Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2009 October 6

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October 6

Changing link color

How can I change links to a different color? And how can I make the links remain the same color even after I have visited an article? --William S. Saturn (talk) 00:58, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

To make a link a different color, use a pipe, and enclose the text with the proper tags; for example, [[Wikipedia|<span style="color:#006600;">Wikipedia</span>]] makes Wikipedia. The links changing color when you visit them is a browser setting and thus is in the territory of the Computing reference desk. Xenon54 / talk / 01:20, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Also, how can I make the background of templates black to match the black background? (I am using the black background with green text Gadget) --William S. Saturn (talk) 01:03, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Link color. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 02:00, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

The article received a where it makes no sense

Hello!

I'm working on the Denzlingen article.

There was a 'Weasel Words' change by a bot, but in my opinion, I'm not using any weasel words. Maybe the bot made a mistake here.

--Blutkoete (talk) 02:15, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Actually, the {{why}} was added by User:Auntieruth55; the bot just dated the tag. You could post at his/her talk page and ask for clarification, or you could find a source for the statement that most of the movement to the town was Catholic. --AndrewHowse (talk) 02:20, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

physics circular motion

Moved to the Science reference desk. ~ Amory (u • t • c) 04:34, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Header notifications of article

I have noticed 2 additional notices on an article.I believe the notices of “conflict of interest” are slightly unreasonable, looking at the talk page, I couldn’t find any specific example or reason explaining this comment. the article is objective and all the facts that are stated in this article are referenced with reliable third party sources, so again don't understand this notice of conflict of interest.Angusf27Angusf27 (talk) 07:38, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Which article are you referring to? If we knew that, we might be in a better position to help you! -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 08:43, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

One reason for suspecting COI on Purecircle is that you uploaded an image from their website claiming to be the copyright owner. Another is that it reads like a press release—so much so that I tried to find if it was quoted verbatim from their website. —teb728 t c 09:21, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

I added a more complete list of issues to the talk page. The article is AfD material as it stands but hopefully improvements will be made.--RDBury (talk) 10:26, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

wikipedia on mobile handset

Can I have free access to wikipedia through my Nokia Handset 7210C? How can I have access through my mobile and what are things I need to comply to get and stay connected wtih Wikipedia? Please inform.

Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.181.117.187 (talk) 09:01, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

you need activated internet on your phone. Then you just type it in as you normally would.Accdude92 (talk) (sign) 13:24, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

If you can't use the full internet on your phone, you can use wapedia.mobi (Wapedia) or en.m.wikipedia.org. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 15:13, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Translating Chinese wikipedia articles into English

Hi guys. I'm a big contributor on wiktionary and have hardly touched wikipedia (although read it often). I would like to embark on translating some of the articles on the Chinese wikipedia into English, especially those that haven't got English articles. However I'm a bit stuck. I noticed if I go to edit the original Chinese article there is a huge amount of formatting and stuff that totally confuses me. I mean, I can deal with section headings, links, etc but haven't mastered how to reference properly. Does there exist a guide that shows one how to translate from a LOTE whilst retaining the original references, images, etc? The help pages I looked at were not very detailed. Cheers. Tooironic (talk) 10:04, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm sure you already saw WP:Translate which is the basic guide for translators. Other than that the information is already in the various editing guides and yes it is a bit of a challenge at first but it's out there if you look for it. For example WP:CITE has most of what you need to know about references. If there are translation issues not covered in WP:Translate you might bring it up on the talk page as something that could be added. It seems that you're looking for a step by step guide with everything you need know for people translating wikipedia articles but I'm pretty sure that doesn't exist; there would be too much in it that is covered elsewhere and it's not a good idea to have a lot of redundancy since it can change rapidly. I know that doesn't help much but I hope it does a little at least.--RDBury (talk) 11:12, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

PS, have you thought about translating English to Chinese? English already has the most articles and there are many more Chinese speakers than English.--RDBury (talk) 11:15, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Yep, I did look at those guides already. I guess I will just have to toughen up and learn all the formatting crap. Sigh. PS Like most professional translators I only translate into my native tongue (English). So I would only consider translating into Chinese for wikipedia if it was in collaboration with a Chinese native speaker. Tooironic (talk) 04:34, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Actually you would be collaborating with lots of native Chinese speakers. Anything you write on one of the Wikipedias is editable by any other user of that Wikipedia. You don't have to produce final copy on your first go. Lots of people edit on the English Wikipedia who are not native English speakers (for example see Category:User en-2). All the Wikipedias are works in progress. If something is so bad that it is unacceptable and unrepairable, we have lots of users who specialize in deleting articles. But of course this is a volunteer project, so work on whatever you like. If you tell us the subject(s) you want to edit, we can tell you where you might get help from other users. For example there is a Wikipedia:WikiProject China. --Teratornis (talk) 06:22, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

To learn the formatting "crap", see: WP:CHEAT, Help:Editing, WP:YFA, WP:LAYOUT, and WP:FOOT. Often the easiest way to start a new article is to find an existing well-formatted article that is similar to the article you want to create. Copy its wikitext to a user subpage (such as: User:Tooironic/Sandbox) and you can experiment at your leisure without worries about having it deleted while you are still figuring out what to do. --Teratornis (talk) 06:25, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

How Do I submit an Article?

I've tried several times to submit an article and failed. What do I do?

Lovelace Lee III <email removed> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.230.167.75 (talk) 13:59, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

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

Thank you.

You will need to first register an account, which has many benefits, including the ability to create articles. Once you have registered, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. An Article Wizard is available to walk you through creating an article, but you will need to create an account to use it. if you don't wish to do so, you can submit a proposal for an article at Articles for Creation. Algebraist 14:02, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

How ?

Hey, I am new here in Wikipedia, although i search for information and various articles. I am trying to write an article which i can place in Wikipedia. Any idea how i can do it ? :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Imujie (talk • contribs) 14:12, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

See the above link, article wizard. But the best idea is to make it on your user page untill its ready and then make it into an article. Press talk to the right to ask me any more questions!Accdude92 (talk) (sign) 14:17, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Writing an article for Wikipedia is harder than many people realize. Even professional writers find that the format and style needed for a good encyclopedia article are different than what might be appropriate for other venues. You could:

• Get someone else to do it—If your only goal is to make sure that an article is added to Wikipedia, you can request that someone write an article on the subject.
• Start by editing other articles—If you are interested in becoming an editor at Wikipedia, our experience demonstrates that it is better to start by improving existing articles, which will help you get a sense of how this place works, and then you will be ready to write your first article from scratch. A good place to visit is the Wikipedia backlog, where there are literally hundreds of thousands of articles needing help from editors. Find an article in a subject area you know, and add a source, or a reference, or simply help write it better.
• Go ahead and try—If you do decide to write an article immediately, please read our policy on conflicts of interest, then read our guide to writing your first article, which will repeat some of the good advice above. Then please use the Article wizard, which will help you through the steps. I urge you to accept the option to save your first draft in your user subpage, which will reduce the chance your work will be deleted before it is ready.

PARTNERSHIP IN SIERRALEONE

Dear sir, AS a school in West Africa, Sierra Leone, will it possible to work in partnership with your school and great pen friends with the school pupils. Our school name is OBEZ MEMORIAL SCHOOL. Thanks Rev. Sengovah —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.54.30.6 (talk) 14:19, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. Bencherlite^Talk 14:21, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Tollund Man

Tollund Man has some vandalism on it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.89.120.182 (talk) 17:57, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

The vandalism on Tollund Man has been reverted. Thank you for letting us know, however in future you can remove such obvious vandalism yourself, as this page is not protected. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 18:16, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

How do I lower my Contents box so I can add a little more information to the introduction section of the article?

The contents box is in the way of me being able to finish my introduction. When I put the information in and hit "preview" my last paragraph shows up in a shaded section. Could someone please help me out. Thanks! Steve98.145.232.112 (talk) 18:40, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Which article are you talking about? The last article that your IP worked on was Conditional preservation of the saints on the 29th Sept - if that's the one, then you should have no problem adding to the lead section - it worked OK when I added a couple of paragraphs and previewed. If it isn't that article, let us know and we can look at it. -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 18:59, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

I'm also unsure what your problem is but maybe Wikipedia:Lead section or Help:Section#Table of contents (TOC) are relevant. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:29, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Translating an Article from EN Wiki to Japanese

(Question moved here from RefDesk RefDesk) I have no idea where to place this question, as I spend most of my time on the RefDesks and don't explore the inner workings of Wikipedia, but I'll place it here anyway, and if it gets moved I'll follow it there. Anyway, the question is, how do I translate an article from English Wikipedia into Japanese? Of course, this will mean that the new article will need to be placed on JP Wikipedia. As I have had considerable trouble in the past in linking my two accounts (and still haven't managed to do it!) I cannot understand how it will work. Also, what about internal links on the original article? As those links will point to article on EN Wikipedia (many of which have no equivalent on JP Wikipedia) would I be linking back to the relevant articles on EN Wikipedia, and if so, how is that done? Simply placing and around the links would obviously not work. Lots of questions here, I apologize, and there will obviously be more when I start on the particular article which I have in mind at the moment, so if there is a tutorial-like article anywhere it might save you time to just point me in that direction. TIA! --KageTora - SPQW - (影虎) (talk) 18:46, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

have you read Wikipedia:Translate? -- PhantomSteve (Contact Me, My Contribs) 19:00, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

• For more information about translation, see WP:EIW#Translate.
• You could look for English Wikipedia editors who also edit on the Japanese Wikipedia. See Wikipedia:WikiProject Japan and Search Wikipedia with Google for: category user japanese. You can probably find some editors who have translated many articles. Maybe they can help you.
• Citations: also see WP:FOOT.
• Internal links: you can deal with them in several ways:
  • Leave them as red links on the Japanese Wikipedia. Someone else may later write the articles there.
  • Remove the links and just leave the link text as plain body text. This is how most articles on Wikipedia start off - with very few links. Other editors add links over time.
  • Search the Japanese Wikipedia carefully for other articles that may serve as link targets. A direct translation of a link from English to Japanese may miss the relevant article on the Japanese Wikipedia.
  • If you really want to link from the Japanese Wikipedia to the English Wikipedia, see Help:Interlanguage links. However, these are generally not appropriate for inline links. We generally like to restrict them to the box in the left column so the reader is aware that a link goes to a Wikipedia in a different language. Thus there would only be one interlanguage link from your article on the JW back to the original article on the EW. The internal links should stay internal.

--Teratornis (talk) 02:41, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Too Many Edits

Is there a warning template for users who are making too many edits to certain pages? ---Shadow (talk) 19:33, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but if it's gotten to the point where dozens of little edits (i.e. 10 edits in 5 minutes, all of which could have been taken care of in one big edit) are clogging up your watchlist, then a note to the effect of "Hey, your many edits are getting kind of disruptive. Here's the preview button, please do all your editing at once!" will probably suffice. Templates are only for widespread problems that are continually occurring, and I don't think one exists for this purpose. Xenon54 / talk / 19:46, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! I thought there would be one since an admin told me the site frowns on it. ---Shadow (talk) 19:52, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

There is {{Uw-preview}}. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:25, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

If an editor is making many edits because they are making mistakes, the template warning may be in order, but otherwise, making multiple edits may be a good thing. I just read in Village Pump forum about someone who removed one block of material and added another block. The editor desired to revert the removal, but not the addition. It’s far easier to do that if the changes are in separate edits. As a general rule, if you can imagine that someone might disagree with some part of your planned edit, but not another part, it would be good to make separate edits. SPhilbrickT 23:26, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

(undent) Are you thinking about the three revert rule? --Teratornis (talk) 02:43, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

No, they are just making too many small edits on a page. They change part of a setence, and then 2 or 3 submissions later change it again. ---Shadow (talk) 04:09, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

If somebody just wants to experiment, they could use a user subpage. --Teratornis (talk) 06:26, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Need help with table

Resolved

I have an article at FLC, Gwen Stefani discography. The last table of the article, "Music Videos", has slightly different colours in its cells; this was commented on at the FLC. I don't know how to fix this. Could someone with some table-fu help? Thanks, -- EA Swyer ^Talk _{Contributions} 23:36, 6 October 2009 (UTC)

Looks the same to me. It may be because of the browser you're using, your browser settings, and any number of other factors not related to the actual page. As I see it, there is no difference. Intelligentsium^review 00:19, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

 Done The table was "zebra striped" - that is every other row was coloured a slightly lighter shade of grey than the default table colour. I have removed the custom colouring so that only the default is used - see here. DoktorMandrake 03:43, 7 October 2009 (UTC)