Help desk
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January 21

Question

how do I post my question?

You just did. Trebor 18:27, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Was that the actual question? You're allowed more than one! Adrian M. H. 20:50, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

List of blocked images

I remember awhile ago seeing a list of images that by technical means were unable to be thumbnailed into articles, only linked. Stuff like human feces, sex positions, etc. I think Image:AUTOAMPUTATE1.JPG should be on that list, can someone take care of it? --⁪froth^T 18:52, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The list is at MediaWiki:Bad_image_list and requests for additions to this list must be made on the talk page or at the Administrator's noticeboard because the list is fully protected. I have gone ahead and posted a message on the talk page regarding Image:AUTOAMPUTATE1.JPG. --Nick—^Contact/_Contribs 19:53, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How exactly do Interwiki links work?

I know how to make an interwiki link to another page and it will show up in the left sidebar. That is nice. The problem is when I try to make an interwiki link to commons, like commons:Help, it shows up as a regular link, not in the sidebar. Is there any way I can force a link to commons or meta to show up in the "In other languages" sidebar? Is it a CSS or JS thing? —Dgies^t c 19:10, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's a javascript thing. If you're wanting to add links to the side bar try out the navigation shortcuts script. —Mitaphane _talk 19:19, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The interwiki links in the side menu you are talking about can only point to other Wikipedias. If you want to point to the commons or another project, you should use the relevant templates and put them in the external links section. It's a little more bulky but the only way it will work right now. - Mgm|^(talk) 21:53, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Image question

Whole images of baseball cards do not fall under the fair use rule. But what if I chop off most of the card and just include a picture of an athletes signiture? I did it with Aaron Myette.

Is that a "legal" thing to do on Wikipedia? Thanks for the help. Alex 20:19, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I believe what you have created is called a Derivative work. Without permission from the original copyright holder, making a derivative work violates their copyright, and definitely wouldn't be cover under fair use policy. —Mitaphane _talk 20:49, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the help! Alex 20:54, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hypothetically speaking, what would be the copyright status if you took a mask and stripped away all of the baseball card except for the signature? Would it be a derivative work of the baseball card, or a derivative work of the signature? Is an image of someone's signature copyrightable, and if so, wouldn't that be fair use in come cases? —Dgies^t c 00:32, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Helena Macree Tsavalas

How do I put information in about the biography of Helena Macree Tsavalas? I like to start typing things in and I have no clue how to start it at your site. Please let me know. Thank you. My email is: <email removed> My username is: Macree

See Wikipedia:Introduction on learning how to edit Wikipedia —Mitaphane _talk 20:44, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Also, see this page about the concept of notability and how it applies here. Basically, if Tsavalas doesn't meet our notability criteria, there shouldn't be an article about her. --Tkynerd 22:00, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like you want to start a new article; if so, these might help: Wikipedia:Your first article, Help:Starting a new page, and Wikipedia:Articles for creation/Wizard-Introduction. One additional word of caution - given that your user name is the same as the middle name of the person you're thinking about writing about, it seems that you might be related. Wikipedia has a separate policy for such cases - please see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest. -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 03:22, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Dealing with childish behaviour from other editors

What is the best approach for dealing with immature behaviour from an editor who refuses to discuss his edits? Adrian M. H. 21:57, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

(1) Keep your cool. :-) (2) Assuming you are acting in good faith, which I believe you are, continue to revert the relevant edits without violating WP:3RR. (3) If the situation escalates, try an RfC. --Tkynerd 22:06, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for replying. At the moment, I have left it at one revert, after which the user added the comment with some rewording. His second attempt was actually worse, as it contained what could be construed as POV and weasel words, but while I was commenting on his talk page, he quickly revised his wording, leaving only the issue of transient current events. You can see the history here. I think the matter has probably been dropped as far as he is concerned, but I don't want to inflame it by reverting again. I wondered if there was any procedure that may apply in dealing with similar cases. Adrian M. H. 22:23, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I read the exchange on his talk page, although I did not look at the relevant edits to the page in question. Hmm. I see you have posted about this on the article's talk page as well. I have to say I'm not entirely inclined to agree with you; plenty of Wikipedia articles contain information that documents current events. I will say, though, that I might agree that a biographical article may not be the ideal place for that kind of material. The comment in its current neutral form seems reasonably OK to me. --Tkynerd 22:34, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

My comment on the talk page was made at the time of my edit; good procedure, I know, when it may be controversial. I wouldn't have minded if the other editor had left a reply there, justifying his edit or agreeing to a revision, or something. Anything rather than re-insert the comment, with worse phrasing, with no edit summaries, and then to change it again, still without communicating with me. Ah well. Adrian M. H. 22:49, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's not uncommon to communciate only via edit summaries on relatively minor matters - otherwise, talk pages get filled up with a running commentary on article changes. Personally, I'm always thankful when the other editor makes changes, better or worse, since it indicates a willingness to work with other editors to improve things; as long as things end up in a reasonable place, it's okay if the process isn't as efficient as it could be in theory. -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 03:16, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Magazine reference

How can I properly state a magazine as a reference (in the reference section of a Wikipedia article) in a bibliographic way? This is the reference:

STAR TV GUIDE, December 2006 issue (Volume 7, Issue 86) : Channel Guide section, page 35. (The magazine does not indicate its ISSN number.)

Yes, It does not indicate its ISSN number. Help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Channel Guide. STAR TV GUIDE, December 2006, 35.

or

Channel Guide. STAR TV GUIDE 7, no. 86 (2006): 35.

Verify the actual name of the section "Channel Guide" and whether "STAR TV GUIDE" is in fact all capitalized (I would think it would be "STAR TV Guide"). —Centrx→talk • 23:54, 20 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

When I tried {{cite magazine}} I was redirected to {{cite journal}}, so even though it's not primarily used for magazines, it may be your best bet. For other ideas, try Wikipedia:Citation templates. - Mgm|^(talk) 00:38, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Italic text

I am trying to edit an article. How do I italicise text?

In short: two single quotes on either side of what you want to itaicise. See Wikipedia:How_to_edit_a_page#Character_formatting for more info. --Sopoforic 00:54, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Interiot's tool

Interiot's tool was lagging behind 13 days, 19 hours yesterday, now it is at 13d, 23h. Will it ever get better? Reywas92^Talk_Sigs 01:33, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It's not a problem with Interiot's tool, it's an inherent problem with the m:toolserver. Because the toolserver (in Amsterdam) gets its data by replicating the data from Wikimedia's main database cluster (in Florida), there's a delay. DaB. (a toolserver administrator) has created a new version of his replication program, and things are looking bright. (At least for the non-English Wikipedia wikis, things are looking extremely bright). I wouldn't hold your breath, but it will be fixed one day. Cheers, Tangotango (talk) 05:10, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Copying text from a patent verbatim into a WP article?

Is this a copyright violation? Should said text be removed from an article? Someone has copied text into the Anus article (under the "Artificial Anus" section) which originated from this patent application. As it seems to be written in pigeon English, I have considered trying to rewrite and wikify the section (if I can make sense of it!) - though there's not much point if the section is a copyvio. Any ideas, guys? --Kurt Shaped Box 01:41, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

~~I am relatively sure that patent text is considered in the public domain from date of acceptance, but~~ it's still plagarism, and it's not going to be written correctly, so fix it up at least. I'll go figure out if I am right. -Amark moo! 01:43, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I can't find anything which releases the text of patents into the public domain after it is made public, so remove it to be safe. I doubt it'll qualify as a government work. -Amark moo! 01:46, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Done. Thanks very much. :) --Kurt Shaped Box 01:50, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How do I change a redirect?

Hi, how can i can a redirect and replace it with a disambiguation page... e.g. search Flying Pigs ---> Flying Pig There is also a game called "Flying Pigs" so i think there should be a disambiguation page. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Adammw (talk • contribs) 03:12, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

You should probably discuss it first on Talk:flying pig, and if no one objects, you can just edit Flying pigs to turn it into the disambig page by removing the #Redirect stuff. You can get to the redirect by typing in the name of the redirect in the search box, and when it takes you to Flying pig, clicking on the small link at the top of the page that says "redirected from Flying pigs". delldot | talk 03:28, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How do I....

Here is a reply to the previous question... since the other disappeared.

I tried that...

What I wanted to do was to request that someone write an article on Phyllis Trible- who is a theologian, author (Rhetorical Criticism and Feminism) and educator. I was also hoping for a biographical sketch and what she is currently up to.

I am having trouble locating what I want in the "requested articles" page and how to actually request an article... I just get taken to odd pages in Wikipedia.

I am hoping that this clarifies my need. Thanks! --Cinnajava 03:20, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

Try this: go to Wikipedia:Requested articles/Social Sciences and Philosophy#Religion or Wikipedia:Requested articles/Social Sciences and Philosophy#Feminism, depending on which she is more known for. Edit the section you choose to add her in, plus some information about that article (so others will know what it is you're requesting). Let me know on my talk page if you have any questions or want to discuss anything. delldot | talk 03:38, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) Once you are in the requested articles page, click on the links to navigate to a more specific request page. You may want to consider Writers starting with O to P. To add the name, just click the edit link, and add the name by typing

* [[Phyllis Trible]]

Does this help? —W. Flake (talk) 03:43, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks... I think I figured it out... could someone kindly pop over to the Religon section (16) and check my work? I have a feeling I did it incorrectly.

Fixed it up for you. Good luck, and I hope someone can find the information you're looking for! -- Kesh 04:07, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What's a watchlist?

Can you Explain what a Watchlist is?

VinnyVendetta 03:45, 21 January 2007 (UTC)VinnyVendetta[reply]

Please see Help:Watching pages - PeaceNT (Talk | contribs) 03:50, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Night At The Museum

I'm back with more questions about Night at the Museum. Once again, the article has reached abnormally long lengths. I tried to revert to the edits by Revision as of 14:35, January 20, 2007 (edit) 72.150.23.38 (Talk), but edit was reverted--it was called vandalism. It was agreed on, on the talk page, that this article is too long and too detailed. "There should be a short plot summary. After it is a plot summary, providing more detail about the film. According to Wikipedia:WikiProject Films/Style guidelines, plot summaries should be between 400 and 700 words which this one follows". Using the word count, I find this article (plot summary along) to contain over 1000 words, making it too long. How do I inform people that this article is too long and it doesn't need to be this detailed??? Please advise. ~Gatorgirl623~ 05:03, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

One probable reason why your edit was reverted was because the edit summary was written in capital letters (STOP ADDING TO THE PLOT SUMMARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS GOOD AS IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!). To quote facetiously from User:Raul654/Raul's laws:

RyanGerbil10's observation - No quality edit has ever been summarized IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

While your edit may be an exception, I advise you to not use capital letters, and keep your cool. Now, on to the actual substance. You replaced the plot summary with:

When Larry Daley, a divorced father who can't seem to keep a job for more than a week, applies for a job at the Museum of Natural History, he is assigned as a night guard. However, a seemingly easy job turns out to be a wild ride when he finds that an ancient curse has caused the "inhabitants" of the museum to come to life. This is what happens:

If I may be candid, this does read like the back cover of a video. Your mission (if you choose to accept it) is to summarize the plot in a way expected of an encyclopedia, not to make the movie seem interesting. See WP:NOT#SOAP. Finally, while the other plot summary had too much, yours has too little, in my humble opinion. It's not detailed enough. Make sure to write about important events in the plot, not just categorizing them with words like "wild". Thanks for editing! I appreciate your interest in the article, please keep going. Gracenotes ^T § 05:13, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

One minor suggestion: introduce other characters than Larry, even if you just mention them. There are several events that you list that happen in the museum, but they appear to be disconnected. Try, if possible, to give the reader some background on the setting of the movie, so he or she can more easily grasp how the events are related logically (not just chronologically). One last thing: see Wikipedia:Embedded list, and why prose might be better in this case. Once again, thank you so much for your concern about this article. Gracenotes ^T § 05:32, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

My computer won't sign me in, but this is Gatorgirl623. Is there a template I can create or a way I can nicely remind people that adding detail to the article is really against the above listed guidelines???? If you know of a way, please help!! I already have numerous posts to the talk page, and they are agreed upon, but users who don't read the talk page continue to edit. Please help. ~Gatorgirl623~

how to

How do I install into my coputer at home so that I can take a AR test at home? --The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.116.155.39 (talk) 05:28, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Hi! This is the help desk, where users ask questions about editing Wikipedia itself. You might want to try the appropriate reference desk instead. Cheers! Yuser31415 05:37, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Blast it.

User:Midnight 7/userspace/main

Alright, the problem is that,

I want the quote box to look like [1].
I would like the two images at the top to not link to their image, and also have roll-over captions.
That section in the middle is a bunch of images, and I would like them to link to my userspace pages, not the images.

Compare to User:Buchanan-Hermit. Thanks. --真夜中^(talk)_(contrib)7 08:30, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Posted a sandbox copy of what he wants at User:Buchanan-Hermit/mega-sandbox. That's the best I can do, unfortunately. -→Buchanan-Hermit™/?! 06:47, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Display of Wikipedia Pages?

Hello!

I've already run a google search and checked the wikipedia FAQs (and VFAQ) for this topic, but couldn't find anything concerning the issue.

I'm recently encountering problems with the display of Wikipedia's pages concerning the proper display of a page. Im using WinXP Home SP2 and Firefox 2.0.0.1 - However, the same thing has also happened parallel in IE7.

A few weeks ago the German pages (de.wikipedia.org) were corrupted, the english ones worked. Then all of a sudden it worked again 2 days later, didn't work, worked again,... It's been ok for 2 weeks now.

Since yesterday, however, the english pages show in a weird way, you only see the main frame(or article main frame) with the navigation bar and search bar only being linked options within the frame. Here is how it looks: http://forwardme.de/63e899.go

The German page works: http://forwardme.de/63e89a.go and here's the English page obviously displayed correctly (for the time being) in IE7: http://forwardme.de/63e89b.go

Maybe this is already a known issue, I'd really appreciate help a lot on this topic.

Thanks in advance, g0d0 137.208.3.45 09:05, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Seems your cache was damaged. Just force a hard reload and check if it helps. Otherwise, follow this link to change your skin back to Monobook.

Titoxd^(?!?) 09:12, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Titoxd, that was exactly the problem, it now works again!

137.208.3.45 10:20, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

gealogy

Who do I notify of any errors I might find? For instance, in http://homepage.ntlworld/hibbert.family/ftree/hibbert/percy%20hibbert%201.htm "Thomas and Nancy" should read "Thomas, Nowell, and Nancy".--82.25.196.193 12:44, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The link isn't working for me, but if it's not a Wikipedia page then we can't do anything about it. If there is an error in Wikipedia, why not be bold and edit it. Trebor 15:05, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Please Help me!!!!!!!!!

I hope this get to u. I am trying to leave a message for a person on his discussion forum page. I have already signed up for an account. Please tell me how to leave messages on a discussion forum on wikipedia. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Punjabi25 (talk • contribs) 13:30, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

I hope this get to u. I am trying to leave a message for a person on his discussion forum page. I have already signed up for an account. Please tell me how to leave messages on a discussion forum on wikipedia. Please e-mail me with the answer on this e-mail address. [email removed] —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Punjabi25 (talk • contribs) 13:31, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

If you wish to contact a user, go to his user talk page and edit it. Put in a new heading using ==HEADING== and add your message underneath. Then sign by writing four tildes, like this ~~~~. Trebor 15:07, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, it's slightly better to go to the user talk page and click on the tab with the "+" - that creates a new section without you needing to know formatting; you won't mess up anything on the page; you don't have to worry about an edit conflict; and also saves you from having to add an edit summary (it's the same as the section title). And yes, please do sign your comment (it's not anonymous if fail to sign, but it's a little more effort for someone to look up who posted the message, and when, via the talk page history). -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 18:57, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Images

Hi there, On the tyne bridge article I can't see any of the pictures in the image gallery but another user said that he can see them but they are not apearing for me, just the captions.Help Please. Tellyaddict 13:56, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

They appear fine to me. Can you see the other images on the page? I'm not sure what the problem might be (if you haven't already, try clearing your cache). Trebor 15:12, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

A study of Wikipedia - interviewees required

I am in the process of collaborating on a book about Wikipedia, which is due to be published in the final quarter of 2007. As part of the book I would very much like to interview Wikipedia editors, by having them respond to a set of questions on a sub-page to my talk page. I would also be very interested in hearing what questions editors would like to answer.

I have set-up sections of my talk page to allow editors both to sign up as a potential interviewee, and also to leave suggestions as to potential interview questions. I would now like to get as many editors aware of my project as possible, to see if they would like to take part. What areas of Wikipedia would it be suitable for me to add a post to which publicises my project? And would it be OK for me to post something to the Wikipedia mailing list? I don't want to be seen to be spamming... --A Study of Wikipedia 14:34, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The useability of the question depends on what you're studying. What are you trying to accomplish with the study? - 87.209.70.231 18:04, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
- Indeed. My section of the book considers WP as a "cultural product", as well as examining how it works and why it works. As part of this I want to interview WP editors. But this is kind of beside the point - can anyone suggest where I should/may post a request for interviewees? Would the WP mailing list be OK? --A Study of Wikipedia 11:31, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Sockpuppetry Cases.

Are Sockpuppetry Cases older than 10 days invalid? If they are, what conclusion can be assumed? Henchman 2000 15:11, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There isn't any time limit on searching for or blocking sock puppets. You can describe an older case as "inactive" or "unresolved", if you want. It's certainly invalid to say that an account has been "cleared", or example, unless an administrator or bureaucrat has used those words. -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 18:01, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Editors with "Checkuser" rights have a limited period in which they can search IP details of accounts. However, even if cases are presented late, it certainly doesn't invalidate them. At the least, it will prove a useful historic archive should a case be requested in the future. Just let the people with the power respond. - 87.209.70.231 18:09, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wikiproject creation

Can I create a wikiproject? If so, how do I do it? How do I add pages to it and inform users about it? Is there any way I can ban users from joining? Henchman 2000 15:16, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You can create a wikiproject by simply creating a page called "Wikipedia:WikiProject Whatever". However, if you feel that it might not be noticed or something, you can follow the instructions at Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Proposals to post your WikiProject there, and users who are interested will put their name under it. And no, I don't believe you can ban users from it. –Llama man 15:29, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

AfD

I have put an article up for deletion, but I have done something wrong along the way can someone help please... what have I done wrong to get it like this... The Swindon Town article below this. Thanks, Asics^Talk 15:39, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I fixed it. You forgot to add the heading. Pea ceNT 15:51, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I'll remember to do that next time! Asics^Talk 15:56, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Formatting a page

I have spent much time reading pages of instructions but cannot find how to format the paragraphs alongside illustrations.

I have added some pictures to an article and to get the type alongside the appropriate pic I have had to type in many line spaces. Unfortunately the illustrations are now too far apart and I cannot find how to move the illustrations to cover some of the blank space.

How do I do this and how do I find the response to this query.I attach my e.mail address in case anyone is kind enough to let me know.

John Battison (email removed)

you can indent by going : 2 indents equals :: , to have a line break simply add Asics^Talk 16:33, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You might want to read WP:PIC. Random Passer-by 00:41, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

PDF download failure

I uploaded a PDF court document to http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Integra_v_Pearlman.pdf When trying to retrieve it stops downloading before it is finished. There is no problem dl the file from own site. I tried overwriting the upload, but it still keeps getting stuck while downloading. Advice, please. --SooperJoo 16:22, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

What you could do is do a normal link to the web page with the pdf file on - [http://www.pdffile.pdf pdffile], so it would appear as - pdffile. Hope this helps Asics talk 18:36, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, I didn't even know that Wikipedia accepted pdfs as uploads. Why would you do that?

And, for what it's worth, I was able to look at all 16 pages of the document via the upload link you provided, so, for me (Firefox browser), the document seems to have uploaded fine (and is accessible to readers).

But yes, as Asics said, the normal process here is to simply provide a link/URL to wherever the document resides, which usually isn't Wikipedia. -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 18:54, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

my signature

Yes I'm back again! A user has asked me to alter my signature so it fits in the lines or something, I tried, but it doesn't seem to have worked. my signature is made of [[User:Asics|'''Asics''']][[User Talk:Asics|'''Talk''']] How do i make it smaller please? Asics^Talk 16:38, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No basically the user is recomending you shorten your sig, as right now it is "large" and takes up a lot of the edit window. Just copy of another users sig and just change the colors, that way you can have a shorter but unique sig. Hope this helps. Arjun 17:17, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I believe it is alright now! Asics talk 18:37, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Website Link

Hi,

How do I put a link of my website onto the Belfast page on Wikipedia

Thanks Steve

add [http://www.websiteaddress.com name] which would appear as name Asics^Talk 17:12, 21 January 2007 (UTC)a[reply]

But do bear in mind that, unless it meets the demanding requirements in Wikipedia:External links, someone else is likely to delete it almost immediately. Notinasnaid 17:56, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I recommend you listen to Notinasnaid. It's probably not an idea to link to your own website. It will almost certainly be considered spamming. - 87.209.70.231 18:11, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, I think we can go further, now I think about it. Wikipedia:External links forbids adding a link to your own site. If you believe it is useful, you can propose it on the talk page of the article, and allow a consensus of editors to decide. Notinasnaid 18:15, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Block

Where can I see if someone has been blocked/unblocked? I think its a log, but I can't find it. | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 17:48, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Go to their contributions and there is a link at the top called 'Block log'. Alternatively go to Special:Log/Block. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 17:51, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Also you can see whether they have a message telling them they have been blocked on their talk page - type in "Usertalk:username" in the search box. Asics^Talk 17:53, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, that was quick! Thanks! | AndonicO ^{Talk · Sign Here} 17:53, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Redirect a category?

I tried to redirect an orphaned category name (Category:United States Communities with African American majority populations [Cap C Communities]) to the current one (Category:United States communities with African American majority populations [lower case c communities]) because the original one had not simply been page-moved to the new name. The usual #REDIRECT did not behave as expected, so I'm asking here: are category redirects handled differently? — Athænara ✉ 18:06, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

They don't work well, aren't usually needed, and are discouraged. Xiner (talk, email) 18:10, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You should bring this to an administrator's attention, via Wikipedia:Categories for discussion. -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 18:14, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Non-English

What do I do when a user creates a page not in English? Is there a template to mark it or do I just treat it like a nonsense page and send it to speedy delete? (I'm thinking of Putna-Vrancea Natural Park). Mermaid from the Baltic Sea 17:59, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It depends on the page. In the article you mention, Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion does not authorize a speedy deletion (as I read it). I suggest a prod instead (see Wikipedia:Proposed deletion), which gives the author five days to improve it. Or you could research the subject yourself and revise the article accordingly (it seems a bit obscure, admittedly). -- John Broughton | ^(♫♫) 18:09, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Tag using {{notenglish}} or submit for translation. If it's a direct copy of an existing foreign article it can be speedied. - 87.209.70.231 18:12, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. Mermaid from the Baltic Sea 01:52, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Search Terms

If an article is titled Hillary Rodham Clinton, is there a way to make it so that the search term "Hillary Clinton" also brings up this article? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.20.162.110 (talk) 18:02, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Yes. This is called a redirect. However, Hillary Clinton already redirects to the article. See Wikipedia:Redirect for how to create redirects here at Wikipedia. Good luck! --MECU≈talk 18:10, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Userpage Pictures

I want to put a picture of my userpage. Can I do this with a picture hosted elsewhere and if not, is it ok to upload my picture to wikipedia? I've seen other people put their own pictures up by first uploading to wikipedia even though it's not intended for use in an article. --Seans Potato Business 18:10, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I believe that's alright so long as it's properly licensed. Trebor 18:11, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You can do this provided you own the copyright of the picture and are prepared to release it under a suitable licence (or if it is already released). Copyright pictures used under "fair use" are not allowed outside articles. Notinasnaid 18:13, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, as long as you don't go overboard and plaster your userspace in image, it's fine to upload an image for your userpage. You can't use images from outside of Wikipedia without uploading them first. - 87.209.70.231 18:15, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't believe I've actually come across a feature to include a picture hosted elsewhere, and, thinking about it, such a feature probably doesn't exist because it gives less control over images on Wikipedia. See above comments for rules regarding uploading it. --Matthuxtable 18:17, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'd upload it to commons.wikipedia.org. Xiner (talk, email) 19:20, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Why does the image uploader do this?

I've noticed that if you upload an image with an unsupported license, it uploads the image and then tags it as speedy. Why not just bounce the user back to the upload page and inform them that the license isn't right? .V. -- (^Talk _Email) 19:17, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've asked this question before, and now I agree with the reasoning. It's because people upload non-free images with a "public domain" tag in order not to be warned. --Kjoonlee 19:23, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You might want to suggest this on WP:VPR or (not and) WP:VPT. The reason is probably that many uploaders are clueless about licensing; take the following examples:

An album cover is uploaded; it is unlicensed. An experienced user finds the album listed on Amazon, uses it as a source, and applies a fair use template.
On commons: Someone uploads an image from Flickr that is licensed under CC-by-SA, and this person provides the source file. FlickreviewR can't recognize the image, so an admin finds it and notices that it is CC-by-SA; this admin then tags it as such.
A user writes in the upload box, "I made this, it's public domain for everyone" but doesn't provide a license. Another user tags it with {{pd-self}}.

So this might be a couple of reasons why not; but see what people say at the village pump. Gracenotes ^T § 19:43, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Displaying IPA characters

I've gotta be doing something wrong -- I've read the information on displaying IPA symbols in my browser, and I think I understand it, but I still can't see a large number of IPA symbols in my browser. I expect that the answer is simple, but I'm just not getting it, and I'm doing a lot of work with the IPA right now, so it would be a "good thing" to be able to display as many IPA symbols as possible.

I am using: Firefox 1.5.0.9 Mac OSX 10.2.8 on an iMac

I will be grateful for any assistance you can provide. Michael —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.92.14.66 (talk) 19:45, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

how to make a wiki

how do people make there own wiki websites? like so people can edit them? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Wikiwiki12 (talk • contribs) 22:02, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Wikipedia uses wiki software; you can see a list of them at list of wiki software. Specifically, Wikipedia uses MediaWiki software. Before you download MediaWiki software, though, you need a server (MySQL and Apache HTTP Server). Usually, you'll need to pay money for webhosting. Check out [www.mediawiki.org this website] for more info. Don't be daunted by the technical details! You can set up a wiki if you want to.

Or, if you want a wiki for a specific subject (like for a video game, academic subject, or internet community), there is a company, Wikia, that will give it to you for free. Check out [3] if this is the case. Gracenotes ^T § 22:15, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

If you want MediaWiki, you will also need PHP, ideally version 5.1 or higher. PHP 4 works, but only up to version 1.6.9 of MediaWiki (currently, Wikipedia is running version 1.10). Titoxd^(?!?) 22:26, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This page lists and compares many wiki providers. Dar-Ape 02:01, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Just check out http://wikia.org -- (to other repliers: a person who knows how to use Apache and PHP is going to come in and ask "Where can I get the server software?", a question I have seen here as well.) — coelacan talk — 14:05, 22 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Also check out this link: [4]. It will create your wiki for free instantly, and it will look and feel like Wikipedia. - Patricknoddy 9:07am, January 28, 2007

Deleting a page

I have had the speedy deletion message sent to me, and i would like to find out how to delete my page, Skeletonwitch, that I created, —The preceding unsigned comment was added by SkeleTim (talk • contribs) 23:16, 21 January 2007 (UTC).[reply]

The page was tagged with a speedy deletion template, which means that a site administrator will delete it. Most people who edit Wikipedia cannot delete a page, or else people would abuse it. Only admins can do that; placing a speedy deletion tag on top of a page ensures that admin will delete it quicker (if it meets the criteria for speedy deletion). If an article that doesn't belong on Wikipedia can't be "speedily deleted", it is usually done so by proposed deletion, or articles for deletion.

To delete a page that you wrote, you can place {{db-author}} at the top, if no one else has already nominated it. Gracenotes ^T § 23:38, 21 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 January 21