Wikipedia:Help desk/Archives/2012 March 9

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March 9

Tables and line spacing

I'm currently working on an early draft for an article on my subpage. In the table there, I've included three pieces of text. The left and center blocks are poetry and have line breaks where appropriate (the block on the right is prose and can wrap at will), but I'm having trouble with the top line appearing to vertically float out of place. What's causing this and how can I fix it? To me, at least, it looks like the first and second rows for both poetry cells are separated by an empty space, then the bottom three lines are v-aligned normally, but there are no extra line breaks (that I can see). Any help would be appreciated. Matt Deres (talk) 02:10, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Does [1] look like you want? PrimeHunter (talk) 03:29, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

That looks great; thank you! I don't think I've ever had a problem with the spacing like that on any other tables I've made. I would never have thought of moving it down a line like that, so thank you for the help! Matt Deres (talk) 03:31, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

You can eliminate those <br /> tags by wrapping the text in <poem>. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 12:09, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

inserting unconventional symbols

How does one insert symbols that are jpegs or the other format? They are symbols of a constructed language.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AUI_(artificial_language)#External_links_and_references — Preceding unsigned comment added by Andiweilgart (talk • contribs) 02:18, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Picture_tutorial should help. All images will need to be uploaded either to Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons (for help with that see Wikipedia:Uploading images, Wikipedia:File Upload Wizard). --Colapeninsula (talk) 15:18, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Confused about needing references

I just added a page for an author friend of mine, Larry N. Jordan. In the body of my description of him, I listed several sources or references, such as Midwest Today magazine, VoiceMasters, Page Turner Books, and I made each of these links. So they are verifiable. Yet my listing now has a box at the top that warns it will be removed because it contains no references. I tried to figure this out by looking at the so-called help pages but there are so confusing and I don't have a week to read this stuff. Am I supposed to create a REFERENCES section somehow at the bottom of the page to cite a link instead of putting the link in the main descriptive paragraph? I'm confused. Lisa — Preceding unsigned comment added by LisaBrown2012 (talk • contribs) 03:09, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Lisa. Well those are not listed as references, and they don't link to his work. Please follow WP:CITE and add some inline citations to a footnote. The footnote should be made up of links to his work or someone citing his work. Please reply if you have any further questions. :) Starfleet Academy Hail my ship 03:26, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

You may also find our help page on referencing for beginners to be useful to you. Properly formatting references can indeed be confusing to newcomers, so please feel free to ask for more specific help once you've tried out the hints there. Matt Deres (talk) 03:29, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

MY REPLY: Your statement that the links I provided "don't like to his work" is flat out WRONG. He is the PUBLISHER of Midwest Today magazine (www.midtod.com) and his name is listed on the masthead online. He is the AUTHOR of "Jim Reeves: His Untold Story" and you can find this book on Amazon with his name and bio listed and you can even look inside the book at the credits. So I don't understand what you mean. — Preceding unsigned comment added by LisaBrown2012 (talk • contribs) 04:08, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Sorry. I believed all the links were just to websites that host(ed) his work. Though it did take a little digging I found this page: http://www.midtod.com/new/contact_us.html . And the Jim Reeves book you mentioned clearly shows his name on the cover. I could set-up the page for you if you would like? Oh and it gets worse: I would like to point out that original research is another no no, but that isn't a deletion reason luckily! PS I wasn't being mean, I was just in a rush. Oh and the page won't be deleted until Monday the 19^th so we've got plenty of time. Would you like to continue this coversation on your talk page? (you'll get alerted to new messages that way. :) Starfleet Academy Hail my ship 04:42, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

How do I find pages that need proof-reading?

I recently created a log-in for Wikipedia so I could edit an article. I have very good proof-reading skills and am happy to lend a hand, but I cannot find the way back to the page that showed me the articles that required proof-reading. My topic was "History". Can someone please advise? I can then spend some quality time with Wiki in the evenings. Plumpshus (talk) 03:47, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

You might look at this category and this project. GB fan 03:56, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

...And thank you for offering your help. Sadly, proof-reading skills are sometimes a little lacking in our more enthusiastic editors, sometimes more concerned with adding content than getting it right (I'll plead guilty to this myself on occasion). You'll find that Wikipedia has its quirks as far as style etc is concerned (e,g. our rather confusing WP:ENGVAR policy, which tends to rear its ugly head as soon as someone mistakenly amends British-English to American-English or vice versa, usually resulting in a ritual re-enactment of the Revolutionary War as we argue over 'color' vs 'colour' in some obscure article on maritime flags or types of runner bean), but generally if it makes sense, and follows the sources, any improvement in grammar, punctuation, and general comprehensibility are always welcome. Wikipedia is very much a work in progress, and I'm sure your efforts will provide a useful push in the right direction. AndyTheGrump (talk) 04:18, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

The page you saw when you created your account is here. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:45, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

In the column to the left of every page there is a "random article" link. This is quite effective at finding pages that require proof-reading. Maproom (talk) 10:05, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Backlog is also useful. --Colapeninsula (talk) 15:20, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you, particularly "John of Reading" that was EXACTLY what I was looking for as I am interested in proof-reading history (yes, trying to pick and choose!). Over time this article (and the links contained) will obviously disappear, can someone tell me - in very simple language - how to find the page where I can choose history articles (as per John's link), via the menus on the left hand side? Sorry if you find me painful - I am enthusiastic, but often technology challenged! I will try saving as a desktop shortcut as well. Plumpshus (talk) 03:02, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

Me again...I've edited a couple of pages using the link from John of Reading above. These pages are still showing as being in need of copy editing - am I doing something wrong OR does someone then go in behind me and approve the edits. Thanks for your patience. Plumpshus (talk) 09:30, 12 March 2012 (UTC)

Reply to Matt Deres (?)

I'm not sure if Matt Deres replied to my question and if so how I contact him.

Do you realize that you are on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia? Are asking about something on Wikipedia? Who is Matt Deres? What statement are you referring to? What link are you referring to? —teb728 t c 04:34, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

They do realize that. They're replying to the section two above this one. Dismas|^(talk) 04:42, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

You can contact Matt Deres on his Talk page. --ColinFine (talk) 10:49, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

My first article is the biography of a living person.

Any input on the draft would be greatly appreciated. We still seek a permissible image of the man himself, and someone to write a nice intro paragraph. I have created a red link, but the article is still in my user space. John Weaver (artist) and User:Canoe1967/John Weaver (artist) Canoe1967 (talk) 04:29, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

just removed link brackets to red link and draft Canoe1967 (talk) 10:47, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi, Canoe. Thanks for your submission. I did some peripheral cleanup with the article and already moved it to the article space. Feel free to work on it further. Perhaps you will find more sources to make the page more comprehensive. In any case, I think that that would be a viable way to substantiate this gentleman's public notability. Good luck. NTox · talk 06:36, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for the nice cleanup and great review. I have emails happening with two US gov. employees that have his works, and a friend of his. I am hoping they and he will provide more input, as well as other wikipedians. I hope we eventually have images of all his notable works. Canoe1967 (talk) 07:28, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Yes, please help set this up

I am still not clear on who is answering my questions here, or how I should reply to this post (See below). But YES, I would indeed like some help in getting this straightened out. Could you also tell me what I have to click on to reply to you directly? -- Lisa

Here is your reply: Sorry. I believed all the links were just to websites that host(ed) his work. Though it did take a little digging I found this page: http://www.midtod.com/new/contact_us.html . And the Jim Reeves book you mentioned clearly shows his name on the cover. I could set-up the page for you if you would like? Oh and it gets worse: I would like to point out that original research is another no no, but that isn't a deletion reason luckily! PS I wasn't being mean, I was just in a rush. Oh and the page won't be deleted until Monday the 19th so we've got plenty of time. Would you like to continue this coversation on your talk page? (you'll get alerted to new messages that way. :) Starfleet Academy Hail my ship 04:42, 9 March 2012 (UTC) [edit] — Preceding unsigned comment added by LisaBrown2012 (talk • contribs) 05:12, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Multiple people have been replying to your posts. User:Starfleet Academy is my username (I replied first). I'll be copying this to your talkpage (this is here to show other users that it has been answered). I will help (ASAP) and you can reply to me here. :) Starfleet Academy Hail my ship 05:24, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Columns breaking

How come, after sorting the Weapons and Status columns break on List of Ohio class submarines? Can somebody fix this? Thanks. --Sp33dyphil ©^hat_ontributions 05:17, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Use of ROWSPAN (causing a cell to spread vertically into multiple rows) breaks actions that rearrange the order of the rows. DMacks (talk) 06:30, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Wallkill Valley

What more is there to add to this page? Tinton5 (talk) 06:21, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

I know absolutely nothing about the place but most articles about "regions" can have sections covering: history, geography, government and administration (county, municipal, etc), settlements (cities, towns, villages), economic activity (farming, mining, industry, etc), transport (roads, railways, etc), natural resources and land use. Roger (talk) 07:45, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Are Wallkill Valley Railroad and Wallkill Valley Rail Trail in the valley? If so, say something about them (and other places in the valley) in the body of the text rather than in a "See also" list. —teb728 t c 09:41, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

'Named for' and a map could be included. Dru of Id (talk) 09:48, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Lady Greyhound

I have any original "Pawtographed" photo of Lady Greyhound that I would like to share with Wikipedia. How do I send you my photo? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.12.238.164 (talk) 08:33, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

How and where to upload it depends on the copyright status of the photograph. I presume it was published by the Greyhound bus company as advertizing material. From the article it appears that publication could be as recent as 1970, is there a date on the photo? Roger (talk) 09:41, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Where is the "user problem report" page on Wikipedia ?

Hi, administrator. Where is "user problem report" page (or similar service) on Wikipedia ? I'm currently try to discuss with a user (a kind of Barnstar user), however he/she wrote belligerent long messages on multiple discussion pages to confuse discussion (in my eyes), and I need help of administrator's advice/arbitration. --Clusternote (talk) 10:11, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

I think you are looking for WP:ANI. Cheers, Hallows AG (talk) 10:22, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you for your kind advice ! --Clusternote (talk) 10:28, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

I disagree with Hallows AG: Going to ANI to "report" another user, you may "shoot yourself in the foot." Reading WP:DR is probably better advice. —teb728 t c 17:45, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

problems producing an article in the Wikipedia assault course

Why does Wikipedia make life so difficult for authors? Successful businesses do everything possible to help their clients. Surely it would be possible for Wikipedia to present their authors with software to change their 'word' or other style article into Wikipedeese.

After an hour of editing I got this: "Sorry! We could not process your edit due to a loss of session data. Please try again. If it still does not work, try logging out and logging back in."

After weeks of trying I cannot put diagrams into my article!!

10:37, 9 March 2012 (UTC)10:37, 9 March 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bparslow (talk • contribs)

Having just taken a peek at your sandbox, I believe your best option would be to recruit assistance from the Mathematics WikiProject as that is where you'll find people who understand what you're trying to do. Roger (talk) 10:52, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia is not a business. I'm not being snide: almost everything in Wikipedia (including all the software that makes it work) is done by volunteers, who spend their time on it doing what they are interested in doing. Some are interested in various aspects of the user experience, but others have different focuses for their contribution.There is always a need for people who are able to say not just "that is hard to use" but also "it would be much better if it worked like this" - and even better if they can enrol other contributors to make that happen.

Another point is that working with a proprietary system such as Microsoft Word is often hard (as well as distasteful to some of the people who are committed to the open source philosophy). The owners of proprietary systems do not go out of their way to make it easy to use their data formats outside of their system, and sometimes deliberately make it difficult. Also the goals and methods of a word processor such as Word are not the same as those of a Wiki system, so making the one map onto the other can also be a problem. --ColinFine (talk) 11:06, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Tools#Importing (converting) content to Wikipedia (MediaWiki) format and Help:WordToWiki. I haven't tried these tools and don't know whether any of them can provide help with images. PrimeHunter (talk) 12:06, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

I occasionally get the 'loss of session' message and clicking submit (again) usually works. RJFJR (talk) 15:40, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Ignoring the loss of session error (which is annoying, but thankfully only happens on rare occasions), the biggest problem I see in your sandbox is that you appear to be writing a draft article using HTML. After you click the save button (and assuming it still has the session data), the text you write saved in the database. The wiki software parses that text to create the article for the readers browser. That explains for example why your text is in dotted box using a fixed-width font - you have started each line with some spaces. Take a look at Wikipedia:Cheatsheet to see how to 'do' wiki-markup including features like bold/italic, heading levels, and take a look at Wikipedia:Referencing for beginners to see how to add references and notes. You can also take a look at pretty much any article to see how certain effects are achieved.

If you intend for it to eventually become an encyclopedia article, the choice of wording will need to be substantially cleaned up to have a more encyclopedic tone, you will need to supply references from reliable sources and avoid wording that suggests original research (such as: "This paper investigates features ..." which suggests to me an unpublished academic paper). Better diagrams will also need to be created - frankly, photographing sheets of paper really doesn't suffice. For the kind of diagrams you seem to need, use a vector drawing package to create a SVG file which you can upload using a sensible name (since "fig 1" could be anything). Feel free to ask me for more help if necessary. Astronaut (talk) 17:39, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Someone who knows WP:CORP well required

LeapFrog Enterprises (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views)

Hi, this article is tagged as being written like an advert and probably has way too much product info and ELs to company's website. Started to clean the first few sections, copyediting to remove copyvios taken directly from self-promotional company puff here. Not overly familiar with WP:CORP and, as I have many irons in the fire both on WP and IRL, would appreciate it if a couple of other editors with more knowledge give it a prune. Cheers! CaptainScreebo ^Parley! 11:31, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

How to use <span class="noprint">

It is not clear to me how I can use <span class="noprint">. When I use it in plain text on a page, it works fine. The text is on display and not on print. When I use it around a template the template is being printed anyway. When I use it in the template, part of the template is not printed and the rest is. I would be much obliged if someone can explain in what situations <span class="noprint"> will work and in what situations it won't. --AdSvS (talk) 13:00, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Template syntax is complex. It is possible that some 'inner' template is closing your <span> without you knowing. If you could give a particular example of where you are trying to do this, more help might be forthcoming. I am curious though, under what scenario would you even want to use that in Wikipedia? Astronaut (talk) 16:51, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Looking at your contributions, I don't see where you have tested this. If it is on another site, then we need to know that. See also {{noprint}}, which essentially does the same thing. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 22:09, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

• Div-tags cover more than span-tags: A span-tag can have very limited scope, so perhaps using a div-tag, as <div class="noprint"> ...</div> would cover the contents generated by those specific templates, whereas a span-tag might automatically close much sooner. However, not all templates close a span-tag. -Wikid77 (talk) 06:51, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

ballon D'or

kindly update the page " ballon d'or " please. as it is showing details upto 2009 . Thank you — Preceding unsigned comment added by 39.47.160.201 (talk) 13:55, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

If you read the article you would see that 2009 is in fact the last time it was awarded. It has since been replaced by a different award - which has its own article here on WP. Roger (talk) 14:03, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

ADDING THE FACT BOX DOWN THE RIGHT HAND SIDE

Hello,

How do you add a factbox down the side, which can include an image or map and lists details or statistics, for example in the England article, which includes all the country information (demographic, climate, flag etc).

Many thanks Charlotte

Charlotte Melville (talk) 15:54, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

That's called an Infobox, see Help:Infobox. Specifically in the England article, it is Template:Infobox country - click on that link for more details and assistance.--ukexpat (talk) 15:58, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Hi Charlotte. Those are templates called infoboxes. You just copy the "code" for the template into the top of the article, then start filling in the fields (or parameters). The ones you don't fill in don't show up. They can be a bit finicky sometimes, be patient and look at other infoboxes for solutions. The Interior (Talk) 16:03, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Contradicting a Public Work with a Private One and determining a reference to be inappropriate for Wikipedia.

Alexandra Robbins published Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities in 2004. In one of the sections of that book, she includes almost a random lists of secrets, private knocks, methods of sisters verifying each other's membership (signs and countersigns) and what the letters stand for. While there are a significant number of footnotes in the book, there aren't on these claims of secrets. Now for at least one of the sororities in there, the book is used as a reference on Wikipedia to include the secret on the Wikipedia page for that Sorority. Firstly, what are the options for removing the book as a Wikipedia appropriate reference? (given that this fact is not footnoted) Secondly, lets say this is not possible but also, that the book had included my co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and said that our letters stood for Angry Pink Ocelots. My fraternity wants it removed from the page, but does not want to make the ritual public, is it appropriate to arrange to send a copy of our ritual to either a specific individual at Wikimedia Foundation or an Oversighter who could do something (not quite sure what).Naraht (talk) 17:29, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

The correct place to ask questions like this is probably WP:Reliable sources noticeboard - though you seem to be asking a hypothetical question, and we can only answer specific ones. I'd have thought that Alexandra Robbins was well qualified to act as a source on such matters though. AndyTheGrump (talk) 17:40, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

The first one is not hypothetical, I just chose not to name the NPC National sorority in my question. The second one is hypothetical, though I was curious about it. I will ask the entire question at WP:RSN, which seems like they could definitely answer #1 and either answer #2 or give more complete answer on where to ask it. Thank you very much!Naraht (talk) 17:46, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Jad Adams

I am the subject of a wikipedia entry which is generally accurate in its way, but it is in a section called AIDS Wiki (http://www.reviewingaids.com/awiki/index.php/Jad_Adams). It refers to work I did between 1986 and 1989 and have not referred back to. I am perfectly happy to have that work referenced, but my work in the more than 20 years since then has been very different. I have written only one book on AIDS and nine on other subjects, mainly to do with radicals in history (Gandhi, Tony Benn etc) which could be said to better reflect my current preoccupations and the interests of readers who want to know about my work. Is it possible to rearrange the priorities of that page and put me on my own entry, not an AIDS Wiki one, perhaps with a link to AIDS Wiki for those interested in my early work on AIDS? 86.177.3.122 (talk) 17:47, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Hi Jad. The page you've linked here is a wiki, but not part of Wikipedia or the Wikimedia group of wikis. It uses the same software, but we have nothing to do with content on the AIDS Wiki. You'll have to address your question to the editors on that wiki. The Interior (Talk) 17:51, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Updating a Widely Used Image

I've uploaded a new (corrected) version of a university crest. I've updated the main article for the university, but the old one is used on more than a hundred other pages... Is there any procedure I should follow in updating these pages with the new image? Should I just go ahead and change them? It seems like an uncontroversial change, but I'm not sure. If I am OK to update these pages, is there any automated way to do it instead of going through them all manually? 8AE34D5F29933DED51D0A42F7454AEF2 (talk) 20:12, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

From a purely technical point of view, the easiest thing to do would be to simply upload a new version of the original image, File:Cambridge University Crest.svg. Then the pages which rely on it would use the updated version with no other changes necessary. Whether or not that is an appropriate thing to do from a policy point of view, I don't know.  Frank  |  talk  21:43, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Wikipedia page exists, but google cannot find any record of it

I think my bosses wikipedia was hacked and it now no longer shows when you search her name (Rushka Bergman) on google. Even when I search site:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rushka_Bergman , google says there are no results. In wikipedia the page still exists. Anybody have any idea how to fix this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.39.127.109 (talk) 20:35, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

You probably just need to wait until Google's spiders scan Wikipedia again and update their indexes. I seem to recall that Google has a system that does a frequent scan of sites that change often (like Wikipedia) and keeps the results separate to combine with their other scans; occasionally a a change can appear because it was detected by the frequent changes and then be lost from Google's results until the regular scan catches up. RJFJR (talk) 22:17, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

That page was created in 2009, and when I Google "Rushka Bergman" her Wikipedia page is the sixth hit on the list. Please try again or check your Google settings.--Shantavira|^{feed me} 13:36, 10 March 2012 (UTC)

Its back this morning. The last change to her website was in January though. Google would not have taken it down because of changes. Regardless, just glad its back! Thank you!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.244.123.225 (talk) 14:59, 10 March 2012 (UTC)

• Update an article to reindex in Google/Bing: When an article is changed, then Google re-indexes the page content within an hour, and Bing updates its search index within a few hours to match the current text in the article. However, old text removed from the article might still match to searches for several days after the update. If the new update to an article contains errors, then fix all the errors, and submit a 2nd time for the day, and Google will again re-index for the updated update. In the case of article "Rushka Bergman", people had updated the article at 22:19, 9 March 2012, causing a re-indexing inside Google, which might have fixed the "missing-article" problem noted hours earlier, at 20:35, 9 March 2012. In many cases, Google has re-indexed articles within 2 minutes after SAVE of the page. -Wikid77 (talk) 07:20, 11 March 2012 (UTC)

Banner adverts on Wikipedia

Hi, one time major contributor, now occassional dropper in. I don't remember whether this is the correct place to ask this question, but if not perhaps someone could point me in the right direction. I logged into Wikipedia today to discover large ad banners emblazoned across the top of every page (there is even one across the top of this edit page as I write, offering me a Green Card, with the words "ads not by this site" underneath). After expressing surprise that Wikipedia allowed this and googling for news, it seems that I may be the only person able to see them - presumbly a virus on my computer, although I don't have another one with which to test it and it doesn't seem to affect any other website. So, has Wikipedia started to allow adverts without anyone raising any serious complaint, or do I have a Wikipedia-specific virus (and if so, does anyone know how I get rid of it - it is immensely distracting)?--Jackyd101 (talk) 20:49, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

I don't have them so maybe just you; the Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing may be able to tell you what virus/ malware it is, and may also be able to tell you means to cure your computer; the better info (system, search engine, etc.) you provide, the faster they may be able to help. Dru of Id (talk) 20:57, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

A single other user has reported this at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Computing#Google ads. The user refuses to make a malware scan so we haven't been able to tell why their computer displays the ads but they are certainly not coming from Wikipedia. PrimeHunter (talk) 21:26, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Recent Changes

When a page is changed, how do we know what was changed in the presentation?

Isn't it important to know?

When we go to a page, we can skip to the bottom to see when it was last updated, revised, whatever.

However, we cannot scan the material on the page and tell what was changed, what was old and what is new. Let's suppose I am doing some research and using Wiki. I go there and gather some material from say three different pages (subjects). I copy the material and I get permission to use the material. Then, I have all of my research done but need to insure I have the latest info. I can quickly go to each of the pages and skip to the bottom and note the date it was last revised. IF that date indicates changes since my last visit, how can I tell what was changed, added or whatever? IF there is no way of telling, perhaps it should be considered. Like if I go to a page to make changes to it, first I go to the bottom and change the date of the last revision and put an asterik beside of the date. Then, any of the material on the page that are from my revision are marked with an asterik thus indicating that which I changed. Then, the next time someone changes that pages, they go to it, change the date and go above removing all the asteriks, change their material and indicate with new asteriks. Of course, if they fail to rmeove the old, we are left with incorrect info or indicators so perhaps there is a better way of indicating changes but they should be indicated. IF the changes on the pages I have used for my research are something that do not change my presentation and I know that from being able to tell what the changes were, I can just move on and not worry about but if it changes my conclusions or presentation, then I must make those changes also in my research.

Does this make any sense whatsoever? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Spirit Hill 2 (talk • contribs) 21:07, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

See WP:Article history and WP:Citing Wikipedia.--ukexpat (talk) 21:12, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

(ec)Hi Spirit Hill 2. Viewing the changes made to WP articles is done through the "view history" tab above the article. In that view, all changes are listed, who they were made by, and when. On the far left in that view is a link labelled "diff". The diff is the difference between the version of page a user edited, and the page after they saved. The Interior (Talk) 21:14, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

Login up to 180 days?

When did the defaults login up to 30 days change to 180days? not i am complaining saves me re logging in ever 30 days just might be better to have options for length of time logged in so not forcing people to log in longer than they want but not allowing them not to stay logged in--Andrewcrawford (talk - contrib) 22:35, 9 March 2012 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Remember password - 180 days from 30 days?. Goodvac (talk) 22:37, 9 March 2012 (UTC)