Help desk
< October 10	<< Sep \| October \| Nov >>	October 12 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

October 11

Is non-free image proper?

I recently created the article Man With A Mission. I wish to use a picture of the band for the infobox. In that regard, I've sent an email or two to them through their website, asking if they could release some picture of them into the public domain or by CC-BY-SA, but I've heard no response in over a week.

I was wondering if I could use an image of the band's first album, shown here, as a non-free image to illustrate the band? Or can I only do that sort of thing if it's in an article about the album itself? Silver seren^C 00:17, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Correct. You could use that image on an article about the album but not for the band's infobox. Dismas|^(talk) 00:44, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

not being allowed to upload a file

I went to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Files_for_upload because it said that was where to go to upload a picture if you don't have an account. I followed all the steps and chose "upload without registering", "image doesn't exist on wikipedia", and "public domain" since I would put it in the public domain.

Then it asked for a whole lot of information which I filled in except for where it asked for a url because, as I explained in the form, I made the image myself so it is not on the internet, it is on my computer. There wasn't any interface to upload the image so I pressed the save button which was the only one around. I really feel I followed all the instructions!

But now when I go back to the page it says I am not allowed because my file is corrupt and I am also not allowed to change the page again to ask why. This seems very unfair, and it also doesn't make sense. If there was nowhere to upload the file how could the person know it is corrupt or not?

Please explain how I can do this without getting the bad result. The file is called PortRoyalEarthquake1692.jpg and I would like to give it to Wikipedia/public domain.

184.147.120.196 (talk) 00:37, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In order to upload a file without registering, another user needs to be able to access it via the internet because uploading files requires an autoconfirmed account. You're welcome to create an account and make some edits to be allowed to upload it, but since you're going to release it to the public domain, I suggest that you create an account on commons, a free-use file repository used by all wikimedia projects.--Unionhawk ^Talk ^E-mail 00:52, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The reply at Wikipedia:Files for upload/January 2015#PortRoyalEarthquake1692.jpg was made with Template:ffu which has no "File is inaccessible" option, so the editor chose "corrupt". A hand-written statement would probably have been better. You can make a new request in a new section if you are able to place the file anywhere accessible on the Internet, but uploading it yourself to commons: would be better. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:13, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I think I managed to do it. Is there any way to change the instructions to explain that if you are not registered the file has to be on the internet? (Given that it offers an option for people who are not registered). Or the template thing (If I understand you right, that the person who replied on the upload page did not have an option to talk to me normally and explain)? Regardless, thanks again. 184.147.120.196 (talk) 01:30, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have posted your suggestion to Wikipedia talk:Files for upload#Clarify file must be online. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:50, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

article on dead island console game

hello,

i have tried a few times now to edit a page on dead island the console game, but it just keeps getting changed back, presumably by the owners or who ever they're paying to do so.

it clearly states on the box that the game is single player and offline/online co-operative.

this is a lie! there is no offline co-op mode which makes a huge difference and is illegal to advertise, tricking people into buying a feature which simply doesn't exist.

please can you change the article to stop more people being tricked into a purchase!!! thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.148.166.161 (talk) 02:36, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

First off: I have the game for the American PlayStation 3 - and no where on the box does it say anything like that. Second, even if it did, you need to cite reliable sources for that - we do not accept original research here, which means you can't just add something you think is right. It has to come from a reliable source. ^Avic _ennasis @ 03:48, 13 Tishrei 5772 / 03:48, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Wrongly deleting article because of copyright infringment (it was published but I am copyright holder)

My submission (Wyatt Hanks, Judge, Texian Patriot)was deleted because of copyright infringement however I am the original author. The biography, which I wrote, appeared in "The Handbook of Texas" which is the definitive source for Texas History. The fact that I permitted "The Handbook of Texas" to publish the article does in no way diminish my original authorship and copyright authority. In fact appearing in such a respected publication removes any question as to accuracy, significance, "notability" or sources. My name appears after the article as the author. I am a professional writer and historian and am familiar with copyright guidelines. I certainly have never violated them. Please respond as soon as possible as I am working on several other articles and if they will not be published I don't want to waste my time. Sincerely, William M. Hanks Wmhanks (talk) 06:08, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Have you read WP:COPYVIO, and have you released the copyright using the procedure in Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials? - David Biddulph (talk) 06:22, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Also keep in mind that WP is an encyclopedia, not a general publisher. It could be that the article as you wrote it may have problems in terms of terms of style, tone, neutrality, etc. Roger (talk) 07:06, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Search Photos Sgt. Robert J. Lingo

I am searching for current photos of Sgt. Robert J. Lingo MOS B11 Camp Eggars, Kabul, Afghanistan . Please email to ^{[details removed]}

Thank You for your help and efforts. Sincerely,

Thomas M. Brown PHONE: ^{[details removed]} — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.249.131.251 (talk) 07:54, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This help desk is intended for asking questions about using or editing Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. I suggest you ask at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Miscellaneous; the volunteers there may be able to help you.

I have removed your contact details to protect your privacy. When you ask at the reference desk, please don't include those details there either, as any answers will be be given just below your question. Good luck! -- John of Reading (talk) 08:26, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Determining the source of a huge spike in "Page View Statistics".

I believe this question is, in a sense, about "how to use Wikipedia", but otherwise maybe I can be pointed in some other direction.

The "Page View Statistics" for the Wikipedia entry for the giant geoglyph "Marree Man" (viewable from the "History" page of the entry), show an enormous leap from an average of around 150 visits per day previously, to 22,200 on July 3rd 2011, fading away back towards the previous average over the next few days.

This indicates that the subject was covered in some significant manner, in some major, major media outlet, presumably on July 3rd. Does anyone know of any way to determine where or what that coverage was???

The very sharp fall-off in visits, after the initial spike, suggests that it was not via some "viral" internet-based coverage. The sudden, large spike suggests it was most likely via coverage by TV or newspaper in a major market (US, China, India, Germany, UK etc). But I've conducted all internet searches I can think of, with no sign of what the source may have been. Is there any mechanism for determining the main country of origin of all those visits, or of any internet site from which numerous links through to the Wikipedia entry were made?

That the spike was real is shown by the "fade-away" over a few days, and by a small spike in visits to the Wikipedia "Geoglyph" entry on that same day.

Many thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.109.97.6 (talk) 11:52, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

User:Darac/Books/The 50 most interesting articles on Wikipedia mentions a list topped by Marree Man, War Plan Red and Vela Incident. The list is apparently from 2009 and has been mentioned in many places but I haven't found a notable mention in early July 2011. However, http://stats.grok.se/en/201107/Marree_Man, http://stats.grok.se/en/201107/War_Plan_Red and http://stats.grok.se/en/201107/Vela_Incident show similar huge spikes on July 3, 2011, so I assume a mention of the list is responsible. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:34, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

http://www.saveyourrazer.com/?p=111 has a mention of the list on July 3, 2011, but it's a low traffic site. Given the date, the author may have seen it on a high-traffic site and copied it - or a high-traffic site may have copied it from http://www.saveyourrazer.com/?p=111. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:45, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

On July 3 there was a story in the The Advertiser (Adelaide), covering the fifth-largest city in Australia, which mentions the Maree Man in the first line: The farmer woos a wife which was also apparently picked up by The Daily Telegraph (Australia) here, which serves all of Sydney.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:40, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The stories are dated July 3, 2009. The traffic spike was July 3, 2011. Also, the stories don't mention War Plan Red and Vela Incident so it wouldn't have explained why they spiked on the same day. It must be connected to the list at User:Darac/Books/The 50 most interesting articles on Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:49, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Oops. I thought I limited my search to 2011 an didn't notice the date.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 11:37, 12 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Error when attempting to create new book

When I attempt to create a new book I get this error:

Unexpected non-MediaWiki exception encountered, of type "UsageException"
badtoken: Invalid token

#0 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/api/ApiBase.php(1205): ApiBase->dieUsage('Invalid token', 'badtoken')
#1 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/api/ApiMain.php(590): ApiBase->dieUsageMsg('sessionfailure')
#2 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/api/ApiMain.php(678): ApiMain->setupModule()
#3 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/api/ApiMain.php(340): ApiMain->executeAction()
#4 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/extensions/Collection/Collection.body.php(867): ApiMain->execute()
#5 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/extensions/Collection/Collection.body.php(225): SpecialCollection->saveCollection(Object(Title), false)
#6 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/SpecialPageFactory.php(460): SpecialCollection->execute(NULL)
#7 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/Wiki.php(224): SpecialPageFactory::executePath(Object(Title), Object(RequestContext))
#8 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/Wiki.php(624): MediaWiki->performRequest()
#9 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/includes/Wiki.php(531): MediaWiki->main()
#10 /usr/local/apache/common-local/php-1.18/index.php(57): MediaWiki->run()
#11 /usr/local/apache/common-local/live-1.5/index.php(3): require('/usr/local/apac...')
#12 {main}

At first I thought it might be an issue with Chrome, but I get the same error with Firefox too. If this isn't the right place for this kind of issue I apoligize. I didn't know where else to go. There isn't really an obvious way to report this kind of stuff on Wikipedia. --Sabre ball (talk) 13:31, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

In general, the best place for technical problems is probably WP:VPT. There have been a number of problems with the new version 1.18 of the software, so it may be worth checking whether yours is one of the problems already reported there. - David Biddulph (talk) 13:45, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! I'll try there. --Sabre ball (talk) 15:28, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Seriously broken article

The article Icariin seems seriously broken. Could someone have a look? Electron9 (talk) 14:14, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can you give a better description of what is wrong with the article? I do not see any major problems with the formatting. GB fan 14:18, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

While rendering the article, the IUPAC name covers most of the page. HurricaneFan 25 14:21, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Correct, the IUPAC name covers most of the page.. Electron9 (talk) 15:24, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) I don't see anything particularly wrong with the article. Do you perhaps mean the appearance of the references in the 'References' section? You could arrange the references in columns if that is what you mean. For example {{Reflist|2}} would arrange them in two parallel vertical columns. Toshio Yamaguchi (talk) 14:24, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

..., but only on some browsers, see Template:Reflist#Browser support for columns. - David Biddulph (talk) 14:35, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Whew. 20 references in a 2-paragraph article? Over-reference much? The Mark of the Beast (talk) 22:56, 12 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that the problem concerns references at all - I believe that the problem is the infobox width. In the infobox, there is a heading "Chemical data"; under that is the label "InChI". On some browsers, to the right of that is a [show/hide] link; but this sometimes doesn't appear. When it isn't there, or when in "show" mode (i.e. when it appears as "[hide]"), the full identifier "1S/C33H40O15/c1-13(2)5-10-17-19(45-33-28(42)26(40)23(37)20(12-34)46-33)11-18(35)21-24(38)31(48-32-27(41)25(39)22(36)14(3)44-32)29(47-30(17)21)15-6-8-16(43-4)9-7-15/h5-9,11,14,20,22-23,25-28,32-37,39-42H,10,12H2,1-4H3/t14-,20+,22-,23+,25+,26-,27+,28+,32-,33+/m0/s1" is displayed; and since this contains only one space (just after the "O15", it tries to put all the rest onto one line, which significantly widens the infobox - on some screen resolutions it may well go to full width. This is the |StdInChI= parameter - note that there is also the |InChI= parameter, which is subtly different. If permitted by the rules of such formulae, I would try putting in a few more spaces at strategic points in order to allow some wrapping, which will reduce the infobox width. --Redrose64 (talk) 08:53, 13 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I corrected the problem by wrapping the formula in the infobox. If the solution is the right one is another question. But it works now at least.Electron9 (talk) 14:17, 13 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Chitra Singh, w/o Jagjit Singh

Hello

In the biography of Chitra Singh, it is mentioned that she passed away. In fact, when I was watching Jagjit Singh's funeral pictures and on TV, she was alive. So it needs to be corrected.

Thanks — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.223.136.5 (talk) 14:59, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

That resulted from misleading wording and punctuation in the edits including the report of her husband's death yesterday. I have corrected it. Note that this is Wikipedia, the encyclopedia that anyone can edit, so you could have done the edit yourself. - David Biddulph (talk) 15:09, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

David Willey

I am trying to get the "David Willey" page so that it has no problems. However, I am having a difficult time doing so. Can someone help me change the article so that the issues in the article go away. How do you know what needs fixed. I am very new to this. I work for David Willey and he wants me to fix it. I have no idea how to though! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.142.226.108 (talk) 15:49, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Are you either of the editors Dgwilley and/or Dai Willey? --Orange Mike | Talk 16:02, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you work for the subject of the article and he has asked you to fix it, the first thing you need to read is WP:COI. - David Biddulph (talk) 16:02, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Adding book title to a Further Reading section

I would like to add a book title to an article for further reading on a specific topic. Is that permissible? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Laura P Wright (talk • contribs) 15:54, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

What article? What book? Are you connected to the book or its author in some way? We need specifics. --Orange Mike | Talk 16:05, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Editing name

How do you know what your editing name is? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.142.226.108 (talk) 16:31, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This help page has some suggestions for recovering a forgotten account name. -- John of Reading (talk) 16:44, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure what you mean. If you don't log in to an account then edits are attributed to the IP address used at the time of the edit such as 136.142.226.108 above. If you don't have an account yet then you can create one at Special:UserLogin/signup and choose the username. See Wikipedia:Username policy. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:42, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

How do I know what user I am? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.142.226.108 (talk) 15:35, 12 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I moved your second post from the section above. If the answers here don't apply to your problem then please clarify what the problem is. PrimeHunter (talk) 15:40, 12 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Missing User page

DELETED. Sorry! GeorgeTSLC (talk)

I see that you've worked this out for yourself. Your user name is shown as a red link because you haven't created a user page yet. -- John of Reading (talk) 16:42, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Dangerous Links

Is there a policy as to what to do if an external link comes up with a red warning - "high risk of infection" on a virus programme such as Norton or McAfee?
Is it OK to just delete the link? - Or should it be kept but tagged with a warning? - Arjayay (talk) 17:09, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Usually we just delete malicious links. If it becomes persistent, then the link can be added to the spam blacklist. Alpha_Quadrant ^(talk) 17:12, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks - I assumed so, but didn't know if there was any merit in keeping them, like with a ^{[dead link‍]} - Arjayay (talk) 17:24, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

See also point 3 at WP:LINKSTOAVOID. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:36, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

getting a page published

Hello,

Can you please advise why this page hasnt been published, and what I need to do to get it published?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dbrezenoff/Robert_Garcia,_politician — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dbrezenoff (talk • contribs) 17:48, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Try reading WP:SYMUD. - David Biddulph (talk) 17:58, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Musicals/theatre

Hi, I have had an idea about a musical of a well known, old, childrens story. How do i get the rights or permission to make a musical of the story and songs that is on the DVD, version. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.221.125.100 (talk) 17:51, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried the Miscellaneous section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. HurricaneFan 25 17:55, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Mata Hari Page

Under the reference list on the Mata Hari page, number 3, www.praamsma.org is listed as a "dead link". This is because we changed service providers. We are up again at the same web address (www.praamsma.org). — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.112.179.79 (talk) 18:24, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I still get a 404 error when trying to access the site. I've never been there before, so it's not a caching issue. Dismas|^(talk) 18:28, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It looks as if the url has changed. Try http://www.praamsma.org/personalities/MataHari/MataHari.html . - David Biddulph (talk) 18:48, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You may have to remove the old link and enter the name again.

There is a lot of talk about Mata Hari and her ancestry. On my site I have her family tree, which proves without a doubt, that she is of Dutch (Friesian) ancestry. I have included below the direct link to her page on my web site.

http://www.praamsma.org/familytrees/Margaretha_Gertruida_Zelle.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by Linda Praamsma (talk • contribs) 18:42, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

If you go to the personalities page, you will only get the family link between Mata Hari and me. You have to go to the "family trees" page, and click on her name in the column on the left. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Linda Praamsma (talk • contribs) 18:57, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Since the link to www.praamsma.org is broken, how do I update it? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Linda Praamsma (talk • contribs) 19:54, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The link is in an inline reference so you would have to edit the section where the reference is used. See Wikipedia:Referencing for beginners. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:32, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OK. I have added the new, improved link to the family tree website for Mata Hari. Now, how do I get rid of the "dead Link"? I did not originally add it to this page. Also, the addition that I just made, has got itself a tag as possible vandalism. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Linda Praamsma (talk • contribs) 23:10, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I have fixed it. Goodvac (talk) 23:20, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Printing suggestion

Hello, I would like to request that a print button which would display an article's text without the leftmost frame. It saves space and makes for a more readable copy. Microsoft uses this for their knowledge base and many of their articles. Thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by Arptro (talk • contribs) 19:52, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

This is already available. In the left-hand frame is a heading "Print/export"; click that and a menu option "Printable version" should appear. --Redrose64 (talk) 20:11, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As a registered user you can customize Wikipedia in many ways. The skins Chick and Nostalgia at Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-rendering have no left frame. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:29, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just use your browser print function. Printable version is mainly for older browsers; see Help:Printable. You may also install Sharebox. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 21:35, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

spam on my page

Someone posted the following line:

"Death: Bill Gates passed away on 11th October 2011 in his home. The cause of death is not confirmed but expected to be from a reaction to a nut allergy from nuts posted through his letterbox. The funeral will be a private ceremony on 13th October 2011.[1]"

on the page that was written about me - bernie dekoven

I tried to edit it but can't find where the text might be.

Majorfun (talk) 20:14, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't on the page. It is in the marriage template. Technically, it is buried in one of the templates inside the marriage template. -- kainaw ™ 20:21, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Found it [1], should be good as soon as everything refreshes. Thanks for bringing the problem up. Monty ₈₄₅ 20:23, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Communicating with Wiki admins

I'm new to Wikipedia as a contributor but I have refereed to it as a resource for many years. A few days ago I established an account to get my feet wet in submitting articles. The difficulty is that I'm not familiar with the interface and it is not like anything I have seen before. It is certainly not intuitive nor, no offense intended, particularly well designed it seems to my unknowing eyes. However I have made a commitment to compensate for that with some extra work on my part because of the good that may be accomplished.

My question is this: is there an overview that would clarify the arcane system of communication that seems to be in place? For example if I ask a question I don't know who I'm asking. And, if I get an answer it seems to appear as a link on a small line of text, perhaps several lines and several links ... but which link? some just lead to someone's personal description. Others lead to a column of issues that seem to be addressed by an almost anonymous administrator.

I haven't been able to just have a straight exchange of information in a coherent way with anyone as yet. My article was taken down within an hour before I could even respond by someone going by the name of "Fastly". When I asked questions, several others seem to have contributed their remarks. But I'm not sure because all I see at the end of the question are a series of links to something else. But so far no one has been available to carry through and actually help resolve the issue other than the obvious "read the guidelines". I have read the guidelines and found nothing that fits my circumstances.

The article I submitted was my original work representing many months research and many miles traveled. I had previously allowed it to be published in "The Handbook of Texas". Therein seems to be the problem because The Handbook carries a copyright. However, as the original author I have prior and preeminent claim to ownership of the material.

I feel like I'm putting a message in a bottle here and casting it on the waves but I am determined to at least make every effort I can to work with Wikipedia. It seems to be a reasonably accurate resource that is freely accessible by the people, and that's a good thing.

Wmhanks (talk) 20:47, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

You asked a question further up the page at #Wrongly deleting article because of copyright infringment (it was published but I am copyright holder), and were given a link to WP:COPYVIO. You were asked whether you had released the copyright using the procedure in Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials, but I don't think you've answered that question. - David Biddulph (talk) 20:55, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

And just to clarify the situation, in case it isn't sufficiently clear in the link you were given: Copyright violation is a serious legal matter, and Wikipedia cannot risk laying itself open to the penalties which might arise if it isn't seen to be taking steps to protect the rights of copyright holders. If it isn't clear that Wikipedia has the right to publish the material, it must be taken down. The process exists whereby a copyright holder can donate the material to Wikipedia, but unless the correct process has been gone through, Wikipedia must be cautious. - David Biddulph (talk) 21:05, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) I see that you raised a post on this page earlier today, at #Wrongly deleting article because of copyright infringment (it was published but I am copyright holder). There are two replies to your post, each containing several links:

WP:COPYVIO is a policy document on violation of copyright;
Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials explains how copyright material may be licensed for use on Wikipedia
David Biddulph (talk) - these are two links found in most signatures, the first is to the user's page about themselves, the second is to a page where messages directed at that user may be left;
Roger (talk) - two more signature links.

The deletion log states

04:21, 11 October 2011 Fastily (talk · contribs) deleted "Wyatt Hanks, Judge, Texian Patriot" ‎ (G12: Unambiguous copyright infringement of http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fha50)

There are some more links here.

Fastily (talk · contribs) - this is again a signature, but with three links, and the extra one shows the contributions of the user concerned;
Wyatt Hanks, Judge, Texian Patriot - this is the page that was deleted, it's red because it no longer exists;
G12 - this is the code for the reason under which the page was deleted;
copyright infringement - this is the policy on copyright.

Wikipedia takes copyright very seriously. We have no proof that you are who you say we are, so we err on the side of caution in order to avoid legal proceedings. --Redrose64 (talk) 21:12, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

For your more general question, you might find Help: Wikipedia: The Missing Manual helpful. --ColinFine (talk) 22:16, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

americas

How many countries are there in the americas — Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.250.242.153 (talk) 23:29, 11 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Americas says 35 but it may depend on the definition of country.

Have you tried the Humanities section of Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in answering knowledge questions there; this help desk is only for questions about using Wikipedia. For your convenience, here is the link to post a question there: click here. I hope this helps. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:14, 12 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]