User:RyanCross/Adoption/Pax85/Classroom

Welcome to Pax85's classroom! This page is used for mentoring Pax85 by discussion. At all times, you must watch list this page. I will also be watch listing this page also, so I will always be updated. If you would like to learn about something or if you (or me) would like to discuss something, simply start a new section about it so I can mentor and discuss to you about that specific topic. This will help you gain more experience as a Wikipedian.

Archives I − II − III

Introduction

Welcome to your classroom, Pax85! This is where I will mentor you by discussion. First things first, tell me a little about yourself. What do you do edit around the encyclopedia these days? When are you active? Do you have specific areas you would like to learn about? Why do you want to be adopted and mentored? Feel free to answer below. Thanks, RyRy Public (talk) 07:48, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, as far as being adopted, I was just wanting to expand my knowledge about how the encyclopedia works, and some of the processes involved. Sometimes you can get lost in the mire of page in the community side of it. :) I was also looking for a constructive criticism of my edits too.

I'm a teacher, so as if I don't correct enough real-life papers already, I tend to lean towards copy-editing. :) I am open to copy-editing anything, even subjects I don't like or may not agree with. My view on this is that a fair copy-edit improves the ENTIRE encyclopedia, despite my own views on the subject.

As far as particular interests in editing, I enjoy science, religion, and Roman Catholic articles in particular. I haven't been able to do a lot of edits in these areas yet, and hope that will change in the future. I have also taken an interest in fighting vandalism.

I am online mostly in the evenings and on weekends, Pacific time. At the moment, I am just trying to get the hang of Wiki mark-up, and the different policies around the sire. Pax85 (talk) 17:35, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Very well. Thanks for answering. I'll be sure to teach you more about Wikipedia, policies, guidelines, and such. You'll learn a lot from me about wikimarkup (I design user pages :D). And about copyediting, being a teacher would certainly help you in copyediting articles on Wikipedia. You already have the experience. And along the lines, or whenever you want, you can ask for me to review you with constructive criticism. So, anyway, what would you like to learn about first. It's absolutely your choice, that is, if you want me to choose for you. Thanks, RyRy Public (talk) 19:55, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Citing sources

Ok, here's my first question for you. And it's a total newbie question too. :) How the heck do you put a footnote tag in an article and link it to a reference at the end? Also, how do I insert the "citation needed" tag? There have been several instances when I wanted to use the "citation needed" tag, but I still can't figure out which one it is. Lol.

Also, as far as looking at my contributions, you're more than welcome to look at any of them and let me know what I need to do different. But to make it easier on you, I will let you know whenever I do a descent sized contribution so you can take a look. Pax85 (talk) 03:52, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Alright, here are my answers. To your first question about adding footnotes:

1. Place a <ref> ... </ref> where you want a footnote reference number to appear in an article—type the text of the note between the ref tags.
2. Place the <references /> tag or {{reflist}} tag in either a "Notes" or "References" section as explained in the Guide to Layout — the list of notes will be generated in that section. (The choice between {{reflist}} and <references /> is a matter of style; Wikipedia does not have a general rule.)

This page itself uses footnotes, such as the one at the end of this sentence which then appears under the "References" section below since it has {{Reflist}} underneath it.

References

If you view the Wikicode of this page by clicking "Edit this page", you can see a working example of footnotes. More information on what are footnotes and how to use it can be seen at WP:FOOTNOTE. If there's something specific in there your not quite sure of, do tell me. To add a tag, just type in "{{fact}}" to wherever you want to put it. It's quite simple. The coding is actually a template. Just don't put it after every unreferenced sentence. Generally, only the important statements that does not have a inline citation in it should have a tag after it. I assume you know about templates? If you don't, read WP:TEMPLATE for more information about the subject. I hope that answers your questions!

Yup, I'll be sure to take a close look at your contributions every-so-often to see how your doing, and I'll be sure to do make constructive criticism. Speaking of constructive criticism, I was looking at your contributions earlier today, and I noticed you made this revert. It is clearly not vandalism. It's good that you reverted the edit yourself, showing you know when you did something wrong, but try your best not to make wrong reverts. Doing so might even lead to a block if done multiple times with multiple warnings. That being said, may I ask why you reverted the edit in the first place? Thanks, RyRy (talk) 08:17, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the help with the references and such. That did answer the questions that I had. I am doing OK with templates. I am learning them bit by bit as far as what they all do and such. The citation template shouldn't be a problem for me now. Again, thank you.

As far as the reverts... That was a difficult one. At first the IP made this edit at Hell, Norway,and didn't do anything else on the article. So I reverted that one and placed a note on their talk page. Then they made another edit at the article you mentioned above, which looked like they were deleting a few random words. I immediately reverted this time instead of waiting. Problem is, they had still managed to get the version in that you had mentioned, and so it took care of both. When I looked back, I noticed that the edit which he had performed on gold mining in the interim had corrected what I was intending to revert. Does that all make sense? In any case, I did learn how to make external links by typing this reply to you, so it wasn't all in vain I hope. :) Pax85 (talk) 08:50, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Heh, your welcome. :) Just another tip, don't add a space between footnotes and templates after the character before it. For example: My horse ran into a bush. <-- You see? There is a space between the period character and the {{fact}} template. The correct way of writing that would be: My horse ran into a bush. <-- that is the correct way. The same thing goes for footnotes.

And about the revert, I see what happened. One good thing to remember is to always assume good faith of other users unless the evidence tells your otherwise. IMO (In my opinion), I would have most likely have assumed good faith when the IP made this edit. And then I saw you welcomed the IP, which is good. But for future references, remember the quote from me:

always assume good faith of other users unless the evidence tells you otherwise

— RyRy (talk) 09:37, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Hope that helps! -- RyRy (talk) 09:37, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

BlogShares

I recently did a copy-edit of this article: BlogShares. It was in the backlog of the Copy-edit project. Let me know what you think. Of course, in my opinion, it needs A LOT more than a copy-edit... Pax85 (talk) 06:11, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

I agree, the article does need more work. I looked through the edits you made to the article, and they look just fine. I'm very impressed in your copyedit there. One thing I would avoid though, is two things you did in this copyedit edit. If you noticed, you changed "[[weblog]]s --> [[weblog|weblogs]]" and [[stock]]s --> [[stock|stocks]]". It's not a major problem, but if it looks like [[stock]]s (with the "s" out of the link, but next to the link), it turns out looking like stocks. If you see, the "s" is still part of the link. Changing [[stock]]s --> [[stock|stocks]]" is basically useless as it turns out the same way. Try not to do that so often. I hope you understand this. If you need anything clarified at all, fell free to ask. Thanks! Your doing great! -- RyRy (talk) 08:17, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Well there you go. I didn't know that the "s" would still show in the link. I probably should have looked a little closer. :) Pax85 (talk) 08:52, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, its not that big of a deal. Just something to keep in mind. Other than that, you did a fantastic job with the article. Best, RyRy (talk) 09:37, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Rollback

Hi Pax. I noticed User:Malinaccier gave you rollback permissions. Keep in mind that rollback should only be used to revert vandalism and not good faith edits. The only time you can use rollback on non-vandalism edits, is if your reverting yourself. Misuse of rollback multiple times will have it be revoked from your account. If it's revoked multiple times, it probably will result in a block. Please keep this in mind, it is awfully important for you to know this when using rollback. If your unsure weather an edit is vandalism or not, don't use rollback to revert it. Simply use the undo tool, or don't revert it at all. If it really was vandalism, someone more experienced of what vandalism is will probably clean it up for you. Do understand this before using rollback, I don't want you to have it revoked. I trust you, and I'm sure you'll do fine. If your not yet comfortable with using it yet, you can either ask an administrator to have it removed or simply not use it. See also: Wikipedia:Rollback feature, Wikipedia:Rollback policy, and Help:Reverting#Rollback. -- RyRy (talk) 03:53, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, I was about to stroll on over here and ask if you had any advice as far as rollback, but it seems that you are one step ahead of me. :) Thank you for this, and I will take a closer look at rollback when I get home from work... Pax85 (talk) 18:03, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Heh, I thought so, but I was online and talking to Malinaccier when this happened, so I already started a thread here. No rush, take your time. Cheers, RyRy Public (talk) 21:12, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

User page

I think I am going to take a break from vandal fighting, ignore my to-do list for a day, and work on my user page. I'm going to attempt to try it on my own through the User Page Design Center, but if I stumble across anything confusing, I will definitely send you note, which I am pretty sure will happen. :)

As far as the page itself, my idea is to keep it simple, nothing more. Just a bit of organization. Any advice you may have would be much appreciated! Hopefully I don't break the encyclopedia too much. :) Pax85 (talk) 04:29, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Oh yeah, I am working on it in my sandbox if you would like I'd be more happy if you worked on articles rather than vandalism fighting, but that's only my suggestion. to take a look before I post it on the main page... Pax85 (talk) 05:02, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Ok, check out my sandbox to see what I have done, with a bit of obvious help from the design center. What I would really like to do is make a place on the left hand side of the screen for user boxes in a vertical column... Pax85 (talk) 07:45, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

Wow, great job! I think I can help you with that. I just finished doing this for an administrator on Simple English Wikipedia, and I'm sure the same coding would work on your user page also. By the way, try not to make vandal fighting your main priority. I'd be more happy if you worked on articles more than vandal fighting, but it's obviously your choice. Another tip: Try not to edit your user page too often, as people might think you use Wikipedia as some sort of WP:MYSPACE rather than helping to improve the encyclopedia. If you want, I can add the right hand column on your user page like the one in this design. Tell me what you think. Thanks! -- RyRy (talk) 09:31, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

As far as vandal fighting, there are no worries there. My main enjoyment is contributing to articles. During the week, I sometimes don't have the brain power to do that too much, so I look at the vandal fighting. Then on the weekend, when I am rested, I think I will delve into the articles that really interest me, and any copy-edit requests I may receive. In fact, I have a couple articles that I plan on working on before the end of today.

With the user page, I like the column you showed me, and I greatly appreciate the help! I will do my best not to edit the user page too much. I figured by doing it in my sandbox, then moving it over to my main page, it would be quick and painless. I want to keep it simple anyway for my own sanity. :) Pax85 (talk) 17:30, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

That's good to hear that you focus on articles. That's why we're here, ain't it? :) I'll be sure to get to your design soon enough. Oh, and if you like copyediting so much (I do too), you may want to consider joining the Peer review volunteers of copyediting. All it does is it gives people a place to look who are willing to copyedit articles. Just add your name at the bottom of that section, and you'll probably get requests for copyediting once in a while. You'll do great there. :) -- RyRy Public (talk) 05:25, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

 Done in your sandbox. :-) Tell me what you think. -- RyRy Public (talk) 05:37, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Lol, take a look at the last name on the list under general copyediting. It used to be Silverwolf85 till I changed my name a couple of weeks ago to Pax85. I had forgotten about that being there, so I just now switched it to my new name...

Awesome design by the way! Thank you so much for the help on that one. I will probably make a few more adjustments to the page in general, but I am waayyy too tired at the moment, and have to get up for work in a few hours. :) Thank you again, and talk to you soon... Pax85 (talk) 07:39, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Ack, you've been part of the project the whole time! XD Your smarter than I thought. No wonder why you get copyediting requests here and there. ^_^ Oh, and no problem with the design. It's not rocket science. :P And your free to make adjustments. That's just fine with me. -- RyRy Public (talk) 14:11, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Sacraments Article

My current project so to speak is the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. It seems to me that it needs quite a few more references. Since I am pretty well versed in where to find those particular refs, I am going to work on that, along with improving the flow and such in some parts. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated, and I will let you know when I am done. My timeline is one week (I know that may seem a bit slow, but you know how a pesky thing called life can get in the way...). Pax85 (talk) 07:39, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

The only things that I would advise your to remember is to remember what I taught you above about footnotes. If you need more information about footnotes, read WP:FOOTNOTE. Also, remember to get reliable sources to reference the article to verify what your referencing. It is important that external links, footnotes, references, ect. are reliable sources. For more information, read WP:RELIABLE, and WP:NOTABLE would also be a good place to read. Good luck! By the way, just so you know, I won't be as active as I used to. I'll probably come edit a few hours a day, but not as much as I used to. Don't worry, I'll still be here to answer any questions you have and I'll be sure to do some mentoring here and there. Cheers, RyRy Public (talk) 14:11, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

No worries, I had a couple of unexpected events occur this week, so I am away from home till the weekend. But I must say, how dare you not be active for 24 hours per day. :) Thanks again, Pax85 (talk) 03:15, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

Haha! Hey, I'm pretty active in the evening where I live, but not much in the morning and afternoon as much anymore. ;) Also, another policy I think you should look at is WP:ARTICLE. It contains a general look of articles, IMO. Consider taking a look. Good job so far, by the way. -- RyRy Public (talk) 03:20, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

Inactivity

Hey there. I noticed you've been inactive for a week from when I'm writing this. Whenever you can actively edit again, meaning you edit nearly everyday, just alert me here. I've thought of something to teach you. :-) Thanks, RyRy Public (talk) 11:52, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Hello there! Not that I expect you to continue mentoring me with my long absence and all, but I figured I would pop in and give you an update. There were some major real-life issues with my family, and of course those take priority. Then as luck would have it, I had no more computer access. Recently though, I was able to get a new laptop, and am back online again. As far as my editing frequency, due to my school schedule, I would guess I will be around a few times a week. I hope this finds you well, and thank you again for everything! Pax85 (talk) 21:59, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

No problem at all. I understand completely. Welcome back! If you want, I can continue your adoption (and it sounds like you do). And you are probably wondering why I am under the name "RyanCross" now.

You see, users are allowed to be "renamed" by requesting at WP:CHU. As long as a username has not been chosen yet or the account has been inactive for 6 months without having any GFDL edits, you can change your username. This is what I did. There is your lesson for today.

I suggest you read over this page to refresh your memory also. Again, glad to have you back. :-) — RyanCross (talk) 08:08, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Oh yes, and an FYI, I forgot what I was going to teach you back in September, so just do with the above lessen for now. — RyanCross (talk) 08:09, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

No worries, I apologize for the length of time, and thank you for the offer to continue the adoption! As far as user name changes, once upon a time I was known as User:Silverwolf85, but thank you for the lesson anyway. :) I will take a look at everything again over the next couple of days (especially citations I think). I look forward to the coming lessons! Pax85 (talk) 08:23, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Really, it's no problem at all. It went by too quickly. The day I first created my account on Wikipedia is coming up in two days even. Great to hear you'll be reading over the page! And yes, of course, new lessons will be coming up soon. — RyanCross (talk) 08:27, 17 February 2009 (UTC)

Some Recent Edits

Just thought I would let you know that I have finished a copy edit of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and have made a few comments on the corresponding talk page. I am also preparing to do a copy edit of International Space Station. I've poked my head around AfD a bit too. Any comments, suggestions, criticizms, complaints, etc.? Thank you! Pax85 (talk) 08:24, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

You did a good job copyediting. The only thing that needs some improvement is The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Twilight_Princess#Plot. Read WP:PLOT and Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(writing_about_fiction) for more pointers on cleaning up that section. The talk page comments are fine. And your future project? Looks like a good article for you to work on. Good job. — RyanCross (talk) 02:24, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

The plot section definitely needs some work... It's just too detailed I think. Thank you for the pointers... Pax85 (talk) 21:00, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

Another editor has picked up working on the plot section. I still think his version needs work, but it is at least a good deal shorter...Pax85 (talk) 07:53, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Leaving town

Just an FYI, on Thursday I will be leaving for New York and Ohio for a week due to admissions interviews. I will most likely have zero access to a computer during that time... There will be a wikibreak notice on my user page though. Pax85 (talk) 21:15, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

Oh, and a question: is there a way to automatically add signatures to talk pages? I keep forgetting the dang thing. :) Pax85 (talk) 21:15, 22 February 2009 (UTC)

That's fine. Take your time on your break; real life is always first. And I'm not sure about your question. Probably not, but I'll see if I can look into it more. — RyanCross (talk) 04:00, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

AfD?

What do you think of this article: Financial Alliance for Sustainable Trade? I nominated for a prod, but it was declined by one of the admins. Do you think it could go over to AfD? Now that I look at it further, I'm not so sure... Let me know what you think... Pax85 (talk) 04:12, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Of course. AfD is a great place for discussing if an article should be deleted or not. That would be a good idea. — RyanCross (talk) 03:24, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

International Space Station and AfC

Finished going through the article, and also made some comments on the peer review page regarding the need to edit the intro a bit (it has a lot of specs in it, and needs a bit more into instead)). I have also headed over to AfC, and reviewed two or three articles. If you like, let me know what you think... I don't leave for NYC till Thursday, but my editing is going to slow down starting now so I can get ready for my trip. Thanks for the help, and see ya in a week. :) Pax85 (talk) 07:58, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Everything looks good. :-) Good job on the work you've done the past week. — RyanCross (talk) 03:26, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Thank you! While I was gone, it looks like the ISS article underwent another copy edit, and then was moved over to FAC... Pax85 (talk) 01:11, 6 March 2009 (UTC)

I've never been to FAC before, though, I have been at FLC several times. Basically, people give their opinions on the article and what needs to be fixed before the nominated article can become a featured article through discussion. Assuming you want to help the FAC, I suggest you watchlist the page, and wait for comments from others that you think you can fix and resolve. It looks like the nominator has contributed to an FA before, so he should be able to help. If you would like, discuss the article with the nominator so both of you are on the same track. Tell you are willing to help the cause. Ask him questions about FAC if you would like (since I haven't really been there at FAC before, so he probably has more experience in that area than me). That's my advice. — RyanCross (talk) 07:50, 6 March 2009 (UTC)

Well, the article went down in flames, lol. We will go back to the drawing board, and it's definitely not a hopeless cause... Right now we are dealing with a very persistent IP that insists the article should be in American English. He's already been given a 3RR warning, so we'll see where that leads. Thank you for the pointers! -Pax85 (talk) 04:31, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

No problem. — RyanCross (talk) 01:45, 16 March 2009 (UTC)