Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive 70

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AFC or create article?

General question concerning best practices for creating an article. Is there a rule of thumb as to when the Articles for Creation process is favored over simply taking the bull by the horns and starting an article outright? Coretheapple (talk) 15:19, 11 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, CoreTApple. Simple answer is no, no rule of thumb. Articles for creation (AfC) was initially a place for ISP editors with no account to develop articles. The {{subst:submit}} template came later as an easy way to submit an article for newcomers who feared moving their article to article space (I goofed the first time I did a move). Because of the backlog at AfC, I suggest you develop your article in your sandbox, then move it straight to article space. The New page patrol will still have a look at the article.
You can help with the backlogs at AfC and new pages. I feel obligated to review at least one or two each time I submit an article or make a major revision. It's considered courteous to do a GA review whenever you nominate an article for good article review and to do a review of another editor's nomination when you submit a Did you know. No requirement to do those reviews but doing so is part of Wikiculture.
So go for it. Choose the path that works for you. Take care, DocTree (ʞlɐʇ·cont) Join WER 17:11, 11 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi DocTree - thanks for your thoughtful comment alluding to some best practices within Wikiculture. I'm new to the game and want to pull my own weight. Your comment was the first I've seen about reviewing New Pages etc. as a way to contribute. I'm working my way up to creating a page but I want to hold back a bit until I can get a better feel for how to operate. It seems maybe remaining active in the New pages thing might help - but I need to read more about Afc and the reviews, etc. Laurenlinn (talk) 15:57, 12 January 2013 (UTC)
Really if you create an article that establishes notability (WP:NOTABILITY) and is not a copyright violation (WP:COPYVIO), or some other legal problem it should "survive". Of course all sorts of other things can be wrong with it, but if you are reasonably competent and follow similar pages for style, and so forth, it's likely to be a good contribution. AFC is supposed to protect new editors from being super-speedied, but sometimes it seems that it merely prolongs the agonies, or results in articles being abandoned.   Rich Farmbrough, 00:36, 13 January 2013 (UTC).
Thanks to DocTree and the other contributors to this discussion. Very helpful. Coretheapple (talk) 20:27, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

My article format: encyclopedic vs essay?

I am a NASA researcher, and at their behest I submitted an article summarizing my field to Wikipedia. Initial feedback was that the article was not "encyclopedic" but read like an "essay". I cleaned it up, kept objective and to the point, and I thought met all the Wikipedia published on-line criteria. But the feedback from a new editor has come back the same. I don't know what I am doing wrong, especially since other Wikipedia articles are formatted like mine. Help.

[[[User Kanasnick (talk) 18:48, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi there Kanasnick, welcome to the Teahouse. Well, your article is still very much written like an essay. While I don't think that should necessarily determine its acceptance, it could use a little more nudging to be aligned with Wikipedia guidelines. When you write things like, "Kanas has identified a number of psychosocial and psychiatric"... as the beginning of a section, it appears you are presenting Kanas' work more than the topic of the article. The article also seems to be very specifically about Mars, not general expeditionary space missions as it's titled. I would also recommend reviewing Effect of spaceflight on the human body#Psychological effects of spaceflight as suggested to see how your article relates. Perhaps some of the section could be added to yours and forwarded to from the Effect of spaceflight article. Hopefully someone else has a clearer way of explaining how to make something not present as an essay. Thanks for your contribution, and for not giving up on the more difficult parts. heather walls (talk) 20:06, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

1. Thank you for your feedback, Heatherwalls. My intent was indeed to review what is current about a new field of study, and in scientific writing, reviews are usually data- (i.e., investigator-) oriented. To me, essays are opinions, not facts, and my article (whatever it is) is very fact-laden and referenced, so it is hard for me to see it as an essay. If Wikipedia does not want reviews of new material, then I can see this as a valid criticism; the essay criticism still makes me scratch my head. What am I missing?

2. Not being a computer whiz, I find the formatting issues in Wikipedia a challenge. When I got rid of some subjective essay-like information in an earlier version of the article, the focus changed, and I put in a new title. However, I didn't know if I should (or even how to) change the lead-in title, since I was responding to earlier comments. What do you think?

3. Also, would it be appropriate to delete the psychologcal section of the Human Body article and refer to mine even before it is accepted? I don't know what the proper Wikipedia etiquette is.

Kanasnick (talk) 20:44, 9 January 2013 (UTC)Kanasnick

Hi Kanasnick, I don't actually think your article is very far from what it should be. Much of it is excellent. However, things to watch out for are unsourced phrases like the following:

  • It is time to take this information and incorporate it in the planning for future expeditionary missions to a near-Earth asteroid or to Mars.
  • However, further work needs to be done on this phenomenon using controlled prospective studies and measures specific to the asthenization concept.

These are opinions, not facts, and opinions should never be stated in Wikipedia's voice. For a discussion of this topic, see Wikipedia:Npov#Explanation_of_the_neutral_point_of_view. As that page explains, the trick is to source such opinions, by citing a reference, and attribute them to the people holding them. In this way, the article does not advocate anything, but tells the reader who advocates what, and why. Also, it is often best to have a cited reference at the end of each sentence, so it is clear which source the sentence is based on. Hope this helps. Best, Andreas JN466 03:13, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Just noting that most of the existing material at Effect_of_spaceflight_on_the_human_body#Psychological_effects_of_spaceflight is completely unsourced ... is this material accurate in your view? Can it be sourced? Long-term, that section should contain a brief summary of what is in your article, together with a pointer to your more exhaustive treatment (for an example of such a pointer, see [1]). If there are any relevant sources cited in the existing section that you have not yet used in your article, it would make sense to include them.

I think it's also fair to say that what you see here, Kanasnick, is that writing a new article for Wikipedia imposes a higher bar on new contributors. You can enter unsourced material and opinion in existing articles without any problem, but new articles are scrutinised. It's a bit like a house that has chains and a big padlock on the door, yet has three of its walls missing.   Also be wary of citing too much of your own work: Wikipedians are very mistrustful of that. Make sure you give a neutral round-up of the field's literature. Best wishes and good luck, Andreas JN466 03:24, 10 January 2013 (UTC)


Thank you very much, Andreas JN466. Both you and Heatherawalls gave me good input, and I think I see what I need to do. So I think point 1 above is clear to me. Can either of you (or someone else) address points 2 and 3? Should I just make the changes and resubmit this as a new article with the correct lead-in title? Kanasnick (talk) 03:15, 11 January 2013 (UTC)Kanasnick

I have made a few changes to the lede of the proposed article, and to the first paragraph of the last section, as examples of what might be done to tone down the essay-like qualities, as well as to link key concepts to other parts of Wikipedia. Perhaps those examples will help with others improving the rest of the article.
I have also Welcomed Kanasnick to Wikipedia, and offered to help improve that article over time. That discussion is mostly on my Talk page. I think that article will be a good addition to the Wikipedia once the process is completed. Would of course be happy to see other editors take one paragraph and help out. Cheers. N2e (talk) 13:40, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

Margolin Hebrew Academy Page

Anyone have any feedback on the Margolin Hebrew Academy page? It's not complete yet, but we are working hard!Hacker44 (talk) 02:49, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Hacker! I am looking at Margolin Hebrew Academy now and will get back to you soon. BTW, to make an article title into a link all you have to do is enclose the exact title in double brackets ([[]]). Gtwfan52 (talk) 04:50, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Hello again, Hacker! I have looked over the article, and although you are writing very well, you really haven't much information about the school. Instead, you have tons of biographical information on some of the staff. We really aren't supposed to throw a bunch of links at you here at Teahouse, but you really should read the school article guidelines. Biographical info on the staff is not recommended on school articles. I work on a lot of school articles and will be more than happy to help you. Drop me a note on my talk page, please. Gtwfan52 (talk) 04:56, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Help using calendar template?

Hello Wikipedians. First of all, I'm attempting to take a Wikibreak until Friday, but as you can see, I won't last very long. The "last" edit I'm doing is using calendar templates to state my days off for my userpage. (I'm in school and I want this school year to be over.) Is there a better way to show my days off than this?

{{January calendar|EndNote=Off on the 21st and the 28th}}

Thank you. JHUbal27 Roar! :-) 02:32, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

You could just write a sentence. Jimp 09:59, 25 September 2013 (UTC)

Adding a table - how to format?

I want to add a new section in table format to the paratriathlon article. How would I do that? Format the table, I mean - I know how to add a section :) 49.176.35.249 (talk) 01:36, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Welcome 49. This page may be of use. I'll take a quick glance through it myself and give some more precise information :). --Skamecrazy123 (talk) 01:56, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Question about disambiguation pages

Hello, How you select what names or entities get a disambiguation page? For example, Washington gets a disambiguation page, but John Kerry does not. Is there some threshold of ambiguity or is it an editorial decision?

Many thanks! Poolera Poolera (talk) 18:30, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Poolera, and welcome to The Teahouse. There are many uses of the name Washington that one might be searching for. The capital, the state, and of course the man. But if you look at WP:D, you see that if there are only two uses of a term, as there seem to be for John Kerry, and one use is much more common, then a hatnote goes at the top to direct readers to the less common usage. When there are three uses, or two equally common uses, then a disambiguation page is needed.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:05, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

Getting "This page has been deleted by an administrator" message

Hi. I am trying to update information for Airlines Reporting Corporation's wiki page. When I go to save the changes, I am taken to a page that says "This page has been deleted by an administrator." The page does not appear to be deleted by an administrator and the deletion log references a deletion in 2007. Please help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log/delete&page=Airlines_Reporting_Corporation

Thank you.

P318iam (talk) 16:20, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

If the page has been deleted before, early deletion logs will be shown on the page when edited. It should be nothing to worry about. --Skamecrazy123 (talk) 16:35, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
Hey, P318iam! It might actually just be a glitch in the Matr--ahem, the MediaWiki software that Wikipedia runs on. Around that same time, I actually got an edit-conflict message with myself over the very post I was just typing. Confusing, to say the least. The article isn't deleted, so just try it again; if you keep having problems, come back here and we'll try to figure it out, but I think this was just a one-off thing. Cheers! Writ Keeper 16:38, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
Airlines Reporting Corporation. I will try it.--Canoe1967 (talk) 16:40, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks for the answers. Unfortunately I can't get the changes I'm making to stick at all and keep getting the error and the change doesn't go through. Any thoughts?

P318iam (talk) 16:46, 15 January 2013 (UTC) moved here from the below section Writ Keeper 16:48, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

How exactly do you try to edit the page? You should be clicking one of the edit links at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airlines_Reporting_Corporation. You made an edit to the page [2] between your posts here. Is "This page has been deleted by an administrator" an exact quote? PrimeHunter (talk) 17:09, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
Got it. Thanks everyone!

P318iam (talk) 18:00, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

How and where can I welcome new users?

Hello! I'm back again! I'm not a newbie and I'm not experienced, but I am in the middle and I'm a Teahouse host. Since I am, I want to welcome more users. I did receive a Teahouse invitation by HostBot, but I have never really been welcomed as a user. I've heard I can use Twinkle to welcome new users, but I don't know how. Also, where can I find new users to welcome? Thank you. JHUbal27 Roar! :-) 02:30, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

Are you talking about welcoming new users in general or new users to the Teahouse? --Skamecrazy123 (talk) 02:32, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
For Teahouse-specific welcome templates and related, please see Wikipedia:Teahouse/Host lounge/Templates. For welcome message in general on Wikipedia and instructions on how to use them, please see Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Welcome templates (a big list) and Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Welcome templates/Table for how a subset display. See also Category:Welcome templates. (Don't forget that most of these should be substituted by prefixing subst: inside the template code after the opening curly braces e.g., {{subst:welcomeg}}.)

There are different kind of templates that may be best given a particular context. We have ones tailored for people who have been vandalizing, spamming, etc., so make a point of familiarizing yourself with the options. As for finding people to welcome, I think a good place to start is at Special:NewPages. There, you can quickly scan the list for people whose talk pages are red linked, then take a look at what they've created and welcome (or not) using a template that fits. For other places to find new users, see Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Finding newbies. I don't use Twinkle but if you turn it on, you'll see that one of the tabs at the top of the screen (when you're at a user's talk page) is "Wel"; click that and a welcome dialogue will open.

--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 03:43, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

Some welcomes come late. My first article was a BLP. I think he passed before I had a welcome on my talk page.--Canoe1967 (talk) 03:49, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

Thank you! JHUbal27 Roar! :-) 11:36, 15 January 2013 (UTC)


the minimum criteria for an article to meet the notability standards

First of all, it should be said that I am comically novice when it comes to wikipedia in general. But- I have fixed up the Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers wiki page and noticed that any link to "stephen kellogg" brought you to "stephen wright kellogg" who is not associated with the group. I wanted to make the most basic page for the "stephen kellogg" who is the founder of "stephen kellogg and the sixers" so that anyone looking for him would be able to find the correct person- and link that page to "stephen kellogg and the sixers" where the researcher would find the information they were looking for. What is the least amount of information i need to put on the page so that it isn't covered in flags? THANKS Cousinskunk (talk) 15:38, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi. I'd say you probably need to have a close look at the criteria for musicians and ensembles. If Stephen Kellogg appears not to be the subject of multiple, non-trivial, published works as an individual then his entry will not be in accordance with policy. In such a case, it would seem appropriate to redirect his name to Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (or Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers#Current Band Members). Is that any help? -- Trevj (talk) 13:16, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

Delete An Image (I require an administrator, right?)

Image in Question

I would like to delete the image referred to by that talk page. It seems that I cannot do this without an administrator. Could I get administrator help for deleting an image?

The reason I would like to delete this image is because I can create a free-media image to replace it instead of keeping the Fair Use Rationale image. --Carrot Lord (talk) 23:13, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello Carrot and welcome to Wikipedia!
There is already a non-free tag on the image. This image shall be automatically deleted after 18 January 2013.
If you already have Twinkle, you can easily tag any image for deletion by using the CSD template. Otherwise, it is also possible to manually place those tags as per the criterion on WP:CSD.
Here the tag will be {{db-author}} which is when the creator of the file/page wants to delete it.
Hope my answer helped! Cheers, TheOriginalSoni (talk) 23:21, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi Carrot Lord, welcome to the Teahouse. Awesome name. You can create, upload, and use the image you want on the page. A Fair Use image that is not linked to a page will be deleted automatically. A helpful hint about links: if you are linking within the Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, etc.), you can use two brackets around the namespace (File: in this case) and page name to create a small clean link. Thanks for your additions to WIkipedia! heather walls (talk) 23:48, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
I see. Is this an extension of the article pluralization system? [[dog]]s would just create a link to dogs, but you could also abuse this to do things like [[fiction]]al, which is not actually a plural word. --Carrot Lord (talk) 01:08, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
It's not directly related to that (though that's not as who should say "abuse"; it's just another variant on what's called link piping). More importantly, though, Heather isn't exactly correct (sorry, Heather!). In most cases, she's right: you create links to pages using the square brackets (so that [[Wikipedia:Teahouse]] becomes Wikipedia:Teahouse). But for files, it's different; the normal syntax for a link (like [[File:Teahouse button.png]] will actually insert the image itself into the page. If you're just trying to make a link to the image, rather than incorporating the image itself, you need to put a colon in front like so: [[:File:Teahouse button.png]] becomes File:Teahouse button.png. Does that make more sense? Writ Keeper 01:38, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
As an aside, I've deleted the image, per your request and as it's a non-free file not used in any articles. Writ Keeper 01:41, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Too true! Thanks for correcting me :) I did it in the example but didn't explain it. :) heather walls (talk) 01:40, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Non-online sources

Hello,

I have been asked to create a wiki article for a Russian artist -- Mikhail Biryukov. He is not very well known internationally, however he is recognized as a great artist of the former Soviet Union. I was given books, which are written in Russian, as sources to write this wiki. There is a large amount of information about the artist and his influence on Russian art at the time. I was wondering if there is any way I can present these books as the sources for the wiki article, or do they have to be online?

Thaelton (talk) 18:52, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the question. There is no requirement that sources be online, but we do require them to be cited in such a way that a reader of the article could, if they so wished, find the hard copy sources, say in a library, and verify what they say. For that purpose we have several citation templates to make the job a little easier - in this case {{Cite book}}. If you take a look at the documentation (click that blue link) you will see how to use it. You should also take a look at referencing for beginners. Please also consider using the articles for creation process to create your article in draft so that it can be reviewed by other Wikipedia users before it is moved to the main article area. Hope this helps.--ukexpat (talk) 18:58, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Regarding the template referred to above, note that two of the less common parameters you might want to use for these sources, in addition to the standard ones, are trans_title= (place there the English translation of the Russian title) and language=Russian.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:05, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

How to contact editors?

Is there a way to contact "editors" NOT in a talk page? Bonus Q: if there is a template that suggest "an editor has suggested..." is there a way to address that person or group? Wikikd (talk) 16:36, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

If a user has enabled email then when you are looking at a users page there should be link in the left hand panel to "email this user". I think you also have to have enabled that function too. Note anyone you do email is not obliged to reply or if they do chose to reply they may chose to do so publically e.g. at your talk page. Please see Wikipedia:Emailing users for more information. NtheP (talk) 16:53, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi, Wikikd. A few more things about email on Wikipedia.
  1. If you email a user, you should leave a {{YGM}} (You've got mail) template on the talk page of the editor you mailed, as many folks here have an email account just for Wikipedia that they don't regularly monitor.
  2. You will not see the other users email address if you use the Wikipedia email service, but they will see yours.
  3. If you reply to an email you get thru the Wikipedia email feature, the recipient will see your email address.

Gtwfan52 (talk) 18:01, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Why cant i edit ind the infobox in the article called "WW2"?

Why cant i edit ind the infobox in the article called "WW2"?


Kysterskartel (talk) 16:28, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

I can't see any reason why you can't, unlike the article the infobox template isn't protected. Whether you should or not is a different question. It's a high profile template so if you are considering any that might be controversial then you should discuss it on the talk page first. NtheP (talk) 16:45, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
But where can i click to edit the infobox? (what we are talking about is the big box with pictures of ships and flyingsmachines, with lists of the allied, axis, and all the leaders)

Kysterskartel (talk) 17:08, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi Kysterskartel, welcome to the Teahouse. If you click the "Edit" tab at top of World War II then you see the code {{WW2InfoBox}} near the top. This means a template is being transcluded. It can be edited at Template:WW2InfoBox. PrimeHunter (talk) 17:12, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Removing this from above the image? File: frameless|alt=

How can i remove this above the photo used in my article?

File: frameless|alt=

Eashleyfox (talk) 14:20, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi Eashleyfox, welcome to the Teahouse. The {{infobox}} template in which the image is sited has its own image syntax coded in; therefore you don't need to add pictures in the [[File:...|thumb|caption]] format. If you take a look at the page now, you'll see that I've fixed it for you. Yunshui  14:26, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

changing username

Hello everyone, I have been absent from Wikipedia longer than I would have liked, but now I'm back and eager to continue being a Wikignome:-). A question I have asked once before and which was cordially answered, but unfortunately I can't find the answer in my Talk section: how does one go about changing a username? I combined mine out of the main languages I work with, but it doesn't look too attractive. Would be grateful for a (repeated) tip. Thanks in advance! WikiGnome2012 (talk) 10:21, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Greetings Wikignome. If you head on over to the username change page and submit a request there, it will be dealt with by the relevant people. --Skamecrazy123 (talk) 10:45, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Name change = change title of article?

Swimmer Marieke Guehrer was recently married. She now races under her married name, Marieke D'Cruz. Should probably change article title and redirect, as done with Libby Lenton/Libby Trickett, but I don't yet know how. 49.176.35.249 (talk) 02:01, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi 49 and welcome to the Teahouse! The easiest way would be to move the article. Click the arrow next to the star at the top of the page and click "move". Change the title and the old title will become a redirect to the new title. Hope this helps! JHUbal27 Roar! :-) 02:14, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Edit-Please do not move the article, as neé has already been added. JHUbal27 Roar! :-) 02:22, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
The determining factor in what the article's title should be is what the sources are referring to her as. And it is a topic that should be discussed at the article's talk page. I just looked at her personal website listed on her article and there is no mention of her marriage, so what she is calling herself is at least somewhat in question. I would suggest you start a discussion at the article's talk page and mention whatever sources you have seen referring to her by her married name. Gtwfan52 (talk) 08:14, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

list of contributions for multilingual contributors?

Hello fellow Wikipedians, Is there an easy way to see all the contributions made by someone that contributes/edits in more than one language? (ie. on the english page I can only pull up my english contributions, but can't see any of the others) Thank you! slv 23:34, 15 January 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Slventura (talkcontribs)

Hi, Slventura! Welcome to the Teahouse. Other than going to the article on the other language Wikipedia, I don't know how you could. That, perhaps, is an issue you should raise at the Village Pump, another forum on Wikipedia for the discussion of policy. Gtwfan52 (talk) 00:37, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Click "Global contributions" at the bottom of their user contributions page, or achieve the same by entering their username at http://toolserver.org/~luxo/contributions/contributions.php. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:04, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks Gtwfan52, I have yet to check VillagePump! next on my list. Thanks for the tip PrimeHunter, it worked!
slv (talk) 19:55, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
I'm sorry, slv, but I misunderstood your question. I thought you were asking about contributors to an article translated from another language Wiki. Prime Hunter gave you the spot-on answer. Gtwfan52 (talk) 20:26, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

helping

Is there a way that i can help on Wikipedia? I am currently working on Wiktionary's requests for photos, is there something i can do here? Venomxx (talk) 00:04, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Venomxx! Welcome to the teahouse. Pictures are very needed here, too, and if you upload them to commons they can be used in both places. Other areas that always can use help are copyediting and possibly AfC, if you feel confident enough to review new articles. Gtwfan52 (talk) 00:49, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks, is their a page for me to start? Venomxx (talk) 01:03, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi, there are lots of things you can do. See Wikipedia:Requested pictures but all help is welcome. The interaction box to the left has a link to Wikipedia:Community portal. Wikipedia:Maintenance has more. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:15, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks again, I know all help is welcome, but I work best with pictures. Venomxx (talk) 01:16, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
I checked the hyper-link out and it wasn't on my level i am old/new to Wikipedia helping i wanted a black and white list Venomxx (talk) 01:31, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about black-and-white photos (I don't think we make requests for that) or simpler instructions or something else? PrimeHunter (talk) 00:20, 9 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi Venomxx, I too am unsure of what you are looking for. On Wikimedia Commons, the site that houses most of Wikipedia's images, there are a number of things you can do. For instance there is a list of images that need various cleanup, and a giant list of requested images from all the Wikipedia languages. Keep in mind that you would be working on what is technically a separate wiki, but all the images link and show onto the Wikimedia projects (you may already be aware of that). Another thing you could do if you want to donate photos, is to look around at articles you care about and see if they need an image, I have done that for a few things local to me. Good luck! And thanks for your hard work. heather walls (talk) 06:54, 9 January 2013 (UTC)
prime hunter, i meant a normal list of hyperlinks Venomxx (talk) 05:47, 13 January 2013 (UTC)
Hyperlinks to what? Category:Wikipedia requested photographs and its subcategories have links to pages with photo requests. Is that it? PrimeHunter (talk) 20:06, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

If you know how to edit photos, there are Graphics labs (and specialized workshops) on both the English Wikipedia (Wikipedia:Graphics Lab) and on Commons (commons:Commons:Graphic Lab). – Philosopher Let us reason together. 02:31, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

Gtwfam mentioned copyediting as one area where help is needed. That's one area where I feel I can be of help. Can anyone point to points of entry for that, apart from just randomly perusing articles of interest? Coretheapple (talk) 14:59, 16 January 2013 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Basic copyediting. PrimeHunter (talk) 20:35, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks. I hadn't seen that. Coretheapple (talk) 20:49, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
i am trying to say this; is there a hyperlink list of pages that need pictures on them? wiktionary has one; http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:Requests for photographs Venomxx (talk) 03:10, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
It might be confusing because there are so many. If you start here Wikipedia:Requested pictures and go to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs there are both more categories AND lists of wanted pictures, the list of pictures you will find lower on the page. You can also continue to drill down into categories Category:Wikipedia requested photographs of places to Category:Wikipedia requested photographs of architecture each one has both more categories and more lists. Sorry it is not more simple than that, but at least you can choose a direction to your liking. heather walls 03:22, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Finding image of a notable person

I am working to improve a page on an author born in my region (1915-1981). I have seen newsphotos and photos on the dustjackets. How can I locate an image that can be used on Wikipedia?Maineshepp (talk) 00:42, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Maineshepp. You can try Free Image Search Tool, a Wikimedia Toolserver bot to "Search for free images to add to Wikipedia articles" (tool link). ~ I haven't tried it, but it seems like it would be helpful. ~Eric F 74.60.29.141 (talk) 03:44, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

How do I determine an article's "Class" for a WikiProject template?

A number of articles related to one of the WikiProjects I'm part of seem to have outdated information in the WikiProject template on the talk page, i.e. class =Stub even after the articles have been expanded and improved. I would like to change the class, but I can't find any guidelines to help me determine what is a "C," what constitutes a "start" and so on. How can I tell what the appropriate rankings should be? Sarasays (talk) 19:56, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Sarasays! If you follow the link to the Wikiprojest that is also in that template, there will be there somewhere a guide to assessment, which tells you the criteria for each level of quality for an article. It is the same for every project, so you will only have to look once. Gtwfan52 (talk) 19:59, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
A-ha! Here it is. Score! Thanks Gtwfan52! --Sarasays (talk) 20:07, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Closest

I know nothing comes close, but whats the nearest rival to wikipedia in terms of collaboratively edited, free Internet encyclopedias with a general scope? Pass a Method talk 19:28, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Don't ask   ...it's probably a p*rn site!!! Basket Feudalist 19:47, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
On a [more] serious note, as an example of how WP has the market cornered, try Goggling 'rivals too Wikipedia', and welcome to an entire page of WP links containing the word "rivals", but not addressing the specific query! Fair enough eh... Basket Feudalist 19:51, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Free access or free reuse? Does it have to be in English? Baidu Baike and Hudong are in Chinese and have free access but not reuse. Both have more articles than the English Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:52, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Article rename / infobox alteration.

Hi Teadrinkers, just a quickie, re: this article Martin O'Connell (Irish republican).

  • It needs to be renamed as per WP:COMMON to Joe O'Connell (Irish republican) as Joe rather than Martin was the name he was familiarly known by (as the image shows)- I tried moving the article to a new page but it wouldn't let me;
  • Also I tried C&P & editing the Martin McGuinness infobox (there's a suggestion box at the top of the page for one) into this article but a lot of the sections don't show up. But I couldn't find a specific template.

Thanks for the help!

Basket Feudalist 16:16, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello Basket!!! I have done the latter - It is now displaying all sections. For the former, it needs the help of an admin - Someone who can help delete and perform the move. I have added a CSD tag on the page thats holding up the move, but you can also use a {{admin help}} to speed it up.
Cheers, TheOriginalSoni (talk) 16:27, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks, Soni! Appreciated. Where would I put that tag? Basket Feudalist 16:28, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
On your talk page. You put that tag and describe your problem - in this case to perform the move. Then an admin takes care of it. TheOriginalSoni (talk) 16:30, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Will do then. Many thanks again for your help. Have a good evening! Basket Feudalist 16:36, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

How to upload a picture?

Well, Ive been having trouble uploading a picture to my own wikipedia page "Koolade" (on a croatian producer). I wanted to upload my logo, but had trouble explaining that the .jpg is my own personal property, and that i hold the copyrights to it, and therefore couldn't upload the pic. Because none of the given options of description fit my case exactly. What should I do? thks! KooladeusKooladeus (talk) 10:51, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello Kooladeus. Without trying to get too complicated, in cases where you need to establish that you have the right to license an image for Wikipedia use, there's a fairly simple procedure described at Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials that explains how to do this. It involves sending an email to the Wikimedia foundation to establish your identity and right to license the image for Wikipedia use. I hope that helps. --Jayron32 14:00, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

how can i find the name of the school i attended in lincoln city uk in 1946

how can i find the name of the school i attened in lincoln city uk in 1946 - 1950 it was close to rookery lane lincoln and also i think to boulham park lincoln city uk86.168.107.211 (talk) 06:47, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello 86, and Welcome to the Wikipedia.
The Teahouse is a forum to discuss things related to Wikipedia, and not to help find things on Wikipedia. Hope you'll keep that in mind the next time.
Yet I did try to find the name of the school that you requested. Unfortunately, most of the links on lincoln city refer to the one in Oregon. I am afraid that unless you know the name of the school, it would not be possible to find it.
However, you could try other methods, like the "Yellow Pages" or a Map of Lincoln City, or just call their city office and see if they can help.
I hope my reply helped you find the school. Do ask here if you have any further questions. Also did you consider Contributing to the project?
Cheers,
TheOriginalSoni (talk) 07:22, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
You could start by looking at List of schools in Lincolnshire, Template:Schools in Lincolnshire, Category:Schools in Lincolnshire, and the latter's variouis sub-categories including Category:Defunct schools in Lincolnshire. This Google map might also help. Many schools may have merged or changed their names since you were there, but the current articles may give you an idea of the history. Good hunting! - David Biddulph (talk) 08:30, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello and the first question

Moved from Wikipedia talk:TeahouseGtwfan52 (talk) 17:30, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello, I am Marina and I hope I will be able to contribute to our community. Could anyone tell me whether all pictures found o Google images have free license?--Martina Moreau (talk) 17:23, 14 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Marina, welcome to Teahouse! This should have been asked at Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions and I will copy it there so others can learn from the answer. This page is for asking questions about the Teahouse itself. No worries! Most pictures on Google images are not of a compatible license with Wikipedia. I hope this answers your question. Gtwfan52 (talk) 17:27, 14 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi, Marina. Welcome to the Teahouse and English Wikipedia. To answer your question, only a small portion of pictures found on Google images are freely licensed. To find freely licensed images in Google, click on "Options" (the small image of a gear in the upper right screen) and choose "Advanced search". At the bottom of the web page that opens, look for "usage rights" and choose "free to use or share, even commercially" to show only those images acceptable in the English Wikipedia and Commons. Hope this helps. Take care, DocTree (ʞlɐʇ·cont) Join WER 11:20, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
That is actually very helpful. Thanks!--Martina Moreau (talk) 13:53, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Her name is Martina, not "Marina". Read nicks with more attention or simply use copy-and-paste, guys. Incnis Mrsi (talk) 11:44, 15 January 2013 (UTC)
My apology to Martina and thanks to Incnis Mrsi for pointing out my error. I actually did cut-and-paste but from "Hello, I am Marina...:" rather than reading carefully to her signature. I will be more careful although I suffer from fat finger syndrome and too frequently tap the wrong key. Take care, DocTree (ʞlɐʇ·cont) Join WER 01:04, 16 January 2013 (UTC)
That's ok. My name is Marina, but I just really like to be called Martina, hence the nickname :). No offence taken anyway: "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"--Martina Moreau (talk) 13:53, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Donation system

I am very confused about how to donate to Wikipedia. The system does not accept my credit card, no matter what.

I have started editing Wikipedia in order to try to improve it using my "time" instead of my "money". However, this does not give the same feeling of achievement when some of your money goes into bettering Wikipedia.

Does anyone else have this issue? Or does anybody know how to help? --Carrot Lord (talk) 23:39, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

  • Hi Carrot Lord, thanks for stopping by. I went to this page for problems with donations. There could be several problems like your bank flagging the transaction or something else. Check out the page and see if any of these address the issue. You can also e-mail donate@wikimedia.org if none of those solutions apply. Also, thanks for donating! I, Jethrobot drop me a line (note: not a bot!) 00:52, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

article for deletion

Hi, could you help me to improve this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Leonard,_Jr ? It has been considered for deletion. Thanks Dishv80 (talk) 20:51, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Dishv80! Welcome to the Teahouse. I think the article you mean is Earl Leonard, Jr.? (you left out the period after Jr :) ). I'll be happy to take a look and will get back to you! Gtwfan52 (talk) 21:19, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Yes, my mistake. Thanks a lot.Dishv80 (talk) 21:33, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi, again. I took a look at the article, and the problem as I see it is it does not have any references that would show his notability. In order for an article to be on Wikipedia, there is a requirement that others have written about the subject in reliable sources. As you were told at the AfD discussion, there doesn't seem to be any. He has to have been discussed in some sort of media that has a vetting or fact checking process in place. That is generally newspapers (or their websites), magazines, books, or radio or television news websites. I know who this guy is and it seems weird that there aren't any sources out there. You may have to go to a library and look through old business magazines or newspapers. But unless you can find some reliable source references to show his notability, I don't see much future for this article. Gtwfan52 (talk) 21:54, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

OK, I understand. Thanks a lot agaiin. I'll search again Dishv80 (talk) 21:59, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

I found a citation in a book attributed to him. The book was written by President L. Johnson, but I can't say as I understand what the document being cited is or whether it would be usable. [3] Perhaps one of our college student hosts can be of some help? I would suggest that whatever you search, you make sure you search without the "Jr.", too. Gtwfan52 (talk) 22:07, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
News Sources (many are pay to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) [4] and [5]--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:23, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

list of article in different language

hi any one no atool that gives you a list of article in different languages Thanks for your help ثامر مبارك (talk) 20:26, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, ثامر مبارك! There's no special tool to give you the list, but there is a way. Go to any article you want to see in a different language. Look to the left, where it says "Wikipedia" and has the logo. Keep looking down until you see the word "Languages". There will then be a list of the different languages it is in, with links to get there.
For example, if I went to the page Simon Delestre and looked to the left, I would see the word "Languages". Under that would be the words "Français" and "Deutsch". If I clicked on "Français" I would be directed to http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Delestre. Happy editing! öBrambleberry of RiverClan 20:35, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
You could use the Global Wikipedia Article Search tool but it is of limited usefulness because it will only find articles at the exact same title as the title entered (though if the other language article has a redirect from the title, it finds that). It may occasionally find entries that users (and bots) have missed when compiling interlanguage links.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:43, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

DYK Criteria

Hi,

I've read that articles nominated for DYK need to be written in the last 3 days. Does it still count as the last three days if I work on an article in userspace for more than three days, then move it into article space, then nominate it for DYK, would that still be OK?

Thanks,

King Jakob C 18:41, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, King Jakob C! The answer is that yes, it counts. The article just has to have been released in the article space in the past three days for it to count. Keep in mind that this is not the only DYK criteria and you may have to change some more things about your article. Happy editing! öBrambleberry of RiverClan 18:42, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
It's five days, not three. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 22:05, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

A lil help with making decisions...

How can I find out whether the source I quoted and added as reference was found to be useful and noteworthy.... How can I receive feedback about my contributions and edits???Ajayupai95 (talk) 18:22, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Ajayupai95! Generally, if your edits aren't removed and you aren't notified that something you did wasn't useful or trustworthy, it was useful and trustworthy. You shouldn't worry about whether each and every edit you make is helpful, because if they told you that every edit you did was helpful, your talk page would probably fill up. If it makes you feel better, would you like to show me the contribution you're referring to? öBrambleberry of RiverClan 18:46, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Cleaning out sandbox

I drafted an article in my sandbox that was published (Daniel James (Businessman))but my sandbox still has this article in it and it is synchronised or "redirected" with the publishd article. I do not want to delete the sandbox article without checking with someone in case it damages the main article. Can someone help?

Sidpickle (talk) 17:34, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Hello. Deleting or removing Redirects does not do anything to the page where it is redirected. You may freely remove the redirect link from your sandbox. TheOriginalSoni (talk) 17:37, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
I have removed the redirect for you! Cheers! TheOriginalSoni (talk) 17:38, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
Oops replied to wrong reply. Thanks for your help

Ted

Sidpickle (talk) 17:43, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

How do u delete an article?

Hello, I am new to Wikipedia page and I was working on adding an article on an organization called Scarborough Arts. Somehow I ended up making the title of the page as User:Faizaarts instead of Scarborough Arts. I was looking for help to change the title and when i read that i could redirect the ARTICLE. I have even done that. As of now, I want to delete the article and start a new one. Can someone guide me to delete the article? Thank you Faizaarts (talk) 17:23, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Does everything look fine now? The article is here -Scarborough Arts TheOriginalSoni (talk) 17:35, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
 
Hello Faizaarts. What you need to do is to move the article, not redirect it. There's an option in the top menu under the little triangle to "move" the page. See the image at right. That should cover the technical aspect of moving the article. However, the question you didn't ask, but should have is "Is it a good idea to move what is written here to the article space". The answer is an unambiguous no. If you did move that to the article space, it would quickly be deleted, as the article gives no indication it meets Wikipedia's minimum standards for inclusion, and the tone is wholly inappropriate for an encyclopedia. I suggest you read Wikipedia:FAQ/Organizations which will help explain some of the problems. --Jayron32 17:31, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
Thank you Jayron. Since I am new to wikipedia and only 2 days old. I dont have the authority to move the page. I have wait for 4 days and do 10 article edits. Thank you for the help overall. Faizaarts (talk) 17:42, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
I have moved the article to Scarborough Arts TheOriginalSoni (talk) 17:47, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
Deleted as a copyright violation. I will explain to the user, and will also explain why, as Jayron32 says above, this is not an encyclopedia article anyway. JohnCD (talk) 19:53, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Suspicions and concerns about Priory School, Isle of Wight

On Priory School, Isle of Wight, there are a lot of problems. Most of the references appear to be closely affiliated with it, and the edit history shows that most of the edits come from users who make a lot of edits in a short time to this one article, and have no other contributions on Wikipedia. There are also some formatting issues, but every time I add template messages, they get removed by the same editors I mentioned before. I've put something on the talk page, but so far I think the only people who view it are those same suspicious editors.

Am I reading too much into this, or is there something fishy going on? It looks to me like maybe a person closely associated with the school is promoting it (lots of the content seems to be along those lines), or maybe students doing school assignments or something. Could somebody take a look, or tell me what else I can do about it? --Kierkkadon talk/contribs 15:29, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

I think you're right. I've commented on the article's Talk page. but it does read like an Ad-! Basket Feudalist 15:51, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi, Kierkkadon. Welcome to the Teahouse. I have added the page to Wikiproject Schools. If you go to their page here, they maintain a list of artticles that need emergency attention. Thaat should get you some help with watching it. Gtwfan52 (talk) 16:58, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
This is getting out of hand - I have requested that the article be semi-protected temporarily.--ukexpat (talk) 17:11, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

I am a little confused with regards to the policy WP:BLP1E. I think I read somewhere that sufficient notability would override the 1E rule, which is why we have articles on chubby aviator wannabes who kill John Lennon one fine day. Then why is it for some cases, similarly (or even more) notable people like Dr. Conrad Murray (who definitely gained worldwide recognition for killing Michael Jackson) don't deserve their own article? What's the distinguishing? Cheers. Bonkers The Clown (Nonsensical Babble) 13:50, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Heya Bonkers, welcome back. The distinguishing difference is the focus of the writing in the source material. Does source material sufficiently cover the life of the person in depth, or does all source material only cover the event, and mention the person in superficial detail. Now, Mark David Chapman is certainly always connected to the Lennon assassination, however as evidenced by our article, there's sufficient source material about his life outside of that one event for use to use to fill out an article about it. It isn't that he's only famous for one thing, it's all about the source material available to fill out an article. BLP1E isn't about why a person is famous, it's about what is known about a person: if all we know about them is that the did that one thing, and nothing else about them, then there's not enough reliable source information to build a fully-fleshed article. --Jayron32 14:16, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
That policy has been at the center of discussions of Victoria Leigh Soto, the teacher caught up in the Newtown school massacre. Ultimately it was decided that she was worth an article, based on the massive amount of news coverage. Coretheapple (talk) 15:29, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

How do I recover deleted article

I posted an article into arabic version and it was deleted as it is not suitable how do I recover my text, the message that I got

هذه الصفحة تم حذفها. سجلا الحذف والنقل للصفحة معروضان بالأسفل كمرجع.

07:11، 18 يناير 2013 Zaxo (نقاش | مساهمات) حذف الصفحة رهيف حاكمي (مقالة غير موسوعية: المحتوى كان: 'الدكتور المهندس رهيف حاكمي رجل أعمال سوري و يشغل حاليا المناصب التالية: * رئ...)Rahif Hakmi (talk) 08:46, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Hi Rahif. We have no ability to take action at the Arabic Wikipedia which has its own processes and administration. Here's a few links that might help: ar:ويكيبيديا:بوابة_المشاركة/قاعة_الشاي/أسئلة is their Teahouse; ar:ويكيبيديا:مراجعة نقاشات الحذف is the Arabic equivalent of what we call here deletion review; ar:ويكيبيديا:سياسة_الحذف is a page that explains deletion policy; and ar:ويكيبيديا:إخطار_الإداريين is their administrator's noticeboard. Best regards--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:26, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
It was Shariapedia   Basket Feudalist 13:59, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

How can I help?

Hey, is there a way I can help Wikipedia? please leave your answer on my talk page here Thanks- Fishtank1 (talk) 00:47, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

Sportsperson infobox

I'm obviously made a mistake in formatting this one: Clare Cunningham (athlete). Compared my markup with similar boxes that are working, and can't find the problem. Can someone help? Sportygeek (talk) 23:07, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

urgh - I did not mean for that page to be live immediately!! Obviously belongs in AfC or userspace. Signed, embarrassed newbie. Sportygeek (talk) 23:12, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Hi and welcome to the Teahouse. The problem clearly lies within the medal templates, as I've removed them and the infobox shows up fine. Not to worry, I've moved your wikicode for the medal templates here, so it's not lost. I am not an expert in these kinds of things. Hold on a minute. Go Phightins! 23:15, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Sorry. Real life issue. Can someone else mess with this please? I have a RL problem. Go Phightins! 23:17, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Sportygeek, it's fixed for you. Fourth line from the bottom you had {{MedalGold| 2009 Gold Coast | TRI 4 - this just needed closing with }} to sort the issue. NtheP (talk) 23:28, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Thanks. I've got a related problem I need help with now (sorry). Person who was both a medal-winning athlete and a contestant on The Amazing Race. I can manage to get either one of those things to show, but not both at the same time. Sarah Reinertsen Sportygeek (talk) 05:11, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
Sporty, looking at how the article is now it looks like you are trying to use |television=The Amazing Race 10 to show her appearance on the show? There's only one problem with that and that is that the template {{Infobox sportsperson}} doesn't support the parameter |television= - the best I can manage is to use |other-interests=The Amazing Race 10 although the output doesn't look so great to me. I'd be inclined not to include this information in the infobox at all, it's mentioned in the text and there is the navigational template about Amazing Race contestants at the bottom of the page anyway. Infoboxes don't have to record every fact about their subject just the highlight/headlines. NtheP (talk) 14:01, 18 January 2013 (UTC)
When I first looked at the page, the info box didn't any sport info in it, just The Amazing Race. At one time, the page was actually nominated for deletion due to non-notability. Ummm... not quite. *shudder* Sportygeek (talk) 14:13, 18 January 2013 (UTC)

IP address

I accidentally made an edit using my IP address and I was wondering if there was anything I could do about that? The Giant Purple Platypus (talk) 22:51, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

Hey, and sorry about that, it happens to the best of us. See WP:Oversight for information on how to have the edit taken care of. You'll need to send them the link by e-mail, and they'll take care of it. :) gwickwiretalkedits 23:02, 17 January 2013 (UTC)
Welcome to the Teahouse, Purple Playtpus. That advice is useful if you want to hide personal information. But if you are asking how to have the edits re-attributed to you, that can no longer be done. If you are willing to make your IP address public, you can make a dummy edit in which you identify yourself as being responsible for the edit you accidentally made with an IP.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:41, 18 January 2013 (UTC)