Help desk
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February 23

No user names recognized

We created an account, but when we try to login, wikipedia is not recognizing any of the user names we think we used. What do we do now? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.112.63.19 (talk) 01:16, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If you created your account recently, you could try looking for your username in the user creation log. If you manage to find your username, you can then try to login, or reset your password if needed. Anon126 (talk - contribs) 01:31, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If it was longer ago and you have an idea what the name started with then you can try Special:Listusers. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:15, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

As far as your use of the word "we"... Wikipedia accounts are supposed to be for one person and not a group of people. If multiple people are to be editing something, then each should have their own account. Dismas|^(talk) 02:35, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

NM owner changing history for their own profit

Hello I was astounded to come across a webpage for NM church claiming "oldest in america", and came here to see if history has changed. Anyone with an education knows St. Augustines Florida is 1565 Your page says that, but they have been completely REMOVED from oldest list, replaced by the NM one built 1610 (if theyre lucky)!

I'm not here to fool around making accounts doing your work for you nor do i have time -- Im showing you how your system of editing allows for this tourism owner to make your site look silly, and profit off it. Because Oldest in America is a major fact, and theyre changing it...may as well say America and Mexico are now part of USA. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.139.36.188 (talk) 02:52, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I can't help with the issue at present, but "[our] work for [us]" is the job of everyone with accounts and without, because Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and pretty much everyone is a volunteer who just decided to sign up for an account. Some are even IP addresses like your own, and if the article is not protected, you can make the change yourself. - Purplewowies (talk) 03:27, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia has millions of articles and is written by volunteers around the World. The content you refer to may have no involvement from the people you accuse. You didn't name any of the articles you refer to but after searching I guess you refer to San Miguel Mission in New Mexico, Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in Florida, and List of the oldest churches in the United States. The current St. Augustine church was apparently built 1793–1797, and the original church doesn't seem to satisfy the list requirement to still be standing or have a continuous congregation. List of the oldest churches in the United States#Florida says: "Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Originally established September 8, 1565. Abandoned in 1763, but re-built in 1793." PrimeHunter (talk) 05:02, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Change of picture

My friend Adah Sharma is an Indian actress and has been trying to change her profile picture in the Wikipedia page but unable to do so. help. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 14.97.232.174 (talk) 08:10, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If the copyright holder of the new picture (which may be the photographer or agency rather than herself) is willing to license the picture so that anybody may use it for any purpose, including commercially, then they can upload it to Wikimedia commons using the procedure in Donating copyright materials, and then the new picture can be used in the article. If they are not willing to license it in that way, then the picture cannot be used in Wikipedia. On a related subject, while updating the picture with a properly licensed one would be welcome, both you and she should be very cautious about editing that article, as you have a conflict of interest. --ColinFine (talk) 09:37, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

On how to use the help desk

I submitted a question (Feb 19) that has now supposedly been archived some six or seven hours ago (though the archive file apparently does not exist). It got there without any response or acknowledgement. How should I interpret the silence? Evensteven (talk) 08:27, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Probably that there isn't a preference, you cite the source you actually used - See WP:SAYWHEREYOUGOTIT. -- Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 09:02, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. That one covers my original question. Evensteven (talk) 17:16, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Below the box at top is a link on "Archived discussions" and "Search the help desk archives". It goes to Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives which currently links to Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2014 February 19 where your question has no replies. If the link was red when you posted then the page needed a purge to display the link as blue. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:24, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

And thanks. I didn't know about purging, and a refresh hadn't fixed the red link I got earlier. Evensteven (talk) 17:16, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Incorporating information from a different language's Wikipedia on the English Wikipedia

There is fairly significant information about a living person on the Japanese Wikipedia, which appears to be properly referenced there, that is missing from the English Wikipedia. I think it would be helpful to include this information on the English Wikipedia, but all relevant sources appear to be in Japanese. Do I need to read the sources myself to verify them myself, or is the fact that it was referenced on the other Wikipedia sufficient? --Beneficii (talk) 08:29, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This is still using a Wiki, with public editing, to support an article. You will have to find other sources or, as you say, refer to the original ones. Britmax (talk) 08:37, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

There is a page for requesting help with sources you can't access/read - unfortunately I can't find it right now. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 09:09, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

What article is this about?

If you want to mention the article on the Japanese language Wikipedia you can simply paste its URL. For example, Hajime Toyoshima: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B1%8A%E5%B3%B6%E4%B8%80

or you can use the format [[:ja:https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B1%8A%E5%B3%B6%E4%B8%80]] (which comes out as ja:https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/豊島一).

You can always ask for help with translations at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language.

Does this help? Pete aka --Shirt58 (talk) 09:20, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

You're thinking of ja:豊島一. Also, there's this template Template:Expand Japanese. If you cannot read Japanese, you could ask for help in some of the places listed if this is something you'd like to do yourself. - Purplewowies (talk) 09:39, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Here: [1]. I would likely be able to understand the Japanese source well enough to be able to verify that fact, but it costs money. What should I do? --Beneficii (talk) 14:56, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

You need to be very careful about reliable sources as there are WP:BLP issues involved. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 15:19, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It's reliable enough for the Japanese Wikipedia, and I imagine they are at least as strict as we are (if not stricter) about BLP issues, because defamation laws are tougher there. (And in fact, the Japanese Wikipedia would steadfastly refuse to publish the perpetrator's name, and in fact the Japanese Wikipedia had a bot that would remove any linked source mentioning her name, including interwiki links, a fact that encouraged editors here on the English Wikipedia not to use her name.) That statement in question has been on the Japanese article for quite a while. The book in question is published by Kodansha, a major Japanese publisher, so it is published by a reliable third-party source. --Beneficii (talk) 20:12, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

@Beneficii, what you "imagine" about the Japanese Wikipedia is not relevant unless you can show some actual evidence. They are in any case not subject to Japanese defamation or any other laws as the servers that host all Wikipedias are in Florida. The only laws that are actually relevant are Florida state and US federal laws. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 22:03, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The Wikipedias are so separate that each cannot even trust others' verifications of sources, when they are all under U.S. law anyway? --Beneficii (talk) 22:22, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The law is only relevant to copyright and slander - other than that, article content is subject only to the internal policies and rules of each Wikipedia - separately. That's basically why content from another Wikipedia cannot be trusted at face-value, the sources must always be checked. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 07:19, 24 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

You may be able to ask at WP:RX about accessing the source and perhaps even translation help, if it's not something you can easily get ahold of. - Purplewowies (talk) 21:51, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. --Beneficii (talk) 22:22, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

adding a photo to an existing profile of a person listed on Wikipedia

I have successfully uploaded a Jpeg photograph of Sol M. Wurtzel, and would like to know how to get the photo to appear on the biographical page — Preceding unsigned comment added by RexRexRex (talk • contribs) 09:05, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Are you using the filename exactly as you entered it, capitals and all? it is File:SOL M WURTZEL.jpg --ColinFine (talk) 09:47, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

You can for example add [[File:SOL M WURTZEL.jpg|thumb|Sol M. Wurtzel]] to the article. See more at Wikipedia:Picture tutorial. PrimeHunter (talk) 14:13, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I will note that the licensing of the image appears dubious. Given that he was born in 1890 and the image of him is of a fairly young age, it strikes me as very unlikely that you as the uploader were also the creator of that image. It may be that the image is now out of copyright protection and thus with the correct licensing is proper to post on Wikimedia Commons. Or if you have inherited or otherwise obtained the copy right from the original holder and wish to release it under a free use licensing, you can verify that through the WP:OTRS and you can also post it on Commons. Otherwise, since the subject is dead, you can post it on Wikipedia with appropriate licensing and a WP:FAIRuse claim. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 14:58, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Referencing errors on Prime Minister of Ukraine

Reference help requested. I am unsure what a reference block is and how to resolve this - can someone help? Thanks, Dn9ahx (talk) 11:17, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Dn9ahx. The first reference you altered was given a name (60dcsag) so that the same reference could be used later in the article. You changed the reference, and so there is not now a defined reference with that name. You need to find the place in the article where reference 60dsag was reused, and move the definition (the interfax link) to that reference, so that that later reference will be properly defined. --ColinFine (talk) 11:43, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

My Article : Sudha Jain (abusive/misleading/malafide edits)

I wish to report malafide edits to my article by a couple of users and would like to draw your attention to the same. Please help in preventing such edits and let me know what can be done.

It is unfortunate and highly distressing to find that the article put up by me had been entirely deleted and replaced by another content which is misleading - malafide and rather insinuating. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Triptoroy12041974 (talk • contribs) 15:03, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

So far as I can see, the edits were all improvements. Your edit[2] reversed the changes that turned it into an article more in line with other biographies and written in better English. It used better sources (among other things you used our articles as sources, which we don't do), it cited things according to WP:CITE. Your wording, which violated WP:NPOV was changed for the better. You may be the article's creator but you have no rights over it. I note that you've been given links on how to write a good article and on writing biographies. I'm sorry that your experience as a new editor has been unpleasant for you but you need to follow our guidelines and policies. I've reverted you - if there are any specific changes you want, please discuss them on the talk page first. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dougweller (talk • contribs) 15:17, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

And please note that, despite your opening line "I wish to report malafide edits to my article" it is not "your" article - please read WP:OWN - Arjayay (talk) 15:59, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Need help choosing dubious/whom/citation-needed/weasel-words tag for article section

I am having trouble finding the correct template to tag a section of an article. The article on Vikings contains a section on common misconceptions about the Vikings. One of these "common misconceptions" is Viking use of skulls as drinking cups. The section begins by asserting (without any evidence):

"The use of human skulls as drinking vessels — another common motif in popular pictorial representations of the Vikings"

To be clear I have no problem with the statement "Vikings did not drink from skulls." My problem is with the assertion that many people think Vikings drank from skulls and/or that Vikings are commonly portrayed drinking from human skulls. The section then proceeds to offer possible explanation for this misconception. I take issue with the assertion that this is a common misconception. The section does not list any examples of pictures with vikings drinking out of skulls and in a cursory search I could not find any example pictures. I was able to ind other articles "clearing up this common misconception" but most of these third party articles appear to be heavily cribbed from the WP article. I can not find a template tag that seems to fit; Dubious /Citation needed/whom/etc? How should I indicate my disagreement with the section? Personally I would love to be bold and just delete this section but I think that is probably too bold without some chance for people to correct the article. Can anyone point me to the correct template tag? DouglasCalvert (talk) 21:14, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Have you posted your concerns about whether the misconception is common to the article talk page? Robert McClenon (talk) 21:42, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

For the "common motif" statement, {{according to whom|date=February 2014}} (which produces:^{[according to whom?]}) seems the most appropriate. Otherwise, the general {{weasel-inline|date=February 2014}} (which produces:^{[weasel words]}) could also work. Anon126 (talk - contribs) 21:50, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This page give a reference for the origin of the misconception. It does not say that anyone now believes it. Maproom (talk) 23:31, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This explanation is also the explanation given in the section in question. In fact this page is one of the pages I was referring to when I said the material was largely cribbed from the WP article. DouglasCalvert (talk) 00:31, 24 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Vietnam Memorial for the 362nd Signal Company

I was reading about the 362nd Signal Company in Vietnam and saw the section: Memorial Wall. I noticed that the following individual was missing:

DAVID MICHAEL MABERY              37E, 39

DAVID MICHAEL MABERY is honored on Panel 37E, Row 39 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Full Name: DAVID MICHAEL MABERY

Wall Name: DAVID M MABERY Date of Birth: 11/23/1947

Date of Casualty: 2/5/1968

Home of Record: ASHEVILLE

State: NC

Branch of Service: ARMY

Rank: SP4

Casualty Country: SOUTH VIETNAM

Casualty Province: TUYEN DUC — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.173.75.171 (talk) 21:22, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for your interest. However, Wikipedia is not a memorial and so the entire section has been removed. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 22:22, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I want to help Wikipedia.

blocked as sock of long term abuser

Hello. My name is Ståndby (pronounced ST-OND-BEE) and I live in Sweden. I am Nordic/Aryan in origin and I also have ancestry roots in England. I can speak Swedish, English, Norwegian, and German with fluency. Does Wikipedia need any translating in regards to articles in those languages? I am a linguist by trade and have translated documents for the governments of Sweden and United Kingdom. --Ståndbyåreg (talk) 22:09, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Welcome aboard and thanks your offer to help! Some places you may wish to check out Wikipedia:Translation and Wikipedia:WikiProject Sweden. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 22:15, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Ståndbyåreg Welcome to Wikipedia! You can start by reading WP:Translation and following the links to other relevant pages from there. The WP:Reference Desk/Language is a good place to get some basic experience and understanding of the ways of Wikipedia before you take on a bigger project. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 22:18, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hello Ståndbyåreg, and welcome. You might want to check out Wikipedia:Pages needing translation into English, in particular need of attention are the pages that have been partially/poorly translated that can also be found at Category:Wikipedia articles needing cleanup after translation--Jac16888 ^Talk 22:22, 23 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Referencing errors on English Council of State

Reference help requested. I have never gotten a message like this before. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:67.162.57.227&redirect=no I don't know what I did wrong or how to fix it. I simply changed 1659 to 1653 because 1659 didn't make sense. I can't figure out what else is different how to reconnect the reference/citation. Please fix -- I guess I won't be doing any simple edits anymore. Thanks, 67.162.57.227 (talk) 23:58, 23 February 2014 (UTC) Joyce Meyer[reply]

Done. In this edit you not only changed a date in the article, you also changed the name of a reference (in the <ref name=XXXX> construct) but did not change the other places that named ref was used, leaving the references out of sync, with some named refs used but never defined. DES ^(talk) 00:12, 24 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]