Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 August 15

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August 15

image copyright

I have uploaded an image that is a scanned xerox of an old yearbook photo. I have never seen the original photo or yearbook. What copyright code/tag should be used in such a situation?00:02, 15 August 2007 (UTC)Wikidoodledandy

I wouldn't have uploaded it in the first place. If you're not sure of the copyright status, it's very hard for anyone else to figure out what the proper license should be. In this case, it would seem to be a copyrighted image of a living person. This does not fall within our fair use policy for copyrighted images, as such pictures can generally be replaced by a free version, which is either released into the public domain or licensed under a free-use or "copyleft" policy. If you are able to get such a picture (such as by taking it yourself), I would recommend uploading and then using it instead, as the one you currently have uploaded will be deleted in a few days. For future reference, you may want to carefully read our fair use policy, which describes what copyrighted images can be used and how. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 02:35, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. That's what I figured after having read the fair use policy, but given the complexity and numbers of possible tags, I wanted to confirm I hadn't overlooked something. I'll find a more appropriate image that can be identified with the proper tags. I appreciate the feedback.

6th pillar of wikipedia

I saw the 5 pillars of wikipedia. Is there not a 6th? About about truth?

What would you do if a few editors insisted on a biased version and refuse to explain or reach consensus? What they are saying is not the truth, is not neutral, and is biased. I have looked at ArbCom and they don't settle editing disputes. Looking at the archives, these people have rejected RFC and mediation. Haveaquestion 00:03, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't see how anyone can give you a useful answer without knowing what you're talking about. Also, this question is your only contribution- if there is a content dispute you've also been involved in, it must have been under a different username. Any reason you're using multiple accounts? Friday (talk) 00:14, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I forgot my password. Haveaquestion 00:22, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia has no policy on truth. Wikipedia is about collecting documented notes and cobbling them into some sort of readable article. If everything written about a topic is completely false, then it Wikipedia, by policy, will have an article that is completely false. -- Kainaw^(what?) 02:19, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Lost passwords?

If you lost your password and did not enable the e-mail, isn't the procedure to just open a new account?

I edited this past winter and spring but lost my password. In wikipedia, there is a strange fixation about socks. If I edit then people may say "you must be a sock because you used edit summaries from the start" or something like that. This is why I'd like to use my old account, if possible. Haveaquestion 00:19, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I suggest saying on your new user page that you have previously edited with the other account (giving a link to it), but will not use it again. You can also edit the old user page with a link or redirect to the new user page. Then everything is in the open. PrimeHunter 00:29, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Source info as part of a fair use statement

As this got archived while I was editing it I will repost it in its entirety even though the first part has been answered.

I have searched in vain for a detailed answer regarding the proper format for the source statement used in the {{Non-free use rationale}} for images downloaded from web pages. The best I could find Help:Image_page#Fair_use_rationale but that does not even mention the source information as being a required element. Many images tend to use the base url address only as the source. Others use the specific url address of the image that was uploaded. Can you point me to the policy that clearly states what should be used to indicate the source of images copied from web pages? Dbiel ^(Talk) 02:21, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

The essential part is the copyright; sources are generally very useful, and considered a required element since they allow verification of the copyright claim. Basically, give as much information as possible about where you got the image; a link to the most specific page possible is good; you can even date it. However, be aware that if you do not provide a source, your claim about the copyright for the image cannot be verified, and the image will probably end up getting deleted. The policy page is Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria. --Haemo 02:34, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for the reply, it gets be closer to the information, but seems to be a bit inaccurate from my POV. See Wikipedia:Non-free_content_criteria

If you download an image from the web, you should give the URL:

Source: Downloaded from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4280841.stm

I would see the source of the image being: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40846000/jpg/_40846791_si_afp203body.jpg (as an example of one of the images on the reference page). So I guess my question remains unanswered as to which is right, a specific ulr of the image itself, or as the Wikipedia:Non-free_content_criteria example shows, only the ulr of the page the image was displayed on? Dbiel ^(Talk) 03:02, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Since I am waiting for a reply, I will expand the question a bit.

Should source information actually be part of the fair use statement or part of the image file itself. As fair use statements are required for each use of the image, the actual "source" for additional uses would be the Wikipedia file itself rather than the source that the file originally came from. The source of the upload file would seem to relate to the upload itself rather than the use of the image.

And repeating the unanswered question above, Sould the source of a image copied from the web be the actual url of the image or should it be, as reference by the example, the url of the page that the image was use on? Pages tend to change their content with time. An image that was on a page today may be removed tomorrow, yet the image file itself may still reside in the same same image directory. Dbiel ^(Talk) 01:25, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Deletion of Dance Co. listing.....of the choreographer of 'HARRY POTTER and THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX' !

Dear Wikipedia, I am Paul Harris, the choreographer of 'Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix' (amongst many others). I have a dance company called London Theatre of Ballroom which has existed since 1996 and is REGSITERED UK TRADE MARK NUMBER 2295713. Until a few days ago, it was entered on Wikipedia and atlhough simple, the article was accurate. I have just randomly searched it and it has been deleted ! London Theatre of Ballroom is one of only two such companies in the World and is very well known in the world of Ballroom dancing. At a time of such high profile publicity for me due to the success of 'Harry Potter 5', I am appalled that your 'administrator' has seen fit to delete the entry for my dance company with the cavalier and ill researched reason that...'it appears to be a puff piece for a dance company' ! London Theatre of Ballroom occupies a very unique place in the world of dance and the item could have been linked to many other Wikipedia pages with better research and more care. As Wikipedia currently carry fairly accurate information about me, I would appreciate it if the entry for 11 year old dance compnay could be put back - with a link to the UK Intellectual Property Office (Trade marks data base !). Regards. Paul Harris. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.9.123.211 (talk • contribs)

I'm afraid I can't find the exact deletion log for the article, but based on what you've said, you may want to check our policies on a neutral point of view, advertising, and criteria for speedy deletion G11, which states that articles may be deleted if they appear to be blatant advertising. I didn't see the article myself, so I can't say for certain if that is indeed why it was deleted. For more information, you may want to check those policy pages, or talk to the deleting administrator - in a civil and polite manner - about the situation. Thank you for your understanding, and happy editing. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 03:15, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

The article was at London theatre of ballroom and the poster is apparently Paul Harris (choreographer). PrimeHunter 03:57, 15 August 2007 (UTC

Dear contributor, I wish to correct you statement that 'the poster is apparantly Paul Harris'. I did not post this article in the first place. I edited when I discoverd the entry on Wikipedia. The article said that it was originally posted by 'Dance Scource' ? Paul Harris. Dear contributor

Deleting one of my articles

how do i delete one of my articles —Preceding unsigned comment added by Galardobody (talk • contribs)

Choose a deletion template that best fits your situation and add the template to the page. -- Kainaw^(what?) 03:36, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

It depends on the nature of the article and how many others have contributed. Wikipedia:Deletion process sets forth everything in detail. If you are the only substantial contributor, you can put {{db-author}} at the top of the page. If others have contributed something substantial and the article does not qualify for speedy deletion but you feel that the article deletion would be uncontested, you can go through the proposed deletion process. If the deletion is contested, Articles for deletion is the way to go. --Moonriddengirl 14:52, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I want to create a medical terminology

I have created a medical terminology and I want to submit to Wikipedia. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by A.N.Balamurugan (talk • contribs).

See Wikipedia:Avoid neologisms. --Teratornis 04:39, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You might be interested in Wikipedia:WikiProject Medicine, but as Teratornis says, wikipedia is not a place for original research. Recurring dreams 09:09, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia showing bias in favour of scientific explanations

Yesterday I read a very interesting exchange somewhere, oh somewhere, on the help desk pages between a religionist of some persuasion and one of the regular helpers. The believer was complaining bitterly that Wikipedia showed bias in favour of scientific explanations over explanations based on "faith" and something to the effect that the Biblical teachings were misrepresented on Wikipedia as a result.

There was a thoughtfully argued response from the helper explaining that the strength of scientific explanations was greater as they were falsifiable and could be challenged by evidence. The response mentioned images like for example the everyday practicality of using the telephone over any kind of spiritual communication and set out how often Darwinism had been challenged yet had survived (no pun intended) all attempts to refute it.

And my problem is...? I cannot for the life of me locate this interesting exchange no matter what key words I've been typing in. If this rings a bell with any of the helpers I should be grateful if you can provide the link. Sorry about the vagueness of the half-remembered stuff above.

Artdesigns2006 05:33, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Can you remember any keywords, what month, or even better the title of the exchange? i ^said 05:40, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

No alas, that's the problem.

Artdesigns2006 05:44, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I think this might be the one you mean. DH85868993 05:46, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Yes it is! Many thanks.

Artdesigns2006 05:48, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I wrote the reply you refer to. You can look at Special:Contributions/Teratornis to find all my blatherings, or search the Help desk archives with Google. However, Google does not seem to have indexed my latest tirades yet, so I had to look at my contributions to find this one:

• Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2007 August 8#Inequity - diff

In the time it took me to look this up, I had to slog through three edit conflicts to post a reply. Whee! I guess that means the Help desk is working. And yes, there was no point in my posting a reply after the question was already answered, but I worked so hard on it. --Teratornis 05:50, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

"...but I worked so hard on it."

Your efforts are much appreciated.

Thanks

Artdesigns2006 06:27, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Someone who works much harder, or at least more effectively, to make similar points much better than I ever will is Richard Dawkins. It's particularly interesting to read his exchanges with Stephen Jay Gould (see here for example) as the two rhetorical dreadnoughts line up and trade verbal broadsides. Be sure to keep Wiktionary handy in another browser tab, or use Google Search's define: option to help you follow the action as each towering intellect empties his thesaurus at the other. --Teratornis 21:32, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Photo Galleries - I see no photos!

I wonder if anyone can suggest a possible solution for me? I have two computers, one PC and one MAC. On my Mac (Safari browser) Wikipedia photo galleries work fine. However, on my PC (Internet Explorer browser) Wikipedia photo galleries appear with the text only, but no photos. I have tried the obvious things like switching off firewalls and checking browser settings, but can't fix the problem. Has anyone encountered anything similar? Timothy Titus ^{Talk To TT} 10:40, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Browser notes and Wikipedia:Problems FAQ. Also see some of the results for this search of the Help desk archive for "no images". I don't know if that will help. The problem you are having is difficult to diagnose from afar. You can also try searching the Help desk with Google. --Teratornis 02:01, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

creating links from Wikipedia pages to our website

Hi there, I wanted to ask you about creating links from Wikipedia pages to our website. We are a charity TheSite.org, and we provide original, up-to-date, factual information for young people in the UK. Often our pages are likely to be highly relevant as links from your Wikipedia pages, and very useful to those looking for up-to-date and relevant information about a topic. We are considering spending some time going systematically through our website and placing links from Wikipedia to a large number of our relevant pages. We are however concerned that you might mistake us for some kind of spammer, and block us from doing so. My question is: If we create highly relevant links from your pages, in a considered way that is useful to your readers, would we be allowed to do this on a large number of your pages? Kind regards, Jessica Healy. TheSite.org. -- Healyjess (talk · contribs · logs) 11:05, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You can add links to your site. Others may remove them. If they do, discuss why you feel your links should be on the page and listen to why they feel they shouldn't. -- Kainaw^(what?) 12:57, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Also have a read of WP:EL, the policy regarding external links. Recurring dreams 13:01, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Change skin

Can I change my skin? And also how do I get a G.N.U?Sylvan wu 11:36, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Click "my preferences" at the top of the page. You can change the stylesheet (aka skin). -- Kainaw^(what?) 12:55, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

If you refer to the GNU operating system then there are a lot of versions and some links at GNU. PrimeHunter 14:35, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

template uw-editsummary problem

Im trying to use the {{subst:uw-editsummary|Article}} template, but the Article parameter seems to have no effect. For instance, when I write

{{subst:uw-editsummary|Kristiansand}}

the result is

<a href="/wiki/Image:Information.svg" class="image" title=""><img alt="" longdesc="/wiki/Image:Information.svg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/28/Information.svg/25px-Information.svg.png" width="25" height="25" /></a> Hello. Please don't forget to provide an <a href="/wiki/Help:Edit_summary" title="Help:Edit summary">edit summary</a>. Thank you.

with no mention of the Kristiansand article. Am I doing something wrong? What is the purpose of the Article parameter?
Dubidub 13:03, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Works for me! You type {{subst:uw-editsummary|Kristiansand}} to produce Hello. Please don't forget to provide an edit summary.

Thank you. Cheers! SLSB talk • contrib 13:20, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

No mention of Kristiansand there, so... no it didn't work as expected. --Dubidub 14:33, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Looking at the template code, it doesn't seem to use the first ("Article") parameter at all (and, from what I can see, never has!) Note that the template accepts, and does seem to use, a second parameter, which replaces the "Thank you" at the end with custom text, e.g. {{subst:uw-editsummary|Article|mytext}} produces:

Hello. Please don't forget to provide an edit summary. mytext

So, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. DH85868993 13:45, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Look at the template Template:uw-editsummary. It says there is a article place SLSB talk • contrib 13:51, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

The template documentation and code don't match. I have notified the template creator. PrimeHunter 14:32, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Resolved

 – ^Khukri 22:56, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Translating

To Whom It May Concern:

Greetings! I have a brief question. I found a great article on the origins of my last name; however, it is only in Spanish. I am a Certified Spanish and Portuguese interpreter and translator and would be extremely interested in translating the article, especially into English, for the benefit of those who have lost the ability to read in the Spanish language, but may have the last name in question. I've searched a little bit regarding how to go about translating articles, but am not sure how to go about it. A little help please.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Rjsantana 13:55, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Translation should give you the information needed on how to get the process started. That page also shows other pages that people have requested be translated, so if you're willing, you can help with those as well! Happy editing! Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 14:20, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

city of Columbus (MS) downtown and South Carolina school for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg,SC.

Hello everybody,

I dont see a city of Columbus's downtown picture. I want someone to put a picture on city of Columbus (MS) downtown near the future. also WCBI TV 4's new and old picture in Columbus,MS. also I want someone to write about my old school South Carolina school for the Deaf and Blind in Spartanburg,SC some customer will read my old school's picture and story. please reply me anytime. thank you so much.

William Farr Deafblackguy 15:04, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Hi. We have avenues for this. See WP:RA and WP:RI --Lucid 15:09, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

(edit conflict)If you have a picture of Columbus yourself, you're welcome to upload it and add it to the article. If not, you can add {{reqphoto}} to the article's talk page with an explanation of what you're looking for. If you're not willing to write the article on your school yourself, you can put a request for it at Requested Articles. I'm afraid asking here isn't going to get much done. Happy editing. Hersfold ^(t/a/c) 15:12, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Many articles, including the Columbus, Mississippi article, have clickable geographic co-ordinates in the upper right corner. Click on the coordinates, and you get a whole list of map servers for that location, including street maps, etc. -Arch dude 15:58, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Template

Someone asked this the other day and, at the time, I knew the answer. Now, however, I can't think of it for anything. I'm looking for the template to be placed at the top of an article page when extensive work is being done one it to alert others not to edit to avoid edit conflicts. An overhaul template or something. Lara♥Love 16:08, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

{{Inuse}}? DH85868993 16:19, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

That's it! Thank you. Lara♥Love 16:31, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Spaces

How do I put spaces in front of a line of text? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.83.168.254 (talk • contribs) 18:09, 15 August 2007

When you put a space in front of a line of text, it shows up as a box.

example

To circumvent this, you can add   in front of the line instead of a space. That seems to work. Melsaran 16:21, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

& nbsp ; <-- That with no spaces. It's not wikicode, so you can't type it out right and have it show as code. Lara♥Love 16:32, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Ah, I see. Nowiki tags don't work for it. Anyway, you need to add &nbsp followed by a ; (semicolon) :-) Melsaran 16:37, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

As in &nbsp; PrimeHunter 17:10, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

It works. Thanks Mel.

Medi Script

I added the information about Medi Script and I can't figure out what to do next. Where do I go from where I am at? Sorry for being an idiot I just am not exactly sure where I am in the process. Thanks. -- Themanthatknows 16:10, 15 August 2007 (UTC).

The information you added was in a test edit location rather than in Wikipedia article space. I added the information for you at Medi Script. You may want to review Credit card history. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 19:19, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

In hindsight, I'm not happy with my Medi Script post as the topic does not appear to have any reliable source material for it. If someone reading this want's to do the dirty deed, I won't object. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 06:12, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Confused about Creative Commons 3.0

There's a couple parts to this question. I noticed when looking at the image upload page it says images licensed with CC must be versions 2.5 or earlier. Not knowing there was something newer, I went to look at 3.0... and it looks identical to me. So the first question: What's the difference in 3.0 and why is it not compatible with Wikipedia? But then I got even more confused: I looked at the Commons (The Wiki one, not the Creative one) and saw that 3.0 IS ok there, and is right there in the default uploading options. I have never seen something that is ok there, but not on Wikipedia - would this mean images uploaded on the commons with this license could -not- be used here? Why the difference? -Goldom ‽‽‽ ⁂ 16:31, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

The issue of CC-3.0 licences has only recently been resolved. See the article in this week's Wikipedia Signpost for a brief discussion of the points. Basically, CC-3.0 licenses (at least the BY and BY-SA versions) are usable on Wikimedia projects. Just add {{Cc-by-3.0}} or {{Cc-by-sa-3.0}} to the image description page for now, as the upload page has not been updated yet to reflect the policy decision. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:51, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Resolved

::Thanks, makes some sense now. -Goldom ‽‽‽ ⁂ 06:11, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Viloation notice

After updating an entry, how long does it take the folks at Wikipedia to remove a "violation notice?" -- Sarahfarley (talk · contribs · logs) 16:39, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Your question appears to be related to the notice posted at Laurel School and may be in reference to this post. Generally, Wikipedia articles utilize reliable source information that is independent from the topic itself. Per your edit summary, the information you posted seems to be directly from the Laurel School. In other words, it seems that the information you posted is not independent from Laurel School, which is the topic of the Laurel School article. If Laurel School has not received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of Laurel School (as described at General notability guideline), someone may seek to have Laurel School deleted from Wikipedia. The school has been around since 1896, so it seems likely that the school has received press coverage in the past 100+ years. While the article may not be deleted, it may continue to have various tags posted on top of it until the article is rewritten using independent reliable source material. The article should be written using material from those press clippings and cited to those press clippings rather than from the school itself. Laurel School may have copies of their press clippings. Regarding the notice posted on the article, the article still seems to read like an advertisement. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 18:52, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Restart Numbering

I've added a line of un-numbered text. On the next line I want the numbering to continue where it left off but it starts over at one. How do you continue the numbering sequence?

You can add an indentation in the numbering, but otherwise, there is no way to start from a number other than 1. Here's an example:

# Item 1
# Item 2
# Item 3
Comment
# Item 4
# Item 5

can be changed to

# Item 1
# Item 2
# Item 3
#: Comment
# Item 4
# Item 5

The latter results in

1. Item 1
2. Item 2
3. Item 3

   Comment

4. Item 4
5. Item 5

Hope this helps. Gracenotes^T § 16:59, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

It worked. Your genius Grace. Thanks!

City seal

Not sure if this is the place for my question, but here it is: Can anyone refer me to a Wikipedian that can build a city seal from scratch, for the Danbury, Connecticut article? The current city seal has no color, so I was wondering if there is a Wikipedian that can do such a thing. AJSDA115 17:09, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Check it now. -- Kainaw^(what?) 17:49, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't see any change. AJSDA115 18:24, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Try clearing your cache. Looks to be in colour to me. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 18:47, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Getting Photo in Wikipedia Article

How do I get the photo I uploaded into the Wikipedia Article about that issue? The article I edited is called "Sea Apple" and the photo I uploaded is of a Sea Apple. Wikipedia said the permanent URL for the photo is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Image:Sea_Apple_at_Cannibal_Rock_Indonesia_2002.jpg&oldid=151425645

I cannot figure out how to get the photo into the article about Sea Apples.

I've added it for you to the sea apple article, in this edit. It's a bit different than normal, because that article has a taxonomy box which hides some of the image syntax. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:40, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

But in general Wikipedia:Images discusses how to work with images. Thanks for uploading that, by the way, it's a great photo and an attractive addition to Wikipedia. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:42, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

placing an article in the proper category

I submitted an article that is a non-redundant discussion of Heat Index. I believe it should be placed in the category "Atmospheric Thermodynamics" or included in the heat index article as a reference or link. How can I propose this? Doughert0 -- Doughert0 17:36, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You edit the image page and add the code [[Category:Atmospheric thermodynamics]] to it. -- Finlay McWalter | Talk 17:46, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Image:Heat_Index_background_and_science.pdf is an upload of a .pdf image rather than submission of an article in Wikipedia article space. The information in that .pdf document appears to be original research, which may be unusable in Wikipedia even if a public domain license is given. You may want to contact the folks at Wikipedia:WikiProject Meteorology to get a better idea of how to go about including such information in Wikipedia. -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 18:27, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

curfews

are they good for teens to have?

Yes. But, what does this have to do with Wikipedia? -- Kainaw^(what?) 17:52, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps you should check out the article on curfews for pros-and-cons. If you were looking to start a debate, this ain't the place. --Max Talk (+) 17:58, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Agreed, although Wikipedia does happen to be an excellent soapbox for declaring at length that Wikipedia is not a soapbox, and then debating that point on talk pages or via dueling reverts at far greater length. When it comes to self-contradictions on Wikipedia, my current fave is: Wikipedia is not a how-to guide, which evidently we can say with a straight face while Wikipedia's own project: namespace appears to be just about the most fabulously well-developed how-to guide (as in how to build Wikipedia itself) that I can recall seeing. (What is clearly good for Wikipedia itself seems not to be so good for the other subjects we write about.) And to address the first responder, perhaps the question has to do with Wikipedia if the questioner's parents want him to stop editing on Wikipedia after 10 PM. In that case, a Wikipedia curfew is probably not good, particularly if it encourages the questioner to go out drinking instead. If there's a lesson in any of this, it's that the new big red instruction at the top of the Help desk is still easy to overlook. --Teratornis 21:18, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Who has the authority to delete edits?

Who decides whether an edit is “constructive?” Many of the Wikipedia articles are written by people who have a vested interested in an organization described by the article. The editor should be a person independent of the organization and should be someone willing to accept factually correct edits. It appears that this is not the case for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I submitted factually true edits. They were deleted as being non-constructive, presumably because they failed to support the spin and hype for which that Institute is infamous. -- Ebnauman 18:05, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

This recent edit is not referenced, but still remains in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Are there other edits to which you are referring? -- Jreferee ^(Talk) 18:17, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

This is a persistent problem in Wikipedia. It is not too hard for even 2 people to corner an article and start writing biased material or deleting (called reverting in wikipedia terminology) material that they don't like.

It is tempting to create new accounts so that you can appear to be 2 or more people (editors). Don't do it. There are dispute resolution tools, such as RFC (request for comment) and mediation. However, this can be frustrating because the biased editors can be potentially very aggressive. Good luck! Let me know what's so bad about the RPI article and I'll look into it. In college, there was a grad student that supervised a lab and he went to RPI. Other than that, I don't know anything about RPI. Specialjane 03:10, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I just wanted to say that the above poster added a somewhat unbelievable statement. I did a lot of research and found it had some truth behind it. The numbers on the IRS forms are complicated by the fact that RPI has a graduate center in Hartford, and we are not sure if those students are included. The net result of all this was I moved his statement down (for better flow), gave an exact statistic, and added a source. Still he continues to add his original statement [1], an act I consider vandalism at this point, because he ignored most of my talk page comments. Danski14^(talk) 13:59, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Image copyright status question

I'm confused and can't seem to answer this question on my own. So, I own a DVD copy of the Concert for George and don't understand whether or not I'm allowed to upload a single frame from the DVD to illustrate our Sam Brown (musician) article. Having been criticized before for copyvio, I'm trying to do it right this time. Thanks for your patience, - hydnjo talk 19:17, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Owning a movie does not give you copyright ownership. It is actually very simple. If you took the picture of Sam Brown with your camera, then you own the copyright and you can upload the picture. Note that taking a picture of Sam Brown means that you are taking a picture of him - not taking a picture of a movie with him in it or taking a picture of a photo of him. -- Kainaw^(what?) 19:26, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You can use a screenshot in the Sam Brown article if you're talking specifically about that performance or its release on DVD. The screenshot can't be used in a Sam Brown infobox per WP:FU. I think of it as layers. The screenshot is taken from the DVD which happens to have the image of Sam Brown in it. The DVD would be the top most layer and its justification for use is easily stated. The second layer would be the fact that a person is in the screenshot of that DVD. Therefore there has to be more justification for its use. So you can't use the image to just show what Sam Brown looks like since the screenshot is primarily about the DVD. In any case, the license that you're probably looking for would be {{Non-free film screenshot}}. Dismas|^(talk) 19:36, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

OK, I think I understand those concepts. How about an image copied from this site which claims to be "The official Sam Brown Information Service" and from which I have an email stating that there is no objection to the WP publication of a particular image (he only wished that it be renamed to something "warmer"). There are lots of images to be found by Googling around but most seem to have their genesis from Sam's website. - hydnjo talk 19:46, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

It seems from the above that I can include a screenshot image of Sam Brown performing that piece from the Concert for George if it's used in the Horse To The Water article so long as the image is her actually performing that piece. OK? - hydnjo talk 20:38, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Probably, but make sure that you include a fair use rationale on the image page that explains that. As to your previous question, it's nice if you have a letter allowing use on Wikipedia, but it's still not the ideal situation, because Wikipedia's license allows other people to copy and host the content for both non-commercial and commercial purposes, and a letter saying "It's allowed on Wikipedia" doesn't necessarily cover the required freedom. See Template:Withpermission for a bit more information. If you could ask really nicely, and somehow convince them to release the photo under one of the free licenses listed here, it would be absolutely awesome (but unfortunately quite unlikely). Confusing Manifestation 22:33, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks ConMan, I'll have to go back and review the precise language of the permission as you have suggested. I think that sometimes the hoops that the permission holder is required to "submit" to scares some of the less knowledgeable. We'll see what we can do. Thanks for aiming us in the right direction. - hydnjo talk 23:29, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Pronuciation Guide

I am always on a quest to learn new words. But I dont see audio files on how to pronounce new words/ phrases that I am not familiar with. Am I missing something?

You should probably be looking at Wiktionary for something like that. -- Kesh 20:49, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Formatting question

Hey, does anyone know how to make two or more collumns when it's not for the reference list? -Theanphibian ^{(talk • contribs)} 20:07, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

The easiest way would be to use a table with two columns and a border size of zero. See Help:Table for the wikimarkup syntax, or just knock one up in html and others'll eventually come around and convert it. GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 20:57, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You can also use the {{top}}, {{mid}}, and {{bottom}} templates. See: GPSBabel#File formats supported for an example. --Teratornis 21:02, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

"Solbourne Computer" Entry

Hello,

My name is Bruce Andreu, and I work in the marketing department at Solbourne. The entry for my company is extremely out of date. I tried to update the information in entry but, all the information that I posted was deleted. At the very least I would like to have the entry for Solbourne to read

"Solbourne provides enterprise solutions based on Oracle Fusion Middleware technology and Oracle’s E-Business Suite and PeopleSoft Enterprise applications. Our goal is to help our customers realize the full benefit of their investment in Oracle technology. Solbourne’s 15 years of success, depth of experience and commitment to customer success have established us as a leader in the Oracle community."

This came directly from our website www.solbourne.com.

Could someone please follow up with me at [email address removed]

Thank you,

Bruce Andreu

Hi! I'm sorry, but all Wikipedia articles have to be written from a neutral point of view, and what you said above does not fall into that category. If you can rephrase it to be from a neutral point of view, that's fine. :-) Stwalkerster talk 21:13, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Also, taking text directly from a website would be a copyright issue - all text on Wikipedia has to be freely licensed. If the information in the article is indeed out-of-date, the best way to deal with it (given that you're directly involved with the company, and so have a conflict of interest) is to propose your changes on the article's talk page, and get other, non-involved editors to discuss the possible changes and come to a consensus. It's probably also worth reading our Business' FAQ to get an understanding of the relationship between Wikipedia and companies with articles. Confusing Manifestation 22:27, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia as a corpus

Hello, I'm a natural language processing researcher and I'd like to use wikipedia as a corpus. This means I need a copy of wikipedia in plain text (not html or wikitext). I imagine someone has tried to do this before and I was wondering if you guys knew of an existing copy formatted like this or a script which would convert articles to this state. Also, if nothing like this exists where could I post my script when I finish writing it so others could use it. Thanks! Cmouse 22:01, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

You might be looking for the database dumps. There are also some links to parser-scripts, which may be a useful starting point (I hope you have a bit of computing power to throw at the problem). If you get a useful script from it, I suspect a good place to link to it would also be on that page. --Pekaje 00:57, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Also see these entries from the Editor's index:

• Academic studies:
  • Wikipedia:Wikipedia in academic studies
  • Wikipedia:Researching Wikipedia
  • Wikipedia:WikiProject Wikidemia
  • "Talk Before You Type: Coordination in Wikipedia", 2007 research paper based on October 2005 database

Wikipedia is a popular environment for research, because it is a massive data source all ready for download. No need to go sailing off to the third world and brave leeches, hostile natives, tropical diseases, and so on to collect data. --Teratornis 01:32, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Also see TomeRaider, which seems to be some sort of text reader (I have not tried it). You can download Wikipedia in TomeRaider format. --Teratornis 01:42, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm an NLP researcher as well; I've recently become involved in using web as corpus. I'd like to know how you get on using Wikipedia, and if you publish any papers. One guy I know who is (or was) also interested in this idea is Simon Overell of the Open University, in UK: http://kmi.open.ac.uk/seminars/index.cfm/event/923/. Best wishes Frankieparley 10:58, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

Form v. substance in "Stagflation" [RE: notes to me from "eep"

Stagflation and its implications shortly will touch this entire planet. Over the spring through a series of edits your article of stagflation finally came to represent the true nature of the crippling aspects of this economic disease.

Going into summer in the section regarding "Stagflation worries in the present," I began making semi-monthly updates regarding events seen worldwide in the economic arena, and with each I provided the logic which linked the thought to stagflation worries.

"Eep" stepped in with warning after warning, and throughout, no attention was given to the cites which I began to provide -- just threats to removing content as if I had made no clear refences to sources.

I have made no additions for some time, yet as anyone who reads economic news now knows, a "Perfect Storm" of economic events is building which is playing out most obviously in the decline in equity prices, all because of something which only economists truly understand.

With "eep" riding herb at Stagflation, I continue to hesitate to make entries.

This is now in your hands, for I am content even though much content could be added which would make Wiki more useful to those who seek to understand why the foundations of our economy now seem to be sinking in the sand.

I defer to the wise ones of Wiki from here.

ExecTaxes 22:05, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Without looking directly into the dispute, from your description here it sounds like you were trying to synthesise a conclusion from multiple sources. Unfortunately, synthesis is a form of original research, which isn't allowed on Wikipedia. In any case, if you want to resolve a content dispute, you should be discussing it on talk pages. Confusing Manifestation 22:23, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Making a page

How do i make a page about somebody that is not already on here —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Jonathon.Cwynar (talk • contribs) 09:13, 16 August 2007.

Before creating an article, please search Wikipedia first to make sure that an article does not already exist on the subject. Please also review a few of our relevant policies and guidelines which all articles should comport with. As Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, articles must not contain original research, must be written from a neutral point of view, should cite to reliable sources which verify their content and must not contain unsourced, negative content about living people.

Articles must also demonstrate the notability of the subject. Please see our subject specific guidelines for people, bands and musicians, companies and organizations and web content and note that if you are closely associated with the subject, our conflict of interest guideline strongly recommends against you creating the article.

If you still think an article is appropriate, see Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article for guidance, and please consider taking a tour through the Wikipedia:Tutorial so that you know how to properly format the article before creation. Confusing Manifestation 22:21, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Requested page was misspelling

I was creating a requested page, but I then realized it was a misspelling. What should I do?N734LQ 23:35, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Move it to the right spelling with the "move" tab at top. If the resulting redirect is a likely misspelling then add {{R from misspelling}} after the redirect code on the same line, otherwise tag it with {{Db-redirtypo}}. PrimeHunter 00:38, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

If you refer to Glynnwood, Ohio, then I see the spelling Glynwood, Ohio already has an article which more content. In that case, just replace the content of Glynnwood, Ohio with #REDIRECT [[Glynwood, Ohio]] {{R from misspelling}}. PrimeHunter 00:48, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

American Engineers' Council for Professional Development

Foreign text appears after the external links in the article American Engineers' Council for Professional Development. I never edited it into the article and neither did anyone else. In the edit mode the strange text does not appear. Does anyone know the cause of this strange phenomenon?

(BTW the foreign insertion talks about the Fiber Optic Association, a topic completely unrelated to the article). Dr.K. 23:48, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Upon further examination I found that the strange text is generated by the template {{prof-assoc-stub}}. Someone must have tampered with it. Dr.K. 23:54, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

I reverted the edits and the template now functions as intended. Dr.K. 00:00, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

You may wish to see: Wikipedia:High-risk templates. If the {{prof-assoc-stub}} template is identifiable as being at high risk for vandalism, you can request to have it protected. Note: while we are not supposed to edit other people's text on a talk page (the Help desk is not technically a talk page, but we treat it like one), I edited your reference to {{prof-assoc-stub}} slightly to make it stop being an incorrect red link. --Teratornis 01:37, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Thank you very much for the advice and for the cosmetic change. In this case, from the content, (even though wrongly added), it appears to be a mistake. If it repeats your idea should be pursued. Thanks again and take care. Dr.K. 05:09, 16 August 2007 (UTC)