Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 February 1

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February 1

deleting article talk pages?

What's the right way to propose deletion of a talk page (such as Talk:Kamxik) that has no associated article? I was about to use {{prod}}, but it explicitly says it's only for articles, user pages, and user talk pages. --Steve Summit (talk) 03:29, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

{{db-talk}}. So tagged. Yuser31415 (Editor review two!) 03:37, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Why are some links red?

Someone please explain to me Why are some links in red and when I clicked on them I found nothing?

If a link's in red (like this one), it means that there isn't an article at the destination of the link. If you think that the other end of the link would make an appropriate article, you can write it yourself (by clicking on the link) or request it; if you don't think it would make an appropriate article, you should turn the link back into ordinary text by editing the article it's in. --ais523 09:10, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

That was my question I didn't know how to add my name. Thank you for the explanation. Balikem

Learning Russian using audio linked from wikipedia.

I want to help a friend learn pronunciation of Russian words. A lot of, but not all of, your articles that define Russian words have links to audio files. Is there a list of these articles? Can I download all the audio files at once?

Here are some links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babushka http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NKVD http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KGB

They are listed at commons:Category:Russian pronunciation. --Cherry blossom tree 10:26, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

This is perfect, thank you!

VIVIENNE GREENWELL : QUESTION RE. EDITS

pLEASE CAN YOU LET ME KNOW IF IT IS OK TO ENTER THE SITE AND LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT A DVD IS AVAILABLE AND NOT MENTION ACORN MEDIA UK LIMITED.

REGARDS

VIVIENNE GREENWELL —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Vivienne greenwell (talk • contribs) 09:38, 1 February 2007 (UTC).

You'll have to ask on the talk page of the article or discuss it with the editor(s) who initially removed the text. No-one on this page can make binding decisions across many articles. --Cherry blossom tree 10:30, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Please be more specific when asking questions here, as we are not omnipotent super-beings, just volunteers :)

And also, in that same vein, please do not type in ALL CAPS, as it is very hard on the eyes. Thank you. ~ Flameviper ^{Who's a Peach?} 17:14, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

Categories, creating:

I am having difficulty with Categories. I want to: Create a new: Category:Tram transport by country|New Zealand & Category:Tram transport by country|India

& Replace Category:Trams by country|Switzerland with new: Category:Tram transport by country|Switzerland

so that India, New Zealand and Switzerland all appear on the Tram Transport by Country page as a Subcategory [+] (with Switzerland as subcategory Tram transport not Trams)

But I gather I do not create new pages eg: Tram transport by country|Switzerland

How is it done please?? Hugo999 10:01, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I think I've done most of what you wanted. The relevant help page is at Wikipedia:Categorization. In order to create the New Zealand category copy "[[Category:Tram transport in New Zealand]]" into the categories of the articles you would like to include. This will create a red link to Category:Tram transport in New Zealand with the other categories. Click on this to create that category and include "[[Category:Tram transport by country]]" and "[[Category:Rail transport in New Zealand]]" in the edit box to make it a subcategory. If you have trouble with this then just ask again. Hope this helps. --Cherry blossom tree 10:46, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Remember that you will need to add something in the edit box when trying to save a new category, so if you don't have any sub-categories to add, just enter an HTML comment using <!-- (text is optional) -->. Adrian M. H. 15:50, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks to you both - will look at help page again before trying! Hugo999 13:52, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

St. Patrick Street

How do I go about changing the name of this article from St. Patrick Street to St. Patrick's Street? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.43.67.204 (talk) 10:03, 1 February 2007 (UTC).

You'll need to move the page. However, you must be logged in to be able to do this. Trebor 10:11, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

(after edit conflict) To change the title of an article is called "moving" the article (see Help:Moving a page). Only registered users who have had an account for at least four days can do this (a tab labelled "move" will appear at the top of the article, next to "history"). I'll move this page for you. — QuantumEleven 10:14, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

qualifications to become a referee

please help me59.93.118.170 12:39, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

• You want the reference desk. This page is for questions about Wikipedia. - 131.211.210.11 13:13, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I have new messages... endlessly

"You have new messages." I know. I clicked on the link. I saw the messages. I even edited the page and got rid of the messages. But throughout it all I still have new messages, according to the orange box. I can't seem to get the system to trigger that I have read the messages and stop bugging me about it. Is there a way to manually reset that trigger? (Yes, I know I could register and log in, but I'd rather not at the moment, and that doesn't actually fix the problem.) Thank you! --24.147.86.187 13:02, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

All I can think of is a caching problem. See Wikipedia:Bypass your cache for more details on how to fix this, but it's probably pressing control and reload/refresh. --Cherry blossom tree 16:09, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It could be a server cache issue too. Try purging it as well. Titoxd^(?!?) 05:06, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Try editing your talk page to make it render a different version. If that doesn't work, you might want to bypass your cache (control-shift-R in FireFox and control-F5 in Internet Explorer). And if that will still not get it to work, you might want to try something drastic and delete your entire cache. And for that matter, your cookies. ~ Flameviper ^{Who's a Peach?} 17:17, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

In December (2006) Wikipedia's display font changed on my system...

...with no volitional change on my part. Up until that time any Wikipedia webpage I accessed rendered in a perfectly readable, SIMPLE, courier-like font; then one day--for no apparent reason--the default font was (and remains) a scrunchy BOLD font that's very difficult to read.

I've been able to correct this by changing "My preferences...Skin" to "Simple"--but now it's necessary for me to log in each time I access Wikipedia in order for this preference to be applied.

Q1: Has something changed on Wikipedia's end to alter the appearance of the default font in which the website renders?

Q2: Aren't my Wiki preferences saved in a cookie? (Apparently not.)

Q3: Is there ANY WAY for me to fix this so I don't have to log in every time I access the website, which I do multiple times a day?

Thanks!

Sam Lowry 13:03, 1 February 2007 (UTC)Steve

• Q1: No, nothing changed on Wikipedia. When I am not logged in the font is still the same as it was before December 2006 and the entire year for that matter. Q2: Yes, your prefs are saved in a cookie, but the cookie is only activated when you log in. Q3: You probably changed the preferred font on your browser by accident (or had some other program do it), check your browser options to see if something about the font changed. If you access Wikipedia multiple times a day, then why don't you log in for the entire time? - Mgm|^(talk) 13:44, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
• Another possible option is that the font file you were using got corrupted on your local computer. If you know the name of the font, try using it in a word processor file, to at least discard that possibility. Then, do as MacGyverMagic says and check your browser's settings. If nothing else works, purge the server's cache, then bypass your browser's cache. Titoxd^(?!?) 05:05, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Sometimes, if you're using a browser rigged a certain way, the font size will change when you press the COntrol key and scroll the mouse wheel. It's quite easy to acidentally do this, and sometimes the font size will change so radically that it may indeed seem like a different font. I hope that helps. ~ Flameviper ^{Who's a Peach?} 17:20, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

how

how did this get on my pc and how do i get rid of it

• You'll have to be more specific. What is it that got on your PC? If it's Wikipedia, you should simply surf away from our domain if you don't want to visit. We're an only encyclopedia and can probably give you an answer, but the 'this' you're talking about is probably not Wikipedia-related. - Mgm|^(talk) 18:22, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
  • You can ask questions about your computer (a virus, ads popping up, etc.) at Wikipedia:Reference desk. -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:54, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

It got on your PC because you downloaded it... .V. _[Talk|Email] 17:13, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Splitting an article into 2 for content

It has been suggested that the article Norton Radstock should be split into 2 articles one on Midsomer Norton & the other on Radstock. This is not because of the length (as described at: Wikipedia:How to break up a page) but because they are separate settlements & the name Norton Radstock is not in common usage (apart from as an administrative council) - the separate terms are redirects to this page. I've put a note on the talk page but is there an appropriate notice/box similar to the merge one on Wikipedia:Merging and moving pages which could be added to the talk page for a period of time to let other know that the split is proposed & enabling them to comment?— Rod ^talk 13:44, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Not that I am aware of, no. I think the talk page comment is probably the best approach. Adrian M. H. 15:55, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Person created article on himself

A new article Chris Bennetts was apparently written by the author about the author. Does Wikipedia have a policy about this? I thought so, but couldn't seem to find anything spelled out. SmartGuy 14:32, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It certainly does. Wikipedia:Autobiography, Wikipedia:Conflict of interest and best of all Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion! Adrian M. H. 15:57, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Cool, I tagged it at it was gone literally in 30 seconds. Nice speedy work admins! SmartGuy 17:44, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Peter Blaise says: What's wrong with writing about oneself? All an autobiographist(?) has to do to get around this is to spoof or sign in from another computer. Shouldn't the criteria for deletion be verifiable accuracy, rather than merely considering the reported source? Or we could get around this by having friends do each other: "Hey, pal, wiki me (see my attached) and send me something about yourself for me to wiki about you, okay?" Deleting may make admins feel powerful, but the whole point of a wiki is to get content, content, content, and let the reader decide, not to invent trivial, unrelated reasons to delete, delete, delete. A wiki isn't supposed to be clean and empty. Though standards must be high for adding content, that's self-inflicted criteria. The standards for deletion must be higher still, otherwise admins come across as whimsical censors. That's my 2¢.

Copyrights reference data

I have created graphs to submit to Wikipedia, providing empirical evidence to support one side of a current debate regarding a scientific fact.

The graphs utilize data downloaded from SI.com & LeTour.com but I do not need or intend to reproduce the actual data tables. However, 1. To give proper credit were it is due & 2. To establish the credibility and verifiability of my conclusions, I plan to cite the sources.

Both sources do reserve all rights.

Since I will not actually reproduce the sources' material do I still need to obtain their permissions because I am referencing it? Xofer2 15:00, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

No, I think you're okay there. Otherwise, it would be a lot harder to find and cite sources. I would think that their copyright claim would not apply to the facts themselves, but only to how they are presented. Might be wise to wait for a second opinion, though. Adrian M. H. 16:00, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Adrian: Thanks. Following your advice.Xperp 17:47, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Please (re)read Wikipedia's policy on No original research. If the argument that you are presenting is novel (unpublished), it can't be used. (It sounds like you're okay here, but just in case ... ) -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:52, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Expert

I found a page with this header:

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.

I know an expert in the field who is interested in giving that attention. How does he go about becoming the expert for that page? RandomSF 16:13, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Basically, he needs to just sign up for a login with Wikipedia and introduce himself on the Talk page. People can then see his credentials for themselves and he can provide his input on the facts of the article. -- Kesh 16:54, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Excellent. I'll pass this information along. Thanks. RandomSF 19:10, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

And do keep in mind that no one "owns" an article, or is "the" expert for the article, per WP:OWN, as much as we want and appreciate experts volunteering to help out. -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:50, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

deleting/ renaming articals

I am currently writing an artical for a parent organization, the Becket Chimney Corners YMCA, but there already exists an artical for Camp Becket (part of the BCCYMCA). The artical for Becket is a hodgepodge of ideas with some other aspects of the larger organization tacked on. For this reason, I dont want to simply link it to my new artical. Is it "anti wiki" to just re write that Becket artical entirely under my new heading for the parent organization? Dont want to offend anyone. Thanks Vzmetzger 16:26, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It would be best to write your article as its own page, then suggest on the Talk page for Camp Becket that it be merged into your new article. If no one objects (give it a week), then the information there can be merged into your new article and the Camp Becket article could be deleted by an admin. -- Kesh 16:59, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Keno

what are the rules in playind keno

This page is for questions about Wikipedia itself. You should probably look at Keno or ask on the Reference desk -- Kesh 16:59, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Change article's name

I added a new article today, but need to change the capitalization in the title. I can't seem to find the place to do this on the edit page. Help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mwinninger (talk • contribs)

You can change the name of the article by moving it to another page with the title you want, see WP:MOVE – PeaceNT 16:53, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I presume you're referring to the article on Thought equity motion? I've gone ahead and changed the title for you (since your account needs to be at least four days old to be able to move/rename pages). And, may I suggest that you take a look at neutral point of view, the Wikipedia policy on how articles should be written? The article you wrote sounds bit too much like an advertisement... — QuantumEleven 09:28, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

I've been randomly (automatically?) categorized--and it's not even accurate!

I seem to have been randomly tagged in the category of WikiProject Sikhism, with no ability to edit/remove myself from said category. I did not request to join this project nor in any way did I sign up, and frankly, until I discovered the category on my own userpage this morning, I hadn't even known it existed. While I mean no offense to anyone, I am not Sikh and in fact know very little about Sikhism, and certainly have no intention of working on related pages. So would anyone be able to explain how on earth I ended up in this category? And could I please, for my sanity, be removed from it? I must admit I'm frustrated. HamatoKameko 16:55, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It is weird. This edit seems to have done it, but I can't see how! Xiner (talk, email) 17:01, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Well yes, but like you say, I don't see how it could have possibly done it either. It makes no sense, and I'm a tad annoyed at being pegged as something I'm not. :/ HamatoKameko 17:08, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It's this template Template:User Wikipedia which did the trick. Kind of a weird userbox btw. Garion96 (talk) 17:08, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Fixed: [1] I assume the category got there by accident, in the first place, since templates are often created by "stealing the code" from other templates. // habj 17:18, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I should have figured that one out myself. I thought it had some weird purpose since it was a new template. Garion96 (talk) 17:21, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your help, I very much appreciate it. HamatoKameko 17:25, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

adopted

how do i get adoptedPjg12 17:25, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Take a look at Wikipedia:Adopt-a-User, that should give you all the information you need. -- Natalya 17:34, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

• If you're talking about adoption outside of Wikipedia, try asking at the reference desk. - Mgm|^(talk) 17:51, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I had not even thought of that as an interpretation of the question - I think that means I spend to much time on Wikipedia, when someone asks about adoption and I think only of WP:ADOPT. Well done Mac and Good luck either way Pjg12. Cheers Lethaniol 17:57, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

QUESTIONS:

Hi, i have a few major questions:

1. Do you belive pedophiles is members of WIKI?
2. If not, would ya allow it?
3. Has wiki ever had a child porn image posted?
4. Can i say anything in my wiki area?
5. Out of all USERS you have encounter who has been in the most trouble?
6. Has law enforcement ever been involve in an event caused by a users stupity?--SAIKANO!!! 18:35, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

1. Yes, they are.
2. Answered above.
3. If that has ever happened, it has been deleted immediately.
4. Unless it constitutes a personal attack, or is not related to Wikipedia, yes.
5. Difficult to say. Read through the WP:RfAR archives.
6. Not yet. It's a matter of time though. Dev920 (Have a nice day!) 18:40, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

To expand a bit more...

1. Yes. There are pedophiles everywhere, why wouldn't be any on Wikipedia?
2. I don't think Wikipedia has any policies against a specific group of users. Our policies are about the content they provide.
3. Maybe, since anyone can upload pictures to Wikipedia if they have an account (which is free). And if it happened, I'm sure it'd get deleted on sight. Also, unless I'm mistaken, any website under US law (like Wikipedia) has to report such users to authorities.
4. Please see Wikipedia:User page.

Can't say anything about the rest. — Kieff | Talk 20:03, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

• about question 4: users know we can trace them. Posting child porn is the same as telling the police where you are. Even pedophiles are smarter than that. - Mgm|^(talk) 20:40, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

As for the userpage question, there's some latitude. Generally, if it's mostly about Wikipedia and editing Wikipedia, then it's acceptable. .V. _[Talk|Email] 17:15, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

1. I would suppose, but for the most part they don't actively engage in sexual solicitation because Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a social network.
2. I would allow it because Wikipedia is not a social network like Myspace, where that would matter. If you're a pedophile, and you're contributing useful information, great. If you tried to sexually solicit someone (pedophile or not), then that would earn you a block.
3. Again, we can only speculate. The answer is most likely yes, because of Wikpedia's loose policies regarding uploading images. However, it would be swiftly deleted from the database forever if it were ever to be uploaded, since many people monitor new images.
4. For the most part, yes. But if you use it to say offensive/illegal things (this user thinks so-and-so sucks) or solely as a webhosting service, it would be baleeted.
5. The most trouble from any one user is hard to say. WP:LTA has some of the big ones, but most vandalism comes from shared IPs and one-time vandals. It's not like everything's OK and there's one lone figure destroying everything.
6. I don't know whether law enforcement has been involved by a user's stupidity, but that depends on what yuor definition of "stupidity". Usually, destructive acts (blanking pages, vandalism, etc) aren't illegal per se. Death threats aren't usually serious and are usually dealt with by blocking the user who made death threats. Child porn would be deleted and reported to the FBI promptly, but it's not like Wikipedia has a record of things like that.

~ Flameviper ^{Who's a Peach?} 18:05, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

Table coding

User:Dev920/Sandbox#Quilt. Is it possible to give each square its own individual heading, and if so, how? Dev920 (Have a nice day!) 18:40, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it's possible; you can either use ====ordinary heading marks==== in each square (which is probably inappropriate for that quilt as they'd be too large), or to fake one using HTML:

Heading Cell1

Another heading Cell2

--ais523 18:53, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Ok, I added my name to one, and it kinda works, but how do I get it to stay at the top of the square, rather than joining the rest of the patch? Dev920 (Have a nice day!) 19:00, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

If you mean that you want the text to start at the top of each cell, you just need to add valign=top to each cell. I have edited your sandbox to provide an example of how to arrange that. Adrian M. H. 20:15, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

RSS

Hi, is there a RSS feed available for Wikipedia? Something that would mention new articles published/modified?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

G.

RSS feeds are available: for all changes in Wikipedia (not particularly useful, because there are so many and so many of them are small), for newly created pages (many of which are quickly deleted again), for an article (using Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, today's Featured Article, as an example), and for a watchlist (only available to people with an account, while they're logged in). I hope that helps. --ais523 18:53, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It does help. Thanks! Guilhem

Image rights!

Im thinking about moving my images to wikipedia commons. But i dont understand the licenses. I want to license them for wikipedia use only and want to be notified if used elsewhere, not public domain but i am copyright owner of them? is there a license close to this? Fethroesforia 19:41, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I don't think there is such a license on the Commons. There is a license called "Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike", which you can see here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ It means that anyone who ever uses your image will have to credit you as the author, but it does not demand that they inform you of use of your image. That is the closest license that I know of on the Commons: that is similar to what you're asking. Also, there are zero licenses on the Commons that are for Wikimedia use only. All free licenses, including the GFDL under which you currently license your text input on Wikipedia, mean that others can use your work according to the stipulations of the license. — coelacan talk — 20:11, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

TItle

I just set-up a page for VCU Adcenter but the capitalization of the header/title is wrong. How do i fix it?

It is currently: Vcu adcenter It should be: VCU Adcenter

Thanks! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Stinkeyguy (talk • contribs) 19:55, 1 February 2007 (UTC).

On the line of tabs that says "edit this page" and "history" there is one that says "move". This is the one you use. Please follow the instructions at WP:MOVE. — coelacan talk — 20:07, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

A user with *tons* of replaceable fair use images

I was browsing around and I happened to come across some replaceable fair use photographs uploaded by User:Sahafan. I marked one image as such, and I thought I'd go through the user's uploads and inform him of any other RFU images.

But looking at the user's uploads, there are entire teams worth of player photograph. Further complicating the matter, the user has uploaded a bunch of record covers, and I assume they fall under fair use. So what is the right course of action, short of going through all images one by one?

Thanks. Ytny 20:16, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

• They might be fair use, if a fair use rationale is provided. See for example the images I posted to Louis R. Vitullo and Hoover (seal). - Mgm|^(talk) 20:42, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Right, but the images in question are photographs of footballers who are still alive and active. They are replaceable no matter the rationale because, by the nature of their profession, it is not unreasonably difficult to create free photographs showing what they look like. What I wanted to know was whether there was a system of pointing the appropriate admin to the set of uploads rather than tagging each picture one by one (and they do appear to have been uploaded in good faith). --Ytny 21:34, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

• You want someone who has access to WP:AWB. I think Quadell is reasonably well-versed in handling RFU images. - 131.211.210.14 08:11, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Multi-word Google search from interwiki link?

Is there a way to specify complex search terms with an interwiki link to google:? For example, if I want to search Google for a word and a phrase:

robots "kinetic energy"

the obvious interwiki link is not the same as a URL link:

• google:robots "kinetic energy" yields:
• http://www.google.com/search?q=robots_%22kinetic_energy%22
  • Your search - robots_"kinetic_energy" - did not match any documents.

Searching with the search box in Google yields:

• http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=robots+%22kinetic+energy%22&btnG=Search
  • Results 1 - 10 of about 178,000 for robots "kinetic energy".

The problem appears to be that MediaWiki's interwiki link code converts spaces to underscores. I tried substituting other punctuation characters for the spaces (+, ., %20) and nothing I tried works right. Is there a clean way to specify a multi-word Google search with an interwiki link, or should I just use a URL link? --Teratornis 22:09, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

I can't figure it out either. I suggest that for now, you use plainlinks (Help:Link#Arrow icon), like this: search google and also copypaste your problem to WP:VPT where someone might be more likely to be able to help. I've never seen this problem before and it looks like MediaWiki might need a new feature added, in which case the better venue might be WP:VPP. — coelacan talk — 22:33, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Interesting. Replacing the space with ALT+0160 (no breaking space) works: google:robots "kinetic energy" — Kieff | Talk 00:07, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

That link does not seem to work, it gives underscores, hence only two results. Perhaps it works in preview only. However, with &nbsp; it works: google:robots "kinetic energy" --Patrick 00:50, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Please note that adding google searches to the External links section of an article, or using them as support for a statement, is unacceptable (fails WP:RS and WP:EL.) Google searches are not stable over time; and having dozens or hundreds or thousands of results doesn't lead the reader to the best page for further information or proof of a fact. (Links to google searches on talk pages or XfDs, however, sometimes can be useful, on the other hand.) -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:45, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

That's what I had in mind, to use Google searches on talk page discussions. Obviously a Google search does not constitute a suitable article reference for the reasons you mention. To revisit the original problem, it seems the google: "interwiki" link prefix is something of a misuse of the interwiki link feature. The authors of the interwiki link code must have assumed the linked-to site replaces spaces with underscores when converting page titles to URLs, as MediaWiki does. Interwiki links work like wiki links this way, and the assumption fails when linking to external sites that do not follow the spaces-to-underscores convention. Evidently there should be some other kind of inter-site link prefix mechanism when the linked-to site is not a MediaWiki wiki. Thanks to all who helped, especially for the no breaking space trick. I'll have to make a note of that one. I will also check on Meta to see if anyone discussed the problem there. --Teratornis 18:57, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

User page

• How do I get some thing to link directly to some ones user page?

• my userpage • my talk • my watchlist • log in • log out

• All it needs is a user page link.
• --D.H. • (A)•(E)•(I)•(O)•(U)•(Y) 21:56, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

You would use something like [[User:Coelacan|userpagelink]] which produces userpagelink but you need to be aware that linking directly from an article to a user page is forbidden, and these links will be removed. — coelacan talk — 22:37, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

If you mean an auto-link to someone's userpage, Special:Mypage and Special:Mytalk are what yuo're looking for. If those aren't enough, see Help:Magic words. ~ Flameviper ^{Who's a Peach?} 18:08, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

URGENT ... cleanup?

Hello Sir Greetings from India

... Our page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shekhar_Gurera is showing {{Cleanup|January 2007}} message again & again. Can you pl help us while specifying a few point at which we should concentrate to improve the article. ... We at our end tried our best to do it. Your tips according to our article will definately be helpful. We'll expect your early response. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.94.96.230 (talk • contribs)

Thanks & Regards

There is a short message about it at Talk:Shekhar Gurera. At first look, the article doesn't really seem to flow too well, or may need to be written in slightly more fluent English. If you want detailed information as to why the tag was added, you can contact the user who added the tag, User:Cuchullain, though that editor did post the message on the talk page already. -- Natalya 22:43, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

You might also take a look at Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles. -- Natalya 22:46, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

(Edit conflict) Hi. We are not all "sirs". Anyway, you have a lot of "peacock terms" in that article, for one thing. Read wp:peacock to see what I mean. You don't need to say "famous", and other things like that. Another specific problem is the list of awards. That should be converted to a paragraph, and smaller accomplishments should be left out. Also, as a general guide, read Wikipedia:Guide to writing better articles which should help you in many ways. And keep in mind that it's not "your" article; as no one owns or controls a wikipedia article. Read WP:OURS to see what I'm talking about. — coelacan talk — 22:47, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Its syntax, spelling and punctuation are all well below standard, which means that it requires copy-editing. Adrian M. H. 00:00, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

admin needed for speedy delete..

the backlog for articles and media for speedy deletion is getting rather big. Any helpwill be greatly appreciated as i have many images needingspeedy deletion soon Fethroesforia 22:49, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

The backlog has been noted on the Category:Candidates for speedy deletion page; and it will be handled. Don't worry. If you really feel that the backlog needs more immediate attention, you can make a note at WP:AN but I don't think this is necessary. Admins are already working on clearing it out. — coelacan talk — 22:57, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Reporting abuse from a user

The user Akradecki has been abusing his right as a user to make false accusations about myself Signaleer There are a number of articles in which this user has caused a disruption and has attempted to slander my name.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Petraeus&diff=104757171&oldid=104692525

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jack_Bethune#WASP_Edit_War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:P-51_Mustang#Dark_BW_lead_pics

I strongly feel that this "game" that he is playing has gone on long enough and it needs immediate attention.

Furthermore, this user has made threats towards me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Signaleer#Vandalism_warning

-Signaleer 23:15, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

• See:WP:AN D.H. • (A)•(E)•(I)•(O)•(U)•(Y) 23:27, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

You're in the wrong place. First, this is already an open discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents#Signaleer -- disruptive editing and sockpuppetry, and second, warning you for vandalism for apparently disregarding consensus is not "threatening" you. Sorry. Take it to your already-open case on WP:ANI. — coelacan talk — 23:31, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

For your information, this is a different matter--I suggest you read the case and listen to my plea.-Signaleer 23:35, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

It certainly doesn't look different to me, but if it is, I suggest you make use of Wikipedia:Dispute resolution, because this help desk is only for questions on how to use Wikipedia. — coelacan talk — 23:58, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

This indeed not the place for debate, so I have commented on your talk page. Adrian M. H. 00:14, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Hacking

How do I hack into the system and retrieve my password for an old acount? --D.H. • (TextMe)•(MyPage)•(MyWork)•(Escape) 23:53, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Don't make jokes about hacking into Wikipedia. And if you dind't give an email address for the old account, then you can't retrieve a password. Sorry. — coelacan talk — 00:01, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Here's the official word: Wikipedia:Contact us/login problems. -- John Broughton (☎☎) 15:39, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

It might be considered disruptive if you start hacking Wikipedia boxen. You're best off just following the instructions provided above. .V. _[Talk|Email] 17:18, 2 February 2007 (UTC)