Help desk
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November 22[edit]

Jimmy Wales picture[edit]

This picture of Jimmy Wales on the banner of Wikipedia is really weirding me out. When will it be taken off? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.108.115.31 (talk) 00:07, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The fundraiser campaign is typically run until tht target is met, but generally the banners are changed during this process. However, if you would like to remove the banner, you can click on the "X" in the top-right corner of the image to make it disappear, and if you have an account you can opt not to display the banners by selecting the appropriate option under "Gadgets" in "My preferences". - Bilby (talk) 02:41, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I gave money and was hoping it would go away based on my IP (feature request!), but I guess I'll just find my account info and log in. Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.111.107.137 (talk) 19:10, 24 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I can't agree more. Fundraising for Wikipedia is a great idea. This giant ego trip by one person is not. I won't contribute until it's gone. --Reg Natarajan, November 26, 2010 00:05 UTC

Cleanup template for bad English[edit]

Is there an appropriate cleanup template to put on an article that is written by someone with a poor command of English and that needs a better English speaker familiar with the subject matter to clean up? I see this often. There's {{copyedit}}, but I think something more specific is required. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 03:42, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How about {{cleanup-rewrite}} wia a reason? See the template documentation. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 04:11, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I think because of the frequency of the situation I mention, we might want to have a specific template to address it, and perhaps a page listing articles with such template. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 04:28, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I remember this being discussed by the Guild of Copy Editors, so I think you'd find support for such a template. There'd be no need to create a special page, though – the template should automatically place any page into a specific maintenance category, similar to how {{copyedit}} puts pages into Category:All articles needing copy edit. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 09:17, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Inserting New Words?[edit]

How do we enter new words or companies to Wikipedia? Robin Kruk —Preceding unsigned comment added by RobinKruk (talk • contribs) 04:36, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hi, and welcome to Wikipedia. The first thing to note is that Wikipedia isn't a dictionary, so we wouldn't usually want to cover "new words". (Our sister project Wiktionary is a dictionary, but it too has rules about neologisms: see here.)

As for companies, the first thing is to establish whether they meet our notability inclusion criteria: that is, whether they're already covered in enough detail by multiple third-party reliable sources (like books and newspapers) to prove that they merit an article in an encyclopedia. If they do, then the instructions at this page explain how to actually create the article. But please note that "new" entities often fail to meet inclusion criteria, because they're less likely to have been the subject already of substantial coverage in third-party reliable sources. If what you are looking for is a directory site to list a new commercial entity, Wikipedia is not the best place to do this: our list of alternative outlets suggests some better alternatives. Gonzonoir (talk) 10:20, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Harassment[edit]

I feel as if I'm being stalked and harassed by a moderator on this website. Despite my postings of accurate information with resources to back them up, my edits are considered COI. How can I report this person for harassment? Taurenlegend (talk) 05:05, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Taurenlegend. I'm sorry you are feeling uncomfortable about the situation.

Looking at your user page, I see that another editor (who I believe is not actually an administrator) placed a conflict of interest notice on your talk page. It does look to me, based on things you have written stating that you represent a company about which you have been editing, that this was a reasonable thing for the other editor to do. Our conflict of interest policy applies to all edits made by parties that have a close relationship with an entity about which they edit, even if those edits involve adding material with good sources. That's because such a relationship makes it harder to maintain an entirely neutral point of view about the subject, and means it's a good idea to get others' consensus for changes you want to see to the content. Your best bet, if you want to contribute on an area in which you have a conflict, is to propose your edits on the relevant article's talk page, and let other editors assess them and include them as appropriate.

Before escalating a dispute with anyone on Wikipedia, it's also a very good idea to try to talk to them directly at first (probably on their user talk page), explain what your concerns are, and give them a chance to explain their actions in turn. Have you tried to do this in this case? Gonzonoir (talk) 10:32, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

To call attention to a note left on the article's talk page, use the {{Request edit}} template. -- Bk314159 (Talk to me and find out what I've done) 18:57, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Is there any other way to retrieve my password other than email?[edit]

I've lost my password...or forgotten it, anyway. And when I attempt to reset it, Wikipedia informs me that there is no email address associated with my username.

Is there any other way to retrieve or reset my password? Help! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.70.229.42 (talk) 05:38, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Unless you have placed a committed identity while logged into your account, you'll have to create a new one. GiftigerWunsch [TALK] 08:26, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

question regarding health[edit]

Dear Sir, I am suffering from piles. what is the treatment or any remedies plz advise me what to do. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.50.161.15 (talk) 08:58, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

We cannot offer medical advice. Please see the medical disclaimer. Contact an appropriate medical professional. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 09:11, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Question about moving an article draft[edit]

Help, I cannot move my draft to an article. I am stopped by a sign "protected name", I believe. What does this mean and how can I get permission to move from draft to article. Thanks.Maxweber1864 (talk) 09:53, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Maxweber1864. Looking at the userspace draft article you've written at User:Maxweber1864/new article name here, I guess you may be trying to move the article to the title Stephen Turner? That page is indeed protected because it's been the site of the repeated recreation of unsuitable material. It doesn't look like your draft has anything in common with these earlier unsuitable creation attempts, so you could request unprotection here.

Before you move your draft to article space, though, it would be a good idea to add some references to third-party reliable sources that would demonstrate how your article's subject meets notability criteria. The relevant inclusion guideline is WP:PROF. It sounds to me like the article's subject probably meets these guidelines, but it would be extremely helpful if you could add some references to demonstrate it. Gonzonoir (talk) 10:09, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

to get full suggestions from technical experts[edit]

Italic textsir i want information about indianrailways i want to know about the concern authority for my project.My project name is Automatic chain pulling detection system.It is important for me to know about the recent situation in the indian railways plz guide me or provide me with some details... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.118.154.139 (talk) 09:54, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

We have an article about Indian Railways which may help you. You can also try asking at one of Wikipedia's reference desks (but please note that this board, the help desk, is only intended for questions about using Wikipedia itself). Gonzonoir (talk) 10:34, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

English[edit]

How to develop the speaking skill in English and is there any site or other means which are helpful for it.

Raijohn <email redacted> —Preceding unsigned comment added by RAIJOHN (talk • contribs) 12:38, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I have removed your email address; as it says at the top of this page, "For your own security, please do not provide your email address or other contact details. Answers will be provided on this page; we are unable to provide answers via email". I googled "spoken english practice website" and found plenty of sites that offer resources of the kind you're looking for free of charge. Ka renjc 13:46, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Disappearing Text[edit]

I am currently a member of the Stella McCartney Ecommerce team and have been trying to update our page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_mccartney) to include the new Stella McCartney Kids information. I do have an account although not sure if I have authorisation to edit the page. I can edit/update it however when I save the changes then leave the site for a time it has disappeared!? Can I check to see if someone is removing it or am I doing something wrong? Many thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rebeccajaneherd27 (talk • contribs) 13:14, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's not *your* page. You don't own it. You can look at the page history, and see the diff for the explanation of the removal of the material you added. It would be wise for you to read WP:COI, WP:BESTCOI, WP:ADVERT, and WP:BFAQ. - David Biddulph (talk) 13:28, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia Funding[edit]

I understand that a basic platform of Wikipedia is open source and free usage, but it preforms an improtant international social function and takes finance to function. It is an important component of Google's search functions. So,why doesn't Google offer to provide some financing to Wiki? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.10.197.232 (talk) 13:26, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Actually Google donated US$2 million to the Wikimedia Foundation earlier this year. See this link for some commentary. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 14:21, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Google also provides slave-server space (not the master servers) and bandwidth to Wikipedia free of charge, or at least it has done in the past. Physchim62 (talk) 16:51, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Commons[edit]

Could you transfer the cover of the singleYou Know You're Right on Commons? It should be in the public domain.--79.32.156.23 (talk) 14:07, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Done – ukexpat (talk) 18:34, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Question from Georgia[edit]

გამარჯობათ, მაინტერესებს თუ ხდება მკურნალობა გენეკოლორგიული განხრით? მაქვს პრობლემები და არ ვიცი რა ვქნა. გორმონებით არ მინდა მკურნალობა და არც აქვს შედეგი... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.43.156.108 (talk) 14:14, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Please ask your question at the Georgian Wikipedia

გთხოვთ თქვენს შეკითხვას ქართულ ვიკიპედია LINK -- John of Reading (talk) 16:43, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

For what it's worth, the translate.google.com translation is "Hello, I wonder if the treatment is genekolorgiuli field? I have problems and I do not know what to do. Gormonebit do not want to treat and not a result ..."Naraht (talk) 16:45, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Book-->Download PDF failed: Error message: "An error occurred on the render server:"[edit]

Any ideas how I can fix this, or, notify someone who can? ThX

Extended content

_____________________________________ {{{ Render server error From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search An error occured on the render server: RuntimeError: command failed with returncode 9: ['mw-render', '-w', 'rl', '-c', 'cache/3e/3ec8757b439955d7/collection.zip', '-o', 'cache/3e/3ec8757b439955d7/output.rl', '--status', 'qserve://localhost:14311/3ec8757b439955d7:render-rl', '--template-blacklist', 'MediaWiki:PDF Template Blacklist', '--template-exclusion-category', 'Exclude in print', '--print-template-prefix', 'Print', '--print-template-pattern', '$1/Print', '--language', 'en'] Last Output: out Geometry of numbers51.1555555556% laying out Geometry of numbers2010-11-22T09:08:25 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=395734837' 51.1555555556% laying out Analytic number theory51.5666666667% laying out Analytic number theory2010-11-22T09:08:33 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=397658633' 51.5666666667% laying out Transcendental number51.9777777778% laying out Transcendental number2010-11-22T09:08:47 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=385204738' 51.9777777778% laying out Diophantine approximation52.3888888889% laying out Diophantine approximation2010-11-22T09:08:49 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=385192492' 52.3888888889% laying out ''p''-adic analysis52.8% laying out ''p''-adic analysis2010-11-22T09:08:50 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=373423123' 52.8% laying out Function field of an algebraic variety53.2111111111% laying out Function field of an algebraic variety2010-11-22T09:08:51 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=398143485' 53.2111111111% laying out Ulam spiral53.6222222222% laying out Ulam spiral2010-11-22T09:08:54 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=395915230' 53.6222222222% laying out Abstract algebra54.0333333333% laying out Abstract algebra2010-11-22T09:08:55 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=395633357' 54.0333333333% laying out Algebraic structure54.4444444444% laying out Algebraic structure2010-11-22T09:08:57 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=396675732' 54.4444444444% laying out Boolean algebra (logic)54.8555555556% laying out Boolean algebra (logic)2010-11-22T09:09:03 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=396467602' 54.8555555556% laying out Logic gate55.2666666667% laying out Logic gate2010-11-22T09:09:12 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=396635191' 55.2666666667% laying out Relational algebra2010-11-22T09:09:17 rlwriter.info >> skipping math formula, png to big: u'P = \\sigma_{b_1=d_1,\\ldots,b_m=d_m}(R \\times T) = \\sigma_{b_1=d_1}(\\sigma_{b_2=d_2}(\\ldots\\sigma_{b_m=d_m}(R \\times T)\\ldots))' 2010-11-22T09:09:35 rlwriter.info >> skipping math formula, png to big: u'\\pi_{a_1, ...,a_n}(\\sigma_A( R )) = \\sigma_A(\\pi_{a_1, ...,a_n}( R ))\\;\\;\\;\\mathrm{where}\\;\\;\\mathrm{fields\\ in}\\ A \\subseteq \\{a_1,...,a_n\\}' 2010-11-22T09:09:35 rlwriter.info >> skipping math formula, png to big: u'\\pi_{a_1, ..., a_n}(\\pi_{b_1, ..., b_m}(R)) = \\pi_{a_1, ..., a_n}(R)\\;\\;\\;\\mathrm{where}\\;\\;\\{a_1, ..., a_n\\} \\subseteq \\{b_1, ..., b_m\\}' 2010-11-22T09:09:36 rlwriter.info >> skipping math formula, png to big: u"\\pi_A(\\{ \\langle A=a, B=b \\rangle \\}) \\cap \\pi_A(\\{ \\langle A=a, B=b' \\rangle \\}) = \\{ \\langle A=a \\rangle \\}" 55.6777777778% laying out Relational algebra2010-11-22T09:09:38 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=16433440' 55.6777777778% laying out Databases56.0888888889% laying out Databases2010-11-22T09:09:39 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=16555279' 56.0888888889% laying out Algebraic coding theory56.5% laying out Algebraic coding theory2010-11-22T09:09:40 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=396808244' 56.5% laying out Semigroup56.9111111111% laying out Semigroup2010-11-22T09:09:51 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=395491648' 56.9111111111% laying out Monoid57.3222222222% laying out Monoid2010-11-22T09:09:59 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=16629405' 57.3222222222% laying out Formal languages57.7333333333% laying out Formal languages2010-11-22T09:10:05 rlwriter.info >> rendering: u'http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=397655615' 57.7333333333% laying out Finite difference in function system, file /home/pp/local/lib/python2.6/site-packages/mwlib-0.12.13-py2.6-linux-x86_64.egg/EGG-INFO/scripts/nslave.py, line 37 }}}

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Bismuti (talk • contribs) 17:03, 22 November 2010

The place to ask would be Village pump (technical) -- John of Reading (talk) 17:16, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Add new category[edit]

I want to add a new Category: Geographic information systems organizations/ Local so that I can add a local GIS organization. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Waszink (talk • contribs) 17:20, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The vast number of local organizations are not notable enough to merit an article in an encyclopedia. See WP:CLUB for further guidance. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:27, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Help with vandalism[edit]

User talk:Chicken Wing is vandalizing the Pleasant Grove, Dallas site. Removing famous residents based on race.

sjbible —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sjbible (talk • contribs) 17:38, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This is not vandalism. I've also cleaned up the article, as it had much unsourced info listed. TN X Man 18:05, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Website widgets for donation[edit]

I think you used to have widgets that websites could use to encourage our visitors to donate to Wikipedia. I would like to help you out in your current campaign, but I can't seem to find anything about web widgets anywhere on your site. Do you have still these, and can you give me a link there? Thanks. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pegasuss (talk • contribs) 17:44, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

FifthWheel[edit]

We have a fithwheel and has a CV950 High Performance Central Cleaning System for RV'S we are looking for replacement bages

Regards

Richard Dean <blanked> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.197.160.153 (talk) 17:59, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our over 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 upper right 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. TN X Man 18:04, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki files for patients[edit]

I have heard it is possible to use wiki pages as files for medical use. Just create a separate wiki file for each patient. Is this true? If so, how do I do it? Would the pages be private? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.187.185.91 (talk) 18:18, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It can be done, but not on this site. You'll need to download the MediaWiki software and customize it to suit your needs. Wikipedia is a site that uses the MediaWiki software as an encyclopedia. TN X Man 18:22, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You can experiment with MediaWiki as a personal wiki by following the instructions in mw:Manual:Wiki on a stick. However, judging from your question you are probably a long way from being able to customize MediaWiki as an enterprise wiki medical records application. Which is too bad because it would have some advantages for that. You might find something already built that you could use in this list of medical wikis. --Teratornis (talk) 08:41, 23 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think it's doable, unless you have an extremely secure server and require people to log in to view the pages. Any other way would violate patient privacy laws. Like the above people suggested, you should contact MediaWiki with your questions. They'll know if you can require people to log in to view pages. --- cymru lass ^{(hit me up)}⁄_{(background check)} 22:59, 25 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Help Desk[edit]

Dear Help Desk:

A few weeks ago, I created an article and moved it to the mainspace. The title of the article was "Howard M. Guttman." Feedback was immediately posted at the top of the article, saying that there were issues with it. I went back in and made adjustments to the article to try to address the issues. I posted the information about these on my talk page. No one ever responded. I moved the article back to my userspace so it would not be public until the issues were resolved.

How can I get someone to review the article again and let me know if I have made sufficient changes?

Thank you, dalecorey —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dalecorey (talk • contribs) 19:41, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It does have many problems. One option is to request Feedback at Requests for feedback, although that forum is struggling to keep up with the number of submissions, so it is possible you will do that and get no response.

You should look at Article Layout, and Referencing for beginners. Take a look at existing articles on similar people to get a sense of proper structure.--SPhilbrick T 20:29, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It also reads like a resumé/curriculum vitae to me, so it needs to be toned down to deal with that issue. – ukexpat (talk) 20:32, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I thought I'd take a look at other people viewed highly in leadership circles, and point out a biography to be used as a model. However, I checked out John Kotter, Margaret J. Wheatley, Tom Peters, and Ken Blanchard and all are stub or start class, some in very weak shape. The best one I found is Nathaniel Branden, and that's still a C-Class article. If I can't find a better example, you might look at a random bio in Good Articles. You don't need to meet the standards of Good Article to move into main space, but it will give you a better sense of how good articles are structured.--SPhilbrick T 20:47, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Please correct the error in the page[edit]

Hello, I tried to add new contents to the following page. When I had given the source reference, it had resulted in error. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maruti_800

Please correct the error and don't remove my material. I had given the source of information in something like <ref>.

I don't know what is it? Regards, An idiot user. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Frosterrace (talk • contribs) 20:37, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I've fixed your addition to the article with this edit. You had one too many </ref> tags. TN X Man 20:47, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

how can a person write something about there self like an auto biography?[edit]

how can they? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Napninja4 (talk • contribs) 21:16, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In an article, you probably should not, see WP:AUTOBIOGRAPHY and WP:COI. If you would like, you can write some basic information about yourself in you userpage, see WP:USERPAGE, but this is for the purpose of identifying yourself to other Wikipedia users. If there is already information about you at Wikipedia, and it is incorrect or inaccurate, it is best to use the article discussion tab (the Talk: page) to note the problems and provide some sort of verifiable evidence of the right information. --Jayron32 21:30, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Missing move tab[edit]

Hi can't locate 'move' tab for article I am editing, even though I have been registered for several months. Thanks —Preceding unsigned comment added by Moviebuff2589 (talk • contribs) 22:33, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

But you didn't start editing until today, and you've only made a total of eight edits (of which your note was the second). --Orange Mike | Talk 23:40, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You need to have 10 edits before you can move a page (two more, in other words). However, I would recommend that you not move the article User:Moviebuff2589/Stephen_Trombley (which I presume is the article you are referring to) to the mainspace just yet. It is in need of the reliable sources required to meet Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Further reading: WP:YFA, WP:REF, WP:IC. Intelligentsium 23:48, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Moving deleted revisions of an article[edit]

Some days ago, an article was deleted at AFD, but today it was recreated with enough changes to spare it from {{db-repost}}. Observing that it had been recreated, the AFD nominator asked me to userfy the deleted edits, so I (1) deleted the current version, (2) restored the edits that had been deleted at AFD, (3) moved them to the nominator's userspace without a redirect, and (4) restored today's edits. Is this the simplest way to do it, or is there some other way that's less disruptive? The only other way I could think of doing it was restoring all edits, moving to userspace, deleting, restoring current edits, moving current edits back to mainspace, and restoring deleted edits in userspace. Nyttend (talk) 23:49, 22 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]