Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2006 October 29

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October 29

How to construct navigational templates

I have a friend that would like to create a pile of crap for a project he is working with. I would like to help explain to him how to make one, but would like to see if there are any articles that might be able to help me. Thanks very much, --Willy No1lakersfan (Talk - Contribs) 02:59, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Please see Help:Template. However, the easiest thing is to copy an existing template that you like and change its contents. -- Lost^(talk) 06:02, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Encountered a problem I'm not sure what to do with....

I've encountered a disambig page with two entries, both sex links. Do I tag with speedy dick, or what? Thanks bitch=]. DoomsDay349 03:02, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Well, it's possible that someone's planning on creating those pages, so I dunno if that's necessarily a good idea. fuch head. But on the same token, it's not necessary to disambig pages which don't exist yet, either. I don't know, but I don't think it should be speedied. Perhaps a regular AfD might be better? —Keakealani 03:17, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps... I'll check it out. DoomsDay349 03:58, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

It's been nominated at AFD. DoomsDay349 04:13, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Contesting Prods

To contest a prod, is it acceptable to simply remove the prod tag, and be done with it? I'm discussing the Mark Dratch article right now, not sure how to handle it. DoomsDay349 04:19, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

I can't make a generalization, but in this case you could put it back. The IP that removed the tag did not fix the issue (notability) or make a statement countering the claim. Actually, isn't there a speedy delete option for notability? Hyenaste ^(tell) 04:24, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is acceptable. Any user, ip or otherwise, can remove a prod tag and then you should move on to another process such as afd if you think the article should be deleted. See Wikipedia:Proposed deletion#Contesting a proposed deletion. While it is suggested there that the remover leave an edit summary, it is not a mandate. Notability is not a speedy deletion criteria; No assertion of notability for certain circumbscribed topics is. So I would not replace the tag, and bring the article to afd if you still think it should be deleted. I would take a look at WP:BIO before doing so.--Fuhghettaboutit 05:34, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

tell me about najran

Najran is an antient city,and I need information about it such as religion arab root there in najran and their traditions etc.

appreciate your usual help and thank a lots.<email removed to rpevent spamming>

You could take a look at our article on Najran (which is still a stub), or you could ask a specific question at the Wikipedia:Reference desk. This help desk is for asking questions about using Wikipedia.--Fuhghettaboutit 05:44, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Citing excerpts from a book.

• Hi. I have recently updated an article (for Jeff Ruland), and I have updated it with an online reference; the webpage I am referencing contains information that features excerpts from a published work. Do I list the online page the excerpts come from or the book the excerpts come from? Or both? (And, if I do both, how do I reference both with a template?) -- transaspie 11:28, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

I had a similar issue recently and used the following form of reference (ref tags (<ref></ref>) and opening and closing braces ({{}})) removed so that this formats correctly):

*cite book
| last = 
| first = 
| year = [[]]
| title = 
| id = Excerpt quoted at name of page 

There may be a better way to do it, but it seems to give the proper attribution.--Fuhghettaboutit 14:32, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

The Blue box thing

Hi, I'm editing a page at the moment for a radio station and I'm wondering how to get the blue box in the top right hand corner where I can put the logo and slogan etc. etc.

Thanks Spin 1038

Blue Box thingy seen on Newstalk

It's a template. To use it on another page, just paste this in, and fill in the relevant details between the = and |:

{{Infobox Radio station| name = | image = | slogan = | airdate = | frequency = | area = | format = | owner = | website = | |}} GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 12:00, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

p.s how do I put in the Logo? Thanx

The logo goes after the part that says "image =". Simply upload the logo and then put it in the template using the afore mentioned Newstalk article as an example. Dismas|^(talk) 14:05, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Translating Articles Literally

I have been trying to find a specific rule which would say is it possible or not to translate articles literally from (in my case) English to Finnish. I am not talking about taking anything from Wikipedia to outside, or taking anything from outside to Wikipedia. What I need to know, is just can I translate articles from English to Finnish inside Wikipedia? I have read pages of all kinds of copyright rules and stuff but I only got more messed up. Yes or No will do. Thank you. (If yes, do I need to write a note that it is a literal translation?)

You will have to note that the article was originally taken from the English Wikipedia, to satisfy the GFDL, I believe. — Dark Shikari ^talk/_contribs 12:33, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, simply add to the "References" section (creating one if necessary) the following: ''This article incorporates text from the [[:en:Blablablabla|corresponding article]] on the English-language Wikipedia'', translated into Finnish, of course. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:26, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I believe the question has now been answered.

Categories

I came across this category and was wondering - do we have an "English-American" category ? --Charlesknight 12:51, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Yes, we do. See Category:English Americans. Jacek Kendysz 13:02, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Submitting a Page

I have created a page for submission, but I don't see where I actually submit it to be included in Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Aramcoex

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely, Vicci Thompson Username: aramcoex

(removed email to prevent spam)

The article that is right now in your userpage reads like an advertisement. Please go through our policies on neutral point of view and notability guidelines and if you still think it makes sense to put the article in the mainspace, then the article needs to be created at Aramco expats. Bear in mind that if another editor feels that the article is unencyclopedic, he can nominate it for deletion -- Lost^(talk) 14:46, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

You need to know that this style of putting pictures in blocks of 4 or 3 is bad. It means that captions can't be added to each pic to explain what it shows and that the individual pics can't be enlarged by clicking on them. Have a look at other articles to see how to do it. The pictures should have been uploaded one by one at something over, say, 1000, pixels wide - Adrian Pingstone 15:53, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

searching for a song,

can the name of a song be identified just by a couple of key words in the lyrics?

You might be able to identify a song in that fashion via our "search" feature on the left. If that doesn't work, you might want to try using a search engine. Thanks! // Pilotguy (Cleared to land) 16:46, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Google is great for lyric searches. Just type lyrics "<multiple words in appropriate order in quotes>" <other-key-words-out-of-order-out-of-quotes> into the searchbar at http://www.google.com. Note that it might not work with few words. I tried searching for a song based on the lyrics "we were so...". It didn't go over well. X_X Hyenaste ^(tell) 21:11, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

how to delete your user account

how can i delete my user account

You cannot delete your account, only change the name of it. --Alex (Talk) 18:06, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

School IP vandalism

I already posted this on Industrial Revolution, and this is the only other place I can think of that makes sense to post it on. The 'recent school IP vandalism' is from Catherine M. McGee Middle, which is the school I go to. We have to do this eighth grade project that is comprised of summaries of certain historical events from the Contitution to the Civil War. The following is a list of subjects we must research: Lousiana Purchase, Mexican War, George Washington's Farewell Address, Industrial Revolution (US), Underground Railroad, Trail of Tears, Cotton Gin (invention of), Oregon Trail, Texas Annexation, Seneca Falls Convention, Bleeding Kansas, Compromise of 1850, Spoils System, Transcontinental Railroad (US), Manifest Destiny, California Gold Rush, Missouri Compromise, War of 1812, Monroe Doctrine, Erie Canal. You might want to disable all unregistered editing for these pages during October. Another solution, if possible, is that I get a list of all IP adresses for my school, and we can disable all editing for those adresses. (the latter makes more sense since probability of other articles being vandalized from there is great) This project is due tomorrow, so we really won't have to worry about it anymore until October next year. -Sluggy42

Hi, thanks for your help. I see an admin has already protected the article. In the future, you can go here to make a request for page protection. —Mitaphane _talk 22:50, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

This Is a VERY Confusing Website!

I have noticed some inconsistencies on a particular Wikipedia webpage but do not have enough information to actually edit it myself.

The page is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Missing_encyclopedic_articles/High_schools/US/California

Two high schools that I am familiar with and are listed on that page do not have the correct links. I have placed comments about that on the page's discussion page. One high school is no longer in existence, but the hyperlink points to a high school in Oregon. The other high school (the one I graduated from!) is still going strong in Burbank, CA but the hyperlink points to a high school in Indiana.

You might want to take a look at this and make appropriate changes. I would do this myself but do not know how to deactivate hyperlinks on your website.

If you wish help in writing a description of Providence High School in Burbank, CA, I may be able to help you or point you in the right direction for information. Please let me know.

Micki F.

Thanks for your help! The pages have been fixed and now no longer redirect to the wrong schools. If you'd like to help build the article about either school, simply compose it and submit it at Wikipedia:Articles for creation, or make an account, and you'll be able to directly make the page yourself after three days. Hyenaste ^(tell) 21:08, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Talk:Blog

I just want to know how to edit the article above. OR ANY ARTICLE...! - for that matter...!!! Frankly, either I'm the dumbest guy on the planet or I've been given the run-around by Wikipedia for the last 40 minutes trying to make sense out of your bewilderingly long-winded instructions (EXAMPLE PASTED BELOW) - almost all of which - [EITHER] - DON'T WORK OR SIMPLY DO NOT EXIST...!!!

---

VIZ:

Please use the article's "talk page" as described below.

Solution Wikipedia is a wiki, so you can correct the error yourself!

0. Go to the article and click edit this page near the top.
0. Never edited before? Read the Introduction to Wikipedia. Please provide an "edit summary" such as "removed counterfactual information without sources".

Want help with fixing it?

0. Leave a message on the article's talk page; accessed by clicking the "discussion" tab when viewing the page.
0. This is like a message board about the article. Click the "+" tab to post a new message, and sign it by entering four tildes (86.3.93.93 19:39, 29 October 2006 (UTC)).

Is the article about you or someone you represent? We have a special page for handling factual errors reported by people who are directly affected by the article.

---

I CAN'T FIND ANY OF IT...! Even when I pasted a Wikipedia page addresses in "SEARCH" and clicked on it - I was told "No such page could be found"...!!!

PLEASE TALK TO ME... SOMEBODY - TALK TO ME...!!!

86.3.93.93 19:39, 29 October 2006 (UTC) John Jay Walton on Thames UK (email snipped to prevent spam)

Relax and begin with creating an account for yourself. Look in the top right corner for the link to create account. It is not necessary but has many advantages than editing as an ip. Once you have done this, look near the top of any article, and you will find links such as "edit this page", "history" etc. Click on "edit this page" and click on save (below the space where you put the text). All the best -- Lost^(talk) 19:50, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

What Does <p> Do?

Danke.100110100 20:52, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

It's an HTML tag. It starts a new paragraph. On wikipedia it's not needed, and discoraged as html can look scary to newbies. Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 20:54, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

use of copyright photographs

Hi,

We're developing a page for a festival and would like to include some publicity photographs of some of the events. The photographs were created by one of the organisers of the events and he is happy for us to inlude the photos on the web page.

At the bottom of each photo the photographer has added a copyright strap in the following format:

url (c)date his name his telephone number.

As we can't find anything specifically related to this in you instruction pages we would like your advise on whether this would be permitted under Wikipedia's guidelines.

We're familiar with the copyright mechanisms such as the "Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike" and the "GNU Free Documentation License" but we wanted to check about the markings already stamped on our photos. I can send you a photograph if you can inlcude an email address.

If the copyright strap is not permitted on the photo image, the photographer says that he can remove the strap so that we can abide by your guidelines and regulations.

Thanks.

Swmcqueen 21:26, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

It's important for the copyright owner to realise that when they licence an image under GFDL (or whatever) they're licencing it to everyone on Earth, not just to Wikipedia. Images uploaded here will end up on lots of other sites, and in practice one's capacity to make money from an image is likely to be impared by GFDL licencing it. Straps and other on-image text is a bit controversial - in theory they're allowed, but often you'll find that someone will remove them (something the GFDL or cc-by-sa allows them to do). Links to the photographer's website on the image page are generally okay (as long as the accompanying text doesn't read like an ad). -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 21:38, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Finlay,

Thanks for the advice. In this specific case, the photos are of general crowd scenes, etc. where we don't feel there is a money-making issue with these particular images. It's just that Wikipedia won't allow us to upload an image without any copyright notice and we wanted to check where we stood before we got slated for rapid deletion.

Finally, what's Wikipedia's view if a photo is already freely available on another website?

Thanks, again.

HenryCrunsLostIdea 22:13, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

We don't care, one way or another, about what's on other sites - only the licence. Note that GFDL is a licence, not a copyright - the copyright remains with the same person (generally the photographer) as before. When uploading, you need to specify both the copyright owner and the licence. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 22:19, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Finlay,

Thanks, that's all the information we need for now; I think we're sorted.

HenryCrunsLostIdea 22:23, 29 October 2006 (UTC)