Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2011 July 4

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July 4[edit]

Where in the MOS[edit]

I remember seeing something in the MOS stating the differences between English and American English quotes (i.e quotes like "Ad astra per aspera". as opposed to "Ad astra per aspera."). Where in the MOS is this? Also, where in the MOS does it say the birth place shouldn't go in the dates in parentheses (i.e William Wells Brown (November 6, 1814 – November 6, 1884) instead of William Wells Brown (November 6, 1814 in Lexington, Kentucky – November 6, 1884 in Chelsea, Massachusetts)? Albacore (talk) 01:20, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Is WP:ENGVAR of use? Rehevkor 01:33, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
See WP:LQ and WP:OPENPARA. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:41, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Also MOS:DOB, which doesn't explicitly forbid putting the birth places inside the parentheses, just provides examples that don't do it that way. Adrian J. Hunter(talkcontribs) 01:55, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have overhauled the wikipedia page of Lebak, Sultan Kudarat. I know little of coding. I wish someone will help me to enhance its format. Bonvallite (talk) 03:01, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It would help if you described specific items that you would like improved. Ryan Vesey (talk) 03:11, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can I post feedback on a company to wikipedia[edit]

Can I post feedback on a company to wikipedia — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.210.5.159 (talk) 02:44, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No. See Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not. You can add criticism that has reliable sources per WP:RS. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 02:55, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
You might find a site that does accept feedback through our list of alternative outlets. If the company is from the US or Canada, you may be able to file a complaint through the Better Business Bureau. Adrian J. Hunter(talkcontribs) 04:26, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Viability of a re-direct[edit]

When considering a redirect that is not explicitly mentioned in its target article, I may sometimes compare the article traffic of the redirect (say X) with that of its target article (Y). Generally, below what proportion X/Y can we consider the re-direct to be implausible and possibly create an article on an entirely different topic under that name? —HXL's Roundtable and Record 03:28, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If the title could support an article on a different topic than the redirect, you should create the article at that title, and then us a hatnote (see WP:HATNOTE) to direct users to the former redirect topic. --Jayron32 04:15, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I am well familiar with that (I do know what to do and tend to abide by WP:BOLD), though I would still prefer you answer my query. A question asked simply out of curiosity. —HXL's Roundtable and Record 04:17, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I thought I had answered your query. Perhaps I didn't understand it. I had thought you were asking about when it was appropriate to take a redirect and turn it into an article on an unrelated subject. If that wasn't your question, perhaps you could restate it in different terms so I can understand it better? --Jayron32 04:21, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I think you're asking the wrong question, HXL49. Only around 0.002% of visitors to Arnold Schwarzenegger arrive through the redirect Arnold Swartzennegger, but that redirect is obviouly very useful to those people, so there's no reason to change the redirect. On the other hand, if Arnold Swartzennegger were actually the name of a different wiki-notable person, then it would be entirely appropriate to convert the redirect to an article, even if the redirect had 99% of the traffic that was meant for Arnold Schwarzenegger. So it's not a question of comparing article traffic, but of whether the redirect merits a stand-alone article. Adrian J. Hunter(talkcontribs) 04:35, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Also see Wikipedia:Redirects are cheap.-- ObsidinSoul 08:40, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
There is no approximate X/Y proportion. It depends on different things. See WP:PRIMARYTOPIC. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:56, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ferial-Haffajee/133052846729789?sk=info

Hi

I need to change the content of the link above. Ms Haffajee is described as 'non-white' in it. She objects to this and prefers 'non-white' to be replaved by Black. I've changed this on her wikipedia page but can't seem to change the facebook wiki link. How do I do this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saritaranchod (talkcontribs) 07:02, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Facebook community pages may incorporate content from Wikipedia— such use complies with Wikipedia policies on reuse of content. We at Wikipedia have no control over how the content is included nor can we help to remove it. Facebook does have a topic on Community pages and profile connections on their Help Center.-- ObsidinSoul 08:29, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
This is the place for asking Wikipedia questions. The reference desk won't help either. However, the new edition will probably be updated soon. And secondly, Don't abbreviate Wikipedia as Wiki! Your dissin' this one and this one and this one and so many others... Island Monkey talk the talk 07:11, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I am in the USA and want to edit an entry on the Wikipedia Japanese site[edit]

I am in the USA and want to edit an entry on the Wikipedia Japanese site but there is some IP block/restriction in place. How do I request/obtain permission for this? I was directly involved in the events and simply want to add some detail to the entry. Please help. Cheers — Preceding unsigned comment added by Grifftaff (talkcontribs) 07:23, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. You can activate the Single User Login (SUL) feature of all Wikimedia projects. That way you won't have to edit as an IP in other language Wikipedias. You will be able to edit under the same username as you use in the English Wikipedia. You can activate SUL by going to Special:MergeAccount.
I also notice that you've already registered an account in the Japanese Wikipedia. Your username is currently not blocked (see your global contributions). You should actually be able to edit under it, whether you activate SUL or not.
Let me know if this helps.-- ObsidinSoul 08:03, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

IHU,new party[edit]

We all know that india have many religious people live with peacefully and respectfully ,thats why? Answer is truth and gods place ,ancient country — Preceding unsigned comment added by 27.56.196.79 (talk) 10:52, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is the Help desk for people using or editing Wikipedia. Do you have a question? -- John of Reading (talk) 11:00, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I can't log in[edit]

I have an account but can't log in. I've tried create new account but my name is already in use. I tried all my passwords but they don't work. I've asked for a new password to be mailed to me, and I've searched all my mail accounts but it hasn't arrived. What can I do? Either I used an account I've deleted, like a yahoo spam account, or someone's impersonating me. Either way, I want control of my name back, and I'd like to know what to do next, if anyone can help me? Rod Cox 2.26.12.7 (talk) 10:59, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can you tell us what username you are trying to log into? GB fan (talk) 11:08, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
rodcox2.26.12.7 (talk) 11:18, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Since that account has made only four edits, I suggest you pick a new account name and start again. -- John of Reading (talk) 11:36, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks very much for your help, John and GB fan, but I do not want not to be able to use my name. I am very bad at bureaucracy, but Wikipedia is very bureaucratic, I find. I am surprised I made four posts, as every thing that I wanted to try and edit is blocked, and there is no way that I can find to edit it. That is why I have been so long away from Wikipedia! Less confrontationally, there must surely be a way to recover sign in details? or at least to recover my name? rodcox2.26.12.7 (talk) 11:53, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you don't know the password and cannot receive mail at the stored address then you cannot get access the account. See Help:Logging in#What if I forget the password? There is a process to request an already used username at Wikipedia:Changing username/Usurpations but it says:
  • The account you want to usurp should have no edits or significant log entries to qualify for usurpation (though rare exceptions are made in some circumstances).
It's easier for everybody to just create a new account. There are already around 15 million of them and another doesn't matter. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:02, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you all very much for your help. rodcox2.26.12.7 (talk) 12:55, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

cyberrevolution[edit]

cyberrevolution — Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.199.1.193 (talk) 12:47, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have a question? This is the Help desk for people using or editing Wikipedia. -- John of Reading (talk) 13:05, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, excuse me, but this is the help desk, the place to ask questions on Wikipedia. If you do have a question please type it below with two colons (:). If you do not this is definitely not the right place to be. A comment by a person who has been editing Wikipedia since October 28, 2010. (talk) 17:50, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Cybernetic revolt? ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 20:50, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Quoting Wikipedia Articles[edit]

Can I Quote one wikipedia article in another? Majestic Pyre (talk) 15:31, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not as a source per WP:CIRCULAR. Is that what you meant? PrimeHunter (talk) 15:43, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
If two Wikipedia articles cover the same topic, see Wikipedia:Summary style. --Teratornis (talk) 16:50, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks Folks! Majestic Pyre (talk) 17:08, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Image Links[edit]

Ok New question. Say I wanted to show an image on my talk page that, if you clicked on it, didn't take you to the information about the image, but brought you some other page. Could I do that?Majestic Pyre (talk) 17:11, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. Simply add the parameter |link= along with the usual stuff. See picture at right for an example. The code to the example is the following [[File:Pffffft.gif|thumb|right|link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOL]]
On a related note, you can make an image in Wikipedia unclickable by adding the parameter |link=, but leaving it blank. See Wikipedia:Picture tutorial for more info on images.-- ObsidinSoul 18:18, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Awesome!Majestic Pyre (talk) 18:50, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mountain Meadows Massacre, Utah[edit]

While I am no historian, I noticed that the above wikipedia site does not include the recent (June, 2011) creation of the Mountain Meadows area as a U.S. National Monument, jointly owned by the Mormon Church and the U.S. Government. A recent Salt Lake Tribune article has the correct information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.2.213.59 (talk) 18:29, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Do you have a reference for that? All Wikipedia article must contain reliable references for verifiability. Island Monkey talk the talk 18:33, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
(edit conflict) You can actually add it to the article as needed. Be bold, Wikipedia is built by volunteers after all. Just be careful to keep the tone neutral and reference your additions correctly.
If you wish other more experienced editors add it, however, I can help by providing references (can't do more as I don't know much about the subject). I assume the following is what you were speaking of?
-- ObsidinSoul 18:41, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
(e/c) Thank you for pointing out this new information, original poster. I have added a brief sentence mentioning the national historic landmark to Mountain Meadows massacre and to the related article Remembrances of the Mountain Meadows massacre. As Obsidian Soul mentions, you can add more information yourself if you wish, with sources such as the newspaper article you mentioned. Best wishes, --Kateshortforbob talk 18:52, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

user sandbox link name on user page munged[edit]

Hi -- I have a link on my userpage to my sandbox, and for some reason it's had the word "Ayma" attached to the end of it. I don't see an edit in the history, it just seems to have magically appeared that way overnight. What's the deal? It doesn't seem to have compromised function, but it's kind of weirding me out. Thx MinervaK (talk) 18:43, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. It was a (possibly unintended) vandalism on the {{My sandbox}} template and affected every single usage of the template. Thank you for bringing this to attention. :) -- ObsidinSoul 18:47, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Seems to have happened a few times recently and is both highly visible and visible (and confusing) to editors who may just be getting started with WP. I protected the template. DMacks (talk) 23:37, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks, y'all! MinervaK (talk) 01:32, 5 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

any branch in Doha Qatar,or any mosque where Ijtima is held?[edit]

I AM LIVING IN DOHA QATAR,MY QUESTION,IS DAWAT E ISLAMI HAVING ANY BRANCH OR ANY MOSQUE IN DOHA QATAR WHERE I CAN PARTICIPATE IN — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.211.225.109 (talk) 20:38, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Please consider asking this question at the Miscellaneous 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 and ask away. You could always try searching Wikipedia for an article related to the topic you want to know more about. I hope this helps.-- ObsidinSoul 22:57, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

edit foot notes[edit]

If I edit a foot note at the bottom of an article, will it edit it for the multi pages its on or just that one page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tuskor (talkcontribs) 20:41, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just the one article. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) talk 20:49, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

CONTENT WEB PAGE[edit]

Dear Sir, Dear Madam,

I am the agent of a tennis player, Kenny De Schepper, whose page has been posted on Wikipedia.

As you can understand, I represent my player in his career and his image which means I would like to control some of the information posted on Internet. I would like to discuss with you how to edit or complete the web page you create for this player.

I can help you also by providing texts, results and photos.

Here the link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_de_Schepper

Can you please help me?

Thanks for your response in advance.

(Redacted) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.87.35.32 (talk) 21:13, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is created by the combined efforts of all the editors on the project. No one person can control what does or does not go on the page. That being said, you are welcome to help. Since you are his agent you have a conflict of interest so all edits you would like to see on the page should be made with an edit request on the article's talk page. Offering uncopyrighted photos would be very useful to the page. Ryan Vesey (talk) 21:33, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
But information which has not been independently published may not be added to the page, by anybody. See WP:BLP. --ColinFine (talk) 22:59, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Number of States in the United States of America[edit]

I was at friend's house recently and he still has school age children. one of them asked how many stars there are in the US Flag. He said 52 because- and he stated he contacted his child's teacher because this is what they're being taught- the Virgin Islands and Purete Rico, formally US territories, have now been given STATEHOOD. IS THIS TRUE- are there now 52 states and 52 stars in the US Flag and what's your source that I can go to as well to confirm this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Slac81 (talkcontribs) 23:29, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is incorrect. There are still only 50 states. You could check U.S. state or United States. Ryan Vesey (talk) 23:36, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
You could also check for references to the status of those two specific claimed new entries, at United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This teacher makes me sad (but even more sadly, not surprised, given what else I know gets taught). DMacks (talk) 23:42, 4 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]
What makes me sadder is when people impugn the character of a teacher they have no first-hand knowledge of, based solely on third-person hearsay. "A friend of mine said he talked to his child's teacher and swears he's being taught this" is hardly reliable testimony as to the quality of local education. What makes this friend's dad (or even the OP's) recollection of events, after being passed from person-to-person so reliable we are ready to castigate an unknown teacher? --Jayron32 01:30, 5 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]