Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 September 18

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[edit] September 18

[edit] Adding a person to wikipedia

I am a very new at this.... my question.. may i add a person to wilkipedia? if so it's my father? he was a decorated Army officer....and if so... how do i start(navigate)?

thank you,

rapidfire67 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rapidfire67 (talk • contribs) 00:01, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Please read Wikipedia's notability guidelines to make sure that your father is notable enough for inclusion. If you think he is, take a look at Help:Starting a new page. GlassCobra 01:07, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Also, because you are personally associated with him, take a quick look at the conflict of interest guideline and make sure you write the article with a neutral point of view towards the subject, referenced to third-party sources (i.e. you probably know a lot of stuff about him that can't be verified by others, which isn't really acceptable for inclusion). Confusing Manifestation 01:51, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Edits always on watchlist (solved)

Every page I edit keeps being added to my Watchlist, even if did not check the following in preferences:

  • Add pages I create to my watchlist
  • Add pages I edit to my watchlist
  • Add pages I move to my watchlist

What did I forget? I'm on RC Patrol so you can guess this is really annoying. -- Kl4m Talk Contrib 00:03, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Change the watchRevertedPages option described at WP:TWINKLE. -- zzuuzz (talk) 00:07, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. -- Kl4m Talk Contrib 00:46, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Citing the same source to many statements

I've got a book in front of me and an unsourced article, and before I begin, I want to be sure the best way to handle this. In a paper, I'd put a source for the book at the end then tag each statement with (Dalby XX), but wikipedia usually has numbered footnotes. Do I need to copy and paste the same info over and over but change the page numbers? Should I do the first one full-out, then do {{citebook |last = Dalby | pages = XX}} for the subsequent references? Kuronue | Talk 01:01, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

I think the info you are looking for is described at Wikipedia:Footnotes#Citing a footnote more than once. Leebo T/C 01:28, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Thank you! That's exactly what I wanted to know. I should have read closer. Kuronue | Talk 01:55, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mangua Nicargua article

this "lanicoya" puts in whatever she wants and ignores contributors including my articles that are good sources, just because she doesn't want her country to be seen at what it is. She uses this site as if it where her own if you haven't noticed what she doesn't like doesn't get put into this article and that is not right! you shouldn't even allow her to be apart of wikipedia because people like that who think they know it all and live in a fairy tale about i'm from nicaragua and just because i think it's heave that is what i'll put into the article. No that is not what the wikipedia rules state. This site is nothing but hypocrits who say read the wiki rules but neither of you including her follow the rules so why should any of us if not even the so called "volunteers" do. read the articles they are good sources that information needs to be put in there.66.161.18.212 01:10, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Note: The user is referring to the Managua article. GlassCobra 01:57, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Looks like you were adding biased information. LaNicoya was correct in reverting you; please see Wikipedia's neutral point of view policy. Additionally, the sources you were using are insufficient; please read our reliable sources policy. Finally, personal attacks are not allowed here; it would be appreciated if you would be a little more civil. Thanks. GlassCobra 01:55, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Woah, slow down there. First off, calm down. Getting angry about things in an editing conflict like this only tends to make things worse. From what I can see, it looks like LaNicoya is trying to work with you. She is trying to help, but some of the information you're adding isn't suitable for Wikipedia or isn't written in a neutral manner. She's trying to work with you to incorporate the information you want to add in a manner that is acceptable to our guidelines. Please try to remember to assume good faith on the part of others, and if that doesn't work, take a step back for a while to give things a chance to calm down so they don't get out of hand. Ok? :-) Hersfold (t/a/c) 01:56, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Editing Error

I have been doing minor edits on the page on Michel de Montaigne, and have deleted the "School/Tradition" line from the bio area. For some reason, the information is still showing up, unformatted, on the page. Can someone share advice here? Westkeith 01:21, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

It looks like the way that infobox template is formatted, there is no way to completely remove that parameter. You must simply leave the parameter blank, but removing it completely is causing the parameter name to show up instead of blank space. Leebo T/C 01:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Template:Infobox Philosopher says:
Keeping the parameter name without a value looks less bad:
school_tradition = |
PrimeHunter 02:33, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Trouble with the status indicator... last resort

Alright... I've asked a number of users about this. None could fix it. Now I go to the help desk:

I have a status indicator on my userpage. I've recently renovated it (as well as my userpage), so that there'll be a link when I click on the little traffic light thing (you know when you see it). The problem is that the traffic light isn't right next to the "this user is ___" part when it should (you'll obviously know when you see it). I need someone who fix that problem. If you could, thanks! MITB LS 03:03, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm confused. On my screen, the traffic light appears under the letters "Th" in "This" - do you want it moved to the other side, the right edge of the screen? Hersfold (t/a/c) 03:32, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Right; to the right of the "currently ___" part. MITB LS 03:38, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
I can try to look at it later - I tried a fix just now and all it did was squish the traffic light. Unfortunately, I've got to head to class but I will try to take a look tomorrow if I don't get a chance today or someone's already fixed it. Sorry for delays. Hersfold (t/a/c) 13:30, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nestle addition

I submitted an adder last week just above the Gerber purchase entry w/ respect to Nestle's purchase of my former company, Novartis Nutrition for $2.5B. It was initially shown, but since has been removed. Why? I submitted a Business Week reference as backup, but alas, it didn't appear to be enough to satisfy your editors. Please advise as to why my factual addition was deleted.

Rgds.

<contact info removed to avoid spam> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.51.223.1 (talk) 04:27, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

  • You're editing under an IP address, not an account, and your IP address has never edited before this. Can you point us to the article you're referring to, or give the name of the account you used to create it? —Dark•Shikari[T] 05:01, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
    • It must be this edit to Nestlé. It was poorly formatted with URL's displayed inside the article text. I don't know whether this is why MER-C reverted it [1] with no argument. You can ask at User talk:MER-C. PrimeHunter 14:22, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] how to place image on wikimedia page

hello,

I want to know how to place image on wikimedia page?

As I can see only the link provided by me of that image .

thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Newlyeditor (talk • contribs) 05:23, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Image tutorial. Confusing Manifestation 06:58, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DEFAULTSORT magic word, the PAGENAME template, and transcluded categories

Wikipedia:Categorization used to say this:

For instance, on George Washington, {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, George}} would cause a subsequent [[Category:United States presidents]] to be equivalent to [[Category:United States presidents|Washington, George]], not [[Category:United States presidents|George Washington]].

I have tested this and concluded that this statement was misleading, and have removed the phrase "a subsequent", because {{DEFAULTSORT}} appears to affect all categories, not just subsequent ones. I have also included some more information and a suggestion on use of {{DEFAULTSORT}} and {{PAGENAME}} in categories. Can someone please confirm that I am correct, and that my edits make sense. Be bold. — PhilHibbs | talk 09:36, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

  • I think it was supposed to say "ALL subsequent categories" as in everything that comes after the magic word. - Mgm|(talk) 10:14, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
    • My point is that it doesn't just affect subsequent categories, it affects all categories, even ones that are before the magic word (and that don't have their own pipe trick). — PhilHibbs | talk 14:36, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
      • This edit to meta:Help:Category was not there when Help:Category was last updated from meta, so the two pages contradict eachother currently. Should Help:Category be updated from meta? PrimeHunter 15:48, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
        • OK I didn't know that the help pages on en. were synced with another source. From my experimentation, though, the meta help appears to be incorrect in this matter. — PhilHibbs | talk 11:13, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] I changed local time setting and language seeting seems to have changed

I created my account this morning and went into Preferences to have a look at settings there. I used the 'load from browser' button to tell the system I'm 1 hour ahead of server time and suddenly everything is in Welsh. Please help me change it back to English!FredHerbert 09:39, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

On the top line of the window please press "fy newisiadau" (my preferences). There you press "Data defnyddiwr" (user profile). There is a box, which shows "cy cymraeg" there you search "en english" Then you only have to press "Cadw ffafraethau" (save). --Thw1309 09:56, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] humanities

please i would like to know if studying humanities as a broadcast discipline is that relevent.

thank you, princess —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.85.201.250 (talk) 10:59, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

This page is for help with Wikipedia. You may have more luck asking these kinds of questions at the reference desk. Leebo T/C 13:17, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] speeling yes spelling error

Egyptian museum

someone has written specialising incorrectly it has an 'a' in it

Cheers A

58.84.113.107 11:30, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestion. When you feel an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the Edit this page link at the top. The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes — they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). Leebo T/C 13:15, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] GAMES!!!!!

do you have any games????????? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.219.250.34 (talk) 13:20, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

im sooooo bored n i wnt 2 play sum games! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.219.250.34 (talk) 13:22, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Hello, and I'm sorry, but Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a game site. Ariel♥Gold 13:23, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
See Wikipedia:Department of Fun#Games and Category:Wikipedia games. PrimeHunter 13:53, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
The argument is always made in MfDs for those games that their existence makes things less stuffy for regular Wikipedians, but I can see them attracting drive-by users who don't contribute to the encyclopedia more. Leebo T/C 13:56, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
The Help desk is essentially a game where we solve puzzles and riddles of arbitrary difficulty. I suggest to anyone who is bored with editing on Wikipedia, try answering questions on the Help desk. If those are too easy, check out the Reference desks, the Village pump, and for a real challenge head over to mw:Project:Support desk. --Teratornis 16:22, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] joining and using wikipedia-

After I set up an account with wikipedia can I use the content on my own webpages? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.253.107.240 (talk) 15:31, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

You don't even need to setup an account. All you need to do is note that content is released under the GFDL license and which Wikipedia page it came from. See Wikipedia:Contact_us/Top_questions#Can_I_copy_articles_from_Wikipedia.3F for more and Wikipedia:Copyrights#Reusers.27_rights_and_obligations for much more detail. Cheers!--Chaser - T 15:50, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Changing my monobook

Hi sorry to bother but I am having difficulty in setting my User:Blofeld of SPECTRE/monobook.js. I'd like the set the main page to "executive" altertative by default which is [[2]] so when I click main page it automatically goes to this page but it isn't working. How can I do this? ♦ Sir Blofeld ♦ "Talk"? 15:40, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Answered on users talk page. henrik•talk 15:46, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Error/Fout

Everytime I try and log in to Wikipedia, I recieve a "RGS7387 Error Code SA ELEKTRONIKS" error messege. What is all this about? What does it mean? Thank You. Instrrueneraatzimmer 15:45, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Elkemaal Ek probeer en log binne-in wikipedia, Ek ontvang 'n "RGS7387 Error Code SA ELEKTRONIKS" fout messege. wat is al hierdie omtrent? watdit bedoel? dankie. Instrrueneraatzimmer 15:49, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

You posted that while logged in here at the English Wikipedia. Are you referring to another language version? What is the exact URL of the login page? PrimeHunter 15:57, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
http://af.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spesiaal:Userlogin&returnto=Tuisblad Is the Afrikaans page. Instrrueneraatzimmer 16:05, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
I don't know what causes this. I don't have an account there and get normal looking Afrikaans error messages when I try to log in with a false password for a real (not mine) or false user name. Can you try another browser or Internet connection? PrimeHunter 16:34, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
I use the Bloemfointein Telekomm connection at 54.0 megabutes per second. I cant use another browser. I have never seen this messege before, my computer language is english. Perhaps its something I downloaded? Instrrueneraatzimmer 16:52, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Seeing as this page is for help with the English Wikipedia, perhaps you may get more responses at the Afrikaans Wikipedia. Leebo T/C 17:04, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
No it will take forever Instrrueneraatzimmer 17:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
It is unlikely for someone who is familiar with the Afrikaans Wikipedia to come to this help desk. That's what I'm saying. It can't hurt to ask in more than one place anyway. Leebo T/C 17:39, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
I'm not a speaker of the language above but do the results here mean anything to you? It sounds like some sort of firewall, router or proxy server message. x42bn6 Talk Mess 17:40, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] sunnat

What is sunnat89.80.209.103 17:49, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

See Sunnah. For future reference, though, questions like this belong at the reference desk, not here. GlassCobra 17:53, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] default search

The search for a particular name returns only a reference to a minor actor, but not that of a well-known academic with the identical name. What is required to have the Wikipedia search return references, with the most important listed first? 18.85.18.109 17:58, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

It would be a big help if you could tell us exactly which pages you're referring to. It sounds like you're requesting a disambiguation page for the name, but you should also read Wikipedia's naming conventions. Leebo T/C 18:08, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Also, if you type something into the search box and press "Enter", it's equivalent to clicking the Go button, which attempts to take you to an article of that name first. If you click on the Search button instead, then you will get a search engine-like list of results, even if there is an article whose title matches your search term, so it will show you if there are other pages with similar titles. Confusing Manifestation 22:50, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] E-MAILing other people on Wikipedia

Hello,

Is it possible to E-MAIL articles from your site to other people?

Elliot Lanes —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bru122 (talk • contribs) 18:06, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, you could send an email with the link, or you could copy and paste the text. But there is no email function on Wikipedia itself to generate an email. Leebo T/C 18:08, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
  • You can still send them the link to ensure they get the most up-to-date copy of the article. - Mgm|(talk) 20:12, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
  • In IE7, there is an icon at the top of the screen that looks like a piece of paper and a pencil, and the word "Page" next to it, with a down arrow for a drop-down menu. If you click on that arrow, you get a series of options, one of which is "Send page by email" and one of which is "Send link by email". I can't tell you about other browsers, but there should be something similar in all of them. Corvus cornix 17:58, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Printable Version

Does anyone else have the problem when using the "Printable Version" function for any particular entry of having certain pages print and other pages have nothing on them except the standard header and footers (i.e. page title, page #, web address, date)?

For instance, I printed the [Master of Architecture] Wikientry after clicking on "Printable Version" at the top of the screen. Then, the first page printed normally, but pages 3 through 4 printed blank except for the header and footers mentioned above.

Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by AreDaval (talk • contribs) 20:16, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] I tried and tried

To get Kader Abdolah's picture with his discription, picture title kaderschoice.jpg. I just can't get it there, I seem to make things worse instead of better...  :(

I have followed all instructions and uploaded three times, but the picture just doesn't appear. :(

Can you help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Marjoline (talk • contribs) 20:21, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

The image is there in the article, it just wasn't loading because the picture is so large. I changes the image size down to 100px. Feel free to change it but at least now it loads straight away. AngelOfSadness talk 20:24, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] My page about a musician.

Hello my name is Alex Brautigan. I am asking a question concerning about an article about this musician named Chris Sutton, who lives in Olympia, Washington. I have attempted many times to keep my page up and I do not understand why it is being deleted. I think the page is significant because it is about a band that is influential on the development on popular music and how music can be percieved. Please tell me, why is my article inappropriate? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mrwebb1375 (talk • contribs) 20:45, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Please read Wikipedia:Notability (music). Notability isn't subjective; it's a matter of having coverage in multiple, reliable sources. Things like reviews, interviews, record deals, etc. Leebo T/C 21:00, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Executive summary

How to make an executive summary —Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.152.134.111 (talk) 20:47, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm not quite sure what you mean, but the Help Desk is for questions about how to use Wikipedia, as indicated by the large red letters at the top of the page. You might try asking at the Reference Desk for factual questions. Hersfold (t/a/c) 21:05, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
If you should mean an edit summary here at Wikipedia then there is a field below the edit box saying "Edit summary", but it's not there when you add a new section like in your question. PrimeHunter 21:16, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Administration Abuse

How do you report Administration Abuse? GoaliesRUS —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.188.25.165 (talk) 21:29, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Replied on User talk:GoaliesRUS. Friday (talk) 21:50, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How do I make a new page?

I just want to know how to make a page on the website. The sandbox has been covered with black and blue by Who-Knows-Who! —Preceding unsigned comment added by WinCamXP (talk • contribs) 22:01, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

See Help:Starting a new page and Wikipedia:Your first article. Hersfold (t/a/c) 22:04, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Before creating a article make sure it is encylopedia material and not something else. It is notable, and also meets WP:VERI. Thanks for contributing. --Тhε Rαnδom Eδιτor 23:05, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quick Response, but 1 more queestion

Quick response, but I want to know why (and how to get it off) there is black & blue shapes covering the sandbox page. Idiots and their Images... —Preceding unsigned comment added by WinCamXP (talk • contribs) 22:08, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

I'll take a look at the sandbox. If you want your own sandbox, start it here: User:WinCampXP/sandbox, don't use this page for edit tests, please. Into The Fray T/C 22:09, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
For the record, the sandbox comes up fine for me. Into The Fray T/C 22:12, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Advertisements/spam on user page

A recent visitor to this page has shameless advertisements in the form of linkspam on his/her user page. Is this permissible? If it were anywhere but a Userpage, I'd already BE BOLD; but user pages are tricky and I wish to observe Wikiquette. --Orange Mike 22:26, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

User:WinCampXP/sanbox <-- that, Mike? Into The Fray T/C 22:28, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Sortakinda, yeah. --Orange Mike 22:32, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
See [3] -- kainaw™ 22:29, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Thanx! --Orange Mike 22:32, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Also, I know it doesn't really apply here, but speedy deletion criterion G11 applies to all pages, not just articles. Anything that is blatant advertising can be tagged with that. Leebo T/C 22:47, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, I didn't know either. Into The Fray T/C 22:51, 18 September 2007 (UTC)
Wow, I didn't know that! So would User:Mahadevmadhavnidhi and User talk:Mahadevmadhavnidhi fall under the speedy heading? I've been stumped on what to do about this guy for a while. GlassCobra 01:23, 19 September 2007 (UTC)
Hmm. At the very least it's a flagrant violation of What Wikipedia is not, on several accounts. Has anyone talked to him about it? I'm going to blank both pages and leave him a message explaining why he can't use his userspace that way. Leebo T/C 01:28, 19 September 2007 (UTC)
Sort of. This guy was a vandal active last month; if you look at his contribs, he tried to make a page for a company called the same thing as his username. He re-created the page several times after it was speedied, including, among other things, the content on his user and talk pages. I don't think he was reported to UAA or anything, though. Doesn't look like he's done anything substantial since, except popping up towards the end of the month to blank all the warnings from his talk page. GlassCobra 01:39, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Did you fix the sandbox yet?

{{helpme}}I want to know if you fixed the sandbox main page yet. If you did, I'll make a Thank You site on freewebs.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by WinCamXP (talk • contribs)

Y Done but please don't make me a website. :-) —[[Animum | talk]] 22:44, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Photo ?

Hello.....a page: Harold Leighton Weller has been added to Wikipedia. I have a photo for the page if that is permissable. Please let me know how I should submit it.

Many thanks,

Halweller 23:10, 18 September 2007 (UTC)halweller (Harold Leighton Weller )

Please see policy regarding images. Also, as your user name suggests, if you are indeed Harold Leighton Weller (I haven't read the page), please read WP:COI before making any changes to the article. Into The Fray T/C 23:12, 18 September 2007 (UTC)