Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 February 18

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February 18[edit]

Al Pacino biography : Problems with editing process for references[edit]

Problems with editing process for references I put the references at the end of every paragraph but when i put the same reference more than once the number is each time different and i do not understand why it happens —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sergeji (talkcontribs) 00:21, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

You have to name the references to use them multiple times. Please see Naming a ref tag so it can be used more than once for instructions on how to do this. Cheers. Chamal talk 00:32, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you! it worked for a book reference but it did not work for a reference/link to a website _ plus if i have many and different references how i can distinguish the multiple ? i could not find any instructions about it —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sergeji (talkcontribs) 12:26, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

you can use the "ref name" technique with the "cite web" template - see WP:Citation templates for the format.
i'm not sure i understand your other question, but: when you use the "ref name" technique and you have several different sources, just give each source a different name. if you're like me, checking out how it's done in other articles and imitating what you see will be more productive than trying to follow instructions ... good luck! Sssoul (talk) 14:50, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

free speech[edit]

So i guess its time to use some other source. Its only appropriate if it flattering comments. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.35.109.216 (talk) 01:44, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It sounds like you have a complaint of bias and/or advertising in a Wikipedia article. Could you point to something specific? We may be able to help. TNXMan 02:56, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How can I cancel my account?[edit]

Resolved

Corruptcopper (talk) 16:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Can you just cancel my account please??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by -ms.furious04- (talkcontribs) 01:46, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Accounts cannot be cancelled but you can exercise the right to vanish. – ukexpat (talk) 01:49, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Since you have no edits aside from the one to this page, just stop using your account. If you picked a secure password, that's essentially the same as canceling your account. Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 01:56, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Request an article[edit]

Resolved
 – ukexpat (talk) 15:26, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I know I can, but forgot how to. How do I request a book on Wikibooks also? H4xx0r-666 (talk) 02:15, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Found it... H4xx0r-666 (talk) 02:17, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Addition of new term[edit]

Greetings,

I am writing to request additional information on how to best contribute information on a valuable new term that has recently emerged to define "borderless web video". The term is Walkout Video. Yes, my company originally developed and sells the technology. There are however many other web video companies that have emulated our technology....with that said, we have noticed something very interesting happening...a new brand is emerging to define borderless web video. We are receiving thousands of emails for our service every month (organically). Business owners and consumers are asking for "Walkout Video"...not even knowing that this is the name of our product. My point is...we are seeing the formation of a brand name (analogous to Kleenex for tissues) with respect to borderless web video. It is developing well beyond our efforts. I would like to add an entry into Wikipedia for Walkout Video and explain the history on the evolution of borderless web video. But I can't find where/how to add a term to your encyclopedia. Can you help?

Thank You,

Mike Schuch <removing email - spam prevention> —Preceding unsigned comment added by Adguytap (talkcontribs) 03:34, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A new term or brand name is unlikely to meet Wikipedia's notability requirements set out at WP:N. In addition because of your relationship with the subject matter you have a huge conflict of interest and should avoid writing about it. If this really is notable, someone will write an article about it sooner or later. – ukexpat (talk) 04:52, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
As Ukexpat said, generally new terms (or "neologisms") do not warrant their own article. Our guideline on avoiding them explains why. Cheers, caknuck ° is a silly pudding 08:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Adding a university's name to a list[edit]

There is a category or subcategory of American universities, listed alphabetically, and it's linked to such categories as American Academics. I was trying to add [the] University of Puget Sound, but I was unsure how to edit that particular page or whether I even should attempt it. Perhaps someone else can add the name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ostrom (talkcontribs) 04:20, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A category is a listing of existing pages. So, to get that particular university to appear in the relevant category, you would need to make sure that the article University of Puget Sound exists (which it currently does), and edit said article to include [[Category:CATEGORY NAME|SORTKEY]], where CATEGORY NAME is the actual name of the category it's supposed to go in, and SORTKEY is the name that it should be treated as for sorting purposes (for example, while biographical articles are generally titled Firstname Surname, they will be given a sortkey of Surname, Firstname so that they appear in relevant categories listed under the first letter of their surname). Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 06:00, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

If someone could check the trouble with this article. I've juste add "<reference/" whick missed it and that have created a new problem with the convert acre/m2 model I do not understand (we haven't the same model on the French Wikipedia). Thanks. TCY (talk) 05:20, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

{Template convert} is broken, see the entry below. Chuckiesdad/Talk/Contribs 05:38, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Looks like it's been fixed. Chuckiesdad/Talk/Contribs 06:55, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Archive 1.0000000000000000[edit]

The archive number displayed in Talk:List of twelve-step groups looks like it went from an int to a float. -- Scarpy (talk) 05:21, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, a recent (as in minutes ago) software update broke it. Should be fixed soon. Calvin 1998 (t·c) 05:22, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Is this what broke {Template:convert} as well? Chuckiesdad/Talk/Contribs 05:35, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, great. No, that didn't break directly, but it was probably affected by the broken update. It is now fixed, purge any affected page. Calvin 1998 (t·c) 05:39, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Never mind, it appears to be a separate issue. Calvin 1998 (t·c) 05:42, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Purge worked for me on Talk: Barack Obama, fwiw. Tvoz/talk 07:12, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

windows has lost accesss to hard drive partitions[edit]

Windows has lost access to three partitions on my hard drive. dirives:disk1_vol3E:\---disk1_vol4F:\---disk1_vol5G:\ These drives are visible in dos,or outside of windows. While disk1_vol1C:\ and disk1_vol2D:\ are available with no problems. I was able to defrag the affected partitions,but windows still can't access them.Seems like this is a registry or system software problem. Can you Help? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnney51 (talkcontribs) 05:27, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Not here. This Help desk is for questions about using Wikipedia. You could try at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing or better yet treat yourself to Microsoft's excellent online technical support. Microsoft could not have become the world's largest software company by having lousy support - right? --Teratornis (talk) 06:17, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
No comment. :p Sephiroth storm (talk) 08:36, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
:O .. — Ched (talk) 15:45, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

is pornograph a word??????[edit]

Resolved

Corruptcopper (talk) 16:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have pondered this for quite a while. Pornography is a word just like Photography, but it just does not sound right when you say i am looking at pornograph am i tripping or what, I think pornograph should be some kind of word according to the associations that it comes with. I don't think that porn or pornography should be short versions. I only think that it should be proper as its own word. There are so many words that have the same beginning and ending, but yet pornograph is not a correct word, please if anyone has an answer for me please let me know why pornograph is not a word. I could use it in many example sentences if need be. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chaita125sae (talkcontribs) 05:31, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It's best not to edit on Wikipedia while trippin' although I do not speak from personal experience. Your odds of getting an answer might improve if you ask your question on Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language. The English language has many words for which the root words or stems or other variants are not in common use. Some words, for example, are much more common as negations. Can you think of some? --Teratornis (talk) 06:14, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
To answer your question, pornograph is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary. The listing does include a definition of "pornograph" as a piece of pornography, akin to a "photograph" as a piece of photography. RJaguar3 | u | t 06:45, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Egypt under fatimid dynasty[edit]

Good day,please i need you to help me with this question: Discuss the Egypt under Fatimid dynasty...i need help bcos i have to discuss this topic in front of my class mate in school and i don't want to fail OR disappoint myself...I will be looking forward to read from you all. Thanks

JerimiahJeriwillexalt (talk) 06:32, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We won't do your homework (or prepare your discussions) for you, but you can get some information about that particular period at Fatimid Caliphate. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 06:40, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]


Article name[edit]

How can the name of an article be changed? It seems to me that the name Reza in this article is misspelled. Reza returns 2,100,000 hits on google and most of the top results related to the Middle Eastern name. Rezza returns 109,000 results, almost none relate to the Middle Eastern name besides this one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Rezza_Talabani

I changed the article text but I didn't know how to change the article name. —Preceding unsigned comment added by RainbowJack (talkcontribs) 08:47, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In order to change the title of an article, the article must be moved to the correct name. Dismas|(talk) 10:49, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I haven't made enough edits to able to do it. Is there someone else who would do this?RainbowJack (talk) 11:34, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Done. Dismas|(talk) 11:58, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

ROHI TV[edit]

the official website is not given on; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pakistani_television_channels for ROHI TV, ROHI TV's website address is (http://www.rohi.pk) please update it... thank you ahsan —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.109.43.209 (talk) 08:56, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hi there - that web address actually does appear in the article, in the external links section. Gonzonoir (talk) 15:17, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Updating the logo on the Aviva Investors page[edit]

I am the content contributor for this Wiki entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Morley_Fund_Management_logo.svg#file. Originally the company i represent was called Morley however we are now called Aviva Investors http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviva_Investors.

I have tried to change the current logo on this page (which is a Morley logo) with the new Aviva Investors logo, however i am anable.

I have tried to attach the new logo to this mail but again am unable, the image however can be found at this link http://www.avivainvestors.co.uk/customer/internet/images/AvivaInvestorsWebsiteLook/img/branding/aviva-logo.gif.

If possible can someone help me update the logo.

Many thanks

Nick —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.73.101.7 (talk) 10:27, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I'm working on it -- give me a few minutes. – ukexpat (talk) 15:32, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
 Done. – ukexpat (talk) 15:39, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How long would it take for google search to NOT list a deleted wikipedia biography article?[edit]

You see, I made an article a week ago, or so and then after an AfD discussion, it was deleted. But each time I google up the name of the person, who's wiki biography article was deleted, is still listed on top of the google search. Which shouldn't be since it's already deleted. And when I click the link, it showed the page with the person's name BUT with a tag saying that it's deleted. To make it worse, even though I deleted it's entry in the Articles for Rescue section, it's still listed second on google search. How long would it take for google search to not find these deleted pages? I know google has a cache thingy, but for how long must his name be listed on wikipedia via google search? I transfered to another less famous wiki but it isn't shown in google searches simply because the first thing listed is wikipedia. Please help. Angdl (talk) 11:08, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It takes a little while for Google to re-crawl Wikipedia. Just be patient, we can't do anything to speed it up. Xenon54 (talk) 11:12, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion and subpages are not indexed by Google because our robots.txt at http://en.wikipedia.org/robots.txt tells search engines to exclude it:
# Folks get annoyed when VfD discussions end up the number 1 google hit for
# their name. See bugzilla bug #4776
# en:
Disallow: /wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/
I have moved the Articles for deletion discussion back to the correct title so it can be found from within Wikipedia if somebody creates a new article. Google's cache of the deleted article is from 13 February and it was deleted 15 February. It will probably be deindexed within a week. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:07, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, what about the articles for rescue/rescue squadron? It's still listed there. Will this disappear from google search too? Angdl (talk) 14:20, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I see you removed it [1]. Otherwise maintainers at Article Rescue Squadron would have removed it later. It will be removed from Google search next time Google indexes the relevant pages. Their currently cached version is from 11 February. I will mention the possibility of adding {{NOINDEX}} at Wikipedia talk:Article Rescue Squadron, but articles are only listed there for a limited time so it's not a big issue. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:56, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Printing problems[edit]

I have just tried to print out the article on Batu Lintang camp - it comes out at 24 pages, of which pages 5, 7, 10, 13, 16 and 17 were blank. The page contents were missing rather than shunted on to the next printed page. Is this likely to be a problem at the Wiki end or with my computer? Thanks Jasper33 (talk) 12:38, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

We keep getting reports like this, where certain pages do not print. I'm a printer support tech, but I have not been able to reproduce the problem. So:
  • What brand and model printer are you using?
  • If you click on printable version on the left toolbar, are those pages visible?
  • While viewing the printable version, what happens when you print?
--—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 12:55, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Gadget - thanks for your quick response. I'm using an HP PSC 2355. I printed the faulty version by hitting the print icon on my upper toolbar (not sure about the correct technical term as I am a techno-numpty - the one that says ALT + R when you highlight it) rather than using the Wikipedia toolbar printable version. Looking at the printable version onscreen, all the article is there; I've just tried printing it out from the Wikipedia toolbar printable version and I get the same sequence of blank pages (well, I assume it would be the same - I let it print from pages 24 to 12 and 17, 16 and 13 were blank again so I pulled it to save paper and ink). Hope this is of some use in your quest! Jasper33 (talk) 13:12, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I printed on a laser printer and all pages printed, which is what I have seen before. Do you have the software to create a PDF? --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 14:53, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
'Fraid not - I can read them but not make them. Jasper33 (talk) 15:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • Try http://www.primopdf.com/, a free PDF creator. This won't fix the underlying issue, but I am interested in see if a PDF comes up with blank pages as well.
  • What browser are you using?
  • Page 5 is blank: what are the preceding and successive lines?
--—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 15:33, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Okay, thanks for the link - but as I'm not very handy with technology getting the PDF up and running might take a while ... I use Internet Explorer. Last line of page 4 is were housed in five very small barracks[2] and each person was allotted a space of 6 feet by 4 feet and the first of page 6 is The women were at first allowed to undertake domestic tasks around their camp; later they were forced. Jasper33 (talk) 15:46, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Possibly a dumb question, but are you sure that's a safe site? when I was opening/downloading the PDF maker software my Windows warning thingy came up with a big red symbol saying the site didn't have a security certificate publisher of the site couldn't be verified, and I'm not too keen on downloading stuff that seems dodgy! Jasper33 (talk) 15:53, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Using IE7 and a laser printer, pages 10 and 17 are blank. It may take a bit, but let me delve into this. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 17:03, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

  • I can print pages 9–11 and 10 is blank; page preview shows the same.
  • If I change the margins, the blank pages move around.
  • If I change the print zoom, the blank pages move around.
--—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk -  19:13, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Okay Gadget, thanks for all your help. Whoops forgot it signs you out after a bit - I don't know which version of Internet Explorer I'm on - does that matter? Jasper33 (talk) 17:27, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Approaching Commercial Entities For Copyright Permission[edit]

I wish to add an image to two distinct entries but the copyright belongs to a commercial entity [software developer]. There is no public domain images available so am thinking of approaching the developer and or its publisher directly. What specific permissions must I request of these commercial entities? Must they release into the public domain an image or can they be the licence holder and not reflect NPOV?

Also, can a company edit it's own entry? [ie: one that an individual created but that the commercial entity edit's in order to facilitate authenticity]

Many thanks Twobells (talk) 13:32, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

To see the guidelines for requesting see Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission and Wikipedia:Example requests for permission. Companies are discouraged from editing their own articles under Wikipedia:Conflict of interest, but if they do - should follow the guidelines on that page. Nanonic (talk) 13:38, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Be sure to look at WP:NPOV as well; even though all wiki editors are strongly urged to follow it, people/companies editing themselves must strictly abide by it...Imperat§ r(Talk) 14:04, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Image Upload Problems[edit]

Resolved
 – ukexpat (talk) 15:42, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am attempting to upload an image, but when I press upload, the page isn't doing anything. It's just sitting there. Any idea why? Have I done something wrong? This is my first attempt at uploading an image...Rivka (talk) 13:41, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nevermind I figured it out by rather unreasonable deduction, lol. Rivka (talk) 13:50, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

When you upload images, you usually want to save it as a JPEG/JPG file. Also, make sure the file size isn't too big. Other than that, you might want to try again and wait. Cheers. Imperat§ r(Talk) 14:01, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Is this alternate account acceptable??[edit]

It';s a while since Ive been here, so bear with me. I've set up an alternate account, User:Placename Hlio - see the userpage for its uses - is its use acceptable?

Don't want to get off on the wrong foot, just looking for advice or guidance. --Litherlandsand (talk) 14:48, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It is acceptable under this guide. As long as you clearly identify what's going on, it should be fine. TNXMan 16:21, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What should be done when an anonymous editor posts his/her personal information on a talk page?[edit]

Should one just remove the personal information, ask an admin to delete the edit, or would it be appropriate to request oversight right away (even without request of the editor)? --Paul_012 (talk) 16:51, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It depends. If they claim to be over 18, it should probably just be removed and/or deleted by an admin. If they're underage, I would suggest oversight. TNXMan 17:05, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I just edit it out with a <redacted personal info> in its place. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:07, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
  • It would depend. I'd edit out any personal information that could be used to track down the user or commit identity theft unless the user already edits under their real name. For minors I'd redact any personal information beyond age and first name because they're unlikely to comprehend the effects releasing other info could have on their life. - 87.211.75.45 (talk) 18:33, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

wikipedia[edit]

how often is wikipedia updated? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.62.201.22 (talk) 17:14, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Everyday, hundreds of times a minute. Since it's a community encyclopedia, every time someone adds something, Wikipedia is updated. TNXMan 17:16, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
(e/c), that shows how updated this page is! :) See the recent changes; there are thousands of edits every minute. Queenie Talk 17:21, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
To see when the article you are viewing got its last update, click the "history" tab at the top. Although Wikipedia gets hundreds of edits every minute, most edits are to the more popular articles. With 6,818,600 articles on Wikipedia on a vast range of topics, there are many obscure articles which get very few views and only infrequent edits. So, depending on what article(s) you care about, Wikipedia might be updated frequently or only rarely. This is an aspect of the "Blind men and an elephant" nature of Wikipedia: the system is so huge that your impression of Wikipedia may be completely different, depending on which parts of Wikipedia you are looking at. --Teratornis (talk) 19:47, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Username Concern[edit]

I am completely mystified. I just created an account and tried to post a request for subsidiary content posting and I got an email saying something was the matter with my user name, 3LankanGirls, and that I could say something about this to whoever sent me this email but I CANNOT FIND THE PLACE WHERE I CAN TALK BACK TO THEM!!!! Aaargh! Help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 3LankanGirls (talkcontribs) 17:30, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

It appears that someone left you note about your username. They are concerned that it does not meet our username policy. You can reply to the user on his/her talk page. TNXMan 17:33, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
You could also reply on your own user talk page, User talk:3LankanGirls. Inasmuch as the other editor invites you to reply there, he/she is presumably watching it for a reply. —teb728 t c 23:02, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Unable to edit pages through Firefox - Error received upon clicking Save page[edit]

My problem is strange, I can edit pages through Safari, but when I try to do so through Firefox, I receive an error upon clicking "Save page". I don't experience this problem when using Firefox on other computers, so I assume the problem is on my end.
OS - Mac OS X 10.5.1 Firefox Extensions -User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en-US; rv:1.8.1.3) Gecko/20070309 Firefox/2.0.0.3
Build ID: 2007030919

Enabled Extensions: [9]

   * Adblock Plus 1.0.1
   * Adblock Plus: Element Hiding Helper 1.0.5
   * CustomizeGoogle 0.76
   * DOM Inspector 1.8.1.3
   * ErrorZilla Mod 0.34
   * Greasemonkey 0.8.20080609.0
   * MR Tech Toolkit 6.0.3.2
   * Platypus 0.81
   * Talkback 2.0.0.3


Disabled Extensions: [1]

   * Fasterfox 2.0.0

Installed Themes: [2]

   * extero 1.0
   * Firefox (default)


Installed Plugins: (6)

   * Default Plug-in
   * Flip4Mac Windows Media Plugin 2.1.3
   * Java Embedding Plugin 0.9.6
   * QuickTime Plug-in 7.4
   * Shockwave Flash
   * Verified Download Plugin

The error reads -

Our servers are currently experiencing a technical problem. This is probably temporary and should be fixed soon. Please try again in a few minutes. You may be able to get further information in the #wikipedia channel on the Freenode IRC network. The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organisation which hosts some of the most popular sites on the Internet, including Wikipedia. It has a constant need to purchase new hardware. If you would like to help, please donate.

Below this text is (Roughly re-formatted to its appearance on the page) - If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request: POST http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Sandbox&action=submit, from ###.##.###.# via sq16.wikimedia.org (squid/2.6.STABLE21) to () Error: ERR_INVALID_REQ, errno [No Error] at Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:21:16 GMT —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.33.45.13 (talk) 17:40, 18 February 2009 (UTC) [reply]

a lil confused about discussion page content...[edit]

it appears i'm a lil lost about the rules regarding the proper content of the discussions page... if you could, could you review the discussion page on the Leadwerks Game Engine ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Leadwerks_Engine ) and please let me know what is or isn't permissable...

i'll quickly amend my postings to conform to the proper form...


thanks in advance

Mike 'Red Ocktober' Hense <redacted personal info>

Red Ocktober (talk) 17:58, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Per WP:TALK, talk pages should only discuss the merits of the article, not the product/service/person. I can see that the former quickly became the latter on that page. However, this has already been highlighted to you I believe; you might want to look back over the advice that has already been given. Certainly, pare down what you have said to what is relevant re. the article. - Jarry1250 (t, c) 18:10, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Also: re-format it in more formal style, as you would a newspaper article, rather than as you would an e-mail to a friend; your text as written has too many new "paragraphs" consisting of sentence fragments and the like. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:13, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Huggle Substitute?[edit]

What is the best anti-vandalism tool I could use to replace huggle while the squid server is down? I use Windows Vista. Thanks in advance. Queenie Talk 18:00, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I think a few people have gone back to Lupin's anti-vandal tool. I've never used it myself, however. TNXMan 18:07, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I already have that, it's slow enough. I mean, 9 times out of 10 a huggler will get there before me. Queenie Talk 18:10, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Does it matter who gets there first? There are no prizes for reverting the most vandalism, the important thing is that it gets reverted. – ukexpat (talk) 18:31, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
If you rarely get there first because your tools are slow, then you aren't doing as much to combat vandalism as you might be doing. Algebraist 22:53, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I've tried Huggle, and I use Lupin - personally I like lupin because of the "check it out first" process. Huggle is nice, but it's very easy to "click-click" into a mistake. I'd rather be sure before I revert, tag, or warn. If I'm running into a situation where Cluebot and others are getting to all the vandals before I am, I figure it's all under control, and move on to other editing areas. Research, edit an article, new page patrol, spell check, etc. Just my personal choices though — Ched (talk) 23:20, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Don't forget Twinkle and its vandalism tools! They may be made of stone, but they still exist! flaminglawyer 01:39, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That doesn't work with IE... :( Queenie Talk 17:12, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
(shameless plug) Mozilla Firefox is better anyway... :-P Hermione1980 17:21, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Neah. Now I understand the summary I saw on my watchlist: plugplugplug. :D Queenie Talk 17:27, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Problems with links in archives[edit]

Resolved
 – Vandalism from 5 March 2008 reverted. --—— Gadget850 (Ed) talk - 18:34, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Help_desk/Archives/2007_May_25

Take a look at the link to the previous day and month, current month and next day.Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 18:11, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Request[edit]

Dear Sir

I want download some videos regarding iranin shia cluture as a also belong to SHIA MUSLIM from Kashmir, SIR will ur good self help me.

regards

Mirdilawar —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mirdilawar (talkcontribs) 18:12, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried Wikipedia's 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, select the relevant section, and ask away. I hope this helps. – ukexpat (talk) 18:20, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

How do I delete an Image I've uploaded?[edit]

How do I delete an image I've uploaded? Thank you, Matthew R. Lee (talk) 18:39, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Tag it with {{db-author}}. – ukexpat (talk) 18:44, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Only admins can delete articles, talk pages, images, etc. The {{db-author}} tag asks for an admin to delete the tagged article, image, whatever because there is only one author (or uploader in this case) and he/she requests deletion. For more info, read Wikipedia:Deletion policy. --Richard (talk) 18:54, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Internal link to a commons image[edit]

Resolved
 – ukexpat (talk) 22:47, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

What is the syntax for making an internal piped link to an image on Wikimedia Commons? If I want to link to this image, for example, but I don't want it to appear as a web link. I know I can link to the file page like this, but I want to make a piped link to the image itself. Thank you, --Richardrj talk email 20:06, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

[[Media:Narbonne Cathedrale Saint Just et Saint Pasteur.jpg|this]] produces this which includes wikipedia in the url and would go to a Wikipedia image if there was one with the same name. Can you accept that? Note that [[commons:Media:Narbonne Cathedrale Saint Just et Saint Pasteur.jpg|this]] produces this which doesn't go to the image itself. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:59, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Use the colon trick, like [[:File:Narbonne Cathedrale Saint Just et Saint Pasteur.jpg|this]], which gives this link. – ukexpat (talk) 21:02, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
That's not what I wanted, since it points to the file page, not to the image itself. User:PrimeHunter seems to have solved the problem for me; many thanks. --Richardrj talk email 21:24, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Well I am pleased one of us was able to help! Marking as resolved. – ukexpat (talk) 22:47, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Link a Company Name to its website (URL)[edit]

How do I link a named company in an article to the website of that company while only displaying the name of the company in the article?Kjo3011 (talk) 20:49, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

In order to display a link with an alternate title, type [http://www.google.com Google]. This will display Google. However, please read our policies on spam and advertising. TNXMan 20:54, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
In most cases, you probably should not make such links. Take a look at the "important points to remember" section from Wikipedia's External Links style guideline ... particularly #2 which states "External links should not normally be used in the body of an article. Instead, include appropriate external links in an "External links" section at the end and/or in the appropriate location within an infobox or navbox." --- Barek (talkcontribs) - 20:58, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

add new page to a category ?[edit]

how do i do that —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.227.5.45 (talk) 21:34, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Add the link [[Category:Whatever]] to the bottom of the article page and the page will automatically be added to that category. --Richardrj talk email 21:46, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
See more at Help:Category. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:01, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Free use of information[edit]

Resolved
 – ukexpat (talk) 05:07, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I was wondering, if you have an industry report that a research group publishes (and sells for thousands of dollars), are there limits about what you can use from that report in Wikipedia? I'm not talking about plagiarizing anything, but are things like statistics, their analysis and so on acceptable to put in articles (properly cited, of course)? TastyCakes (talk) 22:17, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Well, we already reference material from books and those cost anywhere from $4 to $4000. Regardless of the cost, it will still come down to whether you are using a reliable source, and the same limits on usage will still apply. Other media quote from research reports all the time. You will have to accept though that there may be a higher bar for other people accepting your assertion that you actually read the report, since independent verification will be much more difficult. Franamax (talk) 22:36, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Ok, thanks a lot. TastyCakes (talk) 22:54, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Does the report itself cite sources? You might Google around for other more-accessible sources for the same information. The research group might use the same Internet as everybody else. Maybe they figured out a way to repackage Google searches for people who don't know how to Google, for thousands of dollars. In any case, I would be wary of any source of information that couldn't be at least roughly corroborated by some other source of information. Like having one guy who swears he saw Bigfoot - maybe he did, maybe he didn't. One could also question the notability of information that has thus far only been published once. --Teratornis (talk) 21:54, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

First Article[edit]

Sorry if this is covered somewhere. I didn't see it. Basically, the question is when creating a new article that may take several days to complete, or longer, is it possible to store it but not have it become a wikipage until it is ready?

Thanks, hobig Hobig (talk) 22:49, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Create it as a subpage of your user page, such as User:Hobig/Sandbox for example. Then move it to the right title when it's ready. Algebraist 22:51, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It is often difficult for new users to create an article that will not get immediately deleted. We delete many new mainspace articles every day because they fail to meet the basic requirements. To avoid this discourgement, you might want to come back here and ask for a quick review of your article after you create it in your sandbox but before you move it to mainspace. Good luck! -Arch dude (talk) 02:51, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Photo[edit]

Please help! I'm translating the enWiki entry on Sinclair Lewis for the huWiki (on a subpage). They didn't have a word on Lewis, consequently, no pictures either. I'm unable to transfer either of the two Lewis photos from your article. Since the Hungarian entry very much needs a picture, couldn't you make an exception and let me transfer at least one of the two? Thank you for your help in advance, Vándormadár (this is my user name at huWiki)75.173.254.204 (talk) 23:19, 18 February 2009 (UTC).[reply]

The infobox photo, File:Lewis-Sinclair-LOC.jpg, is uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, meaning that it should be available to you on the Hungarian Wikipedia - just type in the same file name there. Xenon54 (talk) 23:41, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, but I did type in the exact file name, as above. The text came up in the edit window, but no picture. What can be the problem? --75.173.254.204 (talk) 23:50, 18 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Type this: [[File:Lewis-Sinclair-LOC.jpg]]
See more at Wikipedia:Images, for example about size, placement and caption.
Sinclair Lewis uses {{Infobox Writer}} with the line:
| image = Lewis-Sinclair-LOC.jpg
This only works when there is an infobox with such a parameter. I don't know whether the Hungarian Wikipedia has that. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:01, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It appears from [2] that you worked it out on your own. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:07, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

A while ago I thanked you guys for your help, and saved it. Now I don't see it anywhere. Am I on the wrong page? In any case, thanks again. --75.173.254.204 (talk) 00:31, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Special:Contributions/75.173.254.204 only shows the contributions that are visible in this section. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:58, 19 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]