Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2015 June 23

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June 23

Date format

What format do you use for adding a date to a Wikipedia article reference? Daylen (talk) 02:44, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

If you use the "Cite" drop-down tool in the editing box (upper right), and select one of the templates (web, news, book or journal). it will have a date field for you to fill out. Otherwise, if you provide some more details I'd be happy to help you out. Regards, FoCuSandLeArN (talk) 03:21, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Daylenca if you mean what date format to use (MDY, YYYY-MM-DD, DD Mmm YYYY, etc), Wikipedia dose not mandate a particular format, but normally one should use the same format as other referencs in the same article, unless there is a good reason to change. If there is a reason to change (rare) it shoudl be discussed on the article talk page.

If you mean what wiki-markup to use, then it depends on what method of referencing a given article is using (Wikipedia supports several different ones). Again, try to use the same form that other refs in the article use. Without an example or the name of the article, we can't be more specific. DES ^(talk) 03:35, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Thanks FoCuSandLeArN and DESiegel! That answers my question. Daylen (talk) 03:49, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

The following discussion is marked as answered. If you have a new comment, place it just below the box.

Edit to the "Photo Booth" page question.

The page I'd like to edit is the "Photo Booth Rental" section of: Photo booth I own and operate partybooths.com which creates a conflict of interest obviously however "Party Booths" was also the FIRST company to offer DIGITAL photo booth rentals. We pioneered both the digital photo booth and the ability to assemble the booths onsite making them "portable" enough to fit in ANY size car and therefor MUCH CHEAPER to rent than the existing vending style photo booths that used chemicals to develop the film and required a truck with a lift gate in order to transport. We also had our website partybooths.com registered BEFORE ANY other digital photo booth rental company and hold the federal trademark on the name "Party Booths" (however lots of people infringe on our mark). My question is this: Can I simply add this fact to the Wiki "Photo Booth" page. I can cite my website's "Who Is Lookup" page as a source since our website was launched in 2005. Other companies didn't begin registering their domain names until 1-3+ years later (after seeing us at live events in cities all over the U.S.), as the article already states, it wasn't until 2008 when Google began tracking "Photo Booth Rental" as a new trend. This was because Party Booths had already been working events all over the country and began spawning up tons of competition in all the major cities. Again digital photo booths did not become popular until 2007-2008 and Party Booths was founded in 2005 as documented here: https://who.godaddy.com/whoisstd.aspx?domain=partybooths.com&prog_id=GoDaddy

Please advise if this information would be deemed relevant as the existing article mentions the vending style photo booths origins already, I think it should also mention the DIGITAL photo booths origins to give the reader more information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Party Booths (talk • contribs) 02:47, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

The best place to discuss edits to an article is the article talk page, Talk: Photo booth. I don't see any recent edits there. Please post to the talk page. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:58, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Yes,Party Booths, if you have an independent reliable published source for the information, then you're welcome to post a request on the talk page, as Robert suggested (if there is little traffic on that page, you could add the template {{edit request}} to alert somebody). However, please be aware that statements about whether something is "the first" or other superlatives, require a published source making that claim. A source that said you did this in 2005 could be used to support a statement in an article that you did so in 2005 (though I don't believe that this claim belongs in that article). But it would not support the claim that you were the first. Even if you could find references showing that other competitors were later, it would still not be sufficient, because Wikipedia articles may not draw conclusions (see original research).

The other thing to say is that your account will shortly be blocked, as it has a name suggesting that it represents an organisation. You are welcome to create a personal account with a name which doesn't have that implication. --ColinFine (talk) 14:48, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

How to reassign Talk Page content to a new account?

Hi. I started editing without a username, but quickly found that my IP handle was changing unpredictably. Now I've created an account, and would like to have my former User Talk page (2602:306:3134:6180:848e:9e67:8ee5:670a (talk)) reassigned to the new account. Can you help? Thanks. Little Silas (talk) 02:48, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Hello there! I've tagged your talk pages for merging, and an administrator will hopefully fulfill that task as soon as possible. Best, FoCuSandLeArN (talk) 03:28, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

 Done Little Silas. DES ^(talk) 03:48, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Donner Party - editing question

Hey ho,

A change (or rather addition) I feel should be made on the Donner Party article has been undone a couple of times, but without any of the people doing the undoing actually saying why (even after I asked about it. Twice.) I'd simply like to know what I'm doing wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.75.38.6 (talk) 03:31, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

I'm just guessing here, but perhaps the reference in question does not corroborate that statement? Whence have you based that piece of information? FoCuSandLeArN (talk) 03:55, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Hmm, well, I did ask about that on the article's Talk page, but no one said anything, so whether that's the case or not I have no idea. If it is a sourcing issue, then it's one that a previous editor introduced, since I just took the text from a caption for one of the article's images. If it turns out the sourcing is the problem, they should probably, as I actually mentioned on the Talk page, remove the image and caption, not just my little rephrasing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.75.38.6 (talk) 04:12, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

But, I suppose my less vague request is that I would really like to know what the process is for getting an editor (or editors) of an article to actually respond to me when I ask questions and help me when they revert by actually letting me know what's wrong. I thought it was supposed to go - Boldly Edit Where No One Has Edited Before > Get Slapped with a Revert > Discuss. Am I missing some sort of secret wikihandshake needed to get the conversation started? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.75.38.6 (talk) 04:15, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

The article in question is Donner Party. There has been edit-warring. There has been some, but not enough, discussion on the talk page, Talk: Donner Party. I suggest that discussion continue on the article talk page. Robert McClenon (talk) 04:45, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Nice suggestion, but there's no "discussion" when only one party is participating. That has been my question - how do I get the other editors to actually discuss things with me? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.75.38.6 (talk) 23:57, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Well, as User:Johnuniq says, that article has an ugly history, and it might not be worth trying to discuss. However, in general, if you have tried to discuss, read the dispute resolution policy, and see whether any of the procedures discussed there might be applicable. If one editor has reverted your edits (as appears to be the case), you could ask him on his user talk page why he has reverted your edits. If that fails, then a useful follow-up essay is WP:DISCFAIL. Also, it really might help if you register an account. Although unregistered editors are supposed to be treated with the same respect and civility as registered editors, they are not, and registering an account is an easy fix to that. Also, it is easier to communicate with registered editors, because IP addresses are often dynamic. So: Ask the other editor on his talk page. Read the policies. Register an account. Robert McClenon (talk) 00:05, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

Oh yeah? Cool, I was worried that going to an individual's Talk page might be considered a wikifaux pas, but I'll give it a shot if that's the appropriate process. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.75.38.6 (talk) 03:18, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

No, please do not do that! You are not ready to talk with other editors if you are unwilling or unable to engage with my message below. You don't have to agree with it, but for communication to occur it is necessary to acknowledge the message and to attempt to deal with the issue raised. Johnuniq (talk) 08:14, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

Donner Party has been the center of ugly disputes and it would be very hard to motivate the editors who work on that article to become interested in a discussion over some detail because such issues have been used as thin-edge-of-wedge in the past, with never-ending bickering over relatively unimportant material. Life shouldn't be like that, but it is, and I suggest finding another topic. Johnuniq (talk) 11:22, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

City School (Pakistan)

All my edits were deleted when i saved the page City School (Pakistan).I want my edits back, how can i do it ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by S.samana.A.R (talk • contribs) 09:41, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Bot undid it here because you added email addresses. Note that Wikipedia is not a schools directory, per WP:NOTADIRECTORY, so that kind of table is not needed or wanted. Also, <big> tags shouldn't be added, per WP:MOS. Joseph2302 (talk) 09:59, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

In general, that article needs a cleanup, and adding/readding unsourced, directory-like content is not going to improve it. Joseph2302 (talk) 10:20, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

user name plus subpage

when I intended to move subpage to original page confronted with two redirect pages and my user name also has not been deleted. how can I correct it.. the case is as follow: Mehdi_ghaed/Ahmad_Vaezi.--m,sharaf (talk) 10:40, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

 Fixed I've moved the page to Ahmad Vaezi. Joseph2302 (talk) 10:47, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Help solving captcha's

Somehow I needed to read a captcha when I tried to improve an article. I can not solve captcha's even though I am human. Maybe t proves that I am human. I have had so many hard times with captcha's that I have even given up trying.

So please, somebody else can do this: article Catoptria_falsella, change link to waarneming.nl to http://waarneming.nl/soort/view/9477. There are many more edits needed like this. SOmething for a bot maybe? 2001:983:6F5A:1:F989:8D6A:2BF3:8FE6 (talk) 12:41, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

I have updated the link as you request.

When I have had to do a captcha here myself, I have found that when I get it right, it does not admit it, it just presents me with another one as if I had got it wrong. This behaviour makes the captchas appear even harder than they are. Maproom (talk) 13:00, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

If you register an account and becone autoconfirmed, and then edit while logged in, you can add or change external links without solving a captcha, among other benefits of obtaining and using a free account. A bot for such edits would not be a good idea, in my view. DES ^(talk) 13:05, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

I don't favor a bot simply to perform a task that registered editors can do, when it is easy to become a registered editor. Some unregistered editors refuse to create accounts because they believe that they preserve their privacy better by not registering, but in fact registering conceals your IP address and therefore your physical location. Robert McClenon (talk) 15:00, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Question

Hello, How Can I fix this page?

Takemefishing.org

Thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by RBFF2015 (talk • contribs) 14:45, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

I see that the article, Takemefishing.org, has been nominated for deletion, but it isn't clear what your question is about how to improve the article. Robert McClenon (talk) 15:02, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Additionally, its appreciated that your username is being honest about who you represent, but unfortunatley it's not allowed. Usernames need to be tied to a single individual. See WP:ISU for the full explanation. - X201 (talk) 15:07, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

If I have two Wikipedia accounts, can they be combined or merged?

I had an "old" account. I think (but don't exactly recall) that the name was JosephASpadaro. Then, after quite some time, I changed to a new account, with a new name (i.e., my present name, Joseph A. Spadaro). Is there a way to have those two accounts "linked" / added together / combined? Or perhaps that was already done? I mean this for statistical and data purposes. For example, the date on which I started Wikipedia; the total number of edits made; etc. Any insight? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 17:16, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Your old account User:JosephASpadaro was renamed to User:Joseph A. Spadaro in August 2007 (as you'll see if you click on this red link), hence your contribution history from the old name was automatically carried through to the new name. Your contribution record shows edits back to February 2007. The edits which are not included were those from your additional account User:Joseph Spadaro which was blocked for sockpuppetry. --David Biddulph (talk) 17:50, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

@David Biddulph: Thanks. So, you are saying that I had only one account, which was renamed. Not two separate and distinct accounts. Is that correct? I am only referring to the User:JosephASpadaro and the User:Joseph A. Spadaro accounts. I am ignoring the User:Joseph Spadaro account, for purposes of this question. So, essentially, User:JosephASpadaro and User:Joseph A. Spadaro are the same exact account, only with a rename. Even with the rename, the account has only one continuous history. Yes? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 05:24, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

My company article page keeps getting deleted

Hi! I have tried hard to include a unbiased company article on Wikipedia. However, it keeps getting deleted. Is there anyway we can work around this? Please let me know. We are Sri Lanka's leading hotel chain and tied up to John Keells Holdings which is the largest company in Sri Lanka.

Article Name - Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts

Thanks & Warm Regards, Ameen Mohamed — Preceding unsigned comment added by CinnamonHRSM (talk • contribs) 17:58, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

There are numerous useful links on your user talk page. Is there something specific that you don't understand? I have taken the liberty of turning the article name in your question into a wikilink, so that people clicking on it can see the deletion log. --David Biddulph (talk) 18:03, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Please also read your first article and make sure that the company meets Wikipedia's criteria of notability, CinnamonHRSM. Judging from your username, you have a conflict of interest, so you should also be aware of Wikipedia's position on that.

If you decide you still want to write an article, I suggest you use the article wizard, which will help you create it in Draft space so that you can work on it. It is possible to write an acceptable article despite a COI, but it is not easy. My personal suggestion for how to go about writing an article where you have a COI is something like:

• Collect several pieces of writing about your company that have been published in reliable sources that have no connection with your company. If there has been any controversy, dispute, or public criticism of the company, make sure you include sources that cover that.
• Forget every single thing you know about the company.
• Write an article entirely from the sources you have assembled, citing each fact you use.
• At the end, if there is basic factual information (like dates and places) you can add them in from published sources connected with the company, such as its own website.

On another subject, your username is probably not acceptable according to the username policy: please change it (or abandon it and create a new one) which is personal to you and does not suggest that it belongs to a company.

Good luck. --ColinFine (talk) 20:59, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Accused of vandalism

Hello I have been accused of altering an article and doing vandalism/innapropriate content on it becaue I share a public ip address.

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:2.30.31.118&redirect=no

What can i do about this as was clearly not me!

Many thanks,

HT — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.30.31.118 (talk) 19:09, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

These messages are dated three months ago; presumably someone else was using this IP address at that time. This is explained in the light blue box at the bottom of User talk:2.30.31.118. -- John of Reading (talk) 19:13, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

and as for what you can do about it: you can register an account. This is free, and as well as avoiding such messages, it gives you more security than editing from an IP address, as you did above. Anyone can look up 2.30.31.118 and see where it is located; a username can't be traced except by administrators. Maproom (talk) 21:00, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Looking for an administrator

Several days ago, an administrator going by Andrew Jameson contacted me and told me he deleted an edit and told me why. For some reason, I can't find him. He is not on my talk page. When I left his response to me, I was not able to go back and re-read his comments.

I would like to respond to him to see what I can do to make the edit correct.

Wingerham52 (talk) 19:18, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Try User talk:Andrew Jameson - AJ isn't an administrator, just a regular contributor. AndyTheGrump (talk) 19:21, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

pasting graphics into an article in my sandbox

I have a table that i created in Illustrator and saved in many formats, jpg, tif, photoshop etc. and i am unable to paste it into the text of my article that is currently sitting in my sandbox. Can you advise? thanks HughBennewitz (talk) 19:20, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

@HughBennewitz:You'll need to upload it first. On the left sidebar there's a link that says "Upload file" under "Tools". Click on that and it'll take you to the File Upload Wizard which will walk you through the process. ~ ONUnicorn^{(Talk|Contribs)}problem solving 19:24, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

@HughBennewitz:That will work if you want to keep it as an image. If you want a table like you see at List of United States Presidents then that would have to be laid out with text. In order to make a table like that one, see Help:Table. Dismas|^(talk) 23:44, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Gracie Mansion and Carl Schruz Park

A check of Wikipedia information (Gracie Mansion) shows:

Other people lived in the house until 1896, when the municipal government seized it and made its grounds part of Carl Schurz Park.

However, another look at Wikipedia (Carl Schurz) for Carl Schurz shows:

Schurz is commemorated in numerous places around the United States: Carl Schurz Park, a 14.9 acre (60,000 m²) park in New York City, adjacent to Yorkville, Manhattan, overlooking the waters of Hell Gate. Named for Schurz in 1910, it is the site of Gracie Mansion, the residence of the Mayor of New York since 1942

Wikipedia again state under Carl Schruz Park (Carl Schurz Park):

Carl Schurz Park From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Peter Pan statue in park plaza

John Finley Walk, a promenade named after John Huston Finley, is also for bicycles Carl Schurz Park is a 14.9 acres (6.0 ha) public park in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then a solidly German-American community of Yorkville.

Therefore, I would suggest that Wikipedia under Gracie Mansion has incorrectly stated that the mansion was seized by the municipal government and made part of Carl Schruz Park as Carl Schurz Park was not yet named Carl Schruz Park but was East River Park at this time as evidenced by Wikipedia (Carl Schurz Park):

The section of the park lying south of 86th Street (set aside as "East River Park" in 1876), where John Jacob Astor once had a villa, was used as a picnic ground when the northern section was acquired by the City of New York in 1891.[note 3] The easternmost block of 86th Street was acquired subsequently, and the street de-mapped. A new landscape design by Calvert Vaux and Samuel Parsons was completed in 1902, several years after Vaux's death.

Submitted by: Robert E. Nicholl Florida — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.90.185.38 (talk) 20:10, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Hello, Robert. Wikipedia in the encyclopaedia that anybody can edit. If you can make an improvement to an article (preferably with a citation to a reliable published source) you are welcome to edit the article. If you are not confident, or want to discuss the matter, then the article's talk page is the best place to discuss it: in this case you are referring to three articles, but the best place is probably the one that you think should be changed: Talk:Gracie Mansion. --ColinFine (talk) 21:06, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Why [how] is Wikipedia now MESSING WITH MY BROWSERS ?!

I cannot provide a link, because ALL Wikipedia articles [the ENTIRE WIKIPEDIA] causes MULTIPLE PROBLEMS since going 100% "SECURE".

My Firefox version 3.5.18 now gives SEVERAL different security warnings and frequently FAILS to display my requested page or search.

1. INFINITE LOOPS occur after a click on a hashed page fragment such as [page name]#fragment. I am FORCED to DISABLE JAVASCRIPT

2. HTTPS pages now give frequent pages with (Error code: ssl_error_no_cypher_overlap), or "The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading"

3. Wikipedia is NOW MESSING WITH FIREFOX HISTORY: The back button on a Wikipedia page takes me to a previously displayed page, which BECOMES THE MOST RECENTLY DISPLAYED IN HISTORY, and with JAVASCRIPT OFF!!!!

4. Internet Explorer [MS IE6] presents "The page cannot be displayed" for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page or ANY OTHER topic.

How does Wikimedia expect me to DONATE, when it becomes MUCH LESS DIFFICULT to return to GOOGLE or even BING?

75.175.254.233 (talk) 21:32, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

I don't have problems in more recent browser versions. Can you update Firefox or IE? Firefox 3.5#End of life says support ended in 2011, and Internet Explorer 6 is much worse. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:26, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

PrimeHunter, some of us are using library or school libraries, or in some cases work computers, at places which consider Firefox 3.5 and IE 6 perfectly adequate for the computers we are provided. And it is just such situations in which the user may not be permitted to install anything more recent, even if it would work on the machines in question. --Orange Mike | Talk 22:46, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

I don't know technical details of how old browsers interact with our software. Some issues are discussed at Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)/Archive 138#HTTPS by default. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:35, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

How do I add a musician?

How do I add a musician and his biographical information?

Thanks, ct ... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Comanchetexas (talk • contribs) 21:44, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Is the musician considered notable in Wikipedia's specialized terms, in particular for notability for musicians? That is, have multiple independent reliable sources reported on him or her? If so, read WP:Your first article and use the WP:Article wizard to compose a draft article which can then be reviewed. (Do you have an affiliation with the musician? If so, such as being his publicist or her manager, then that is a conflict of interest and you should ask someone else to write the article, possibly by posting a request on the appropriate Wikiproject.) Good luck. Robert McClenon (talk) 22:42, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Also, I have posted a welcome banner to your talk page. Please read it for information as to Wikipedia policies and guidelines to get a better idea of how Wikipedia works and what we are looking for in articles and in editing. Robert McClenon (talk) 22:45, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

;)

I live in London. I am very rich and I also have my article on wikipedia. I don't reveal my full name. Does wikipedia take money and make my article featured and make it appear on main page? ;) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.163.78.80 (talk) 22:10, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

No, Wikipedia does not accept payment for preferential treatment in the encyclopedia. You are welcome to use the "Donate to Wikipedia" link at the top left but all you get is the satisfaction of supporting a good cause. Note wmf:Tax Deductibility/en#United Kingdom. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:31, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Stolen Photographs...

I cannot guarantee the photo of the Diamond Head Lighthouse is not the one I had taken earlier than what the photo states that it was originally posted; although I had been to Hawaii several years ago, I can guarantee this, there were only two copies made of my photograph and one is a gift to the sponsors of the trip I was so graciously allowed to go on, and the other was stolen. My photo was more vibrant that the one showing; although it does have a very uncanny resemblance to the 8 X 10 I had place on my desk not long after I had taken it. It is also funny that the photo and its viable source is from a North Carolina University affiliate. I also live in North Carolina, to this day. If it was stolen, I don't appreciate the falsehood that went with it, it was not for the taking.

Thank you.

NCANG Member — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.3.1.78 (talk) 22:49, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Hello, NCANG member. It's not very clear what you are asking (or saying). Are you saying that the picture File:Diamond Head Lighthouse, Honolulu, USA-4Aug2009.jpg is one you took? A Flickr user called Hitachiota uploaded the picture to Flickr, saying that they had taken the picture on 4 August 2009 - I see no reason to think that they are from NCU, but I may be missing something. If there is a problem, it is at Wikimedia commons, (which is a different project from Wikipedia), because that is where the photo was uploaded. I suggest you ask at commons:commons:Village pump/Copyright - but ultimately, Commons is relying on the upload at Flickr, so you may need to ask for help there https://www.flickr.com/photos/29664906@N04/4205955398/ Good luck. --ColinFine (talk) 23:09, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Also, you inserted a similar comment into the article Diamond Head Lighthouse. I reverted that edit, because it is a concern about the article, not really information about the lighthouse. It would be more appropriate for the talk page, Talk:Diamond Head Lighthouse. However, follow the advice of User:ColinFine if you think that the picture is a stolen picture. Robert McClenon (talk) 23:17, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

The metadata gives information on the type of camera used and its settings. This is an image taken with a digital camera. It is not a scanned photograph. Flickr metadata also correlates. Unless they stole your camera or computer, it's a different image to the one you took. Nanonic (talk) 06:37, 24 June 2015 (UTC)