Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 September 11

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September 11[edit]

Hiroaki "Hiro" Protagonist[edit]

The article Hiroaki "Hiro" Protagonist was taken directly from a section on characters in the article on Snow Crash. I would normally consider this a content forking, but in this situation nothing further has been added and I don't believe anything further can be added due to a lack of reliable sources. (The novel is obviously notable, but it doesn't appear that there are sufficient references to support a separate article on the character in the novel.) In addition, I believe there's something against cut-and-paste page creation in the GFDL, but I just don't know what to do about it. The speedy deletion process doesn't seem to cover something like this. Ideas? Wyatt Riot (talk) 00:10, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See WP:EIW#Delete for everything there is to know about deletion. You might look at the history of Hiroaki "Hiro" Protagonist and share your concerns with the other (human) editor(s) who might have an interest in the page. --Teratornis (talk) 08:05, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What is this?[edit]

When I type "Wiki: cleanup" in the Wikipedia search box, the browser takes me to a site called c2.com. Is the ":" a special operator in the search box, and why does it take me away from Wikipedia?

Thanks,

91.32.102.115 (talk) 04:44, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki: is a interwiki prefix that links to WikiWikiWeb, the first Wiki. See Meta:interwiki map for other prefixes. —teb728 t c 05:08, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for the clarification! 91.32.102.115 (talk) 20:35, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Repurposing a redirect page.[edit]

I would like to create an article about a mathematical concept called "Harmonic progression". But there is already an article with that name pointing to a completely unrelated article in music theory, Chord progression. Is there a policy about repurposing a redirect page to a different subject? If it's allowed then what do I do about the talk page under Harmonic progression? I've already changed the internal links that went to the redirect page (they should have been fixed anyway); are there other links I should worry about?--RDBury (talk) 07:09, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Turning a redirect into an article needs to be considered carefully. In this specific case, there is a history at the redirect which relates to chord progression, so an article here on a different topic would further disjoint these histories (a history merge is not easily possible in this case, unfortunately). I would also suggest that most people searching for harmonic progression are looking for chord progression and not a mathematical concept. I suggest that you create a page titled "Harmonic progression (mathematics)". Then, turn the redirect at Harmonic progression into a disambiguation page. See WP:DISAMBIG for some advice on disambiguation pages. Hope that helps, :-) Maedin\talk 08:02, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
The {{otheruses}} templates (such as {{about|the mathematical concept|the musical concept|Chord progression}} (or something similar)), can also be helpful to distinguish the pages. — QuantumEleven 08:04, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Good advice, I'll use the alternate name. Thanks.--RDBury (talk) 08:30, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

New to this and under pressure[edit]

Hello,

I just got a great new voluntary job, but they've asked me to make a page for them on Wikipedia- they are an NGO that do great work with the UN to help put a halt to climate change. Apologies for being simplistic, but can anyone help me do this?

Also- I want to edit the page on 'Shinto', adding a section called 'shinto and ecology', but it says its a semi-protected page so I need to have contributed to at least 10 articles before I become an "auto-confirmed" user and can make the desired change. Does this mean I can contribute to ANY other articles?

Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Laurajanejackson1984 (talkcontribs) 09:32, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A Wizard is available to walk you through these steps. See the Article Wizard.

Thank you.

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 with which all articles should comply. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite 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. You might also look at 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. An Article Wizard is available to walk you through creating an article. —teb728 t c 09:53, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It sounds like your biggest hurdle is going to be notability. This has a technical meaning within the Wikipedia community so please read the guidelines and definitions carefully. Basically you need a widely recognized source (NPR, New York Times, BBC, etc.) to write an article where you are featured prominently. Regional or self-published sources won't work and brief mentions won't work. If you have a source, then make sure it's in the article so people can verify it. Please follow the notability guidelines or your page may be deleted and your efforts wasted.--RDBury (talk) 10:39, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Re Shinto, try going to the discussion page and post your idea there. The article isn't protected so maybe you can make more minor edit, but it might be a good idea to discuss edits in on the talk page anyway until you get used to Wikipedia policies and guidelines.--RDBury (talk) 10:53, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Soil Scince[edit]

(1.)Differentiate between Fertilisers and Bio-fertilisers. (2.)What do you mean by nitrogen fixation?Differentiate between Symbiotic and non-sybiotic nitrogen fixation. (3.)Write step by step procedure to determine soil texture. (4.)List the essential plant nutrients?Explain, how will you identify nitrogen deficiency in plants? (5.)Describe the role of bio-fertilisers in the background of ill effects of heavy doses of chemical fertilisers. (6.)Explain,how icro-organiss affect each other and how do they affect higher plants? (7.)What is a soil pedon?How are soils Classsified?Expain the properties of soils of your state(Gujarat) to which you belong. (8.)Differentiate between the following:

   ---Vertisol and Ultisol
   ---Soil Microfauna and Microflora
   ---pH and pF
   ---Land grading and Land Evaluation

(9.)Short notes on the following:

    --Carbon-nitrogen ratio.
    --ESP of salt-affected soils.
    --Soils of huid regions
    --Soil-plant-atmosphere continuum(SPAC).  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.198.191.158 (talk) 10:08, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply] 
No one here will do your homework for you, but if you attempt it yourself, someone at the science reference desk will help if you're stuck. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 10:11, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
They should teach kids in Gujarat how to look things up on Wikipedia, along with how to format a numbered list. See Fertilizer, Biofertilizer, Nitrogen fixation, Soil chemistry, Nitrogen deficiency, Microfauna, Microflora, etc. This is an encyclopedia; use the search box. --Teratornis (talk) 20:50, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Veteran Editor[edit]

I was wondering how you could complain about a biased nature of an article that has been moderated by people with that biased view? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Monkeymanman (talkcontribs) 11:41, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What article are you talking about and what exactly do you need help with? You might be looking for the NPOV noticeboard. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 11:46, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Also, be careful before making accusations like that. Be sure to have legitimate independent reliable sources that support your stance and remember to avoid personal attacks. Comment on content, not contributors. TNXMan 11:53, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

GDP[edit]

Hallo, my name is Michaela Kriegelstein and accidently I opened up an account. It would be kind if you could delete it for me as I actually won' t need it. What I wanted to point out is that in the list of GDP 2008 of the IMF they got the dimension wrong. Example Gross domestic product, current prices, US $. 2008, according to world economic outlook April 2009, IMF, the US GDP was 14,264.739 Billions US $ (instead of millions US §). That's what I wanted to mention.

Sincerely yours

Michaela Kriegelstein —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michaela kriegelstein (talkcontribs) 12:37, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The article is correct. Which one are you talking about? Zain Ebrahim (talk) 12:44, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Incidently, as a general rule, accounts are never deleted. Just don't use the account. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:25, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
14,264.739 Billions is the same as 14,264,739 Millions (IIRC the UK uses a different convention for "billion" which is probably why it is expressed in "millions" to avoid any confusion.--SPhilbrickT 14:12, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You are indeed correct, Sphilbrick! In UK use, a billion is a million million, rather than the thousand million used in the US. However, current use in most of the world (including in the UK) is generally the same as that in the US. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 14:22, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
@Sphilbrick - It seems like (difficult to say with certainty because the question is badly written) the OP claims that some article reports the US GDP as "14,264.739 millions US §". Zain Ebrahim (talk) 16:43, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I read it differently, (but I agree the original question is confusing). I thought OP looked up an alternative source (World Economic Outlook) saw a number that looked close to the ones reported except for the word "billion" instead of million, and missed that the second separator was a decimal, not a comma. In any event, we all agree that the WP article is correct.--SPhilbrickT 16:51, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, I see. Your theory is more likely. Thanks. Zain Ebrahim (talk) 17:03, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Restore mobile version?[edit]

Links to wikipedia were automatically redirected to the mobile version when I use my iPhone. But I managed to fat-finger an option to "permanently disable" the mobile version. Is there any way to undo this error? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mike429 (talkcontribs) 12:49, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at this question in the Help Desk archives: Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 September 1#Mobile version issues. – ukexpat (talk) 14:04, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is it possible to create an entry for a charity organization even if there is a Conflict of Interest?[edit]

Hi,

I'm pretty new to Wikipedia pages so please bare with me !

I'm looking to create an entry in Wikipedia for a charity I work for but am aware that there is a conflict of interest as I am currently an employee. I am NOT looking to sell our site but just to create a point of reference from Wikipedia as I am big fan. If this is possible, are there any rules that I should adhere to? If not, is there any legitimate way to have an entry entered for our charity? I know this sounds idle, but I have always been a fan of wikipedia and would love to find a solution to this problem.Jamesdaothong (talk) 13:09, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Look at the excellent advice given a few sections above this one, under the header New to this and under pressure. --Orange Mike | Talk 13:16, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) Hi Jamesdaothong. As you say, there is a potential conflict of interest involved, but if an article is written using a neutral point of view, that isn't necessarily an issue. However, you need to read the notability guidelines and especially the Guidelines for the notability of organisations and companies and make sure that the organisation is notable enough (with references from third-party, reliable sources) to merit an article. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:20, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Here is a quick link to the section referred to by Orangemike: Wikipedia:Help_desk#New to this and under pressure -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 13:22, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict)
Thank you for asking— I left a welcome message with a lot of useful links on your talk page
  1. Read Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations
  2. Read Wikipedia:Conflict of interest
  3. Disclose your connection to the organization; see my about page for an example; if you use the {{user disclosure}} template, it means that you understand the related policies and guidelines
  4. I suggest you look at similar articles and see how they are written; edit existing articles to make them better; monitor the Help Desk, ask questions and poke around for a while
  5. Then try the Article wizard 2.0 and create the article in a user subpage; ask for a review before you move it to article space
---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 13:26, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Term/Definition[edit]

How do we get a term/defenition added to Widipedia? Thanks. <email removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.89.159.76 (talk) 14:28, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Please see WP:YFA in case you were thinking of writing an entry. Otherwise, see Articles for creation and you can add a request in the appropriate subject area. --AndrewHowse (talk) 14:32, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
But please note that if it is a neologism or a term you have just made up, it is not appropriate for Wikipedia. – ukexpat (talk) 15:42, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Also remember that our sister project Wiktionary is designed to be a dictionary. You need to read their criteria for inclusion. If you meet those criteria, go to wiktionary:Help:Starting a new page -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:26, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
If it is a definition of a term you didn't make up, it probably belongs in Wiktionary. Only if the term is "rich" enough to deserve it's own encyclopedia entry in addition to a dictionary reference should you create an article here. --SPhilbrickT 17:35, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

First off: please forgive this very ignorant question... tried to find andwer in FAQs, to no avail...[edit]

thus I am wasting valuable time...to two family menbers who are interested in the type of science Dr. Capecchi (and his very geographically close (to us) professional colleague and fellow Nobel Laureate, Dr. Oliver Smithies. I've only just created an account with Wikipedia earlier this morning, however I caanot find the instructions to properly add your article as an attachemnt or link (?) in the e-mail I wish to send to two of my sons who are wild about the science which Drs. Cappechi and Smithies conduct and always hungry for more information. So, I guess you can peg me as a mom who is trying valiently to provide her kids with information that is intellectually 'filling' while trying to keep that cerebral pilot light (i.e.,their strong interest in both science and math) from blowing out. It's hard being a parent: since each of our 4 were babies: my husband and I(we're both geeks, no doubt) have provided the kids with great stimulating environments and, figuratively, have sat back and enjoyed the show. I am staunchly against pigeonholing children into careers or activites, which they may have no interest nor motivation to pursue. That is a sad recipe for miserable, overscheduled, stressed-out & unhappy lives...{As a society we're seeing this trend at younger and younger ages} Bucking this societal trend, my husband and I, have followed the kids lead. Importantly though, especially if you want a happy child-> teen-> adult, with a life they enjoy and a career that feeds that joy...need daily, consistent experiences of discipline and limit-setting and structure. This may sound desceptively old-fashioned, but it isn't, Children need this. The world is a huge place and parents have a duty to guide their children and help them find the path that is safest, one that will give them satisfaction in life and also, let them know [from their earliest years on]: that what they say and do has a tremendous impact on others. Well I really have gone long here (sorry!).

Thank you and Respectfully yours, (brand)new user: Username: madyjules

Madyjules (talk) 14:57, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, Just copy the url from yor browser and paste that into an email? For example, this page is at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?Wikipedia:Help_desk (signed after the fact) --AndrewHowse (talk) 15:21, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
( What follows is a new reply from a different user; the previous message was unsigned. ) Welcome to Wikipedia! I just wanted to add that if you don't see the URL, ( stands for "Uniform Resource Locater", i.e. the web page address ) at the top of your browser window you'll need to change a setting on your browser. If you're using the Firefox browser you can do that by clicking on "View" in the toolbar at the top of the browser, selecting "Toolbars" from the drop-down menu, and then clicking on the "Navigation Toolbar" option. The process for other browser programs should be pretty similar. Also, your e-mail program might not convert the URL to a "click-able" link until you actually send the e-mail; you can investigate whether that's so by pasting a web page address into your e-mail program and then sending the message to yourself. And to expand on the previous comment, to send a link to this page to another person, via your e-mail program, you'd want to copy-and-paste the line
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Help_desk
into your message. Cheers, Ohiostandard (talk) 15:46, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I'm a bit puzzled by the question. If the two sons are wild about the science of Oliver Smithies and Mario Capecchi, wouldn't they have already read about them on Wikipedia? Doesn't every kid know by now that Wikipedia is the first place to look? I think that's all you need to teach a kid, and let their curiosity do the rest. --Teratornis (talk) 20:26, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

User_talk Page Deletions & Archiving Policy?[edit]

Is it acceptable for a user named (say) "Nattywonk" to routinely delete entries made by others on User_talk:Nattywonk? The actual user in question seems to be doing so as an alternative to archiving, although he's done that multiple times as well. It's my impression that a user_talk page isn't the "property" of any one user, and provides a valuable historical record in the case of disputes. This view seems especially important with respect to the user concerned, since he's an extremely prolific editor who has been blocked and banned multiple times, and (according to his User page) is currently under some kind of restriction. Thoughts? Ohiostandard (talk) 14:59, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The guidelines at WP:USER say Policy does not prohibit users, including both registered and anonymous users, from removing comments from their own talk pages, although archiving is preferred -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 15:03, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Also, the essay Wikipedia:Don't restore removed comments suggests If a user removes a comment from their own talk page it should not be restored. By removing the comment the user has verified that they have read it. The comment is still in the page history, so it is not necessary to keep it visible just to show that the user received the message. It is also wrong to force them to keep it there as a sort of "Badge of Shame". -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 15:05, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, thanks; I was reading Wikipedia:Don't restore removed comments when you added this additional comment. I have no interest in forcing anyone to wear a "badge of shame", but I wanted to post an objection that I saw (from history) that others have also raised previously, and which he deleted without comment. The result of such deletions is that people have to search history to see whether anyone else has taken exception to the same thing, and thereby to conceal disruptive behavior. Is that really the outcome we want with someone who has been banned repeatedly? Thanks again. Ohiostandard (talk) 15:21, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that it is not something we would necessarily want to see, but under the policies the user has done nothing wrong: removing the comments is implicitly admitting to have read and understood them. Without a change in policy, that is (from where I'm sitting) the end of the matter. YMMV -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:03, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Dynamic positioning system[edit]

Dear Sir, Please brief about DP(dynamic Positioning) related to ships, rigs. How DP runs. What are the requirements for a DP system and how it works. Classification of DP(Dynamic Positioning) system. Providers or suppliers or manufactures of DP system. Explain about Kongsberg DP system. Explain about Alstom Dp System. Where all uses Dp System.

with thanks Tomichan K Jose —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tomichankjose (talkcontribs) 17:34, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You could try reading Dynamic positioning, Kongsberg Maritime, Alstom. But...

Please do your own homework. Welcome to the Wikipedia Help desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misevaluation, but it is our policy here to not do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn how to solve such problems.
Please attempt to solve the problem yourself first. You can search Wikipedia or search the Web.
If you need help with a specific part of your homework, the Reference desk can help you grasp the concept. Do not ask knowledge questions here, just those about using Wikipedia. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:40, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A Wikipedia version of #replace?[edit]

Does anyone know if Wikipedia currently has a function that is comparable to the #replace function currently available in MediaWiki? Thanks. --Zach425 talk/contribs 17:43, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

{{Str rep}}. Algebraist 17:49, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

book review[edit]

What is the story line for "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

You might find what you are looking for in the article about The Picture of Dorian Gray. If you cannot find the answer there, you can try asking your question at Wikipedia's Reference Desk. They specialize in knowledge questions and will try to answer just about any question in the universe (except about how to use Wikipedia, which is what this help desk is for). I hope this helps. Please note, however, that Wikipedia will not do your homework for you. TNXMan 18:53, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Should I upload a scan of a PD(?) book and where?[edit]

These may be obvious questions, but, after much searching, I am still not certain of the answers:

I am considering whether to scan a 2005 book which is a facsimile reproduction of a older book, which seems to be PD worldwide. The original book was published in Trieste in 1907, and the author died in 1924. There is no editing or added material, and the page numbers are reproduced from the original. (The original does not seem to be available at Google Books.) I would scan the book into a multipage PDF image file and would like to upload the PDF file to Wikipedia.

1) Would scanning such a book and uploading the scan to Wikipedia violate any copyrights?
2) Should I upload the file to Wikimedia Commons?

Thanks for help! --Robert.Allen (talk) 19:09, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Commons is a repository of images but not scanned text. A better option would be to upload it to WikiSource. --SPhilbrickT 19:53, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
See if the book is already in Google Books, if it is and it's PD then chances are you can already look at their scans. There are other repositories for scanned books as well, if you poke around Wikisource you'll come across them. Wikisource is really more for web friendly text rather than the raw scans, so for that you probably want to use OCR to convert the images and then manually correct and format the text. It's a time consuming process and not to be taken on lightly.--RDBury (talk) 20:29, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No, it is not really available at Google Books. The facsimile edition is there, but with limited preview only. If I could upload the scan somewhere, then maybe someone who knows how, could OCR the book and and perhaps I could get some help in editing the transcription to a text file. The book is in German, so I think Wikisource, at least the English site, has some sort of policy against books in foreign languages. I was hoping to eventually have an English translation run alongside the original German in double column format, but that would be the final step. I thought a scan of the original book was a good place to start. (Perhaps this is overly ambitious!) --Robert.Allen (talk) 17:17, 12 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for your responses: I found what I need at the German Wikisource site. One uploads image files of individual pages of the book to the Wikimedia Commons site and creates a regular Wikisource page (on the German site) which links to the image file for each page. Then any user can read the page and enter the transcription on the page and proofread it. (They provide page to page links at the top. Here is an example.) Once that is done, I would guess I can start moving it to the English site for translation. The procedure seems to be all very clearly laid out, that is, if you can read German! --Robert.Allen (talk) 17:43, 12 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Viola Article[edit]

Resolved
 –  – ukexpat (talk) 14:58, 14 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The links to music samples on Viola don't work. Can you fix them? 19:16, 11 September 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.191.244.67 (talk) 19:09, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. Algebraist 19:23, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Appearances[edit]

Can a person add apperance dates for an upcoming event? I am not affiliated with any company but would love to share with people appearances that i know of, for signing autographs, etc. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edomac (talkcontribs) 19:22, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If the person/event has an article then it probably has a link to the official website where appearances, concert dates etc. can be found (assuming they want it to be found). Putting this info on Wikipedia would probably violate WP:IINFO.--RDBury (talk) 20:38, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Please be more specific. Appearances of what or whom? See WP:CRYSTAL for general guidelines on writing about future events. --Teratornis (talk) 20:42, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Please look at Edomac's contribs for information about what events they are talking about. -- A new name 2008 (talk) 20:54, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I've left a message on Edomac's talk page. Deor (talk) 20:59, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can you use an personal image as a signature, and if so how can it be done?[edit]

Can one:
(1) take this file (I've used the no wiki) [[File:Mountains around Wasilla Alaska.jpg]]
(2) reduce it to say about 12-16 lines high and wide, and make it as a signature?
(3) do it again, only make it 12-14 lines high and as long as my username
--even if distorted?
Thanks folks.
:-D
206.130.174.56 (talk) 19:31, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

No sorry, images aren't aloud in signatures for multiple reasons. For more info see WP:SIG#Images. Jeffrey Mall (talkcontribs) - 19:37, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Question[edit]

I am as can be seen a new member, and apologies if this question has been asked before, but :

I have made a few additions to the Anglia Television page. There is a list of noteworthy Anglia programmes, I have added a few more, and will improve this as Anglia was a considerable middle ranking ITV station and had a big input int the network. I really wanted to add something about how Anglia as a middle ranking company got into network drama, as this was quite a battle with the major compaies of the day, Granada (north weekdays), ATV (London weekends), Rediffusion(London Monday to Friday) and ABC Weekend (North and Midlands weekends)but not sure really where I could enter comments, can anyone help?

Is it possible t start a new section in the box to the top left of the screen?

I also wanted to say something about Anglia pioneering pre-school programmes in its' region with Romper Room, presented by Miss Rosselyn, and how later under the late but talented Paul Honeyman, in collaboration with Anglia Director of Music, Peter Fenn and the Illustrator, John Worsley, created A Christmas Carol and other children's programes, telling stories through use of pictures, words and music. They created a new type of programme, that in the 70's attracted millions.

I also wanted to say something about Anglia continuity announcers and how some were involved in network programmes from Anglia, and about Anglias once excellent and thorough on and off air weather service headed in the 60's and 70's by Michael Hunt. This information would enhance the article, but I cannot see how I can edit them as a newcomer, into the piece.

Can anyone help? Does Wikedpedia mind people enhancing pages with the occasional extra sections and information?

The link below is to the page concerned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anglia_Television&oldid=313223843

Thank you in advance for any help offered, and please feel free to message me, though I am cannot see an inbox, you could message me on my talk page or privately, is this is possible.

Angliaman (talk) 19:35, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Being the Encyclopedia anyone can edit of course you can! All you need to do to add an extra section is - ==Header here==. Let me know if you have any more questions! Jeffrey Mall (talkcontribs) - 19:41, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Additionally, please remember to make all test edits you would like to make in the Sandbox, thanks. Jeffrey Mall (talkcontribs) - 19:49, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Your username suggests you may be affiliated with the subject of the Anglia Television article. If so, see WP:COI and WP:BFAQ. Note that Wikipedia articles do not consist merely of users' personal knowledge; we must also provide reliable published sources to support our claims. Anything you add must be verifiable by anyone else. You may wish to read Wikipedia - The Missing Manual so you can understand how Wikipedia works - it is probably unlike anything you have used before. --Teratornis (talk) 20:35, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My username Angliaman is simply due to the fact that I live in East Anglia, it is simply a name and I am not employed by ITV, or what was Anglia Television. I have made contibutions on BBC, ITV, Five TV, Channel 4, Sky Living etc, but there were professional contributions over many years. All I am trying to do is make the Anglia TV page correct. I have scanned the page, there is a lot missing, and a lot wrong. I wanted to correct what was wrong, and improve the piece a bit, but adding a few things. I am new so am treading carefully, but so far nobody has complained about the few edits I have done.

I am an author in my own right, and I assume that there is nothing to stop me using, when appropriate small pieces of what I have written elsewhere, already pre-verified and checked? I don't mean cutting and pasting verbatim, as I would change the tone of the information being given, bearing in mind Wikepedia has a different audience etc. But at present I am stuck as I cannot see a way clear to add another subject or how to put it in the contents box. It is a learning curve and thta will take time. Perhaps I aught to try and get my home page sorted better too! Thanks for all the help and advicce offered.

Angliaman (talk) 08:53, 12 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

i hope i'm following your questions properly:
  • if you add a new section to the article, it will automatically be added to the table of contents. the way to add a new section is to hit the "edit this page" tab, go to the place in the article where you want the new section, type ==Your new section title== and then write what you have to say.
  • and yes you can cite your own published works as references as long as they were published by third parties. hope that helps Sssoul (talk) 09:01, 12 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You may wish to join Wikipedia:WikiProject Television. It may be possible to find actual humans in your locale who have more editing experience on Wikipedia. For example Category:Wikipedians in the United Kingdom and Category:Wikipedians by alma mater: University of East Anglia. If you find reading the friendly manuals too overwhelming at first, perhaps a human in your area can help. Also get to know the Editor's index to Wikipedia - almost everything an editor could need to know about Wikipedia is reachable from there, although learning where to look does take some study. --Teratornis (talk) 19:36, 12 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Copying pages from another Country's wiki page[edit]

Resolved

If the French wikipedia has a page I want to use, should I copy it to an English page or try to use the French version?
For example, Links to a French page on Naurouze Can I use the French version as a basis, copy it to a new page in English and clean it up? I just don't know what the protocol is regarding duplicating a page in a different language. thanks much.... GloverEpp (talk) 20:17, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See WP:EIW#Translate. --Teratornis (talk) 20:28, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I think the short answer is yes, you can translate the page if you want to. But make sure the article follows the usual guidelines for article creation, there's no guarantee that the author of the French version was following them and there's no point in making the same mistake twice. It's ok to have referenced material in French but it would help if you found some English sources as well. Also keep in mind that while Google translate and similar programs are useful tools, they do not replace a human translator and you should do the translation yourself or have someone who speaks (or at least reads) French do it for you. Maybe that was actually the long answer. See also Wikipedia:Translation#How to translate--RDBury (talk) 21:02, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Templates[edit]

Resolved
 –  – ukexpat (talk) 15:00, 14 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How do you create the dot between the two brackets when ceateing a template? Mr. Prez (talk) 21:37, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Are you referring to {{·}} (there is a clickable link on the dot) which is used to separate links in many navigation templates? PrimeHunter (talk) 22:02, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I do, could you tell me how to create one? Mr. Prez (talk) 22:53, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

See Template:· There are several ways to do it. Your browser can probably copy-paste an existing occurrence of {{·}}. Or you can use the redirect {{dot}}. Below the edit box your browser may display a drop-down list where you can choose "Insert" and click on the dot to place the '·' character where the cursor is. It should be surrounded by {{·}} to work as a template which gives the bold dot used in navigation lists. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:07, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! Mr. Prez (talk) 23:12, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Mass editing help please[edit]

Hi there. I was wondering if there was a way to make mass edits all at once without using anything of the gadgets like Twinkle (which I can't use because I use IE). I want to be able to start fixing disambig links and the like i.e. change every link that links to Page A, and instead link it to Page B. Thanks in advance, GiantSnowman 22:29, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I've done fixes like that with popups, but a better way to do it is with an external program called AutoWikiBrowser. Xenon54 / talk / 22:33, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I tried popups but it didn't work, so I've installed AWB. Thanks for the help. GiantSnowman 22:47, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Large Print Format[edit]

For the last two days when I go to wikipedia on my computer the fonts and pictures are larger, like a large print format or a safe mode. I don't recall hitting any sort of settings, but I don't like it. How can I fix this? I'm using Mozilla Firefox if that helps.

Press Control 0 (zero) to reset the zoom. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 23:09, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You can change the zoom by holding down Ctrl while pressing - or + (or scrolling the mouse wheel). PrimeHunter (talk) 23:11, 11 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]