Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 June 9

Help desk
< June 8	<< May | June | Jul >>	June 10 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

June 9

Unsuccessful attempt to add to list at WP:RFCN

As far as I can see I've followed the instructions on the page carefully. Following the prescribed format {{subst:rfcn1|username|reason ~~~~}} I posted as follows:
{{subst:rfcn1|LespasBot|[[WP:UN]] states explicitly: unless your account is an approved bot, your name should not end with bot. I have raised the issue with the user [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ALespasBot&action=historysubmit&diff=433190071&oldid=433185773 here] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ALespasBot&action=historysubmit&diff=433234585&oldid=433231529 here] but she has removed my comments without responding on both occasions. User may feel under attack from me as I have raised AfD's on two articles she created ([[Quintain(5lines)]] and [[Quintain (poetry)]], where, incidentally, she has been blanking. ~~~~}}
but instead of the expected listing, what appeared was:
===LespasBot=== {{#if:|<div style="display:none;">}} {{#ifeq:{{NAMESPACE}}|Wikipedia| |{{error:not substituted|Rfcn1}}<div style="display:none;">}} {{user|LespasBot}} :{{{2}}} {{#if:|</div></div>}}
I have no idea what I've done wrong. All assistance appreciated. --gråb whåt you cån (talk) 00:15, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Many templates will break down where they contain URLs with equal signs in them. Try adding "2=" before the reason:

{{subst:rfcn1|LespasBot|2=[[WP:UN]] states explicitly: unless your account is an approved bot, your name should not end with bot. I have raised the issue with the user [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ALespasBot&action=historysubmit&diff=433190071&oldid=433185773 here] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ALespasBot&action=historysubmit&diff=433234585&oldid=433231529 here] but she has removed my comments without responding on both occasions. User may feel under attack from me as I have raised AfD's on two articles she created ([[Quintain(5lines)]] and [[Quintain (poetry)]], where, incidentally, she has been blanking. ~~~~}}

This worked for me in preview. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:30, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Many thanks. --gråb whåt you cån (talk) 00:36, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

You're welcome.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 00:40, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

help please

I'm trying to list the Paul II (octopus) article on Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/2011 June 9. I've tried four times and have no idea what is wrong. Can someone complete it for me? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Compassion is in fashion (talk • contribs) 01:44, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

I have  fixed the nomination. The discussion was created under a page suffixed with (2nd nomination), which I removed. I also fixed the link to the discussion on the original article. Logan _Talk ^{Contributions} 01:49, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Why was I warned?

I was checking Wikipedia for some information, and noticed that there a bar near the to of the page stating that I had a message. The message was a warning stating:

---

Attention: This IP address, *************, is registered to Verizon Internet Services. In the event of persistent vandalism from this address, efforts may be made to contact Verizon Internet Services to report abuse, which can be done here. Contact information can be viewed in the WHOIS report

. If you are an unregistered user operating from this address, note that it is possible for the owner of the IP, Verizon Internet Services, to determine who was making contributions from this address at a given time. If you are the owner of this address responding to reports of inappropriate conduct from this address, you may find the contributions history and block log for this address helpful. Please feel free to contact any administrator who has blocked this address with questions (blocking admins will be listed in the block log).

---

Below that was another set of text, dated August 2009, that stated:

---

Please stop. If you continue to blank out or delete portions of page content, templates or other materials from Wikipedia, as you did to Pranknet, you will be blocked from editing. <>Multi-Xfer<> (talk) 02:01, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

---

I never even visited the article in question, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pranknet) and I am bewildered as to why this message was displayed now, when it is dated almost two years ago. Any help explaining this matter would be appreciated. --96.236.179.146 (talk) 02:20, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Did you read the date of the warning? It was from August, 2009. Were you at this IP address 22 months ago? If not, then it wasn't intended for you. This may have been the first time that this particular IP address (96.236.179.146) has been used since the warning was issued, which is why it shows up as a "new" message, since no one has used it in 2 years. It happens. --Jayron32 02:26, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

And, the line underneath - which says,

If this is a shared IP address, and you didn't make the edit, consider creating an account for yourself so you can avoid further irrelevant notices.

...  Chzz  ►  13:52, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Question about dealing with a troll

Hi,

While recent-change patrolling, I noticed a very uncivil edit summary:

'goodies' isn't a term you'd use in an encyclopedic, what are you, dense? are you retarded or something? don't you know who i am?

I guess this person is just a troll, but in order to make it easier for admins to take action against this user, I added the standard "do not attack other editors" warning to the user's talk page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:108.32.197.152&oldid=433309610

In response, the user left me a rude reply on his/her talk page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:108.32.197.152&diff=prev&oldid=433316862

What is the usual course of action here? Should I ignore the troll but keep an eye on him/her? Or should I re-add the deleted warning to the user's talk page?

—Tommyjb Talk! (03:02, 9 June 2011)

The #1 rule of dealing with a troll is do not feed them. Just keep your distance for now. One time I have got too close to one and he came over to my talk page and gave me a very hard time. Crazymonkey1123 (Jacob) ^{T or M}/_{Sign mine} 03:06, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

I have blocked the IP for 31 hours.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:48, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. —Tommyjb Talk! (04:39, 9 June 2011)

You should have indefinitely banned him, in my personal opinion. --An anonymous user

Wikipedia crash support

How does Wikipedia support itself from crashing due to many visitors? Also, does Wikipedia have protection to prevent from people redirecting this website to malware? Last of all, is it possible for Wikimedia chairpeople to edit or change Wikipedia without being noticed? Thanks in advance for any answers. SwisterTwister (talk) 06:53, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

To answer 1): The Wikimedia Foundation which runs Wikipedia has a large number of servers in Florida and Amsterdam, and uses technology including load balancing and Squids which cache pages to reduce the load on the servers. There is some more information at the technical FAQ.

2) Redirection to a malware site (using the Wikipedia meaning) would not be possible, I think, as the MediaWiki software would not allow redirects to random external websites. Domain hijacking might be possible, but this would require either for someone to impersonate a Foundation employee, or for the Foundation to allow the domain to expire. Hacking is also a possibility. Wikimedia has developers paid to prevent things like this happening, though.

3) I don't know a lot about the Mediawiki back-end; developers could theoretically make changes directly to the database, which might not be visible to the normal editor in the page history. Other developers would probably be able to see this. Not to mention the fact that normal, eagle-eyed editors would quickly spot any changes made to articles, particularly if it was something controversial. If the change didn't display in the history, that would raise a lot of questions. --Kateshortforbob _talk 13:28, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

The above answer is great; I'll just add a couple of things. Re. (2) - notice that links to other websites from Wikipedia are marked as such with the 'double arrow' icon [1] (except certain exceptions, such as links to sister wikis). We try to ensure external links are 'safe' (WP:EL), and if we discover ones that are not, they are often blacklisted to prevent anyone adding them. Re. (3) it really is a theoretial possibility. Of course, the few people who have direct write access to the database (so they can fix code and so on) could theoretically make changes, not only would it cause a massive furore, but also it'd likely be a breach of the terms of our licence by not giving attribution.

I also emphasize that Wikipedia has no editorial board. Content is not the result of an editorial decision by the Wikimedia Foundation or its staff.^{Wikipedia:Contact us} More info on that is at Wikimedia:FAQ.  Chzz  ►  14:16, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Distinction between names in red and in black on the page with death notices

Why are some names printed in red on page "Deaths in 2011"? — Preceding unsigned comment added by TomMaslo (talk • contribs) 08:07, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Those are red links. —Tommyjb Talk! (08:31, 9 June 2011)

They will be removed after one month. See Talk:Deaths in 2011.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:01, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Upload file option in toolbox

I have started to host mediawiki on my local intranet. 1. How to create pages with images without uploading the image. 2. The media wiki's toolbox doesnot have the Upload file link. How to enable / add the option in the toolbox — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.55.55.37 (talk) 11:12, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

This is the help page for the English language Wikipedia, an encyclopedia implemented using MediaWiki. I believe you want to request help at the MediaWiki Support Desk. CaptRik (talk) 11:18, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Deborah Dingell BIO

Debbie Dingell is currently the President of D2 Strategies,

Extended content

and is Chair the Manufacturing Initiative of the American Automotive Policy Council. She is an active civic and community leader in both Michigan and Washington, D.C. and is a recognized national advocate for women and children. She recently completed a more than 30 year career at General Motors as a senior executive, where she headed the GM Foundation and public affairs. Mrs. Dingell has both a B.S.F.S. in Foreign Service and an M.S. in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. Mrs. Dingell is also a national Democratic strategist, a member of the Democratic National Committee and has chaired numerous political campaigns. She currently chairs several boards, initiatives and committees and sits on numerous cultural, health, social services and civic boards in both Michigan and Washington, D.C. Much of her recent work has been focused on ethical issues and social responsibility as it relates to government and business. As a respected, bi-partisan voice, she is a regular contributor to the Fox News Channel, MSNBC, co-hosts “AM I Right” on the Detroit Public Television station, and is a regular roundtable Panel participant on Detroit’s WDIV’s “Flashpoint” as well as several other media programs in Michigan and Washington, D.C. She is included in Washingtonian’s 2009 100 most influential women in Washington, DC and Detroit Crain’s listing of the 100 most influential women in Michigan. Mrs. Dingell is married to Congressman John D. Dingell of Michigan.

Ddingell.assistant (talk) 15:12, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Please also read WP:COI. - David Biddulph (talk) 15:17, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict)

Hi there. I'm not sure why you've posted what appears to be an article, here on the helpdesk? I also note that it seems to be a duplication of the existing live article, Deborah Dingell.

Given your user-name, you need to read about conflict of interest, and see the business FAQ.

You could make suggestions for improvement to that article on Talk:Deborah Dingell - but please note that everything must have a reliable source; see our policy regarding biographies of living people. Cheers,  Chzz  ►  15:20, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Sources contradicting the majority of other sources

What is the correct procedure to handle a published source contradicting the majority of other sources regarding a specific statement? In the specific case in question, there is a source stating a definition of a mathematical concept that contradicts the statements made by the majority of other sources. Should there simply be a sentence in the article like Source W defines X as Y, while the majority of sources define X as Z? Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 17:26, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

That would seem to be one reasonable option, but in general it is sensible to discuss such matters on the article's talk page. The consensus may be that one (or more) of the sources is unreliable. - David Biddulph (talk) 17:31, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Thanks, I will bring it up on the article's talk page. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 17:40, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Creating a disambiguation page for a name

I did a search for a name and the search results page listed a variety of articles with that particular name in them but I did not have the option of creating a new article for that specific name. In the past, when I did a search for a name without an existing article there was a phrase saying something like "Create a page for..." with the term red-linked which could be clicked and the article created in that way. For some reason I just get a list of search results but not the red-linked term so I can't create a disambiguation page for the name. What can I do to get around this problem?-Schnurrbart (talk) 18:47, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Probably a redirect...please link to the page. CTJF83 18:51, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

^ Are you kidding?

I searched several terms (pop-culture terms that are nonsensical article titles but are mentioned in article bodies) and came up with the redlink for all of them. Nevertheless, if I read your question correctly, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ARTICLE_NAME&action=edit&redlink=1 should work for you -- be sure to replace ARTICLE_NAME. Xenon54 (talk) 20:37, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

I think if an article is salted then the option does not appear; I just tried searching for High Rankin (a salted dubstep musician) and I did not get the choice to create the article. doomgaze (talk) 20:51, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

I see you have now posted the name to Wikipedia:Deletion review/Log/2011 June 10. You should be able to create Kraig now. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:21, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

Becoming a Member

How I can be an Autoconfirmed member or a Confirmed member? — Preceding unsigned comment added by WikiDanMan (talk • contribs) 18:51, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

WP:AUTOCONFIRMED wait 4 days and make 10 edits. CTJF83 18:52, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

You can request to be confirmed early at this link. You would have to have a good reason for doing so, however. doomgaze (talk) 20:48, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

WBGU-TV Wikipedia Page Deletion (Needed ASAP)

Hello,

My name is Chad Meredith and I am the main administrator for WBGU-TV's Facebook page (WBGU-TV is a PBS station in Bowling Green that serves 19 counties). My Facebook team and I have created an effective and excellent Facebook page for WBGU-TV (it's WBGU on Facebook). However, when a person types in WBGU-TV on Facebook, the Wikipedia page for WBGU-TV comes up, and it's incredibly outdated. We do not like it, and want it completely deleted. It was made a long while ago, and it serves no purpose for our organization. We cannot access the editing options for it, as it was made a long time ago (likely by an external entity). We are a respectable public television station with over 300 followers on Facebook (far more who watch our station), and we request to have the WBGU-TV Wikipedia page completely taken down. This page confuses viewers (especially those searching for us on Facebook), is completely outdated, and is terrible for WBGU-TV's continuation and business as a thriving and beneficial organization to the public.

I can give you names and accreditation of WBGU-TV, and our Facebook page is visible, though it's not this outdated and frankly useless Wikipedia page. We do not want the page up on Wikipedia any more, and kindly request for its deletion ASAP. It serves absolutely no purpose for us and is far more detrimental to WBGU-TV than any potential "good." This detriment is especially apparent when you search for WBGU-TV on Facebook and find this outdated Wikipedia page below our Facebook page. We do not want our Wikipedia-Facebook page updated, but removed completely. Thank you. Mchad777 (talk) 19:29, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Sincerely, Chad Meredith

Dear Wikipedia,

My name is Chad Meredith, and I am the primary editor for WBGU-TV's (a PBS station in Bowling Green, Ohio) Facebook page.

Here is the link to the page that we at WBGU-TV desire to have deleted. We do not find this amusing and need it taken down. When people search for us on Facebook, this completely outdated and unnecessary page comes up.

WBGU-TV

Thank you.

Sincerely, Chad Meredith Website and Social Marketing Editor intern for WBGU-TV — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mchad777 (talk • contribs) 19:34, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, we won't delete your page just because your organization finds it offensive. Please read our guidelines on the conflict of interest you have.Jasper Deng (talk) 19:36, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

And please use the article's talk page to suggest upgrades to the article and provide sources for those changes. – ukexpat (talk) 19:57, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

I should note that you, Chad Meredith, are mistaken about what Wikipedia is for. Wikipedia does not exist to serve any purposes for your organization. All Wikipedia articles should be up to date and accurately written, but that is for the purposes of our readers, not for your organization. If you organization would like to see that the article is rewritten or updated, you should leave some notes and especially links or titles of references to updated information at Talk:WBGU-TV. --Jayron32 20:06, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

And furthermore, the original complaint is not specifically about the Wikipedia article, but about the way Facebook displays text from the Wikipedia article on its "community page" for WBGU-TV. Wikipedia has no control over the way that Facebook decides to run its search. You will have to take that up with Facebook. Note that each "community page" on Facebook has a "Report page" option where you can complain about it. There is an option for reporting a duplicate page, which might be a productive option in this instance. The Wikipedia article won't be as good a search result on Facebook as the organization's own self-created Facebook page. I'm not sure what the Facebook people were thinking when they decided to duplicate an inferior version of Wikipedia. For the most part this just creates a lot of annoyance and confusion from what I can see. One cannot just blindly mash a bunch of Wikipedia content into Facebook and expect it to generally make sense. Facebook's wretched documentation doesn't make clear how to integrate the automatically mirrored Wikipedia content into the Facebook presence that a group of Facebook users will construct on Facebook. --Teratornis (talk) 22:33, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

We cannot do anything about how Facebook mirrors content from Wikipedia. Nor can you delete the article or content. What you can do is improve the article. You have a serious conflict of interest (see the welcome I left on your talk page). You should go the the article talk page and discuss the issues. If you are civil and specific, then the article can be improved. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 11:32, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

I have improved the tone and readabily on the plant stress measuring article .

After your comments. I have tried to improve the readability and tone of the article to make it easier to understand for people new to the field.Quantify Stress (talk) 19:36, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

...any thoughts?

The best place to request feedback on an article is at the Wikipedia:Requests for feedback desk. --Jayron32 20:03, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

It's getting there, but a couple of points: first, please take a look at WP:LEAD for guidance on the lead section - I have started the first sentence for you but you will need to expand it; second, the external links are all links to the sites of measuring equipment manufacturers and appear to be spam links adding nothing to the reader's understanding of the subject, and that leads me to a question - are you an employee of one of those companies or connected with them in such a way that would put you in a conflict of interest? – ukexpat (talk) 20:11, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Also see WP:GROUPNAME. --Teratornis (talk) 22:17, 9 June 2011 (UTC)