User talk:Oldironnut

Welcome!

Hello, Oldironnut, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{helpme}} before the question. Again, welcome! -- Brianhe (talk) 03:29, 26 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Need citations in articles, not more external links.[edit]

Please familiarize yourself with Wikipedia is not a mirror or a repository of links, images, or media files and Wikipedia:External links. It is usually not helpful to add more external links to the bottom of articles, especially articles that already have one or two external links. What many articles need are citations -- see Wikipedia:Citing sources. If you have links that provide reliable and verifiable information, the best thing to do is to add footnotes to the article and use the sources in the footnotes. In other words, do clearly show which facts go with which sources, rather than having a long list of links.

Generally, I and the other editors of Wikipedia:WikiProject Motorcycling are going to delete these links as we find them, usually keeping only one link to an official site, and one link to the Open Directory Project using the Template:Dmoz. Any of us would be happy to help you with questions on how to cite sources or other issues related to the manual of style.--Dbratland (talk) 17:00, 4 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Copyright issues[edit]

It is outstanding that you have added inline citations to several articles, but you have copied and pasted the exact text of several copyrighted works into Wikipedia. Please see the Copyright FAQ. The copyrighted text found on sources such as Motorcycle Classics can't simply be copied, and you also can't paraphrase it too closely. See Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing. It's not always easy to know when a paraphrase is too close to the original, but the best policy is to make your words as original as possible while sticking to the facts. You can also use direct quotes, in very limited numbers if there is good reason to quote the source. See: Wikipedia:Quotations#Quotations_and_fair_use. There are also links on those pages to other articles with even more on the topic of copyright, fair use, and help with writing.

Your edits on BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident, Laverda Jota, History of BMW motorcycles, and Vincent Black Shadow should be removed immediately. The citations are fine, but the text in the article needs to be original writing. Please take care of this as soon as possible.--Dbratland (talk) 21:42, 4 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Chipping in here as another member of WikiProject Motorcycling. First of all, thanks for your interest in improving project-related articles. As for the copyright issues discussed above, here is a suggestion. Instead of using the direct quote "In September 2008, Tom Mellor set four new World Speed records while riding a 1969 Triumph Trident T150 at the Bonneville Salt Flats" you might try paraphrasing as "Tom Mellor set four new world speed records at Bonneville Salt Flats in September 2008 with a 1969 Triumph Trident T150." You capture the key facts of who/what/when without directly copying the source. Likewise you can use creative summaries for other citations noted above, without losing key facts. -- Brianhe (talk) 22:02, 4 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the tips! I'll find the time to fix these citations tomorrow. -- oldironnut (talk) 22:23, 4 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

ArbCom elections are now open![edit]

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:01, 24 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

ArbCom elections are now open![edit]

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:10, 24 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]