Wikipedia:New contributors' help page: Difference between revisions

Wikipedia:New contributors' help page

What would you like to do? Ask a question Do something Ask a knowledge question that you cannot find the answer to in the encyclopedia. (e.g. Did Leonardo da Vinci build a working flying machine?) Learn about how and where you can help Wikipedia (information and resources on the basics needed to comprehend, comment on, and contribute to Wikipedia) Ask a question at the Teahouse about using or editing Wikipedia that you cannot find the answer to in the Frequently Asked Questions. (e.g. How can I fix this problem with this article?) Create an article now (see Your first article before you start) Ask a question about a practical problem you have that is not related to using or editing Wikipedia. (e.g. I was cheated by a builder. Please Help.) Request that other editors review your new article   Ways to get help If you place {{helpme}} on your talk page, a helper will visit you there as soon as possible! Join the #wikipedia-en-help IRC channel for real-time chat. New to IRC? Click here to be connected instantly! The template below outlines Wikipedia's help pages and can be viewed at the bottom of most related pages. (Click "show" on the right to expand the template)

• Shortcuts:
• WP:NCH
• WP:NUH
• WP:N?
• WP:NCHP

I'm currently involved in using cocacola as medical treatment i bezoar. It has been documented to work but i can't see any edit possibilities. is it locked or something? how do I find out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jakn09ab (talk • contribs) 22:03, 3 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Coca-Cola is currently semi-protected so that only established editors can edit it. This is done sometimes to prevent high-profile articles from becoming targets to random, "drive-by" vandalism. You need to become autoconfirmed in order to edit, but the threshold for that is rather low, you only need 10 edits and 4 days experience to become "autoconfirmed". After you pass those limits, you will be able to edit that article. As an aside, you need to read the wikipedia guidelines and policies WP:V, WP:CITE, WP:RS, and WP:BURDEN in the meantime, and be certain that the information you wish to add is properly cited to reliable sources, if it is not, then it may be removed as soon as you try to add it. --Jayron32 22:08, 3 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have two questions to clarify the situation: firstly, you say "I'm currently involved in using cocacola as medical treatment" - is this a research programme? Secondly, you say "It has been documented to work" - where is it documented, and has this document been peer-reviewed? Which medical journal(s) can we find this in? The reason I am asking is that as a matter of policy, Wikipedia cannot accept original research - we need evidence of peer reviews in respected journals to show that the outcome is medically accepted, rather than just some research that has happened, and the researchers have concluded that it works. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 14:54, 4 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The treatment of diospyrobezoars with coca-cola is mentioned in Bezoar#Types by content with three citations. — Athaenara ✉ 02:15, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I would like to get my contributions up (http://toolserver.org/~soxred93/count/index.php?name=Paperfork&lang=en&wiki=wikipedia). Do you have any ideas or tips for finding errors? Paperfork 13:04, 5 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Paperfork. First of all, Wikipedia isn't about getting high edit counts - quality is more important than quantity! My main tip for finding errors is to look at articles about subjects in which you are knowledgeable. Read through them, compare the article with the cited sources - perhaps find other reliable sources - and make corrections as required. If you find an article which has few or no references, look for some - use Google Scholar/Books/News to find useful reliable sources (be aware that if the subject is not English - for example a non-English politician, film, etc - you may need to use the native language terms for searching - and even then, you may not find much information online!)

If you get any local newspapers, see if there is any information in there which can be added to relevant articles. For example, my local newspaper mentioned William Stanley (as the centenary of his death was commemorated) - I went to add this to the article, and found there was no article! So, a bit of research later, I created the article - if you look at it, I found a lot of reliable sources - although the article still needs some tidying up!

Basically, just get stuck in - start with subjects you know a lot about - or can research. Good luck! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 13:12, 5 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Read the WP:Manual of Style and its subpages over and over until you have all the information thoroughly internalized. Then click on "Random article" under the WP logo on any page. In the article to which that takes you, you will probably find several typographical errors, violations of the style guidelines, formatting problems, and perhaps errors of fact. Fix them. While you're there, Google a few random phrases in the article to see whether there are any obvious copyright violations. If there are, remove or report them. Consider adding the article to your watchlist so that you'll know if someone comes along and blithely readds the copyvio. Then click on "Random article" again to move on to a new page. (This advice is only partially facetious; with enough people doing this, it might actually have a noticeable effect. One could also trawl through the categories listed at the top of Wikipedia:Cleanup to find articles in need of attention.) Deor (talk) 14:28, 5 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Most regular editors haven't read the whole Manual of Style, let alone its two dozen subpages. A question that frequently pops up on the Manual of Style discussion pages is whether the Manual is meant to be read as a whole or just consulted when needed. And I don't think that looking for Style violations in pages you'd never otherwise visit is a good practice. On the other hand, most editors are familiar with the main points of the Manual of Style and make corrections (after double-checking the relevant Manual section) when they encounter problems in the normal process of reading and editing articles. You should be familiar with the WP:Cheatsheet, however.

Another useful task, if you're statistically-inclined, is to check whether population figures, election returns, economic figures, athletic records, casualty reports, health statistics, and similar numbers are up to date and based on the soundest available source. Is any arithmetic (e.g., sums, percentages, lifespan, length in office, density of population) accurate? If only metric measures or only Imperial/U.S. customary weights and measures (miles, yards, pounds, gallons, etc.) are shown, provide the necessary conversions, since Wikipedia's readers often know only one system. (See Template:convert.) Double-check dates of birth, death, marriage, achievements, and assuming or leaving office. Does an information box match what's in the text? There's often a good reason they might appear to differ, but check whether one is based on more accurate information, and make any advisable adjustments or clarifications. If you're interested in the law, you could see if the laws or legal rulings have changed substantially after their last mention in a Wikipedia article. If you're interested in the arts, letters and entertainment, see if an artist's latest significant achievements and awards are shown and properly supported by neutral and reliable sources. If you're good at languages, you can see whether an article's versions in different languages are accurate (check the list of translations in the left-hand column of each article); if they need correction, haven't yet been created, or are poorly-phrased, see if you can improve what's there. —— Shakescene (talk) 12:49, 17 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Just wondering how to submit a link to my site. I have a live webcam on my parakeets 24/7. Well the light actually goes out from 11pm to 4:30am to give them a break, but for the rest of each day they are live. I thought that maybe this would be a good link to content about parakeets or pet birds. Thanks. Hello Parakeet www.helloparakeet.com or http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hello-parakeet TC —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.116.161.75 (talk) 04:50, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• To be honest, I do not think that your link would be suitable for inclusion, as I do not feel that it meets the criteria at "What should be linked" - it also meets condition 11 of "Links to be avoided", which states that Links to blogs, personal web pages and most fansites, except those written by a recognized authority [should be avoided]. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 08:46, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

a hypertensive patient after taking beta blocker comes in shock ,then how will manage them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Abhinav abhay (talk • contribs) 13:12, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We cannot offer medical advice. Please see the medical disclaimer. Contact your General Practitioner. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 13:18, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"New product introduction is often the best strategy to arrest the decline in sales and profits."Do you agree? Expalin the other straegy option that are available to secure this objective/discuss. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.139.55 (talk) 13:45, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. However, they may tell you to do your own homework. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:06, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please do your own homework.
Welcome to the Wikipedia Help desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misevaluation, but it is our policy here not to do others' homework, but merely to aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn how to solve such problems.
Please attempt to solve the problem yourself first. You can search Wikipedia or search the Web.
If you need help with a specific part of your homework, the Reference desk can help you grasp the concept. Do not ask knowledge questions here, just those about using Wikipedia. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 17:21, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Sameonea (talk • contribs) 23:43, 6 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks to me like you are trying to write an article here. This is a place to ask questions, not post proposed articles. Check out Wikipedia:Article_wizard_2.0 for a convenient way to start a new article.--SPhilbrickT 01:45, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

 – Gonzonoir (talk) 12:57, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I´m new to editing Wikipedia and have uploaded a file in error (CHEVROLET-BONANZA-4.0-CUSTOM-L-8V-DIESEL-2P-MANUAL-58750752009111620121854.jpg, caused by fat finger syndrome, sorry.) Is it not possible for regular folks to delete files, or do I have to wait for an admin to do it?

regards GrahamTM (talk) 12:14, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Deletion does require an admin, but you can speed up the process by placing a {{db-author}} tag on the file page (here: File:CHEVROLET-BONANZA-4.0-CUSTOM-L-8V-DIESEL-2P-MANUAL-58750752009111620121854.jpg). Gonzonoir (talk) 12:40, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thankyou! GrahamTM (talk) 12:47, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You're welcome. Gonzonoir (talk) 12:57, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, I've been having some ongoing discussions with a couple of WP reviewers and editors about a new article I have been trying to create. Originally, the article was deleted because the administrator felt it wasn't written in a neutral enough tone. I've re-edited the article at User:Julieapeck/BizFilings. One of the reviewers involved in my discussions thus far said I might be able to get someone to take a look at the newly edited page and give me some feedback -- before I move it to the public side. Ideally, I'd like to get the tone right before the page gets moved, rather than having to argue against deletion again. Can you help? Thanks. Julieapeck (talk) 20:14, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Hi, Julieapeck. I'm doing a bit of tidying up of the draft, then I'll look through it for neutrality etc. I'll leave a comment on your talk page when I'm done! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 21:28, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Great! Thanks for your help! I'll look forward to your comments.Julieapeck (talk) 21:37, 7 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

 – User name blocked as a spam name, user page and draft article speedily deleted as blatant advertising. – ukexpat (talk) 17:49, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am extremely new to Wikipedia and would like to know the process of getting Fixie Bicycle Company page available through a wiki search. When I search wiki for Fixie Bicycle Company the reference page or any other world related to Fixie page for that matter nothing returns from the show. I would like to also attach references that relate to the fixed gear an single speed bicycles that are already on wiki and reference them to Fixie Bicycle Company page. Further more what is the difference between Fixiebc at the top of my page and My Contribution, which one is viewable by the public? If I ever do figure this out I would to assist more in the effort

Fixie b. 06:49, 8 December 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fixiebc (talk • contribs)

Your username, Fixiebc, indicates you are associated with Fixie Bicycle Company and want to create an article on Wikipedia in order to promote the company. In that case, you should not be editing Wikipedia just to promote the company because it is a conflict of interest. Your username may also be a violation of Wikipedia's username policy because it is promotional.

When you are logged in, "Fixiebc" at the top links to your user page, a page intended to be used to facilitate communication between users about Wikipedia, and "my contributions" at the top links to your user contributions, a list of edits you have made. Both are viewable by anyone using Wikipedia. --Mysdaao ^talk 13:54, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Further to Mysdaao's reply, I would like to add that Fixie Bicycle Company does not appear to meet either the General Notability guidelines or the Notability Guidelines for Companies. I can find no indication that this company is notable - there are no Google News hits for it, and all of the Google Search hits are social networking sites, which are not reliable sources of information for Wikipedia. They are a new company (founded in 2009 according to your Facebook account) - which is another indication that they are probably not a notable company at the moment. The two websites associated with it are a blog and an eBay shop (the blog started on 16th Nov, the ebay Shop seems to indicate that the company has been in existance since 30th Sept). -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 14:06, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find where to report this but I have seen that the David A. Kolb page has been vandalised. I felt that trhis should be reported. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.86.65.32 (talk) 14:16, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. If you'd like to know more about how to revert this kind of thing yourself, there's some useful info at WP:Vandalism (or you can ask here). But if not, thanks for the heads up. --Floquenbeam (talk) 14:20, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I tried to add references to an article. Someone else did them properly but I don't understand how they did it. They gave me some links. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:WikiDan61#Jesse_Chac.C3.B3n . Please help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Saduski J (talk • contribs) 17:35, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Templates can be tricky for new contributors and they are not mandatory to use. In [1] WikiDan61 used the <ref>...</ref> and <references/> markup described at Help:Footnotes#Single citation of a reference or footnote. Inside <ref>...</ref> Template:Cite news was used. There are other templates designed to cite other types of sources than news. Wikipedia:Citation templates shows many of them. Each template has a number of named parameters written to the left of a '=' sign when the template is used. Those names cannot be changed (without changing the source code of the template which is complicated), but many of them can be omitted or you can leave a blank space to the right of '='. If you want to use a named parameter then you write something to the right of '=' and the template automatically formats the output. Multiple named parameters are separated by the pipe character '|' (may look like a broken line on your keyboard). Does this help? PrimeHunter (talk) 17:59, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Further to PrimeHunter's reply, I have left a quick guide to references on your talk page - I hope it helps! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 18:07, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Kinda like. Its pretty hard. Like, I click "edit" to reply to this and now I can see more stuff like <nowiki> as well. Is the computer putting all these in? I've just made a few edits and I have a screen of computer code to understand first

(I also got an edit conflict error and lost the post I was going to make.)

Thank you for the help, I will go and read it a bit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Saduski J (talk • contribs) 18:17, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I put in the nowiki stuff in order to display the markup codes instead of applying the codes. See Help:Wiki markup#No or limited formatting—showing exactly what is being typed. You will normally only need to use nowiki when you are discussing markup code and not when you are just using it. I realize it can be confusing. I actually had to edit your post because you wrote <nowiki> in it and that was interpreted as markup. The edit conflict window includes the text of your post. You can edit it there or copy it to a new edit window. See Help:Edit conflict. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:58, 8 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I cannot figure out how to place a table to be positioned at the upper right of the page. I physically moved the text upward, but that got me no where. Any help is appreciated.

Lastly, once I am happy with the layout, citations, etc., how do I submit the article I just created in my sandbox?

One last thing: other than asking questions here, how do I properly ask a review to check my work in my sandbox before formally submitting it for genuine publication on Wikipedia?

Many thanks,

Carmen2u (talk) 07:21, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• Hi Carmen2u. OK, let's go...

1. The table: what you really need to do is to use an infobox. I have put one into the draft article for you, using the data you used on the table
2. For a review, you can go to Requests for Feedback.
3. When you are happy with it and think it's ready, read WP:MOVE which explains how to move it from your sandbox to article space. However, you need to be autoconfirmed to do so (basically, have 10 edits and your account being active for 4 days (96+ hours). You can either wait, or ask an autoconfirmed editor to move it for you.

Can I recommend that you read some of Wikipedia's guidelines and policies - I am leaving links on your talk page - and be aware that as it stands, the article will need reliable, independent sources of information - at the moment, all the references are from Aase's own employers' websites! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 12:13, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi PhantomSteve:

OK, I think I've accumulated the 3rd party independent reliable sources needed for the page. Plus, I reformatted the references based on a suggestion from another editor. I edited some portions of the text that appeared to be oriented toward opinion rather than verifiable fact. I added new external links and references in conformance with guidelines. Anyway, that's a long-winded way for me to ask you to take another look and lend your eagle-eye. I know you've got a lot on your plate, so I appreciate your input. Thanks.

Carmen2u (talk) 15:53, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• I'll have a look at it either later today or tomorrow (UTC)! If I don't, leave me a message on my talk page tomorrow to remind me! Of course, others here may be happy to take a look at User:Carmen2u/Lee Aase and give advice - and I'd be quite happy for more than just my pair of eyes having a shufti! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 16:00, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hello,

I am new to Wikipedia, and would like to add some images to my article, but when following the instructions in the "help:wiki markup" pages to go to the "upload page", I get the following message:

The action you have requested is limited to Autoconfirmed users, Administrators, Confirmed users.

Could you possibly let me know how to get around this?

Many thanks, Hermione p (talk) 13:44, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your account must be autoconfirmed before it is allowed to upload images (i.e. it has been active for four days and made at least ten edits). Once you reach those thresholds, you'll be able to upload. TNXMan 13:51, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can I further explain that the 4 days means 96 hours! So, you will be autoconfirmed at 17:03, 12 December 2009, as you have more than 10 edits. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 14:10, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Incidently, all the references given in Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Man's Impact On European Seas are from the project itself! I would advise you to find independent, reliable sources of information to back up those references. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 14:15, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

pleaes i need urgent attention from this web link i want to ask my question directly to any body who can help. this is an assignment which needs numerousn contributiopns. help me get connected now. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ikechukwuwu (talk • contribs) 22:00, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Your question is unclear, but if it is a homework question, please note that we will not do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 22:11, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I did some edits today to this article and all were removed. I received a message that one edit did not conform. I'd like to know why it did not conform and why all of my edits were removed. Quantummech (talk) 22:21, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Quantummech. The reason why your edits were reverted is summed up in the edit summary of the revert: unsourced/poorly sourced changes that are not neutral. The editor in question left a message along these lines on your talk page. In Wikipedia, articles need to be written using a neutral point of view - with information referenced from independent, reliable sources. Your edits did not meet these criteria. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 22:36, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

2over0 has provided a helpful and comprehensive analysis on the article talk page. Verbal chat 08:05, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

When I search for the word "Mexicans" (the people) or "Mexican People" I am always redirected to the article on Mexico (the country). What I want is for "Mexicans" to be it's own article that dresses Mexicans as a people/ethnicity/nationality/diaspora etc, and is separate from the 'Mexico' article that is focused on the country of Mexico. Germans, Italians, Puerto Ricans, and Japanese all have their own individual articles that are separate from their respective countries and deal more with them as a people than the nations they are from. Could someone disambiguate "Mexicans" so that it becomes it's own article instead of redirecting to Mexico? I tried it myself but I couldn't get past the run-around of wikipedia's regulations and endless links. When the process is done I ask that I get a notification on my Talk Page. Thanks in advanced. Ocelotl10293 (talk) 22:48, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have been bold and made Mexicans to be a redirect to Mexican (disambiguation)#People. I feel that Mexican is right to be redirected to Mexico, so I have left that as it is. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 23:27, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think a better target is Demographics of Mexico. Similar in scope to articles like Italian people, etc. that Ocelot links above, just a different naming scheme. I was about to make Mexicans, Mexican people, and People of Mexico redirect there; but I don't want to step on your toes, PhantomSteve, so I'll wait to hear if you disagree or not. I agree Mexican has too many meanings to go directly there, so I think it should stay a redirect to Mexico, or perhaps even better, make it the disambiguation page, instead of the current location Mexican (disambiguation). You'd need an admin to do that, and should start a discussion about it at WP:Requested moves if you want to do it. --Floquenbeam (talk) 23:38, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have no objections, Floquenbeam - it makes sense to me! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 00:58, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Done. We'll see if it sticks. --Floquenbeam (talk) 02:06, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

if a child is having difficulty having a bowel movement since birth, and enemas have been given in order for them to clean them out, can this be the cause of them having toxic megacolonClueless concerned37 (talk) 03:09, 10 December 2009 (UTC) this child has several other problems since birth, one being diagnosed with Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome, or is toxic megacolon due to thatClueless concerned37 (talk) 03:09, 10 December 2009 (UTC) Just looking for some answers, and if anyone has heard about this and experienced in their child, please respond.[reply]

1) Sorry, Mario, but your Princess is in another castle. 2) Wikipedia is not a substitute for a medical opinion. Regardless of the information we give you, you're best off contacting an actual doctor. -Jeremy ^{(v^_^v Stop... at a WHAMMY!!)} 03:29, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We cannot offer medical advice. Please see the medical disclaimer. Contact your General Practitioner. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 03:52, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We do, however, have existing articles on both Toxic megacolon and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, and it is possible these may be of interest or of use to you. Karenjc 07:28, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Tbuenvenida (talk) 16:38, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A Wizard is available to walk you through these steps. See the Article Wizard.

Thank you.

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 with which all articles should comply. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite 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 Wikipedia:Your first article. You might also look at 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. An Article Wizard is available to walk you through creating an article. --Mysdaao ^talk 16:45, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a way to make a text glow?--The voice oɟ mud^{I am your voice!!}_{my sandbox} 16:44, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What do you mean by "glow"? And do you intend to ever make a contribution to Wikipedia? If you're after social networking or personal webspace, you're in the wrong place. Algebraist 16:53, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Oh just forget the glow, I don't need it anymore. and yes I do intend to make "a" Contribute to Wikipedia,I'm working on an article on Microsoft Word, about Jacques-Yves Cousteau -It's a timeline. And I also have fixed several typos.--The voice oɟ mud^{I am your voice!!}_{my sandbox} 17:25, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

hello,

I was wondering...could you give me feedback on a couple of references I wish to add to article page (okay to use as they are?):

Ref: M,W "Who's Who 2009 A@C Black Publishers Ltd".
     M, W "http://www.ukwhoswho.com/public/home.html."

many thanks Melissa12345 (talk) 16:47, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Neither of those is a reliable source, as they tend to accept information from the subjects of the listings without vetting it in any way. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:01, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I created Jesse Chacón but the person's full name is Jesse Escamillo Chacón.

Other biographies are indexed by the full name. How do I fix it?

Signed Saduski J (talk) 20:37, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You need to move the page as described at WP:MOVE. – ukexpat (talk) 21:00, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I forgot to ask my other question, is A Directory of World Leaders & Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments: 2008 - 2009 a good enough citation for his middle name?

Signed Saduski J (talk) 00:00, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The CIA appears to be the source so I would say it is. – ukexpat (talk) 03:42, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What you name the article depends on what the most common usage of his name is. If he does not commonly use his middle name, the article should not be located under that name. There should, of course, be redirects from all possible names to all others, but the main article should be titled by the most commonly used name, not his "official" name; if his official name is not the most common form. See WP:UCN. --Jayron32 06:33, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The middle name isn't used so much, so I added it to the article but not to the title and put the source in a reference. What happens if someone looks up Jesse Escamillo Chacón? Do I need to create an article telling people the proper article's name? Saduski J (talk) 08:26, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You can create a redirect. --ColinFine (talk) 08:44, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Too much code, can you do it for me? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Saduski J (talk • contribs) 08:58, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've created the redirect now. In future you can create redirects by putting this code:

#REDIRECT:[[destination]]

On the article which you want to redirect from. Kind regards, Spitfire^Tally-ho! 09:10, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a link I can use to see a list of newly created articles or pages? Tythesly (talk) 21:07, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed there is: Special:NewPages. – ukexpat (talk) 21:15, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You have listings for many bands' albums with no song titles. I have a vast record collection and would like to add song titles, albums details, possibly photos. how do I do that? Mcmliv54 (talk) 00:08, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

you can just go ahead and add it. You may want to pick a few of the better articles about albums to use as models, but really, if you are just adding track lists and personel details, it should be pretty easy to do so; presumably if the album itself is its own reference in these cases, making citing easier. The photo issue is a bigger problem, because if this is photos included with the album itself, Wikipedia probably cannot use them. Wikipedia has a very strict image use policy which basically says "If you didn't take the picture yourself, don't upload it". There are a few exceptions (See WP:NFCC and WP:NFC), but really unless you have experience working in this area, its easy to screw up. If you need help with the technical aspects of Wikipedia editing, Wikipedia:Cheatsheet has lots of the most common markup tags, and Help:Wikipedia: The Missing Manual for a more detailed rundown. WP:EIW is basically an index of EVERYTHING at Wikipedia, but it is probably a little too comprehensive for the new user. --Jayron32 06:30, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It seems to have layers and layers of people giving conflicting advice, and people who want to be right at the expense of others. Is there somewhere on wikipedia that is nice and pleasant to experience? Or is it all ugly? Xme (talk) 00:18, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Another editor wrote a really nice essay addressing the same issue you're facing. Unfortunately, I can't find it, so you'll have to work with hazy memory. Basically, it goes like this: Yes, it's easy to get caught up in all the drama around the here. The sniping. The oneupsmanship. The ticky-tack attacks, the wikilawyering, the trolling, the POV pushing, the whole shebang. The best thing to do is to take a step back. Look at some of the things we've done. Pick a good article and read through it. Learn something. A lot of different people have contributed a lot of wonderful content, but it's really easy to miss it sometimes. A little perspective goes a long way. TNXMan 00:34, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I noticed someone removed a link from an article. I think it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesse_Chac%C3%B3n&diff=331099200&oldid=331098843 .

What did I do? Why would it be "inappropriate" to link a minister who resigned because his own brother was arrested in a Venezuelan corruption scandal, to the article on Venezuelan corruption scandals? It is a useful link, it doesn't mean he was corrupt himself. Someone reading one corruption issue might want to find out about others. Is there some kind of adjudication? I think this is well-intentioned but the other user removed useful information. Saduski J (talk) 16:46, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You should discuss this with the user in question at their talk page or the article talk page. Algebraist 16:48, 11 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are ASCII quotation marks (like "these") and apostrophes (like this one's) generally preferred to non-ASCII ones (such as “these” and this one’s)? More to the point, should they be corrected when encountered, provided the distinction is not intended or important? I think non-ASCII quotes are typically an artifact of copying and pasting text from Word. Dsfwiw (talk) 06:01, 12 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:MOS#Quotation_marks indicates that non-standard quotation marks should not be used. The Manual of Style recommends that "straight" quotes and apostrophes should be used. --Jayron32 06:04, 12 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I see the number of articles rise each day on the main page and I'm curious about what kind of articles are added. How can I find the articles that are created each day? Thanks 76.103.81.151 (talk) 04:16, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Special:NewPages. – ukexpat (talk) 04:30, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If you click Special pages in the toolbox to the left then you get many options. One of them is "New pages" which gives the above link. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:42, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Wiki,

Is there anyone who can help me get my login and password sorted out?

I had written my own profile and was getting ready to become a wiki contributor but I can't remember my login. I typed my name and requested a new password be sent but it didn't work.

Please help me! Many thanks Andrew Woods —Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.33.219.208 (talk) 09:36, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Special:ListUsers/Andrew Woods shows the account User:Andrew Woods was created in 2006 while User:Andrew Woods123 was created 3 days ago and made the article Chris Took. Maybe you are Andrew Woods123. See Wikipedia:Autobiography if you are thinking about creating an article about yourself. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:36, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've been asked by a couple of people to prepare a page on Rapture3D. I've put a first cut at rfurse/Rapture3D - does it look okay?

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rfurse (talk • contribs) 17:30, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well done for creating it under your user page and asking, rather than just going ahead and creating it in article space. It would have been useful if you had provided a link to it by typing [[User:rfurse/Rapture3D]], which would result in the following link: User:rfurse/Rapture3D.

However, I'm afraid that as it stands, the article will probably be deleted as soon as you move it into article space, because it has no independent reliable sources, and so does not establish that it is notable. Please read the articles I have linked to, and also your first article. --ColinFine (talk) 23:31, 13 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! What would be good reliable sources for this? I can see that blueripplesound.com is a primary source (and good for the precise details) but I was hoping the game review would be okay as a secondary. There's lots of stuff in forums that I suppose also qualifies as secondary, but this seems a strange thing to reference... --Rfurse (talk) 09:48, 14 December 2009 (GMT)

See WP:Notability (software). Frankly, if you have not found obviously reliable independent sources by now, there probably aren't any, and the package does not (at present) meet Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion. --ColinFine (talk) 23:39, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Assuming that you establish notability. Please also consider adding categories to the article, so that people can find it. Racepacket (talk) 06:29, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is it possible to make a specific section of a user talk page uneditable by anyone other than the user? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.191.157.25 (talk) 00:41, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nope. Page protection is all or nothing. Someguy1221 (talk) 01:02, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hey that's not a bad idea though. Could something like that be worked out?--Neptunerover (talk) 01:28, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's not currently possible because the division of sections is purely an HTML/WikiMarkup trick. It may be possible with liquid threads, but such a feature is not planned, as far as I'm aware. Someguy1221 (talk) 05:41, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Resolved

 – Message left on user's talk page -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 15:38, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

i have a question on speedy deletion on my page VQiPS— Preceding unsigned comment added by Cluu2009 (talk • contribs) 15:12, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Reponse left on user's talk page. -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 15:38, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am having trouble accomplishing the following. I want to create a 2 level numbered list. Under each second level item I would like to add a preformatted section for code examples. what happens is that the numbering breaks after each such code section.152.62.109.164 (talk) 09:07, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I looked at a few edits you made before posting this notice, but can't see where you were trying to do this. Could you set up what you've tried so far in a personal sandbox page? Note: You may need to register an ID to create such a page; it's one of the many advantages of doing so. (End of advertisement.) --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 17:00, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

By the way, I'm certain there is a way to reset the numbering. I didn't find it yet, but I did find a couple of tricks I didn't know here. --A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 17:12, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Here is an example to clarify my intent:

1. item 1
   1. item 1.1

this should be a part
of item 1.1

1. item 2 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 152.62.109.164 (talk) 13:45, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I may be able to fudge your example to make it work, but I doubt it would help with the real article you are working on. An alternative to WP's ordered lists is HTML ordered lists, which can be done at WP but require completely different coding. I couldn't find a help page at WP for using this (becuase it's not "officially" supported, even though it works), and it's not as easy to use, but it involves using a code like this:

<ol start="7"><li>Seventh line</li>
<li>Eighth line</li></ol>

which gives you:

7. Seventh line
8. Eighth line

--A Knight Who Says Ni (talk) 19:06, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What are the different reasons for the climatic change and what are their prevention methods? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.242.204.209 (talk) 13:41, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Our Climate change and Global warming articles should give you the information you need: if you still have questions after reading those, please try the Science section of our reference desks. Gonzonoir (talk) 13:59, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But note that we won't do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 16:52, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

what is limitation of digital envelope..... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.184.32 (talk) 15:15, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Computing section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. TNXMan 15:17, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

But note that we won't do your homework for you. – ukexpat (talk) 16:53, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

can some one show me or tell me hoe to start a new article????--Cathalgavin (talk) 22:05, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

That's a pretty broad question. Take a look at Wikipedia:Your first article, and if you have any specific questions after that, you can ask them here. --Floquenbeam (talk) 22:12, 15 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A Wizard is available to walk you through these steps. See the Article Wizard.

Thank you.

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 with which all articles should comply. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite 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 Wikipedia:Your first article. You might also look at 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. An Article Wizard is available to walk you through creating an article. – ukexpat (talk) 16:11, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi,

Is it against policy to link across languages? An example can be found in the article "Personalism." In the English Wikipedia, this article contains an active link to another article named "Borden Parker Bowne." In the Norwegian Wikipedia, however, in the article "Personalisme" the link to "Borden Parker Bowne" is a red hotlink, and leads to the "no such article" screen.

Is it against Wikipedia policy to insert a working link to the English article from the Norwegian one? Anyone who reads "Personalisme" likely reads English.

Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.75.79.141 (talk) 05:15, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See Help:Interwiki linking for all of the technical details on linking between different language wikipedias. With the exception of "interlanguage links", a specific type of interwiki linking, you wouldn't want to cause a jump from the Norwegian Wikipedia to the English one; if the Borden Parker Bowne article still needs to be created at the Norwegian Wikipedia, then please do so if you have the ability to translate from English to Norwegian. The two projects are functionally independent, and it isn't very practical to expect Norwegian readers to want to read an English article. --Jayron32 06:43, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I recently re-submitted an article on HADAS ( Hendon and District Archaeological Society) which is now being held for still being similar in some places to the Society's web page. If I can find out which bits I'm happy to redo it. How do I find out which bits are of concern? and then how do I get cabk to my held article to edit and re-submit it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Timhadas (talk • contribs) 10:07, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Timhadas - I have answered this question on the Help Desk. Gonzonoir (talk) 10:14, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I want to keep snippets and notes for articles I might work on. Is there somewhere proper for this? They aren't suitable for a article yet. Saduski J (talk) 13:48, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Saduski J. Please read Wikipedia:Subpage. I think that will tell you everything you need to answer your question. If not, please post a follow-up. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:56, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The nearest I can find is User:Example/Draft of article but I want to keep snippets as well as a draft. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saduski J (talk • contribs) 16 December 2009 (UTC)

You might put them in User:Saduski J/Workshop. --Moonriddengirl ^(talk) 14:11, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You can put both on a subpage. It isn't just limited to drafts. You can also create multiple subpages if you want to keep them separate, for example User:Saduski J/Draft and User:Saduski J/Snippets, or you can name them something else more appropriate to what you're doing if you want. --Mysdaao ^talk 14:14, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Userpage and Wikipedia:Namespace has some explanation of this; the basic principle is if you aren't violating some pretty simple rules, such as WP:COPYVIO and WP:ATTACK, you can manage your userspace (which is your main userpage and all its subpages) pretty much as you wish. Your idea of using parts of the userspace to organize notes and help you write articles is actually probably the best possible use of subpages I could think of; doing so would be entirely within the spirit of Wikipedia, and it is certainly a better use of the userspace than many do. --Jayron32 16:04, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've been notified that my page "Mike Song" might be deleted, and I just want to find out for what reason... thanks! RachelMetzger (talk) 19:35, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have removed the {{helpme}} tag you added. That tag is intended to be used on your user talk page only.

I see that you found the link to Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Mike Song and commented there after asking your question here. As you can see, the user who nominated it for deletion said, "I tried to clean this article some, but it appears to be mostly spam, with no real content. I can't see how this biography is notable enough to warrant inclusion." Articles for deletion is where users discuss whether or not an article should be deleted for at least seven days. The user thinks the article doesn't meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines for people at Wikipedia:Notability (people). Please read the links given, and you may comment further at the deletion discussion if you wish. --Mysdaao ^talk 19:59, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

(ec)It would have been helpful if you had linked to the page Mike Song. TNXMan has given his reasons for nominating it: looking at the edit history, he appears to have removed quite a lot of material which was either unsourced or not neutrally written - I think that the latter was mostly made him refer to it as spam.

You have included a lot of references, but looking at their titles, I suspect that not many of them are significant mentions from solid sources. Nevertheless, I don't think I agree with TNXMan.

TNXMan having nominated it for deletion, this will now get descussed at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Mike Song, and you and other editors will get a chance to argue the case before a consensus emerges. --ColinFine (talk) 20:03, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How do you put in images in Wikipedia? I mean, you can't just cut out a picture and paste it on Wikipedia...@.@

Please write the answer in my talk page!! Classical Esther (talk) 07:11, 18 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

• If you want to upload an image for use in an article, you must determine the copyright status of the image. If you know the image is in the public domain or bears a suitably free and compatible copyright license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the copyright status, see the file upload wizard for more information, but please be aware that most images you find on the internet are copyrighted, are assumed so unless you have affirmative evidence to the contrary, and do not need to display any copyright symbol. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
• If you want to add a free image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or to the Wikimedia Commons, add [[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text]] to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacing File name.jpg with the actual file name of the image, and Caption text with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps.

I am leaving a talkback on your talk page, so that you know there has been a response. I am responding here so that other editors can see the answer to this common question! -- PhantomSteve/talk|contribs\ 07:56, 18 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I recently created an article on wikipedia but it does not look like other articles because it says 'this is a new unreviewed article' at the top. It also says something about that template being removed once the page is viewed by someone other than me. My question is: do I need to remove the template? And how would I know if Im supposed to remove it once someone else has reviewed it? Do I ask a friend to review it or is it supposed to be reviewed by an administrator from Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.12.7.237 (talk) 15:45, 18 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is this the article in question? TNXMan 15:51, 18 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes...it is.