Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 June 28

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June 28

Repeated Copyright Violations

I've been dealing with some repeated copyright violations on NIIT, especially over the last week. I think I'm up to 8 separate violations that I've reverted now, all from anonymous accounts. See this diff for an example.

Besides simply reverting these as they come up, is there anything else that can be done? I've given warnings for each of the anonymous accounts, but I doubt they are really being seen as the accounts change. Any suggestions on how to handle this more effectively than what I'm already doing? WeisheitSuchen (talk) 00:53, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The official noticeboard for cases like these is WP:CV. I'd suggest posting the problem there, but to me it doesn't appear that much action takes place there (I could be wrong, I haven't spent a lot of time there). Try reporting it to the administrator's noticeboard, and see what they suggest. It's possible you could have the article semiprotected. a little insignificant 01:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! I wasn't really sure where to go for this particular issue. WeisheitSuchen (talk) 02:02, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

How do I cite Song Lyrics?

Resolved

 –  Doktor  Wilhelm  11:37, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Without using a site that may be a copyright violation? I'm also curious about the possible use of a sample of the song (per WP:SAMPLE), but it's for an article on a a vulgar word and not the bands article, so I'm not sure?  Doktor  Wilhelm  01:25, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I was told you can't make articles with song lyrics, and if you could, the only way you could ever get the lyrics from a trusted source would be from the sleeve, I was told lyrics are copyrighted and unauthorized printing of them is a copyright violation. I'm not sure about the sample thing. ---Scarce |||| You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead--- 04:22, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

That you for the reply. I'm not after creating a whole article with song lyrics, just quoting a few lines to place into an already established article, how would I go about citing the published sleeve/booklet of an album?  Doktor  Wilhelm  10:54, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

You can use the {{cite album-notes}} template for this (Fill in as many fields as you can, and a properly formatted citation is generated). An audio sample is unlikely to be justifiable for an article unrelated to the band/song/album, unless you can defend the notion that it adds significantly to the reader's (listener's) understanding of the article's topic (See WP:NFCC#8). Regards, decltype (talk) 11:29, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Accidentally edited page, thought I was editing sandbox

Resolved

OK, I screwed up.

I started a page in a sandbox, when it was ready for primetime, I moved it to a new page. (The subject of that page is the USA Women’s World University Games Team aka WUG). I then decided to work on a new page, and thought I could use the same sandbox. When I thought that was close to ready - I looked at the title, realized something was wrong, and think I was actually editing the WUG page, not my sandbox. I think what happens is that when I move a page, it creates a redirect for my sandbox - not hat I wanted, but understandable.

I tried undoing to the last good version but it didn't let me. I thought making I could undo the last few changes, but that doesn't seem to work either. Rather than make a bigger mess, I decided to ask for help.

Help.

This is a link to the last good version of WUG. I can recreate my Kerry Bascom material, as I have most of it offline. [1]

If someone can tell me what to do, I'll do it, but if it is easier to do yourself, please do it and tell me what you did (hopefully, no exact time, but you never know.--SPhilbrickT 01:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

 Done--Tell me if I screwed anything up.Fingerz 01:41, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Looks good, thanks. --SPhilbrickT 01:49, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

This is why I started editing subpages with the actual name of the eventual target page, rather than "Sandbox". If you have used a "Sandbox" subpage for lots of different scratch edits, when you move it to an article name, you will move a lot of irrelevant nonsense with the history. Thus it is tidier to start with a fresh sandbox page, and don't call it "Sandbox", when you plan to move it to article space or template space or whatever. I try to use my Sandbox* subpages only for testing, not for edits I plan to keep. Just something to consider. --Teratornis (talk) 02:08, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

What you can do, if you are the only editor, is just do a cut and paste move - it's about the only time when that is OK to do. Orderinchaos 18:00, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Protecting user talk page against user

When I became an admin, I created an alternate account, Nyttend backup, for use on computers other than my own, reasoning that using my actual password only on my computer would make the password much harder to steal. I've always had the backup's talk page as a redirect to my actual talk page, since I'll never look at my backup talk when I can look at the normal one without being logged in. However, I just considered — if the backup gets hacked, the hacker might try to change settings so that it's not obvious who's doing damage, so I've permanently protected the user page, and I'd like to protect the talk page redirect likewise. Two questions: (1) Does this prevent Nyttend backup from editing the userpage? (2) Is there anyway to keep Nyttend backup from editing the talk page without blocking the account? Nyttend (talk) 03:29, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Having switched users, it seems that I can't edit the redirect or the userpage right now. Is there any way that I could get around it while signed in as backup? Nyttend backup (talk) 03:33, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Bole (color)#see also

You'll notice when editing the section:

* [[List of colors]] {{Shades of brown}}

Now I've checked both {{Shades of brown}} and {{Shades of color}}, but their <noinclude></noinclude> and their <includeonly></includeonly> don't have any space between the templatetext/markup. Why is there a space between the text and the template visually, then? I can't figure this out, what is causing this problem? Can someone fix it? If not, can you report this bug to bugzilla?174.3.103.39 (talk) 04:23, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Report this bug to bugzilla.174.3.103.39 (talk) 04:26, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The space is caused by the blank line you added between * [[List of colors]] and {{Shades of brown}} in [2]. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:01, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

How do I attach a song to the wikipedia?

How do I attach a song to the wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.129.110.61 (talk) 04:22, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I think that your looking for WP:SAMPLE.Fingerz 04:32, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Geography

Father of geography —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.255.180.88 (talk) 06:08, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

You may find what you are looking for at Geography#Notable_geographers. —SpaceFlight89 (talk) 06:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Such sobriquets are often applied to more than one person, depending on who's doing the applying. According to this source, as well as a general Google Books search, Hecataeus of Miletus, Herodotus, and Homer are the three figures who have most commonly been so called. Deor (talk) 14:44, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

How to create your own article?

As I am quite a new member of Wikipedia, I would like to find out if you could create your own article about something/one. If it is possible, I would like to find out how to find the place where you can create the page. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thaddaeus28 (talk • contribs) 08:04, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Chamal ^talk 08:22, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

YARIS

What is the meaning for the word/name YARIS?

Thanx —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.0.254.41 (talk) 08:12, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

See Yaris. Chamal ^talk 08:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I am a new user to the computer world

Can someone help I just started using a computer this month I have no idea what i am doing, in outlook express what on earth goes in the pop3 line? and the smtp line? please help —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lindy211 (talk • contribs) 10:40, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Your Internet service provider may have given you this data if they offer an e-mail account. The data depends on the provider. Have you tried the Science section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps.. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:06, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I would think the computer reference desk would be better - here's a link click here--71.234.127.187 (talk) 16:14, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Requesting account

I attempted to create an account by the name of "Jekyll and Hyde", and could not because of its' similarity to another account, User:JekyllandHyde, who has no contributions. Is there a way around this problem? 69.250.171.249 (talk) 11:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Please see WP:ACC, and follow the link to the account creation interface. There you can request the name and an admin or account creator can create it for you. Best, PeterSymonds (talk) 11:27, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

There is no User:JekyllandHyde but [3] shows User:Jekyllandhyde who created a deleted article in 2008 (only visible to administrators). PrimeHunter (talk) 11:36, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Category disambiguation question

Why do we have Category:People from Birmingham, England when the article is simply "Birmingham" (due to primary usage)? In other words, why is category space disambiguated differently to article space? Thanks. --Jameboy (talk)

One of the reasons for the primary use rule is to make it easy to go directly to the primary article for people using the search box. Users will probably often enter "Birmingham" but rarely "Category:People from Birmingham" in the search box. And only the category name can be shown in the list of categories at the bottom of an article, so an ambiguous category name seems impractical. When linking to an article like Birmingham you can make it clear from the context or with a piped link like Birmingham, England which Birmingham it is. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:49, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

white blood cells

my white blood cells my results were 6-10. is this dangerous? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.68.80.161 (talk) 13:03, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

We cannot give medical advice. Ask your doctor. Algebraist 13:11, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Download wikipedia page

Can I download any wikipedia page as .pdf file. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.30.110.83 (talk) 13:14, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes. Use the 'PDF version' link in the left sidebar. Algebraist 13:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

218, you need an account for this because the pdf link is available only to logged in users. 59.95.102.213 (talk) 02:53, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Quoting lyrics in an article

Resolved

 – To original questioner's satisfaction (PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs))

I have obtained permission from the copyright owner of some lyrics, complete with a reference provided by him in his letter. How do I get this onto an article without it being deleted? It was suggested to me that I get the permission, and put it on wikisource, but it was deleted as being outside of wikisource's scope. I feel a bit peeved that I contact the copyright owner (Raymond Allen, creator of BBC's Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, who wrote Frank Spencer's Lullaby) and obtain permission to quote the lyrics on wikipedia, and now I can't find a way to do it - should I just put it within an article, or should it actually be on wikisource? PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:25, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

On the copyright issue: what permission did you obtain, exactly? Permission for use on Wikipedia (or Wikisource) is not enough, since Wikipedia and Wikisource's content should be freely copyable by others. The copyright holder must agree to license their work under the CC-BY-SA license and (in the case of Wikipedia but not Wikisource) also under the GFDL.

On where it should be placed: Wikipedia is not in general a good place for posting the entire lyrics of songs, and in this case, where the song doesn't even have its own article, I can't see any reason for it. If it has been released under the appropriate license, it should be on Wikisource. Algebraist 13:35, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I created an article for the song, but was advised to put the lyrics on wikisource when I obtained permissions, so deleted the page. I will re-contact the copyright owner for wikipedia-suitable permission to reproduce (he had just said that he was happy for me to quote the lyrics on wikipedia, but not specifically using the licences quoted above). Thanks for the advise. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:43, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

On second thoughts, I'm not going to contact Mr Allen. It hardly seems worth it, when he'd have to read through 12 pages of licensing conditions to make sure he agrees to it! Also, although the lyrics are a nice addition, they don't actually add to the storyline of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. Thanks for the advice though, Algebraist! PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:56, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

What to do after changing my username?

I've recently changed username (from "This flag once was red" to "TFOWR", for the curious...), and I'm wondering what to do with the old username? As part of the rename, the old userpage and usertalkpage both redirect to their respective new pages, and I seem to be able to log in using the old username.

I'm mindful that the old username could be used to impersonate me (if I surrendered the old username), but that doesn't seem likely since I can still log in. I'd like to keep the old username so I can use it as a separate watchlist. What would/should I do? Should I label the old username as a doppelganger account, or simply keep the redirects in place? Is there anything else I should consider (I'm considering creating a doppelganger account "tfowr", for example)?

Cheers, This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 14:07, 28 June 2009 (UTC) Old signature; links to new userpage etc

TFOWR, the advice on Wikipedia:Changing_username states Be aware: Once you have been renamed, your old account will no longer exist and may potentially be recreated by a third party. This is true even if your old account pages have been redirected towards your new account. To guard against impersonation, you may wish to recreate the old account yourself. (Emphasis mine). Not sure if this helps you!

I'd guess it's not immediate - I just tried logging out then registering my old username. I'll try again in a day or so - thanks! This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 19:46, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

• Incidently, for anyone else reading this and thinking of changing their username, that page also says As an alternative, please consider changing your signature. This will change your "public appearance" on talk pages and other places where you sign your username with ~~~~. PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 15:37, 28 June 2009 (UTC)
  • Good advice - changing username is fairly straightforward, but there were a few hiccups - like waking up to discover my watchlist empty (eventually I realised the username change had gone through, and once I logged in with my new username my watchlist came back). I changed my username because it was long and unwieldy - best advice I can give is to pick a short and sensible username to begin with ;-) This flag once was red^propaganda_deeds 19:46, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

• • • When I changed mine (from Orderinchaos78 to Orderinchaos), I created a new account at my old name and redirected the user and talk pages to my new one. Orderinchaos 18:03, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Space around images

I've had my article online for quite some time. Recently, however, the space above one of my images (Boys' campus, circa 1964) disappeared and now the image and the text above it overlap. I searched for help on how to increase the space above the image but couldn't find any. I also looked at other wiki pages to see how images were inserted, but didn't see anything different in their code and mine. So, I'm stumped. Can someone please tell me how to fix this? Thanks very much. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karenram (talk • contribs) 15:30, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Apparently you managed to fix it.[4][5] Is there still a problem with the images?

Also, FYI, we have the template {{stack}} for this kind of image layout. --59.95.97.64 (talk) 16:53, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

how to make an info-type box at top of page?

I am having difficulties finding out how to make a box with picture and some info that usually appears at the very top right of an article. I don't think it's an infobox or navbox?... Please can anybody point me in the right direction?

thanks Marmoset1000 (talk) 15:40, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It's usually an infobox which is a form of template. You could for example use {{Infobox Park}} on Blair Drummond Safari Park. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:54, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Tube maps - my new external link to Hubcapmap.com. Is it advertising??

I have created public art in Liverpool featuring the Merseyrail map with famous names on. They are described on my website which also sells it on a small scale, rather like Animals on the Undergound, which you have permitted.

New subscriber, hope this is OK for you!

Hubcapmap (talk) 15:47, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I would say yes. Regarding other sites, I will have to take a look. It likely has not been explcitly permitted, but it just hasn't been caught yet. TastyPoutine ^{talk (if you dare)} 17:09, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

We has permitted what? Wikipedia policies actually discourage you from editing in areas where you have a conflict of interest.

Your account will likely be blocked as a promotional username. --59.95.97.64 (talk) 17:09, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

OK, I reviewed the other site. Bit of an apples/oranges situation here. It seems that Animals on the Underground has a WP page. I am not going to make the determination as to whether or not it qualifies for one as a notable phenomenon. In any case, There were two links to this site on the Tube map. One was a reference to text in the article about this thing. One was straight up in the External links section. Since its a duplicate link, I removed the one from External links. In the case of the reference link, it would be difficult to remove given the context of its relation to what may or may not be a notable entry. TastyPoutine ^{talk (if you dare)} 17:15, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

An uncooperating IP vandal

Resolved

I reverted one of 76.193.190.131's vandal edits. After this he posted the message "Kotiwalo is a giant butt" which isn't particularly insulting, but still a personal attack, on his talk page. I have asked him to be civil several times, but he has refused. What should I do? Kotiwalo (talk) 16:54, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I haven't seen cooperative vandals (ever). Give him/her a warning; use this code:{{subst:uw-npa4im}} and if they continue after that, report to WP:AIV. 59.95.97.64 (talk) 16:59, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

I was just afraid of that conflict of interest thing - can I reliably ask for an user who has badmouthed only me (apart from one case of vandalism) to be blocked? Kotiwalo (talk) 17:06, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

A major portion of the community does not believe there is anything wrong in reporting/blocking blatant vandals even if there is some COI. As for this particular IP - they don't seem to be vandalizing mainspace articles anymore, so I would say leave 'em alone and get on with your work, unless they start misbehaving again. 59.95.97.64 (talk) 17:15, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Blocked by Fugghetaboutit. 59.95.97.64 (talk) 17:16, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Thank you 59.95.97.64. There is no reason anyone else's time should be wasted on this matter. The ip's only edit was blatant vandalism, and then he was successful in hijacking your time with juvenile baiting. I have no doubt, given his edits, that if you hadn't of kept him occupied, other article vandalism would have been in the offing.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk)

Yeah, I should've not fed the troll =/. Being a man of principle sucks sometimes... But thanks for help anyway! Kotiwalo (talk) 17:25, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It is sometimes very hard to avoid feeding. Don't feel bad. I am currently embroiled in an RFC where one user is "half a troll"; his posts mask as legitimate until you see them all together and only then can you see that baiting is the real intent (and I fell for it hook, line and sinker). But this users start of calling you a giant butt was something of a red flag:-)--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 17:48, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Adding a Photo to an Article

I've done it before, but a long time ago and now I've forgotten - how do I add a jpeg photo to my article? My page is Diana Raab. Thanks! Kateschwab (talk) 19:05, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

See Help:Images. Algebraist 19:08, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Image Correction

An image's talk page says this:
Attention This page should not be used to:

   * Request or contest deletion;
   * Contact the photographer or uploader;
   * Request corrections to the image; 

So where should I request corrections for an image? WikiLoverr (talk) 22:58, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

It depends on the circumstances. It may require discussion and attention from somebody able to make a correction. It might for example be discussed on the talk page of the uploader or on the talk page of an article where the image is used. Which image is it and what is your request? PrimeHunter (talk) 23:08, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

The image is this. The blue panels appear to be incomplete. WikiLoverr (talk) 23:19, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

Yes. The uploader can be contacted at User talk:Kalel2007 but has not edited since June 9. There is also Wikipedia:Graphic Lab but they don't appear needed. A Google image search [6] shows that the German Wikipedia has a better version at de:Datei:CONCACAF logo.svg. Maybe a help desk reader will transfer it to the English Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:00, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

References

Petergans thinks that his new article, Metal Ions in Life Sciences, does not require any references. But doesn't every single article, from stubs to featured articles, need references? All the best, Kayau (Talk to me! See what I've done! Sign my guestbook!) 14:47, 1 July 2009 (UTC)