Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 November 24

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November 24

Jimmy Wales' Appeal

Hi,

I love Wikipedia but I don't have excess money to donate. Why don't just accept advertisements that would cover the expenses? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 180.194.245.214 (talk) 00:59, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

The reason Wikimedia sites do not accept advertising is that advertising will give the appearance that the advertisers can unduly influence the content of Wikimedia websites. Also, it doesn't need to. The foundation makes enough money off of its annual pledge drive to cover its operating and capital expenses. --Jayron32 01:14, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Help Me Figure Out Where To Practice Article Creation

Hi, — Preceding unsigned comment added by O. Pen Sauce (talk • contribs) 01:43, 24 November 2011 (UTC) I've been around for years, off and on, but never built a new article from scratch. I'm working on it on my talk page, but the formatting isn't working. I suspect I'm working on it in the wrong place. Can anyone help? It's currently under "Trying to create a new article" on my "talk" page.

I know that much is unformatted, and the formatting that's there (I'm imitating other tv show article formatting) is wonky. But if I can actually see the results of the formatting, I can polish it up. --O. Pen Sauce (talk) 01:42, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

You can create a personal "sandbox" at a subpage of your userpage (Create them at "Special:Mypage/target"). A common location for them would be at Special:Mypage/Sandbox, though you can create one in a different subpage if you want. --Philosopher ^{Let us reason together.} 02:15, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I have added a missing }}.[1] Formatting works the same in userspace and articles. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:33, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Ah, thanks, PrimeHunter and Philosopher! --O. Pen Sauce (talk) 04:17, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia e-mail address confirmation link expired

Hi,

I would like to confirm my address etc. with Wikipedia, but I wasn't able to check email for a few days and the link sent to me expired. How do I go about getting another link sent?

Thanks,

mx Maxread1957 (talk) 02:39, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Special:Preferences#mw-htmlform-email should have a link saying "Confirm your e-mail address". If the link is not there then try to delete the mail address, save, and reenter the mail address. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:48, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Brilliant - thanks so much! Maxread1957 (talk) 04:51, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Contact

Hello; I have clicked on about 50 to 75 "contact us" places on your website. Guess what????? NONE, and I mean ABSOLUTLY NONE of them took me to a "contact you" site. My simple feeling is that if someone puts a "contact us, me, whatever" link on their website then it should be as such. Not to take people to other webpages but to get in direct contact with you. Please feel free to blame me for not jumping through all the hundreds of hoops that you require and give you all the personal information that you want. I just think that you are WRONG....

See, I can't win. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.179.122.196 (talk) 03:44, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

You must be mistaken. Wikipedia does not require any personal information for "contact". In fact, you just contacted us here. Perhaps you are mistaken about where you are. --Jayron32 03:50, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict)You have succeeded in contacting us. There is a link at the foot of this page, and others, to Wikipedia:Contact us. That tells you the right way to contact us for any type of problem. It also reminds you that "Wikipedia has no editorial board. Content is not the result of an editorial decision by the Wikimedia Foundation or its staff." and that "Wikipedia is written, edited, maintained, and almost completely operated by volunteers from around the world." Therefore "contact us" will need to be a different subset of us depending on what your problem is; the contact us page points you to the right place for any specific situation. - David Biddulph (talk) 03:58, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I know many people expect to get straight to an email address or phone number on a contact link. However, the Wikimedia Foundation which runs Wikipedia has a very small staff for a website with such a huge traffic (fifth in the World). Most things are done in public by volunteers on pages like this help desk. Certain private things can be handled by email but the appropriateness and email address depends on the topic. What do you want? PrimeHunter (talk) 04:05, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

De-DABing a disambiguation page

This page, based on its ref'd content, has deservedly moved well beyond the original purpose to disambiguate a once ambiguous term; in the process of improving content and coverage, the additional content has properly but mercilessly tromped upon a DABs MOS. How can it be de-DAB'ed to become a stand-alone article anchor to describe the history, context, debates, and notability of the now-general subject. More content is to be added, but the current page's situation follows:

Almost 50 pages currently link to it

Based on an Rdcheck, it has no anchor or section and two redirects (singularized descriptors and the DAB-page itself), which by their existence, find 72 anchors, with 8 not produced by cite.php (whatever that means).

Since I did most of the improving/tromping, and this subject has been discussed favorably with the page's creator, it seemed time to bring it here before taking an uneducated stab at it. Nonetheless my current considerations, based on article familiarity, include adding the current page to a page with a pluralized 'Acts', being that is what the contents currently are, and then stripping and de-ref'ing the remaining DAB-page. I dunno, I am asking. Regards, CasualObserver'48 (talk) 05:47, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I have removed the disambiguation tag from that page. Is that what you were trying to do?--Shantavira|^{feed me} 14:40, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

That certainly seems to have easily solved whatever problems I might have conjured. Thanks, CasualObserver'48 (talk) 15:00, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Another Question

I would like to add to the iO West page the official iO West blog, which posts class updates; teacher, performer and celebrity-alum interviews; videos of performances and more. The bot keeps undoing my edit saying that it is vandalism, which it is not. And with regard to the desire to omit social media, the facebook page is linked, so why can't the blogspot page also be? 69.26.147.245 (talk) 07:34, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for pointing out the facebook link; I removed it per WP:FACEBOOK. It is unfortunate that someone labeled your addition as vandalism, but it was correctly removed; Wikipedia is not a collection of links. —teb728 t c 11:53, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

NONAVAILABILITY OF INDUS VISION TV CHANNEL

DEAR SIR, I AM FROM SIALKOT CANTT MY NAME IS ALI ZAEEM BUTT I WANT TO DRAWYOUR ATTENTION TOWARDS THE AVAILABILITY OF INDUS VISION TV CHANNEL WHICH IS NOT PROVIDED BY THE CABLE OPERATOR. I HAVE ASKED THEM SO MANY TIMES BUT ALL INVAIN.PLZ TRY TO CONTACT THE CABLE OPERATOR AND ASK HIM STRICTLY TO PROVIDE THIS CHANNEL.

NAME OF CABLE: NUEVO ALBAB CABLES

SIALKOT CANTT IF IS THERE IS ANY RSP, OF INDUS VISION TV IN SIALKOT PLZ, PROVIDE ME HIS TEL. NO.

HOPE I WILL GET POSITIVE RESPONSE. THANKS AND BEST REGDS. ALI ZAEEM BUTT — Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.158.136.208 (talk) 09:52, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Firstly this is not a cable operator, this is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. You will need to contact your cable operator directly.

Secondly, please stop SHOUTING. - David Biddulph (talk) 11:28, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Thirdly, I have removed you contact details to protect your privacy per the instructions at the top of this page. Astronaut (talk) 12:36, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Need to find out Enginnering schools as per city in the USA

Hi.....

I would like to know how to find out exact Engineering school details as per city in USA.

Need help please.

Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.199.154.134 (talk) 11:20, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 6 million articles and thought we were 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 for asking questions related to using or contributing to Wikipedia itself. Thus, we have no special knowledge about 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.--SPhilbrickT 14:35, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Old Submission

Hi,

I had previously created an account called "elyvicbad" and submitted an article relating to an old badminton club (Ely Victoria) based in Cambridgeshire, UK. Upon checking I have found that my account has been blocked and I now have no access to the content of my submission. Subsequently I have created this new account in order to get some help.

Not realising my account would be blocked I hadn't back-up my submission and I no long have the historic details. Please can you look into your archives and send me the details of my submission. They are now needed for an external website and hopefully, one day a successful submission to Wikipedia.

Thanks in advance,

James Wilson — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jawilson2482 (talk • contribs) 12:10, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

The reason your old account was blocked was because it breached Wikipedia's username policy. Specifically, your username should represent you as an individual, not an organisation. All edits need to be attributable to an individual and a company/organisation-wide username could be used by multiple persons who are often involved in promoting that organisation. Your current username is a much better one. The Ely Victoria Badminton Club article was speedily deleted because it "...seems to be unambiguous advertising which only promotes a company, product, group, service or person and would need to be fundamentally rewritten in order to become an encyclopedia article". You could ask the deleting administrator, Y (talk · contribs), for a copy of the article before it was deleted, perhaps as a subpage of your current username. It would not be a good idea to simply re-add it as an article without clearing up the concerns that led to its deletion; it could lead to your new username being blocked too. Astronaut (talk) 12:28, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

You should, however, read Wikipedia:Conflict of interest. Because of your apparent connection with the Ely Victoria Badminton Club, you are strongly discouraged from writing about the club. I hope that is not why you want to recover the deleted article. You are quite welcome to write about other subjects. —teb728 t c 12:38, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

The content is now at User:Jawilson2482/Ely_Victoria_Badminton_Club. As noted, it is not acceptable as is, but you can now access the material.--SPhilbrickT 14:30, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

By the way, only administrators can view or restore deleted pages. It doesn't matter that your account was blocked. That only prevents it from editing. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:14, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

picture of Merton Russell-Cotes

I have an image on iPad that I wish to upload. It's an ownership label with picture of Merton Russell-Cotes. How do I upload from an IPad when I don't have an individual file to upload. I can paste the image into an email, that's all I can do.thx — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hutz97 (talk • contribs) 13:17, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Correct me if I get this wrong: do you mean an ownership label as in a physical sticker on your iPad or just a picture of it? If it is the former, take a picture of it first; if the latter, why is it not one file?

However, being an ownership label, I think it's fair to assume that you did not take the picture yourself, nor do you own the usage rights to it. Just because you own the sticker and the iPad, it does not mean you own the copyright to the sticker design nor the likeness of Merton Russell-Cotes. Wikipedia can only accept non-free images if they satisfy certain conditions for Fair Use laws. Otherwise, you can not upload it. See Wikipedia:Image use policy for information regarding what pictures can and can not be used by Wikipedia. For future reference though, see Help:Files for an overview on how to upload and use a file that complies with Wikipedia's policies.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 20:08, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Hm... Merton Russell-Cotes died before 1921. Depending on whether the photograph (if it is a photograph) used was published before 1923 or not, it may be public domain. In which case, Wikipedia can indeed use it.

If the process of uploading to Wikipedia is too complicated, I would suggest uploading it to an external image hosting site and then make a request at Wikipedia:Files for upload.-- Obsidi♠n Soul 20:16, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

RFC tag not working

Resolved

I have placed a WP:RFC tag at Talk:T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever) at 04:44:28. It is suppose to cause some bot somewhere to take some actions that include adding a discussion notice at Wikipedia:Requests for comment/Media, the arts, and architecture within a half hour according to the tag's text. It has been 8.5 hours now and it does not seem like anything is happening.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 13:19, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

From the contribution history, it looks as if User:RFC bot last ran at 02:00 UTC this morning, & that it usually runs hourly (or perhaps also on the quarter hour). - David Biddulph (talk) 14:12, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

So it has not run in over 12 hours now. What is going on?--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 14:15, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Valid question. It may be worth your while asking on the bot's talk page. I may, of course, be misinterpreting the data. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:19, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I have requested the bot operator comment at this discussion.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 14:25, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

The operator being Chris G (talk · contribs), who is an infrequent editor.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 22:05, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Finally, (28 hours later than expected) the bot has done its thing.--TonyTheTiger (T/C/BIO/WP:CHICAGO/WP:FOUR) 12:55, 25 November 2011 (UTC)

3RR question

"...more than three reverts on a single page within a 24-hour period." Does this include the first edit, or only the reverts? HurricaneFan25 14:50, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Technically, only the reverts, though one should not have to go to 3RR, and instead use WP:BRD. WP:3RR does not entitle one to edit-war "within the rules", and any edit-warring can lead to sanctions. Cheers, CharlieEchoTango (talk) 14:56, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Echoing and expanding on what C-E-T says, the purpose of the 3RR isn't to create a 'first-mover' advantage in an edit war, and editors who revert right up to the edge – making exactly three reverts – are not in a 'safe' position...particularly if they have a history of doing so across more than one day or more than one article. I'll also note, as an administrator, I have blocked individuals for making two reverts (or occasionally even just one) in a day when it represents the continuation of particularly tendentious or otherwise disruptive and damaging patterns of conduct. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 15:11, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

The comments by Charlie and Ten and probably more practical. However, a literal reading of WP:3RR indicates that the first edit, if it is a change or a delete (not an addition), constitutes a revert. I've seen some admins count that first edit as a revert and some not.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:26, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I'm interested that you draw a distinction between an addition and either a change or a delete. It is a revert if it undoes, wholly or in part, another editor's change. Add back what another editor has deleted, & it's a revert; delete what another editor has added, & it's a revert; change back what another editor changed, & it's a revert. - David Biddulph (talk) 17:17, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Good point. I'll qualify "addition" to mean something brand new.--Bbb23 (talk) 17:31, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

From the point of view of an administrator (me), I don't sit around waiting for that 4th revert to block, nor do I worry about whether I count the first edit or not. WP:EW makes it clear that edit warring is not allowed, and if the behavior of the user indictates they intend to continue to edit war, they get blocked, period. --Jayron32 17:39, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Right, I believe that is the same point Charlie and Ten were making, and it's a more important point than my technical one.--Bbb23 (talk) 17:50, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Cannot locate privacy settings for living biographies

Where are the procedures located for individuals to control their living biography ? Suppose an individual does not want a publicly available dossier in this database, what is the Wikipedia procedure to keep them safe ? Such as an individual who would be harmed by inclusion into the Wikipedia database. Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.213.54.8 (talk) 16:13, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Take a look at WP:FEFS.--Bbb23 (talk) 16:22, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

This did not address my concern 75.251.52.3 (talk)

There is no such procedure. Unreferenced information about living people may and should be removed by anybody, as specified by WP:BLP. But the criteria for including information from reliable sources are that it is relevant and not given undue weight in the article. The subject's approval is not required. --ColinFine (talk) 22:13, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I am looking for the procedure to exclude mention of my identity from the Wikipedia database, as it will risk my physical safety. What is the procedure to prevent mention of my identity in any way shape or form from Wikipedia. I cannot have my name associated with Wikipedia, as it will alert those who wish to do me harm how to pinpoint my location. If there isn't such a procedure, please explain how one will be created. Thank you for your concern. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.250.137.21 (talk) 22:30, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I can't figure a good contact for this. Go to Wikipedia:OTRS noticeboard and ask for an email address you can use to discuss this privately. You may be asked for proof of the issue. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 05:27, 25 November 2011 (UTC)

If the information which you want removed is publicly available, there's no point in removing it from Wikipedia, as anyone can find the information anyway. If it is not publicly available (and hence it will be either uncited or cited to unreliable sources) then you can remove it and ask an admin such as myself to remove it from the public history of the article. If you want more advice, feel free to email me here giving more details, which will be treated in full confidence -- PhantomSteve.alt/talk\^{[alternative account of Phantomsteve]} 10:28, 25 November 2011 (UTC)

Thank you for your efforts on my behalf, both of you. The link to an email did not work, says unauthorized. How can we get around this. I would like to discuss this in private with some authority. I am glad to have your attention. 75.250.231.160 (talk) 15:09, 25 November 2011 (UTC)

You can use Phantomsteve's email link if you create an account with email enabled. Wikipedia:OTRS noticeboard has an email address oversight-en-wpwikimedia.org you can use without an account, but I cannot say whether your request will be satisfied. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:49, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

I am not going to create an account, as I have no interest in spending my valuable time arguing with people about my identity, which is part of my point. Please provide some resource, perhaps a physical address, of a company officer to whom I may speak. Thank you. 75.194.18.110 (talk) 15:12, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

Cursor Position on Home Page

Hello,

I am an avid user of Wikipedia. I utilize it often, and enjoy its contents.

I have a suggestion: when opening the Home Page, have the cursor default to land inside the text box where the search string is entered. This way, one need not do a mouse click inside the text box in order to enter the search string. This feature is often found on other websites.

Thank you for considering this convenience.

Mike — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.35.146.61 (talk) 17:08, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, this feature has been opposed by the Wikipedia community. The main problem is that many readers expect to be able to scroll down the page using arrow keys. However, if the cursor is in the search box, using the arrow keys will instead pop-up autotext in the search field. This is not an issue with such web sites like Google because there is no need to scroll. See Wikipedia:FAQ/Main Page#Why doesn't the cursor appear in the search box, like with Google? for more information. Thanks. Zzyzx11 (talk) 17:36, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

If it's having to go to the mouse that inconveniences you, are you aware that Alt-Shift-f goes to the search box? --ColinFine (talk) 22:19, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Mike: if you create a user account, then go to My Preferences > Gadgets > Browsing and tick the box that says "Focus the cursor in the search bar on loading the Main Page." then that should do the trick. Works for me. You can also enable a few other gadgets that will make using the wiki a richer experience, such as one that changes the colour of the article title to indicate how it's been ranked on the Wikipedia internal quality scale. Brammers (talk/c) 09:59, 26 November 2011 (UTC)

Why won't this work?

Trying to change my signiture,and have followed the example under the box BUT IT WON'T WORK! this is it:

[[User:sillybillypiggy&#124<font color="#004730" face="Trebuchet MS">'''silly'''</font>]][[User talk:sillybillypiggy&#124<font color="#FF2400" face="Trebuchet MS">'''billy'''</font>]]''[[User:sillybillypiggy/guestbook&#124<font color="#004730" face="Trebuchet MS">'''piggy'''</font>]]

I am right in thinking you substitute | for &#124 [[User:sillybillypiggy&#124<font color="#004730" face="Trebuchet MS">'''silly'''</font>]][[User talk:sillybillypiggy&#124<font color="#FF2400" face="Trebuchet MS">'''billy'''</font>]]''[[User:sillybillypiggy/guestbook&#124<font color="#004730" face="Trebu (talk) 17:21, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

It works well if you just use |. Use the &#124; only if you want to display the pipe. CharlieEchoTango (talk) 17:29, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Your signature is way too long. It's discourteous to other editors who may be using mobile devices with small screens, or editing using older, lower-resolution hardware. It's also unnecessarily distracting when it appears in extended, threaded discussions. Please, for the love of God, shorten it. I urge you to experiment with something modest; let your words attract attention instead of your sig. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:38, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

As well as changing &#124; to |, I think you also need to tick the box just underneath the signature box, labelled "Treat the above as wiki markup". -- John of Reading (talk) 20:51, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Correction

Correction/ completion: The allegation of spousal abuse here are specious as they are credited to a dead link and without verifiable reference to any trial outcome, long since past. An order of acquittal/dismissl was issued by Jusdge Michael A. Martone in the 52-4 Ditrict Court on Oct. 12,2010. Proof of Case Number/( o808-002171 OM01 ) Ultimately, this marriage was dissolved in divorce (2009). Pryor was recently married to Patti Turri (owner of Starstruck Entertainment)on Aug. 13 2011. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.14.221.113 (talk) 17:26, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

I have removed the uncited content, per the biographies of living persons policy. Thanks! CharlieEchoTango (talk) 17:34, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

where to report advertising

I simply cannot find the right place in the mass of policies. Page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodchuck_Hard_Cider seems to be an advertisement. Thanks. 67.22.236.140 (talk) 19:04, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Generally, when you see an article that reads like an advertisement, you tag it by inserting the template {{Advert}} at the top of the article. In my view, the article is hopeless, and I will nominate it for deletion. Thanks for pointing it out.--Bbb23 (talk) 19:24, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for looking after it! 207.134.250.140 (talk) 19:33, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Fund Transfer

Hi,

 I want to donate some money to you guys. Could you let me know the procedure please?

It is my pleasure to spend you money. Because real genuine things should never fail.

Please ping me soon.

Mail me redacted

Regards, Ashokan Sivapragasam. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ashokmoni (talk • contribs) 20:11, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Support_Wikipedia/en 71.146.20.62 (talk) 21:44, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Translation

i noticed that you do not included arabic language to translat some of your articles. I am studying counselling i need to read some article which are in english but i need translation into arabic. Topic like cbt theory, transactual analysis, feminist etc. Please help — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.208.162.243 (talk) 20:54, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Have you tried the arabic wikipedia, [2]?--Jac16888 ^Talk 21:00, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Wikipedia itself does not provide translation for any language, but where people may have written equivalent articles in other languages, English Wikipedia provides links to them. For articles with no equivalent on Arabic Wikipedia, try Google Translate. —teb728 t c 21:22, 24 November 2011 (UTC)