Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2015 December 2

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December 2

Article Worthiness vs. Stubs

I've been a bit confused about the policies regarding article worthiness. As a relatively new user I've tried to create new articles that are properly cited and "worthy" of inclusion, but on both occasions the articles have been deleted. I've compared them with similar topics, and some dissimilar topics, and found that there is a wide variety of articles that don't seem to meet the "worthiness" stature that is mentioned in the Wikipedia guidelines.

In particular, I find it interesting that there are many "stub" articles that often have very little citations (I've seen some with just one or two references) and which cover very narrow or niche subjects. Why are some stub articles allowed to be on Wikipedia when they don't meet the worthiness requirements but articles that are much more substantial and well cited grounds for deletion?

Also, I found it more than a little troubling that some of the examples of "unworthy" stub articles were created by Wikipedia administrators -- is this a coincidence or are they being given preferential treatment for their articles over other users?

Thank you for taking the time to address this issue. Comment by User:RinoLanda Fences&Windows 00:41, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

I checked, and I found you'd submitted drafts at Wikipedia:Articles for creation that were declined. The issue was using websites of the organisations as sources with little use of independent reliable sources like newspapers or books. Admins do get a right called "Autopatrolled" that means their article creations don't appear in the new pages patrol, but the articles are still subject to scrutiny and others can apply for that right too. Don't worry so much about others' articles, make sure your own are built up and supported by good sources. I can restore the deleted drafts to your userspace for you to work on, if you like. Fences&Windows 00:52, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

(ec) There are clearly many articles, particularly in the very large group of very short or stub articles, that really shouldn't exist. Many of these date from earlier days when the notability rules (see WP:Notability) were less strongly followed. Add the fact that many of those have few watchers, and little activity, so they stay off the radar and they just continue to exist. In fact a not uncommon complaint here at the Help Desk is "I mentioned a long existing article, and it promptly got nominated for deletion!" - and it's true - an article gets mentioned here, and it will promptly get attention. In short, much of the stuff that shouldn't exist is really just awaiting someone to notice it. OTOH, precedent *is* important in determining notability. In general, though the notion that Wikipedia:Other stuff exists (please read!), or doesn't exist, does not directly impact a particular article's notability. As to Admin created articles, I don't think I've seen any bias towards *keeping* admin created articles at AfD, but I suspect that new creations by admins, and other long established editors probably get somewhat briefer scrutiny at initial creation, although I think it's not a huge difference, at least in the main (article) space (we discovered a clear problem with an admin crating redirects, recently, where that was definitely an issue). Again, years ago, things were much looser. OTOH, if you see articles that you don't think should exist, feel free to nominate them for deletion (WP:AfD). Rwessel (talk) 00:57, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

It's very difficult to succinctly explain Wikipedia's crushing bureaucracy. Wikipedia's inclusion criteria is based on significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject. Wikipedia doesn't really have clear-cut criteria for what qualifies except for this. Topics that may seem unworthy will still be included despite their obscurity or triviality, and sometimes we need to skip over topics that we subjectively find important. Sources don't need to be explicitly listed in the article itself, but they do need to exist. The biggest hurdle is finding sources that are independent and reliable. Google Books, Google News, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and Highbeam Research help a lot. See The Wikipedia Library for help on accessing them. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 06:47, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

dean cain

Dean Cain's page has a weird thing (personal life), quoted below:

"It was later revealed to be a demonic possession by the fallen spirit, Azazel."

I guess some joker did that. Please remove that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Cain

Thx

 Done

A bit of vandalism done about 40 minutes ago. I reverted it. Rwessel (talk) 02:35, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Our infomation page was deleted

In July of this year, we crated a page in your webpage about us with information as to what we did since your page rerouted information or searches of us to other things that were not related and now we have been informated that page was removed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reamed — Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.37.87.1 (talk) 07:54, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

See WP:Spam and WP:COMPANY, the latter of which you fail. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:22, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Frankly, I'm surprised it took almost three days for the page to be reverted. Had I noticed it at the time, I would have reverted it within seconds. This was pretty much a textbook example of what should not be written on Wikipedia. JIP | Talk 09:25, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Wiki Profile is not getting indexed in Google, Why?

I have been noticed that my wiki profile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Deborah_Ferrari is not indexing in Google. Few days ago, it was showing in Google while search my Name "Deborah Ferrari", but now it disappears from the search results. Please let me know what is the error and how to fix it.

Look forward for your kind response.

Deborah Ferrari — Preceding unsigned comment added by Deborah Ferrari (talk • contribs) 11:01, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

I don't know why, but the page is not appropriate for Wikipedia. You are using the Wikipedia servers as a webhost for your blog. I have tagged the page for deletion. -- GB fan 11:22, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

It has been deleted now but it was a user page. All userspace pages were recently noindexed after Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)/Archive 126#Userpage drafts shown in search engines and phab:T104797. PrimeHunter (talk) 13:17, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

KASOTC

I don't know what is going on here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KASOTC&action=history

Which version is correct? There is also a user with the same name. --The Avengers 14:08, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

I reverted it back to a version with a working infobox and sources. Rmhermen (talk) 16:23, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Help me help a new user with the deletion process

Some background: I used to be an active editor ten years ago, I came back today on a whim and did some vandalism clean up. I came across a user who was repeatedly blanking an article. This user, Lailamcb's intent is to delete the article. Here's where it gets a bit more complex. The page, about an artist named Zehra Laila Javeri, has a number of issues with it: It is orphaned, may not be notable, etc. Apparently, Lailamcb is the daughter of the artist the page is about, and says the artist wants it taken down, and Lailamcb is willing and able to give proof of this. I believe that Lailamcb is acting in good faith and is having a tough time understanding the deletion system for Wikipedia (hence blanking and trying to get it speedy deleted). My understanding is that just because a public figure wants their page taken down doesn't mean it will be taken down, but the other problems with the article cloud the issue a bit.

I'm bringing this up here because I'm far behind on my knowledge of Wikipedia policies and processes (as my knowledge of them dates from when they were in their infancy). Rather than give Lailamcb misinformation, I'm hoping some kind editor reading this will be able to help them either through walking them through the request for deletion process, or explain to them the relevant policies that preclude us from deleting the article.

Thanks very much! --Quadraxis (talk) 14:40, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• @Quadraxis: Issue resolved by I and one other Wikipedian. The user wanted the article gone, but instead of tagging it with CSD or nominating the page for deletion, he/she resorted to blanking the page because he/she thinks this is the same as deleting the page, which it isn't. I have explained to her/him about CSD tagging and PROD using Twinkle on her talk page. The StormCatcher (talk) (contribs) 22:23, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• • Thank you both very, very much!! --Quadraxis (talk) 15:54, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

Draft:Articles for deletion/Ahmaad Aspen

Could someone deal with the above page? Revert the page-maove vandalsim and vandal edits. 103.6.159.89 (talk) 15:12, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

I have listed your request at Wikipedia:Requested moves for an admin to look into. That's usually the better venue for controversial and technically complex uncontroversial moves. GermanJoe (talk) 18:51, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Please advice

After days of reading and trying to find out how to edit pages I am still not comfortable with starting editing. I worry I will end up destroying the code within any article. I want to edit the Russian_Red article but one of my crew told me I should not edit articles about me or any to which I am related on WIkipedia. Please advice on how to correct Russian_Red. There are two statements in the article that are false and not correct. These are the last two statements in my article. ---The single launched by Russian Red was ‘Casper’ (with subsequent video on January 24, 2014), which also had a vinyl edition as maxi single, still face the issue of ‘Philippe B’, not included on the disc. In addition, as the launching of the LP approached, different previews could be heard in iTunes concluding with a free download for a limited time that Amazon offered , the song ‘Michael P.’, the first track, days after to put himself up for sale in many countries.--- Can anyone help? Also how do I learn to edit? Any easy tips & tricks guide? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Xender Lourdes (talk • contribs) 15:20, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

@Xender Lourdes: Don't worry too much about damaging an article with your editing, any change you make can be promptly reverted (by yourself, as well as anyone else), by going to the "View history" tab and then clicking undo on the edit. Groups of edits can be undone by comparing (again from the history page) the last good version and the last version would want to revert, and clicking undo on the comparison ("diff") page. And if you really get stuck, give a shout here, and someone will help.

That being said, per the WP:conflict of interest policy, you should in general *not* edit article that you have a close association with (see the policy for the fine print). In those cases you should post an edit request on the talk page (Talk:Russian Red in this case), by hitting "new section" and adding your request. Start the body of your request with a line containing: {{request edit}} to get more attention, particularly since this is a lightly watched page. If you don't see a response to that in a reasonable amount of time (a few days), bring it up here. Rwessel (talk) 18:15, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Thank you Rwessel. I will do that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Xender Lourdes (talk • contribs) 03:33, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

Nicole Moore page

Greetings. I am new to creating a page on Wikipedia so I hope you will bear with me. I have created a page about Nicole Moore, a nurse from Orangeville, Ontario who was savagely attacked twice by a bull shark in Cancun, Mexico and very nearly died. This story has been covered extensively in the media, especially because Nicole (having suffered the amputation of her arm and numerous, ongoing surgeries to her leg) is extremely positive and offers presentations to audiences that inspire people to add zest to their lives and keep moving forward despite their challenges. Surprisingly, given all she has been through, Nicole is also a critic of finning and other practices that are killing 100 million sharks per year. While I personally am not related to Nicole, nor am I a friend, I am a writer who has written a book about her, "Shark Assault: An Amazing Story of Survival" which has just been published by Dundurn, Canada's largest independent publisher, and is now available worldwide through Amazon and other retailers.

Not being technical, I have tried to add citations and links to the information I wrote but I understand the page is still being considered for deletion, which I do not understand. Is it possible for you to help me understand, in non-technical verbiage, what I should do to make this entry more applicable to Wikipedia's standards? By the way, I am a Wikipedia donor. Peter Jennings Hemlockhollowpj (talk) 15:25, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Please do not mention being a Wikipedia donor in an article acceptance dispute. It appears to be gaming the system. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:12, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

The article in question is Nicole Moore. See the comments at the Articles for Deletion page. You have a conflict of interest. It appears that you are trying to promote your book. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:15, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

The AFD page to which Robert refers is Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Nicole Moore. --David Biddulph (talk) 19:56, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Changing Password?

Hi there!

How can I change my password on my account? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Workhorse Social (talk • contribs) 20:56, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Go to the Preferences page, and click the "Change Password" link. RudolfRed (talk) 21:19, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Computer game screenshot question

Look at the image I just uploaded: File:H.E.R.O. Screenshot.png. It was later edited by a bot that claimed it made it smaller because it's non-free.

Well, for one thing, the image the bot uploaded is still full resolution. The Commodore 64 only supports 320×200 resolution, and the image I originally uploaded was digitally resized to 640×400, as 320×200 is a bit uncomfortably small on modern monitors. Although the bot did preserve the aspect ratio, the image now has a non-uniform distribution of pixels in the image itself versus pixels in the original game.

For another thing, somehow the resizing, which was supposed to reduce the size of the image, actually increased the byte-count size of the actual file by a factor of about five.

I don't feel either of these changes is actually beneficial. What should I do about this? JIP | Talk 21:36, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• @JIP: Using wiki markup, when you place the picture in the article, you can resize it accordingly. If you mean you really want to resize the picture, try using an website likewww.pixlr.com to resize the picture, then try re-uploading it. Be sure to tag your old photo with a CSD stating that you want the picture removed. If the bot still resizes it, tell me. The StormCatcher (talk) (contribs) 22:16, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• • I can resize the image myself. I know how to use GIMP, or I can simply set VICE to use the original resolution and grab another screenshot. So can I just upload a resized version (presumably of the authentic 320×200 resolution), revise the CSD to state I want all previous versions to be deleted, and that's it? JIP | Talk 22:26, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• @JIP: Yeah, you can try this. The bot that resized your picture might've been malfunctioning. The StormCatcher (talk) (contribs) 22:28, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• I was about to, but someone had already reuploaded my original image, with the comment "Impossible with the Commodore 64 to upload high resolution images". JIP | Talk 22:37, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• @JIP: Can you link me to this picture? The StormCatcher (talk) (contribs) 23:09, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

• What do you mean, link you to the picture? There is already a link to the picture at the top of this post. JIP | Talk 05:38, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

Anabella Lenzu

The Anabella Lenzu page has many Alerts on the top of the page, however many of the issues were fixed, is there a way to get those alerts cleared? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2604:2000:81E6:6800:C9D0:197B:6387:16B4 (talk) 22:37, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

If you've fixed the problems, you can remove the tags yourself. OTOH, I see no evidence that the problems have been fixed. Rwessel (talk) 23:17, 2 December 2015 (UTC)