Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 June 15

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Help desk
< June 14 << May | June | Jul >> June 16 >
Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.


Contents

[edit] June 15

[edit] Use of Div Class = "NavFrame"

Hi I like the NavFrame div class - it lets me create articles where the reader can interactively decide when to see more information without leaving the article they are reading, and without creating articles which are not inherently notable... ie, Coaches of the Australian Rules Football League may be notable... but the list of coaches might not.

My problem is I don't understand how it works. I can use it by a cook-book / cut-and-paste method. But if you look at my sandbox, I have one near the top. By default, the hide/show says "Hide". But the information is already "hidden". When you first click "Hide" the label becomes "Show" and the information stays "hidden". You have to click it a second time to actually show the information.

Also: I want to know how to set it up to use the same formatting as the table you see when you finally get the table to appear.

Can anyone point me to a good reference for how to use this NavFrame thing?

(I don't really want to be spoon fed the answers, I want to be able to fish for myself) Thanks.Garrie 00:16, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

The script assumes that the NavFrame is shown by default, so clicking on the hide button once will "change" the display of the NavFrame to none, essentially not doing anything. A common workaround to this is creating a table with a defined width (usually "width=100%"), a transparent background if the table is not in article namespace, and the classes mentioned at WP:NAVFRAME#Collapsible tables. GracenotesT § 00:23, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for the pointer to the workaround. WP:NAVFRAME was really what I was after, you have pointed me to the specific section I needed which is even better.
Gee I never ceased to be amazed how quick I can get a response around here.Garrie 00:36, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
PS. The script you pointed to is all greek to me... I'm a sysadmin not a programmer. I do much more simple scripting than that!Garrie 00:39, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

OK, can you sort out my "Basic navframe" at my sandbox, I can't work out why what I want to show up as two rows is showing up as two columns. I went from being confused by navframes to being confused by tables.Garrie 00:43, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

If you don't mind, I have fixed it. A |- means a new row. Help:Table is not bad for a basic table tutorial. GracenotesT § 01:01, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
OK, it was the |- bit to signify a new row. I was still thinking about div class NavFram where "there are no rows", it's just text... Thanks, your examples on my sandbox are great.Garrie 01:05, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] help me

hello, I want to use the suitable template for leaving wiki for vacation in realword. plz acquaint to me.--Gordafarid 13:27, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

There is no real need to use a template (simply stating the fact on your user page is more than enough), but if you want, the templates are available at Wikipedia:Wikibreak. Also, please do not use the {{helpme}} tag on any pages other than your own user talk page. Cheers, Tangotango (talk) 14:32, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] my confirmation code is kaputs.

I checked the fax...yes my confirmatin code is not working. Now what? ---- —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.184.238.231 (talk • contribs)

Fax? Confirmation code? What are you talking about? Also, the ~ is normally in the top left (above the tab, next to the 1). It is not the minus sign. Youth in Asia 01:19, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Background Images and Wiki

I was wondering if Wikipedia allows background images through style= tags, and if so where/how the images could be called. For instance, something like div style="background-image:url(Image:example.png); background-repeat: repeat-x; David Fuchs 01:35, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Unfortunately, the url(image) notation is not supported, for the same reason the <img/> tag doesn't work (not even on Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons images; no reason why not, but perhaps the developers have not gotten to it). However, you can see a CSS workaround at User:Ed g2s—a truly ugly hack, but it works. GracenotesT § 01:41, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
You can add a class (with url(image) syntax) to your own monobook.css, however this will not make the background-image show up for others. Adding such a class (or asking an admin to add it) to the official wikipedia monobook.css will ofcourse make it work for all visitors, but I suppose that in such a case there has to be a very good reason to have it added. Freestyle 17:55, 16 June 2007 (UTC) p.s. they did such a thing for the Main page of the Italian Wikipedia (gradients) Freestyle 17:58, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Image cpyright

Hi I just uploaded Image:Ralph Chetwynd.gif today and realized afterwards that it may be copyrighted. I used {{PD-Canada}} and was thinking fifty years, but I forgot that it is fifty years before 1999, not from now. Anyway, should I replace it with a fair use tag? Or does the fact the photographer is unknown make it public domain in Canada, as it is more than fifty years old otherwise?CindyBo 01:57, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Why before 1999? Is that when the creator died? --saxsux 18:06, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

What I mean is explained here at the Canadian Public Domain Photos Category. [1] Which also has a link to this which is the bottom of the page at Vancouver archives explainig the law further.

The revisions to the Copyright Act (Bill C-32 An Act to Amend the Copyright Act) came into effect January 1, 1999.

Under the old law, photographs were protected for 50 years from the time the photograph was taken. The new law is the life of the creator plus 50 years. Photographs already in the public domain prior to January 1, 1999 will remain in the public domain ( i.e. photographs taken up to December 31, 1948).

I'd forgotten that the Canadian Public Domain pictures had to be 50 years old before 1999 (not 2007). This photo (taken in 1954) although 53 years old, was only 45 years old in 1999 and therefore falls under the new law. Which is death of the creator plus fifty years. But we don't know the creator. [2] I suppose for the sake of being on the safe side that I should just put a fair use tag on it.CindyBo 19:59, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

There I went and did that. I think it'll be fine. If anyone knows if it truly is public domain in Canada we can change it back, I guess.CindyBo 20:31, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Signature

How Do I customize my signature? User:Abdalla A

WP:SIGNATURE#Customizing_your_signature LaraLoveT/C 03:01, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] There is a person who I think deserves an article...

I was recently browsing a few websites and noticed the same person over and over again. Well I finally decided to check this person out and found out that they're really trying to make themselves known in this world. They write stories, draw, and have an online publishing company under the works. I have a direct connection to this person and have been wondering if I could possibly create an article about them...seeing as i could recieve straight from the source facts. Can I? Or do they need to be famous? P.S. I checked out the sites recomended here to check but most of us aren't einstein and can't understand half of what wiki is implying....could someone explain what they mean by the notability stuff? ..... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aronkiakama (talk • contribs)

Check out WP:NOTABILITY to see if this person meets the criteria. LaraLoveT/C 03:02, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Also check out WP:V which will help you evaluate the usability of source material. Anchoress 03:05, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Also, WP:OR. You cannot use information only available to you. As Anchoress pointed out, it needs to be verifiable to us through other sources. -- Kesh 03:20, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

okay. I think I get it now. But now for an even bigger question...Say I wanted to do an article about some characters she's writing about and the information I want to use is from an account on a website that can be viewed by anyone. Can I do that? Or do I need more sites and more info and an actual publishing date?—Preceding unsigned comment added by Aronkiakama (talk • contribs) 03:21, June 15, 2007

No, you couldn't use those. They are not reliable sources. Further, if she's still in the process of writing, the character's won't be notable themselves, so they can't have an article. -- Kesh 03:29, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Uh, I hate to be so rude and continue this but I'm still a bit confused. She's not really in the process of writing considering the fact that it's a continued series of short stories based on her crazed worklife and how she deals with it. And once again apologizing for my rudeness how are they not reliable sources? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aronkiakama (talk • contribs)

Please sign your posts using four "~"s. :o) Also check out WP:RS. That should help you understand what is appropriate for sources. LaraLoveT/C 03:41, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

oh sorry bout the sig thing, new here. Please Forgive. And also forgive me on the fact that I can't understand those sort of pages because I can't understand the words...they're just too big. Kuesai 03:45, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Well, to give you a summary of what WP:RS is about, it's basically saying that you need sources that hold up to criticism, particular criticism that suggests that the author is likely to not represent the situation well. For example, the author's web site is not a reliable source for their works, since they're trying to advertise them and likely to inflate their importance. A blog or a post on a forum is not a reliable source, since anyone can start a blog and say just about anything they like (I'm not counting things like blogs attached to newspapers and written by journalists, although you still have to be careful to consider whether it has to go through an editor or otherwise). A newspaper is a reliable source, since there is a firm editorial process involved designed to check the details - not to mention if a newspaper article contains seriously incorrect facts they may be liable for legal trouble, so they like to keep things accurate (and yes, I know about, for example, Category:Journalistic hoaxes, but in the grand scope of things it's a drop in the ocean compared to internet hoaxes). A peer reviewed journal is a reliable source because the articles are subject to scrutiny by people who are generally knowledgeable in the relevant field. A Wikipedia article is not a reliable source, again because anyone could have written it. In general, to determine whether a source is reliable or not, ask yourself - "Who wrote this? Why should I trust them? What would they stand to gain, or lose, by lying about things? Did anyone else read this, and have a chance to correct it, before it was published? Was it reviewed by people who know something relevant, or just a general editor?" - and the more confidently you can answer those questions, the more reliable (theoretically, at least) the source. Confusing Manifestation 04:30, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Hi Aronkiakama. If you post the name of the person and perhaps a link to one of their pages, I'll see if I can find any Wikipedia reliable sources for the propose article. -- Jreferee (Talk) 23:08, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Doing a paper and need help please!!

I am doing a paper for Florida Virtual School and i need to cite this as one of my sources i need to know who the author of this cite is first and last name. The date of publication. I hope this is not to much trouble thank you much. Please email me the answer.

Thanks, Christine email removed

What article are you citing? LaraLoveT/C 03:00, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Read Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. Anchoress 03:03, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
In addition, there is also a "cite this page" link on the toolbox on the left. It automatically cites the page you are on in a standardized format. --Hdt83 Chat 05:26, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Wikipedia search box on another (non-Wiki) webpage?

I have a webpage and I would like to add a search box that allows my visitors to search for articles on Wikipedia.org directly from my webpage. Is it possible to receive the .html for this?

One easy way is to add a Google Search form to your Web page; see these instructions. To restrict your Google Search form to Wikipedia, you want to specify en.wikipedia.org for the sitesearch value in the instructions. You can use similar methods with other search engines, and you can find instructions for them by searching the Web, for example like this: Google:google search form on my web page. --Teratornis 06:05, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Total number of edits

I believe there is a way to find out how many total edits you have and I am wondering what that way is.----La Parka Your Car 05:16, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

You are correct. Check out this page (and possibly bookmark it for future reference). Your edit count is here, under "total"; your number of article edits is next to "Mainspace". GracenotesT § 05:21, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks.----La Parka Your Car 05:25, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

More information is at Wikipedia:Tools#Edit counters and User:John Broughton/Editor's Index to Wikipedia#Edi. --Teratornis 05:57, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why is my account deleted?

Hi, I had my account (Cppgx) and used to edit some articles about astronomy, etc.. Today when I was trying to translate an article, I found my account deleted. Now I created it again. I'm sure there was no mistake about upper or lower letters. I am case sensitive. But why?

Thank you in advance.

Hi, there is no record of there ever having been any account named "Cppgx" before you created it to edit this help desk page. Furthermore, accounts on Wikipedia cannot be "deleted" because of potential licensing issues. Do you remember the exact names of any articles you edited? You may be able to trace the name of your previous account from the "history" tab of those articles. Cheers, Tangotango (talk) 08:17, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Hi, I'm afraid I've made a mistake. It seems that my old account is for zh.wikipedia.org. Now I opened two browsers, one for en.wikipedia and the other for zh.wikipedia and all is Ok. Does this mean I must relogin on switching languages by choosing another item from the lower left table ("In other languages")?

Yes. m:Unified login is still (?) being implemented, so until then, you have to log in separately to all language Wikipedias. x42bn6 Talk Mess 12:15, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] hi

what do you mean by hospital nurse? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.69.200.70 (talk)

A nurse working at a hospital? PrimeHunter 16:51, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Changing Article Title

I am trying to change an article (bio) title from "Abeyesundere" to "Abeyesundere, Hon. Justice A.W.H." but unable to do so as I can't find the "move" option on my edit screen. I checked the settings for edit too.

This article refers to a legal luminary of Sri Lanka, now deceased.

Please help.

(E-Mail removed for security purposes)

I have made the move: Abeyesundere, Hon. Justice A.W.H. - G1ggy Talk/Contribs 10:11, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Email removed! Dep. Garcia ( Talk + | Help Desk | Complaints ) 16:43, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Are you sure Abeyesundere" would not be a better name? Wikipedia naming convention (WP:COMMONNAME) says that articles should be named after the most commonly known name for people. Do people really refer to him as "Abeyesundere, Hon. Justice A.W.H." in everyday conversation? Also, seeing as this article has no citations or links to verify any of the information in it, I'm a bit concerned as to whether this person is really notable enough for a Wikipedia article; see WP:NOTE. --saxsux 18:17, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] information

what is the main function of using sap netweaver?

See NetWeaver. Also, this is a help desk for Wikipedia, not SAP products. --Kainaw (talk) 12:21, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] join to ure instuite

hi this is amit ku singh i m asking abt the whts a rule n regulation of joining the ure ins. plz sugess me bcoz i m join the mba course n i m very serioues .

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, not a University or College. x42bn6 Talk Mess 12:12, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Um, we don't have a university, to the best of my knowledge. ~Crowstar~ 16:53, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Although not mba course, you may want to try Wikipedia Virtual classroom or Wikiversity. -- Jreferee (Talk) 23:48, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] human rights

"human rights is a concep that has been constantly evolving throught the human history tied to the laws, custonms, and religious throught the ages." analyze the above statement with special reference to eastern philosophies,thoughts and religious norms in order t ofind whether the contemporary human rights law is a pure product of western thoughts.

We're not here to do your homework. You'll have to figure that one out yourself. Human rights may help you. --Tkynerd 11:36, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
You may also want to ask the teacher to define what he or she means by the phrase: "a pure product of western thoughts." I'd guess "western" is a synonym for "European", and Europeans have had their thoughts influenced by all the peoples they have had much contact with, which given the European history of exploration would be lots of people. For example, the concept of zero may have originated in India. Since western peoples probably cannot have very many thoughts about human rights before they start thinking of numbers, specifically the Hindu-Arabic numerals, it's hard to imagine what thoughts they might have which would be purely western. --Teratornis 16:56, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
This help desk is where Wikipedia answers questions about Wikipedia. Wikipedia's reference desk is where Wikipedia answer questions not related to Wikipedia itself. The reference desk probably is where you want to post your question. -- Jreferee (Talk) 23:52, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New page

How do i make my own page of the w ebsite —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rhys lewis93 (talk • contribs).

See Help:Starting a new page and Wikipedia:Your first article. x42bn6 Talk Mess 12:13, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Adding a new entry...

How do you add a new listing or entry to the Wiki?

(once again) See Help:Starting a new page and Wikipedia:Your first article. --Kainaw (talk) 13:20, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Translation from English to Portuguese

Hi there! I am interested in translating articles from English to Portuguese. As this would be a new thing to me, I wonder if someone would be kind enough to inform:

Am I allowed to translate articles? How can I start translating articles? (need to know step by step)

Awaiting your reply.

Best Regards, Adriana Monteiro

I don't know the full answer. Try Wikipedia:Translation and Wikipedia:Babel. YechielMan 14:42, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
More information is under the "Translations:" entry a few lines below this: User:John Broughton/Editor's Index to Wikipedia#Tra. --Teratornis 16:45, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 7 For All Mankind Factual Errors

Hello. I work for and represent the premium denim manufacturer Seven For All Mankind, LLC. (7 For All Mankind) We have noticed that a section of the entry for our company has severe factual errors and has be co-opted by a competing company for their own marketing purposes. Essentially, the problem is that the "Brand" section of the 7 For All Mankind entry has almost nothing to do with the topic of the entry and tries to present a competitor as the inspiration for our products. Under our entry, the "Brand" section was updated last November to include the information about our competitor, "Seven7", by IP address 213.16.178.200. You will find that this is the IP address for www.seven7europe.com - the competitor in question.

We suggest that the "Brand" section as it stands be removed in its entirety and replaced with the text below:

BRAND The 7 For All Mankind brand has strong recognition worldwide and is particularly well known among celebrities and fashion-conscious denim consumers. The 7 For All Mankind logo consists of a large, brushstroke-style numeral 7 with the words "for all mankind" written across it in a smaller, stylized script. This logo has traditionally been found on the inside back waistband of 7 For All Mankind's denim products as well as sewn on to the back pocket. The 7 For All Mankind logo appears in various locations on other products such as footwear and handbags. In some European markets, the logo features a stylized pair of jeans as the background element rather than the numeral 7. 7 For All Mankind is sometimes mis-associated with the European-based denim brand "Seven7." Seven7 entered the U.S. fashion denim market shortly after 7 For All Mankind, who subsequently challenged Seven7's trademark in court. The case was eventually settled under confidential terms.

We at 7 For All Mankind understand that the integrity of Wikipedia is of the utmost importance. We do not wish to turn this into a marketing opportunity, nor do we wish to censor information which we may find unflattering. We do, however, believe it is important to defend our brand against false statements and to keep our entry from being used against us by competitors.

Please feel free to contact me at the address associated with this username if you have any questions or need clarification.

Thank you for your efforts.

--7forallmankind

I will copy your request to Talk:Seven for all Mankind. You are free to edit the article as you wish, so long as you stay within the boundaries of Wikipedia:Conflict of interest, Wikipedia:Attribution, and Wikipedia:Neutral point of view. YechielMan 14:39, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Thank you. I was just following the suggestion at Factual Error (enterprise) by posting here. The last time we attempted any edits they were immediately and repeatedly reversed.
(NOTE: LaraLove appears to be addressing the Seven for all Mankind article. -- Jreferee (Talk) 23:59, 15 June 2007 (UTC))

[edit] I wrote an article about the TexShare consortium but I am concerned people will not find it if they type in texshare

Is there a way to tag the article or put in some type of "See Also" function so that people who do a search using all lowercase letters (texshare) will get to the article with the proper spelling, which is TexShare? thanks.

I've made a redirect from texshare to TexShare. Friday (talk) 15:53, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sandbox

How do I get an article out of the Sandbox? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 171.159.192.10 (talk • contribs)

Not sure what you mean. If you mean how do you clear the sandbox simply click 'edit this page' and clear all the contents below the header before expirementing. Also, please sign your posts. Scottydude talk 16:28, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
If you refer to this article, you can copy the content like this:
  1. Click on that link to show that revision of the Wikipedia:Sandbox page.
  2. Click the edit tab at the top to display the article's wikitext.
  3. Right-click in your Web browser in the edit box to display a context menu.
  4. Select "Select all" from the context menu.
  5. Right-click again and select "Copy".
  6. Open another editor window or browser tab of some sort, right-click on it and select "Paste".
Then you will have a copy of the article's wikitext somewhere else. If the article already exists somewhere and you just want to empty the Sandbox, don't worry, that happens automatically every hour or so. --Teratornis 16:34, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
If you want to do extensive experimentation, you should create an account and make your own sandbox as a user subpage. The main Wikipedia:Sandbox page can be edited by many people at any time, so it's only useful for small quick experiments. --Teratornis 16:38, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
If you mean how to create a real article instead of editing the sandbox, then see WP:VFAQ#How do I create a new article?. PrimeHunter 16:40, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Where is it?

I seem to remember the "Are you a Wikipedian" test or something like that. I've searched and searched... where is it? Can someone give me a link? ~Crowstar~ 16:51, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Maybe Wikipedia:Wikipediholism test ? PrimeHunter 16:57, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, that's it. Thanks! ~Crowstar~ 17:01, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Brief formatting change

I don't use IRC so I was wondering if someone could tell me why, for a brief moment all of the articles I loaded had a wierd format. The headings were all centered in one font size and all the links were underlined. Just curious, Scottydude talk?~

I have no idea what you saw, nor any idea what Web browser you are using, but see if Wikipedia:Browser notes tells you anything useful. --Teratornis 19:46, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] peer review of a biography stub

I wrote extensively to update the biographical stub on Rene Laennec. How do I request that it be 'peer reviewed' to change it from a stub?

Also, I figured out how to find and add a picture from the Wikipedia site, but I don't know how to incorporate a picture from the internet, for example. How do you find out the licensing status, how do you import it, etc?

Thanks for your help. Queequeg804 17:51, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

You might take a look at Wikipedia:Peer review, but it seems awfully bureaucratic, to me. Corvus cornix 18:22, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
If you want the stub status removed then you can just do it yourself when the article is expanded. See Wikipedia:Stub#Removing stub status. René Laennec is obviously not a stub now, so I have removed the stub template for you. PrimeHunter 18:34, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Buccleuch Park

I would appreciate you forwarding direction to Buccleuch Park from Cranbury, N.J. My e-mail address is: <email removed>. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.145.79.147 (talk • contribs)

This is the help desk used for asking questions about using Wikipedia, the free enyclopedia. Try the Reference Desk. Also, please sign your posts by typing four tildes (~~~~) after your posts on talk pages. Scottydude talk 19:35, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Try Google Maps. Cranbury, New Jersey and Buccleuch Mansion both give their coordinates, so you should have no problem looking up both locations in Google Maps and getting directions. --Teratornis 19:51, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] History of America

Will you please narrate briefly about American History before the entry of Europeans?19:58, 15 June 2007 (UTC)19:58, 15 June 2007 (UTC)~~dr Niranjan Murthy

It's not clear whether you are referring to the United States or the Americas, but in either case, Indigenous peoples of the Americas might be what you're looking for. Corvus cornix 20:12, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sherri Martel

The Sherri Martel article is constantly being vandalized, could an admin check this out, and lock it, please? Kris 19:59, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

You should take this to WP:RFPP. Corvus cornix 20:12, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] History of America

Will you please narrate briefly about American History before the entry of Europeans?20:05, 15 June 2007 (UTC)20:05, 15 June 2007 (UTC)~~dr Niranjan Murthy My email id (E-Mail removed for security purposes) Thanks

Email removed. Please try the reference desk for these types of questions. Regards Dep. Garcia ( Talk + | Help Desk | Complaints ) 20:44, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Article Neutrality

If a page says debate about neutrality of article can you still trust some of the information?

Neutrality relates to the tone in which the article is written. In wikipedia all articles must have neutral tone so as not to be biased. The information in an article that is not neutral may be inflated or one sided but on an objective level the facts are most likely true.
See Wikipedia:Check your facts. Basically, you should trust nothing on Wikipedia. Instead, check the reliable sources that every article is supposed to cite. Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that (almost) anyone can edit, so anything you read here might have been vandalized five minutes ago. Therefore, don't take anything here on face value alone. If you are about to apply information from an article in some way that matters, check the sources, skim through the article history (see if the article shows a lot of reverts which could indicate a lack of consensus), and see all the disclaimers. --Teratornis 20:37, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Information added to Wikipedia articles should not come from Wikipedia due to Wikipedia's original research policy. Rather, it should come from Wikipedia reliable sources. If it does, then it is more in line with the information that Wikipedia desires to present to others. As for you question regarding 'a page that says debate about neutrality of article,' such a comment is unlikely to apply to every piece of information in the article. -- Jreferee (Talk) 00:47, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] GFDL and cut-and-paste

I'm trying to understand how GFDL works, and recently ran across a situation that got me thinking. If it is a GFDL violation, it is not an earth-shattering one, so I'm not trying to report anyone or get edits sent down the memory hole, but I want to understand the theory.

An editor deleted a paragraph from article Foo without an edit summary. He then pasted the same paragraph to related article Bar, also without an edit summary. I actually agree with the move; my two questions have to do with attribution of the material in the paragraph.

  1. Am I correct that technically, in Bar, he has added other people's material, with no attribution, violating the GFDL?
  2. Am I correct that if the user had used an edit summary along the lines of "copied material from Foo", then technically someone could look at Foo's history and figure out the contributers, so that would not have been a violation of GFDL?

Thanks for any insight you can provide, or for suggestions on a more appropriate place to ask this. --barneca (talk) 21:34, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Those are good questions. See WP:MOVE and Wikipedia:Verbatim copying#History Section which might provide some insight. The latter says: As the GFDL was never intended for wiki articles, things get complicated. --Teratornis 23:39, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Putting at least something like "copied material from Foo" in the edit summary is a good practice and probably the minimum that should be done in such a case (and often is done on Wikipedia). Even better is to include the id of the particular version that was copied from. heqs ·:. 14:04, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
Thank you both. Seeing the comment "GFDL was never intended for wiki articles" is a little disorienting, and not what I expected to hear, but now I have some reading material that should clear it up a little. --barneca (talk) 00:00, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Someone harrassing me by blocking my IP

I see someone blocking my IP when I am trying to cleanup/reorganize page/ add information to an article. How can I get someone review my work and let explain me if I am doing something wrong? And what is the right way to do it?

Request someone to review my edits on Quixtar article. I am new to Wiki and do not visit it often. But I thought of contributing some information I thought will benefit others.

The block was justified because you violated WP:3RR, shown here. The time for your block has expired and you can go on with your normal editing. Miranda 22:14, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Thanks Mirada, I understand the 3RR rule now. But request you to please review my edits. Do they qualify as spam? And if someone is deleting information, is the person deleting called a vandal or the person restoring it? As I am new here I agree I need to learn some rules e.g. 3RR and I am sure someone like you can help me.

Might want to contact the blocking administrator, and look over the spam policy. Miranda 23:22, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] move to WikiSource

I believe that Germans in Argentina is an excellent candidate to be moved to WikiSource or some other wiki project.

How do I do this?

Guroadrunner 22:32, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

See m:Help:Transwiki. --Teratornis 23:26, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sandboxes

Where do i go to veiw the "special" sandboxes with the games?

Newen222 22:45, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

See Category:Wikipedia games. PrimeHunter 22:56, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Question about Posting Images to Wiki

I have a question about posting images to a Wiki page. I inquired of the copyright holders -- or more specifically, an individual in touch with the copyright holders -- about using their images on Wiki. The images in question are those of speakers presenting at the TED conference held in Monterey, 2007. Here's what I was told:

"Hi, Apologies for the delay in getting back to you on this. This discussion has taken longer than expected, and as you might imagine, we have quite a lot going at the moment with Africa less than two weeks out. As I mentioned, it opened issues that we had not addressed before with the photographers. Because both of them make their living from photography (including syndicated images in many cases), they have strong feelings about how their work can and can't be used. We have reached an agreement with both photographers on the re-use of images by TEDsters and TED speakers. Neither photographer is willing to issue free or fair use rights in writing, but both have agreed that they wouldn't try to stop TEDsters from using them provided that you only use low-res versions (for Robert Leslie -- no larger than the ones on flickr; for Art Streiber -- the ones you have access to). Robert Leslie has asked for photo credit, but Art Streiber asks that you not credit him, since portraits are sort of a different case and these have not been custom printed (or retouched). "

So, given that the copyright holders are essentially giving the `ok' to use these images, may I post them to a Wiki page?

If by "Wiki" you mean "Wikipedia" ("Wiki" is not a correct abbreviation for "Wikipedia"), the answer is probably no if the people in the photographs are still alive (the idea being that if a person is still alive, he or she can still be potentially photographed by someone who will release the photos without copyright restrictions, thus we lose our claim to "fair use" since a free alternative is, in principle, still available). See WP:NFCC. Of course, that hasn't stopped lots of people from uploading similar photographs and claiming fair use, but I think some administrators have been going around deleting such photographs. --Teratornis 23:35, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
You need to correctly request permission and then need to send that permission to 'permissions-en AT wikimedia DOT org'. How to ask for permission to use the copyright material of others and When permission is confirmed might assist you. -- Jreferee (Talk) 01:08, 16 June 2007 (UTC)