Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2020 May 8

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May 8

Popular culture

I'm sorry if this is explained elsewhere, but what does a reference require to be a reference in popular culture. i might have explained this badly, so examples include in harry potter how Uncle Vernon is humming a song called Tiptoe through the Tulips in the start of the first book or the song The Ballad of William Kidd by BlackBeards Tea Party. What is the requirement for something to be considered as 'popular culture'? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lukethecat2003 (talk • contribs) 00:58, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Lukethecat2003: I suggest reviewing the essay Wikipedia:"In popular culture" content. Happy editing! (Please remember to sign your posts on talk pages by typing four keyboard tildes like this: ~~~~. Or, you can use the [ reply ] button, which automatically signs posts.) GoingBatty (talk) 01:29, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Lukethecat2003, IMO, at the very least, you need a decent secondary source that noticed how Uncle Vernon is humming a song called Tiptoe through the Tulips and bothered to write something about it. Existing is not enough. See also WP:PROPORTION. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:22, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Delete an account

Help on how to delete an account and all contributions? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Chippycavna (talk • contribs) 01:34, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

An account cannot be deleted as it is required for attribution. Your contributions will not be deleted, as the conditions to which you agreed (at the bottom of the edit window for every edit) were that you irrevocably agreed to release your contribution. You can just abandon your account, or you may wish to look at the possibility of courtesy vanishing. --David Biddulph (talk) 01:43, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Chippycavna, Hello! We are sad to see you go! There are several options on how to delete your Wikipedia account. Go to User:Chippycavna and click edit. At the top of the page paste in Template:Retired. If you want to delete your account more permanently, then go look into courtesy vanishing. You cannot remove your contributions as which you have agreed to when you publish each edit! Wikipedia will miss you! HeartGlow ^(talk) 01:52, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Image creation

Just to make sure, can I use Inkscape to create free images that would work for Wikipedia? Is the free version enough, or would I have to buy "licenses"? Thx Eumat114 formerly TLOM (Message) 05:23, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Excuse the hair-splitting, but you can use Inkscape to create images of the kind that Inkscape is designed for. (That's quite a variety of images, but it excludes for example the photoshopping of photographs.) And "free images" can mean any of a number of things. If you create the kind of image that would be useful to Wikipedia, if it really is yours, and if you release it either under one of the various copyleft licenses that Wikimedia Commons recognizes or into the public domain, then you can upload it to Wikimedia Commons. I haven't heard of any costing-money version of Inkscape (and wonder where you got the idea), though the organization creating Inkscape would, like that behind Wikipedia, be grateful for any donation that you might care to make. -- Hoary (talk) 05:59, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Hoary, so I've downloaded Inkscape and let's say I just made an SVG containing the words "Lorem ipsum", and nothing else. Is it okay to upload that onto Wikipedia, and note that it was made using Inkscape? Cheers, Eumat114 formerly TLOM (Message) 06:38, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Yes, that is okay. I doubt that the accreditation to Inkscape is even necessary. When I have used a software package to create and upload PNG images, I have never considered giving credit to the creators of the software. Maproom (talk) 07:23, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

I'm going to disagree with Maproom here. First, I don't know why you (Eumat114) are talking about uploading to Wikipedia. Images that are conventionally copyrighted and are only for "fair use" within English-language Wikipedia (en:WP) go to en:WP; the rest go to Wikimedia Commons. Could you upload that file there? You probably shouldn't, because I can't think of any encyclopedic use of such an image: it would just be a (minor) waste of space. At the other extreme, I notice that some irregular hyperbolic plane pentagonal tilings lack illustrations. I have no idea how an SVG file such as this one is produced, but if you could produce a graphic with Inkscape for one that now lacks a graphic then I'm sure it would be welcome. And I see no need to say that the file was made with Inkscape -- though others may like to know, just as I'd like to know how the one I linked to was created. For more about creating SVG files for Commons, see its page Help:SVG. -- Hoary (talk) 07:35, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

(With apologies for the thread drift) — Hoary: if I were forced to create the missing images for the hyperbolic plane tilings, I would write a Perl program to do one of them, using a Perl SVG library that I've already written for my own use. It would involve quite a bit of work, particularly if I wanted them to look like the three images already there. Once I'd done it, I could easily change a few variables in my code to do the three other missing images.

But I see that the three images already there were all created by Parcly Taxel. I suggest contacting him, showing your appreciation for his work, and asking him to supply the other four images. Maproom (talk) 10:05, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Hoary and Maproom, I'm making images, not for articles, but for other parts of the Wikipedia administration. So I can upload it to Commons, and work from there, am I mistaken? Thanks Eumat114 formerly TLOM (Message) 08:11, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Yes you can; as an example, here in Commons is the little graphic that appears within en:WP's block templates (such as this one. (Exceptionally, this is copied to en:WP; but you should start at Commons. And really, you should ask there rather than here, because, unlike me, the people there know about graphics.) -- Hoary (talk) 09:13, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Eumat114:: several points:

• You are free to use Inkscape or any other free or proprietary software as a tool to create images for use on Commons or in Wikipedia. The software's copyright status as no effect on the copyright status of the images you create with it.
• Inkscape is released under the GPL. I know of no way to acquire Inkscape under any other license.
• If you copy "creative elements" from another source (e.g., complicated icons, parts of another image) into your new image, then your image is a "derived work". This applies to things you copy from stencils, image libraries, etc. that may be included with your drawing software. You will need to check the copyright status of each of the works you copied.
• If you use Inkscape or any other tool to create an image "from scratch" that is substantially a copy of another work, then your image is a "derived work" anyway, even though you did not "cut and paste" or use any computer-based method to import the other work. See above.
• There is no legal reason to credit Inkscape, but you should do so anyway as part of making your image more valuable to Wikipedia. In particular, you will, I hope, license your image using CC-BY-SA so that others are allowed to use and modify it. Telling others how you made it provides practical help instead of just legal permission to make modifications.
• As a practical matter, your image will include internal metadata within the SVG that shows that you used Inkscape, unless you make an extraordinary effort to remove it.
• It's a good idea to use Inkscape to add your authorship and copyright metadata to the image rather than just depending on the external permission information we require when you upload the file.

-Arch dude (talk) 15:39, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

how to search for a key word within an article in Wikipedia

Please provide a search or Find option within an article to direct the reader to key words Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by WaKrigeKmWC (talk • contribs) 09:38, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Such a facility is already provided by most browsers. For instance, in Chrome you type ctrl-F then type the word into the search box that appears. Maproom (talk) 10:08, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Ctrl-F on a Windows machine, and cmd-F on a Mac, rather confusingly.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 11:31, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

I have now been told due to my 4 star Rolling Stone award rock history book (20 years in circulation) being published , its not legitimate

Thank you for informing me of this fact , even though legitimized by Rolling Stone and Record Collector Magazine and been in circulation for 20 years plus, with countless articles on Google if one had taken time to do research. Sadly many Wikipedia articles on bands remain desolate with no biography and will remain that way as many of the members have long since passed away, I would have thought that Wikipedia would have has the artistic passion to at least correct and empower these flaws, the biography work I put in for Wikipedia at no charge, to just be gutted without at least leaving the biography shows little empathy for the contributor and less for the band.

Sadly disarmed and withdrawing , Sincerely Shiloh Noone  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shilohnoone (talk • contribs) 09:42, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Sorry to hear it. You sound like someone who could be a good WP:EXPERT, but policies and guidlelines about sourcing still apply. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 10:04, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Seems to relate to Beggars Opera (band); also asked and answered at the teahouse. In addition to the above the edit broke the formatting and was rather too unencyclopedic in tone. Please do not ask similar questions in multiple locations. (Please remember to sign your posts on talk pages by typing four keyboard tildes like this: ~~~~. Or, you can use the [ reply ] button, which automatically signs posts.) Thank you. Eagleash (talk) 10:11, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Speedy deletion

I ma now accused of sharing a website which is non existent on any of my edits , so dumbfounded at this accusation or statement, its seems this person has a personal connection with me and now trying to remove me with great haste in Draconian fashion, please escalate to higher level. I have no problem being removed but not on blatant lies ? ?— Preceding unsigned comment added by Shilohnoone (talk • contribs) 12:00, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Shilohnoone: I am not sure what you mean by 'sharing' a website. What you have done is use your userpage to create a biography / autobiography which is against the rules and conventions. This is using Wikipedia as a 'webhost'. Your userpage exists for you to tell the community a little about yourself and how you intend to contribute to the encyclopedia. It should not contain article-like content and as such has been marked for deletion. Please do not use Wikipedia for promotion in any way. Again (Please remember to sign your posts on talk pages by typing four keyboard tildes like this: ~~~~. Or, you can use the [ reply ] button, which automatically signs posts.) and please make headings more concise. Thank you. Eagleash (talk) 12:24, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

See WP:UP#NOT for more details of what is suitable for your user page. Theroadislong (talk) 12:26, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

I have deleted User:Shilohnoone. (The page so titled, I mean. I haven't "deleted" the user ID, and indeed Shilohnoone is welcome to contribute.) I was about to explain why, but find that others have already explained this very well. I needn't repeat what they've said. There is one point that hasn't yet been brought up, however. Was this intended as an encyclopedia article about you, or as a draft for one? If so, please read WP:COI. None of this should be taken as denigration of your achievements, notability or person. -- Hoary (talk) 12:35, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Redlinks to removed pages

Should redlinks to deleted pages be removed? Lukethecat2003 (talk) 12:40, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Lukethecat2003 Per WP:REDDEAL it's not that clear, I'd say it's a judgement call. Don't be too quick, sometimes deletions are overturned, but IMO it can be reasonable to remove in many cases. Sometimes if the removed page was merged, it's possible to tweak the redlink. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:52, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Lukethecat2003 - Gråbergs' answer is excellent, but I just thought I'd add on that when an article page is deleted through Articles for Deletion, it offers the ability to remove all the backlinks. So there may be a reason that the closing admin chose not to do so - which is basically just a version of the above "it's a judgement call". Nosebagbear (talk) 14:21, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

compromised account?

Ive never edited in this language (Google Translate says its Vietnamese) however I received an alert [1]....? where did this come from?--Ozzie10aaaa (talk) 13:25, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Ozzie10aaaa, nothing to worry about. Some wikis send automated welcome messages whenever an account becomes known to them. For example, if you edited a page here, then that page was imported to viwiki, a message would be sent to you. ~~ Alex Noble/1-2/TRB 13:40, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

thank you--Ozzie10aaaa (talk) 13:43, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Ozzie10aaaa What made you think that is an 'alert'??? The message looks like a standard welcome template to me. Note the part in English, directing you to Babel in case you don't speak their language. :) --CiaPan (talk) 14:24, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

by 'alert' I mean I got an Help:Notifications#Alerts 'alert notification' at the top (like on the link)--Ozzie10aaaa (talk) 14:38, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Ozzie10aaaa: Ah, I see. I think I would just say I got a notification, as 'alert' is a bit ...alerting to me, meaning something bad or at least something unwanted happened. Thank you for your reply.  :) --CiaPan (talk) 15:34, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

The hovertext for the icon is "Your alerts" and the heading when you click it is "Alerts". PrimeHunter (talk) 18:58, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Draft:Wonho (singer)

Hello there! I hope this email finds you good and healthy. I have submitted an article about "Wonho (singer)" and I was wondering if there is another way to get the article reviewed faster. He is a singer who recently went solo and we, his fans need this Wikipedia article so he can be counted as an artist from pages like "Next Big Sound". I already added the WikiProject that the article is related to.

Please, if there is any thing else I can do to get a faster review, we would be very grateful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nidabaci (talk • contribs) 15:00, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Nidabaci: I'm afraid that the short answer is 'no'. AfC paticipants (reviewers) are volunteers like any other editor and do what they can when their time allows. There is no order to how pages are reviewed either. I note from your post that that you say 'we would be very grateful'; please clarify what you mean by 'we'. Wikipedia accounts cannot be shared or used for corporate or promotional purposes. If you have any connection to the subject of this draft, please read WP:COI And WP:PAID (the latter is mandatory under the terms of use) and make the necessary declarations. (Please remember to sign your posts on talk pages by typing four keyboard tildes like this: ~~~~. Or, you can use the [ reply ] button, which automatically signs posts.) Thank you. Eagleash (talk) 17:45, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Hello, Nidabaci. Adding to what Eagleash has said: it looks as if (like many people) you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what Wikipedia is. Promotion of any kind is forbidden in Wikipedia. It is an encyclopaedia, not a business directory or social media site. Wikipedia is keen to have articles about notable subjects - which means, mostly, "subjects that have already been written about in professionally published sources, unconnected with the subject". If such sources currently exist for Wonho, then we will be pleased to have an article about him - it will not be his article, he and his associates will not have any control over the contents and are discouraged from writing or editing the article, and the article should be based almost completely not on what they say about him, but on what people unconnected with him have chosen to publish about him. Wikipedia is simply not interested in whether an article about him will further his career or not: that is no part of Wikipedia's purpose. Sorry. --ColinFine (talk) 18:20, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

• Note: The OP has stated at my TP that there is no 'connection' other than they are a fan. Eagleash (talk) 09:29, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

Wikipedia cries out for contributors in specialist fields, so if the contributor overlooks the system why not take his info and insert yourself

I am sure their are efficient contributors to Wikipedia, unlike myself accused of trying to propel my ego and stating that my self published Rolling Stone 4 star awarded book is of no relevance, you should be ashamed of yourself, my monthly 2000 US dollars has also been tagged with hasty removal as your draconian manager labelled it publicly — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shilohnoone (talk • contribs) 15:08, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Nobody has told you that your book is of no relevance. You were told that your userpage broke our guidelines about what user pages are for - we don't write autobiographies listing all our achievements and publications on our user pages. Your contributions would be welcome, but this is a collaborative project - you need to conform to our guidelines and manual of style. There are lots of people who would be willing to help you learn how to do that, if you're interested. GirthSummit _(blether) 15:23, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Shilohnoone: I suggest you please review Wikipedia:BOLD, revert, discuss cycle. You boldly added information in good faith to two articles, and those edits were reverted. The last part of the cycle, if you're interested, is to post to the article talk pages with your suggestions (in a civil manner) to discuss with other knowledgeable editors and come to a consensus. Good luck! GoingBatty (talk) 15:40, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

We have no managers here, just volunteer editors like yourself. We're all trying to make this project better, and your participation can make that happen (with or without donations, valued though they are). You're obviously a subject-matter expert, and ironically enough, that can actually make it harder to contribute in some ways. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:50, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Shilohnoone, do not start yet another thread about either the injustices you believe you have suffered at the hands of Wikipedia, or the general awfulness, as it seems to you, of Wikipedia. Continue in this thread if you must; but keep it concise and rational: I should warn you that my patience is wearing thin, and that I doubt that I am alone in this. -- Hoary (talk) 06:09, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

Audio with timed captioning

Hey. I noticed that there are audio clips uploaded to Wikipedia that have synced captioning, e.g. this. If you play this in Wikipedia interface, you see that appropriate line of text appear for what is spoken, exactly when it is being spoken. That's practically beneficial.

Now, when I download these from Wikipedia, how can I consume them? Is there an app that helps me play the file and see the timed caption too? (I have many media players that can play timed captions in various formats, but what should I do for this specific format?) Do I need to download the audio and timed captions separately?

The second question is: How can I create those for Wikipedia? Let's say I have a historic speech from 1921. How do I encode it so that Wikipedia shows timed caption for it? (I have the timed captioning at hand, in .srt format.)

5.78.104.109 (talk) 17:43, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Hello, IP user. I only discovered a few days ago that these things existed. There may be somebody here who can answer your questions directly, but if not, I suggest you start be looking at commons:commons:Timed Text. --ColinFine (talk) 18:22, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Helped Thank you! That was the correct answer. In the case of the example I provide above, the English subtitles for the clip is located here.

#signoff 188.245.136.78 (talk) 11:02, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

The file format is ogg vorbis (files with a .ogg extension), and its specification includes captioning. Any player that properly implements the ogg vorbis specification has access to the captioning if the file contains it. -Arch dude (talk) 19:09, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Hi! You asked how you can participate in creating audio files for Wikipedia. We in fact do! If you would like, you can join Wikipedia:WikiProject_Spoken_Wikipedia. Just follow the instructions on the main page. Galendalia _{CVU Member} \ ^{Chat Me Up} 06:53, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

How do I access my drafts?

How do I access my drafts? — Preceding unsigned comment added by WarnerM News (talk • contribs) 21:00, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

WarnerM News There are no drafts associated with your account, live or deleted. You may have created them while logged out; what were they called? 331dot (talk) 21:24, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Why?

Why, I can not edit wikipedia english? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wira sapta12 (talk • contribs) 21:50, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Wira sapta12: Anyone can edit almost any article in a constructive manner, but it is discouraged for people to write articles about themselves, especially brand new editors. Their articles tend to be poorly written and sourced, and the subjects are usually not notable enough to warrant an article. Please see WP:YOURFIRSTARTICLE and WP:COI. TimTempleton ^{(talk) (cont)} 21:53, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

California Department of Real Estate

the content on the CA Department of Real Estate has my name wrong where I am listed as Commissioner. I am Douglas R. McCauley (and do not put "Sr." after my name).

Thank you for making this fix!

Best -

Doug McCauley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Bureau_of_Real_Estate — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mccauleydr (talk • contribs) 22:05, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Mccauleydr: The place to suggest corrections to the California Department of Real Estate is the corresponding article talk page: Talk:California Department of Real Estate. Thank you for disclosing your conflict of interest. Please do so when you post on the talk page. Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 22:08, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Mccauleydr: I have made this change based on the department's web page. Please use the article talk page for other suggestions. Thanks! GoingBatty (talk) 22:39, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Please help me with making a profile..

Hello Wiki people, I'm fairly new and I want some help making my profile presentable.

I need tips on making a basic profile. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Luke Lovas (talk • contribs) 23:30, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Luke Lovas Hello, Luke. There is not a single "profile" on Wikipedia; Wikipedia has articles. Typically, articles are written by independent editors who take note of a subject in independent reliable sources and choose to write about it, if it meets Wikipedia's special definition of notability. Wikipedia is not a place for people to write about themselves, please see the autobiography policy. While not forbidden, writing about yourself is discouraged, as people naturally write favorably about themselves. If you meet the Wikipedia definition of a notable person and truly feel that you can write a dispassionate encyclopedia article about yourself(most people can't), you should use Articles for Creation.

You do have a user page (which you have already edited) which you can use to introduce yourself to the Wikipedia community, but only in the context of your Wikipedia editing or use. It isn't a place to tell anything and everything about yourself as you would on social media. Please see WP:USERPAGE for information about what is acceptable(and not) user page content. 331dot (talk) 23:49, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

Yes, I mean my user page. I don't want to make a wiki page. Luke Lovas (talk) 23:56, 8 May 2020 (UTC)

@Luke Lovas: Presuming you have read WP:USERPAGE, you can look at other editors' userpages as inspiration. GoingBatty (talk) 00:09, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

@Luke Lovas: Sorry, some people use the term "profile" in lieu of "article". I would second what GoingBatty has suggested. 331dot (talk) 00:14, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

There are almost as many types of user page as there are users. I say "almost" because some users don't bother with a user page. It seems to me that the best ones show what the user is interested in and where they might have some expertise and indicate where their biases might lie- if only by implication. (Everybody has biases.) Some people use ready made standard boxes to do this. I've never seen the point but I respect other peoples views. I've never taken the time to find out how to use them.Spinney Hill (talk) 08:37, 9 May 2020 (UTC)