Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2012 July 7

Help desk
< July 6	<< Jun | July | Aug >>	July 8 >

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.

July 7

Polar Bear Article

There is a factual error, but I have neither the time nor the patience to wait until I can edit a semi-protected page. It states that the polar bear is the world's largest carnivore. Is the killer (orca) whale not both larger and a carnivore? Thank you for your time. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.187.183.70 (talk) 02:52, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

post your suggested change on the article's talk page, and then add the tag {{edit semi-protected}}. RudolfRed (talk) 03:06, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Also, the Polar Bear article says that it is the largest land carnivore, so for that measurement it doesn't matter if the Orca is larger. RudolfRed (talk) 04:06, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

The Sperm whale is far bigger than the Orca anyway. Roger (talk) 10:32, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Reliability of source

I am wondering if it is alright to use source articles from a popular blog/news site called Allkpop? The site started out as a blog site that later grew into a popular news portal for Korean pop music for non-Korean speaking people. However, I'm unsure because its reliability are still being put to question.

The source that I have placed on Wonder Girls is this. I believe that Allkpop is reliable here because JYP Entertainment, the group's management agency, are the ones who gave the information to the site. Also in the past, JYP Entertainment and its artists have been in touched with the site as these articles show1,2, and 3. It seems to be a good sign that they have a good relationship with this site and so they trust them enough to give details about Wonder Girls' new song. So it is safe to say that sources from this website are reliable right? Bleubeatle (talk) 03:24, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

The fact that JYP Entertainment has a connection to the website is a bad thing. Sources are supposed to be independent of the topic of the article. Because of this, and the fact that it is a blog-type site, I am leaning towards no. Gold Standard 03:41, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

I assume you are talking about this edit. I have reviewed it and the other edits you made to the article. While I see no issue with most of it, the problem I do see is the repeated use of the phrase "it was announced". In cases like this, it is more appropriate to explicitly state who announced the information. Happy editing, hajatvrc with WikiLove @ 03:54, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Though, what Gold Standard said is extremely true in most cases. I ask that he/she review the specific edit and critique it from there. Happy editing, hajatvrc with WikiLove @ 03:57, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Alright. Thanks for your replies. Bleubeatle (talk) 08:29, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

The WP:Reliable sources noticeboard may be a better place to ask this. --ColinFine (talk) 10:17, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

I think you're right! Thanks.Bleubeatle (talk) 08:29, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

When is a section on a TALK PAGE spam?

I recently put on the medicare part d and the Obamacare talk pages a copy of a letter to the editor that i thought(if the letter turned out to be correct)important. My idea was, (if the letter were found to be correct and other reliable published sources were found)that that mention could be made in the article of the point made in the letter. I included the names of the newspaper and the letter writer but not for spamming purposes, I just thought it would be plagiarism if I didn't give them credit. Was I nevertheless inadvertently spamming? Will I be spamming again if I paste my edit here? Thanks, Richard Peterson76.218.104.120 (talk) 05:04, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

I assume this is what you're referring to. You should link to the letter instead of copying it out whole as that's a copyright infringement. Second, while calling it spam is harsh, it is inappropriate for a talk page as the letter writer is non-notable by Wikipedia standards. This isn't the place to promote or reiterate "Susan from Ohio's" opinions. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 05:39, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

problem

Am I eligible for IITJEE and AIEEE if I have passed 12th in 2011by the new pattern of jee 2013? — Preceding unsigned comment added by KAPIL5378 (talk • contribs) 05:33, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi KAPIL5378. This page is for questions related to using Wikipedia – how to edit and the like. Knowledge questions such as this one belong at the reference desk. However, you might want to read our articles on Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination and on All India Engineering Entrance Examination for answers to your questions first. Cheers.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 05:37, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Tim Stockdale page

I have tried editing my page but it keeps changing it back. The details are completely incorrect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LauraStockdale (talk • contribs) 08:00, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Hi Laura. The issue here is that you removed content with no explanation (and you obviously have a conflict of interest in working on the article). We often advise people who have such a conflict to post to the article's talk page rather than edit directly. You also did not leave an edit summary in conjunction with your edit, explaining the removal. The section you removed is verified by an Associated Press article, which we normally deem to be a reliable source. That being said, I have rewritten the section to much more accurately reflect what that source actually says, and I have confirmed the existence of other sources providing the same information. Can you advise if my rewrite has partially or wholly relieved your concern? If there is anything you still deem incorrect, it would help greatly that you not only detail the specifics, but point to a reliable source that backs it up. Best regards--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 08:30, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

How to add a simple content to a subsection within category?

I'd like to add a name in the Jewish Surnames Wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:Jewish_surnames&pageuntil=Brenner#mw-pages

Meaning simply adding a name in the list of it's initial. How do I do that? I don't see these subsections A till Z in the editing space! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hzundel (talk • contribs) 08:15, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Category pages only show the names of existing Wikipedia articles; see Wikipedia:FAQ/Categories. What is the name that you are trying to add? Is there a Wikipedia article about the name? -- John of Reading (talk) 09:25, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

.swf extension Upload

Sir I'm trying to upload a .swf file into my page but every time it shows some error file doesn't support.Can i add the file in any way.Hope someone will help me out.

Thanking You User:Btpl — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.99.48.50 (talk) 08:35, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia supports only a limited amount of file types, for reasons of security and information sharing. SWF is not one of the supported file formats. You can find more information on this page. —TheDJ (talk • contribs) 09:21, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Finding a User's Contributions

What is the best way to find a list of the contributions of a named user? The method I have been using is to find a page which that user has edited, look at the page's history, and find the user's name there, where it will be followed by "(talk | contribs)". But this is not always easy; as for instance with User:Dkolarek, above. Maproom (talk) 09:32, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Just navigate to the user's user or talk page, then go to the toolbox on the left hand side of the page, and choose "User contributions".--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 09:38, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

If you turn on Navigation popups, you can just point at any link to the user page or user talk page, and then select "user" and then "contributions" from the little popup menu that appears. Easy! -- John of Reading (talk) 14:11, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Please Edit This WebPage !!!

Hello

Thanks for all your works!

I'm thinking this web page SEVERELY needs a new column: ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2012 )

Please add "DATE OF Release" column for this page so people can sort the list BY DATE, because every time I visit this page I really need that feature and I'm sure every other person misses that column/feature.

THANKS IN ADVANCE... Your work is greatly appreciated

NEW EDIT: thanks guys for quick reply. The column that is newly generated does not sort the list by the actual Calendar Date. So if there is a way to fix that please let me know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.203.180.109 (talk) 19:03, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Regards — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.203.180.44 (talk) 09:33, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Well, you are welcome to add that column if you care about it; or you may find somebody interested in working with you on it if you post at WP:WikiProject Film. --ColinFine (talk) 10:27, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Notice that there are multiple "List of American films of nnnn", all to the same format. You might want to consider consistency before changing anything. SpinningSpark 16:31, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Ooops. I already added the column and first two dates. I think it is a handy add and consistency could be to do all of them that way if someone wishes to take the time. I don't really think they all need to match at this point though. I left the 'how to' in the edit summary, or you can just do as I did on the first two. I think the rule is to list the first date no matter which countries it was released in.--Canoe1967 (talk) 16:38, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

North Wraxall / St James, North Wraxall

I maintain the parish website for this parish, and a few months ago updated the wiki page to include the website for our parish - but somebody (Saga City) keeps removing this - it is the wish of the PCC and Parish Council and Village Hall committee that the website be available online and be easily googled, and as such we would wish the website to be available through wikipedia.

The link to our parish website can be followed through the church Benefice website -

http://bybrook.org.uk/our-churches/st-james-the-great-north/

and clicking on more information about St James North Wraxall.

It is extremely frustrating to keep having to check and update the page - especially as we don't know who keeps altering it (presumably he doesn't live in our parish and just seems to be very opinionated on lots of subjects - obviously not somebody on our PCC or parish council.

We would like a permanent link to our page that cannot be removed - and would like the link to be named 'Parish Website' the web address is http://stjamesnorthwraxall.blogspot.com

The purpose of this is to ensure that people attempting to find out more about our parish, and what is going on.

We hope that you can help! 86.155.206.89 (talk) 11:33, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

The purpose of Wikipedia is to be an encyclopaedia, not to publicise or promote any organisation or cause, no matter how worthy, The rules on external links in Wikipedia articles are quite restrictive: see WP:EXT. If there were an article on the church, it would be appropriate to have a link to the church's official website, but North Wraxall is not on the church but on the village, so the website of the church is no more appropriate than that of any other business of organisation which happens to be in the village. If there is an official village website, that may be linked, but probably not if it is a blog.

What you cannot do is have a "permanent link that cannot be removed". Wikipedia is the encyclopaedia which anybody can edit, and nobody controls any article: see WP:OWN.

You were actually reverted by a bot, probably because the link you added appeared to be to a blog, and then because of your "NB". Your "NB" would never be appropriate for an article: such things could go into the article's talk page; but as I say, "the wish of the parish" is of no more significance than that of any other editor of Wikipedia, and is trumped by Wikikpedia policy. . --ColinFine (talk) 13:04, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Highbeam

Is there somewhere where users without Highbeam access can request edits/help from users with access? I'd like to use a couple of reviews of books by Arlene Davila in her article, but can't access the reviews. – Arms & Hearts (talk) 15:55, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Yep, head over to Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange/Resource Request. Do you have the links already, I have access. Ryan Vesey Review me! 15:57, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Responded there, thanks. – Arms & Hearts (talk) 16:27, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Tamishia Moats

The Dallas Police Department section that talks about my family situation is not correct. Under the Moats incident, it states that Ryan Moats was stopped after he ran two lights and two stop signs. There is no such report in America. Ryan Moats stopped at a light in front of the hospital and after no one was coming he went through it. There is only one stop. There are not even stop signs or other lights. The hospital is located right off the main highway. Also it was late night/before daylight the next day actually. Please correct this. The reports can be found on many sources, but none state that.

Thanks, Tamishia Moats — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.129.140.252 (talk) 16:56, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Ryan Moats#March 2009 police stop mentions only one red light. If you are referring to a different page please provide us with a link to it. Roger (talk) 17:15, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

The incident is described at Dallas Police Department#Robert Powell as well. I've made two edits to that section so that it reflects the ESPN source more closely. Are there any other errors? -- John of Reading (talk) 17:21, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

there is an error

i am letting you know that there is a spelling error on this website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_Pacific_Railroad

you put ignacio way ignacio wye...fix the spelling — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.228.95.141 (talk) 18:57, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for reporting it. I have fixed a spelling error, by adding a second l to "eventually". Is that the one you meant? Maproom (talk) 19:04, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

It's hard to tell what problem you're reporting. "Ignacio Wye" in the article is correct, not "Way". Example: [1]. RudolfRed (talk) 19:34, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Templates

How would I make templates almost identical to the ones used in AfC, where a user types in different letters to create different messages? In fact, if I could copy/paste the AfC templates and make tweaks, that would be ideal. I just want to create a nearly identical process for request edits.[2] User:King4057 21:29, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Try asking at WP:VPT.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 18:39, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

Edits

If I propose an edit on an article's talk page and no one responds, should I go ahead with the edit? By "edit," I don't mean erasing the entire page or adding my opinions, I mean adding detail and removing less relevant information. Thanks for your help! MDEVER802 (talk) 21:48, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Feel free to add details, but be aware of some core policies by reading WP:V, WP:RS, WP:NOR, and WP:CITE. By the way, at Talk:United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners I notice that you suggest removing information because "I've never heard of most of them." Generally Wikipedia not based on your personal knowledge of a subject as much as it is reliable sources. All of the names listed in the section to which you refer have their own Wikipedia articles. I suggest not removing such information. Happy editing! Cresix (talk) 21:56, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

100+ deeplinks now redirected, needs fixing

All old links to discovery.co.uk now redirects to dsc.discovery.com. That means that 112 links to discovery.co.uk, most of them deeplinks in refs, needs fixing through archive.org or such. Question: Where is the proper place to notify the community & ask for help fixing this? Finn Rindahl (talk) 21:54, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

I suggest you ask at WP:BOTREQ as this seems to be a task for a bot or a tool such as AWB. -- Toshio Yamaguchi (tlk−ctb) 22:00, 7 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, I made a request there. Finn Rindahl (talk) 22:18, 7 July 2012 (UTC)