Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 February 4

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1 February 4

[edit] February 4

[edit] Main page formating

The main page has some unique formatting syntax:

<!--

-------------------------Today's featured article, Did you know------------------------>
{|style="border-spacing:8px; margin:0px -8px;"
|class="MainPageBG" style="width:55%; border:1px solid #cef2e0; background:#f5fffa; vertical-align:top; color:#000;"|
{|width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top; background:#f5fffa;"
! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cef2e0; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Today's featured article</h2>
|-
|style="color:#000;"| {{Wikipedia:Today's featured article/{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTDAY}}, {{CURRENTYEAR}}}}
|-
! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cef2e0; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3bfb1; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Did you know...</h2>
|-
|style="color:#000;"| {{Did you know}}
|-
|}<!--

--------------------------------In the news, On this day------------------------------->
|class="MainPageBG" style="width:45%; border:1px solid #cedff2; background:#f5faff; vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top; background:#f5faff;"
! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">In the news</h2>
|-
|style="color:#000;"| {{In the news}}
|-
! <h2 style="margin:0; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">On this day...</h2>
|-
|style="color:#000;"| {{Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTDAY}}}}
|-
|}
|}<!--

Where do I go to read up on how these work?

-------------------------Today's featured article, Did you know------------------------>
<!--

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 149.166.168.68 (talk • contribs) 16:04, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

It's not "unique", it's MediaWiki table syntax combined with CSS. See Help:Table and [1]. (In future please put new questions at the bottom of the current date, not the top. Thanks.) • Anakin ^(talk) 16:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Transclusions

I am continuing on my tutorials. Working on Transclusions, and using this as a guide. When I try to transclude 1 specific paragragh from my user talk page to my sand box, I end up getting everything from the paragraph I want to the bottom of the source page. Can you help me with this? Here is the example I am working with. On my talk page, I want to take the paraghaph 'Welcome to my talkpage' and transclude it into my sandbox. I use the text sting: 'User_talk:Preceding_unsigned_comment#Welcome to my talk page' inside of the double brackets. The problem I run into is that it continues past the 'Welcome to my talk page' paragragh all the way to the end of the source page. It seems that I am missing the code to stop the transclusion at the end of the paragraph that is my target. Any help would be appreciated. -- Preceding unsigned comment add to 00:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

As far as I can tell (from reading Wikipedia:Transclusion), you can't transclude only part of a page - it's an all-or-nothing situation. However, someone will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure... Bencherlite ^Talk 00:32, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, NYG 3 NE 7. -- Preceding unsigned comment add to 00:44, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Found it, in case it comes up again. Any text in the source page that is <noinclude> surrounded by this</noinclude> will not be transcluded. -- Preceding unsigned comment add to 03:37, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

You can't use a text anchor (the stuff after the # symbol) to control transclusion of a section of text. What you can use are the noinclude and includeonly tags. See Help:Template#Noinclude and includeonly for more information. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 03:40, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Forgot my password and I haven't got an email address registered with Wikipedia

Hi there, after recently upgrading my PC I've had to re log on to Wikipedia and guess what - I didn't write down my password! I've tried combinations of everything I can think of but to no avail. To make things worse, I never registered my email address on Wikipedia. Is there any hope of me regaining my account name? I'm quite attached to it. Regards, Freelion —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.185.56.178 (talk) 00:33, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

See Help:Logging in#What if I forget the password? If you can't remember the password and you didn't enable email, then you'll need to create a new account. Bencherlite ^Talk 00:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

But also see this in the Privacy Policy [2]. DuncanHill (talk) 00:56, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Ahhh a lead! Thanks Duncan, on that link it says: "If you do not provide an email address, you will not be able to reset your password if you forget it. However, you may contact one of the Wikimedia server administrators to enter a new mail address in your preferences." So, are there any Wikimedia-server administrators out there who could help me? - Freelion —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.185.56.178 (talk) 01:28, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

They won't be hanging around the en-wiki Help desk. You could try emailing one of the addresses on that page, but how they actually verify that you're the person who owns the account I've no idea. Best of luck though. • Anakin ^(talk) 14:56, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

OK everyone, relax! By some miracle, or maybe a moment of hypnosis, I was able to remember my password. Problem sorted. Freelion (talk) 05:42, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Userpage

How do I create new pages on my account? (Like adding tabs to the top where it says Project Page, Discussion, ...) Zrs 12 (talk) 00:48, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

If you create a WP:SUBPAGE, it will not say project page, but rather user page. Anyway, to create, just go to the page you'd like to make (for example, User:Zrs 12/subpagename) and create it as you would create any other page. Cheers, Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 01:26, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Strange question about infobox

Hi there...I actually don't know whether I SHOULD edit this, let alone how, hence my question: NASA has an infobox at the top of the article which says, and I quote:

This article contains information regarding a space agency which is either currently in the process of launching, or is scheduled to do so within the next 4 days.

To me, that reads very strangely--as though Cape Canaveral itself will shortly be orbiting the Earth! I'd like to edit it to read a bit more fluidly, something like "...regarding a space agency which will launch a mission shortly, or which has launched a mission very recently..." or something like that--but again, I don't know if that's an acceptable thing for me to do (putting WP:BOLD aside) as I don't know whether editing it would mess up anything else down the line. My knowledge of templates is....well, "nonexistent" is a good word. So: 1. Should I do it? 2. How would I go about it? 3. How do you all think it should read? Your input would be much appreciated. Gladys J Cortez 00:55, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I have worked with this template in the past, and I was bold in your place. I removed it from the NASA page. Besides from the obvious "strange" text which is caused by the fact that his template simply does TOO much, I see no point in plastering such things all around wikipedia. If people are looking for such current information, they should enter more accurate searchterms in google. This usage is approaching our guideline of "Wikipedia is not a TV guide". I have had doubts about this usage in the past, and I have only been strengthened in this doubt. I think that is reason enough for me to remove it. --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 01:20, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Wikibreak question

Hey. Where are the autoscripts located to force a wikibreak, i.e. an autologout tool to pick in my monobook? Wizardman 01:21, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WikiProject User scripts/Scripts/WikiBreak Enforcer. Bencherlite ^Talk 01:24, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Wizardman 01:27, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Deleting talk pages of redirected pages?

There are 19 talk pages of articles of episodes that have been redirected to the main episode list. The other 108 episode articles didn't have talk pages attached, so they don't exist. The only thing that appears on these talk pages is {{WikiDegrassi}}, rather than any discussions. Can these talk pages be deleted, and where do I go to get talk pages deleted? -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 03:22, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Normally, such orphaned talk pages could just be archived under the new article/merge target. However, if there's nothing but the template, I'd simply put a speedy deletion template on them using category G8 ("Talk pages whose corresponding article does not exist"). -- Kesh (talk) 03:30, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I am told that Db-talk, doesn't apply to talk pages of redirects. 91.106.23.36 (talk) 12:34, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, on qualifying my info, that 91.106.23.36 is referring to: we sometimes say that redirects aren't articles, but usually only apply that to talk pages where there is a corresponding redlink. The main idea is to keep any talk page which is useful to the project. So, if talk pages have indeed no content, they can be simply redirected to the talk page of the article. Others that have meaningful content, especially about the redirect itself, such as ~~most~~ some tagged by 91.106.23.36 should not become simple redirects to the current talk page of the target (in any case not to articles themselves) but either be kept where they are or archived under the target and redirected there for future reference. --Tikiwont (talk) 13:02, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How do I get off-line sources on-line?

Resolved.

NVM, I got help from a person named Mopper in Wiki's IRC instead

In reference to this page,

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laguna_College_of_Art_and_Design&oldid=188940353#Controversy

None of the facts in here have citation. I want to change that. The problem is that the facts and evidence for everything in this article does not exist on line. Much of the information that is being disputed is the sort of thing that is widely known at the school in question, LCAD, but does not have an on-line source that ca be referenced. For example,

"in 2005 the Administration held a lavish teacher and admin end of the semester party at the Irvine Spectrum. The individuals were brought to the event via stretch-limousine causing the final tab for the dinner to be in the thousands"

How do I cite something like this? Everyone at the school, including the entire administrative staff know all about this event. How can I prove on Wikipedia that it actually took place though?

Another example,

"...including former Chair of the Animation Department Aubrey Mintz..."

This is a widely known fact at the school. Where would I get citation for this though?

Is there anyway to document first hand reports from the administration on basic facts.

How about the school's tax records? Can I just scan those, paste them into a photo bucket account and cite them that way?

If I can get a local news paper to run an article on all this can I cite the news paper?

Any help anyone will give me is much appreciated, Thanks a bunch! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Latyper (talk • contribs) 04:47, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

User was helped on IRC, and issue was resolved. Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 05:19, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Seven Wonders

give information about new seven wonders —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.165.155.54 (talk) 05:31, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that is what this Help Desk is for). Just follow the link, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. --omtay 38 05:51, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

See New Seven Wonders of the World. --Teratornis (talk) 08:37, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What is...

The purpose of the these nonvisible "links", in articles? [[af:Wikipedia:Administrateur]] [[als:Wikipedia:Administratoren]] [[am:Wikipedia:?????]] NanohaA'sYuri^{Talk, My master} 06:35, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

These are known as interwiki links; they add links to the very left table called 'languages' which will direct a user to that page on another language. For more information, see Wikimedia's page on interwiki linking. Hope that helps! Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 06:40, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

In particular als:Wikipedia:Administratoren, for example, links to the Alemannic German version of Wikipedia:Administrators. --teb728 t c 07:04, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

See both Help:Interwiki linking and Help:Interlanguage links. Interwiki links are normally visible in the same posltion on the page where the links appear. Interlanguage links float to their own sidebar section (in the default monobook skin), unless they begin with a colon (:) character. The MediaWiki software also uses leading colons to modify image links and category links. --Teratornis (talk) 08:42, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] my biography

Please help, I am an artist from South Africa and i have registered with wiki...but I can't figure out how to make sure that the information can be viewed in any google search! Endz The Otherness (talk) 08:28, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The last time I checked, I found Google's indexing delay for Wikipedia material was about 5 days. The way to check is to look at an article's history, and run Google searches for new material that appeared on Wikipedia at a specific time in the past. Only Google employees can influence Google's indexing delay; the rest of us just have to wait for Google. Also be aware that Wikipedia deletes lots of new articles by new users, because we have many complex policies and guidelines that new users can easily and unknowingly violate. So check that whatever you added to Wikipedia is still on Wikipedia. --Teratornis (talk) 08:59, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The user's only other edits are on his user page. Does Google index the user namespace? I would think it would index only the article namespace. --teb728 t c 10:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Google does index Wikipedia user pages (worryingly). • Anakin ^(talk) 15:00, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Google indexes the current revision of (seemingly) every page on Wikipedia, but not the so-called Deep Web portions including page histories. See the examples I gave in the {{Google custom}} template for searching various Wikipedia namespaces with Google. If you don't want something on your user page to show up in Google search, simply edit it out, and wait for a few days or weeks for Google to "forget" about it. --Teratornis (talk) 17:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

She (not he) is a musician, and the userpage is really an article/biography for herself (one which would fail db-band). --Orange Mike | Talk 14:03, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Speed of motor to pump

i wnt to reduce the speed of motor to pump.. which type of gear (small or big) come towards pump —Preceding unsigned comment added by 61.95.206.51 (talk) 10:31, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

If I understand you right, it's small gear on the motor, big gear on the pump. Our article on gears may be of help to you. • Anakin ^(talk) 15:02, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] guitar player

who's playing guitar with robert plant-alison kraus in gone gone gone video? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.147.87.7 (talk) 11:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

T-Bone Burnett. In future, please use the Wikipedia:Reference desk for this sort of question, as the help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. Cheers! • Anakin ^(talk) 15:10, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] User page

Resolved. Thanks to all - Ftbhrygvn (talk) 05:06, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Nobody viewed my user page nor talk page. How can I make more people go to those pages —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ftbhrygvn (talk • contribs) 12:30, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi! Well, you can't "make" anyone go to those pages, but there may be ways of encouraging people to. How do you know people didn't look at your pages? I just looked at your userpage now. For a minute I thought you meant you had created the article Derivative.

When you participate in Wikipedia, editing articles and so on, your signature appears in edit histories and on your talk page comments, and people might follow the links there to your page. When you write messages on talk pages, such as this one, sign your name using four tildes ~~~~ like this, and it will put your username and the date, with links to your user page and talk page. The talk page for each article can be found by clicking "discussion" at the top of the page when viewing an article. The more you participate in editing and discussions, the more people might put messages on your talk page. You can also try to find other users who have done some good work and put congratulatory messages on their talk page -- or give people constructive criticism. If you haven't received any complaints on your talk page, you must be doing well! --Coppertwig (talk) 13:32, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

How do you know no-one's viewed them? Viewing counters don't work, only edit counters work on these pages. --Dweller (talk) 14:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Don't feel bad I don't think anyone views mine either. ;) • Anakin ^(talk) 15:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

First, I didn't created the Derivative but the redirect page F'(x). Second, thanks for your advices.

[edit] search

What is the difference between GO and SEARCH? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.218.44.37 (talk) 13:06, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

"Go" will try to go to a page with that exact name. If the page exists, you will go directly to that page and see only that page. If the page does not exist, it will have the same functionality as "search", I believe. However, if you want to see a list of pages containing certain words, rather than just the one page, you can click "search" and it will give you the search list, even if the page with that exact title exists. --Coppertwig (talk) 13:24, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Transcluding a subsection only

Hi. I want to transclude Norwich_City_F.C.#Current squad to another page, so that only one article need be maintained. However, {{:Norwich_City_F.C.#Current squad}} transcludes the whole of the page. Any ideas how I can achieve this? --Dweller (talk) 13:19, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Transcluding part of a page is impossible with the MediaWiki software. I'm not quite sure why you'd want that squad table on other pages - it takes up a lot of space, and Wikipedia tends to like to keep things in one place and just link back to it, for exactly the reason you stated (easier to maintain).

I was going to suggest creating a Navbox template, which is the correct way to link to the rest of the current squad on articles about the players, but then I realised that Norwich City F.C. already has that. E.g., see the yellow box at the bottom of David Marshall (footballer). Does that do what you want, or am I misinterpreting? • Anakin ^(talk) 15:37, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] deep draw tool

when new deep draw tool makking time which one must be consider? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ganesh20ta (talk • contribs) 13:35, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm very sorry but I can't actually understand what you mean. Have you tried doing a Google search on "deep draw tool"? Does that help? Please explain. • Anakin ^(talk) 15:45, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I do know what deep draw tooling is, but I don’t understand the question, either. Can you please rephrase it so that we can try to direct you to the information you need? You might also wish to ask your question in the miscellaneous section of the reference desk. Thanks —Travis ^talk 18:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] question

Tafitasoa (talk) 14:08, 4 February 2008 (UTC)can I ask for help or for aid to member or to the WIKIPEDIA to finish my project? if I can ask to a member how to do that? thank you

Would you like to tell us what the project is? If it's something to do with improving Wikipedia articles I'm sure you'll find editors eager to help, but seeing as you just created your account to ask this question, I'm guessing you mean that it's a personal project of your own, and in that case you won't likely find strangers here to help. But you might, so in either case, tell us what it is first. • Anakin ^(talk) 15:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Also, Wikipedia does not do your homework for you, so if that is the case, then you will be unlikely to find any help here. XENON54 | talk 22:21, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] References

is there any special wiki-markup i need to know to add a reference or citation?the juggreserection ^IstKrieg! 14:54, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Yep. The usual method is to use <ref> and </ref> tags containing the source info, combined with a single <references/> or {{reflist}} tag at the end of the article (if there isn't one already). That creates a little numbered link to a footnote giving the source. The full and detailed guide on citation formatting is at Wikipedia:Citing sources. Also see Help:Citations quick reference. Hope this helps. • Anakin ^(talk) 15:19, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Steve Brown

Why are we not allowed to address controversial teachings of Steve Brown.

His teaching of "radical grace" is a great concern to many people, but every time I try to insert it, it is deleted with the claim that it's biased.

Is this a place for evenhanded and honest discussion of Steve Brown and his teachings, or is it a Steve Brown fan club and hero worship page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mikemck (talk • contribs) 15:44, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I can assure you that Wikipedia's articles are not fan clubs or hero worship pages, or they shouldn't be. We strive for neutral point of view. But with biographical articles it's especially important not to introduce anything that could be potentially construed as libel. See Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons for the full guidelines. Your edit to the article was potentially controversial in tone and unsourced, and for that reason I have removed it again per the guidelines. The entire article is also lacking sources and I have tagged it as such.

But let me clarify: you can of course address "controversial teachings" of people, if, and only if you can cite to reliable sources which verify their information. Original research is generally not permitted, but this must be enforced particularly on biographical articles, to prevent personal attacks. Hope this helps clarify things. • Anakin ^(talk) 15:56, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lost password

is there any way to recover a lost password if i didn't set an email address? -76.27.231.192 (talk) 15:57, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

See Help:Logging in, but the short answer is no, you will have to create a new account. You may, if you wish, link the accounts by putting a notice on the user page of your new account saying what account you used to edit under. But without an email address I don't see how you can get the old password back. Sorry. • Anakin ^(talk) 16:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Where do I create an article at

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Godsdebris89 (talk • contribs) 16:26, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Hope this helps. • Anakin ^(talk) 16:28, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What is Wkipedia?

—Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.40.254.161 (talk) 16:59, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia developed collaboratively by its editors, and this is the help desk for questions about using it. See Wikipedia:About, and Wikipedia:Introduction for more. Please do not post nonsense here again. Thanks • Anakin ^(talk) 17:05, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] start a new busines model

I am new to your site and would like to bring different businesses to your site can u help Henslee57 (talk) 17:12, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia! I'm assuming you mean you want to create articles on certain businesses; have I got that right? Please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for notability of companies and organizations and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

Read also, the Wikipedia:Business' FAQ and note that Wikipedia is not for method for advertising, nor a directory of companies.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Cheers! • Anakin ^(talk) 17:18, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Question

I just want to ask a question. I am not interested in looking through all the FAQ's or clicking away the next 15 minutes of my life. Just want a plain...empty space to ask a question. How come there is no more like that ??? A. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.49.133.79 (talk) 18:12, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. Tell us the question you would like to ask, and the Help desk will try to answer it as clearly as possible. Click the [edit] link just above this section and add your question here. • Anakin ^(talk) 18:19, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Got another weird infobox question...

I'm rapidly becoming the weird infobox lady [3], but such are the vagaries of fate. :) Anyhoo-- Bottom of Public Broadcasting Service, there's a "preceded by/succeeded by" box, which seems to be a strange concept to apply to a TV network anyway, but it becomes even stranger when one looks at "succeeded by"--the link is to "incumbent". In a HIGHLY-general frame of reference, I suppose I understand what they're trying to say--this is the current or "incumbent" incarnation of PBS--but man, what an awkward and weird way to phrase it! Is this a usage of "incumbent" peculiar to Wikipedia, or is this a case of "I am not sure that word means what you think it means"? And how do I edit those infoboxes, anyway? Thanks in advance....Gladys J Cortez 18:33, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there. There are lots of those boxes around. Often they're used on politicians and stuff, to show who held the office previously and afterwards. If you want to edit them, just click the [edit] for the external links section. You'll see a {{start box}} template, followed by an {{end box}} template, with code for a {{succession box}} in the middle. I think it's fairly useless on those two articles, when they only had 1 other form. but perhaps discuss it on the talk page of one of them before removing it. • Anakin ^(talk) 18:43, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Anne E. Schraff

Hello,

I am trying to find information about this author but unable to find any information. I was told that a lot of information can be found on her but I am unable to find it.

Can you please help me.

Shelley —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.158.1.98 (talk) 18:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I’m sorry, but it appears that Wikipedia has no article about this author. You might wish to try asking your question at our reference desk or looking her up on Google (search results). —Travis ^talk 18:46, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

See Works by or about Anne E. Schraff in libraries (WorldCat catalog). -Arch dude (talk) 00:15, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Ghastiophage

A gastiophage is a slight error in the binary code of a program, which can lead to a large glitch, and even multi-dimensional chaos. Ghastiophage can also be used as a verb, meaning to create a ghastiophage.

Ex: The gastiophage in the original "Final Fantasy" (creator Hironobu Sakaguchi) after the first boss allows the player to warp to the last level. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gastlyboy (talk • contribs) 18:47, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Do you have a question about using Wikipedia? —Travis ^talk 18:57, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Can I get a simple explanation on how to properly quote from an attribute to an article?

Resolved. Simple answer given. Any extra information can be found on the already linked pages. --omtay 38

I'd like to take a few paragraphs of an article and put it at a commercial website. The site doesn't require a password, and is not a pay site, nor an adult site. So, what I'd like to do is copy the paragraphs, and then do whatever I need to do to properly credit Wikipedia. I've looked a number of times, but it all seems very confusing. If I provide a direct link back to the article at Wikipedia, will that suffice? That and something else? Please help. Bob123 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.21.183.182 (talk) 18:59, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

You should take a look at: Wikipedia:Reusing Wikipedia content --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 19:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Did you miss the part about "simple"? I have read that page several times. It doesn't cover "a few paragraphs". Well, let's see, I did read that Wikipedia has never sued someone for misuse. I guess that means that I can just grab the text I want, do what I want, what I think is fair, and not worry too much about reprisals. It's too bad that the eggheads that wrote the damn page can't put things in plain English for those of use who don't possess an advanced degree in rhetoric. It's not like I'm trying to be difficult...I simply hate one line replies...form letters, and replies, generally suck and breed contempt. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.21.183.182 (talk) 19:52, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Criticizing those who are trying to help you is neither civil nor very conducive to receiving a helpful answer. If you would have taken a little more time to look at that page, you will see that it was a simplified version of the very long, and very wordy GNU Free Documentation License. So I would suggest that, rather than spending time criticizing those who try to help you, you put some work into using the advice given to you. Hope this helps! --omtay 38 20:21, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

No, it doesn't help. Instead of spending time trying to defend your cohort whose answer was less than useful, you could have tried to answer the question yourself. But you didn't. You simply wasted more time. Bravo. Do you see a place in that article that says "If you are going to use part of an article, here's what you need to do"? Do you see a frequently asked question section that covers this? No. I'm a 46 year old and I don't understand it. How are 12-18 year olds supposed to understand it. So don't act all high and superior. If you are going to give an answer, give a good answer. Just slapping anything down for the sake of saying "HEY WORLD, I ANSWERED THIS!" isn't doing anyone any good. It cheapens the perception of Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.21.183.182 (talk) 20:42, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Another short answer, but you might want to read Wikipedia:Citing Wikipedia. —Travis ^talk 20:52, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

To use wikipedia material on your site, do three things:

1. License it under GFDL (the full text of which is available here)

This can be done with the following statement: "This text (or this portion of text) licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.

2. Acknowledge the authorship of the article

From the Reusing Wikipedia content page: provide a conspicuous direct link back to the Wikipedia article hosted on this website

3. Provide a copy of the article (the so called "transparent-copy")

This can also be done with the link back to the article on wikipedia.

I'm an 18 year old college student who understands it. --omtay 38 20:54, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Now THAT was an excellent answer! Thank you. It provided the information in a clear, concise manner. That answer should be highlighted and on the FAQ page so that visitors seeking this info can get it without having to dig that deep to do something simple (copy, link, attribute) but that probably gets done every day. Of course, the reference to your age and that you understood it is simple a foible of your youth. When you are my age, and society has collectively kicked your ass a few hundred times, you'll come to appreciate brevity on some tasks, and you'll realize that, at 18, you weren't quite as wise as you thought you were. Go: legally drink your first beer, serve your country, get laid, enter matrimony, witness the birth of your child, suffer the loss of a parent, declare bankruptcy, suffer through divorce, speak before an audience of thousands, get published over 250 times in magazines and newspapers, visit foreign countries, work 50+ hours per week for 20+ years. Then maybe you and I will have something in common. For now, all I see that we have in common is that we both now know how to properly cite an article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.21.183.182 (talk) 13:18, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Web design

what is web design —Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.109.0.182 (talk) 19:04, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

See Web design. --Teratornis (talk) 19:14, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

(edit conflict) The Wikipedia article, Web design says, “Web design is a process of conceptualization, planning, modeling, and execution of electronic media content delivery via Internet in the form of Markup language suitable for interpretation by Web browser and display as Graphical user interface (GUI).” —Travis ^talk 19:16, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] inserted citation

Resolved. Ref close tag corrected by Fuhghettaboutit

Hi, I made my first edit, adding a citation to this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Maryland%2C_College_Park#_note-14 and it appears to have messed up the citation list. I am totally confused as to how to fix it. The edit button above this segment doesn't give me that list, and I don't know what I did wrong anyway. Thanks, Eternes (talk) 19:54, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi Eternes. I looked at this and I happened to notice that the closing tag for the reference was shown as "<ref>" instead of "</ref>" - a very common typo in web pages that isn't immediately obvious. ~~I just went ahead and fixed it~~ Someone else has fixed it. Cheers (and welcome to Wikipedia), --217.44.170.51 (talk) 20:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I figured I edit conflicted with you fixing it when I saw your above message. In any case, it's fixed:-)--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 20:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How do I link my company's Wiki page to an existing category list?

I am an in-house editor for my law firm and have been asked to address the fact that our firm does not appear in the 'Law Firms of the U.S.' list on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Law_firms_of_the_United_States

We have a Wikipedia entry for the firm, but I do not know how to link it to the existing category list. When I open the editing tab for the category page, I do not see anything in the editing box that I can adjust/add to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Leecanes (talk • contribs) 19:55, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

To the bottom of the article, add [[Category:Law firms of the United States]]. CIreland (talk) 19:58, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

However, it would not be appropriate for you to do this. If there is already an article about this firm, suggest that it be added to the category, by means of a note on the article's talk page. That would be the most appropriate method for any other improvements to the article you believe would be appropriate within our guidelines. --Orange Mike | Talk 20:00, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I have done some tidying up on the article. It needs a lot more (e.g. more third-pary sources, notable firm members, notable cases, controversies). Bovlb (talk) 22:04, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Add color and lines to userpage?

Like on user:Exampple. There is color and seperator bars. How do I make a title also? That writng under mine isnt mine. It is a non-user editing my question.Olfordtrucks (talk) 20:08, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The User page design centre has some tips to get you started. Good luck! XENON54 | talk 22:29, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] what is share,securities,sensex,stockexchange and its history.

all the words related to business and its definations and history. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.97.4.120 (talk) 20:06, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

This sort of question is better suited for the Reference Desk, but in any case there are no doubt Wikipedia articles on each of those terms you can look at in the first place.--217.44.170.51 (talk) 20:15, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] about wikipedia school fees

pls how much is the fee for a session —Preceding unsigned comment added by 196.200.10.154 (talk) 20:30, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there! Wikipedia is free content that anyone may edit. All text is available under the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) and may be distributed or linked accordingly. Recognize that articles can be changed by anyone and no individual controls any specific article; therefore, any writing you contribute can be mercilessly edited and redistributed at will by the community. Do not infringe on copyright or submit work licensed in a way incompatible with the GFDL. Quoted from Wikipedia:Five pillars Hope this helps! --omtay 38 20:31, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] MY EXTERNAL LINK KEEPS GETTING DELETED

My external link keeps getting deleted. I added an external link the I LOVE LUCY http://ilovelucystore.info

<personal attack removed> keeps deleting it. Can you help? <e-mail removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.187.170.65 (talk) 21:10, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there! I believe your links were removed from the articles because they were regarded as link spam. Also, per links normally to be avoided: Links to sites that primarily exist to sell products or services are to be avoided. Hope this helped! --omtay 38 21:17, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Also, please try not to call other people "creeps". See Wikipedia:No personal attacks for more. XENON54 | talk 22:27, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Book Information

i am trying to enter information about a book of which i am the publisher. it gives me speedy deletion message. WHY?Kat54 (talk) 21:13, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there! You may want to read Wikipedia:Conflict of interest. Generally, it's not a good idea to add information to wikipedia with which you are personally associated. --omtay 38 21:17, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

You would also want to look at WP:N and WP:NPOV - it looks like the tag placed on your article, "A1", is one that indicates "It is a very short article lacking sufficient context to identify the subject of the article." This would be because it (a) doesn't even really tell you it's a book, let alone who wrote it or whether it's notable in any way (meaning whether it's been reviewed by a newspaper or something), and (b) given that the entirety of the text is apparently an editor's review it is almost certainly not neutrally written, and if that review has already been published elsewhere does not conform to Wikipedia's rules regarding the re-use of copyrighted content. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 21:56, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] bullets/formatting

Speers (talk) 21:33, 4 February 2008 (UTC)How do you do bullets? Is there automated formatting available for sections such as "See also", "References", "External links"? Please advise. Thanks!

Asterisks or

Colons

will set the items off as you see above. --Orange Mike | Talk 21:36, 4 February 2008 (UTC) Or

Hashes
for
numbered
lists.

For the references section, see WP:REF. As you can see, you mark references in text by adding <ref> tags, and then in the references section you use either <references /> or, for more control over the output, {{reflist}}. Other sections you'll have to do by hand. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 21:51, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Illustrations

Dear Sir or Madam:

How may I obtain higher resolution pictures from your numerous websites?

Thank you.

Gordon Mitchell <e-mail redacted for privacy protection> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.190.100.140 (talk) 22:20, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

You would have to contact the copyright holders of the various illustrations. --Orange Mike | Talk 22:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

For many images, Wikipedia has scaled the image dynamically to fit the page when you display it. To see the image at the largest resolution available on Wikipedia, click on the image. If that is not large enough the image page will describe where the image came from: you may be able to contact the copyright holder for a higher-resolution image in such a case. -Arch dude (talk) 00:09, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] False information being presented

I made a correction the other day and the person who apparently had made the original, ( incorrect ), statements came right back and put the false information in again. I rewrote the paragraph and they came back with the false information once again. What happens in a situation like this. While I occasionally use Wikipedia as a resource this is the first time I saw something that I know to be untrue and made a change. Can you help me to understand what to do now. I don't have enough time to trade writings with this person. The page in question is the one on the Fillmore auditorium and who actually played there. Someone is repeatedly listing some bands as playing there who did not even exist while the ( original ) Fillmore was in operation. It's perhaps a small matter in the big picture but some of the info presented simply is false. Rocasan (talk) 22:39, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

From Wikipedia:Verifiability: "The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth. "Verifiable" in this context means that readers should be able to check that material added to Wikipedia has already been published by a reliable source. Editors should provide a reliable source for quotations and for any material that is challenged or is likely to be challenged, or it may be removed."

Your comment about statements being correct or incorrect is almost irrelevant. What matters is whether the statements are referenced and verifiable through reliable sources. If you add correct statements without any reliable sources then your edits likely will be removed. If someone else adds statements that you know are incorrect, but are supported by references to reliable sources, then you cannot delete them. So go find reliable sources for all of your edits and add them as references. And if other editors add statements without supporting references, then mark them with a {{fact}} tag, then later remove the unsupported statements. Sbowers3 (talk) 22:46, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Click the "history" tab at The Fillmore to see explanations by the other editor in edit summaries. He has also posted at Talk:The Fillmore which is the talk page for the article. Note that the article is merely called "The Fillmore". There is no rule saying it can only describe what you call "the ( original ) Fillmore". It seems inappropriate to delete content without discussion just because it's not about the original Fillmore. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:14, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] <ref> tag error I can't figure out

Hi! I'm working on Thayer School of Engineering and I'm using multiple <ref> tags in the citations. I can't for the life of me figure out why the first ref doesn't appear properly in the {{reflist}} at the bottom of the page. I've looked over the markup numerous times and everything looks fine, but it returns the following error:

Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named facts_and_figures

If someone familiar with the markup could look it over and try to figure out why it's returning this error despite what appears to me to be acceptable syntax, it would be much appreciated. Thanks! Dylan (talk) 22:44, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I've resolved the problem; there were one too many <ref> tags, and the remaining one wasn't formatted properly. Cheers, Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 22:50, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I thought I was fixing the problem, but MoP edited at (almost) the very same time I did and he found the real problem. For future benefit here is the explanation. That error meant that there was a <ref name="facts and figures"/> (actually several) but nowhere did wiki find a <ref name="facts and figures">this is the text for the ref</ref>. In this case, the reason it couldn't find the named ref's text was because of an error in an unrelated ref that swallowed the text for that ref.

The way I solve problems like this is to go back in the History to find where the problem first appeared, then look at the diff to see what was changed. In this case an editor introduced the error sometime back and nobody noticed it until you did. Sbowers3 (talk) 23:06, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your help and explanations, guys. Dylan (talk) 23:51, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I have made a request that a bot checks the recent changes for this problem. --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 11:48, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] how to create an article

I want to create an article to put on Wikipedia. I took numerous tutorials on how to write, etc. Where do I go to upload this onto the wikipedia website for others to view? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stanislaus County Fair (talk • contribs) 22:52, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 22:54, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Paul Kidd article display problem.

I cannot seem to get all of this page to display, only the first two lines - the second paragraph does not appear. I thought it was a standard cache problem but both clearing and rebooting the machine seems to make no difference. Can someone check the article to confirm the issue is on my side. --Fredrick day (talk) 23:07, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

The first two lines is actually all that exists of the article (you can see the evolution of the article under the history tab). Articles on wikipedia can be of all different sizes, this just happens to be a much shorter one. Hope this helps! --omtay 38 23:11, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

No it's not - click on edit and see what you see... --Fredrick day (talk) 23:12, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

It was a references problem, they needed closing. (<ref>[google]</ref>) See Wikipedia:References for more information on how to use the ref tags. I have fixed it in this article. I have also edited it to add a category and to clean it up per the WP:MOS. I have also cut out much of the accusations due to WP:BLP concerns. They are still charges and have not been proven. Woody (talk) 23:29, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] I KNOW for a fact this is true!

About the recent tornado outbreak that hit the Ozarks a month ago, there's a piece of news that came out the other day about a guy who died just this past week from injuries suffered from one of the tornadoes, and now I'm getting a message saying please don't add anything controversial. Excuse me, but THIS IS NOT CONTROVERSIAL!!!! It is the TRUTH!!!!!!!!!! What is wrong with you people?!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.128.163.54 (talk) 23:22, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there! Wikipedia does not accept original research. Even if something has personally happened to you or you "know it's true" you must be able to cite a reliable source when adding controversial material. Otherwise, your edits can (and probably will) be reverted. Best regards! --omtay 38 23:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Your comment about facts being true or false is almost irrelevant. What matters is whether the facts are referenced and verifiable through reliable sources. If you add true facts without any reliable sources then your edits likely will be removed. If someone else adds facts that you know are false, but are supported by references to reliable sources, then you cannot delete them. So go find reliable sources for all of your edits and add them as references.

OK, I've tried adding in a reference to the news story in question at the bottom of the section. Hopefully this'll satisfy whoever is getting his/her panties in a wad over this. Sheeesh!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fredbird67 (talk • contribs) 23:56, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi there. I know it seems a bit quirky to newcomers, as if we don't trust you or we think you are a liar or something. But remember, we are the "encyclopedia anyone can edit," and we do not have a professional editorial board, nor do we have a research department of paid professionals to do fact-checking. And, we have no way to even verify who any particular editor (we call all contributors "editors") really is. Therefore, we must insist that facts be referenced to publications that do have paid editors with names and addresses and in which we have a reasonable presumption of veracity. -Arch dude (talk) 00:02, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] username verification expired

I want to use the name I registered, but the confirmation link expired, about 3 weeks ago. I can't re-register it since it is "in use". What are my options? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.244.145.155 (talk) 23:25, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

You may want to take a look at Help:Logging in. My suggestion would be to attempt logging in with the user-name and password. Then you should receive a new verification e-mail (I could be wrong about this). If you have forgotten your password but have registered an e-mail address, you should be able to click the "e-mail password" button and a new password will be sent to you also. Hope this helps! --omtay 38 23:28, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Answering reference questions?

This may sound real stupid, but I saw something in the "reference desk" section I can answer, and I've been looking all over for where to reply to it. I even logged in, which I don't normally do, and I still can't find a place to answer this guy's question. I tried the "edit" link, but backed out without saving anything -- and there's no obvious link anywhere labeled "reply" or whatever. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fredbird67 (talk • contribs) 23:51, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

If you look above this thread, in its heading, to the right, you will see [edit] - this allows you to edit that section only. You then edit that section with a reply, with an indent (kind of how like I've done), then hit "Save page". It's not "Reply" because Wikipedia doesn't have a forum and in essence the Reference Desk is almost like a "special" kind of article you can edit as usual. x42bn6 Talk Mess 23:53, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Just click "edit" at the section and add your text (ending with a signature: ~~~~) at the bottom without changing the existing text. See also Wikipedia:Reference desk/guidelines. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:03, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

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