Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 August 30

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August 30

Adoption/Mentorship

Resolved

 – Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 19:59, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

I'm interested in moving along the path towards becoming an administrator. The problem is, I appear to be too seasoned/experienced for adoption, yet too inexperienced for admin coaching. What do I do stuck in this middle ground? Thanks, Ks0stm ^(T•C) 00:02, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

What about editor review? Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 00:04, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Right here, and I have since started vandalism fighting (in the form of new page patrolling) and general editing (in the form of tagging pages for maintenance). Ks0stm ^(T•C) 00:09, 30 August 2009 (UTC) More what I was thinking was a one-on-one interaction type process like admin coaching or adoption. Ks0stm ^(T•C) 00:17, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Are you familiar with everything in WP:PREP? Have you checked out WP:MRFA? What about WP:GRFA? Most importantly, you've never participated at wp:rfa which I think is one of the most important ways to find out what it takes to become an admin.--SPhilbrickT 01:44, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Wow...alot to check out...thanks! Ks0stm ^(T•C) 02:01, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

How do I add a name to a list

I want to add a 3 star admiral to the list of coast guard admirals. I can't figure out how to do that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.10.1.114 (talk) 00:28, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I see you have tried to edit Category:United States Coast Guard admirals. That is a category and not a list. Categories can only contain existing Wikipedia articles. An article is added to the category by placing [[Category:United States Coast Guard admirals]] at the bottom of the article. It appears you want to add Vice Admiral William Freeland Rea III but he has no article so he cannot be added to a category currently. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:53, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Code issues

Hello. I want to create something such that the expression "Good morning/afternoon/evening" on my user/user talk page will reflect the current time in UTC. How can I do that? Thank you. Intelligentsium 02:55, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Not sure what you mean by 'reflect', but have you tried {{time}}? There's also {{CURRENTTIME}}. -- œ^™ 03:02, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

The code you want is this:

• {{#ifexpr: {{CURRENTHOUR}}>15 | Good evening | {{#ifexpr: {{CURRENTHOUR}}>12 | Good afternoon | Good morning }} }}
• Produces: Good evening

I'll reply in detail on your talk page. ≈ Chamal ^talk ¤ 03:15, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

All Caps

Should the title of the chart at Recorder#Recorder fingering be put back to normal writing cases and not all caps?--Mikespedia (talk) 03:49, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

All caps are not usually used on wikipedia, and is against the manual of style. See WP:ALLCAPS for details. ≈ Chamal ^talk ¤ 03:58, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia dumps

I want to extract the Wiki interlanguage link records dump. Do I need to install Mediawiki, or can I use it automatically on mySQL? Do I need to create the whole Mediawiki database? And how? 212.98.136.42 (talk) 11:40, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Have you read Wikipedia:Database download? I'm not sure of the details of what to do, and if you can do what you specifically want to do, but that's the place to start. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 12:01, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Edit count

Resolved

 – Thanks a lot!

How do I find out how many edits I've made? I've tried the "Contributions summary and edit count" link at the bottom of my contributions page, but that just says "The editcounter is away for some time. Please use another one." ~~ Dr Dec (Talk) ~~ 11:49, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Special:Preferences lists your edit count. Dendodge _T\^C 12:00, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Alternatively, look at Wikipedia:WikiProject edit counters which links to edit counters, maybe that will have what you are looking for. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 12:03, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Incidently, the one I use is Kate's Tool. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 12:10, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

scotland overseas bank

Resolved

 – Off topic, resolved either way. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 14:12, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Is there any bank in UK known as Scotland Overseas Bank or SOV bank of scotland or they are subsidaries to Bank of scotland? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rohini.dangee85 (talk • contribs) 12:09, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

This is the Help Desk for asnwering questions about using Wikipedia, not answering questions in general. However, I can see no references on Google Web/News Search for Scotland Overseas Bank, but there were a couple of mentions of the Bank of Scotland looking at acquiring Sovereign bancorp - but Santander was also mentioned. So, it may be a subsidiary of BoS, but I can't find evidence of it. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 12:16, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Improper editing

Users (or same user) under ip addresses 122.161.90.44 & 202.13.138.31 are editing the discussions boards of other users. Please refer Talk:Nair. One of this user has written my user id after making changes on this user board. Sarvagyana guru (talk) 12:19, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Refactoring others' talk page comments is considered vandalism where it substantially changes their meaning. Signing contributions to discussion pages with another's username in an attempt to confuse or disrupt is also considered bad-faith editing and can be reverted as vandalism. I see you have reverted the offending edits, and since the IPs have not edited since, that may suffice. If this problem recurs, I suggest you follow the revert:warn:ignore procedure. Revert the refactoring edit, with an edit summary along the lines of "revert refactoring of another's comment". Warn the user on their talk page, using the script {{subst:uw-tpv1|Name of page}} ~~~~. Ignore the vandal unless they vandalise again; do not refer to the matter on the talk page discussion; do not refer to them as vandals in any edit summary. If the refactoring persists, issue the level 2, 3 and 4 refactoring warnings in the same way. See the full list of warning templates for details. If the IP continues to refactor your comments, or those of others, in a way that is disruptive or which constitues a personal attack, you can report them at WP:AIV and an administrator will help you. Karenjc 13:42, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Merging/deleting categories

I filed a CFD for Category:Universities and colleges affiliated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, saying that it will always be too small to be useful, and asking for deletion. Deletion has found no support: two of the three editors who have weighed in are in favour of merging, while the third wants upmerging. What is the technical difference between merging and deleting as far as categories — is it simply that we turn the old category into a {{category redirect}} and preserve the edit history? Or is something else involved? I don't do much with CFD, and WP:CFD doesn't say anything about merging except to explain how to file a CFD for a merger. Nyttend (talk) 12:30, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I should note that my goal in filing the CFD was to see the one subcategory of the nominated category become a subcategory of the three categories of which the nominated one is currently a subcategory, rather than simply removing all of these categories from the nominated one's subcategory. Perhaps this is precisely what the merge supporters want? Nyttend (talk) 12:32, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Michael Joseph Aprile

Hi, My name is Michael Joseph Aprile and I am new to Wiki and think it is just fabulous!! I am the CEO of a design firm called APRILE GRAPHICS based out of Warren, NJ www.aprilegraphics.com have been quite successful with my At director/Graphic design career. And have numerous magazines published with my name in the masthead as At Director. I am trying to create a biography page about myself and my work with some of my work and a picture of myself. I am not having any luck. I am not sure if this is the right email to even start my biography.

My user name is Michael Joseph Aprile on Wiki and I believe I created a "talk" page but thats a far as I got. I wa hoping to have my biography pop up when my name is typed in.

I can supply all proper documentation of all of my credits and achievements. I attached a picture to this email, but still need much help to create my wiki page. Please help me out or guide me in the correct direction, as I spent numerous hours in the help section and was not successful.

Thank You So Much

Kind Regards, Michael Joseph Aprile Art Director

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Michael Joseph Aprile (talk • contribs) 13:23, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Hi Michael, creating pages about yourself or a company that you own or work for are strongly discouraged for several reasons, one of which being that article's must be in neutral point of view, I'd advise you to read your first article before pursuing the creation of these pages any further, thanks. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 13:52, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

(e/c) I'm afraid you should not create an article about yourself, because you have a conflict of interest. Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia, not a web host; articles need to be not only accurate and verifiable, but also impartial. If you're notable enough by Wikipedia criteria to merit an encyclopaedia article, someone will eventually create an article about you. It's OK to include some brief biographical details about yourself on your user page, but this page is primarily intended to help other users understand your editing interests and contributions, and it may be nominated for deletion if it is seen as promotional in intent. See WP:User page for more details of what is considered acceptable. Karenjc 13:58, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

By the way, this site is called Wikipedia, not wiki. A wiki is any website using wiki software; there are thousands of them.

Ojay123 ^{(Talk•E-Mail•Contribs•Sandbox)} 14:52, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

killer 454

Resolved

 – User redirected to WP:RD Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 16:02, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I am looking to build a killer chevy 454 where does one start I want to use an old motor and a range, 1974 to 1994 from a 1974 Impala to an 1985 Chevy heavy-duty pickup what are the best engines to start with any help would be appreciated. Thanks Dan in Montana —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.127.55.79 (talk) 15:42, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

This Help Desk is for questions about Wikipedia. Factual questions should go to the Reference desk. Xenon54 / talk / 15:46, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

How do I link two wikipedia articles in different languages?

I came across an article about 'feline hepatic lipidosis' (which my cat died of last Thursday). To explain this to my parents in Germany, I found 'Hepatische Lipidose der Katze' which is the exact translation into German. The articles are not (yet) linked, however, I believe they should be. How can I do this or is this done by an administrator?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feline_hepatic_lipidosis http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatische_Lipidose_der_Katze —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.184.44.193 (talk) 17:30, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Near the bottom of the page (I put it before the categories) you add [[{language code}:{other-wikipedia article name}]] in this case [[de:Hepatische Lipidose der Katze]]. This provides a link in the "Translation" section, if you look at the article Feline_hepatic_lipidosis. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:40, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I forgot to say that any editor can add this, not just admins -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:41, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Updating/Correcting Semi-Protected Pages

I know the general public can't change semi-protected pages and can only use the Talk page for suggesting corrections/updates etc. My question is how long does it usually take for these updates to be incorporated into the page? Specifically Talk:Spain, there are many things that have been suggested going back months that haven't been added to the main page. Many of which are very important in nature for an article about a nation, such as it's economy figures and other issues raised on "Talk" deal with plagiarism etc. --Coinmanj (talk) 17:32, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

It might be an idea leaving a message at WikiProject Spain's talk page. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:48, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

However, (from WP:SEMI) Semi-protection prevents edits from anonymous users (IP addresses), as well as edits from accounts that are not autoconfirmed (have a four day old account and ten or more edits to Wikipedia) or confirmed. so most changes should be able to be implemented by an autoconfirmed account. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 17:51, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

This means that User:Coinmanj has been autoconfirmed since 15 August and thus able to edit Spain. —teb728 t c 18:22, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, teb728- I meant to add that and forgot (Steve, write out 100 times I must not edit Wikipedia when the kids are distracting me...). -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 19:18, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia article "Bird's Nest soup"

Hello, could someone with the know-how please visit that article and fix it for me? I tried to add a citation to a reference dealing with how "white nests are adulterated to appear like the more expensive red nests" and I used the reference name: Mossimo.

When I reviewed the page after editing, it appears there was another reference named "Mossimo" which cited another of his articles, and I rendered the original Mossimo reference non-existent.

How often does THAT happen?! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.118.186.63 (talk) 20:54, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Could you please provide a link to the article by writing [[article name]]. ~~ Dr Dec (Talk) ~~ 21:02, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Bird's nest soup, you mean Marcone, not Mossimo. I'm unclear on whether there is aproblem requiring solution, or are you just making a comment?--SPhilbrickT 23:36, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

I have fixed the references. You can avoid that in the future by giving a new reference a different name. I added an A to the first and a B to the second. hmwitht 00:34, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Honey's Boys on Big Cat Diary

i am trying to upload a picture i have of Honey's Boys on Big Cat Diary but I am unable to post it —Preceding unsigned comment added by BigDocFan (talk • contribs) 21:05, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Hello. Please read WP:UPLOAD thoroughly before uploading a new image. If the image already exists, either on Wikipedia or Commons, simply add this text, with the appropriate information in place of the information in parentheses.

[[Image:(filename)|thumb|(number)px| ]]

Intelligentsium 23:08, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

How can I add an IMAGE to an existing bio that doesn't contain a photo?

Please...I am not a computer-oriented person. Computers are a way for me to have fun once in a while, that's all. Computer "speak" and commands may be easy for those that engage in it everyday, but not for those who don't. So please -- provide uncomplicated instructions in plain English that can be followed with ease. (Remember: what's obvious and easy for you may not be for others.) Thank you!

Q. I want to add a photo to an existing Wikipedia biography that currently doesn't have one. The photo is in my hard drive. I've tried doing it, but it doesn't go through. (Honestly, the instructions are some of the most convoluted and most frustration-inducing I've ever read through!) PS (talk) 21:07, 30 August 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by PS (talk • contribs) 21:06, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Hi PS, please have a look at this page for a guide on how to use images on Wikipedia. Jeffrey Mall (talk • contribs) - 21:32, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

You can upload the image at Special:Upload. Then, add it to the biography by adding [[File:ImageName.jpg|thumb|caption]] to the page. hmwitht 00:30, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Also see the answer to the question above this. hmwitht 00:31, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

x x x x x x x x x x x

Sorry, but NO, it is not resolved. Like I wrote in the very beginning of my post: "(Remember: what's obvious and easy for you may not be for others.)" I followed your response. I read and re-read all the gobbledigook that are Wikipedia instructions to me and I STILL CANNOT upload the file. I don't understand the "yada-yada". Why can't this be a simple matter? Where is the "1 + 1 = 2" of it? This is extremely frustrating. I might as well give up! I mean, why should I care if Wikipedia users can be able to see a photo of the person the bio was written about? I guess that's the answer. It's not made easy to do. So move on.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Pyxis Solitary (talk • contribs) 07:17, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Correct. Some people find it easy some don't. I always get confused with the licensing but that will have to be dealt with later. Click here and respond back with what you need assistance with I like Chamal's description.Cptnono (talk) 07:41, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

The process is not easy because of copyright issues. We have to ensure that the person uploading it is actually the copyright owner of that image (unless under special circumstances, where we use fair use images but that is not important here). If you are the copyright owner of this image (that is basically, if you have taken the picture) follow these steps:

1. Go to Wikipedia:Upload.
2. There's a link there saying "entirely my own work". Click it.
3. This takes you to an upload form. Click the "Browse" button there and select the image from the folder in your computer.
4. In "destination file name", type a meaningful name for the file.
5. In the summary, in front of "Description =", type a description of the image (what it shows, basically).
6. From the "licensing" drop down list, select a license (if you are unsure what to use, there's a recommended one in the list so use that).
7. Click on "Upload file" button. It will take a while to upload, so be patient.

Does that help? Please ask if you have any questions. ≈ Chamal ^talk ¤ 08:07, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

Pyxis Solitary, Is File:Maria-Grever.jpg the photo you are asking about. You uploaded it successfully at 20:43, 30 August 2009 (UTC). But you did not identify the source or the author (i.e. photographer). And most importantly you did not provide an image copyright tag. Where did you get it from? Who is the photographer? When was it taken? What right does Wikipedia have to use it? Do you know how to add it to an article, or is that perhaps what you are asking about? —teb728 t c 09:42, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

If you are indeed asking how to add a photo to an article once it is successfully uploaded, then the answer is that you insert the image's name into the code for the article, and use code to specify how you want it to display. For example, see the article Scotch woodcock. It is simply illustrated by a single photo, positioned top right, with a caption. Click on the "edit this page" tab and look at the code for the article. You will see the line: [[Image:Scotch Woodcock.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Scotch woodcock garnished with [[anchovy]] [[Fillet (cut)|fillet]]s and [[parsley]].‎]]. This line specifies which image to display, what size and position it will display at, and the text for the caption. Copy this line into an article, changing the name to that of the image you want (it must be an image already uploaded to Wikipedia or Commons, and the image name must be accurate, complete with its .jpg tag or similar), and substituting your own caption. Your selected picture and caption will now display in your article in the same format as the Scotch woodcock picture does in its article.

There's guidance at Wikipedia:Image#Using images on how to use images in articles, but a good way to familiarise yourself with the subject is to look at various images in existing articles and view their code to see how it makes them display. Cut and paste code that does what you want, changing the image name and caption to adapt it to your purposes. Please remember that any image you upload or use in an article must show that it has an acceptable copyright status, so you need to look at what previous posters have said about copyright. Karenjc 11:03, 31 August 2009 (UTC)