Why can't I edit Wikipedia?
Your account's edits and/or username indicate that it is being used on behalf of a company, group, celebrity or other well-known individual, or organization for purposes of promotion and/or publicity. The edits may have violated one or more of our rules on spamming, which include: adding inappropriate external links, posting advertisements, and using Wikipedia for promotion. Wikipedia has many articles on companies, groups, and organizations, but such groups are generally discouraged from using Wikipedia to write about themselves. In addition, usernames like yours are disallowed under our username policy.
- Am I allowed to make these edits if I change my username?
Probably not. See WP:FAQ/Organizations for a helpful list of frequently asked questions by people in your position. Also, review the conflict of interest guidance to see the kinds of limitations you would have to obey if you did want to continue editing about your company, group, organization, or clients. If this does not fit in with your goals, then you will not be allowed to edit again. Consider using one of the many websites that allow this instead.
- What can I do now?
You are still welcome to write about something other than your company, organization, or clients. If you do intend to make useful contributions on some other topic, you must convince a Wikipedia administrator that you mean it. To that end, please do the following:
- Add the text
{{unblock-spamun|Your proposed new username|Your reason here}}on your user talk page. - Replace the text "Your proposed new username" with a new username you are willing to use. See Special:Listusers to search for available usernames. Your new username will need to meet our username policy.
- Replace the text "Your reason here" with your reason to be unblocked. In this reason, you must:
- Convince us that you understand the reason for your block and that you will not repeat the edits for which you were blocked.
- Describe in general terms the contributions that you intend to make if you are unblocked.
{{unblock|Your reason here}} below but you should read the guide to appealing blocks first. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:08, 23 November 2011 (UTC)
RH12345 (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))
Request reason:
I understand now the reason why my submittal was blocked. When I was selecting a username, I tried WOODBAT, WOODBATS, etc, but they were not available. When I tried RockBats - it was available. For the most part, I was trying to update your information on WOOD Baseball Bats - correctly refer to the use of the wood species - White Ash and Hard Maple - and the rest of the less popular species. Also was trying to place correct info about the activities that led to new rules in Major League Baseball - which were specifically adopted to reduce the likelihood of "dangerous" broken bats. I did mention RockBats as the company that created these technologies - I understand why THAT was another reason this got blocked. I you are interested in editing the current content so that it is accurate and up-to-date, I am willing to work with you with a revision. I can also remove my reference to the educational site - woodbat.org - which contains the scientific details of what I was trying to contribute to your site.
Decline reason:
A user name has to refer to a single user, and have no hint as to the user's field of expertise. This ensures that all users are on a level playing field. In your case since you know a lot about wood bats, I would suggest that a more appropriate user name is one that avoids those terms, hence I don't see a reason for unblocking as Rockbats. The block notice above shows the correct template for a name change unblock. Ronhjones (Talk) 21:13, 23 November 2011 (UTC)
If you want to make any further unblock requests, please read the guide to appealing blocks first, then use the {{unblock}} template again. If you make too many unconvincing or disruptive unblock requests, you may be prevented from editing this page until your block has expired. Do not remove this unblock review while you are blocked.
RH12345 (block log • active blocks • global blocks • autoblocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))
Requested username:
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Decline reason:
- Seeing as there's been no movement here, I should make a comment that hopefully will clear up why: not only did you mention the company, but you linked to their website - when combined with the fact that your username matches, this was a problem. Please read and understand WP:SPAM, WP:ELNO, WP:RS. When you clearly understand, please let us know on this page. The new name you have chosen appears to be ok for use. (talk→ BWilkins ←track) 11:47, 25 November 2011 (UTC)
RH12345 (block log • active blocks • global blocks • autoblocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))
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Please change the paragraph on wood bats from...
"Most wooden bats are made from ash. Other natural materials used include maple tree wood, hickory wood, and bamboo. Hickory has fallen into disfavor because it is much heavier than other woods, while maple bats have become more popular recently. This ascent in popularity followed the introduction of the first major league sanctioned maple baseball bat in 1997, by craftsman Sam Holman, founder of Sam Bat. The first player to use it was Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays.[5] Barry Bonds used the bats the season that he broke Mark McGwire's single-season home run record in 2001 and Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007.[5] Recently, Major League Baseball has debated whether maple bats are safe to use, due to the tendency for them to shatter."
With the suggested change as follows...
"Historically, white ash (Fraxinus americana) has been the most common wood species used for the manufacture of wood baseball bats. Since the mid-1990's, sugar maple (Acer saccharum), also called hard maple, has gained popularity and now a significant percentage of wood bats in Major League Baseball are hard maple bats. Other species known to be used for wood bat manufacture include yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), beech (Fagus spp.), elm (Ulmus spp.), oak (Quercus spp.), and hickory (Carya spp.). These species of wood have physical and mechanical properties that makes them favorable for the manufacture of baseball bats. Wood density (specific gravity) determines the weight of the finished bat shape. Wood stiffness (modulus of elasticity), along with bat shape, determine the stiffness of the handle and affects the vibration after impact with the baseball. Wood strength (modulus of rupture, toughness, and impact bending) determine how resistant the bat will be to breakage. Hardness determines how much the barrel surface resists denting. Wood properties for various species of wood are available from the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory - Wood Handbook. [12]
Beginning in the mid-1990's, the ascent of hard maple in popularity is credited to the introduction of the first major league sanctioned maple baseball bat in 1997, by craftsman Sam Holman, founder of Sam Bat. The first player to use it was Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays.[5] Barry Bonds used the bats the season that he broke Mark McGwire's single-season home run record in 2001 and Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007.[5]
In 2008, Major League Baseball began discussing whether maple bats are safe to use, due to the tendency for them to shatter.[13] A team of experts was put together by the Safety and Health Advisory Committee to study broken bats. The experts confirmed that the wood property that was causing the majority of dangerous 2-piece broken bats was "slope-of-grain". In essence, if a wood bat has suitably straight grain along it's length and it happens to break, the failure mode should typically result in the classic "splintery" or "rupture" failure. However, if the wood grain is NOT straight along the length of the bat, this typically results in a dangerous 2-piece broken bat. New rules on wood quality and new technologies specific for maple bats were adopted by Major League Baseball starting in the 2009 season. [14]
Bat manufacturers that supply Major League Baseball now had 9 new requirements: (1) they had to meet a required minimum slope-of-grain for the wood used to make baseball bats; (2) because maple and birch bats have fine wood grain, they were required to place an ink dot on the flat-grain face of the handle so that the angle of grain could be highlighted to an inspector; (3) all maple and birch bats were now required to be labeled to advocate flat-grain contact with the baseball, which was 90-degrees different than the rule-of-thumb that had been done for the past century with white ash; (4) the handle of maple and birch bats was required to be a natural finish to allow the wood grain to be viewed; (5) manufacturers now had to place a serial number on every bat to be able to track the wood back to it's resource; (6) each bat manufacturer had to send a representative to an MLB-sponsored workshop to learn about engineering properties of wood and wood grading practices important for baseball bats; (7) manufacturers now had to be audited to assure that they are following good practices for grading wood and manufacturing baseball bats; (8) periodic inspections of bats delivered to the ballparks were also going to be made; and (9) a third-part certification program was established to inspect manufacturers for non-compliance to the bat regulations. [14] The adoption of these new rules created a stir in the wood bat industry.[15]
Also add new references...
[12] Wood Handbook. 2011. "Mechanical Properties of Wood". Chapter 5. USDA Forest Service, General Technical Report GTR-190. Madison, WI. http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr190/chapter_05.pdf
[13] MLB Press Release. 06-24-2008. "MLB, union meet over maple bats" http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080624&content_id=2993964&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
[14] MLB Press Release. 12-09-2008. "Safety tests for maple bats mandated" http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081209&content_id=3708319&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
[15] Yahoo Sports. Passan, J. "New bat rules cause maple bat flap" http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-maplecontroversy011809