Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2010 December 22

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December 22

James McGill (child actor)

James McGill Born:August 3rd 1998 (age 12) in Litchfield,Illinois. Years Active:Maybe 2011&2012. Personol Life He is born in 1998 second child of Lisa McGill.He Started writing since he was in 2nd Grade.His Grandparent died Jim born in 1915 Cora born in 1914.He Wrote the Favorite Movie called "The Lion King 4",He Sent to a Walt Disney Company and send him back.His Sister Beth McGill is born in 1997 older than James McGill.He is Creative.He was student in Grayson County Middle School in Leitchfeild,Kentucky. Filmgraphy The Lion King 4 (2012) Voice of Dennis Poltergeist (Remake) 2011 Jimmy Carol Alien 5 2011 John Series (Guest) South Park 2011 Himself Family Guy 2011 Joe The Simpsons 2011 Himself (Maybe acting or not?) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.31.10.34 (talk) 01:03, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

This isn't a good place to submit text for a new article. Some standard advice follows:

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. -- John of Reading (talk) 08:34, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Abbreviation "ce" used in edit summaries

Editors sometimes use "ce" in an edit summary. What does this mean? I don't believe it has to do with the Common Era. All is One (talk) 01:30, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Copy editing. Algebraist 01:31, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

See also: WP:Edit summary legend. -- Bk314159 (Talk to me and find out what I've done) 02:59, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

What's it called

What's the rule and guidelines about editors inserting links to their own web commercial sites as citations and external links? Thanks—Machine Elf 1735 (talk) 01:37, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

WP:NOTADVERTISING is one.--Bbb23 (talk) 01:50, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

WP:Identifying reliable sources and WP:ELNO might be the others. Intelligentsium 01:54, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

I remember once an editor had lots of good information links posted in math articles. But then because he posted some commercial ones, all his links were removed, everywhere. It doesn't seem like those support anything like that. Or maybe more to the point, if an editor is posting links to their websites instead of citations, what does one do?—Machine Elf 1735 (talk) 02:17, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

The reliable sources link would be the one that is probably applicable here. If this is a self-published website, is it reliable? Is the website known for fact checking the information they post? there really isn't enough info here for me to answer those questions but that is what I would be asking. ~~ GB fan ~~ 02:30, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Not at all. Just linkspam.—Machine Elf 1735 (talk) 02:39, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

What are those insets normally at the top of the pages called?

Hi, I'm new to Wikipedia, and I was wondering where I could get some information on those insets at the top of the pages like stub, or needs more references. Xfyre99 (talk) 03:44, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

These are called templates, more specifically maintenance templates. You can find a catalogue of the most used such templates at Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup. For generally template help, see Help:Template. Intelligentsium 03:57, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Messages like asking for references in a box at the top are called cleanup tags. See Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup. Stub messages on articles should be at the bottom and not in a box. See Wikipedia:Stub. The top of the talk page may contain a WikiProject banner saying stub class. See Wikipedia:Template messages/WikiProject banners and Template:WPBannerMeta#Assessment. Does that answer your question? PrimeHunter (talk) 03:59, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Yes, it does, thankyou very much. I just wanted some info about what each one means and when to apply them etc. Thankyou for your help, now i can edit more freely knowing what each one means I need to do. 58.168.49.66 (talk) 10:31, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

email notification

Is there a way to get an email notification when a particular page is edited?

Epstein27 (talk) 15:17, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Nope; it would necessitate the generation of millions of e-mails every day. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:24, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

According to Wikipedia:Syndication, you can subscribe to an RSS feed of changes to a particular page. For people who use an RSS reader regularly, that would serve the same purpose. -FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 15:36, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Muhammad Zafrullah Khan

One user has moved Muhammad Zafrullah Khan to Muhammad Zafrullah Khan Sahi. Can some admin move it back. He is commonly know as Muhammad Zafrullah Khan. Thanks in advance.Peaceworld111 (talk) 16:03, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Requested moves is --->here. – ukexpat (talk) 16:27, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Every word a link.

Hi, my name is Thomas Hodgkinson. I have only just recently decided to create a Wikipedia account after years of using it. g I have always wondered why certain words are linked to other pages and other words not linked at all. If this has already been in discussion I apologise and this question can be closed/deleted.

I find myself "hooked" in reading subjects, as it is so easy to understand what is being said (if I don't understand something, that word is usually a link to what I need to know), but on occasion I have even wondered what a "simple" word means (which could also have many other meanings).

I had an idea that possibly either a shortcut or button available to have "advanced/detailed" view, and "standard" view, the latter being what it is now, and the detailed having every word linkable/linked. It is in no way Wikipedias "fault" that I feel uneducated in a lot of the words I come across, but a quick search on the Internet of the word, shows me quickly what I need to know, but usually needing a quick sift through the different available explinations.

It would be a great feature to be able to delve in to any word available (maybe even just a quick 'mouse over' pop-up box with a Wiktionary discription or something along those lines.

I have found myself so incredibly interested in such "small" subjects (such as the Amethyst story on the main page today), which spans off across such a wide variety of other subjects, I can bearly read enough, but the little words that put me off, well, put me off.

Just an idea, and I hope this text comes across useful and not of time wasting.

Best regards,

Thomas Hodgkinson — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tommymuffin (talk • contribs) 16:13, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Hello! Thanks for joining up with Wikipedia. The idea you mention has come up before - in fact, you can read about it on this page. However, please do keep suggesting things. Often, a fresh take can be the best one. TNXMan 16:16, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

A little tip: typing define:whatever in Google will get you a bunch of definitions for "whatever" from all over the web. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 05:20, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

Are you allowed to edit if....

Hi please. I have a friend who claims she is banned from editing Wikipedia because of persistent incivility and POV-pushing. Is she allowed to edit under a new account as long as she abides by the policies and doesn't disclose who she is? --Voluptuous Nature (talk) 18:09, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

If she is banned then no she is not allowed to come back under a new name. She should read Wikipedia:Ban#Appeals_and_discussions for information about appealing her ban. ~~ GB fan ~~ 18:17, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

(e/c)Thanks for your reply. I suppose the issue is moot if no one finds out it's her. But suppose she, like, edits for a month and doesn't break any rules and doesn't repeat any of her old behaviors and someone finds out it's her (offwiki or something). And what if she writes 3 featured articles during that time. Does it seem reasonable that she will still be blocked, in accordance with "letter of the law"? I realize this is all highly unlikely and hypothetical, but I am still curious to know the answer.--Voluptuous Nature (talk) 18:22, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

(e/c; This sounds like a block; "block" and "ban" have different meanings here) Block evasion is the definition of sockpuppetry. One has the right to a clean start, but "[a] clean start is permitted only if there are no active bans, blocks, or sanctions in place against the old account." Both blocks and bans can be appealed, but without knowing the username, we cannot suggest a further course of action. Xenon54 (talk) 18:19, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

No I am definitely talking about a ban, not a block, where there was a big hubbub on AN/I and it was like 93 to 22 in favor banning her.--Voluptuous Nature (talk) 18:23, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

In response to your above query: Content contribution and, by extension, the length of time during which someone edits Wikipedia makes no difference. I've been here forever and helped with a couple of good (not featured) articles, but one rule-breaking incident and my skinny ass is out of here faster than a drunk at a sporting event. Even if this query is hypothetical, I don't think it's prudent to give your friend any more advice as to how to break the rules. Xenon54 (talk) 21:09, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

WP: TWINKLE

I would like to use Twinkle to revert teh vandals. I clicked on Twinkle and it goes "you account is too new to use Twinkle". That seems reasonable, and I am willing to wait, but how long do I have to wait. In the meantime, are they any quick-and-easy ways I can help out with vandal fighting without manually cutting and pasting warning templates and things of this nature?--Voluptuous Nature (talk) 18:30, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

You have to wait 4 days to be autoconfirmed.
In the meantime, you can use popups or User:Gracenotes/amelvand.js to revert vandalism. But I expect that you already know this. Goodvac (talk) 18:36, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. And actually I did not know about this. Just because I'm not a total N00b it doesn't mean that I automatically know EVERYTHING. Sheesh. But I will try those tools you suggested and thank you again.--Voluptuous Nature (talk) 18:38, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

"People from New York City" CATEGORY entry

There's a box near the top that says "Click the + below to see all categories:" The + is not a hyperlink; clicking it does nothing. There are over 5000 entries in this category, exclusive of subcategories. It would be good to be able to see all the subcategories at the top of the first page.

Works for me, under FF 3.6. DO you have javascript enabled? --AndrewHowse (talk) 19:29, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Fixing table in Ecology#Population ecology

I have put ecology up for GA nomination. In the ecology#Population ecology section I have a table of definitions. The contents of this table is important for people wanting to understand all the terminology related to populations. One of the reviewers suggested that I tighten or tweak the appearance of this table - it sticks out. I was hoping to find someone who could make a suggestion on how to improve this or what I should do - should this be removed and turned into a list...or are there other examples from other pages where this sort of organizing of relevant definitions is done? Thanks.Thompsma (talk) 20:05, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Manual of Style (glossaries) might be useful. You might consider moving definitions out of articles and into glossary pages, where they can be more generally accessible. Each glossary entry can have an anchor that you can link to from the first instance of each jargon term in your article, and from instances of the term in related articles. See for example Glossary of climate change (which does not have anchors on entries yet). Every subject area on Wikipedia that has a lot of jargon needs a glossary page. --Teratornis (talk) 20:16, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Problem with svg picture

This file appears as a black square:

Text

But as far as I understand it is a perfectly regular svg file! Without passing the WIKI software the picture is fine! What is the problem? Just click it twice and it appears as it should!

Stamcose (talk) 20:15, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

When I double-click I only see another big black rectangle. File:Catenary_3.svg is fine, though. -- John of Reading (talk) 20:29, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Sorry - yes, two double-clicks and I see the SVG file. I have no idea what the problem is, though. If you don't get a solution through this Help Desk, I suggest you try Village pump (technical). -- John of Reading (talk) 21:02, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

I fixed it by removing all trailing spaces in the fill and stroke color attributes. rsvg does not recognize any color name with spaces after it, and everything deemed invalid defaulted to solid black whilst rendering, including the large border polygon. Clear your cache and it should look fine now. ―cobaltcigs 10:11, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

How do I keep my information from being deleted before I can find out how to edit?

I recently posted information about other movies filmed in Superior, Arizona my hometown and it states that if I don't have information to make it stick it will get deleted. Please help that from happening until I can figure out how to keep my information updated. I know about Superior when it comes to all the movies filmed here and a little information about the town itself. And I would like to contribute that as soon as I get that information. Thank you and also if I find any other movies recently filmed in Superior Overall. Again thanks to contact me my email is: <<removed>> — Preceding unsigned comment added by Crystalball 2002 (talk • contribs) 20:34, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Here at Wikipedia, our knowledge is not sufficient for inclusion. We need to provide sources. See Wikipedia:Verifiability for info. This is a pretty simple fix with a few different options:

• You can Google News Archive search the film name + "Superior, Arizona"
• You can use the {{cite video}} template and insert the information from the DVDs credits if it states that it was filmed in that location.
• (Probably easiest) I am under the impression that the details at IMDB.com are considered reliable but the biographies are not. You might want to verify this. If it is acceptable: This shows 10 movies.

Cptnono (talk) 20:59, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Some additional notes for you: I assume it is annoying that one editor mentioned it to you when the list lacks sources for the most part. Sign your comments with 4 of these: ~. And you should consider removing your email address.Cptnono (talk) 21:01, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

I have removed your email address to protect your privacy. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:04, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

A-Class

Can smeone point me to the right page to discuss the A-Class assesment? Simply south (talk) and their tree 21:08, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

WP:ACLASS might be useful. The "Basic method" section says to make the request on the talk page if it is not part of a wikiproject that has a review process. I have seen that it is tough to get reviewers for A-class articles if they are not part of such a project but Wikipedia:Peer review might be a good place to get it prepped for an FA nomination. Try mentioning it on the talk page of any associated wikiprojects (should be listed at the top of the talk page). Cptnono (talk) 21:25, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

The page Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment is edited regularly, so its talk page may be a good place to discuss the class system. There's also a page specific to A-class, but its talk page does not seem to be very active. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:25, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Thanks. One and a half weeks ago i left a message on the WT:COUNCIL page with no reply. Simply south (talk) and their tree 22:11, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Cannot find my article in user drafts anymore! Not even under contributions...

Hello! I have written an article on JUARA Skincare. I saved it under my user name in drafts, and wanted to continue writing on it the other day. But it was gone! I have looked under contributions and deleted articles, but I cannot seem to find it! What should I do? Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by LoisaidaLabs (talk • contribs) 21:23, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

It is unusual for a page to be deleted without a notification to its author, but I suspect that this is what has happened. Given that the JUARA Skincare website says it is copyright "LOISAIDA LABS LLC", I suspect that the page was speedily deleted as an advertising page - Wikipedia is not an advertising medium. Please read the Organisations FAQ.

More bad news: your user name contravenes the Wikipedia user name policy and is likely to be blocked. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:42, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

I just checked - it was indeed deleted as "promotional" (criteria G11) Rmhermen (talk) 21:51, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Newly created page not showing in search results

A page (Parker Manufacturing Company) I recently made is not displayed in the search results. When typing the whole title into the search box, I'm redirected to the actual page, however, when typing only partial words (i.e., Parker Mfg, or Parker Manufacturing) the page is NOT showing up in the search results listing.

Any help with this issue will be greatly appreciated.

DTParker1000 (talk) 21:49, 22 December 2010 (UTC) DTParker1000

Probably a database issue - try again in a couple of days for all the caches and copies to get all up-to-date. Rmhermen (talk) 21:54, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

This is normal; see this page. It should sort itself out in 24 hours. -- John of Reading (talk) 21:54, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Jack Scoltock Irish author

I'm just checking to see if my website would be proof of a resource that as a living author I have inserted the information about me is o.k.? Thank you, Jack Scoltock — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jakers512 (talk • contribs) 21:53, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

If I understand you correctly, no. See WP:SELFPUB. Dismas|^(talk) 21:58, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

After reading the Jack Scoltock article, I feel I should point out: WP:COI, WP:RS, and WP:BIO. Dismas|^(talk) 22:00, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Tuskegee Airmen

hi im looking for the fight song for the fighting 99th,its the fight song of the tuskegee airmen —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.250.30.85 (talk) 22:00, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

This help desk is intended for questions about using Wikipedia, but I've done a quick Google search for you. This web site has the song lyrics. -- John of Reading (talk) 22:04, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

HELP! Some "Stalker" is SABOTAGING A SUBJECT! Someone is entering the article and totally sabotaging the article what shall one do?

HELP! Some "Stalker" is SABOTAGING A SUBJECT! Someone is entering the article and totally sabotaging the article what shall one do?

Hello, Cheong Kwon has written an article on MDVANII, I am working with her on it...a Mdvanii fan but enemy to the creator is entering the article and changing all the words to insults and changing the name to a commercial doll from France...

What can one do?

Alec Jiri

Alec jiri (talk) 23:58, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Alec Jiri — Preceding unsigned comment added by Alec jiriAlec jiri (talk) 23:58, 22 December 2010 (UTC) (talk • contribs) 23:42, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

The user seems to be referring to Mdvanii. No idea what the article is about but it needs serious help from an experienced editor. Dismas|^(talk) 00:09, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

Worth noting that the page was previously deleted, g11 advertising, a7 nonnotable, no indep. sources  Chzz  ►  00:12, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

I saw one vandal (changed all Mdvanii to Caprice), since then it seems users have been tidying up (no one used the undo!). Have warned the vandal.  Ronhjones  ^(Talk) 00:16, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

I am in contact with Alec Jiri, and am editing the article with him. We would like to un-peacock the article. Nearly everything in the article is able to be proven with references. I am new to wikipedia, I have a lot of documentation and proof for everything in the article but am having trouble adding the verifiable sources. Can you help me with in line citations?--24.185.199.17 (talk) 02:13, 23 December 2010 (UTC)--24.185.199.17 (talk) 02:13, 23 December 2010 (UTC)--24.185.199.17 (talk) 02:13, 23 December 2010 (UTC)