Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 October 28

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October 28

My password doesn't work and I can't get a new one

Either I've forgotten my password or it doesn't work. I have requested that my password be reset.

I've checked my email trash and spam folders, but I'm getting no response.

I am a regular contributor to Wikipedia.

-- User:Softtest123 12.71.84.89 (talk) 20:34, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

Have you tried more than once to request a new password? Is it possible that you have changed email account since 2007? --Elen of the Roads (talk) 21:34, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

If you're still having this problem: if your browser is Firefox, and you have any add-ons or settings which restrict cookies, make sure wikipedia is on your "allow" list.

how can I use an established page in wikipedia to create a new page.

c want to create a page for a book I just read. I like the page for another book. How Can I use it as a template for mine? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Corydjhughes (talk • contribs) 00:19, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

I've done this before- just go to the page whose formatting you like, click 'edit,' and copy the entire editing window. Paste it into the editing window you're using to create the new article, then replace the content as you write. Be careful to review the article before you save it, to make sure you haven't accidentally left the old content! -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 00:21, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

You will still need to check that the book is notable enough to have its own Wikipedia article, otherwise your work is likely to be deleted. See Wikipedia:Notability (books). I've also left some introductory links on your talk page. -- John of Reading (talk) 06:57, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

How to make the unique content (without references) published on Wikipedia?

Wikipedia

We all are thankful to the knowledge which we frequently gain from you. However, if someone wishes to publish own research the references of which are not available (as it is a very different concept and is probably non-comparable); how one should go ahead to make it published in (at least) your knowledge pool.

Please take a look at (copy and paste in your browser): lostphd.weebly.com

If you find it obtainable, please publish.

Regards

Sushil S. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.245.21.179 (talk) 04:12, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Please read Wikipedia:No original research and Wikipedia:Verifiability. Wikipedia does not publish original or novel knowledge. Wikipedia articles only feature published, notable knowledge which is already published elsewhere. Once the rest of the world thinks your bit of knowledge is important, it will eventually show up at Wikipedia. --Jayron32 05:18, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

My name removal from Mumbai Meetup

I wrote my name at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Mumbai/Mumbai3 in Interested but not sure section of this meetup project.but a Ip address removed my name from that project after some time.Look at this revision: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Meetup/Mumbai/Mumbai3&diff=393399154&oldid=prev .The Ip is from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (Education institute IP).So, Am I not eligible to take part in this Meetup?Can somebody tell me the intention of this Ip address?What's the minimum requirement to attend this meetup?Max Viwe | Wanna chat with me? 13:02, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

As that IP is an educational institution IP address, it's hard to know who is actually behind that edit and what was his/her intention. Of course, as I haven't been involved, I don't know all about the meetups, but as far as I know there aren't any requirements like number of edits or so on. I think you could just put your name back or ask the fellow what was his/her reason to remove your name. DARTH SIDIOUS 2 ^(Contact) 13:37, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Wiki Slang

You guys should develop a wing of Wikipedia called WikiSlang. Sometimes I wonder "where did this phrase come from" or "how did that word become associated with that meaning." You could cover the history of colloquialisms and curse words, talk about slang we have picked up from other countries or vice-versa. You could correct incorrect usage (eg - when people say "once and a while" when the proper phrase is "once IN a while.") It would be a really cool site to be able to reference.

Erica —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.92.167.219 (talk) 14:40, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Thanks for the idea. Our sister project Wiktionary covers a lot of phrases like that already. Have you had a chance to browse that site? TNXMan 14:49, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

For terms commonly used on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Glossary, but it focuses on meaning and not history. Both Wikipedia and Wiktionary are international projects and don't use the point of view "slang we have picked up from other countries". PrimeHunter (talk) 15:53, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

I think the OP meant slang in general, not specifically Wikipedia slang terms - they suggested WikiSlang as a name for the project. TNXMan 19:21, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Cannot Remove Pending Changes

Hello, I cannot remove the pending edits here at Clay Aiken. I have reviewer priviledges, and I want to remove both pending edits. (An IP editor inserted vandalism and then removed it.) I have tried using Twinkle to roll it back, but it doesn't seem to work. I clicked the undo link beside the edits, but that doesn't remove them either. How do I remove them? Reaper Eternal (talk) 15:45, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

I just removed a different pending vandalism on another article, and it worked just fine. The only difference was that there was only one pending edit. Does this mean I need rollback priviledges to remove multiple vandal edits by a single IP? Reaper Eternal (talk) 15:47, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

No, it just means that their second edit undid their first, so when you try to rollback, or undo, there's no change and the software doesn't store the revision. In theory you could do a dummy edit, or (since the vandalism isn't there anymore) just ignore it. --Floquenbeam (talk) 15:50, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Fixing A "Broken" Link In A Reflist

 Fixed -- Bk314159 (Talk to me and find out what I've done) 19:37, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

I am trying to fix a broken link on this page: 302d Fighter Sq. The link contained in the Notes portion of the References section points to an invalid URL. This is the correct URL. When I click the edit button, the only text visible in the Notes section is 'Reflist'. I've searched wiki for information on 'Reflist' but it is very confusing and does not help. Can you point me in the right direction or possibly fix it? I was able to correct the broken link in the Bibliography section. It used the same broken link and I updated it to the correct link. While trying to fix this issue I noticed several other Wiki articles on U.S. Air Force units contain the same broken link. If you can show me how to fix it, I will work on fixing the other ones I have found. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ttedor (talk • contribs) 19:18, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

The references are not actually in that section of the article, rather, they are listed in the body of the article. You'll need to find the matching superscript number in the article and edit that section. The link you want to correct will be listed between a <ref> tag and a </ref> tag. TNXMan 19:20, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Yes, that's what I thought. But I looked through the body of the article for the bad link and did not see it. I did see ref name="AFHRA 302 FS Page"/ which I assumed is where the incorrect link is stored, but I can't figure out how to get to the page. Clicking on the '1' of course takes you to the bottom of the page where the broken link is that redirects to 'AFHRA 302 FS Page'. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ttedor (talk • contribs) 19:31, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

The link was in the reference in the first place it was used in the article. Also, for future reference, please sign your posts here and on other discussion pages by typing four tildes (~~~~). -- Bk314159 (Talk to me and find out what I've done) 19:37, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

You can view what was changed at this link. I hope this helps. TNXMan 19:40, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Thank you both very much, I appreciate the help. I did not see the link there at the end of the History section. Now that I know what to look for, I will work on fixing the other broken links I found. Thanks again and I'll make sure I 'sign' my posts in the future. Ttedor (talk) 20:00, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

donate from india...

kindly tell me how to make donations towards wikipedia from india? sp. whether i can pay via debit cards and how? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.200.224.242 (talk) 20:19, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

The information you need to make a donation can be found on this page. I hope this helps and thanks for your support! TNXMan 20:22, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

sorry, but no scope of debit cards or direct a/c (india) to a/c (usa) transfer option. they have only given credit card or paypal transfer options as the major modes, which dont work well with everyone...pl suggest... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.200.224.242 (talk) 20:41, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Hmm. There's also this page, which lists some other methods. Does this help? TNXMan 20:47, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

yeah, thanx. had gone thru it before! direct international a/c transfer via swift code seems to be the only option feasible - need to give this method a try. else, cant think of another way out. other suggestions are welcome... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.200.224.242 (talk) 21:27, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Trying to find Information about a Newsletter put out by the B.C. Stroke association!!

I think if I remember right it is printed and mailed out every 3 Mouths as a Voluteer format. Thank U 4 Yr Help !! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.114.237.38 (talk) 20:20, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the upper right side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. TNXMan 20:25, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Posting An Article

I'm new to Wikipedia and I just completed the registration in order to submit my approximately 25 page article. But how do I actually submit that previously written 25 page article as an attachment instead of having to re-write the entire 25 pages? Thank you. Michael Coard —Preceding unsigned comment added by MichaelCoard1 (talk • contribs) 20:25, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

What is the topic? The Interior(Talk) 20:28, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

A Wizard is available to walk you through these steps. See the Article Wizard.

Thank you.

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 with which all articles should comply. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite 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 Wikipedia:Your first article. You might also look at 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. An Article Wizard is also available to walk you through creating an article. TNXMan 20:47, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

When you use the article Wizard, you will be able to copy and paste your material. However, you almost certainly did not format references according to Wikipedia style so you will have to take care of that after copying.--SPhilbrickT 21:58, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

If your article takes up 25 A4 pages, it may be too long or too detailed for a Wikipedia article (although this is not necessarily the case - it depends on the subject matter). I would recommend using the article wizard as directed by others above, and saving your work initially in a user sandbox space when prompted, rather than directly into the encyclopaedia. This will give you the chance to edit your work and fix any formatting problems before it goes live. Please also bear in mind that by adding your work to Wikipedia, you are relinquishing copyright and control over it. The text will not be credited to you, and other users can and will edit it freely. If you're happy to do this, that's fine, but if you are looking to retain rights over the material, or if it is work that has previously been published elsewhere under copyright, then Wikipedia is not the place to put it. Karenjc 10:52, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Wikibooks may be a better option for a document of that size. Roger (talk) 12:38, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Oshawa

I have found the Wikipedia page on Oshawa, Ontario, Canada to be misleading in its historical details, to be out-of-date in its recent coverage and also to have the wrong name of the current mayor. Can you correct these inaccuracies?

Grant Karcich Oshawa, Ontario <email removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.53.84.84 (talk) 21:14, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Oshawa (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

Perhaps you'd like to fix it? Be bold! (I have removed your email address to protect your privacy) -- John of Reading (talk) 21:20, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

There's nobody here except volunteers just like you (except some of us have a little more familiarity with the arcane coding than you do.) If you don't feel comfortable making the changes yourself, go to the article talk page here, click on "new section" and tell us what you think should be changed, along with references to the correct material, and some volunteer will probably make the changes. --SPhilbrickT 22:03, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Reference not matching article

How do you tag a article(or section) when it appears that a specific reference does not/or no longer matches the Wikipedia article material attributed to it? Regards, SunCreator ^(talk) 23:01, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

The best match I know for this is {{Failed verification}}.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:15, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Thanks! Regards, SunCreator ^(talk) 23:23, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

Glad to help.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:24, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

RE: Talk:Human Potential Movement

This article Human_Potential_Movement now has a Talk Page here [[1]] and is being considered within the scope of the [[2]].

This is an inaccurate classification. The Human Potential Movement was an offshoot of the Humanistic Movement and neither of these has/had anything to do with religion. Transpersonal Psychology emphasized the importance of the Soul, however this was not within a religious context.

I also can't see the point of having such a relatively large section dedicated to "alleged failure" on the main page, and "controversy" in the talk page.

Every single philosophy and movement has its critics. IMO it might be better to simply give a more thorough description of HPM and leave out the critique.

Some of the ideas of HPM have been incorporated into 'new age thought', however rather than quoting Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra in defence of the criticisms, it would be better to quote others who are not part of the new age thought. Fridakahlofan (talk) 23:21, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

The article's talk page is the best place to discuss this. If there are changes you would like to make which are not likely to be controversial, please be bold and make them directly. --ColinFine (talk) 09:02, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Moving article from WP:Sandbox to main namespace

What (if any) is the appropriate procedure for moving an article from the project sandbox (WP:SANDBOX) into the main namespace? Specifically, I am referring to this edit by Shannon1011 (talk · contribs) (which, unfortunately, the bot immediately cleaned up). -- Bk314159 (Talk to me and find out what I've done) 23:24, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

I think the best course of action is to ask the author to copy-paste it into the mainspace, or give you permission to do so. You could do it yourself without asking the author, but that would pose an attribution problem. Intelligentsium 23:42, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

(e/c) I have granted Shannon1011 confirmed user status so that she does not need to wait out the autoconfirmed time period and number of edits thresholds. Since she made the edits, she should be instructed to go to the revision of the sandbox you linked, click edit, copy the content and then create the article. This is the only way I can see for this, since the sandbox's history cannot be broken out (well not without great effort) and she should be the one who creates the article for copyright attribution. I suppose you could create the article, with an edit summary such as article created by [[user:Shannon1011]] in [[WP:Sandbox]]; see http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia%3ASandbox&action=historysubmit&diff=393514602&oldid=393512177 but it's clunky. By the way, I'm not sure that edit summary will fit unless you have checked the box for "Allow up to 50 more characters in each of your edit summaries" in your preferences → gadgets → User interface gadgets: editing.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 23:43, 28 October 2010 (UTC)