploaded to the commons, you can immediately use the image here. Just go to the article and use normal image code, i.e., [[Image:name|thumb|caption text]]. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:01, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Excellent, I'll do that now. Thanks for the quick response. ProcyonNZ (talk) 01:03, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:11, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How to reference a link a particular way?

I've found out how to edit text so that a number is inserted next to the text (like [1]), and a reference at the bottom of the page (eg. http://www.yahoo.com), with the number leading to the reference at the bottom of the page when clicked.

I've also found out how to cause the number to lead directly to an internet link instead when clicked.

But how do I combine these? For example, suppose I have two seperate (reputable) links, and I want to put two numbers in the article that lead to those links at the bottom of the page?

For example: Article text: 'Yahoo is on the internet [1][2]' < how do I get those numbers to lead to the following at the bottom of the article: 1. http://www.yahoo.com 2. http://www.uk.yahoo.com ?

Or suppose I just want to put one number that leads to a reference that has two links in it?

For example: Article text: 'Yahoo is colourful [1]' < how do I get that to lead to the following at the bottom of the article:

1. http://www.yahoo.com , http://www.uk.yahoo.com ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lionseeker (talk • contribs) 01:10, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Hi Lionseeker. Please first look at the text below, which shows examples of what you want to do, then look at the text in edit mode (click edit this page and see how I did it. I find that a working example provides the easiest answer. If you have any further clarifying questions to ask, please do not hesitate.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
Example 1: three separate citations[1][2][3]
Example 2: multiple[4] use[4] of[4] a[4] single[4] citation[4]


[edit] References

All the citations above appear here because of the template below which you can only see in edit mode)

  1. ^ citation1
  2. ^ citation2
  3. ^ citation3
  4. ^ a b c d e f single citation used multiple times
I hope this helps. For further information please see Wikipedia:Citing sources. (Signing again)--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:29, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Upload an essy about "Fairouzeh"

Please help me uploading an essy which I have written anbout "Fairouzeh". I like to inclue this write up under Syria,known town which shows Fairoueh in red but the field is empty and not developed yet. I was born in this town and would like to add my write up under "Fairouzeh". Please notify me on my Talk page ,Your feedback is appreciated . Thank you for yor help. --GeorgesNasserDeeb (talk) 01:18, 28 May 2008 (UTC)DEEB

[edit] How to edit a Semi-Protected Wiki document

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gta4

There is semi-protection. I've created an account and don't think that my IP is hidden (it's not deliberately anyway), but can't edit this file. What do I have to do? Thanks.

Ahmadgp (talk) 02:35, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Accounts need to "mature" - If yours is less than four days old, you cannot edited semi-protected pages. Wisdom89 (T / C) 02:36, 28 May 2008 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:New_contributors%27_help_page"
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