Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2012 September 12

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September 12

My edits are constantly being cancelled

Hi,

I've made a small addition to the page on Fluid Intelligence. My edit was related to citing two papers disproving memory training benefits. However, my edits are always being cancelled by user User:Cresix: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fluid_and_crystallized_intelligence&diff=511934732&oldid=511925512

He also sockpuppeted me because I edited from work and home PCs.

I took the references to the papers from another wiki page on N-back. I believe that without these references article on Fluid Intelligence is biased and one-sided.

My question: is there a wikipedia committee to resolve the conflict and prove User:Cresix wrong? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Runig (talk • contribs) 02:58, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

There are various escalating stages of WP:Dispute resolution. The first is to try to reach consensus with the other involved editor(s). Have you tried to discuss on the talk page of the relevant article?--ukexpat (talk) 04:30, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

My request in Dispute Resolution has been closed because of "too short discussion on the talk page". However, User:Cresix just deletes my edits and refuses to talk. What I'm trying to tell him is that even my edits are far from being perfect, they worth leaving because somebody else better than be may see them and edit in the most appropriate way. This is the idea behind wikipedia, isn't it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Runig (talk • contribs) 23:21, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

You should discuss it on Talk:Fluid and crystallized intelligence. Discussing it on the talk page will encourage more editors to offer their opinions on the dispute.--SGCM (talk) 09:56, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Edit Conflict

Why do I keep 'losing' edit conflicts? Do admins have an upper hand on edit conflicts? --Niàobùmíxìn (talk) 00:23, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Not at all. Have you read WP:EC? Basically the way it works is that whoever saves first "wins", and the second person to save "loses"; it's simply that you're consistently saving after other people. Are you often attempting to edit high-traffic pages? If so, that will increase your rate of edit conflicts, since the greater the frequency with which a page is edited, the greater the chance you'll get into an edit conflict. Nyttend (talk) 00:43, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

And if you did read WP:EC, did you then turn to Help:Edit conflict? —Tamfang (talk) 07:41, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

See Help:Edit conflict for how it works. The software doesn't favor admins but experienced users may know ways to reduce the risk of edit conflicts on frequently edited pages. Mainly: Make section edits and save quickly after clicking edit. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:52, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Also, you have a biased view since it's hard to tell when you "win" since you don't get any notification of having won. You notice the conflict because you get stopped. Dismas|^(talk) 01:10, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

title redirect

Hello: There are wikipedia pages about people who use several names, for example, James Brown aka. John Smith If there is a wikipedia page for James Brown, is it possible that if someone searches for John Smith it will automatically redirect to the article on James Brown?

Thanks

Adam2828 (talk) 01:26, 12 September 2012 (UTC)adam2828Adam2828 (talk) 01:26, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Please read WP:Redirect. It all depends on whether we've created redirects for the alternate names, or if several people use the alternate name, if we've set up a disambiguation page for that name. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samuel_Clemens&action=edit to see what we do for Mark Twain's real name, for example. Nyttend (talk) 01:36, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Facebook

how do i share infomation with facebook??Abuabdulhakimmujahid (talk) 03:13, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Have you tried asking them? [1] This help desk is for questions about using Wikipedia, not Facebook. AndyTheGrump (talk) 03:23, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

If you'd like to share a Wikipedia article on Facebook, you can copy the URL of the page and paste it into your status like you would with any other web page. Or you can use Sharebox. Dismas|^(talk) 03:36, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

New Article

I am trying to create a new article. I tried the Article Wizard and it gives advice about various aspects, but it does not say how to actually create a new article. Could you please explain how to actually create a new article and a redirect.

Thanks

Adam2828 (talk) 04:05, 12 September 2012 (UTC)adam2828Adam2828 (talk) 04:05, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Did you follow all the steps in the wizard? Alternatively, take a look at Your first article and Articles for creation.--ukexpat (talk) 04:28, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Go to a page such as your user talk page (the blue-linked "talk" in your signature), add a link to the page you wish to create, click the link, and you'll be presented with a page where you can create the new article. To add a link to that page, just click the "edit" tab at the top of the screen when you're on your user talk page, and at the very bottom, put the name of the article in double brackets. For example, if you were trying to create an article on something called a "humuhumuhumunukunukunukuapuaa", you'd type [[humuhumuhumunukunukunukuapuaa]], and it would appear as humuhumuhumunukunukunukuapuaa. Nyttend (talk) 04:29, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

As far as redirects: take the name of the article to which you want the redirect to go, put that name (and absolutely nothing else) into the edit window, highlight it, and click the little #R button above the edit window. That will supply the code to make a redirect; it should look like #REDIRECT [[Adam2828's redirect]] when you're done. Again, please don't put any other text on the page; with comparatively few exceptions with which you need not worry yet, putting extra text on a redirect page will prevent it from working properly. Nyttend (talk) 04:32, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

More direct than Nyttend's procedure: enter the proposed title in the Search box at the top of any page; either you'll be taken to an existing article or you'll see (among other things) You may create the page "Gratuitous gibberish", but consider checking the search results below to see whether the topic is already covered. Click any red link to create an article. —Tamfang (talk) 19:52, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Cicadas live in Mobile,Alabama they are all over the big oaks in my yard. Thank You.

Cicadas live in Mobile,Alabama they are all over the big oaks in my yard.I have been picking up the shells for many of the 75 years I have been here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.243.233.0 (talk) 04:52, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Awesome. Thanks for sharing that story with us. Do you have a question about using Wikipedia we can help you with? --Jayron32 04:54, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Article Vandalized, but not visible in Edit mode

The article "Antikythera mechanism" has been vandalized a few times in the past day, and is currently. Under the "Nature" section, the first line was changed. However the problem is when I go to edit mode, the vandalized part is is not there. Furthermore the change was not noted in the revision log as far as I could see. The last edit was by ClueBot NG correcting the previous vandalized part. I cleared my history/cookies, no change, I still can't see it. Unknowntbeast (talk) 05:33, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Since there was no changes in the edit mode, I simply submitted the changes (which I made none) and it reverted back to non-vandalized. Problem solved, but still odd how it didn't appear in the revision log or in edit mode. Unknowntbeast (talk) 06:22, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

You saw a cached version from before ClueBot NG reverted the vandalism. If it doesn't work to bypass your cache then try to purge the page. Normally I would say you can see the time of the displayed revision at the bottom where it says "This page was last modified on [date] at [time]". However, in this case the vandalism and revert was the same minute so the displayed time wouldn't have revealed which version you saw. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:33, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

What you did is known as performing a null edit. Since the problem was an old edit in the cache, and since a null edit clears the cache, you did precisely the right thing without realising it :-) Nyttend (talk) 15:19, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

legal terminology?

would the term on or about stand up in a court of law — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.169.85.72 (talk) 07:57, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

This is the Help Desk, which answers questions about using and finding your way around Wikipedia. We have a Reference Desk, but it does not offer legal advice or opinion on specific cases. If this is a general question, there are some resources online about the phrase's meaning in US law that you could look at. This site cites its sources, which you could check. It suggests that the wording "on or about" is used in courts of law in the context of an accusation, when there is any uncertainty about an exact date or location, in order to avoid the accuser being accused of inaccuracy. For example, if it reads "On or about 5 April, the accused did X...", X cannot then refute the accusation on the grounds that s/he actually did X at three minutes before midnight on 4 April. This site suggests that it may not be a recognised phrase in other legal contexts. If you want to discuss the use of the phrase in a specific legal case, the Reference Desk Wikipedia cannot help you and you should consult someone who is qualified to provide such advice. - Karenjc 08:39, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Uploading Images

Hi all,

im having a bit of trouble with my private wiki (personal server) at the moment. im currently trying to get some images to display on one of my articles. i have edited the local settings.php which means i can successfully upload images, but when i try and display them using the file:blah.jpg code the image doesn't display, it just shows up with a broken link icon ><

it seems to me its a problem with authorization but i cant seem to find where, is it a server problem? or do i have to authorize the use of images somewhere? any help with this would be fantastic as im really stuck.

Nix Nixxy00 (talk) 08:52, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Added a title Rojomoke (talk) 09:27, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Hi Nixxy00. This is the page to ask questions about one particular wiki, Wikipedia. For a more general question like this one, a place to start might be the Wikipedia's computing and IT reference desk. They may be able to give you more help. --Shirt58 (talk) 09:35, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

If you are using the same MediaWiki software that is used here, you should explore the help pages and forums at the MediaWiki project. -- John of Reading (talk) 10:44, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

ok thank you both for your advice

nix Nixxy00 (talk) 14:19, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

How to upload images

I did a recce trek of Mustang in Nepal in 1980 when it was restricted to trekkers. I have scanned my personal hand-written notes/diary and photos that I would like to share with everyone through Wikipedia. I would appreciate directions (eg. image size, etc.) on how I could upload these images. Thank you. Phurba Lama (talk) 12:23, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Standard image upload advice follows:

• If you want to upload an image from your computer for use in an article, you must determine the proper license of the image (or whether it is in the public domain). If you know the image is public domain or copyrighted but under a suitable free-license, upload it to the Wikimedia Commons instead of here, so that all projects have access to the image (sign up). If you are unsure of the licensing status, see the file upload wizard for more information. Please also read Wikipedia's image use policy.
• If you want to add an image that has already been uploaded to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons, add [[File:File name.jpg|thumb|Caption text.]] to the area of the article where you want the image to appear – replacing File name.jpg with the actual file name of the image, and Caption text with a short description of the image. See our picture tutorial for more information. I hope this helps.--ukexpat (talk) 14:57, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Whether the images would be useful to Wikipedia is another matter. Your notes would be original research. If you had information about your adventure published by a reliable source, they would be more useful for us.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 18:11, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

avoiding automatic redirects

At the top of a Wikipedia page is an advertisement for "Wiki loves monuments". I'm interested in this contest, but since I am physically located in Ukraine, I am directed to a page in Ukrainian language. I'm american and read English. While I know some russian language, I do not know any Ukrainian language. {Although Ukrainian is official language of Ukraine, very few people know it. Everyone speaks Russian.) Certainly the rules for this contest must be available in english language. [Translation services such as yahoo and google do not provide an understandable translation.]

Is there some way that I can access the English language version of this page while I am physically located in Ukraine? The page url is http://wlm.org.ua/?pk_campaign=Centralnotice — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.28.240.253 (talk) 12:33, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

I don't know how to avoid those automatic redirects, but after a bit of searching I found the Wiki Loves Monuments home page. From there you can access all the English-language pages. -- John of Reading (talk) 12:39, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Getting random pages by email once a day

Can I get random wiki pages via email? Is it possible? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.152.239.219 (talk) 13:43, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia doesn't offer such a service but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random gives a new random article each time you click it. Is that sufficient? It's the link you get by clicking "Random article" below Wikipedia's logo. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:47, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Question about redirects

I did some editing on the Cousin page last night. It had been pointed out that Great Uncle, Grand Uncle, Great Aunt, and Grand Aunt, were redirected to the Cousin page. I fixed this by changing the redirects to Uncle and Aunt respectively, just as Great Grandfather/grandmother/grandparent are redirected to the Grandparent page. It was an easy edit, but it made me wonder if there were any other terms redirecting to the page.

Is there a way to see a list of all terms redirecting to a specific page? Thanks in advance. Shoeless Ho (talk) 15:19, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Yes. When you're looking at an article, you should see a "What links here" link in the toolbox at the left, and then, near the top of that page, the line "External tools: Show redirects only". For Cousin, the toolbox page is Special:WhatLinksHere/Cousin, and the list of redirects is this list. Apparently there are 117 of them! -- John of Reading (talk) 15:37, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Awesome, thanks! I redirected a bunch of them to more appropriate pages. Now there are "only" 88 redirects to cousin. The rest I redirected to more appropriate pages (e.g. familial relationships to Family, great granduncle to Uncle, Great grandaunt to Aunt, etc). No wonder the talk page was filled with questions like "so my uncle is my cousin?" :-) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Shoeless Ho (talk • contribs) 16:37, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Copyright updates at Wiki Commons

I found a couple of notices relative to my uploads at wiki commons for things that I have included at 'Buccaneer (dinghy)'. Can you help me figure out what needs to be done to these uploads in order to prevent them from being removed due to unanswered copyright questions Agbonner37 (talk) 15:27, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

You should probably ask at Commons Help Desk.--ukexpat (talk) 16:51, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

I have done that but no response as yet. Will keep waiting. Agbonner37 (talk) 17:40, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

I'm guessing the files in question are File:Buccaneer Logo 2012.JPG and File:Buccaneerlinedrawing.pdf. I'm not a copyright specialist but there may be a query over whether you actually hold the copyright in the images, which you have uploaded as "own work". If you take a picture of an image created by someone else - such as a drawing or painting, or a logo - and the copyright owner's copyright hasn't expired, then they still own the copyright in the image so you can't license it for reuse in the way Wikipedia requires. The line drawing says on it that you were given it by someone else - the person who owns the copyright on that line drawing will need to license it themselves, personally. Wikipedia does use logos under a fair use rationale, but the image has to comply with certain conditions and be appropriately licensed. The third image on the article - the photo of Buccaneers racing - says it's your own work too. If you took it and you're happy to donate it, there shouldn't be a problem with that one. If you're not getting any luck at the Commons help desk, the nice people at Wikipedia:Media copyright questions might be able to advise further. - Karenjc 19:31, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Language boxs

Hi there, I am editing my Wikipedia 'userpage' and I want to show other users what languages I can speak. Where can I find those "This user speaks ....." templates? Thanks! --CverilMineralResources (talk) 15:58, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Hej, jeg redigere min Wikipedia 'userpage' og jeg ønsker at vise andre brugere hvilke sprog jeg kan tale. Hvor kan jeg finde dem "Denne bruger taler ....." skabeloner? Tak! --CverilMineralResources (talk) 15:58, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

WP:BABEL? Mdann52 (talk) 16:05, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Yes that's fine, thank you very much! --CverilMineralResources (talk) 16:10, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Ja det er fint, mange tak! - CverilMineralResources (talk) 16:10, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

User on English Wikipedia

I am the owner of the User Kotz in the Hebrew Wikipedia he:משתמש:Kotz. I would like to be also the user Kotz on the English Wikipedia. However if I try "Create an account" I get "username taken". I was told to login to English wikipedia with same username and password I use on Hebrew Wikipedia but this gives me "Wrong password". I don't think there is a user by that name on English Wikipedia. What should I do in order to gain access to the user Kotz in the English Wikipedia? Thanks. 109.67.211.220 (talk) 16:53, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

WP:UNSURP ? Mdann52 (talk) 16:57, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) The account User:Kotz was created on the English Wikipedia by someone else, but it's never been used. You should be able to usurp the account, although this will take some time to process. For full instructions on how to request this, see WP:USURP. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 16:58, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

First log in at the Hebrew Wikipedia and go to he:Special:MergeAccount to unify your account. Then request the English account at WP:USURP. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:38, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Prostitution in the Faroe Islands

I am creating/writing an article for Wikipedia on Prostitution in the Faroe Islands, however some of my references are from a PDF file created by the Nordic Council, so can I use the link to the PDF file as a reference? Thanks! --CverilMineralResources (talk) 17:13, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Yes, if the PDF has been "published" - just use the {{Cite web}} template to cite it. What you cannot do is upload an unpublished PDF file to, say, Wikimedia Commons and use it as a reference from there.--ukexpat (talk) 17:44, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

Cory Monteith

Hi, I'm fan of Canadian actor Cory Monteith, and his biography tells his story of rehab after being an alcoholic and drug addict, as well as being a "petty thief". Aren't there categories such as "People who recovered from drug addiction", or "People who recovered from alcoholism", or "People who committed petty crimes and rehabilitated"? and If not, could they be created? Thank you and sorry to bother you. I'm new to Wikipedia. Timothyhere (talk) 19:06, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

For the "[...] alcoholic and drug addict [...] part, there are Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics and its parent category Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers. I don't see a category for "petty thieves" that weren't part of organized crime, and I don't think one should be created for living people (see WP:BLPCAT). By the way, if you think a category might exist but don't know its name, you can try finding it using Portal:Contents/Categories or Category:Contents. PleaseStand (talk) 21:06, 12 September 2012 (UTC)

I would like to point out to Timothyhere that a category called "People who recovered from alcoholism" would have absolutely no one in it, and never would.    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 06:54, 14 September 2012 (UTC)