Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 September 6

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[edit] September 6

[edit] Netherlands

what makes the netherlands different from other places? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.2.129.76 (talk) 00:36, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

  • Primarily location. :) You might be interested in the article at Netherlands. There's quite a lot of good information about the country there. --Moonriddengirl 00:48, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
    • I was actually going to suggest that its drug policy(!) might be what sets it apart... --JayHenry 06:27, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Supporting

Does creating articles count as supporting Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.216.60 (talk • contribs) September 6 2007

Of course it does. (Though I think that link is specifically meant for fundraising.) --tjstrf talk 00:47, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
I think we have to add the qualification that the articles should stick. Articles that violate policies or guidelines and get deleted just end up wasting the time of other Wikipedians, and it would be hard to argue that that sort of activity supports Wikipedia. Since creating articles that stick turns out to be rather difficult for a significant fraction of persons new to Wikipedia editing (many people form initial impressions of what Wikipedia is that are wide of the mark), I would go so far as to suggest that a new user would support Wikipedia better by trying to improve existing articles (and preferably under the guidance of one of the article improvement projects) rather than by trying to create new articles. Wikipedia already has 2,408,778 articles, making this the largest encyclopedia ever, and a dreadfully large number of these articles need serious work, so it's not as if the most pressing need here is to get even bigger. Most newly-created articles tend to be of rather low quality for some time, until more people come by to work on them. For some reason, the notion that article creation is the first thing to try seems to be a common first impression - it was for me. I consider this something of an ergonomic shortcoming in Wikipedia's user interface, that it could even lead to such an impression, rather than reliably directing ambitious newcomers to the much greater need to improve the backlog of low-quality existing articles. --Teratornis 04:59, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Maybe we can start here, at the help desk? I personally believe that the best answer to the question "how do I start a new article?" is "you don't. Creating articles should only be done by more experienced users". By the time the user has gained enough experience to judge whether an article should be created, he will have no need to ask again. -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 11:54, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
I tend to agree. A brusque but often correct answer would be "If you have to ask how to create an article, you're not ready to create an article." Perhaps we can work up a suitable warning template to go along with the somewhat optimistic {{Creation}}. OK, {{Creation}} is not really all that optimistic, but I think we need to get the point across that a new article faces grim odds similar to a newly hatched fish, and call more attention to the dark side of Wikipedia, before new users discover the horror firsthand. --Teratornis 23:22, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Possible copyvio

Would the Lex Hixon article happen to be a copyvio? 69.40.254.142 01:24, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Well, it's certainly not neutral. The majority of the article seems to be a self-written biography, and isn't sourced to anything. I can find the exact same text on several other sites, several of which do not appear to be mirrors of the article here. Thanks for pointing this out, I'll see what can be done about it. Hersfold (t/a/c) 03:33, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Citing Audio Evidence

I added some information about Julia Murney, stating that she is known for dead-on impressions of certain people. Since they are impressions, there is obviously no written proof of that. She does them during audio interviews. I do have at least three podcasts where she does some impressions of other actresses, but I'm not sure how to site proof when it was given orally (from the actress). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Midoria (talk • contribs) 01:37, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

If she is "known" for something, then doubtlessly someone else will have commented on it somewhere, and you can cite that.--Max Talk (+) 04:37, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Delete from search drop down menu

how do i delete something from the the search drop down menu? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.202.42.95 (talk) 02:24, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

That's something caused by your browser, not anything to do with Wikipedia itself. If you clear out your private data, that should get rid of it for you. (In Firefox, Tools -> Clear Private Data... -> Saved Form and Search History -> Delete. Not sure in IE, sorry). Hersfold (t/a/c) 03:23, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
In IE, Tools-->internet options-->content tab-->autocomplete-->clear forms and clear passwords.--Fuhghettaboutit 04:16, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Improving Google search result

Is there a way to get a Wikipedia article a higher placement on Google search results?

I just did a Google search and entered the exact title of a Wikipedia article, and it didn't show up in the first 15 pages of results (I stopped checking after that).

The weird and frustrating thing is that after the first page of Google search results, the relevancy of the links decreases dramatically, while the Wikipedia article that doesn't show up is 100% relevant and contains all five searched-for words.

Any ideas? Thanks! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.142.255.180 (talk) 02:37, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

What is the exact title of the article? If it's very recent then maybe Google hasn't indexed it yet. If it's The Kings Of Classic Rock‎ then it's the 6th Google hit for me in quotes.[1] PrimeHunter 03:17, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Google Search uses a page-ranking algorithm that depends on your search terms. For example, if you type the exact title of a Wikipedia article, and put double-quotes around the whole thing (so you are searching for an exact phrase), the Wikipedia article usually lands quite high in the search results, with possible exceptions for phrases that are extremely common. In contrast, if you search for several keywords (not in quotes) which appear in the body of an article, widely spaced from each other, that may put the Wikipedia article lower in the search results, because Google considers page titles more relevant than words lower on the page, and pages that have your search words close to each other are more "relevant" than pages that have your search words far apart. Again, words that are extremely common may appear on millions of Web pages, creating many opportunities for various pages to sneak ahead of the Wikipedia article's ranking by one or another quirk of Google's page ranking algorithm. Of course one way to boost Wikipedia articles in your Google searches is to type the word "Wikipedia" along with your other search terms. And if you specifically want to search only on Wikipedia with Google, you can do that too. All that being said, page ranking is an inexact science. Google tries to come up with an algorithm which presents search results in the order you want, but it might be difficult even for another human to sort the pages just the way you'd like. Getting Google to dance to your tune may sometimes be akin to pushing with a rope. --Teratornis 04:34, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Your list of Buffalo actors and actresses

My name is missing from your long list of Actresses and Actors from Buffalo. How can I join the list. You can confirm my lengthy credits on IMDB. I was born in Buffalo and lived there for fifty-five years before moving ot Southern California.

Thanks, —Preceding unsigned comment added by Brynababy (talk • contribs) 03:03, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

It would help if you said who you are. Maybe Bryna Weiss? [2] And are you referring to Famous people from Buffalo, NY#Entertainers and actors? PrimeHunter 03:09, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Additionally, please be aware that IMDB is not a reliable source, so cannot be used for verification purposes, or to establish notability. Thanks! Ariel♥Gold 03:20, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] And why doesn't Wikipedia allow integrating videos? (Re: Embedding Videos)

I thought an online encyclopedia was supposed to be interactive, and less like a printed one. What's the harm in integrating videos onto an article? --70.179.175.240 03:03, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I believe the main reason is copyright concerns. Ariel♥Gold 03:06, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Also security concerns. It's possible to encode a virus into a video which can be loaded onto someone's computer when they view it. The same goes with images, but in order to include those you'd have to upload the image to the servers, and we've got a pretty good malware filter on the servers. Embedding videos doesn't require uploading, so it puts users at higher risk. Hersfold (t/a/c) 03:21, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Our sister project the Wikimedia_Commons accepts video and links can be added to articles here. Check out commons:Commons:Media_help for the details on this. Because of the concerns with virus and copyright that Hersfold pointed out, this is not a simple process! --JayHenry 06:33, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] redirects

I'm trying to make a redirect from "Miyako Ito" to Miyako Itō, but I'm scared, because I'm beginning to worry that it might be declined. Can you help me?

Sure; just create the page Miyako Ito with the content "#REDIRECT [[Miyako Itō]]" (without the quotes) Veinor (talk to me) 04:09, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
For the full details, see: Help:Redirect. And for future reference, you don't need to add the {{Helpme}} template to your Help desk questions (I removed the one you included above), because dozens of Wikipedia volunteers monitor this page around the clock, and someone will see your question. And while a bit of caution is always a good idea when trying something new, fear not - Wikipedia is by its design remarkably robust. Of course do read the help first. --Teratornis 04:40, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why was my article deleted?

Hi!

Thanks for reading. I recently attempted to update a page called 'Brian Rimmer', a fledgling musical artist who I manage and has recently signed to a major label. I intended to verify the information already on the page but the page has now seemingly disappeared and any links to the page in question have turned black. The page more than meets Wikipedia's requirements for validity (I have checked these thoroughly) and I am afraid it may now be a candidate for speedy deletion.

At the time I was unaware of the four tildes guideline, which may be a contributing factor. Any help with this would be much appreciated - if the page in question could be 'unlocked' so to speak, I could verify and source the information & rectify any doubts about its validity as a Wikipedia page.

Thanks again, Lance —Preceding unsigned comment added by LancevincentOZ (talk • contribs) 05:17, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Just a quick answer as I am going to bed - see: Why was my article deleted? It would be nice, of course, if somehow everyone whose article gets deleted would automatically get a message telling them to read that page. Even a canned explanation is better than no explanation at all. --Teratornis 05:56, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
It does. "If the page has been deleted, check the deletion log, and please see Why was my page deleted?." Doesn't help having the notice if people don't read them. ;) Also, in this case, the page wasn't actually deleted. It was tagged for speedy deletion, the page creator then proceed to remove the speedy tag against the instruction left on his/her user talk page, and the original editor then changed it to a redirect instead. KTC 06:27, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
To clarify, the link is on the article page location, and not left on the creator page, which I'm thinking might have been what you were thinking. Though in this case, it wouldn't have made any difference, as the page creator (not the one that asked the question above) didn't read and follow the message on the message that was left on his/her talk page. KTC 06:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Oh yes, please do read our page on conflict of interests before you proceed to edit page regarding people you manage. Regards. KTC 06:30, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Please also read WP:BAND to make sure that the musician meets the notability guidelines. Corvus cornix 22:12, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] External links

I've adopted a user under the adopt a user program, and he asked me a question to which I'm not certain of the answer: is it possible to create external links that open in a new window? From what I gather from WP:MARKUP, the answer is no, but I thought I'd check here to be sure. Sarcasticidealist 08:39, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I believe its not possible, when ever I open external links, I right click and "open as new tab".--KerotanLeave Me a Message Have a nice day :) 08:41, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
I have seen others say it's not possible in Wikipedia. People with their own wiki can set up the MediaWiki software to do it. See mw:Manual:Opening external links in a new window. PrimeHunter 13:32, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What algorithm is used for "Random Article"?

I would like to find out what algorithm is used to select a "Random Article" in the Wikipedia feature of the same name.

I am currently writing my MSc thesis, and have used this function as part of my investigation process. It would therefore be beneficial to make reference to this algorithm during my discussion/analysis section.

Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.36.112.136 (talk) 10:22, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

You'd probably be better off asking at Meta-Wiki, the headquarters for all Wikimedia projects, or at MediaWiki, the site for the software Wikipedia uses. I do know that it searches only in the "Main" namespace, that is, actual articles, but aside from that I don't know much about it and I doubt many others here would. Sorry. Hersfold (t/a/c) 13:24, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2007 June 17#Wikipedia Random Article - see Steve Summit's 2nd post. Code available here. x42bn6 Talk Mess 14:16, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
If your thesis relates to Wikipedia more than incidentally, you may wish to see: Wikipedia:Wikipedia in academic studies and Wikipedia:Researching Wikipedia, to see what other academics are doing with Wikipedia. You might find something you can use. --Teratornis 15:56, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I think the way that it works is that whenever an article is created, it's given a random number, and when 'random article' is clicked on, another random number is chosen and the non-redirect article that has a random number nearest to and higher than the chosen number (choosing the article with the lowest number if a number higher than any article's number was chosen) is presented as the random article. You can look at the software yourself to make sure; here's a link to the relevant code. --ais523 16:45, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I will have to disagree with a comment from the linked archive, for a project the size of the English Wikipedia, the page is randomly selected from among all pages. My calculations show that there will be many articles with a chance as low as roughly 1 in a trillion (1012) for being chosen, while others may have a chance as high as 1 in 100,000. (for those more pedantic than myself, I am aware of the irrelevant "it's not random, it's pseudo-random" issue.) -- Meni Rosenfeld (talk) 19:36, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

This is a FAQ. —Ilmari Karonen (talk) 19:41, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Correcting typo's in archive

Hi,

On the Dutch Wikipedia, back in February someone wrote 'Guide' instead of 'Guido'. When I corrected this typo in my archive this morning, I got blocked for 3 days and was vehemently attacked by no less than four moderators.

I have two questions:

  • What is the English rule regarding the correction of archived typo's?
  • Are moderators allowed to make their own rules, when nothing is written?

Regards, Guido den Broeder 10:36, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

See WP:TALK#Behavior that is unacceptable. --Silver Edge 10:44, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
That is slightly odd, my best guess is that you were blocked for some sort of 3RR violation, and that the block may have been extended on account of your pre-existing block history. But then, I don't actually speak Dutch, so these are all guesses.--VectorPotentialTalk 10:52, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Hi, there is no Dutch 3RR rule to violate, but if there were, should it apply to correcting a typo? Guido den Broeder 10:55, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
It might help if you could translate a few of those edit summaries into English so we could get a better idea of what was going on there.--VectorPotentialTalk 11:00, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
(Nogmaals:) niet editten in andermans bijdragen = (Again: don't edit another person's contributions Guido den Broeder 11:05, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
I find the block a little bit odd, but then I don't really know anything about nl.wikipedia's policies.--VectorPotentialTalk 11:09, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
There are no written Dutch policies on the topic except for a proposal page nl:Wikipedia:Archiveren (Archiving) that reads in footnote 2: Sometimes small edits are done to improve the usefulness of the archive, e.g. the correction of links. When I pointed to that page the reply I got was: "No discussion is possible." Guido den Broeder 11:12, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
There's a general rule on en.Wikipedia that you do not edit another person's comments on Talk pages. Sometimes folks don't mind minor formatting fixes (indentation & such) but correcting someone's spelling or grammar is frowned upon. Editing someone's comments in an archive is just bad form. Sounds like you ran into someone who is very strict about that. -- Kesh 11:35, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Hi, this seems to contradict Wikipedia:Refactoring talk pages. Also, the person who made the typo did not object. Guido den Broeder 11:42, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
In fact, he has given me permission to correct it. Guido den Broeder 12:39, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Actually, Wikipedia:Refactoring talk pages only speaks about formatting (such as indentation), not spelling. Correcting spelling and grammar is a bad idea. If you can point this out on-Wiki to an admin, they should unblock you. If it was personal correspondence, you're out of luck. Either way, I'd suggest not doing this again. -- Kesh 14:25, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
It speaks about other minor fixes, too. Anyway, I've pointed it out, but I get no response. Guido den Broeder 19:55, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Aha:

  • Refactoring ... is a stronger term than copy editing
  • Copy editing involves correcting spelling, terminology, punctuation, and grammatical and semantic errors...

Guido den Broeder 20:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] want to purchase sex toy

I want to purchase sex toy for my wife, can i be helped by you that how can i purchase and from where. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.50.164.219 (talk) 11:41, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Sorry, we can only help you with Wikipedia, which, as you may have noticed, isn't exactly in that line of trade. Good luck with that. Hersfold (t/a/c) 13:21, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia does not traffic in Sex toys but we do have an article about them, as we have articles about 2,408,778 things. --Teratornis 15:51, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
I think he was looking for sex toy advice, but we don't really have a reference desk for advice like that. A specific question about sex toys might be appropriate at the miscellaneous ref desk. Leebo T/C 15:53, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RE:Speedy deletion of Decisional analysis of complex systems

I don't know the name of the administrators who deleted my article after debate and consensus and what is the reason why my article was deleted. First, I wrote a previous article under the name of "decision engineering" and the vocabulary and grammar need to be improved. Some adminatrators invited me to do it. I made some corrections and re-writings, but it was not enough and without any help from anyone english or american trough English Wikipedia, the article was cancelled again by Wikipedia administrators in June 2007. Convinced that my suject is fair, I created in september 2007 an article on English Wikipedia with the permission of the author under the original title of the method "Decisional Analysis of complex systems". I mentioned sources and references, as this method is recognized by the top universities (HEC) and Research center CNRS) in France. Nay way the article was deleted without explanation. So I am not sure the reason of this deleting process regarding my subject is either vocabulary, or grammar, either a copyright question. Now vocabulary and grammar are perfect and if I can prove I have the permission of the author, I can do it. I have permission from the author (J. Bucki) to release the content of the article you mentioned freely and I am the administrator of the site (http://iegd.institut.online.fr/ART02-B-ADSc-BPR-en.htm in this case) First I want to know the name of one of the administrators in charge of the deleting process in order to communicate. If I know why English wikipedia has problem with the subject, the matter of my article, I can understand: may be concepts are not enough classical etc. They have to tell me the exact reason according Wikipedia policy. I ca follow a rule if it is explicit. But if I see wrong reasons are given, it is fair that I request to know the truth. Isn't it your position too ? Robertatum 13.53, 6 september 2007

  • Hi Robertatum. The article was deleted as it was a copyright violation. For infomration on Wikipedia Copyright Violations please see here. If you want to relase the copyright please see here. There are a lot of other policies that link from those pages as well. This should help you. I can't comment on any other aspect of the article as it is deleted. Pedro |  Chat  12:10, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
    • Even if you have permission of the author (your assertion thereof is not enough to prove that by the way), it doesn't matter. All material on Wikipedia must be freely redistributable under the GNU Free Documentation License, so posting material here that is copyrighted but permission has been given to use here only is not useful; the material remains single use only and not redistributable. Instead, you or someone else would need to list on the external site a statement releasing the material wholesale such as "I, (name), am the author of this article, (article name), and I release its content under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 and later."--Fuhghettaboutit 12:56, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Editing

The problem I have is that after editing my article does not remain permanently on Wikipedia. Apart from the core criterias that I have respected, do you know what could be the reason?? Ty —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.202.93.248 (talk) 12:58, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Sorry no, we can't help you much presently because you haven't told us the name of the article and you're editing here under your IP address so we can't search for deleted articles you created. Very generally, you can take a look at Why was my article deleted?, but we can answer much more specifically if you tell us the exact name of the deleted article.--Fuhghettaboutit 13:04, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Perhaps you forgot to press the 'Save page' button and looked only at the preview. Guido den Broeder 13:52, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lifeline Expedition

I have written a piece about the Lifeline Expedition, but the 4th paragraph does not seem to have worked properly and has gone in one long line in a frame. Could you tell me how to sort this out? Many thanksDlpott 14:38, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I fixed the formatting (that happens when you leave space before beginning a line).
like this
On another note, your article needs to be cleaned up a bit. I'll review it later and try to improve the formatting. Leebo T/C 14:45, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Distinguished Flying Cross list of Recipients

Gentlemen, I would like to submit my father's name to the list of Distinguished Flying Cross Recipients. His name is Robert Jackson(no middle name). U.S. Army Air Corps, 10th Air Force, 351st Bombardment Group(medium), 490th Bombardment Squadron. China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations. 1944. This is straight from his DD-214. Thank you in advance for your efforts. Regards, Thomas G. Jackson

Son of a B25 Tail-gunner. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.25.142.225 (talk) 15:03, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia is a wiki. Anyone may edit it. If you have a reliable source to support your claim, you may add him to the article as long as you cite that source. Leebo T/C 15:06, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
It appears that you where trying to add your fathers name to the Category:Recipients of US Distinguished Flying Cross, here which isn't a "list of Distinguished Flying Cross Recipients", but is a category, categories are populated from their articles, for example the article about Michael Collins (astronaut) at the bottom of the page you will see the categories that are relevant to his article, in order for your father Robert Jackson to have this category an article must be written about him that demonstrate his notability. see, Wikipedia:Notability (people) on what standards are used. Thank you.▪◦▪≡ЅiREX≡Talk 17:37, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Getting Involved with WikiProjects

Although I edit pages regularly, I am not very knowledgeable about much that goes further from that. What are some of the ways that I can become involved in a WikiProject, for instance, WikiProject English? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Oddmartian2 (talk • contribs) 17:56, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

The main aspect of WikiProject involvement is editing articles that fall under that project's scope. You may want to go to a project's page and look through the article's that it covers for ones to improve. Most projects have a "to-do list" of activities that anyone can do at any time. Regarding WikiProject English, I don't think such a project exists, but there is a WikiProject Regional English dialects. Is that what you were referring to? Leebo T/C 18:00, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
That project appears to be currently inactive. --Tλε Rαnδom Eδιτor (tαlk) 18:07, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
True. Hopefully, Oddmartian can clarify what he meant. Leebo T/C 18:08, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that I saw a WikiProject English somewhere that involves improving spelling and grammar. I'll have a look. Oddmartian2 18:39, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WikiProject Grammar and Wikipedia:Typo might apply. :) --Moonriddengirl 19:41, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Thanks--WikiProject Grammar is what I was thinking of. Oddmartian2 14:07, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Also see Wikipedia:Cleanup for many other ways to get involved. --Teratornis 23:11, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Posting while logged in

What additional steps are needed after logging in to post an edit using my logged in identity? It seems 50-75% of the time after I log in, any edit I make appears as an "anonymous edit" and displays my IP address. Since I'm editing pages involving known criminals and possible terrorists, I really love that my IP address is displayed every time I make an edit so these savory individuals can hunt me down for a friendly chat. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Factcheck 4uwingnuts (talk • contribs) 18:13, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

If you are getting logged out unknowingly, that is a problem with your computer or your Internet browser. Wikipedia will not log you out. Also, I'm not sure your username is really an appropriate choice. Leebo T/C 18:25, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Nothing further should be needed. Checking your talk comments I don't see anywhere where your IP was recorded - can you name a page? Remember to sign your name (on talk pages) with four tilde marks ~~~~ (like that) to put your user name against the comments though - it stops the bot signing them. I also echo Leebo that your username would seem inappropriate. Would you like help on changing it?Pedro |  Chat  18:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Well, the anonymous edits wouldn't be associated with his account. They'd be associated with that IP address (which he clearly wouldn't want to tell us). Leebo T/C 18:30, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Ah, didn't read it that way. The editor asked what additional steps he needed after logging in, and the answer is none at all as the only way his IP can now be checked is via a 'crat at RCU. As you say his browser could be logging him out for whatever reason and that's the issue. Pedro |  Chat  18:36, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Right, his issue is that he gets logged out while editing, so the edit he thought was going to be attributed to him is instead attributed to his IP address, which he'd rather not be showing. Understandable. However, like Pedro says, there are no additional steps involved after logging in for staying logged in. Leebo T/C 18:40, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
  • I have never lost my login during a session if I check "Remember me" at login. If I don't check it then I sometimes lose the login without noticing it. But it can depend on your browser settings and other things. If you are alert then you can check that the top of the page displays your user name before clicking "Save". If your user name is not displayed then log in again. PrimeHunter 18:42, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Thanks for the input. But why do you say my name is inappropriate? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Factcheck 4uwingnuts Factcheck 4uwingnuts 18:44, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
  • It seems inappropriate because it would appear that you are referring to the editors you are factchecking as "wingnuts". Doesn't really have a collaborative spirit. Leebo T/C 18:45, 6 September 2007 (UTC)


I was shocked and offended by the username of the first editor I came into contact with after registering, but of course "he did it too" is not an excuse. I wasn't aware that my username had to be anything other than non-profane. How do I change it?Factcheck 4uwingnuts 18:50, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Goto WP:RENAME and make a request▪◦▪≡ЅiREX≡Talk 18:54, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
You may also want to read Help:Logging_in#How_to_log_in, it may be a cookie problem, to test to see if you are logged in, click the "my contributions" link that is located at the very top when you are logged in you should also see your username ▪◦▪≡ЅiREX≡Talk 18:51, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
  • Name change requested. Thanks for the help.Factcheck 4uwingnuts 19:12, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
    • And I comment- that 'first person you met' was probably Murderbike.K14 10:57, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How can I

block other users comments/emails?

hellllp!

Éowyn Alestrii 18:41, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

You cannot. Wikipedia relies on a system of transparency and open communication. If specific editors are leaving you inappropriate comments or emails, you can report them to administrators after warning them. Leebo T/C 18:43, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
The only message you have received on your talkpage is a Welcome message, if you are taking about BetacommandBot removing fairuse images from your userpage with the message "Removing fair use image used outside the mainspace per WP:NFCC" that you received here it because you cannot use fairuse images on your userpage only freeuse images, see Policy #9, Restrictions on location, here▪◦▪≡ЅiREX≡Talk 19:17, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
You can avoid emails by clicking Special:Preferences, clicking "User profile" (probably already selected), and unchecking "Enable e-mail from other users". But it appears from Special:Emailuser/MurtaghxMisery that emails are already disabled. This does not affect edits on your talk page. PrimeHunter 21:26, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] an external link?correction?addition?

hi folks, at the end of the Cindy Sheehan information there are two external links; one "official" and one "unofficial" - the latter is a man in Oregon (with the best of intentions, i think) but he does NOT have any direct connection to the Cindy Sheehan campaign. at the request of Cindy and her sister DeDe i have created a google group which anyone can sign-up for:

//groups.google.com/group/cindy4congress

which will keep them up to date. Can we add this link as the "official" google group supporting Cindy's campaign?

thanks buddd 19:03, 6 September 2007 (UTC)


we really need folks to contact us directly - not just sign on to an unofficial site where their information doesn't actually help the campaign!

I removed the unofficial link, as per Wikipedia:External links, which states that links should to be officially related to the subject and that they should be reliable sources. Leebo T/C 19:13, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Entry for famous gays and lesbians

I have posted a name on the list for famous gays and lesbians and it seems to disappear or someone is erasing it. How does one resolve the erasing of an entry? Am I posting the name incorrectly? When the entry is made the name remains in red while the others are in blue, then POOF the entry is gone. Aimthehun 19:07, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

It seems you're trying to add Jude Schell. When the link is red, it means there is no article for that individual. Notable individuals typically have articles written about them, so that may be leading people to remove it. If you want the entry to stay, you should provide a reliable source that indicates Jude Schell was in fact a notable gay/lesbian person. Leebo T/C 19:09, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people/P-S is only intended for people who already have a Wikipedia article, as said in Talk:List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people/P-S#Red Links.. PrimeHunter 21:21, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New redirect

Will you help me redirect "Miyako Itou" to Miyako Itō, please?

Sure thing, just a second. Leebo T/C 20:21, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Done. All you need to do is create the redirect page with the content #REDIRECT [[Miyako Itō]]. See Wikipedia:Redirect for more information. Leebo T/C 20:24, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] about using wikipedia

Hi

how do i post a new article in wikipediaMjb1854 20:23, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Your first article and Help:Starting a new page. Note that your account must be at least four days old in order to create a new page. Hersfold (t/a/c) 20:25, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
I'm pretty sure the 4 day wait only applies to moving pages and editing semi-protected pages, and not page creation. Leebo T/C 20:27, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] redirect

I'm trying to make a redirect from "Miyako Itou" to Miyako Itō, but if I create it, I'm worried that it may be declined. Can you help me, please?

Miyako Itou already redirects to Miyako Itō in response to the request a couple of sections up. PrimeHunter 21:13, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Protection from Editing

Hello, Can I protect a Wikipedia article from being edited ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rhmistry (talk • contribs) 20:30, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Administrators can protect pages, but only in circumstances that meet our protection policy guidelines. See Wikipedia:Protection policy. Requests can be made at Wikipedia:Requests for page protection. Leebo T/C 20:32, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Image identification assistance

Is there any kind of mechanism for assisting editors with identifying the subject of an image? I have numerous high-resolution images of various insects that I'd like to upload to Wikimedia Commons, but I have no idea what the pictures are of. I could upload the image and then request help from WikiProject Arthropods, but I can't provide a descriptive filename without knowing the name of the insect. Also, my primary goal in uploading an image is to improve an existing article ... without knowing the species depicted in each image, I can't make use of the images. Any suggestions? Black Falcon (Talk) 20:42, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

hmmm,I don't know of such a mechanism, you could try uploading to a free image hosting site like imageshack click the "resize image" checkbox and provide the links to the WikiProject Arthropods talk page for identification, just an idea ▪◦▪≡ЅiREX≡Talk 21:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Side efftects of ICD

I would like to know of any side effects from the implantable ICD? Has there ever been any deaths related to this device.

I would like to know ASAP. Thank you for your time in this matter. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.229.175.37 (talk) 21:40, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm sorry, but we cannot offer medical advice. I'd suggest speaking to your doctor or cardiologist. Hersfold (t/a/c) 21:43, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Headline

How do I change the Headline to my entry. I put in a Colon (:) and I dont want it there? Also, is the search function of Wikipedia case sensitive? thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by ODYSSEY: Driving Around the World (talk • contribs) 21:51, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean by "entry", but if the colon is on a page, you can edit the page to remove it. If you're talking about your username, you can go to WP:CHU and request a change.
The search function is EXTREMELY case-sensitive, which is why we often have redirects for capitalization mistakes. If what you searched for does not match exactly to a page title, you'll get a bunch of results instead. Hersfold (t/a/c) 21:58, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
ODYSSEY: Driving Around the World has requested a user name change to get rid of the colon. Wikilinks are completely case sensitive except for the first character. The "Go" button below the searchbox (which is also activated by Enter) is partly case sensitive and will sometimes not go to an article with other capitalization. The search function on the "Search" button ("GO" also results in search if it doesn't find an article to go to) is not case sensitive. For example, we both have ICE and Ice. A search on "ICE" [3] or "ice" [4] gives the same results with the same order and relevance: Ice hockey is currently the first result with relevance 100.0%, Ice is second with 70.7%, and ICE is 55th with 9.3%.[5] Don't ask me how relevance percentage is computed or what the people who decided or coded it were smoking at the time. PrimeHunter 22:48, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Publishing my article

Dear Sirs,

I have created the article below and wonder how can I make it accessable via the search engines, such as Google?

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=H._E._Eng._Hassaballah_El_Kafrawy&oldid=156136481

Kind regards

A.elkafrawy 21:52, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

The article is immediately available on search engines, although it may not appear immediately due to caching problems on the search engine's part. Hersfold (t/a/c) 21:55, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
It's pretty fast but I believe Google and other search engines must first spider this site, find the new page and then catalogue it in its index. In any event, I don't think there is anything you can do to speed up or aid in that process.--Fuhghettaboutit 00:58, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Inactive, Vandalism-only accounts

When I checked "What links to here" of my user page, it came up the talk pages of users whose only edit was the edit was the one I gave them warnings to. That was a few months ago (but in a case it was 3 days ago). Should I let those accounts to rot? --Samuel di Curtisi di Salvadori 22:10, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Might as well. Most vandals don't come back for a second shot anyway. Hersfold (t/a/c) 22:16, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Creation

I want to create an article under the name "Small Talk," but the process is so convoluted that I just can't figure out how to do anything. I can get to sandbox, but I'm ready to write, and I'm done writing random things in the sandbox. Please help —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kev g48 (talk • contribs) 23:25, 6 September 2007 (UTC)


That didn't really help very much. Can you just teach me how to start an article? I've seen all that information so many times, and every time it doesn't get me any closer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kev g48 (talk • contribs) 23:42, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.
Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.
If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation.--Fuhghettaboutit 23:35, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Looking at your contributions, I am guessing that the article you want to create is on the "small talk" subforum at PBNation. Unfortunately, that does not look to be a good prospect for an article. It's possible that PBNation itself has been significantly written about in multiple, independent, reliable sources (which is what is generally required in order to write an article on a topic), but it strikes me as highly doubtful that a subpage discussion forum of that larger website has ever been written about in any detail in any reliable sources. Of course, I may be wrong about this. But please take to heart that standard and only write if the subject meets it.--Fuhghettaboutit 23:47, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Edit Counter Update times?

Greetings,

How often is Interiot's Edit counter (aka Tool1) updated? It seems not to be completely updated to the moment...

Thanks,

Perfect Proposal Speak out loud! 00:15, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Tool1 is never updated as it scrapes contributions directly off of Special:Contributions. —[[Animum | talk]] 00:18, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
Interiot's counter is based on the toolserver, which has been having server problems for the past few days. According to the site now, MySQL on the database server crashed. Most likely that is the problem. Mr.Z-man 00:21, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
If it is down completely, an alternate quick version (no details, no breakdown, just page count) is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/query.php?what=contribcounter&titles=User:YOURNAMEHERE While it is not super-helpful, when nothing else is working, it at least shows the total edit count. (Note that it includes deleted pages/edits that Kate's doesn't, so counts will not match up when comparing the two.) Ariel♥Gold 01:36, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] montmorency football club

I am the website administrator for montmorencyfootballclub.com.au and I went to an effort to put our information on wiki only now to find some narrow minded person has deleted my information with no proof or foundation. They have made themselves wiki police. I am upset as i was not communicated with before this deletion from some"RN" who "Knits". They should find something better to do than delete things they have no knowledge of or rights to do so. I have forgotten my wiki logon Very upset Ed203.12.64.254 00:30, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

It was deleted because most of the text was copied directly fromhere. Wikipedia takes copyrights very seriously and text copied directly from another website is a copyright violation. Mr.Z-man 00:44, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
Very upset Ed is talking about me. Yes, I am an RN, and yes, I knit.
The article deleted was Montmorency Football Club, which was tagged (not by me, by Whpq) as a copyvio of http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?client=1-3913-48160-0-0&sID=46088&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=3929724&sectionID=46088 . It was tagged on August 30 at around 2200 UTC, and I deleted it as a copyvio about five hours later.
He's welcome to recreate the article in his own words or to follow the procedures at copyright problems to license the site's content under the GFDL. However, he left a personal attack on my webpage, and if he does it again he will be blocked. - KrakatoaKatie 00:51, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New redirect

Will you please redirect "DOA3" to "Dead or Alive 3" like I've been desiring for months, now? Please? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.216.60 (talk) 23:47, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Done: DOA3.--Fuhghettaboutit 23:50, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
If you created an account, you could do it yourself after 4 days. Corvus cornix 16:03, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
Why 4 days? Unless I'm very mistaken, page creation requires no waiting period, but now I've seen two people say that it does in the last day. Leebo T/C 16:07, 7 September 2007 (UTC)
Page creation requires no waiting period, but page move does. This is to avoid move vandalism. Corvus cornix 17:24, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another redirect

Will you please redirect "DOA2" to Dead or Alive 2? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.216.60 (talk) 00:11, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Done. --Silver Edge 00:17, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Another new redirect

Could you redirect "Totani" to Kōji Totani, please?—Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.14.216.60 (talk) 00:41, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Y Done Totani And please do not put the {{helpme}} request here on this page, that's for use on your own talk pages. Thanks! Ariel♥Gold 00:45, 7 September 2007 (UTC)