Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 July 15

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July 15

Pedantry

I have been reading the article College Town and on the talk page I came across a discussion over whether college town should be the correct term as some may technically be cities or villages. I stated there that 'college town; is the term in common use and that in my opinion it is the job of an encyclopedia to state what is in common use and not what should be in common use. I'm sure these examples of pedantry are fairly common on wikipedia but didn't find anything in the content guidelines about this. Does wikipedia have an official line on pedantry and should it have one? --82.71.201.5 (talk) 09:03, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I don't think there is a policy on pedantry but decisions are governed by consensus. Also redirects work great in situations like that. Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 17:24, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Prawn

This article has been under attack for the past thirty minutes. It seems the user is switching computers to not use up the same IP, since the vandalism says the exact same thing on each edit. I don't know which IP to report, and I am afraid of violating the 3RR rule. Help? -- Mr. E. Sánchez ^{Wanna know my story?}/ _{Share yours with me!} 02:42, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

You might want to request protection at WP:RFPP. And 3RR does not apply to reverting vandalism. Calvin 1998 ^(t-c) 02:51, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Two questions about Richard Krawiec article:

1) With the link from Yao Ming and the many links outward, is it ok now to take off the orphan template? 2) I'm wondering if I should put a pov template on it, per my comments on the talk page about it sounding like a resume. Thanks, 130.86.14.82 (talk) 00:28, 15 July 2008 (UTC)Rich (talk) 00:58, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

They're still no articles linking to Richard Krawiec, so no, it wouldn't be appropriate to remove {{orphan}}. Algebraist 00:35, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

• • I just reinserted link from Yao Ming article. Rich (talk) 01:01, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Not sure about the orphan tag, but the article needs some work as far as references are concerned. I have moved what were listed as references to the external links section (because they were not linked to statements in the text) and bulleted all those links. The references will need to be looked at to see which ones can be added "in-line" using the <ref> and </ref> tags. – ukexpat (talk) 00:39, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

thanks for doing that.Rich (talk) 18:33, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Sockpuppet question

I'm looking into some apparent sock puppet activity by a user who has been suspected of using socks in the past. The current case says: Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets/XXX (2nd nomination) but I'm wondering where the history of the (1st nomination) is located. Mrshaba (talk) 02:42, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

It should be at Wikipedia:Suspected sock puppets/XXX without a number. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:49, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

That's what I figured but it's not working. Mrshaba (talk) 03:05, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Then you may have to say what XXX is if you want help. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:22, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

That makes sense. XXX Mrshaba (talk) 03:26, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

The creator made it with "(2nd nomination)" in the title and then expressed surprise at that.[1] It sounds like it was an error and there is no other page. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:34, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I just talked to NJGW who created the page and I think he was surprised because he didn't intend to create the page as a second nomination. Can you do that? If I go and make a page on XXX I figure it will pop up (3rd nomination) because there's an automatic protocol built into the system that keeps track of things. I still don't understand why the system isn't kicking out the first nomination though? Can these histories be toyed with? Mrshaba (talk) 03:59, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

If you create the page manually then you can call it anything and I don't think there is an automatic protocol. But it appears from the edit summary of NJGW that the page was created with Twinkle. I don't have Twinkle and don't know how it selects the page name. This is pure speculation but maybe NJGW chose a wrong Twinkle function which creates the page with "(2nd nomination)" without checking whether a 1st nomination exists - or maybe there was a Twinkle error. If you create a new page then I suggest calling it "(3rd)" (omitting "nomination" is recommended), and explaining on the page that there probably is no 1st. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:00, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the info on this confusing situation. Mrshaba (talk) 16:55, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Bingham Canyon Mine

I would like to format this article so the "See also" section occurs below the image of the mine in 1910. I have seen this done, but don't recall the code. How do I do this? Thx. --Blechnic (talk) 02:45, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Just move the image up, for example to just before a text paragraph you want displayed next to the image. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:53, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

 Done - Simply place {{clear}} where you want a separation (click the link for details). I've done it for you. If you do want an image to be included in the See also section, just move it there. Calvin 1998 ^(t-c) 03:19, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Thanks both. --Blechnic (talk) 05:55, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

accidentely deleted some words in crc based framing article.....................what should i do.............?i have no login id........

Resolved

I accidentely deleted some words in crc based framing article.....................what should i do.............?i have no login id........ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.243.100.163 (talk) 09:18, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I see you already figured out how to undo your edits. :-) --_{tiny plastic} Grey Knight ⊖ 09:39, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I forgot my password, and I do not receive an email from wiki concerning my password

I have an account in wiki and I typed in my user name correctly, but I forgot my password. Then I click the button at the right bottom corner which indicates that my forgotten password will be sent to my email. But I received no email concerning my password. 92.50.80.247 (talk) 12:21, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Have you checked your email spam folder (or whatever it does with unsolicited mail)? Wikipedia emails often end up there. Algebraist 12:25, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Looking for a third party

Hi. I'm reasonably new to Wiikipedia and have been editing an article Fire pit because it read like a sales pitch about selling fire pits for the garden. However, I don't know a huge amount about garden-fire-pits, and whilst I've put some information in about fire pits in history, it seems like it's lacking a bit now. Can anyone help me improve the article without it being too short OR an advert for fire pits?

Thanks! Oldandfat (talk) 12:59, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Try using a tag on the page to request help, maybe {{expert}}. Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 17:20, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

You should sign your comments on Talk:Fire pit#Things. See Help:Talk page. --Teratornis (talk) 19:50, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

If your interest is about garden fire pits, maybe someone at Wikipedia:WikiProject Horticulture and Gardening can help. However, judging from that WikiProject's page, it doesn't look like they are very far along yet (for an example of a mature WikiProject, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics). To search for scholarly sources, you can try {{Google scholar cite}}:

• garden fire pit

--Teratornis (talk) 19:57, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

i am sister nancy and i see that my article was deleted or remove

i really want my article to be displayed as it was always there if this is an error i understand but i did not delete it so whodid and why what do i have to do to put it back there the way it was please let me know sister ( muma) nancy. thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.119.197.130 (talk) 13:28, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

It still exists, or has been recreated, at Sister Nancy, but note that it has been nominated for speedy deletion. A couple of things to note -- you should not be creating or editing articles about yourself because of your conflict of interest, and also it is not "your" article.  – ukexpat (talk) 14:29, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Moving to an already existent page

How do I move LaSalle Bank Theatre's page to Bank of America Theatre's page? The Theatre is under new corporate sponsorship and therefore LaSalle Bank Theatre no longer exists. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kimberlyhobart (talk • contribs) 15:29, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

See WP:MOVE for instructions:

How to Note that on many wikis you have to be logged in, and there may be a set length of time that you will have to have had an account for (often four days).

With the correct page displayed, click on the "Move" tab near the top of the page (in default Monobook skin). You'll be asked for a new name for the page, and given the option to also move the page's talk page. NOTE: Unless you know what you're doing, it's safest to say yes. As of MediaWiki 1.5, the reason for the move can be given, like an edit summary.

Click the move button and the page will be renamed to the new title. The old title will become a redirect page, so any links to the old title will still go to the new page. However, note that double redirects (pages that redirect to the original page), will not automatically follow to the new page, so you will have to refer them manually (as explained at How to fix a double redirect and Checking for double redirects.)

1. after a successful page move, a page looking like this will be shown: MediaWiki:Movepage-moved;
2. Open the what-links-here for that page (there may be a shortcut link on the page-moved summary screen to let you do this, but the what-links-here link will in any case be in the toolbox, which is near the bottom of the sidebar unless you've customized your skin away from the default Monobook);
3. Open all redirect pages that are indented in the list, and make them redirect to the page you moved to (that is, without intermediate step);
4. If there are more than 50 pages listed on the "what links here" page, don't forget to navigate to all parts of the list using the "next 50" or other links available.

Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 17:16, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

It has already been moved to Bank of America Theatre. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 17:26, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

PICUM title

When I tried to create a page, a message came up that I cannot use the title PICUM for a page because it is on a blacklist. I don't really understand why, and can I change this? PICUM is a non-governmental organisation based in Brussels and we would like to create a page for it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by PICUM (talk • contribs) 15:34, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

What is the exact name of the page you tried to create? I don't see a problem with the names PICUM or Picum. Are you sure the message was not about a blacklisted external link on the page you tried to create? There are problems with you creating an article about your own organization. See Wikipedia:FAQ/Business (also applies to organizations), Wikipedia:Conflict of interest, and Wikipedia:Username policy#Company/group names. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:51, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

PICUM is protected, see [2]; Picum is not, [3]. – ukexpat (talk) 15:54, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

OK. I didn't get any message for PICUM on my admin account like I have gotten for other protected titles and I couldn't find any log for PICUM. The problem is apparently that it matches a regexp protection at MediaWiki:Titleblacklist on page names containing "CUM". Some vandals create or move pages with dirty words in the name. I will look into it. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:10, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I have created a stub at PICUM with my administrator account. Other accounts should be able to edit the page - but it may be deleted soon because I didn't add independent sources. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:43, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

The page has now been deleted. If you want to write an article about PICUM, first construct it in your own sandbox (eg. here - User:PICUM/Sandbox ) and then ask an administrator to create the article with this content on. - tholly ^--Turnip-- 18:25, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

google images

This is just a suggestion, i think it would be a good idea in the "External Links" to add a link to the google image database for the subject —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.132.122.12 (talk) 16:05, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Like google needs free advertising. Also, see number 9 on this list, which basically states don't add links to search engine results. DaRkAgE7_[Talk] 17:08, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Sometimes links are added to Wikimedia Commons (here), which is a repository of free content images. Often these images are more topical too, as they have been uploaded by users. To add this type of link, add {{commons|SUBJECT OR TOPIC}}. Just check that related images exist first, by saving the page as a preview, and then following the link. - tholly ^--Turnip-- 17:50, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Changing PNG to SVG in an article

I originally posted this here but was advised to post it again, here. So, here goes:

The above is a favourite hobby of mine on Wikipedia and is usually fairly straightforward (just editing the image link in the article, so long as an SVG exists). However, with this page the PNG seems to be embedded in some template - {{runic}}, I think - but I can't make head nor tail of Template:runic. How do I change the PNG contained within to an SVG? Thanks in advance.

Edit: the PNG in the article is now an SVG but I'm still none the wiser as to who made the change or how they did it. Could someone please explain how to change PNGs in similar pages? It Is Me Here (talk) 17:41, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

The .svg image in the table on the right of the article comes from here, a template created for the article. User:Leolaursen edited this template on 14 July to make the picture a .svg. See this difference for how they did it. To find a template like this, look on the main article page and you will see something like this at at the top: {{EXAPMLE infobox}}. The just type in Template:EXAMPLE infobox to the search box to see the template.

Does this help? - tholly ^--Turnip-- 18:00, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Email Trouble

Hi, I changed my email address since I registered with wikipedia. The old address was <email removed>, and I don't have access to it anymore. I also forgot my password (yes, I'm a flake), but when the new password is sent it goes to... the old account. Argh. My new address is <email removed>, and my username was meerkat. Any way I can fix this? Thanks, Jeri —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.229.30.100 (talk) 18:03, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

No, you'll have to create a new account. You can redirect your old user pages to your new ones if you want. I've removed your email addresses (posting them here is asking to get spammed). Algebraist 18:18, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

(ec) You could also asked to be renamed after you have made several edits with your new account. I don't know whether it would be accepted, but it could be as "Meerkat" has made less than 20 edits, the most recent in 2004. - tholly ^--Turnip-- 18:21, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Marchand de Bien

Dear Wikipedia People.

My user name is Yambry, and a few days ago I wrote a small article relating the role of a 'Marchand de Bien' in France. It looks great on my page..........but that is as far as it has ever gone. When I search under 'Marchand de Bien'.....nothing.

Any ideas?

Many thanks. I look forward to hearing from you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yambry (talk • contribs) 19:00, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

If there is no "Merchand de Bien" article, feel free to be bold and make one! Be sure to include all your references when creating the article. Also, remember to sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~). All the best, Kodster ^{(heLLo) (Me did that)} 19:11, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

You edited your user page with some content about Marchand de Bien. See: User:Yambry. You seem to be trying to create a new article. You can be bold ("L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace!") if you like, but be aware that Wikipedia has some rather unintuitive policies and guidelines, and thus new users who create new articles before reading lots of our friendly manuals often end up asking: Why was my article deleted? A gentler way to approach Wikipedia is to start by editing existing articles. You may wish to see:

• Wikipedia:WikiProject France
• French Wikipedia
• WP:EIW#Translate

--Teratornis (talk) 19:32, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

HELP!!!! Images not displaying.

Resolved

Hi, i'm using wikipedia (infact, all wikimedia sites) and cannot get pictures to load.. I'm using Firefox on XP, if that helps.. '''''Andrew Marsden''''' (talk) 19:45, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

ADDITIONAL: Also, it doesn't work on IE either!!!! Andrew Marsden (talk) 19:45, 15 July 2008 (UTC) (again)

Please make sure you haven't blocked the Wikimedia image server, upload.wikimedia.org. That's really the only reason for you to not be able to view the images. Calvin 1998 ^(t-c) 19:49, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Nope, not blocked... i even added it to allow in both... it happened before, but clearing my cache seemed to work, i've done that 15 times now, turned it off, checked connection, checked other websites... no solution was found HELP!!! '''''Andrew Marsden''''' (talk) 19:59, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I'm sure it's not server-side... Calvin 1998 ^(t-c) 20:08, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried clicking on the images directly? Sometimes the page take a while to load and you have to click on the image to see it. —Mizu onna sango15/^Discuss 20:55, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Look in \WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc. If you have a file named "hosts", open it in notepad. Look at any lines that start with "127.0.0.1" and check the URL after it. These URLs are blocked. If you have a firewall, check to see if the server is blocked. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 21:53, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Sorted... reset the router and all is welll and good in the house of mcmarsden!!!! Thanx for tips.... '''''Andrew Marsden''''' (talk) 16:47, 16 July 2008 (UTC) This Problem has been solved

Lupin's tool

I've been around Wikipedia for a while now, and have had Lupin's tool installed but have never really used it due to errors it caused on my PC. Recently I have tried using the "edit history stats" tool to see who's made the most edits to a certain article, and my name does not appear on the list despite the fact that I have made many edits to the article. I should be about #3 on the list, but I am not shown there. Does anyone know what might be wrong? Thanks, —Mizu onna sango15/^Discuss 20:52, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Are you sure that is part of Lupin and not another tool? Gtstricky^{Talk or C} 21:02, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

I was thinking the same thing, as this tool doesn't seem to have anything to do with reverting vandalism, but I don't recall installing anything else on my monobook.js file. —Mizu onna sango15/^Discuss 21:05, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Try the Page History Statistics tool. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk - 21:58, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

What I was more looking for was a statistics tool to show which editors have made the most edits to x. The Edit History Stats tool I mentioned serves this purpose, but I can't find my name on the top ten list. —Mizu onna sango15/^Discuss 23:07, 15 July 2008 (UTC)

Never mind, thank you! Upon trying your suggestion a second time, it works! Cheers, —Mizu onna sango15/^Discuss 23:12, 15 July 2008 (UTC)