Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive 241

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How to react to an old comment that is no longer valid on a talk page

How can I react to a comment that became invalid? What I mean by invalid is that it's no longer true and also out-dated. I thought of one of the following: 1- Delete the comment (that will not be appropriate) 2- Notify its owner about the status of their comment (I don't know how to do that) 3- Deny it by replying to the comment and express its invalidity. Rami.shareef (talk) 04:43, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Rami.shareef. Old talk page comments can be quite relevant to editors interested in how a specific article has developed. There is no need to respond in any way to an old comment that is not currently relevant. I would leave those old comments alone, unless the page is getting excessively long. In that case, standard practice is to archive the old threads. Please see WP:ARCHIVE for complete details. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 04:51, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Rami.shareef, a talk page comment is supposed to be signed. If it is signed properly, there will be a link to the person's talk page, and you can go there and click on "new section" and say what you want.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 19:30, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks! Rami.shareef (talk) 20:01, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

would love some editing help

I wrote my first article and it was promptly deleleted. I'm trying to be a lot more careful... So having done my best, I'd really appreciate you all looking this over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:HelpingUlearn/sandbox It's short. But if it's okay, then I'll know I'm on the right track. Thanks! HelpingUlearn (talk) 15:10, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi, HelpingUlearn and welcome to The Teahouse. The first and most obivous problem is section headings. Use two equals signs (=) on each side of each section heading. There is a template at the top of the page and I'm not sure it belongs. Since it is red, that must mean it ahsn't been created. I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish there. As for your "Notes" section, which is usually called "References", it is better to have more information than just the URL in case the URL doesn't work at some point in the future. We want people who want to verify the information to have the ability to find the source. Or they might just want to read more. The "further reading" section should be structured the same way. You can use {{cite web}} if you want, or you can simply [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:HelpingUlearn/sandbox do this]. Replace do this" after the URL will the title and other information that helps people find the source.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 20:17, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

A couple more things: "also known as" should not be bold. You would put those three apostrophes before and after each name of the organization. And we don't say "Mr." here. Oh, and you don't put your signature in the article. Your contribution is recorded in the article history.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 20:21, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

New User: Posted my Article, Can someone please check for me?

I wrote my first article and it is in the list to be reviewed. I've done my best, I'd really appreciate you all looking this over for me.. please feel free to make any changes.. thanks so much!

ButterflyHoney (talk) 18:13, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Hey ButterflyHoney, I've checked out your article and declined it. You can see why in the reasons I gave on the draft page itself. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 18:59, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

I have the feeling with your similiar user name that you are either Mariah Honey herself or probably someone of the family. I suggest you read WP:COI and that Wikipedia is not a site for promotion in general. If you want to increase your networking skill, etc. then I suggest linkedin, facebook and other such sites which are perfect for such a thing. NathanWubs (talk) 23:12, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

A TRICKY QUESTION

In the valley of the blind the one-eyed man is the king, who is this or what is this? FIND THE ANSWER FAST AND SEND THE ANSWER TO ME, DURYODANANDURYODANAN (talk) 14:12, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi there DuryoDanan, and welcome to the Teahouse! This sounds like a question for the Entertainment Reference Desk, as this sounds like a classic riddle. Have you tried using Google or Bing for the answer, too? --McDoobAU93 14:15, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

NO I HAVEN'T TRIED IT. COULD YOU PLS TRY IT AND GET ME AN ANSWER.DURYODANAN (talk) 14:20, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

It's a quote from August Wilson, Gem of the Ocean. Theroadislong (talk) 14:30, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I have to admit, I'm curious as to the sense of urgency on this. What's the rush? --McDoobAU93 14:30, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I KNOW THAT IT IS A QUOTE FROM HIM . I AM ASKING WHAT IS THE ANSWER OF THIS.

THE PERSON WHO GAVE ME THIS QUESTION TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A PUZZLE AND THAT IF WE THINK WE WILL GET THE ANSWER AND ITS ANSWER IS SOOOOOOO SIMPLE.

I HAVE TO RUSH. I WANT TO GIVE THIS ANSWER TOMORROW. PLS HELP ME.DURYODANAN (talk) 14:48, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Again, I'd try Googling/Binging it or asking at the Reference Desk. Those would be your best options for a speedy response. --McDoobAU93 14:53, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I TRIED GOOGLE. BUT OF NO USE. COULD YOU ASK AT REFERENCE DESK. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT . THANKS FOR HELPING ME. YOU ARE TRULY A FRIEND. I WILL VISIT YOUR TALK PAGE IF I GET TIME.DURYODANAN (talk) 15:03, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

It is an aphorism. See Desiderius_Erasmus#Writings for more information, and the more usual phraseology. Please stop typing in ALL CAPITALS, it is impolite and very annoying. Fiddle Faddle 15:47, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

Erasmus may have been inspired by John Skelton who wrote "an one eyed man is well syghted when he is amonge blynde men", apparently in reference to Thomas Wolsey who looks like the "real" answer. But I guess the questioner is looking for a made-up answer vaguely resembling the quote. Maybe something silly like "Samuel L. Jackson because he plays the one-eyed leader Nick Fury and has also played [whatever, he has played a lot]". PrimeHunter (talk) 16:09, 11 August 2014 (UTC)

I'd prefer that we stop enabling this behavior. This isn't the riddle answer forum. --S Philbrick(Talk) 00:26, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Wikipedia formatting

Hello,

What are the box thingies on the user page, how do you add them, and how do you format articles on Wikipedia.

Lockheedfwmusic (talk) 19:01, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

HI Lockheedfwmusic, they are called userboxes, if you find one you like you can add it to your user page by finding it's name (use "edit source" if it's on someone's page and you will see this stuff) and putting it like this {{User Australia}} which looks like this

This user comes from Australia.

.

If you want a bunch of boxes then you can make a stack like this:

{{Userboxtop}} 
{{User Australia}}
{{User writer}}
{{User WikiProject Plants}}
{{User en}}
{{User Sustainable Living}}
{{Userboxbottom}}

Which looks like this:

Userboxes

This user comes from Australia.

This user is a professional writer or journalist.

This user is a participant in WikiProject Plants.

enThis user is a native speaker of the English language.

This user supports sustainable living.

Formatting articles can be easy or hard, depending on what you want to do, and if you are using the "visual editor" or the "source editor"

All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 19:17, 13 August 2014 (UTC).

Yeah, Lockheedfwmusic, just that DO NOT ADD THE <nowiki> tags. DEW. Adrenaline (Nahnah4) 05:40, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Whoops, removed. All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 08:17, 14 August 2014 (UTC).

Archiving stop

Hello, I'm back to the Teahouse again. Because I am having examinations soon, I would like my bot, ClueBot III to stop archiving my posts on my talk page, as I will be inactive for a long period of time. What do I disable? Ping if you have replied. DEW. Adrenaline (Nahnah4) 05:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi @Nahnah4: If you edit your talk page, you'll see the "User:ClueBot III/ArchiveThis" template. You can simply change the "age" from 168 hours to a longer period of time, depending on how long you'll be out (say, 504 for three weeks). Or, you can simply remove the template and restore it when you get back to editing. Or, you could comment it out. There are probably even more ways to go about this, but pick whatever works best for you :) Good luck on exams! ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 06:01, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, SuperHamster. After I posted this, I figured out how, and forgot to say it here. XP. Anyway, thanks! DEW. Adrenaline (Nahnah4) 06:04, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Can someone please explain "single-purpose editing" to me?

I've got a number of interests in quite a few things that a lot of people might not know that much about eg. Norse mythology/folklore, fantasy novels, J.R.R. Tolkien, Icelandic sagas/medieval Icelandic history, the Victorian era, musical theatre. I've just spent the last few minutes reading policy and guideline pages saying "single-purpose editing" is discouraged. Could someone please give me an idea of what exactly a person has to do for them to be considered a single-purpose editor? Thanks and sorry if it's something I should already know.

Sigurdrifa (talk) 06:47, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi Sigurdrifa and welcome to the Teahouse. You might find this essay useful in helping you understand.  Philg88 ^♦talk 07:15, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Hi @Sigurdrifa: By all means, if you're interested in a few select subjects, do edit away! Most editors invest their time in particular subject areas, and there's nothing wrong with that. For example, I spend most of my time on articles related to video games and pages related to the city I'm in.

On Wikipedia, single-purpose editing tends to refer to editors who appear to be here for a reason other than to help the encyclopedia - which can often involve pushing a particular viewpoint or advertising something. To give a very broad example, an editor pasting mentions of their company in various articles is problematic. Another example is an editor trying to push certain political views into articles. This is never okay, but editors that appear to be here solely to promote something are often labelled as single-purpose accounts to emphasize this, and efforts are made to guide them in the right direction.

In the end, the point is that editors should be avoiding editing articles for subjects that they have a conflict of interest in. This shouldn't apply to the editing you mention involving history, novels, etc. :) ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 07:18, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Adding to the excellent answers already offered, there are "good" single purpose editors and "bad" single purpose editors. For the sake of discussion, let's say that editor A is deeply interested in butterflies, has studied entomology at a respected university, and is thoroughly conversant with the scientific literature about butterflies. Editor A could work improving hundreds of butterfly articles here, collaborating in a friendly way with other butterfly editors, and could be considered a "single purpose butterfly editor". No one would criticize this editor, and we need many more "single purpose editors" like this one.

On the other hand, consider Editor B, who is an advocate of one side of a nationistic dispute between country X and county Y. This editor is determined to portray country X in the best possible light and country Y in the worst possible light. Being intelligent, the editor always feigns neutrality, especially when challenged. But when they find a dozen reliable sources about the dispute, they will always select the six among them that portray Country X in the best possible light, and will nitpick and criticize any source that makes Country Y look good. All of their comments will reference Wikipedia policies and guidelines, and when their body of contributions are criticized, they will say that their advocacy is needed to balance the horrible Country Y advocates, and that criticism of their editing is part of a widespread conspiracy against the valiant Country X patriots. This is the kind of single purpose account that we have far too many of. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 07:42, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks guys. :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sigurdrifa (talk • contribs) 07:55, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

What happened

Please bear with me as I am a novice. I am trying to set up an education page for my course this fall. I went through the wizard and saved everything and now cannot find it! I see my own sandbox but how do I find the page I just created? The second issue is that my institution is still not listed on the Special:Institutions page so I mush have done something wrong.Antlady (talk) 16:21, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi Antlady and welcome to the Teahouse. You don't need to worry about being a novice, we all have to start somewhere. As for your files, they've all been stored in your user directory like this one User:Antlady/course wizard/Grading. If you click on the "Contributions" option at the top of your user page you will see the location of the others. Good luck and come back if you get stuck again.  Philg88 ^♦talk 16:46, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks, that helps a lot! I have clicked (twice) on the "request instructor access", which takes me to the Education Notice Board. My institution is not listed in the Special: Institutons page so I am stuck until I receive this status.

That is surprising considering it (without specifically naming, if I have read things right) is one of THE premier institutions in the country!   ArcAngel   (talk) ) 17:01, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

I see my request at the bottom of the Education Notice Board page; is it pending, or do I need to do something else?Antlady (talk) 16:50, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

You don't need to do anything else. An instructor will decide whether to grant your request for course instructor rights and notify you at the Education Notice Board. Worth adding to your WP:watchlist if it's not already there.  Philg88 ^♦talk 16:57, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

How do I rename a page?

I want to rename a page and tried to move it, but it's not working. Can you help? LincolnCenterTheater (talk) 21:52, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi @LincolnCenterTheater: Welcome to the Teahouse! To rename a page, we perform what we call a page move. A page move moves a page to a new title, while preserving the article's history and associated talk page. This can be done by hovering over the "Move" tab at the top of a page, and clicking "Move". Moving articles should typically be used with caution, however, and it's often worth discussing on an article's talk page before moving.

Only registered autoconfirmed editors may perform page moves, which you appear to be. Seeing that you have tried moving the page but are having trouble, could you specify what's going wrong exactly? ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 22:24, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

You might also try again. You were autoconfirmed on the 12th, yesterday, so it you tried yesterday and are reporting it today, it may be that simple. If you tried today, then it is something else.--S Philbrick(Talk) 00:21, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Umm, did no one who replied to this editor notice the name? JohnCD left a notice on their talkpage, but shouldn't they also be report to UAA?   ArcAngel   (talk) ) 08:55, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

@ArcAngel: no need, what UAA would do is just what I have done, leave a {{uw-username}} notice to invite them to change name, and point them to WP:PSCOI. JohnCD (talk) 09:31, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

@LincolnCenterTheater: has been blocked as a WP:CORPNAME. The user should create a new account with a user name that represents the individual user rather than the organisation.--ukexpat (talk) 18:39, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Source on blacklist

I would like to use as a source for Zersetzung#Modern_use_of_Zersetzung_techniques an article I found on the Kavkaz Center website, which is blacklisted, and I cannot add the link to Wikipedia. The information is corroborated by a more mainstream source, but I would like more than one source. Thanks in advance for any help or clarification. CibléEnAmérique (talk) 17:09, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi there! Sadly we don't handle the removal of blacklisted links here at the Teahouse. Links that are on the blacklist have been hand selected due to their unreliability or untrustworthiness. If you would like to see the reference you are referring to here removed from the blacklist you have to have super compelling reasoning. You are going to have to go through the slightly painful process of proposing - and honestly I highly doubt your reference will be removed from the blacklist, but it can't hurt to try. Please visit THIS page and follow the instructions to propose having your link removed from the blacklist.

I hope this helps! And I always suggest that you use a different type of WP:RELIABLE source instead of the one you selected, but, it's up to you :) Happy editing! Missvain (talk) 17:34, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the reply. That source may be viewed as biased or having terrorist connections. I'm not sure. CibléEnAmérique (talk) 19:08, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Genderqueer Pronoun Usage?

Hello, I recently reverted an edit on the Ezra Miller page for what I thought was vandalism as it had changed all of the pronouns describing the subject to the plural form, as seen here[1]. I was later informed on my talk page that Miller [2] self-identifies as gender queer and prefers non-binary pronouns. Is there any Wikipedia policy with which may shed light on how to proceed? I can't source that Miller has an inclination towards certain descriptors over others so I think the original masculine form should stand, but I'm just a little lost. Asdklf; (talk) 01:17, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

I hope Wikipedia:Gender_identity will help you. I have not found any more proscriptive policy yet... Regards, Ariconte (talk) 02:46, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Ah, thank you very much! Asdklf; (talk) 03:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

@Asdklf;:, I am by no mean the representative of consensus on wikipedia, but I support the usage of "they" as a singular pronoun for genderqueer persons. The use of they to refer to a singular person whose gender is unknown has long been a part of the English language informally and imo, is on the cusp of becoming considered "proper" English. My suggestion is to do some research on what is preferred in the genderqueer culture. If "they" is preferred, this may be a good time to ignore the rules! While it may not be proper English or whatever, I say erring on the side of causing less offense to people within that community. :-) Bali88 (talk) 19:25, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Singular "they" is perfectly proper English, although it is arguably either very old fashioned or very modern. My prescription would be use the pronoun that seems right when writing and don't worry if someone else changes it! All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 21:07, 15 August 2014 (UTC).

How do I know what colour I am typing

can some1 plz help...I don't no what colour i am typing, and it is quite important, is there a lis for the codesRyan 868 (talk) 10:08, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello Ryan, welcome to the Teahouse. There is a list of color codes at our Web colors article. If this is not what you are looking for, feel free to leave a reply below. Regards, Mz7 (talk) 19:48, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

What am I supposed to use my sandbox for?

I have a sandbox and I was wondering what I use it for ~Can you help me wikipedians?Angel Of Darkness862 (talk) 20:14, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hey, Angel of Darkness, welcome to the Teahouse! Sandboxes are most often used for testing out editing functions (like the use of complicated templates), so that one can try things out without messing up a real article. They can also be used for rough drafts of articles that would otherwise be not quite ready for main article space yet. Basically, you can do whatever you want there (within reason). Writ Keeper ⚇♔ 20:23, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

ThanksAngel Of Darkness862 (talk) 20:29, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Is image still pending approval?

Sorry to ask this when I think the answer is 'yes' but I want to be sure before firmly nagging the artist and his folk...but could you confirm that the image file below is still awaiting official confirmation regarding copyright, please? As I am new I want to be 100% sure before I go and have a polite moan! They said they'd get on to it but I fear they may have forgotten.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robbie_Boyd,_British_singer,_songwriter_and_musician_2014.jpg

Many thanks, Kath Atkinson (talk) 20:26, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

It would appear that OTRS still has an open case concerning this picture. You can contact them to check the status. Jab843 (talk) 20:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Kath, there is nothing received at OTRS yet, also if the picture is by Rosie Hardy, then it's her permission that is needed. Copyright belongs (in most cases) to the creator of the image, not the subject. Nthep (talk) 20:51, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Many thanks - I think I'll do just a moderate nag to the artist as I suspect that is where the process has got stuck! Many thanks for the prompt response,

Kath Atkinson (talk) 20:51, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Is there a way to search all web pages in a reflist?

A certain article (this one, if it matters) currently has 131 entries in its reflist. My guess is that, given the amount of content overlap (mostly web-based news), 131 is about three times what it really needs to be.

The reason is that, when one needs to source a new fact, they search the entire web using a search engine, and they usually add a new ref. More times than not, the reflist already included one or more sources for the fact.

Is there a practical way to search only the URLs already in a reflist?   Mandruss |talk  10:53, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi, Mandruss and welcome to The Teahouse. If anyone knows the answer, it might be the computing reference desk.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 19:51, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Here is a suggestion for how to do that with a Firefox bookmarklet. I don't know if that would work for 130 urls. If it fails, you could download all of the cited pages to a folder on your computer (how to do that is another question) and then search the folder. --Margin1522 (talk) 15:07, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the response, Margin1522. Reference Desk hasn't replied to my question.

Re the bookmarklet, I don't know Javascript.

As for downloading all the pages to my computer, that would probably be within my technical ability, but the benefit wouldn't justify the time required to do it.

I've seen a lot of homegrown tools around and was hoping there might already be one to address this problem. I guess it's not seen as that much of a problem, and I can live with that.   Mandruss |talk  02:13, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

It's not immediately obvious that "less is more" we want reliable sources, and sometimes more than one source for a fact is good. I do think you raise a valuable question, and will think on it. All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 21:17, 15 August 2014 (UTC).

Multiple issues tags

Edward321 has restored tags with the comment the the tags were restored because the issues were not addressed when it appears the issues indeed have been addressed. He has made no attempt on the talk page to expand on or define exactly what his problem with the page is and what he expects it would take to stop restoring the tags. It appears to me that the tags are being restored maliciously. Is it just me or does the guy have some kind of axe to grind? The page in question is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Sebring Garageman93 (talk) 03:57, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi @Garageman93: Welcome to the Teahouse! I do believe the article could still be improved quite a bit, but regardless - I think saying that there was any malicious intent behind the tag restorations is a bit excessive. One of Wikipedia's core values is to assume good faith, and there doesn't seem to be any reason to jump to conclusions. Have you tried contacting Edward321 on his talk page, asking for clarification or guidance as to why he restored the tags? It's best to try to resolve any issues with an editor directly first, before getting any third parties involved. As a side note, it's often courteous to tag or notify any users when discussing them. Thanks! ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 06:06, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Creating an Article

1. How do you create an article?2. How can I get to my sandbox? It's so hard to find...I could only get to it once. — Preceding unsigned comment added by AKA Casey Rollins (talk • contribs) 14:21, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

I've moved this question to the top of the Teahouse Q&A board, as it looks like you added the question to the bottom of the page, where Teahouse hosts do not usually monitor. Mz7 (talk) 19:58, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello AKA Casey Rollins and welcome to the Teahouse. To create an article, I recommend reading Wikipedia:Your first article then following the Article Wizard. It is important to remember that not all topics are suitable for Wikipedia, and those pages will help you decide if the topic you want to write about is suitable or not for Wikipedia. The main Wikipedia sandbox is located at Wikipedia:Sandbox. The main sandbox allows you to carry out small editing experiments; however, it is cleared periodically and text that you type will not stay for long. If you want your own personal sandbox where you can develop articles, go to User:AKA Casey Rollins/sandbox. If you are confused or have any more questions, feel free to leave a reply below or ask again. Best of luck, Mz7 (talk) 20:06, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Welcome! To add to what Mz7 wrote, you could also try article's for creation, a helpful place to start an article and get it reviewed by fellow helpful community members where they to could help you out. Best, ///EuroCarGT 20:11, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

To add my two cents to the excellent answers above, there is a simple link to your own Sandbox among the links on the right hand side at the very top of each Wikipedia page when you are logged on. There are also links there to your user page, your Talk page, your Watchlist etc. --Gronk Oz (talk) 06:33, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Article is set for Speedy Deletion

Hi,

Please help me how to fix this issue.

I have written just few lines about a website.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forallpeople.info

Following is the message received from VQuakar.

"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 encyclopedic. (See section G11 of the criteria for speedy deletion.) Please read the guidelines on spam and Wikipedia:FAQ/Business for more information.

It appears to be about a person, organization (band, club, company, etc.), individual animal, or web content, but it does not indicate how or why the subject is important or significant: that is, why an article about that subject should be included in an encyclopedia. (See section A7 of the criteria for speedy deletion.) Such articles may be deleted at any time. Please see the guidelines for what is generally accepted as notable."

I could see many website pages are available in Wiki. But i am totally confused why my stuff is set to Speedy Deletion.

Thanks for your help.AyeshaShirinS (talk) 09:39, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi, I am not able to view the article that was deleted but by the criteria noted for reason of speedy deletion, it sounds like you were in some way promoting a company. It also says that the topic was not notable, and the only way to not get cited for being not notable is by referencing top tier newspaper articles about the topic or anything like that. I also suggest first creating your article in your sandbox. You can also read more about it here. Mfribbs ^Talk 12:15, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

How to get rid of the Editor heading on top of article

Hi everyone,

How can I remove the Editor heading above my article? Also, how do I know if my article is published? I tried to search for it but it didn't show up.

Thanks for your help!

Stella 2001:1BA8:101:10:20EE:8C9:185B:951B (talk) 17:35, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

There are no other contributions on your account aside from this one. Did you edit with another account, or did you perhaps forget to log back in before posting this question?   ArcAngel   (talk) ) 17:40, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello. Since you haven't told us which page you are talking about, we can only guess what you mean. But my guess is that you have created a draft article either in your user page (User:<name>) or in a user sandbox (User:<name>/<article-name>) and want to move it to mainspace. If that is the case, the way to do it is by a move operation - but if you are a very new user, you will not yet have rights to do this. However, if you are a very new user it is likely that your draft will not yet be acceptable as an article, so in either case your best bet is to edit the page to insert {{subst:submit}} at the top, which will request a review from a more experienced editor.

If you meant semething else, please pose your question again, making it clearer what you are asking.--ColinFine (talk) 12:38, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

I get reverted

An administrator keeps reverting my very minor edit. I tried to use the talk page for an explanation, but he just reverts that too. What to do? NotYetAnotherEconomist (talk) 12:46, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi there. It seems that this may have just been an honest mistake made by Randykitty, who reverted both your edits when (assuming good faith) they only meant to revert your undo. Sam Walton (talk) 12:59, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

template / help

Hi guys First timer here. Decided to start with a short new page and quickly lost all steam. Is there a simpler way for a beginner? When I started writing HTML the ability to use a template or copy and paste the structure from simple and well made websites was a god send. Any tips hugely appreciated. Many thanks in advance Oliver OliverBradshaw (talk) 12:42, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

It can be daunting so you may want to try the article wizard accessible from WP:AFC. But be wary of copying and pasting from other websites - most of that content is probably copyright and we do not accept copyright material. Hope this helps.--ukexpat (talk) 12:54, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi Oliver! Wiki markup can be a little overwhelming at first but luckily there are a few tools and methods for making it easier. The first is resources like the cheatsheet which can show you quickly how to do various things. The second is the toolbar in the editing window - there are a variety of buttons which will input the markup you need automatically. Another option is to use the Visual Editor - this editor lacks some of the functionality of the full markup editor, but allows you to edit the page as you see it which can be helpful. And of course, as you mentioned, simply finding a page similar to the one you're writing and clicking Edit can help; many of the infoboxes, headings, and references can just be copied and have their information replaced! And of course if you're having issues with any particular aspect you can always ask about it here on in the live chat #wikipedia-en-help ^connect. Hope that helps! Sam Walton (talk) 12:56, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Thank you guys. — Preceding unsigned comment added by OliverBradshaw (talk • contribs) 13:25, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

To add my two cents to the excellent advice above - rather than writing a whole new page, you might find it easier to make updates to existing pages first. Find a page which needs work, in an area where you have an interest and access to resources, then improve it in some way. Add some good citations for information there. Or just clean up spelling mistakes - it all helps, and it is the easiest way to get started. Finally, if you get stuck and need help, come back and ask. (I have asked heaps of questions here, and nobody has bitten me yet!) --Gronk Oz (talk) 14:37, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

my daughter coined a new word and random act of kindness, why cant it be included?

her word is "flowerbombing" - she decided that she would stand on the main street of Irelands capital YESTERDAY- giving out flowers for free to people who looked like they needed cheering, she thought this up as a direct result of robin Williams death- she made the word up. hence- flowerbombing- a random act of kindness. it is now being done in Perth, Australia today, and some American friends are going to copy,I have Photos which are up on Facebook so does that help? I've put up the article twice and its been deleted both times... please tell me why? surely its not offensive? and it may go viral....( we hope) Natasha white1 (talk) 10:12, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi Natasha. The problem with this topic is that you are trying to add it to a global encyclopedia which aims to document only the most notable things. If we had an article for every event that happened, every person's pet, etc., it would fill up and become unusable very quickly! So it was decided that topics would have to be written about in multiple reliable sources before they could be included. The idea is that if a topic has been written about in the news, books, or scientific papers (as examples) this means that the topic is worth writing about and so worthy of inclusion in this encyclopedia. Unfortunately your daughter's word probably just isn't notable enough. Sam Walton (talk) 10:38, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Natasha, not to detract from your daughter's important contribution to world peace and harmony, but somebody apparently beat her to the word and the concept by six months, here—although the people in the video flowerbombed random people instead of people who looked like they needed cheering. I like your daughter's version better.   Mandruss |talk  11:55, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Natasha, Question: are there reliable sources documenting this as a new phenomenon with consistent use of the word to describe that phenomenon? If so, there's no reason why it shouldn't be included. However, the word needs to have caught on with more people than just your daughter. Anyone can say "hey, I made up a new word!", that doesn't mean that it's wikipedia material. It needs to have a good bit written about it by independent sources before it can be included. If these sources become available in the future, there is no reason why it can't be included in wikipedia at that time. :-) Bali88 (talk) 14:58, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

It's a very good idea! Perhaps we can flowerbomb Wikipedia editors in need of cheering up! All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 17:13, 15 August 2014 (UTC).

How can i create a character summary

How can i create a Colspan list summary to show the presence of characters in a Film Series or Television Franchise? Ect. (Zucat ) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.58.65.137 (talk) 17:29, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Do you want a table or simply a list? All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 21:00, 15 August 2014 (UTC).

I would like a Table list. Or anything that features Dark Cells with White cells that shows the actor or actress.

Choosing category while adding new article

I want to write about some place. Which category should I go with from below options.

1. I'm writing about a company, organisation or foundation 2. I'm writing about myself 3. I'm writing about someone else 4. I'm writing about a website 5. I'm writing about a new phrase/word 6. I'm writing about a recent event 7. I'm writing about a musical artist, group, album or song 8. I'm writing about an article about something else

Anujsharma9196 (talk) 09:14, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

I wouldn't worry about categories to start with, they can always (and often are) added or edited later. Concentrate first on making sure that the proposed subject of the article meets the notability guidelines and that you have assembled sufficient reliable, independent sources to support any claims of notability.--ukexpat (talk) 17:44, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello Anujsharma9196, welcome to the teahouse! You want item 8, "I'm writing an article about something else". This is good, because articles about places are often useful. Articles about companies or about a friend or about a recent event are often not useful :)

User:Ukexpat, the question is likely about the options presented to the OP by the WP:WIZARD or some derivative of it, not about categories as we know them. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 17:55, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Facepalm - clearly I have never used the Wiz.--ukexpat (talk) 18:27, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

How to create a good comparison page

Hi,

I'm new to contributing. While recently looking for a good program for brother. I noticed there really wasn't any good place to see a detailed comparison of the music education programs. So I thought it would be great to have one one wiki.

I used the same format as Comparison of audio player software, but my article is being considered for deletion. Could anybody take a look at what I made and tell me how I can fix it? I plan to keep researching other programs and adding them to the comparison chart. I'm hoping it's not a wasted effort though.

Thanks!

Sthayne23 (talk) 16:12, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Oh, forgot to include the link to my page ;)

Comparison of Music Education Software

Sthayne23 (talk) 16:13, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi Sthayne23, being considered for deletion does not necessarily mean it is going to be deleted. Here are some improvements that could be made:

• Clarifying scope of the list
• Adding references
• adding more programs as you already intend to do
• Adding External links to any comparison sites on the web, or other suitable resources.
• Adding see-also to relevant articles.

All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 17:08, 15 August 2014 (UTC).

Thanks for the advice Rich, I'll work on it!

Sthayne23 (talk) 21:28, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

i want to change my page name

My page always show user-gupta1836. How to change it to shubham gupta or any other name. Please help me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gupta2200 (talk • contribs) 19:58, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

You can change your signature by clicking on "preferences" at the top of the page. Something like [[User:Gupta2200|Shubham Gupta]] ([[User talk:Gupta2200|talk]] ~~~~~ would probably bw the sort of thing you are after. All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 20:59, 15 August 2014 (UTC).

@Gupta2200, Gupta1836: You can also change the way your user and user talk pages display by placing on them, respectively, the following code {{User:One/Title|User:New Name}} and {{User:One/Title|User talk:New Name}} You cannot change what your actual account name is without a granted username change request but since you have very few edits, I suggest instead, if you desire this still, that you simply abandon the old account and register under a preferred username (I see you have already created a new username, which is what you used to start this thread).--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:37, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Edit was not accepted, can I find out why?

Greetings, I recently published a book explaining the game of baseball and I hope to contribute to the ongoing "Wikiproject Baseball" Meanwhile I have successfully edited the "force out" article, but my edits on the "stolen base" article appear to have been rejected. Can I found out why? I am new at this and it's possible I just didn't save them correctly. BTW, I edited the "tag play" section today.74.72.230.0 (talk) 02:08, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello 74.72.320.0; it looks like you are asking this question while logged out. I presume you are the person behind the Baseballexplained2159 (talk · contribs), as your summary above matches the activity of that account. If I am wrong, please correct me. You can always check out what happened to an article clicking the "view history" tab at the top of every page. When looking at the Stolen base article, here, you can see when different people edited the article, and what reasons they gave for the edits. If looks like Spike-from-NH reverted your additions here. He left a short explanation, but if you want to know more you'd have to ask him directly. He seems to be mostly objecting that you are using the edits as a means to promote a book you wrote yourself on the subject. Without judging your book or not on its own merits, at Wikipedia we generally try to avoid conflicts of interest, such that we avoid promoting or referencing or working within subjects that we have a close personal or financial tie to. By adding citations to your own book, it gives the appearance of a conflict of interest, and really that appearance is all that is needed to bring some change into question. It would be best if you avoided citing your own work to avoid this conflict of interest. If you have other works by other authors which discuss the same matters, and where you could cite those other authors, it may remove the sense of conflict of interest, and still allow you to contribute new material to articles. I hope that helps, and I hope you continue to find ways to contribute to Wikipedia! --Jayron32 02:17, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi! With your background, you would be a great asset to wikipedia! I would avoid referencing your own book though, for the reasons Jayron gave, and find other sources to cite. Secondly, it would be a good thing to work on the tone of your posts. Wikipedia phrasing is quite different from the type of language used in books, magazines, and other sources. Avoid flowery language and simply state outright what you are saying. Things like "It can be argued" is basically an opinion and not allowed by wikipedia guidelines. You can, however, quote people, as in "John Smith argues that X". Keep with it, we need people like you! :-) Bali88 (talk) 03:51, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

How can I upload an image that I have permission to use?

I uploaded an image and it was flagged for "possible copyright violations." However, I was given permission direct from the owner to upload. Is there a way to upload this file myself or does the owner need to do it? Rys411 (talk) 15:59, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Rys411. The fastest and easiest way is for the owner of the image to upload it to Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license. If that isn't practical, give us more details here for a more specific answer. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 16:09, 14 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi, I have the same problem. The image that I have uploaded has been deleted a couple of times. I have the right to use this image, please advise what license I should choose so that it doesn't get deleted again. Thanks so much!Chrisjoselim (talk) 04:26, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Inadvertently created article page when I meant to create a draft

I thought I was creating a draft page but instead created a page in article space, Patexia. I moved the page to Draft:Patexia but of course there is now a re-direct. Sorry to have made this small mess--help, please? --Grand'mere Eugene (talk) 03:40, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

@Grand'mere Eugene: Nice move on moving the page. In this particular case, you can tag the redirect for speedy deletion under R2 criteria. By placing {{Db-r2}} on the page, you can request the deletion of any redirect from the article space to other namespaces (with a few exceptions). I've gone ahead and done this real quick. Thanks, ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 03:52, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

@SuperHamster:--Many thanks. --Grand'mere Eugene (talk) 04:57, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

I dont know what I did wrong if anything at all

I don't know what I did wrong , if anything? I was writing about an actor , with links to various sites , refs, all straight forward stuff? any ideas? it was about mark heartford 213.205.240.184 (talk) 05:46, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello. From your comment it is difficult to work out which edit you mean. Do you usually log in as Msmith12345 and are you referring to User:Msmith12345/Mark Heartford?

If so, no you have not done anything wrong. You were clearly trying to improve the encylopedia and we thank you for your submission. The reviewer, Joe Decker, decided that User:Msmith12345/Mark Heartford was not ready for a full article at this time. Joe is one of our most experienced reviewers and he gave some fairly detailed advice in the comment there - though if you need some more clarification on these please ask here. As a general point IMDb and YouTube are generally not considered reliable sources as there is little editorial control over their content. --LukeSurl ^{t c} 11:18, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Adding information from Wikidata to an existing infobox

Hi, I need some help on how to get started with adding content from Wikidata to infoboxes. Basically I want to add a property drugs have on Wikidata to the infobox called "drugbox". --Alepfu (talk) 10:22, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Hi Alepfu and welcome to the Teahouse. Looking at {{Infobox drug}}, I see fields for pharmacokinetic data like metabolism, elimination half-life and excretion but nothing on "effects". There is a parameter "class2", which seems to do what you want. For example, in the template example quoted "class2 = Long-acting beta2 agonist". There may well be a good reason why there is no effects parameter, but I am not an expert on drugs (caffeine aside :)) so I cannot say. I suggest that as a first step you add a note at the WikiProject Pharmacology talk page saying what you want to do and why. Someone will no doubt help you there but if not feel free to come back to the Teahouse or leave a message on my talk page Good luck!  Philg88 ^♦talk 15:46, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Thx, I'll contact WikiProject Pharmacology. --Alepfu (talk) 17:14, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

most active wikiprojects

Hi, how can I see the most active wikiprojects? And can I just take their page, adjust it for another WP and use it?

Thanks!

NotYetAnotherEconomist (talk) 16:09, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello NotYetAnotherEconomist and welcome to Wikipedia. Which project do you have in mind. Please check the directory to see if it already exists. To answer your exact question I say that WikiProject Biography is the most active with 1,998,961 pages. If you want an elaborate page to model on see WikiProject Athletics. -- NickGibson3900 - Talk - Sign my Guestbook 06:39, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Vandalism info

Hi, Please tell me My User page vandalism informatiom. Naresh Raja Kumar (talk) 06:34, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello, Naresh. I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean about your user page and vandalism. Nobody has contributed to your user or user talk pages except you (and HostBot which inserted an invitation to here). --ColinFine (talk) 10:48, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

How to make name colorful?

How do I make my name have color in it when I sign like Solarra? VeNeMousKAT (talk) 07:29, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello VeNeMousKAT and welcome to the Teahouse. Reading this page is a good place to start. Experiment with your signature in your sandbox. Also click on the "edit" tab on some page which has a signature you like, copy the text code to your sandbox and play around with it. The numbers of the colors are listed at Web colors. Good luck with your new signature, w.carter-Talk 10:58, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Psst!

Did you know... that Mandruss has started a list of real-life examples of signatures at the bottom of Wikipedia:Smurrayinchester's signature tutorial? The list is to serve as inspiration and help for users who want to create their own signature. (a re-occurring question here at the Teahouse) Visit the page and add your signature to the collection. w.carter-Talk 13:59, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Mom told me I'd be famous someday. Speaking of customized signatures ... if you have one and like userboxes, you might be interested in the signature userbox I recently created. I won't transclude it here, but you can see it here.   Mandruss |talk  14:06, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Sorry to be negative guys but the use of images in signatures is discouraged for the reasons given here. They may also become obsolete when flow is implemented.  Philg88 ^♦talk 15:20, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Point taken. Images in signatures are already discouraged on the page in question. I was thinking of (but not explaining, mea culpa) signatures without pictures. Will these also be changed into "just" text? w.carter-Talk 15:33, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Philg88, who said anything about images in signatures?   Mandruss |talk  15:29, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Sorry, I thought it was a signature but it's a user box, My bad. @W.carter:, no need to apologize, it was my mistake. As for "Will these also be changed into "just" text?", I think the answer is probably yes.  Philg88 ^♦talk 15:39, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Aawww... So for all those fantastic signatures (including yours Philg88) it may be "drink and be merry for tomorrow they may die". What a shame. Let's hope the new thing brings other goodies to compensate for the loss. w.carter-Talk 15:47, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

I hope so too. Customized sigs are a nice personal touch and I think it makes people more recognisable.  Philg88 ^♦talk 15:52, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Agreed, we are programmed to interact more easily if we have a "face" (albeit just a signature) of the person we are communicating with. The signatures helps us to scan a text quickly and "read" the conversation without having to read every word. w.carter-Talk 15:58, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

W.carter, the Flow project is actively soliciting community feedback during its development, and that would be the place to voice such opinions. If you look at some of the very early development, such as here, it's clear that Flow will be neat, organized, businesslike, professional-looking ... the colorful self-expression that we see today in customized sigs would seem completely out of place. I think it would take a major community outcry to change it. Those of us who have customized sigs are in the minority, and many of us won't feel it's worth raising a fuss about. But hey, we're misusing the Teahouse, and I'm surprised our host hasn't jumped in and spanked us already.   Mandruss |talk  16:20, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Don't worry, I'm already kicking myself. (...trust me to stir up something like this with a simple tip about a page...<sigh>) w.carter-Talk 16:36, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Nominating as a good article

How to nominate an article as a good article?ChamithN (talk) 18:16, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Hello @ChamithN, you can nominate articles at Wikipedia:Good article nominations, under their appropriate subheading. Hope this helps, cheers ~Helicopter Llama~ 18:18, 17 August 2014 (UTC)