Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2008 January 27

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January 27

Superscripted references?

I notice that many articles have superscripted numbers for references. How do I get links to appear superscripted like that? Wildcat2011 (talk) 00:58, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Citations. The way I usually do it is I put the reference in between ref tags <ref> </ref> at the place where I want the superscript, then have a references section that just says <references/> . The footnotes are then generated automatically using the information from between the ref tags. There are other ways to do it, e.g. Harvard citation. --Coppertwig (talk) 01:01, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Also see WP:FOOT. --Teratornis (talk) 02:10, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Insert a picture.

On January 27, 2008, I was attempting to insert a picture that I have taken with my digital camera. I have it uploaded. It is called Open Mouth.jpg. As you may guess, I was trying to insert it into the article called Mouth (human). But no matter how I tried, I could not insert it. Can you please tell me how to do so? I am very sorry to say that I did not understand the how-to in the help bage. Thank you. Jessica DeVoto (talk) 03:17, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

You attempted inserting the correct code on your third edit ([[Image:Open Mouth.jpg|thumb|A human mouth, open]]) but you were placing the image inside the infobox, rather than into the article. The infobox, as far as I'm aware, can only take one image. If you try again, do so outside the infobox and you shouldn't have a problem. I feel bad saying it but I feel compelled to mention that the image is really very blurry, and thus I'm not sure if it's useable.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:29, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I tried inserting it again, this time outside the infobox, and it still does not show up when I save the page. What am I doing wrong? P.S.: I looked at the picture in a smaller size, and I don't think it looks terrible. The uploaded version appears really big, and I think that makes it look pixelated. Thank you, Jessica DeVoto (talk) 15:22, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

You are inserting it in a gallery. In this case you should omit the usual square brackets and the |thumb parameter. This worked fine for me in preview mode. I have to say I agree with Fuhghettaboutit on the quality. You need better lighting for the shot. SpinningSpark 16:31, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia legal listserv

A discussion is ongoing on the Village Pump about libel and Wikipedia. I seem to remember reading that there is a listserv for Wikipedia-related legal matters. I'd like to send a message to its members. Does anyone know the address? Thanks -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:58, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

The legal mailing list address is unpublished, but you can send your message to info-en-q AT wikimedia DOT org, and they'll handle it. WODUP 04:22, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Thanks -- Mwalcoff (talk) 05:02, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Your query isn't really of the sort that the OTRS legal queue (not a traditional listserv, as WODUP notes) exists to address so you may well not receive any really helpful reply. Since the questions you raise might be of interest to the broader community (while the Foundation may, of course, act as it likes with respect to the prospective legal liabilities of itself and, I suppose, its contributors, the community are often peripherally involved in discussions relating to how we might report on issues that reasonably present libel concerns), you might elicit more views by writing the WikiEN-l mailing list (of which at least a few members, I think, are relatively well-schooled in certain aspects of media law), which is really a companion to VPP, or, perhaps, if it seems necessary, Foundation-l. 69.142.58.232 (talk) 08:12, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Problem with template

Is there something wrong with the warning template? When I type in the subst:uw-vandalism4 template enclosed by {{}}, the below shows up instead..
This is the last warning you will receive for your disruptive edits.
The next time you vandalize Wikipedia, as you did to [[:{{{1}}}]], you will be blocked from editing. {{{2}}}

Nuttycoconut (talk) 04:43, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, there is an issue. Random832 changed the template and that is an accidental result. I am going to contact him and put it in IRC. SorryGuy  Talk  05:13, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Turns out it is only semi-protect, heh, going to revert it myself. SorryGuy  Talk  05:13, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

OK, all fixed now, thanks. --Nuttycoconut (talk) 08:51, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

table restarts list numbering

I need to enter something like:

# one
# two
{|
|foo
|-
|bar
|}
# three

When it renders by MediaWiki I get "three" numbered 1 instead of 3. How can I make "three" be numbered 3, i.e. continue the list rather than start a new one? Thanks, Anna K. (talk) 08:29, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

How about

# one
# two
{|
|foo
|-
|bar
|}
<ol start="3">
<li>three</li>
</ol>

? WODUP 09:02, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Admin

HI how do i become admin on the site thanks a lot Onlinegamer1 (talk) 09:36, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Well, instructions can be found here but you will need a lot of edits and trust from the community. _{WEBURIEDOURSECRETSINTHEGARDEN}^{play it cool.} 09:45, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

ORDINATION

HOW DO I GET ORDAINED? —Preceding unsigned comment added by KaronKMV (talk • contribs) 12:29, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

You should probably ask your question at the Humanities section of the reference desk. The help desk here is for answering questions about how to use Wikipedia and as we do not ordain our editors we cannot help you. SpinningSpark 16:19, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Well... this page does work to ordain editors in the Church (Cult?) of Wikipedia's degrees in WP:NOT, WP:COI, and WP:V. Now, if only we had a Wikipedia OT III level we'd be all set.  ;-) —Noah 17:31, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Is there a part of Wikipedia on how to do things?

Is there a part of wikipedia or it's sister projects that is a wiki on how to do things, for example, make a cake. or build a dog house. or something like that? Cause I wish to browse and contribute to it if there is one.

122.104.244.33 (talk) 13:18, 27 January 2008 (UTC)SKRIPI122.104.244.33 (talk) 13:18, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Wikihow at [1] is what you are looking for - and thank you for your question. Best wishes, DuncanHill (talk) 13:21, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Also, Wikibooks, a sister project of Wikipedia, has some how-to guides like a cookbook, but how-to isn't their main focus. However, they do have a How-tos bookshelf. NF24^{(radio me!)} 13:24, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure, but I think Wikihow is a separate organization, not a sister project of Wikipedia; i.e. not hosted by the Wikimedia foundation. --Coppertwig (talk) 18:21, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Right. wikiHow uses the same MediaWiki software but is otherwise unrelated to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia foundation. See Wikimedia:Our projects for the current Wikimedia projects. There is a small howto wiki at http://howto.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page but Wikia is not a Wikimedia project (although there are some ties between the two). PrimeHunter (talk) 21:50, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

How can I publish this text?

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Sandbox&diff=prev&oldid=187088314

Audiman22000 (talk) 15:45, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Before creating an article, 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.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, 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 for guidance. Happy editing! • Anakin ^{(contribs • complaints)} 16:43, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Once you've figured out whether your topic is suitable for Wikipedia, you can create the page by typing the name of it into the search box, just as if you're looking for the page, and click "go". It will tell you the page doesn't exist, and give you a red link "Create this page". Click on that link to create the page. --Coppertwig (talk) 18:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Afd

When I nominate an article for deletion, does a bot automatically notify the creator? (It seems to have done it for Jack Truman.) Clarityfiend (talk) 17:21, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

No. If you use Twinkle then it will automatically inform the user; see that page for more info. _{WEBURIEDOURSECRETSINTHEGARDEN}^{play it cool.} 17:34, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I looked at the case and User:BJBot did actually notify the creator.[2] Special:Contributions/BJBot shows many such notifications. I don't know whether it will always happen. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:32, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Template formating

Need some help regarding the {{UStaxation}} template. There are a few areas in this template that use a show / hide feature. However, there is an issue with the text size on these headers. The text size looks correct at 110% on IE and Firefox but looks correctly sized at 100% on Safari. Since the top headers use a different class then the lower ones, I'm not sure what the deal is. I need help trying to get these things to look correct across platforms. Thanks Morphh ^(talk) 18:00, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I'll try using pixel definitions to keep the text size the same for every browser. Mind trying it out? I don't have Safari. Thanks, Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 18:05, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

That looks pretty good - better than before. In this one, it looks the same in Firefox and Safari but slightly smaller (compared to the top headers) in IE, but not enough to be of concern. I'll work with the other headers using pixels to see if it makes any difference but this does improve it. Thanks Morphh ^(talk) 18:12, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Sounds good; I'll look some more, maybe there's a way to make it always look the same. Cheers, Master of Puppets _{Call me MoP!☺} 18:16, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Request for Comment

There's a "Request for comment" going that I'm involved in. I would like to have some "outside" input, in addition to editors and admins already involved with the matter. Are there appropriate places to post a request for input without being accused of canvassing? Thanks, Wanderer57 (talk) 18:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

You could put something on your userpage. _{WEBURIEDOURSECRETSINTHEGARDEN}^{play it cool.} 18:25, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Or you might include a link in your signature. - PeaceNT (talk) 18:27, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Putting a link in a signature would probably not be the correct way to do that, as it could be construed as WP:CANVASSING. Corvus cornix_talk 20:00, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you both for your suggestions. By the way, here is my message:

As many people are aware, RFC's are improved by getting broader, non-partisan input.

Thus far the pattern of endorsements in the new Whig 2-Filll-Adam Cuerden RFC is largely along "party lines". It would be helpful and refreshing to also get input from some people who are uncommitted or less committed to one position or another.

I ask that people who have not reviewed the RFC please do so. It is HERE Thank you. Wanderer57 (talk) 19:37, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

infobox image placement interference

I have been having trouble getting the image at Garland Rivers to appear at the top of the college section. It seems it will only appear lower than the bottom of the infobox. Is this correctible?--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTD) 19:05, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

This is a problem with how floating elements work in almost all browsers. It is quite annoying to be honest and proof that much of the CSS styling was tacked onto tables and other HTML with little regard for how stuff is supposed to work. It was solved for the Article Message Boxes (cleanup and deletion templates) after much CSS and HTML testing. I guess we could fix it for pictures and infoboxes if we put some significant amount of time and effort into it, and it would require a Mediawiki software update... --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 20:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I fixed it by reversing a recent change in the NFL player template that had introduced two stacked right side infoboxes, instead of one. Apparently with 2 of those, left clear items start bunching after the first infobox and before the second infobox (no idea why...) --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 21:02, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia's strict definition of "fair use"

I'd like to use the following image on Wikipedia. [3] I uploaded it, but it was deleted under the claim that it violates copyright.

The image is derived from two sources:

• This image held by Wikimedia, under the GFDL
• A Chinese propaganda poster from the 50's, photographed by Michael Wolf, licensed to Taschen, which I then modified using photoshop. So it is itself a derivative work.

Both images I got from Wikipedia, but the second image I have been unable to find.

Because my image is a parody (and a political one at that), there's no non-free equivalent, and doesn't harm any outside business (it's the cover of Taschen's book on Chinese propaganda), it definitely falls under the legal definition of "fair use."

However, Wikipedia policy as it's worded now is more strict than the actual law on fair use:

Wikipedia:Fair use#Policy

For purposes of this policy "non-free content" means all copyrighted images and other media files that lack a free content license. Such material may be used on the English Wikipedia only where all 10 of the following criteria are met.

1. No free equivalent
2. Respect for commercial opportunities.
3. Previous publication
4. Previous publication
5. Content
6. Media-specific policy
7. One-article minimum
8. Significance
9. Restrictions on location
10. Image description page

The law states that those ten criteria must be generally met, not that they all must be completely met.

It's probably not a good idea to re-word the policy (because having it be strict is a good thing), but since what I'm doing is totally legal, is it possible for me to re-upload it, with the fair use justification that I have? ☯  Zenwhat (talk) 19:22, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, Wikipedia's Fair Use policy is more strict than the American Fair Use law. But the Foundation has demanded this to be as sure as possible that we don't get sued over anything. You are welcome to try and change the rules, but I have little hope that you will succeed. Best what I can advise you is to design a new image, or use it on your weblog or another "privately" operated server. --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 20:26, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

It’s not just a concern over law suits: The more important purpose of the non-free media policy is to discourage non-free images—maximizing the reusability of Wikipedia content. Some Wikipedias do not allow any non-free images. So the English Wikipedia policy is a compromise.

(Even without the non-free content policy I see no encyclopedic purpose for your image; it seems the image equivalent of WP:OR.) --teb728 t c 21:45, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Using images from wikipedia

I was wondering what the imaging licensing policy if I wanted to use images for a lecture to broadcast —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.170.113.170 (talk) 19:27, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

You may be interested in reading Wikipedia:Copyrights. It details the specific rights of separate parts of wikipedia. If you need further assistance, please include a link to the file in question. Hope this helps! --omtay38 20:04, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Report

Hi, Where can I report errors or anything else to Wikipedia staff? Can you also tell me their email address? Thanks!

Wikipedia is run almost entirely by volunteers. There are only around a dozen paid staff, while there are millions of volunteer editors (over 6 million, plus however many edit without an account). So, if you see an error or another problem anywhere on Wikipedia, you can either fix it yourself, bring it up on the article's talk page, ask an editor who has previously worked on the article to fix it, or mention it on a discussion page such as the village pump.

Actually, this page is one such page where you can mention things like that, so if you have a specific error or problem in mind, just say what it is right here and someone will take a look at it. Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 20:58, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Contact us, reached by clicking "Contact Wikipedia" in the interaction box to the left. It leads to email addresses for some kinds of problems. If you say the problem here then we can guide you better or maybe fix it immediately. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:20, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much.:) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.96.243.135 (talk) 22:34, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Wikipedia

Regarding my previous comment on Wikipedia which i've cancelled. Is it possible to create a new Department on wikipedia, simular to the counter-vandalism unit or other departments which follow's the rules without the page getting nominated for deletion, the reason why i'm asking is because certain user's have been creating departments which sound's like it's attempting to disrupt Wikipedia, i'm wanting to create one which follow's all rules and performs furios tasks throughout wikipedia, but i'm wondering whether it's possible. →Dust Rider→ 20:50, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

I'm not sure quite what you're suggesting. My guess is what you're looking to do is create a new WikiProject, in which case the page I linked you to has some advice. If you are, you'll want to figure out before proposing it exactly what the WikiProject would do. A WikiProject that is of interest only to a very small number of people or that duplicates already existing projects won't be very successful. Also, I'm not sure what you're referring to with projects attempting to disrupt Wikipedia; I've never seen a WikiProject as a whole being disruptive, though individual members might be occasionally. Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 21:06, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Problems logging back in

Hello, I having problems logging back in. My user name is Rocketmaniac. I tried to go to my watchlist, (I had selected "remberber me") but it made me log in again. I didn't remember my password, so I did the "Email new password". After getting the email, I tried the confermation code, but it said wrong or invalid code. (I cut and pasted the code so to not enter it wrong). Now what do I do? I tried "email new password" again, but only 1 emailed password in 24 hrs. Thanks, Rocketmaniac (talk) 21:54, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

"E-mail new password" should send a mail called "New temporary password for Wikipedia", containing a password to be entered at Special:Userlogin. But you speak of a confirmation code which is what you use to enable email for an account as described at Help:Email confirmation. The confirmation code is clicked, or copied to your browser address bar, and mine came in a mail called "Wikipedia e-mail address confirmation". Could you be mixing the two concepts? PrimeHunter (talk) 22:09, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Problem solved. It was an issue of correct capitals. Earlier I was using a capital "R" in Rocketmaniac, but when I just tried rocketmaniac it worked fine. Thanks, Rocketmaniac (talk) 23:53, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Good it works now, but I guess something else was different before. It doesn't matter whether the first username letter is capitalized. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:01, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Loc map in the Infobox Mid-air accident template is malfunctioning

Resolved

 – Fixed template to remove dependence on an old parser “misfeature.”

Hi! Can somebody explain me, why suddenly the template:Location map in template:Infobox Mid-air accident doesnt present itself correcly? Can somebody make it work again? I myself have no idea, what is wrong... *sob* :-) --Homer Landskirty (talk) 22:42, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Oh... Maybe I should add an example: Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937... --Homer Landskirty (talk) 22:43, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Oh man, where to start... Well basically this stopped working because it is misusing bugs that were present in the old mediawiki parser and were fixed in the past week. The problem is though, I have no idea what it actually wants to do. It seems it is using locationmap template, and inserting extra paramaters into it. I'll go ask on IRC if a developer knows what is supposed to be done in these cases. --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 23:55, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

Fixed --TheDJ (talk • contribs) 00:32, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Kewl... Thx... :-) --Homer Landskirty (talk) 07:47, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

I thought, it was not a bug but a feature... :-) --Homer Landskirty (talk) 07:47, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

printing??

How do I:

1) print Wikipedia articles the best?

2) CHANGE the FONT to a larger font??

3) print so the blue "hot link" references print out also —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.107.18.187 (talk) 23:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

To enlarge the font size on Wikipedia pages (or any page for that matter), you'll need to change your browser settings. For Firefox, this can be found under View -> Text size. To get a version of a Wikipedia page that is better for printing, use the printable version. You can access the printable version by clicking the Printable version link in the toolbox on the sidebar, or by adding &printable=yes to the end of the URL. The printable version will print links as well, but they won't be colored blue. Of course, you won't need to click on them when they're on paper, anyway. Pyrospirit (talk · contribs) 23:43, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

If you're using the default Monobook skin, it's not necessary to use the "printable version" link for printing, see Help:Printable. As far as I know the only reason this link exists is that if it didn't, people would be asking for it all the time, not realising printing just works. --Dapeteばか 12:31, 28 January 2008 (UTC)