Help desk
< June 30	<< Jun \| July \| Aug >>	July 2 >

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.

July 1

Referencing errors on North Adelaide District Football Association

Reference help requested. Unsure how to fix the error, it relates to a pipe "|" in an URL to a reference source, this plays havoc with the parameters for the template. I have attempted putting quotes around the entire URL but that did not work Thanks, Screech1616 (talk) 02:31, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I have encoded [1] the pipe in the url with %7c as described at Template:Cite web#URL. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:57, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Spam account

What to do about an account that is obviously created for spamming reference desks? See: Special:Contributions/Sharmadeep540 —71.20.250.51 (talk) 06:01, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

and spamming them all with the same irrelevant advertisement. Maproom (talk) 06:10, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Dealt with. For future reference, unambiguous spamming of this sort can be reported to WP:AIV. SpinningSpark 07:40, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Second account

Is it considered sock puppetry if I create a second account which I use when on public Wifi hotspots? I plan to use the account when I am travelling and out and about and I do not want my main account hacked. Is it considered sock puppetry if I create this account? Warrenkychu (talk) 07:09, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It's fine to do that. It is recommended that you declare your main account on the user page of the alternative account and vice versa. That should eliminate any suspicion of abusive use of multiple accounts. SpinningSpark 07:31, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed, that is the first reason mentioned at WP:SOCK#LEGIT. --ColinFine (talk) 09:18, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Request for comment, queries on posting

Hi, I am on a long journey related a user conduct dispute. I posted on Request for comment, and this is what I got. However, when it came to posting on the Talkpage of the relevant article I was required to add only the statement. I thought there would be a link to the whole User conduct RfC page (the first link added here), but it does not show on the Talkpage, so how can any new contributors to the Talkpage see it and have a clue? The first link added here looks stranded on the web. Thanks! Iñaki LL (talk) 08:05, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Are you trying to write an article content Request for Comments, or a user conduct Request for Comment? They are not the same. What you have drafted appears to be a user conduct RFC. However, you have created it as a subpage of the main RFC page, rather than in the RFC/U certified pages space. (As a result, it is sort of stranded on the web.) If you create it correctly, you can then put a link on the article talk page. Alternatively, if you really are trying to start a content RFC, you do put that on the talk page. Robert McClenon (talk) 14:38, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you Robert, kind of information overload lately... I created by means of RFC/U, it is a conduct matter centred on the main focus of dispute, Politics section in the article Navarre. However, this can be labelled as "the last straw", there is a trail of other interventions done by the editor in other articles which I want to become subject of scrutiny. Not sure about your pointing to the RFC/U certified pages, what is the difference with the resource I used? I added the section on the article's Talkpage as per instructions I found in guidance page, however as a matter of fact I do not think is this. Are the guidelines detailed on this latter link I should be using? Anyway, I have been told I may also need another user involved in a dispute, other than the volunteers called to step in by request (3o, DRN). Any clarifying input will be much appreciated. Iñaki LL (talk) 21:34, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

problem with article creation

Hi there

I'm not able to create an article. I've foloowed all the tutorials, added links and refrences, etc but my article is never accepted, and I'm not being told exactly why.

Here is the link to what've written: User:Dinauzan/sandbox

I see articles written for similar organisations like

So can anyone please tell me why can't I create anarticle on European Jewish COmmunity Centre ?

Thanks in advance for your attention and help!

Best regards, Dina — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dinauzan (talk • contribs) 08:15, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I can't tell you why it has been rejected - though if it was, there would have been a short explanation with the rejection. I can't even find any evidence that it has been rejected, or even submitted.

However, with phrases like "creating a comprehensive and welcoming dynamic centre", it reads more like a promotional pamphlet than an encyclopedia article. I suggest that you edit it to use more neutral language before you submit it again. Maproom (talk) 09:22, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Dinauzan. I don't see any history about not having an article accepted (and generally if an article fails review, or is deleted, there will be reasons given). By what mechanism was the article "not accepted"? But looking at your sandbox, it is clear that it is almost unreferenced. At first sight, you have a dozen references: but they relate to only two statements in the article, and mention the Centre only in passing. To make an article about the Centre stick, the article must establish that it is notable - that is, that multiple reliable sources, independent of the Centre have written at length about it. It doesn't matter how many references you can find to an event that took place there - they may establish that the event was notable, but notability is not inherited.

One more point: other stuff exists is never regarded as a good argument in Wikipedia. With four million articles, many have got through which are not up to standard. I am dubious whether European Jewish Congress meets the notability guide, but it does have some references, so it may do. European Jewish Congress at present has no references at all (and I have just tagged it as such), and unless somebody adds some references to establish notability, it is liable to be deleted.. --ColinFine (talk) 09:36, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It also includes extensive copyright violations taken from The EJCCs website. - Arjayay (talk) 09:42, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The previous versions of this article were moved to Articles for creation/European Jewish Community Centre. It has been deleted there twice for copyright violation and once for unambiguous advertising as well. SpinningSpark 13:57, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Why links to archive.is are not allowed?

Why links to archive.is are not allowed?WP:Archive.is RFCis too long!I do not have enough time to read it!Ssaz 12 (talk) 09:27, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Hello, Ssaz 12. I suggest you read the summary at the top right of that page. --ColinFine (talk) 09:43, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

As the closing summary says, there are concerns that links to the archive were added by unapproved bots. As a result, we cannot be sure that malware is not involved. (There are other mysteries about archive.is also.) [User:Robert McClenon|Robert McClenon]] (talk) 14:43, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Question

However, I have a question. I have never gotten a satisfactory answer to why some people think that we should use either archive.is or another more reliable archive. Why do some editors think that we need an archive? Wikipedia is its own archive. We keep our own history on our servers and their backup. Why do some editors think that we should use an archive? Robert McClenon (talk) 14:43, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia is archived on the WMF servers. Sources we cite aren't. AndyTheGrump (talk) 18:02, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

What AndyTheGrump said, we are archiving the sources we use, because they may either move or be taken down over time. Werieth (talk) 18:03, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Is archive.is also archiving the on-line sources? If so, that would be a potentially useful service, except that archive.is is untrusted for other reasons. However, I still don't understand the enthusiasm of a small number of editors for using an archive service, let alone for using this untrusted archive service. Robert McClenon (talk) 19:06, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

@Robert McClenon: Because a company's URLs break every time it changes to a different CMS and a lot of them don't bother to put up proper redirects. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 20:04, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

John Cornford

Dear Wikipedia,

I am writing regarding my position as a former Green Party Principal Speaker. I notice that everyone else has been written about. However, because I am no longer involved, I feel I have been left off.

I was wondering if you could add a few words. And/or come back to me to discuss if there is anything more you need.

Details:

Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales from 1993-4 with Jan Clark.

John Cornford is a businessman and former journalist in the United Kingdom now living in Kingswood, Surrey. Cornford was a news journalist with newspapers, TV, radio and online. Thirteen years of that with BBC World TV.

He became involved with the Greens in 1991 and his local party while living in Sutton. He was also an original committee member of the Bioregional Centre and the Centre for Environmental Initiatives, both in nearby Carshalton. Throughout that time he used his media expertise to highlight local environmental issues. He offered his help to the national party and helped make 3 party political broadcasts using his expertise in media. At the time the party was sorely in need of media knowledge and know how which he helped develop. In 1993 he was elected as Principal Speaker.

He also ran an independent production for BSkyB called Critical Earth which was a softer magazine programme which looked at environmental issues.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Kind regards,

John Cornford. redact John Cornford

Hello, John Cornford. The criteria for Wikipedia having an article are straightforward: have you already been written about, substantially, in reliable published sources independent of you (and your party)? A quick Google search suggests that you have not, but searching is a bit difficult because of the poet John Cornford, so I may be wrong. If such sources exist, then you may request that somebody write an article about you, at requested articles - include the relevant sources in your request. If they do not, then I'm afraid Wikipedia will not have an article about you. See autobiography for why you are strongly advised not to write an article about yourself. --ColinFine (talk) 12:46, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If you're not proposing an article on yourself, but a mention of you in one or more of our articles on the Green Party UK, the critera for inclusion are less onerous. In that case, leave a note on the article's "talk" page (click the tab at the top of the article), linking to online reliable sources that confirm John Cornford's role. If other editors of the article agree that the information is pertinent enough to the article's topic, it will be included. Call back here if you run into any problems. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 13:14, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Drop-down

What I is the best way to create a collapsible table, where the toggle is an icon (similar to the sort icon) instead of the default text? Plasmic Physics (talk) 12:04, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I want it to appear like the table found at b:help:tables#collapsible tables, but operate differently. I need the toggle restricted to the icon at the left, enabling the header to be wiki-linked. The ultimate goal is to create a nested table where some cells contain this collapsible table. Plasmic Physics (talk) 23:04, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

What's my question, chopped liver? It can't possibly be that challenging, can it? Plasmic Physics (talk) 11:49, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I did some tinkering for this, having done something similar; but, I can't find any way to have the [▼/▲] icons instead of the [show/hide] text, while also having a collapsible cell with a header link. Perhaps you need to choose either a cell header link or toggle icons. I figure no answer is better than a non-useful one. —71.20.250.51 (talk) 17:41, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you in any in case, at least I know that it is a wild-goose chase. Plasmic Physics (talk) 21:14, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Sports stadiums

Hi there. I wasn't sure where to get assistance. This editor has made changes to a number of articles about sports stadiums in the United States, deleting a small but important bit of historical information. Another editor and myself wrote to this editor to ask about the change, but the editor didn't respond or modify the edit. It's not quite vandalism, but it should be fixed. Can you help? Thanks! Magnolia677 (talk) 12:09, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If there are multiple editors who disagree with the editor making the change, and the person initiating the change won't/doesn't respond, then just go ahead and fix it. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 12:52, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Magnolia677 understates the case. The user in question has been editing articles about sports stadiums to attribute their design to a company that did not exist at the time. Maproom (talk) 13:43, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

"No legal threats" policy and serious criminal conduct

I'm not clear on the parameters of the Wikipedia:No legal threats policy. Does it only apply to threats to launch defamation of copyright-infringement actions?

Specifically, if a Wikipedian is being seriously stalked and/or threatened with physical violence by another Wikipedian on-wiki, may they threaten to seek an Apprehended violence order (or the local equivalent) against their harasser? Or threaten to go to the police and file a criminal complaint? Wikipedia:Harassment says nothing about a victim's rights or non-rights under Wikipedia policy to resort to such legal threats or legal actions. (Obviously, I'm talking about serious cases, not petty annoyances or disagreements).

I'm not personally in this situation, or aware of anyone who is, but I'm sure this issue must arise from time to time?

I notice that WP:NLT doesn't include any section on potential exceptions. Has the Wikipedia community considered any adaption of policies on this issue? 203.45.95.236 (talk) 13:44, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

IMHO responding to threats of violence with appropriate legal measures should not fall within WP:NLT. The safety of an apparent or potential victim should be paramount. Also see WP:EMERGENCY.--ukexpat (talk) 13:53, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

What NLT bars is attempting to use threat of legal action to stop civil discussion on how to make the encyclopedia better.

NLT has nothing to do with completely off-wiki conduct. It has to do with legal threats concerning the content of Wikipedia. If you state that an article contains errors, and that you will sue for libel unless the errors are corrected, you will be blocked from editing. It is precisely in order to ensure that no one has cause to sue because of errors in a biography of a living person that the policy on biographies of living persons is so stringent. NLT has nothing to do with actual threats of violence off-wiki. Robert McClenon (talk) 14:47, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

What Motivates People To Edit?

I just wanted to ask people who have been editing Wikipedia for a while what motivates them to make edits and use the site? What pleasure do they get from editing Wikipedia articles? I myself have browsed and read for years but never got into editing because I am super busy with so many things and don't really have the time or passion. I'm also wondering if the typical Wikipedia user is unemployed or stays at home a lot (not that there is anything wrong with those things) since I would think it is pretty time-consuming to edit and use Wikipedia on a regular basis. BikeRider95 (talk) 14:10, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I can't speak for others of course, but in my case it is pure boredom and excitement in creating interactive components for this website. I focus on templates and javascripts, but tinker with modules and core php changes as well. — {{U|Technical 13}} ^{(e • t • c)} 14:17, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
http://xkcd.com/386/ Maproom (talk) 15:28, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
My first edit here was because the Notable Alumni list for my fraternity had a few entries that were out of Alphabetical order. And then I wanted to add a few that were in the Fraternity Pledge Manual and it just went from there. :)Naraht (talk) 15:55, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It's like Lay's potato chips: "Nobody can edit just one"; I started as a typical user who became frustrated by errors, etc., and decided to report on talk pages, when somebody noted that I could WP:BEBOLD and WP:DIY; —which I did. —71.20.250.51 (talk) 17:47, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

contribution error

I think I messed up in adding my church to the Presbyterian Churches of United States. I tried to add Whidbey Presbyterian Church in Washington,(It seemed okay in the preview)but it came out in West Virginia and Washington entries have been lost.

List of Presbyterian churches in the United States — Preceding unsigned comment added by Spica365 (talk • contribs) 14:44, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I think I fixed the table syntax. I changed it so it ended in |} like it used to instead of |- line break }. RJFJR (talk) 15:07, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Piped links supplied to templates that expect the article name without the linking square brackets

I don't run into this very often, but occasionally a template will want a link supplied as the bare title of the article rather than the link to it, for example, |name=George Rogers Clark rather than |name=[[George Rogers Clark]]. The template then proceeds to turn it into a link. How would I supply a piped link in this case? Let's say I want the template to display Founder of Louisville (using [[George Rogers Clark|Founder of Louisville]]). How do I supply this piped link in the bare manner the template expects? Stevie is the man! ^{Talk • Work} 17:15, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

@Stevietheman: Perhaps George Rogers Clark|Founder of Louisville? We would be able to give a better answer if the exact template is known. --Glaisher (talk) 17:19, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that will work because the | will be treated as terminating the parameter, not as a piped link. Bencherlite ^Talk 17:22, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) |name=George Rogers Clark{{!}}Founder of Louisville - the {{!}} turns into a | and pipes your link for you. Bencherlite ^Talk 17:20, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Is there an alternative to Reflinks

Hi, I've been using Reflinks to fill out references, but see it's been shut down from today. Is there an alternative tool I could use to do the same job? Thanks, This is Paul (talk) 17:55, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately not yet, as far as I know.--ukexpat (talk) 19:31, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It was a great tool. I attempted to use it today, when supporting an editathon. Amazed that it has not been transferred to WMFLabs. My references are being left as bare URLs on the assumption that one day it will return and doing these by hand would be a waste of unpaid volunteer time.

If someone starts a petition or a bug request, please leave a link on my talk page. --Fæ (talk) 19:34, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

@Fæ: Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)#No_more_reflinks - FYI. --NeilN ^{talk to me} 19:41, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, we definitely need something to replace it. Hopefully some tech guys will devise a solution. This is Paul (talk) 20:32, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Image

How do I add an image to a wiki article?

Shivam — Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.82.247.206 (talk) 18:08, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Picture tutorial. Dismas|^(talk) 19:23, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Italics in titles

How do I italicise part of an article title? I know it cane be done using the DISPLAYTITLE template, but I've seen articles where this does not seem to have been used.TheLongTone (talk) 18:47, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

@TheLongTone:If it's not done through the DISPLAYTITLE template, then it's probably automatically done by the infobox (e.g. Template:Infobox video game automatically italicizes the title when transcluded). ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 19:00, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

@SuperHamster:, the OP is trying to italicize part of the title. I don't believe that the infobox will do pieces of the title. Dismas|^(talk) 19:25, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, my bad, I missed that bit - in that case, can't help there. I have no idea how it could be done other than through DISPLAYTITLE. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 19:28, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Titles are always italicized with DISPLAYTITLE, but usually via use of {{italic title}} or an infobox using that or another template in Category:Correct title templates. {{italic title}} will not italicize a part in parentheses at the end since this is usually a disambiguation. Which page do you have in mind? PrimeHunter (talk) 19:44, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Its an aircraft type article I am developing in my sandbox: I want it to be called "La Ville de Paris (airship)". The aircraft type infobox does not italicise title, but this is a case where I think italicisation is appropriate-one of the ways in which airships are shiplike rather than aircraft-like. I think my belief that this can be done without displaytitle comes from eg articles on songs or novels, where I assume the info box does this.TheLongTone (talk) 13:39, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It seems to me that Roma (airship) is a fairly similar situation and that uses {{italic title}} as does the LZ 129 Hindenburg. (the LZ 129 part is not italicized).Naraht (talk) 21:17, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

LZ 129 Hindenburg actually uses DISPLAYTITLE directly to indicate which part to italicize. If your article is called "La Ville de Paris (airship)" then {{italic title}} will do as you want and display "La Ville de Paris (airship)", automatically omitting italics from the parentheses. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:39, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks for the clarification.TheLongTone (talk) 21:56, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Attribution

I would like to use a photograph in an upcoming book. How can I get permission? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.107.184.210 (talk) 19:05, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Contact the copyright owner and see if he or she is willing to release it under a form of copyleft that Wikipedia accepts. Robert McClenon (talk) 19:07, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) Would you like to use a photograph on Wikipedia in your book? If that is the case, images on Wikipedia are usually made available under a free license. Check out Wikipedia:Reusing Wikipedia content#Images and other media for more information. Mz7 (talk) 19:10, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Referencing errors on Draft:Masuma Rahman Nabila

Reference help requested. Hello please how can I fix broken reference name On the Draft:Masuma Rahman Nabila page can you please help me on that Thanks, Farshad001 (talk) 20:06, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like this is resolved. -- Gadget850^talk 21:09, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Sonia Pressman Fuentes

Hi: I drafted the Wikipedia entry about myself, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, some years ago, although it appears someone has made some changes.

The last sentence says I have been a permanent resident of Sarasota, FL since 2009. That is incorrect. I have been a permanent resident of Sarasota, FL since Nov. 1, 2006.

Sonia Pressman Fuentes — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.56.57.217 (talk) 21:29, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Unfortunately, the source cited (which is attributed to you) states: "In 2009, I moved full-time to Sarasota..." [2] — So,... we need something (besides this Help desk posting) where you (or some other reliable source) state otherwise.

If you can find such a source, please let us know. —71.20.250.51 (talk) 22:42, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict) Hello, Sonia. That date (2009) is one of the few pieces of information in the article Sonia Pressman Fuentes which is cited to a reference - in fact, to a letter apparently from you to a magazine. It should not be changed unless you can provide a published reference that gives a different date, and a reason why we should take one reference rather than the other. As the article has few references, and none from sources independent of the subject, it is likely to get deleted unless somebody adds some references to reliable sources; though the sources do seem to exist: Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL. --ColinFine (talk) 22:49, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The article also needs to be checked for copyright violations - the first reference says it was "excerpted from the biography on Fuentes' website"; that website does not explicitly license its content under an acceptable license so we must assume it is copyrighted and non-free.--ukexpat (talk) 14:16, 2 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

How upload an autobiographical article

How do I upload an autobiographical article? I have written it carefully and clearly. I am a documentary producer/director, and widely reviewed filmmaker.

I have made additions to other articles, and have a Wikipedia ID and password.

Harrison Engle — Preceding unsigned comment added by Englefilms (talk • contribs) 23:12, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't do that. Wikipedia strongly discourages writing an article about yourself. Please read the conflict of interest policy and the autobiography policy. Robert McClenon (talk) 23:31, 1 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]