Help desk
< March 22	<< Feb \| March \| Apr >>	March 24 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

March 23

All Time Love - Will Young

Please change the entry for the song All Time Love - performed by Will Young. It is currently incorrectly credited to a fake writer named Alfie Grant when in fact I wrote the song 100% myself and received a Brit Award nomination for it! Thank you for changing it as soon as possible. Jamie — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jamie Alexander Hartman (talk • contribs) 02:27, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Jamie Alexander Hartman: I have reverted vandalism to All Time Love so it says Jamie Hartman again. Thanks for reporting it. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:44, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Unable to download files as pdf

I am unable to download the documents as pdf. Especially the information like list or tables of things.. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 180.215.52.83 (talk) 04:51, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean you are unable to download articles as PDFs? I just tried it and it appears tables are stripped before rendering. Help:Books/FAQ seems to imply tables are exported along with the rest of the article. This is either a change that hasn't been very well-documented or is a bug. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can come along and help. Scarce2 (talk) 09:47, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

There's a known bug that shows up during some PDF exports. There was no estimated fix date last time I looked. - X201 (talk) 10:25, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Problems in my Firefox browser history when javascript is on while viewing Wikipedia articles

A strange issue began a few weeks ago [maybe since Jan 1, 2015] when viewing wikipedia articles: When clicking on a "Contents" link, my Firefox generates SEVERAL EXTRA, identical pages. Also, a more irritating problem is: While reviewing a history list of previously viewed articles, LATER web pages in the 'History' disappear[!!] while reviewing a Wikipedia page (making the currently appearing Wiki the MOST RECENT, and LOSING my LATER viewed web pages). The ONLY way I've found to prevent this, is to TURN OFF JAVASCRIPT while viewing Wikipedia. What happened to Wikipedia? This did NOT happen to me last year using the SAME PC and browser.

Thanks, Steve 75.175.254.143 (talk) 04:57, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Since this is related to Wikipedia, help might be found at WP:VPT. Or they might refer you to the Computing Reference Desk.— Vchimpanzee • talk • contributions • 21:50, 25 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Pictures

NAC: OP has been indeffed for WP:CIR. Robert McClenon (talk) 17:02, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Hello Wikipedia, how do you get permission to get a picture on your article because I need a picture on the article Stars of the Sea. A editor called DoRD couldn't find the school Stars of the Sea school in Hervey Bay Queensland. He says its not real but it is. NewbornCircle (talk) 08:55, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I only understood the first sentence of your question. To get permission from someone to use an image they own on Wikipedia, simply ask them to license the image with one that complies with Wikipedia's (CC BY 3.0 for instance). Check out commons:COM:FAQ for some more information (as well as WP:UPI). Scarce2 (talk) 09:36, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

How do I ask him.NewbornCircle (talk) 09:39, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That depends. Where is the image hosted? Flickr? Personal website? If it's Flickr, you could just drop him a message and ask (I've had a lot of luck with this in the past). If it's a personal website, and you know his email address, take a look at commons:COM:OTRS (seriously look at this link). Scarce2 (talk) 09:49, 23 March 2015

Well, I was able to find it on Google easily. So, it doesn't seem to be a hoax. But I'm not sure it's notable enough for an article. Dismas|^(talk) 09:53, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Im confused can you do it for me. go to google images and type stars of the sea logo hervey bay and put it on Stars of the Sea and do it. Thanks if you do it.NewbornCircle (talk) 09:58, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't erase other people's comments as you did with mine just now. That is considered rude around here.

Getting back to the image though, the article has more pressing concerns than a logo or image. Your first priority should be to establish the school's notability. You can see the notability requirements by going to WP:N which was also linked in the comment of mine that you erased. In addition to the general requirements there, you can also find more information on what makes a school notable at WP:ORG. Dismas|^(talk) 10:04, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

FWIW I've seconded the PROD (proposed deletion), requested an infobox on the talk page, and added QLD to the project. You're entitled to contest the PROD by removing it and the endorsement on the page, optionally adding con= condate= conreason= in the {{old prod full}} on the talk page. The Wiki adventure folks should give you lots of extra-points for a PROD contest, or even a proper fair-use non-free logo upload—the latter takes several hours to get it right for the first time. –Be..anyone (talk) 10:37, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Naming of children in BLP

Can you tell me what the current consensus is for the naming of the children in BLPs? I am an experienced editor but have had a long wikibreak. Before I left it was considered that children's names and ages should not be named where not well known for privacy reasons. I removed them here as follows/response https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nathan_McMullen&oldid=prev&diff=653143024. Can you advise please. --Kernel Saunters (talk) 12:01, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

There is no need to include such specifics* and valid rationale per WP:BLP to remove specifics. *With certain limited exceptions such as where the child's name itself has been the subject of significant discussion.-- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 12:33, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Kernel Saunters: And in the above instance, it is not even a matter of interpretation of BLP, it is a clear WP:BURDEN failure. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 13:02, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia profile Images

When I asked a Wikipedia admin regarding uploading celebrity picture in their profile, Wiki admin informed me that the celebrity should send their image to permissions-commons@wikimedia.org from their email.

after the celebrity send image to that email, Can I upload that image to Wikicommon or how can I add that celebrity image in their profile? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Niyazsky (talk • contribs) 13:33, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If you know exactly what the permission says make sure that the image exists on commons, or in plain English, upload it, with the license stated in the permission. There are still some things that could go wrong (permission never arrives, permission for non-existing image was ignored, etc.), but the fastest way to figure that out is to be BOLD. As soon as the image exists on commons as, say, wikifun.jpg, you can use it here as [[File:wikifun.jpg|thumb|right|A wikifun photo (2015)]] or similar. –Be..anyone (talk) 14:03, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Use of "India" word in scams.

Hi, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_support_scam on this link "In English-speaking countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, such cold call scams have occurred as early as 2008, and originate primarily from call centers in India" I have problem with use of india word. do you have any proof that these scams are orginated from india? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 180.211.106.2 (talk) 15:25, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It is cited to a reliable source. If you disagree, discuss on the article talk page, Talk:Technical support scam, or follow one of the procedures for dispute resolution of a content dispute. Robert McClenon (talk) 15:31, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a "Requests for contribution" page?

There is an article I have had my eyes on for a while now, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space. The article is in very poor quality for an article about a video game, and I want to fix it. The problem is, I don't think I could do all the editing myself, so is there a place where you can put articles on some kind of spotlight where you can ask people to help work on the article? Weegeerunner (talk) 16:25, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Have you tried WikiProject Video Games? Robert McClenon (talk) 16:44, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

What should I do once I get to the wikiproject? Weegeerunner (talk) 16:46, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The talk page lists a category of video games needing attention, and a subcategory of video games needing expert attention. You can add the game to the category by editing the game article itself. You could also try discussing the game on the talk page for the game. Maybe someone else can provide more advice. You could ask at the project talk page what the usual procedure is for asking for help in improving an article. Robert McClenon (talk) 16:51, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Is there a template I should add that puts it on the list? Weegeerunner (talk) 16:54, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Weegeerunner: Thanks for offering to improve an article. I posted a message on the wiki-project talkpage-- hopefully someone will offer help. Ottawahitech (talk) 00:42, 26 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Question About Thanks

There has for some time been a feature in Wikipedia to Thank another editor for an edit. It appears that the wording of the confirmation has changed, and that it now asks: "Send public thanks for this edit?" The added word is "public". Previously Thanks appeared via the Notification feature, which I would consider private. What does "public" mean? I know of one way to thank an editor publicly, which is on their user talk page, but that is public. Has only the wording been changed, or has the feature been changed? Robert McClenon (talk) 16:58, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

They show up on Special:Log/thanks, and have for a long time (always?). It's just the wording that's recently changed. —Cryptic 17:01, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Kathleen Weaver, Mayor, City of Darien, IL

You do not list the Mayor of Darien, Kathleen Weaver, as a notable person for the city of Darien, IL. Please add her name to Notable persons. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.147.253.140 (talk) 17:42, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hi there - while being a mayor of Darien might make Kathleen notable within the city, Wikipedia has its own standards of notability. Notable topics are ones that are significantly covered in a variety of independent sources, and I don't believe Kathleen would be considered notable. She is, however, listed as the mayor in the article's infobox up top. ~SuperHamster Talk Contribs 17:47, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

User contributions won't get deleted on the Wikipedia

Hello. As I mentioned in the headline, the sad fact is that the user contributions will be saved forever in the history and they won't get deleted. Isn't it a little bit of an intrusion into someone's privacy if the contributions of every user account are saved forever? I mean, imagine enough users who make contributions to their hometown and then contributions about crime articles and so on... Everyone on this world can see their contributions and also keep in mind that what if someone uses my personal informations such as my full name and my addresses and so on. What if he creates an account with my name and if he vandalizes the Wikipedia? Yes, it is possible to change someone's username but although the personal details of my person won't be removed from the Wikipedia completely. That's really a bit cheeky. What do you mean? Samhan Dobo (talk) 18:01, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I have another question. Is there a possibility that old user contributions will get removed or deleted entirely from the Wikipedia someday or will they be saved for the rest of our whole lifes? If they will get removed someday then how many years later will it happen? Samhan Dobo (talk) 18:19, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I do not believe there are any plans to permanently delete any edits from the database. So plan on any edits you make to be part of the database for the rest of your life. Edits can be deleted so that only admins can see them, or oversighted so that a smaller group can see them. -- GB fan 18:40, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You can contribute without login, recorded as IP (internet address), typically changing often within IP blocks managed by the Internet Service Provider. You can use a pseudonym for an account, you can stop to use an old account and create a new account. It's not much and maybe not good enough for EU privacy laws, but better than nothing or Facebook. –Be..anyone (talk) 18:25, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes but it is possible to delete facebook accounts but not Wikipedia user accounts. If the action of the Wikipedia that all user contributions are saved forever, is against the EU laws, I don't see the point why the Wikipedia won't change the way it acts by for example saving the user contributions forever. And also the IP contributions are saved forever in the history mode. That's really messy. Samhan Dobo (talk) 18:31, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It is not clear to me what you are complaining about. When a user makes contributions under his username, he should be aware that they will be stored for ever, associated with that name. And maybe, by studying their contributions, you can deduce the home towns of some users. But users are not asked to provide their real names and addresses. Maproom (talk) 18:32, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If someone puts out your name and address or other personal information, that can be removed. Wikipedia:Oversight can remove information so that even admins can not see it. There are still some people who will have access but that is a limited list of people. -- GB fan 18:35, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Permanent attribution of content is essential for maintaining copyright and will not be going away. -- TRPoD aka The Red Pen of Doom 18:38, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not sure what the problem is here. Every contribution is voluntary, and users can choose what they contribute. If you feel that too detailed personal information is an intrusion to your privacy, don't give that information. There is no obligation on Wikipedia to reveal your real name or address, in fact I would assume the vast majority of Wikipedia users are pseudonymous, going by self-chosen nicknames and not revealing their real names. JIP | Talk 19:51, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

As for hometowns, I have edited the articles on perhaps 20 towns, one of which is my hometown. Can you determine my hometown from reviewing my edit history? Hint: I didn't include "this is my hometown" in any edit summary. Even if had edited only one town's article, that would not imply that it is my hometown, the town in which I currently live, or a town that I have visited. Your concerns are completely baseless. ―Mandruss ☎ 20:03, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

As an aside, it's actually required that we keep track of which editor has edited which pages. Part of complying with the GFDL (the license under which Wikipedia is distributed) includes providing credit to each page's authors. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 20:24, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If it might help the concern, there is Wikipedia:Courtesy vanishing: Edits are not removed from the database, but the username is changed, and user pages are deleted so that they can only be seen by admins. —teb728 t c 23:43, 23 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

As to European Union privacy laws, I would argue that what Wikipedia does is in violation of neither the letter nor the spirit of EU privacy law. It isn't subject to the letter of the law because the servers are not on European soil. It isn't subject to the spirit of the law because Wikipedia provides the right to post pseudonymously, and most editors use that right, and an editor who uses a true name has therefore waived the right to pseudonymity. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:20, 24 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not aware of any European Union privacy law requiring users to reveal their real names. At least I am active on at least one Internet forum, with its servers located within the EU, where I'd really rather not want to reveal my real name in public. JIP | Talk 09:02, 24 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]