Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2023 May 22

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May 22

How do I delete my account?

How do I delete my account? Elipencils1990 (talk) 00:25, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

hi @Elipencils1990 and welcome to Wikipedia! unfortunately due to technical and legal (basically, the attribution to your edits cannot be removed) reasons, deletion of accounts is not really possible. you may just abandon the account you're using instead. happy reading! 💜  melecie  talk - 00:29, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

A courtesy vanishing may be possible. 331dot (talk) 00:30, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Glen Affric

Ref number 25 is all wrong I think - please leave in quote if you fix this up. Thank you in advance. 115.70.23.77 (talk) 01:44, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

I don't see an obvious (to me) error. Please explain what is wrong and what you have done to try and fix it. RudolfRed (talk) 01:58, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

(1) For some reason, you've got © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036 within the value for "journal=". Simply delete it. (2) We read: Since 2008 this land has been held by David Matthews, whose eldest son James Matthews is married to Pippa Middleton, sister to Catherine, Princess of Wales. Does "held" mean "owned"; and if not, what does it mean? When we mention somebody, why also mention his son, who the son is married to, and who the sister of the wife is? -- Hoary (talk) 03:31, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

No response, either here or as edits to the article. So I did this. I hope that the result is a slight improvement. But what a verbose affair! A representative sample: In 1894 Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth had inherited the Glenaffric and Guisachan estates from his father. His wife, the Baroness Tweedmouth, was born Lady Fanny Spencer-Churchill, the daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough, and died at Glen Affric Lodge in 1904. Known in the highlands as the Lady of Glenaffric and Guisachan, she was reported to be a "lover of the golden retriever dog". So we get three names for one person who's not described as having any effect on the subject of the article (though she did like dogs). -- Hoary (talk) 02:42, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

how to color a table in wikipedia

how to color a table in wikipedia BreadGuy1922AUTOMOBILE (talk) 03:27, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

hi @BreadGuy1922AUTOMOBILE! you may color a cell in a table using CSS by adding style="background: #ff0000" | [table contents] as the contents of a cell. see Tables for more. happy editing! 💜  melecie  talk - 03:51, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

already figured it out. thanks though BreadGuy1922AUTOMOBILE (talk) 03:57, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@BreadGuy1922AUTOMOBILE: Be aware, if you colour backgrounds, that you also need to consider WP:ACCESSIBILITY for the foreground colour. See MOS:CONTRAST, and this tool for checking. Your sandbox (currently) looks ok. Bazza (talk) 08:08, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia Knowledge Block

Trull Service is one of the notable mineral management companies which was founded in 1910 by B.W. Trull. Trull relocated to Midfield, Texas near the Texas Gulf Coast, and quickly began acquiring land while developing his business through agricultural and oil and gas endeavors.

Suggest some ideas of creating Wikipedia knowledge block for this service. Trullservice9 (talk) 09:48, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@trullservice9: what? we don't have knowledge blocks. are you talking about an article? lettherebedarklight晚安 09:49, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Trullservice9: Before you edit any further, please

1. Read the policy about paid contributions and do the appropriate (mandatory) disclosure, assuming you are an employee / contractor for Trull Service
2. Because usernames implying shared use are not allowed, go to Special:GlobalRenameRequest and ask for a change of username to something specific to the person rather than the company. (For instance, "JohnDoeAtTrullService" is fine.)

Once that’s done, please read about Wikipedia’s specific notion of "notability". It does not mean "worthy of being noted", it means "already noted". That is proven by sources that are (1) independent of the subject, (2) reliable, and (3) deal with the subject at length. In 99% of cases, that would be in-depth newspaper articles.

In a cursory web search, I found nothing proving that Trull Service is notable under Wikipedia’s definition of the term. However, it is very possible that non-online sources exist, or paywalled sources, or industry-specific sources that do not come up high in online searches, etc. Do you have anything? Tigraan^{Click here for my talk page ("private" contact)} 10:07, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

If you are talking about the block of information which Google often shows, that is Google's affair, not Wikipedia's. It often draws information from Wikipedia (which it is entitled to do), and many people mistakenly think it all comes from Wikipedia.

If there were a Wikipedia article on Trull Service, it is likely that Google would display a block including infornation from there. But Wikipedia has no control over how Google uses its information. As others have explained, there can be a Wikipedia article on the company only if it meets Wikipedia's criteria for notability. ColinFine (talk) 10:40, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Furthermore, creating a complete new article on Wikipedia is genuinely one of the most difficult things you can do here: try reading Wikipedia:Your first article. The learning curve - including mastering the jargon - is very steep indeed. P.S. If you have anything to do with the company's website, https://trullservice.com/, I suggest you get them to fire the graphic designer and change the layout: black text over a dark green image on the home page is totally illegible, and the https://trullservice.com/mineral-management-company-in-texas/ page looks as if it has been severely ████████ redacted. MinorProphet (talk) 11:40, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Which template to use: Strong or Em

MOS:BOLD says this:

For semantical emphasis (to denote importance, seriousness, or urgency), you can also use the HTML element <strong>...</strong>, or the template {{strong}}. This is desirable because the words can stand out for text to speech and other software, important due to accessibility issues.

It then contradicts this in the When not to use boldface section:

Avoid using boldface for emphasis in article text. Instead, use HTML's <em>...</em> element or the {{em|...}} template (which usually render as italic).

So which one should be used? Aaron Liu (talk) 11:38, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

I would suggest that apart from distinguishing the subject title of an article or associated words eg the Wikipedia Help Desk, there is very rarely any need for bold in standard article text, and almost never for emphasis. The {{em}} should be sparingly used, but even then the MOS recommends re-writing if possible to avoid the need for emphasis at all. Otherwise use ''plain italics'', and things like {{lang}} can be used for foreign languages. Do you have a specific example? MinorProphet (talk) 12:06, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

<em>...</em> and <strong>...</strong> have semantic meaning: stress and importance respectively; see The em element and The strong element. MediaWiki uses <strong>...</strong> for various error messages. I don't know if MediaWiki uses <em>...</em>.

Article text in Wikipedia's voice should not need either of these tags.

—Trappist the monk (talk) 13:00, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

How do I crop a photo in an infobox picture?

Do I need to go to the Wikimedia Commons page and make a new, cropped, version? Or is there a way to use the existing photo and add some parameters to center-crop it? Wes sideman (talk) 13:54, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Wes sideman There is a good cropping tool on Commons but the alternatives are described at H:PIC, especially Help:Pictures#Tip. Mike Turnbull (talk) 16:06, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Wes sideman, there's no need to create and upload a cropped version, you can just use a "detail", a cropped version, of an image at Commons. For how, see User:Maproom/cropping. An advantage is that it's then very easy to adjust the cropping if you've want to change it. Maproom (talk) 16:09, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Maproom, @Wes sideman. There is another consideration when cropping using the {{CSS image crop}} method within an infobox. If you do so rather than use a true crop (via Commons) then the page preview that appears for example with the navigation tool is the full uncropped image. You can see this by previewing the link Maproom provided. Mike Turnbull (talk) 17:37, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

myself

Can I add myself to Wikipedia? I am the first American woman ever to win child custody in an Egyptian court. 2600:1700:EB40:6A80:5D8:5019:B315:7A5C (talk) 14:16, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

No, you can't; all you have to do is ask that the article be written. If I may ask, who are you specifically? Dancing Dollar ^{(let's talk)} 14:20, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

It is not absolutely forbidden for people to write about themselves, but it is highly discouraged. She may proceed as I describe below if she chooses. 331dot (talk) 14:21, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

(ec) Wikipedia is not a place for people to write about themselves(please see the autobiography policy)- it is a place to summarize what independent reliable sources with significant coverage choose on their own to say about a person, showing how they meet the special Wikipedia definition of a notable person. If independent sources write about you and the significance of you winning custody in Egypt, an article may be possible, but it would be best if independent editors wholly unconnected with you wrote it. It is usually difficult for people to write about themselves as Wikipedia requires, but if you truly feel you can do so, please see Articles for Creation regarding creating and submitting a draft. 331dot (talk) 14:20, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

You should also be aware of the very good reasons to not want an article about yourself. 331dot (talk) 14:22, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

I second the above advice. Congratulations, American woman, but you may end up with more enemies than friends. If anything goes wrong in, say ten years time, and it gets into the papers, and there is a Wikipedia article about you, you may rue the day when you wished for fame. Stay proud and anonymous. MinorProphet (talk) 15:53, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, if my notability was something along those lines, I think I'd prefer to keep that notability under the radar. Uporządnicki (talk) 18:46, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Where to find articles missing in English

Hi there,

I had a question regarding translations and what articles are missing from the English Wikipedia. Is there a place where it shows what articles are on other Wikis but not here? For example, for the Russian Wikipedia, would there potentially be a list of articles there that are not here? I'm not talking about something like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Articles_needing_translation_from_Russian_Wikipedia

That is simply a list of articles that have an expansion tag at the top; those articles exist already. I'm looking for those that don't exist here at all but do on other language Wikis. Thanks in advance for the help! Losipov (talk) 18:23, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Losipov, WP:WikiProject Intertranswiki is the place where such efforts are coordinated, and they have lists of various articles which they've deemed need translation. You could start at Wikipedia:WikiProject Intertranswiki/Russian/Biography, then move on to buildings, culture, etc. via the links at the top, looking for something which interests you. (Not all of the categories have a "Missing articles" section, but some do.) 199.208.172.35 (talk) 18:45, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

If you are interested in writing articles about women, Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red has redlists at WP:WIR/REDLIST. TSventon (talk) 19:00, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Mansfield bus station

Hi, Could someone please fix the cite issue at Mansfield bus station please because I cannot figure out for the life of me what the actual issue is, I know it's going to be something stupidly simple because it always is, Many thanks, –Davey2010^Talk 20:12, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Davey2010: Done it. (Used visual editor's cite in automatic mode.) And fixed infobox-disabled at the same time. Bazza (talk) 20:19, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Many thanks @Bazza 7 your help is greatly appreciated, Many thanks, Kind Regards, –Davey2010^Talk 20:21, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Igbo Jews

The information needs to be updated for the recognition of the Igbo Jews. They have been recognized by the Sepharad Bet din Obadyah Alliance In Florida. Once Approved by One Bet din it goes for all bet din. "On the 14th day of January 2022 [12 Shebat 5782], the Jewish Rabbinate of the Obadyah Alliance [Dayan Jacob de Oliveira, Dayan Eliezer Tabor, Dayan Yehonatan Elazar-DeMota, Rabbi Hananiah Cohen, and Rabbi Haim Ovadia] ruled that the Igbos of Nigeria are descendants of ancient Israelites. Please do your research and update this information. Igbo1961 (talk) 21:11, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Noted. Remember that Wikipedia is a volunteer community, so it could take anywhere from hours to decades before sourced information is added to Igbo Jews. And that is assuming it is notable enough to mention in the article. Do not edit the article directly, as you have a WP:COI (from your username). Sungodtemple (talk • contribs) 21:17, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

There are somewhere around 40 million Igbo people. Being one of them does not constitute a conflict of interest, any more than being say Icelandic would involve a CoI editing an article concerning Iceland. AndyTheGrump (talk) 00:26, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

Richard Fletcher Conductor Page

First question: I would like to add a photo to my wiki page. Could someone tell me how to do that?

Second question: I would like to add the additional information that appears on the right side when you look up a name. It usually has the name, information, and sometimes several photos. How do I add this? Rfprizm (talk) 21:36, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

I would note that it is not your "wiki page", but a Wikipedia article about you. The easiest way for you to add a photo of yourself is to take a selfie, and then see this page for instructions on uploading. 331dot (talk) 21:45, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

How can I upload a pre-existing photo of myself? Rfprizm (talk) 21:49, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Rfprizm, it must be a photo you own the copyright to (or which is freely licensed). The easiest way to make sure you own the copyright is to take it yourself. Then you can use the WP:Upload wizard. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 21:55, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

The above user is correct. A pre existing photo would need to be uploaded by whomever owns the copyright to it, that is almost always the photographer. Unless you had a contract with the photographer assigning you the copyright, you couldn't upload an image you did not take. That's why using a selfie is easiest. 331dot (talk) 21:59, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

 Courtesy link: Richard Fletcher (conductor) - 199.208.172.35 (talk) 21:47, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

@Rfprizm, I recommend reviewing our guideline on editing with a conflict of interest - WP:COI. There are disclosures you should make, and you should use the talk page to make edit requests rather than editing the article directly. 199.208.172.35 (talk) 21:57, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Hmm, I just noticed that the article was created by User:Richard fletcher (through AfC, back in 2015). 199.208.172.35 (talk) 22:42, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

IP editor: Autobiography (if that's what it was) is highly discouraged but not forbidden if done through WP:AfC. However, once such an article is accepted, further edits by its subject are usually done via {{edit request}} on the Talk Page. Mike Turnbull (talk) 11:42, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

WP:DISASTER

If I define something disastrous or unsuccessful (for example a club's sporting season, an investment or a military campaign), am I violating the Neural POV policy even though when the source states why it can be definied as such? Wikipediæ philosophia (talk) 23:16, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

You (or I) should not in a Wikipedia article be defining anything as either of those, or as anything else. You should only be summarising what Reliable sources have said, in which case it is those sources who are using the terms, if indeed they are. Where appropriate, direct quotes might be used.

"Disastrous" as colloquial hyperbole should never be used in Wikipedia (unless in a quote), and certainly not for anything as relatively trivial as a sporting season. "Unsuccesful" is less problematic, but it would be preferable to let the facts speak for themselves: if a team has come 23rd out of 24th in a league and been relegated, just say so – "unsuccessful" is redundant. In general, always avoid applying your own judgements: our opinions (as editors) do not matter. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.199.210.77 (talk) 00:47, 23 May 2023 (UTC)