Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2017 January 15

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January 15

Maurizio Pellegrin

Hello, I have just submitted an article for review. I was not able to upload the images. I cannot see any infobox for that on my page. How do I add images to my article? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Maria_Grimana/sandbox Thank you! All the best, MG Maria Grimana (talk) 00:25, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

The article has not been accepted for inclusion on WP. Therefore there is no need to upload an image here. If you have a suitable and acceptable CC-BY-SA image you could consider uploading it to Wikimedia Commons.--Aspro (talk) 00:45, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

How do I add images to my article?'

Hello, I have just submitted an article for review. I was not able to upload the images. I cannot see any infobox for that on my page. ' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Maria_Grimana/sandbox Thank you! All the best, MG Maria Grimana (talk) 00:25, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

You cannot directly upload images to an article. They must be uploaded either to the Wikimedia Commons or (in certain unusual circumstances) to the English-language version of Wikipedia. For more information, see Wikipedia:Uploading images. --Orange Mike | Talk 00:42, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Referencing errors on Marcellus High School

Reference help requested. I'm having a reference problem with Marcellus High School. I updated the faculty count based on the school site and messed up references accidentally. Help would be appreciated. Thanks, Tacoman3005 (talk) 00:51, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

 Done Eagleash (talk) 01:00, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Fictitious subjects

Is there a tag meaning "the subject of this article appears to be fictitious"? I am thinking of That Poppy. Maproom (talk) 07:26, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

There's Template:Hoax, but I don't think that's appropriate. She seems to be a real person. For example, she's got a page on iTunes. Whether she's notable enough to satisfy WP:MUSICBIO is another issue. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:21, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

She's not a hoax, and she's notable, but I see no evidence that she's a real person. My impression is that she's a creation of "Titanic Sinclair". Maproom (talk) 09:42, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

"Poppy's real name and identity is kept guarded..." What is the distinction between a mere stage name and a fictitious character? BTW, my security software won't let me see her web site due to the number of reports of security violations there. --Gronk Oz (talk) 14:50, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Her real name is hardly a state secret, given that she's credited as the author on her songs under it. ‑ Iridescent 18:54, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

The difference is that there's a real person and real talent (hopefully) behind the stage name. A musician, whether you call him Muddy Waters or McKinley Morganfield, is still a musician. (Same can, different label.) An actor playing a character, on the other hand, is an entirely different story: Bruce Willis ain't no John McClane. Clarityfiend (talk) 03:22, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

I now accept that she's probably a real person, not an electronic creation as I had thought. Maproom (talk) 08:51, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

Very confusing UX when trying to create a new account re: usernames

Hi! When trying to create a new account, I kept receiving the message 'username already exists,' but when searching for my desired new usernames, they didn't appear in the list of existing usernames.

I ultimately found one that worked, but it took more than 3 tries. That's a very confusing new user experience and might deter some new wikipedians from creating accounts.

If the username already exists, it should appear in the list of existing usernames when someone searches for it. If it doesn't, new users should be allowed to use it!

Is this a known problem?

Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.115.85.94 (talk) 15:16, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

IP, which usernames did you try? And which username finally worked? -- Samtar ^{talk · contribs} 15:36, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

The English Wikipedia is one of hundreds of wikis run by the same organisation with a unified account system. You didn't say which names you tried or where you looked them up but Special:ListUsers only shows accounts which exist here at the English Wikipedia. Usernames have to be unique among all wikis run by the Wikimedia Foundation. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:46, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Thanks for getting in touch, and welcome to the fold of Wikipedia editors. When you say that you searched for a user name, was this using the normal Wikipedia search bar? If so, did you search for "XXX", or for "User:XXX"? Unlike social media, Wikipedia is not principally focused on the editors, but rather on articles they have written for readers. So searching for "XXX" will search for an article of that name, not for a user unless you add the prefix "User:". Does that explain your experience? --Gronk Oz (talk) 22:37, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Article Title Needs Changing

How do you go about getting an incorrect article title changed? The title "Winkler Scale" misrepresents what is known as the "Winkler Index". The Winkler Index was established by the original researchers in 1944 and has been used extensively in viticulture (winegrape growing). I did a search of research and journal databases and found no instance of "Winkler Scale" being used.

Thank You, gvjones — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gvjones (talk • contribs) 18:38, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

It does appear that "Winkler index" is the more frequently used term, so I have moved the article to that title. It is odd that none of the references in the article, that I can access on-line, call it Winkler anything. Maproom (talk) 19:15, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Think this can clarify the confusion between indexes-scales when used in common speech.--Aspro (talk) 19:26, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Can't find the right place to post this question. Perhaps you can help out?

Hi, I tried using help pages to find the best place to post my question but found myself caught in a circle of links, so I'll try here.

Would it be against policy to participate in an RfC using multiple accounts? If this is not the place for the answer, could you be so kind as to link where I can find the answer or where I should ask? I have looked at sockpuppetry which seems that it would, but I'm not certain that my interpretation is correct. Thanks for your help. Veritycheck✔️ (talk) 19:30, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

This is generally covered under the part that says, "Inappropriate uses of alternative accounts: Editing project space: Undisclosed alternative accounts are not to be used in discussions internal to the project". -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 19:32, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Thanks for your speedy reply. The user in question mentions it on his own user page but not within the discussion page of the article itself. Is this acceptable? Is this considered disclosed? Veritycheck✔️ (talk) 19:52, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Generally, a prominent notice on the account's user page would be considered to be disclosure. A similar or recognisable username would also be considered additionally beneficial. This particular example you're talking about is not really against policy, but whether it's a good thing ideally implemented is another question. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 20:19, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Considering that (a) my two account names (Malik Shabazz and MShabazz) are clearly related, (b) the relationship between the accounts is clearly disclosed on User:Malik Shabazz and User:MShabazz, and (c) Veritycheck asked me what the relationship was and I told him to look at my user pages, I think this discussion raises serious questions about his competence to edit the encyclopedia. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 22:33, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Really? I didn't realize we had implemented any constraints on how experienced an editor had to be before they were allowed to ask a question. All the facts you mention were already stated, so thanks for confirming them. The question was not about those facts, but rather about how to interpret the policies in this case. That's not a trivial exercise, especially for a relatively new editor, and to my mind this is just the sort of thing the Help Desk is here for. --Gronk Oz (talk) 22:51, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

(Personal attack removed) really? He was too fucking lazy to click on my username to learn for himself that the two accounts are alts, and too lazy to click on WP:VALIDALT, so he started a WP:SPI? That's what I call laziness and incompetence. — Malik Shabazz ^Talk/_Stalk 23:15, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Last time I looked, Civility was a policy alongside No personal attacks, which you would have thought is not too confusing. It's a fair enquiry - are editors allowed to swap between alternate accounts in a discussion without stating that they're the same person? Which of the legitimate sock uses would seem to apply here? What's the relationship to the forbidden use of "contributing to the same discussion with multiple accounts"? Should someone have to follow links to userpages to see if it's the same user? I seem to recall this is not the first time this has happened. Whatever problems there may be elsewhere, the help desk welcomes such requests for clarification. -- zzuuzz ^(talk) 02:06, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

• Shabazz I have a suggestion. Whenever I sign with my alternate account, the signature left is of my original account (I've gone into the preferences of my alternate account and used the wiki markup of my original account for my signature). You could probably do that too and avoid this confusion. Thus, even when you're using your alternate account, editors would know it is you. Having said that, I think the discussion out here doesn't need to be harsh. This is finally a help desk, and volunteers like zzuuzz or me simply assist in providing clarifications, and not in passing judgements or resolutions. Rest is up to you. Now all of you, please pose for the snap post the bout. Cheers. Lourdes 08:06, 16 January 2017 (UTC)
• I would say it depends. If you use two different accounts to post a !vote, it is clearly incorrect (even if the user pages disclose the relationship both ways). If you reply with account B because that's the one you are logged in while you first comment was made with account A, I think it is fine unless you are trying to be deceptive. (Of course, answering "B, are you related to account A?" by "go see the user pages" rather than "yes" which is shorter and more descriptive is borderline trolling - but I suspect the temperature of the discussion was already fairly high at that point.) Tigraan^{Click here to contact me} 12:40, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

Gold, Platinum and Diamond certification capitalization

When talking about List of music recording certifications - is it appropriate to capitalize Platinum, Gold and Diamond in articles? On that article, they are capitalized. I am not seeing anything in the WP:MOSALBUM to support this though. Some of my edits are being reverted for the reason of "But FA articles don't capitalize them". FA articles can be incorrect too!

On the MOSALBUM talk page, it is stated that it's capitalized on the RIAA website and also trademarked. It is also capitalized on the BPI [British] certifications site. Also, in Certification tables, it capitalizes Platinum, Gold, etc, even if it isn't the first word (for example: 3× Platinum) --Jennica✿ / ^talk 20:34, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

• I think the names of certifications should be treated like proper names and capitalized. If not capitalized, it may look like the albums are actually made of gold, platinum, diamonds, etc. (That's just logically speaking.) --Moscow Connection (talk) 06:55, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

No include for related changes

Is there a no include command that can be used to help the related changes tool know what I want it to ignore on a page? I want to be able to monitor changes related to pages that I have created (User:TonyTheTiger/creations), but some of the links on that page should be ignored.--TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 23:52, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

If you still want a link to appear on User:TonyTheTiger/creations then I think your only option is to make an "external" link with a url instead of a wikilink. That may be difficult for template-generated links. See Wikipedia:Plainlink if you want to avoid external link icons. External link syntax affects other features. For example it doesn't generate a WhatLinksHere entry. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:59, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

TonyTheTiger, if you want, I can make you a personal script for this which you can load up. Lourdes 03:56, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

Lourdes, Plainlinks are a great solution. I am not seeing how a script would help, but am willing to try anything that might make it easier to implement plainlinks.--TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 01:47, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

Well, I've not used Plainlinks. I've done a small workaround in the script I've created. To use the script, add the following line to your common.js page:

importScript('User:Lourdes/TrackCreations.js');

You'll basically have a top menu link called Track Creations, clicking on which will show you the recent changes to all your creations. I've created a User:TonyTheTiger/Creations page with your creations for helping the script. You can add or delete links as you please from User:TonyTheTiger/Creations, depending on what you wish to track. Hope this helps. If it doesn't, just ping so I can delete the same. Thanks. Lourdes 03:39, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

That script is very helpful. It greatly cuts down then number of plainlinks that I have to do.--TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 05:01, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

P.S., I don't understand why there are now separate User:TonyTheTiger/creations and User:TonyTheTiger/Creations pages. You seem to have removed a lot of content from the former to create the latter. Does the script work because it does something or because it is calling on a different page. Can we restore the prior version of the page? I know it still exists separately, but your script calls on the separate page. I don't want to have to keep two separate pages up to date and I am actually only able to edit your new version. Can we move my edits to the old version and have the script run on that version?--TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 05:17, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

Hi TonyTheTiger. You don't actually have to maintain two pages. You only have to maintain User:TonyTheTiger/Creations. The page User:TonyTheTiger/Creations has been transcluded in User:TonyTheTiger/creations. So whatever updations you will do to User:TonyTheTiger/Creations will automatically show up in User:TonyTheTiger/creations. The script uses User:TonyTheTiger/Creations to generate the related changes watchlist for you. The script won't work on User:TonyTheTiger/creations (or in other words, we'll have to manually cut out a lot of links in User:TonyTheTiger/creations to make it work, which defeats the purpose; or alternatively, we'll have to go back to the plain links route). That's why I separated the two pages. I'm perfectly alright with whatever you suggest, given the purview of the script. Thanks. Lourdes 08:23, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

Thanks for the effort. Upon further review, I am going to have to go with the plain links route. Can you revert the transclusion so I can see the original edit history. Also, will the two post transclusion edits still show?--TonyTheTiger (T / C / WP:FOUR / WP:CHICAGO / WP:WAWARD) 14:51, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

Yes absolutely. The two post transclusion edits should still show. Will be done in a jiffy. Best. Lourdes 15:00, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

• Done. Cheers. Lourdes 15:04, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

@TonyTheTiger: You can place many links and other text inside a single <span class="plainlinks">...</span>. I have made {{nonwikilink}} to produce an internal link with external link syntax and plainlinks. It's not documented yet but {{nonwikilink|Example}} produces Example, and {{nonwikilink|Example|Display text}} produces Display text. It doesn't have wikilink features like being red for non-existing pages. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:56, 19 January 2017 (UTC)