Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 February 2

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[edit] February 2

[edit] Changing photo.

I have been trying to update the photo of the big Trout at Adaminaby, nsw. I uploaded the new photo but can't seem to change the old photo.I have spent 2 days going back and forth from the help section but it is not easy!!!Help

See Help:Image. Specifically, you would change [[Image:Adaminaby_big_trout.jpg|thumb|left|130px|The Big Trout, Adaminaby's tribute to the fishing in Lake Eucumbene]] into [[Image:DSC02692.JPG|thumb|left|The Big Trout, Adaminaby's tribute to the fishing in Lake Eucumbene]] but you also need to add a license to the image. See Wikipedia:Image copyright tags#For image creators for information on this. If you don't add a license, or compatible copyright information, the image will be deleted. — coelacan talk — 00:09, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] <div class="BoxenVerschmelzen">

Does the English Wikipedia make use of this div class? I noticed on Olympische_Sommerspiele_2008/Fu%C3%9Fball that the German Wikipedia uses this neat div class function to merge templates together. Now, I'm not sure if Wikipedia has this. It translates to BoxMerging so I tried that in EN but it didn't work. Could someone help, or suggest this function, because it looks very interesting and it would definitely be useful for the Olympics context. └Jared┘┌talk┐  00:25, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

I'm not aware of any such function here. You can request it at WP:VPP. It's a good idea. — coelacan talk — 00:30, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
  • A translation would sound a lot like boxmelting... - 131.211.210.14 08:14, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia:NavFrame describes some techniques using related CSS styles. The styles are defined in MediaWiki:Common.css and include a style named "Boxmerge". These were added by user:Karl Dickman. If you have questions about them, I'd suggest asking him or at Wikipedia talk:NavFrame. -- Rick Block (talk) 15:03, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] need to subscribe?

I see Wikipedia is free, do I suscribe to anything?

Nope. No need to subscribe. If you're thinking about creating an account here, see Wikipedia:Why create an account? — coelacan talk — 00:30, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unsure of copywrite status of a 1916 photo of a German Ace

I wanted to load the photo to a new page I created for the pilot but I am unsure of the photos status for use on Wikipedia. I have seen the photo on various websites, I am just unsure how to label the image to get it uploaded properly in Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mjb3000 (talk • contribs)

I have removed the photo from the new page. I just wondered how far I might have to pursue copywrite approval on the image, or whether it is considered public domain at this point due to its age.

See Wikipedia:Uploading images. And yes, being a 1916 photo the copyright, I believe, has expired. Yuser31415 (Editor review two!) 02:13, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
  • You could try reading public domain too. In the US material published before 1923 is in the public domain. Otherwise the creator (photographer) has to be dead for I think 70 years (double-check that). Mileage may vary per country. - 131.211.210.14 08:17, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

It would have been very helpful if you had mentioned what article (Otto Kissenberth) and what image (Image:Kissenberth.jpg) you were talking about. Now, this is Sanke postcard #595. It was published as a postcard by the Postkartenvertrieb Willi Sanke in Germany before 1920 (Sanke went out of business around then). That makes the image {{PD-US}}. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the photographer on that postcard, so we don't know whether he died more than 70 years ago. So we cannot upload this to the commons as PD-old.

I have uploaded a much better version of that image and tagged it appropriately. Lupo 08:42, 2 February 2007 (UTC)


The entire process is so difficult to understand I just took off the image. I have no idea how to label the image in order to upload it. Perhaps its a simple process, but certainly not for a new user.

Thanks for uploading the new image.

Mjb3000

[edit] creating an article

i read the frequently asked questions section and still don't find the steps for writing a new article---not in a 'sanbox,' an actual article. it feels like there is a deterrent maze in place even for asking help-related questions. please provide the list for writing a new article. thank you.

Wikipedia:Your first article would be what you are looking for. Cheers! Yuser31415 (Editor review two!) 02:11, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Reques For Article

Is there any way to request for an article to be written? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.98.222.10 (talk • contribs)

Yep! You can take a look at Wikipedia:Requested articles. -- Natalya 02:56, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Inline Referencing Help Needed

If you go to the two-hybrid screening article, you'll see I'm having trouble with the references (big red writing at the top). If you could check it and tell me what I'm doing wrong, I'd be grateful. Please don't touch anything else because it's in a delicate state of transition. --Seans Potato Business 04:20, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

The ref system is horribly clumsy, heh. :p Not sure if I can properly explain what the problem was, so I went ahead and fixed it for you to see. In short, the various "cite x" templates weren't originally there, they were added later to make things easier. As far as the server's concerned, it'll just take whatever's between <ref> and </ref> and shove it down to the bottom of the page, template, text, or otherwise. The other common problem people have -- if you use a reference multiple times, a closing slash is key, as in <ref name="joung"/> (otherwise it looks for a closing ref tag, and gets veeeery confused). Hope that makes enough sense to be helpful. Luna Santin 04:26, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for the help and tip Luna. I've got another related question. In the same article, reference 3 provides a link to only the abstract (the full article requires the payment of a considerable sum) whereas the others link to full articles). How can I add comments to the references to the effect of 'free abstract only' and 'free full article'? --Seans Potato Business 05:27, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
  • If the article is available in a free full version, you don't need to add anything to the reference. If only the abstract is free, you can add a comment that is within the "ref" tags but outside of the template; that is, something like this, at the end of the reference/footnote that includes the journal cite:
... journal cite stuff inside template, blah, blah, ... }} (abstract is free; full-text version is not) </ref>
I've put parentheses around "abstract ... ", but that's not required - it just sepearates the comment a bit from the cite. -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:35, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Inappropriate Content

{{helpme}} When you print out the Wikipedia page on Saudi Arabia, some racist/hateful text appears before the section marked "Cities." Who can I talk to about this? How can this be changed?? Please help! Rememberfeb 05:27, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like vandalism. I can't see it now, most likely not there anymore. See WP:REVERT for information on removing vandalism. Most vandalism is removed incredibly fast. — Deon555talkdesksign here! 05:37, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wikimedia Commons

Dear Wikipedia community, I already have an account here. I am considering participating in the Wikimedia Commons. The problem is that I don't own a camera, so I will not be able to load images directly to Commons. I can upload images that I modify using an image editor like Adobe Photoshop of course. I can do a lot of translation as I am a native speaker of the Arabic language. I can revert vandalism. So, what I am asking here is: Do you recommend that I should participate in Wikimedia Commons although that I don't own a camera or not? Thank you. --196.202.92.134 08:57, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

  • The commons can use translators too, but it's not only for photographs and images. If you have a microphone you can record sounds and record articles for an Arabic version of Wikipedia:Spoken Wikipedia. - Mgm|(talk) 10:24, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
    • As for I can upload images that I modify using an image editor like Adobe Photoshop of course - if the image is copyrighted, then modifying it with a software program doesn't change its copyright status. More to the point, I think Wikipedia needs people to do translations much more than it needs people to take and upload pictures - it would be great if you could help add (translate) articles (or information) from one language version of Wikipedia to another. You might look at Wikipedia:Translation, and you might want to register for an account (see Wikipedia:Why create an account?) and then list yourself as a translator, per Wikipedia:Babel. -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:24, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] IP addresses talk pages

Dear Wikipedia Community, there is a question here that I would like to ask: When a certain IP address edits Wikipedia and other users send messages to him/her on his talk page, after a period of time the page becomes old when the IP address stops editing Wikipedia. I have noticed that there is a special bot that blanks old IP addresses talk pages but unfortunately I don't remember his name now. What happens after this? My question is: Does administrators here delete old IP addresses talk pages or not? Thank you. --196.202.92.134 09:06, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] IRC channel

Dear Wikipedia community, I have registered a nick name on the Wikipedia IRC channel but now I can't log in. The problem is that I don't know how to log in. Can anyone here tell me the method? What is exactly the command that I should write in order to log in? I am using ChatZilla 0.9.77 with Mozilla Firefox under Windows XP. Thank you. --196.202.92.134 09:12, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

I dont know what sever the channel runs on but the generally accepted syntax is "/msg nickserv identify *password*" or alterintively try "/msg nickerv@whateverserverthechannelison help" or "/msg nickserv help". I am only used to DALnet and Undernet and it has been a long time since I was on either of them, but try them. ViridaeTalk 11:22, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
I'm assuming you mean freenode.irc. The syntax on freenode.irc is the first option Veridiae provided: /msg nickserv identify password. If you still can't find it, try going into #freenode and asking for a staffer to help out. .V. [Talk|Email] 17:21, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Main Page

Dear Wikipedia community, I have known that it was suggested that the Main Page would be moved to Portal:Main Page. I have an account here. Where should I go to vote? Could anyone give me the link, please? Thank you.--196.202.92.134 11:17, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

You may find the discussion here. Michaelas10 (Talk) 11:19, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wikipedia as a reference in a book

Dear Wikipedia community, I would like to report the usage of Wikipedia as a reference by the writer Ahmed Khaled Towfik as he stated in his latest book. I have the details. Where should I go to report this? Thank you. --196.202.92.134 11:23, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

I think it's probably here. Trebor 11:31, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Suspected violation of the Neutral Point of View Policy

Dear Wikipedia community, I suspect that a certain behavior shown in one of the foreign languages editions of Wikipedia violate the Neutral point of view policy but this policy is a global policy that should be followed in all editions of Wikipedia. Could anyone please give me the link in the meta to:

  1. Ask whether this behavior really violates the neutral point of view policy or not?
  2. Make an official complain?

Thank you. --196.202.92.134 11:31, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

  • On the left at WP:NPOV there's interwiki links to the policy page in a whole bunch of languages. It's probably the best idea to contact local administrators and inform them of the issue citing the local policy, whatever the language is. - 131.211.210.10 12:04, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
    • The page at meta that explains the applicability of NPOV to all languages of Wikipedia is m:NPOV. --ais523 13:12, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
The best way to resolve POV issues is to be bold and remove the POV text. If it's reinstated, then cooly discuss the issue on the talk page. See if you can reach consensus amicably with all parties involved. If this absolutely cannot be done, you should get a third opinion by using an RfC (request for comment). .V. [Talk|Email] 17:09, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
I have already addressed local administrators. They say that this kind of behavior is optional but (in my opinion) this behavior should not be permitted. --196.202.92.134 18:52, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
Do you mean to say local administrators are saying neutral point of view is optional? --WikiSlasher 00:14, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

No. They are saying that this kind of behavior is optional. The meant Wikipedia is the Arabic Wikipedia. It contains 23 000 articles, 48 000 users and 14 administrators. I have addressed 2 administrators and left a note at the Village Pump of the Arabic Wikipedia. I understand that there are some differences between different editions of Wikipedia but not the Neutral Point of View Policy because without this policy Wikipedia would be transformed into a blog website for personal opinions. --196.202.92.134 04:49, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] external link, should open up in a new window

Hello ,

can any one please explain me how to create an external link that opens up in new window.

many thanks in advance, krishna

If you want to make a link open in a new window then right click on it and select the 'open in new window' option. It is not possible to force a link in Wikipedia into a new window. We prefer to give readers the choice. --Cherry blossom tree 15:29, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Image Question

I want to add an image to wikipedia, But I am unsuer what copyright information to put down. It is a box shot of the Video game Mad Maestro!. Could someone tell me what copyright information is most likely to be correct. Thanks in advance Mattyatty 15:49, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

{{Gamecover}}, probably. --Cherry blossom tree 16:17, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wikipedia Users

Hey! I was just wondering if there is a list or a member directory available for all users to view or see? -Lindsay

Not as such, but check out Category:Wikipedians and maybe even click on What links here on the left when you're at a userbox you like. Xiner (talk, email) 17:02, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
There is also special:listusers. It may not be terribly helpful, though, since it lists well over a million users. --Cherry blossom tree 17:08, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
And the first 500 or so are sock/disruptive accounts... :/ .V. [Talk|Email] 17:22, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

thanks for the replay, this helps.

[edit] Problem editor?

AnonMoos is deleting every edit i make, who is he with what authority to follow my work around from topic to topic. I edited a section calle Bible chronology because it was al WatchTower concept. It too was returned to its original despite the fact that there was no Gregorian calendar in 29 AD you wasted my time in correcting it. And AnonMoos sends dispicable evil remarks to me calling stuff nonsence and ocultistic. I have copies of it all and i will make a public scene sending mass copies of it to DearAbbey and Oprah and Britanica and alot of public to show what your site permits controllers to do in the name of FREE EDITING ENCYCLOPEDIA

like hell if you think my thousands of dollars of charity is going to any volunteer org that allows assholes erto do that to me in words or wastemy time erasing all i write or correct 69.76.46.169 17:44, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Here's an idea. Rather than mouthing off anonymously here (which is not the place for such matters), why not make use of the proper channels for complaints and disputes. Though I would advise you to calm down a bit first and refrain from making overblown melodramatic threats. Keep your cool, argue your case in a mature and reasonable manner, and everyone else will be on your side if there is a genuine cause for complaint. Adrian M. H. 17:55, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
The best place to start this discussion is the article's talk page. People who understand the subject will participate there, and hopefully you can come to a consensus on the best way to include factual and verifiable information. While AnonMoos did delete your edits, I think he/she/it was acting in good faith. Mishatx 05:30, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removing tags

A Wikipedia page I created was tagged by your editors as not having sources listed (Sarah Dash page). I did research and added sources, but I cannot figure out how to remove the paragraph that that says there are no sources (that box is not in an editable portion of the page). Please help!

Thanks, MikeMike 17:52, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Please make sure that you include a heading when you create a new question. I have added a line break to distinguish your comment from the one above it. I'll have a look at the article for you and report back here shortly. Adrian M. H. 17:55, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
(and I changed your line break to a section header). You can remove this tag from an article by looking for a line saying {{unref}}, {{unreferenced}}, or the like; in this case, the tag is the first line of the article. Deleting that line will remove the tag. --ais523 17:57, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
Okay, I have had a look at the page in question - Sarah Dash - and it is still not sourced. Adding sources at the bottom is simply not enough. Each notable statement needs to be cited. See WP:CITE. The tag will have to stay until the citations are in place, but can be removed easily - use the Edit this page tab. Let me know if you would like further advice with citations. Adrian M. H. 18:00, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
No, you're wrong; just because a page doesn't have inline references doesn't mean it isn't sourced (sources at the bottom are enough). There has been a tendency towards inline-references-for-every-statement for Featured Articles recently, but sources at the bottom of an article are still sources, and sufficient reason to remove {{unref}} in my opinion. (Sources, which are used to write the article, differ from external links, which merely have similar content). --ais523 18:06, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
The editors who have instructed me about sources must be wrong. I can only state what I have been told. In my own judgement, I would not describe that article as well-sourced if I were reading it as an outsider. Adrian M. H. 18:10, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
I think there is some dispute as to whether sources or external links are enough to remove the tag. Personally, given the number of articles with absolutely no sources of any kind, I'd support removing the tag so that the other articles stand out a bit more. -- John Broughton (☎☎) 02:08, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Disclaimers

I've found an image on Wikipedia that I would like to use and under the image it says that because it was taken by a government official, the image is "public domain". However, right under that it says that the image is still "subject to disclaimers". What are the disclaimers and how can I find that information?

Thank you,

Katie Kuyper personal info deleted

The disclaimers will be from whichever government department took the image. The image should have a source given, which may give you the website of the relevant department, and you should be able to find the disclamers on there. I am not a lawyer, but I suspect that the disclaimers will be to try to protect the department from getting into trouble due to any misuse their work might be subjected to rather than to limit use of the work. If you let us know which image it is, I may be able to give a more specific answer. --ais523 18:24, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Image copyright confusion! Please help...

I've uploaded an image (Image:SOPA logo.jpg), and I'm trying to decide what copyright tag to use.

Here is the story. It is the logo of the Socialist Party of Azania (SOPA) in South Africa. This past year I was in South Africa working with SOPA. The Party president, Lybon Mabasa, gave me an election poster and asked me to scan this logo and create a high-resolution digital image for use on stationery, literature, the (still as yet) unpublished website, and for other appropriate publicity purposes. He has also told me that any internet use that would enhance the public profile of the organization would be fine with him. He is the responsible, constitutional officer who has the right to make such decisions.

But the more I read about these copyright tags, the more confused I become. The logo is currently tagged (by the Wikipedia system) for deletion.

Could someone please advise me how to resolve this?

cargohook 18:32, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

The problem is that 'enhancing the public profile' is too much of a condition to place on an image used as free use on Wikipedia; Wikipedia's image use conditions are very strict. Wikipedia's sister project Commons, a repository of images, has a good description of what counts as free use. So the picture would have to be fair use. Tag the article with {{Non-free fair use in|the name of the article you want to use it in}}, and accompany the picture with an explanation of where the picture is from, and how it meets each of the fair use criteria (this is known as a fair-use rationale), to explain how it meets those criteria. If you decide that it doesn't meet the criteria, you can request the image's deletion by tagging it with {{db-author}} instead. I hope that helps! --ais523 18:36, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Corrupted Content

Someone has entered innapropriate content under "Events" in the year 1825.

  • I didn't find anything wrong under the section, can you please point out the content you found inappropriate? The latest vandalism reversion to the page was made on December 29, 2006. Michaelas10 (Talk) 19:32, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
  • Be Bold and fix it if you think something is wrong. Ideally, if you make a good faith edit that is not right, we won't bite. Mishatx 05:12, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] wikimedia commons!

I need an admin on there. I have someimages irequire speedy deleting but they take ages for admins to speedy delete. any admins here who are admins there I would very much appreciate help. Thanks Fethroesforia 19:28, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

See WP:AN. 19:53, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

My suggestion: Try this link. You'll have a list of users who have sysop access on that wiki. BuickCenturyDriver 03:06, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is this code/javascript/script safe?

function addlilink(node, href, text, id, tooltip, accesskey) {
        // the code below is mostly copied from addPortletLink()

        var link = document.createElement( "a" );
        link.appendChild( document.createTextNode( text ) );
        link.href = href;

        var item = document.createElement( "li" );
        item.appendChild( link );
        if ( id ) item.id = id;

        if ( accesskey ) {
                link.setAttribute( "accesskey", accesskey );
                tooltip += " ["+accesskey+"]";
        }
        if ( tooltip ) {
                link.setAttribute( "title", tooltip );
        }
        updateTooltipAccessKeys( new Array( link ) );

        node.appendChild( item );

        return item;
}

// 

if(location.href.indexOf('User:TomasBat') != -1 && location.href.indexOf('action=edit') != -1 && location.href.indexOf('blank=1') != -1) {
        addOnloadHook(function() {
                var box = document.getElementById('wpTextbox1');
                var txt = box.value;
                var newtext = ''
                box.value = newtext;
                document.getElementById('wpSummary').value = 'blanking my sandbox';
                document.getElementById('wpMinoredit').checked = true;
                document.getElementById('wpWatchthis').checked = true;
                document.getElementById('wpSave').click();
        });
}

if(location.href.indexOf('User:TomasBat') != -1 ) {
        addOnloadHook(function() {
                var tbs = document.getElementById('p-cactions').getElementsByTagName('ul')[0];
                var editpage = "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:" + wgTitle + "&action=edit&blank=1"
                addlilink(tbs, editpage, "Blank", 'ca-blank', 'This will automatically blank this userpage');
        });
}
If you don't get an answer here, I suggest posting this question again to Wikipedia talk:WikiProject User scripts and/or Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). -- John Broughton (☎☎) 02:03, 3 February 2007 (UTC)
It seems safe to me. The main thing that would be a red flag is automatically loading another .js or .html file. This code adds some links only when editing a particular user page. CMummert · talk 18:12, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Reporting Vandalism

I am only a reader, not an editor. I noticed what I believe to be vandalism and wish to report it. In the article on Nephthys, at the end of the second paragraph is the phrase "I like pootang". It is a sad day when vandals can't even spell dirty words correctly.

Please route this to the appropriate editor.

Thanks - Phillip

I'll take a look in a moment. You can also make use of two messageboards: admin intervention against vandalism, and the more general admin noticeboard. Cheers! Luna Santin 21:03, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
It has already been removed.See WP:REVERT for how you can remove vandalism in the future.Cheers!24.20.69.240 21:09, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cancel an Account!

How do you cancel an account? I want my account removed from the data base.


Thank you!

User name: Overflowingministries

Well on thing is you can't "remove all the data from the database", but also you only have two edits. IF you really want your "userpage" to be deleted just place {{db-userreq}} and an admin will take care of the deletion. ~ Arjun 22:53, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
You could also read the information here [1]

[edit] How to block an article from editing

Recently, someone edited Raul Julia-Levy's article by including unfounded information about him. Attribution was missing from the additions and the information added was filled with lies. As his publicist, I am asking how the article can be blocked from editing, where the only individuals allowed to edit the article ones authorized by us. We look forward to donating to wikipedia so the cite can improve. I look forward to your prompt response. L.H. Vaughnes ~~otooledupree 02February 2007

Of course any unsourced negative info about people can be promptly removed no questions asked. But I'm afraid we can't let you "take control" of the article on that way. However if you put a request at WP:RFPP for it to be semi-protected and it succeeds then anonymous and newly-registered users (<4 days) will not be able to edit it. --WikiSlasher 00:16, 3 February 2007 (UTC)