Wikipedia:New contributors' help page/Archive/Aug 2006

Requests for a disambiguation page

Is there a specific place that editors can request that someone make a disambiguation page? Or is here the place? Thanks in advance. — Prodigenous Zee - 01:02, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

You could ask at Wikipedia talk:Disambiguation (or the WikiProject talk page) but asking here will work too. Place you request and we will whip something up.--Commander Keane 01:38, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

If here is fine then I request that someone make a disambiguation page for From Here to Eternity. — Prodigenous Zee - 03:08, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Done - see the draft result at From Here to Eternity (disambiguation). Ziggurat 03:14, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Making a page

I notice that even though I signed in, when I type Enterprise Steaks in the search engine, nothing comes up. How do I fix this?

That is your username. So you need to type user:Enterprise Steaks. For now, just click on this link and you will get there -- Lost^(talk) 03:18, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

editing problem

I was trying to edit "Lady Catherine Grey", but I keep getting error message. I was trying to change Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp of Hache, which was a red link to Edward Seymour, Baron Beauchamp of Hache which a good link, it won't let me. Is it my computetr or the system? Help. Thank you. Iwalters 03:49, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I think its just the system. Mines acting up too. SynergeticMaggot 03:52, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

I got it to, but if you just click the refresh button, it should save, cheers —Minun ^{Spiderman • Review Me} 11:18, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Plagiarism if copy from my own (academic) website?

I have never contributed to Wikipedia before. A linguistics topic that I have spent about a year studying has a bare-bones entry in Wikipedia. I am a grad student, very far from an expert, but I can certainly add to what already exists herein.

I have my own website that relates to this topic. It includes fairly brief comments, and many links to online research articles.

If I copy/paste from my own website, is that plagiarism? I am not talking about copy/pasting my own gratuitous pontification, but rather properly cited academic quotations with a few interlinking remarks.

-- Newbie

Not if you cite it. Hoovooloo 20:18, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It is not plagiarism. However it may very well be a copyright violation. I know that sounds strange but work submitted to this site, even if it's your own work, violates your copyright, and Wikipedia can't use it or accept it unless: On your website you make a note permitting the material's reuse under the GFDL and/or specifically release it into the public domain.--Fuhghettaboutit 20:32, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

• You may quote an external site as long as you provide a proper citation. It is generally frowned upon to link to your own site, but it can certainly be done (and has been many times) if you're not adding your site to numerous articles or with the sole purpose of promoting yourself. Good luck and thanks for offering to help! — Reinyday, 22:03, 12 August 2006 (UTC)
• The text on your website probably isn't written in an encyclopedic style. You're better off writing the entry from scratch to ensure you don't violate WP:NPOV. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:31, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Editing a title

I incorrectly capitalized the title of an article that I just made. How can I edit it so that it is correct? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hoovooloo (talk • contribs)

Just click the "move" tab and type in the correct title for the page to be moved to.--Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 20:21, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

If the alternate capitalisation is actually in real usage, you might want to think about adding a redirect... Keakealani //Me/Pokeh// 20:47, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

A move will create a redirect from the miscapitalised name automatically. Ziggurat 03:33, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

a new page submitted about Carol and Nina Wayne contains error

I do not see this article posted yet it was submitted 8/1/06 on Carol Wayne and Nina Wayne

but I realized later that I posted a wrong name in piece.

I said Chuck McCann was Carol's co-panelist in "The Best Chest in the West" Tv special-- it should be Pat McCormick.

Hi, after quite a bit of searching I've worked out what's happened. The article suggestion you submitted at Wikipedia:Articles for creation (along with at least a dozen more) accidentally got wiped by another anon user. I have restored them, and you can edit it however you like by clicking here. Sorry for the confusion! Ziggurat 03:29, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

how do i insert a picture?

how do i insert a picture? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chikinpotato11 (talk • contribs)

Just type [[Image:Name of image.file extension]] into an article. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 18:43, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

To upload your own image, click "upload file" at the left. However, only "free" images are allowed on Wikipedia. That includes public domain images and those licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) or a Creative Commons license. Copyrighted images are not allowed, with certain exceptions for fair use. Please see Wikipedia's copyright policy for more information.

If you are the creator of the image, I recommend you license it under the GFDL. You do this when you upload the image. It's also a good idea to upload the image to the Wikimedia Commons rather than to English Wikipedia. That way, it can be used by other Wikimedia projects, including Wikipedia in other languages. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 19:43, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Resident search

I'm looking for a Delima Nepine, a resident of Missoula, Montana. I need to know if she is still alive and she is the mother of Patrick ernest Stevens, he is deceased but I need to know his date of death because of some land issues.

I'd suggest checking the white pages for that town (there's one here). If she's not listed then you'll probably have to employ the services of a private eye. Ziggurat 22:50, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

security question

I deleted the maiden name of the person I wrote an entry about (Hisako Terasaki) for security (ID theft, etc.) reasons. Is there any way to delete entirely the original entry of the maiden name so that it does not appear even in the history of the editions? thanks, Emiko Terasaki 22:48, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

It's usually okay to put maiden names into articles - many existing ones have them. People usually don't go digging in obscure articles for people's maiden names. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 22:51, 3 August 2006 (UTC)

It is possible for an admin to delete edits, so that they don't even appear in the history. However, in this case, that would mean deleting revisions that include contributions from two other editors (and we should avoid that, because the GFDL licence that Wikipedia uses requires author attribution).--Commander Keane 02:34, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Disappearing page

I linked to a Wikipedia page called: Historical currencies of the United States; its gone now, what happened to it? --Britcom 09:16, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

There's a category with that name: Category:Historical currencies of the United States. Is that what you're looking for? Ziggurat 09:28, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, thank you. --Britcom 10:37, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

My Page Won't Show Up

I just finished creating and saving my page. [The Breast Cancer Research Foundation] I can't find it when I search for it.

Also, I want it to show up when a person searches "Breast Cancer Foundations" - Will it automatically do that, or do I have to set a specific preference.

Thank you— Julie

Search takes time to start working. However, if you type the article title in and hit "Go," you arrive there. Thanks for contributing this article! To improve it, I recommend you look over the Manual of Style and Naming Conventions. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 19:26, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

(edit conflict)It seems fine to me - if a page doesn't show up right away, then purge your browser's cache by pressing Ctrl + F5. Also, about the "Breast Cancer Foundations" redirect, simply create the page and type in #REDIRECT [[The Breast Cancer Research Foundation]]. Hope that helps! --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 19:27, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, I just added the article to Category:Cancer organizations which should also help. However, after a quick look, I have to also recommend you read What Wikipedia is Not, especially WP is not a free host, blog, webspace provider or social networking site and WP is not a directory. Some overzealous editors nominate articles for deletion if they think the articles are spam or promotions; I will make some edits now to try to make it more encyclopedic. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 19:35, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Apparently I was too late: it was deleted as a copyright violation. Please read the copyright policy. You can recreate the article, but do not copy text word for word from anywhere unless the copyright holder licenses it under the GFDL or releases it to the public domain. You can post here or contact me on my talk page if you have more questions. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 19:46, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Ah I can't believe it was deleted! I work for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and was told to use the information from our brochure in the article. But I guess the information still violated copyright rules. I will make another. When I do, will you once again add/link the article to Category:Cancer Organizations? Thanks, Julie

Be careful about using wikipedia as an advertising medium, even for a non-profit organization. Wikipedia is not a soapbox. Although it certainly is a good cause, if your organization isn't notable, it may qualify for deletion on a rewrite. Here is the current guidline for company notability. -- St.isaac 06:41, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, to add the article to that category, just add [[Category:Cancer Organizations]] to the end of your article. St.isaac 06:43, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

• Rather than the guideline for notability, I think WP:VAIN and WP:NPOV are more essential here. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:33, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Recent contributions

I have been contributing to ZIP codes section and was recently informed that even though the work that I am doing is simply reorganizing the ZIP codes so it fits into a different section of the webpage that it may still be deleted and i was sent a link that says it may take up to five days to know for sure whether or not that my additions are "acceptable" and will be kept. In the meantime I am eager to continue but don't want to waste my time doing all of this work if it is all going to be deleted. I was wondering if there was anyway to know if my stuff will be deleted or not so that i can continue with my work in the confidence that it will not be deleted after all my hard work.

User Talk Goosar19

--Goosar19 19:54, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes. Wait one day. If the majority of the editors who contribute to AfD are saying delete, then you shouldnt bother. But if there is non clear consensus and they are asking for it to be expanded or something else done to it, get back to work :) I have an AfD on one of my articles right now too. SynergeticMaggot 20:09, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

puppies

why do puppies growl when pulling toy away they shake their head too

That sounds like a question you might want to direct to the reference desk. Thanks. :) Luna Santin 02:18, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

puppies (2)

why do puppies shake their head and growl when they have a toy in mouth_ _ 216.221.81.98 02:17, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

The place to ask questions like that would be the reference desk. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 02:18, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Please don't repeat questions. User:Fredil Yupgio/signature 02:53, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Nominating for deletion

I was wondering how to nominate an article for deletion and if I can’t, where do I request an admin or mod to do so? SwK 03:16, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Pls place new comments at the bottom. I have done so for you. Please see Wikipedia:Criteria for deletion -- Lost^(talk) 03:39, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Where'd it go?

I asked this question before, and it got some replies, but never any definite answer. Then it was ignored, and when archival came around, it seems to have been deleted, because I can't find it on its corresponding archive page. So I'm asking again. The previous discussion has been posted below.--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 04:22, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

---

I headed on over to Wikipedia:Picture of the day/July 2006, checking out different images...but where's the photo for Dinner Plain, Victoria, featured on July 21?--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 00:03, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

It shows up for me on that page you linked to. You can also see the image at Image:Dinner plain summer pano02.jpg.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 00:09, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Well, it doesn't show up for me on the page I linked to or the page you linked to. Why not, pray tell?--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 04:36, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

It's showing for me as well, which means it's probably a browser issue on your end. Are there any other images that you cannot see? Ziggurat 21:33, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Have you tried clearing your browser cache? Your browser could be displaying an old version of the page. Go to the page in question, and click the "refresh (or "reload") button in your browser while holding down the SHIFT key. — QuantumEleven 08:40, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

That's the only image I can't see. I tried clearing my browser cache, but still nothin'.--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 04:32, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

---

I tried downloading the high-resolution version of the image in question. It links "here", which is a blank page.--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 04:23, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually, that image doesn't seem to be showing up for me, either, even after a cache clear. Perhaps it was actually taken down, so it was in your caches? This is quite a mystery. And it seems I've forgotten to sign again. —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 04:48, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

I can see this version of the image, can you? I'm not sure what's wrong, but perhaps something is acting up. —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 06:40, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I can see that version, but why not the other? And why could the others see it, but you can't? Talk about mysteries...--the ninth bright shiner ^talk 19:50, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Image deletion

hi i was trying to upload images for the page vaartha bhaarathi, a kannada daily newspaper. the images were fresh, taken by me and they are not published anywhere so far. thay have been deleted by wikipedia. please help Abushahin 11:15, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

You need to include the following when you upload an image, else it gets deleted:

• Source of the image (mention if you made it yourself)
• Copyright holder (in this case, you) and license of the file.

For more details, please see Wikipedia:Image use policy -- Lost^(talk) 11:28, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Are Stubs Good?

I'm a new contributor, and see lots of red links that I know just enough verifiable info about to create a short intro or stub. Is stub creation a good use of my time, or are there higher-value ways to contribute? I'm a former newspaper reporter, and current information systems manager. --CAN 11:49, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

See here for information about stubs. To begin writing articles on your own, see: Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article. -- Lost^(talk) 12:01, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Stubs are good because they have the potential to be developed into articles. If you write a stub, good. If you write an article, better! Therefore, when writing a new article, try to make it as comprehensive as possible. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hildanknight (talk • contribs)

As a newspaper reporter, I'm going to assume you have highly developed research and writing skills. For that reason, I think creating full articles, cleaning up, sourcing and expanding existing article, or creating comprehensive (a few, well-written, sources paragraphs) stubs would be a good way to spend your time, but not creating "stubby stubs"—those of the variety "_______ was a ______ from ______ who ______" which I see far too often. Useful? debatable but something anyone can do. Oh, and welcome to Wikipedia!--Fuhghettaboutit 16:07, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Creating lots of stubs isn't very useful. You don't have to know everything about a topic, but it would be better to create fewwer articles that have some content rather that lots of just one liners. MECU≈talk 17:38, 12 August 2006 (UTC)This is why we don't have lots of articles about some famous people that

If you can imput helpful information, good. However, if you write a stub, be sure to add more than just obvious information. --Gray Porpoise 18:13, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Photo copyrights

Hi all,

Sorry if this is a noob-type question, but the articles regarding photo copyrights were a bit confusing to me.

I want to create a short article about the photographic artist Don Repella. I've gained his permission to include two photos representative of his work, but he would prefer that copies be uploaded to Wikipedia, rather than linking back to his site, so as not to give the impression that the article is an advertisement.

He has suggested using the following tag: "Copyright 2005 Don Repella. For exclusive use of Wikipedia, no other use permitted."

Two questions:

1. How do I upload the two images to Wikipedia without violating its policies?

2. Is the above statement sufficient/appropriate to protect the photos' copyrights?

Thanks for any assistance, please respond on my talk page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Coyotewrw

--Coyotewrw 22:40, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your response. First, your friend's instinct about linking from his site was correct -- images should always be uploaded to a Wikimedia server, not linked from an external site. (Consider using Wikimedia Commons, rather than Wikipedia, so other projects have access to the images as well.) Second, quoting from to Wikipedia:Image use policy, "Licenses which ... are given permission to only appear on Wikipedia, are not free enough for Wikipedia's usages or goals and will be deleted." Your friend would have to release the images under a free license such as the GNU Free Documentation License. Your friend might be willing to "sacrifice" his copyright on one or two images by releasing them to the world (and therefore to Wikipedia), but Wikipedia will not use images licensed only to Wikipedia. It may fall under Fair Use, but I don't think so. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 23:17, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

Editing a title.

I made an article and accidently typed a character wrong: is there anyway I can change the title?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by TMNT Donatello (talk • contribs) .

Click on "Move" above the title, next to the "history" tag. Always be really careful to get the right title on a move, and be sure that you're sending it to the right place. If other people have edited an article, it's best to suggest the move first on the talk page; if it's just a typo you should have no problems. Ziggurat 03:23, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

While the above is true in most instances, in this case you won't be able to move the article because the title (I am assuming you want to correctly move it to, "Vector the Crocodile" (lower case t)) already exists as a redirect to the article Chaotix. In order to move the article you will either have to request that the existing redirect be deleted at WP:RFD, or probably better, request that an administrator move the page at WP:RM. Note that you should not manually cut and paste the article you created into the existing redirect, as that will mess up the history of both pages.--Fuhghettaboutit 03:31, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Quick - speedy deletion for advertising articles

Hi. Quick question. I've been working on reviewing new pages for inappropriate content (bios, vandalism, gibberish, etc.), and have come across a few articles that are simpy sales pitches for a company, piece of software, service, etc. These products likely have no value as articles and are clearly written as marketing pieces. However, I am unsure of the proper tag to add to the articles for deletion. I've been using db-reason and listing the reason as advertisement. Is there a more appropriate tag? For example (if the page still exists) -- see Datahost S.R.L.. Thanks CPAScott 13:03, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

For bios, you can tag them as {{db-bio}} or if its attacking someone {{db-attack}} or no content {{db-nocontent}} etc. Depending on how the article is. As for vandalism, {{db-vandalism}} and so on. You can refer to WP:CSD for more information. --Terence Ong _{(Chat | Contribs)} 13:17, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks Terence, but none of the above. These articles read more like an advertisement in a newspaper. For example "ABC Company is a purveyor of fine china and offers the best prices within the U.S. The company was founded by so-and-so who has 15 years in the china trade business ... (etc.)" I suppose bio, but it's a company's bio, not a person or band. Does that still qualify? CPAScott 13:26, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

We don't have a speedy criterion for advertising. The reason is that the company might be notable. Often, negative things will be found out later on that balance out the article. My favorite example is Coit Cleaners. —WAvegetarian•(talk) 03:11, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Restricted Sources

I've built the Price comparison service article. I have more data that I can quote, from sources such as Hitwise and Comscore, but that normal Wikipedia users will not have access to. Also, some of the data is covered by copyright, and therefore while true, cannot be displayed on Wikipedia. In this case, should I list the fact without the data to support it?

Also, I have seen some criticisms of List pages, but they seem to be quite common with listing websites. I have therefore built List of price comparison services, but what should be the criteria for being listed on there?

Thanks for help Blowski 13:21, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

If the source is published and available at, say, a reference library, that is sufficient. Many Wikipedia articles cite scholarly journals and other sources the average Wikipedian does not have easy access to. As for copyright, you cannot copy such text directly, but in general including exact facts and figures in paraphrase is acceptable. (For example, you can say "The gravitational constant is XXX" and cite a textbook, but you cannot use a direct quote without identifying it as such.) For more information, read WP:COPY. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 20:37, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Etiquette of major changes to existing article

I'm the marketing director at a university. The article in question has been mildly vandalized and reverted/fixed several times, usually by other users, not an official university staffer. In the spirirt of cooperation and NPOV, we'd like to add photos, expand the article and use the university's resources to keep the article accurate. We are committed to keeping advertising out of the the article and we're not interested in an edit war?

How do we do make these edits without offending the current editors of the page? Do we load the whole thing into the talk page or make multiple edits over several days? Is there a standard way to invite editorial help? AnneStark 18:51, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

For minor changes such as correcting vandalism and inaccuracies, no special action or notification is needed. For major changes involving only the addition of new text, I'd say in most cases again nothing is needed. However, for major changes involving deleting or changing significant sections of the text, it's best to bring the subject up first on the talk page. If nobody responds after a reasonable amount of time (at least a week, longer to be on the safe side), then go ahead. If you do get responses, then work with the responding editors to reach consensus on what should be done. For more information on Wikiquette, see WP:WQT. Also, having the marketing director edit the site raises some bright red flags. To avoid any accusations of improper use of Wikipedia, be sure to closely read and abide by WP:NPOV and WP:SPAM. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 20:31, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Make sure that you're not plagiarizing any of the University's resources either, though; for example, if you're planning to use pictures from an official website make sure that they've been licensed appropriately...I think fair use could cover it, but it can never hurt to double-check - even self-plagiarism is bad. See WP:COPY

Otherwise, I second Ginkgo and advise liberal use of the Talk page if there's ever any possibility of a problem arising or a conflict occurring. —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 08:12, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Editing

I am experienced in editing a wiki, I am excellent at editing, copyediting, grammer and spelling checks, also formatting.

I would like to get started in those areas, but I can and have written many articles for a wiki. I am, however, not sure how to write on wikipedia, because everything seems so difficult, the information has to be researched, at least it seems this way.

Please assist me in these areas, mentioned in my first paragraph. I seem to be getting lost trying to find my way around here.

Thank you for any assistance.happy 10:54, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

We're glad you want to contribute to Wikipedia! Wikipedia:How to copy-edit will likely provide you lots of useful information, especially how to go about copyediting articles, and where to find articles that need copyediting. Good luck! -- Natalya 20:25, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, new content should always be researched (see WP:V, WP:OR, and WP:CITE, in that order of importance). However, editors who don't add new content but instead copy-edit, clean up, and wikify are always welcome and needed! Thanks in advance for your contributions. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 18:10, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

clectrochemistry

What is the standerd reducyion potential value of mercury? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 220.226.54.22 102 (talk • contribs) 18:07, 8 August 2006.

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. Jacek Kendysz 18:17, 8 August 2006 (UTC)

SaaS providers

Hello, how can I add my company's name and service description to your site. What criteria do I have to meet in order for it to be accepted? Thanks Mark Andersen

It's not policy, but there is a guideline on this topic. See Wikipedia:Notability (companies and corporations). Garion96 (talk) 20:58, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks!

Help.. been waiting quite a while :)

Hi

I know nothing much other than South African law, and have a ton of info to put on Wikipedia, and I made a start months ago by putting up a list of statute titles. The list is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Statutes_and_other_Legislation#.27.27.272005.27.27.27

However, Wikipedia has added the following comment to that page:

"To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this list may require cleanup. This list is poorly defined, unverified or indiscriminate. If you are familiar with the subject, please improve the list, prune it, or discuss its parameters on the talk page. Editing help is available."

I have many more lists of, and information about, South African Legislation (my lists go back to 1910) but do not want to proceed before the issues raised by this comment are resolved.

I just do not have the technical knowledge to sort our the issues raised and had hoped that someone else would collaboratively pick it up. However, although it has been some months, no-one has come forward.

I imaging that if the issues are sorted, I'll see how they were sorted, and be able to add further data so that the issues do not arise again.

Anyone out there who can assist me?

Regards, Rita Felgate

Relax about the cleanup tag. It merely means the content is not inline with the Manual of Style (MOS). There are many, many articles with this tag and a shortage of editors who go through such articles, so it may take a while. One thing that would be really helpful would be for you to provide some context for other editors to go by. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not just a book of lists, and merely listing laws is not very helpful. Explaining the laws, their history, their significance, etc. would be an important step to make this article encyclopedic. Ideally this would be made in accordance with the MOS, but it's okay if not -- it still gives other editors something to go by. It would also be hugely helpful if you provided a bibiographical reference, which in this case is probably a law manual. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 18:05, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Is it free to become a member of Wikipedia

Is it free to join Wikipedia? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.31.233.70 (talk • contribs)

Yep! Take a look at Wikipedia:Why create an account?. Good luck editing! -- Natalya 23:15, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Moss Growers Handbook

Is it possible to purchase the Moss Growers Handbook that you have on you site? If you don't sell it, where can I purchase it? Thanks! Judith

I believe you are referring to the link on the article Moss to an external site called the "Moss grower's handbook". This link is merely provided as a reference and is not part of the Wikipedia site. You should contact the site hosting the "handbook," which you can do here. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 04:05, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Are you talking about the link at the bottom of Moss? This is an external link, which means it goes to a site outside Wikipedia. You can get a web copy simply by clicking on the link (although it's large, so it will take some time to download if you're on a slow web connection). You can save it to your computer by (if you're on a PC) right-clicking on the link and selecting 'save link as'.

The book it links to was published back in 1991 and reprinted in 1996. If you want the physical book, I'm afraid that according to Amazon.co.uk it's out of print ([1]) so your best bet is probably to ask at a second-hand book store. The full title is Moss Grower's Handbook: An Illustrated Beginner's Guide to Finding, Naming and Growing Over 100 Common British Species, it was written by Michael Fletcher, and it was published by SevenTy Press. Hope this helps! Ziggurat 04:11, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Non Notable Game Mod?

I recently created an article for a Dungeons and Dragons module. Once I posted it, I got an error message stating that it was proposed my article be deleted because of a Non Notable Gaming Mod, failure of WP software. I took this to mean that there was no verifiable source, so I went and found one. However, the problem still exists. What does this error mean, and how can I fix it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kury (talk • contribs)

There is no error, but another editor feels that the Dungeons and Dragons module is not notable, and has been proposed to be deleted. Do not take it as personal, but there are various new articles made every day and they may or may not be notable for inclusion for Wikipedia. If you would, you can read over the guidelines at WP:SOFTWARE and see whether or not the Dungeons and Dragons module that you wrote the article for fits in with any of the criteria for notability that they list. Ryūlóng 05:09, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Spell Check

Is there a way to do an internal spell check on text before posting?

AzCentralCenter

If you're using Firefox, there are a couple extensions that can check spelling, but other than that you would need to toss it into a word-processing program and check it there, I think. —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 20:51, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

There is Quite a lot to read

But where can I go to get my editing started? I dont want to do Huge things. I want to be where other Novices are editing. Thank you all for letting me join Wikipedia. --Jak 20:32, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

If you just want to test things out, you can try the sandbox. Otherwise, you can edit any article, really, unless it's protected. Just find an article you have interest in, and go for it. Wikipedia:Your first article is a good place to start, as well as Help:Starting a new page. You're welcome to ask questions on my talk page too, if you'd like ^^ —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 20:49, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia! I suggest you familiarize yourself with some of the important Wikipedia policies, such as what Wikipedia is not, Neutral Point of View and Verifiability. Then go to the Sandbox and do some testing to familiarize yourself with Wiki markup.

What are your areas of expertise? Mine are computers/websites and Singapore TV shows/movies. Play on your strengths, and contribute your expertise and knowledge to Wikipedia! One way to do so is to search for articles pertaining to your areas of expertise, then check these articles for mistakes or omissions. If you spot any mistakes, correct them, and add more information!

If you find that Wikipedia lacks an article on a notable aspect/topic/person of your area of expertise, be bold and write an article about it. I was surprised that Wikipedia did not have an article on Homerun, the film that won Singapore's first Golden Horse Award, so I wrote an article on Homerun. After writing an article, you should post a request for feedback on your article. The nice people there will point out your strengths and weaknesses as an editor, and suggest ways for you to improve the article.

We have many WikiProjects covering various areas of interest from football to music, so you should find a WikiProject on your area of interest and join it. This will help you meet Wikipedians who have the same interests as you, and you can befriend them, and ask them for help.

I hope you enjoy contributing to Wikipedia. All the best to you, both in real life and as a Wikipedian! --J.L.W.S. The Special One 02:36, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Is this considered spam?

I think this is, after what I have read, but I want to make sure. I invented a way of folding socks like origami, to make balls and other models, so I call it sockigami, would be bad spam to make an article about the history of sockigami, different techniques and aspects of it, and models? I think articles are supposed to be about things people already know about. So my question: Is this spam? Chesemonkyloma 16:44, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

I think in this case the main problem is that the article would be original research since I imagine there is no published source that you can cite for such a thing. So, unfortunately, yes, that kind of article would probably be deleted, sorry.

Also, remember to sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~) on discussion pages like this one so that we know who said what. —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 07:05, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Keakealani is right. Your work on sockigami is original research and can't be verified. However, if a reliable source (say a newspaper) wrote an article about sockigami, or if you published a book about it, then you could write the article using that piece as your source. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · contribs · e@} 23:02, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Photos of people and copyright

If I start an article on an individual and upload a photo that is not specified as copyrighted is it okay to use it? I mean just use the one photo as a main photo for the articele? I'm afraid I haven't made myself very clear here. Sorry and thanks for any responses to my question. Whiskey Rebellion 16:54, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

No. Unless you specifically know the copyright status of a photo and can justify it, you should not upload images. See fair use for a starting point on copyright images. MECU≈talk 17:21, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Okay. Thanks for the quick response. Whiskey Rebellion 17:28, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Blut

There is also a play by that name that was performed in NYC in 1986. It was by Greg Younger. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.16.191.115 (talk • contribs)

...Is there something you need help with? --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 01:42, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

searched for over an hour how to create a simple Human Name Disambiguation page

I have read lots of instructions about Disambiguation pages, but I just want to create one!... to take two pages that exist in Wikipedia featuring two men with the EXACT same first and last name and put them in a Disambiguation page. Why can't I figure out how to do this? What is the error in approach I am taking in my continued efforts to learn how to edit? I have edited articles, reverted vandalism, even indirectly created a new worthwhile article. Thanks. --truthdowser 02:15, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

I'm sorry that this has taken you so much time and effort. An example disambig page can be found here.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 03:03, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

For more in depth information on disambiguation pages, you can take a look at Wikipedia:Disambiguation and the Manual of Style for Disambiguation Pages. Don't let them get too confusing, though! If you're having more trouble, feel free to ask specific questions, either here or on my talk page (I love disambiguation pages). -- Natalya 03:41, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

sigh...thanks for your attempts to help folks, however I have read all these references and much more already. I guess creating a Disambiguation page is just far more complicated a task than I had imagined, and I'll just have to leave it for someone else to do. (Seems like it should be a simpler process, either that or I suspect I'm just missing something very basic?) Anyway, the name is "Robert Bryce" and there are two on Wikipedia; one is an American Writer and one is a Canadian Civil Servant. Here Robert_Bryce_(writer) and here Robert_Bryce Cheers--truthdowser 15:22, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Don't give up yet! Now that you've given us the problem, it's a lot easier to explain how to do. You have a couple of options:

• If the Robert Bryce whose article is currently located at Robert Bryce is considerably more notable than the Robert Bryce at Robert Bryce (writer), then all that needs to be done is add a link at the top of Robert Bryce saying This article is about the Canadian civil servant. For the writer, see Robert Bryce (writer), and a corresponding link at the top of Robert Bryce (writer). Those are called disambiguation links.

OR

• If both Robert Bryces are of similar notability status, then you want to create a disambiguation page. Since the disambiguation page would need to be located at Robert Bryce, the article currently at Robert Bryce would be moved to Robert Bryce (civil servant), or with some other parenthetical clarifier. Then, the disambiguation would be created at the newly empty Robert Bryce, and would look something like this:

Robert Bryce may refer to:
*Robert Bryce (writer), an American author
*Robert Bryce (civil servant), a Canadian civil servant

{{disambig}}

I do hope that makes more sense; disambiguation pages shouldn't cause you too many problems, I hope. I would take the appropriate actions, but I assume you are more familiar with knowing how notable each Robert Bryce is. -- Natalya 16:07, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

editing user talk page

I've tried reading Wiki's help pages regarding the editing of my user talk page. The answer seems very vague, indictating that its okay and not okay at the same time. I'm just trying to get a clear answer. Thanks in advance for your assistance. --OneCyclone 16:40, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Well, there really is no clear-cut rule as to what you can and can't do, but it's generally observed that you shouldn't remove messages altogether, rather, you should archive them in a different section if they're old, or your talk page is too long, etc. It's also considered a no-no to remove vandalism warnings. Hope that helps. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 17:35, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

WILDCAT VS HOUSECAT

Good morning

I found a cat at work (she was born in the "wild" as to say) - no houses close buy and looks just as the African wildcat. What I need to know -

What are all the differences between the african wildcat and the housecat?

She also cleans her claws - my other cat never does this.

The also has the "white fluff" under her belly - with the stripes across her tail.

I caught her went she still could fit into my hand. She was very very tiny. She also loves to drink water from a running tap instead of a water holder. She is not as tame as my other cat and runs aways if people arrive at home.

Oh yes and she does not like you to cuddle her except when she comes to you. She purrs and "speaks" like my other cat. She also "puffs" her tail. She also does not pull in her nails.

I would like to get more feedback. Thank you. Margie Lourens —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Margie Lourens (talk • contribs) 20:43, 13 August 2006.

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe. For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. Jacek Kendysz 20:48, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

Images

Hello. I am wondering something about images. If you take a picture with a digital camera, how exactly do you upload it to Wikipedia? Is there a different way to go about it than when you upload pics off the Internet? I would like to know because there is an article that would greatly benefit from having a picture uploaded, and I can do it. I just need to know how. Please reply on my talkpage. Thank you very much and have a nice day.--Chili14 03:31, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Check out Wikipedia:Uploading images. It has a pretty clear guide as to how to upload images onto Wikipedia. Hope that helps! —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 03:34, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

When you upload a picture from a digital camera, you're saving it to your computer like any other image. If you want to upload it to Wikipedia, just find the image on your computer's hard drive (via the Browse link on the upload page) and it works exactly the same. Be sure to pick the right image tag (Template:CopyrightedFreeUse-User and Template:GFDL are two good ones for user-created pictures), and make sure that the image isn't too large, and you'll be fine! Ziggurat 03:35, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Why is Sheeva Neutral?

Yes, Sheeva mayber Neutral, but that doesn't mean that she should be. Yes, in the selection screen she may have a red background with the evil guys, and she maybe at the very top with the evil guys at the roster screen, but that doesn't mean she is Neutral or Evil. If She is allies with Kitana and Sindel, and she hates Motaro, then why is she Neutral? Sheeva was spotted running on the good side in the trailers of Armageddon. She shouldn't be Neutral.

17:20, 15 August 2006 (UTC)~

What the hell on earth are you talking about? —Daniel (‽) 17:23, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

You might find what you are looking for in the article about Sheeva. If you cannot find the answer there, click here to post your question at that article's talk page. If that doesn't solve your problem, you can try asking your question at Wikipedia's Reference Desk. They'll be glad to answer questions about anything in the universe (except about how to use Wikipedia, which is what this help desk is for). I hope this helps. -- Natalya 23:02, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

username

why is there a user called fenix but i cant make a user called zeratul thanks 69.158.58.189 01:32, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Neither of those usernames seem to exist, so I see no problem with making an account - I don't really understand what your question is... —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 05:47, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

see user:fenix but theres no user called zeratul so why cant i make a user called zeratul? 69.158.58.189 11:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

It appears that there actually is a user called Zeratul (he's on the user list), he just doesn't have a userpage, which is why you thought the username itself didn't exist. -- Steel 12:10, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

so where i can see the user list? 69.158.58.189 15:03, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

You can use Special:Listusers. Another way to tell whether an account exists or not is that if you look at the blank page at User:Zeratul, you'll see to the left in the 'toolbox' a link to 'User contributions'. That only appears for user pages associated with accounts. If you go to, for example, User:Asdfhjsdfds234, you won't see that 'user contributions' link. --Sam Blanning^(talk) 15:47, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

TOC heading-level collapse

I have a long document with 3 heading types (H2,H3,H4). How can I modify the TOC to collapse down to just the H2 level?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by ROBOWRITER (talk • contribs) .

Is this a document previously published elsewhere that you would like to import as a Wikipedia article? If so, please read WP:COPY very carefully first. Even if you are the author, if it has been previously published elsewhere it may be problematic. If this is a question about an HTML document independent of Wikipedia, try the Computing Reference Desk. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · e@} 20:56, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Help needed

Hello, im new to Wikipedia, anmd I don't know where to start. Can someone please help me, and please reply on my talk page, thanks Gingerdog 19:19, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Replied to on user's talk page.--Fuhghettaboutit 19:26, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

delete own subpage

User:Tamfang/Tilings is obsolete, having been incorporated into Convex uniform honeycomb some time ago. Can I delete it? —Tamfang 06:43, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Since you don't appear to be an administrator yourself, you can just tag the page with {{db-author}} (author requestion deletion of an article), and an admin will delete it shortly. -- Consumed Crustacean | Talk | 06:47, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

In the case of your own user subpages, {{db-owner}} is also appropriate. Luna Santin 06:48, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Even better. Thanks, I'll file that somewhere in my memory for later reference. -- Consumed Crustacean | Talk | 06:52, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, I've done that. —Tamfang 07:01, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

searching wikipedia help

is there a way by which i can limit my search to wikipedia help pages ? i am new to wikipedia and sometimes need to look at the help pages to figure out how to do certain things. browsing the contents is good but not that helpful, for at times i am not sure which category will the article belong too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Yashkochar (talk • contribs)

Sure. Click the my preferences button at the top of the screen, click on the Search tab, and check the areas of the Wikipedia that you want to search through. Then be sure to click Save. Also, another thing: you should sign any comments that you make in discussion areas like this or in talk pages with ~~~~ . Hope you enjoy it here. -- Consumed Crustacean | Talk | 07:05, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

thank you. will be careful next time. -- User:Yashkochar | 07:14, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Article doesn't appear on search

I have recently written several articles, but when I search key words using the search bar it doesn't find them at all. The search even finds an article I rerouted to my new article but doesn't fine the new article itself. The only way to enter my new articles is to enter their names precisely, or click a link to them. Can anyone tell my why this is happened and if there's any way I myself can fix it? THANKS --Db1944 10:28, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

The search index is often out of date, sometimes taking weeks before it is updated. Recent changes are not reflected until the next time the search index is updated. A better alternative is to use the Google search engine. Simply append site:en.wikipedia.org to your query to search the English Wikipedia. As for the Go feature, article names are case sensitive. The "go" button usually masks this, but if an article name includes a mixture of capitalized and uncapitalized words a redirect is necessary. - Tangotango 10:32, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia

Hi, I'm not a newbie but I thought that this is the only place to ask this question. When was Wikipedia created? P.S. This is probably a stupid question. FellowWikipedian 17:11, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

The Wikipedia article says it was created on January 15, 2001. And it's not a stupid question, I didn't know until you asked. :) -- Natalya 19:15, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

As a note, while this is a perfectly fine place to ask questions, there is also the Help Desk and Reference Desk if you want more specialized help. Not that you were mistaken, but just so you might have more options in the future ^^; —Keakealani •Poke Me•contribs• 05:09, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

• Thank you. FellowWikipedian 13:14, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, who was the first editor of Wikipedia? FellowWikipedian 14:10, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

I would guess either Jimmy Wales or Larry Sanger, but don't quote me on that. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 17:07, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Chapel Information

207.200.116.198 14:50, 19 August 2006 (UTC) How do I enter information about our Chapel (Prospect Bible Chapel) in Hartford, CT. Tom Woods

Well, the way you phrased the question, there could be two answers. If you want to enter information in the Hartford, Connecticut article, it's the same way you entered the question above: just click "edit this page", find the relevant section, and type in the info. However, you may not want to put in info about your church unless it's particularly important (see Wikipedia:Notability for more information). If you want to make a new page, you need to create an account. After that, search for the chapel, click the red link at appears the top of the page, and start editing! However, you will want to make sure your chapel is notable (as described above). Good luck! --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 17:06, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

How do they do that?

Who gives me the pretty owl image because of my username? That is so awesome! I feel so welcome! On the "My Talk" page. Also, whaat sort of image would you give to a user with name like "788hrkdxd" or something? --Owls are Cool 13:26, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

The welcome on your talk page was posted by User:ST47. See the signature link at the end of the message? Another way to figure out who put what on any page is to click on the "Page history" link which is on every page. I'm pretty sure that User:788hrkdxd wouldn't get an owl though. --hydnjo talk 13:42, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Ah! I see! Cool! Thanks so much! Tell User:ST47 I like the owl... I swear it looks familiar... but I just don't know how... hmm... ;D. Maybe User:788hrkdxd could just get some picture of somebody hitting their keyboard and bringing up random letters. Anyways, thanks for your help!

Why don't you visit User talk:ST47 and tell him/her yourself. --hydnjo talk 14:25, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Ok, Thanks for the help!

finding a penfriend

Had a penfriend called Brigitte Habermayr in 1972.Were in contact for 2 years.Wewere 15 years old then.Her address (not to sure of spellings)was 8859 Seibeldorf,iiber Neuberg/Donau West Germany. Does any know where she is? she will be 48 years old now. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.110.86.35 (talk • contribs)

Sorry, unless this person is very well-known, we can't track people's addresses. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 19:24, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

Signature Prob

Why isn't this sig working?

[[User:High Templar|High]] [[User Talk:High Templar|Templar]] <sup>[[Special:Emailuser/High Templar|Psionic Storm!]]</sup>

Thanks. [[User:High Templar|High [[User Talk:High Templar|Templar]] ^{[[Special:Emailuser/High Templar|Psionic Storm!]]}]] 02:37, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

I just put it below, it seems to work fine, I'm not sure why it came out wierd before. But here's what I used, perhaps just a copy and paste over will do the trick:

High Templar^{Psionic Storm!}

[[User:High Templar|High]] [[User Talk:High Templar|Templar]]^{[[Special:Emailuser/High Templar|Psionic Storm!]]}

I hope it works! -- Natalya 03:29, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Also you will need to check "raw signature" in your preferences. I was facing the same error when I tried changing my sig and this did the trick -- Lost^(talk) 05:47, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

radioactive wastes products

I am trying to create a project based mainly of radioactive wastes. I have little idea about the various fissionable wastes products formed after a radioactive reaction. I also want to know the different types of radiations and rays discovered till today, their uses,disadvantages and their harmful effects on mankind. I also want to know that if these radiations and wastes can do anything destructive to man.

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. -- Lost^(talk) 05:45, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Radioactive decay might help you, as well as the things mentioned in that article. Remember, you are browsing and encyclopedia, so often the very thing you are looking for is right at your fingertips...or at least a few clicks away. —Keakealani •talk•contribs• 09:48, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Is verbatim copy from published source plagiarism?

In the course of editing an article (Ardeatine massacre), I followed an internal link to another (on
I've discovered that the text of the article on Herbert Kappler that was created by an anonymous editor back in June 2004 is an absolutely verbatim transcription of a three hundred word entry on this subject in the Encyclopaedia of the Holocaust, and with no attribution whatsoever. So what to do? That editor's "contributions" show no further activity, and no active Talk page. Instinct tells me to add the citation, and possibly a note on the article's Talk page -- if you advise that. Anything else? -- Thanks, Deborahjay 14:38, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

If you see duplicate info in two articles in wikipedia, just remove it from the less relevant one, and point a link to the other article. Else look at the various templates here that can be used -- Lost^(talk) 17:41, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

No, this isn't the case here; I've rewritten the above to explain better. It's a single article whose text is entirely taken from a print source, and with no attribution. I can certainly add the reference, but my question is (a) about the use of the text per se and (b) how to handle the problem, if such it is. -- Thanks, Deborahjay 18:36, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Aah so its a copyright violation. That is a strict no-no on wikipedia. This is the policy you are looking for. You will need to tag the article with {{copyvio}}. If this can be proven, the article will be deleted. Though I am not sure how you will substantiate that its a verbatim copy since the other encyclopedia doesnt seem to be online -- Lost^(talk) 18:43, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Request information about BIE that concern to Cambodia

Dear Sir. I am very pleased to know about BIE information especially, about Cambodia because I am in charge of BIE. So I would like you to provide me some information that concern to Cambodia about BIE (ask for assistance, about contribute so on). Could you provide me about Country members of BIE?

And how do I get some information on every year conference and others? Which countries stand for election candidate in next the World Expo after China?

I am looking foeward to hearing from you as soon as possible

Please accept of my highest consideration

Vithol TREN,

Export Promotion Department Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia Phone: (855)12 18 84 897 Fax  : (855)23 211 745 Email: removed for security reasons —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.144.75.13 (talk • contribs)

I have no idea what you're trying to ask, but I think you may have the wrong site. This is Wikipedia. If I even knew what BIE is I might suggest an article, but I really can't help you. Anyway, I've removed your email address to prevent spam - Wikipedia is copied extensively and publicising your address here is signing it away to a full spam box. —Keakealani •talk•contribs• 05:07, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

It looks like our friend is talking about Bureau of International Expositions. 203...- you can request more info on the member countries etc. on the talk page of the above article or the reference desk. This desk is to answer questions about Wikipedia only -- Lost^(talk) 05:14, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Citing Wikipedia as a Wikipedia source?

ĔA comment in the "wedding" article (about Richard Wagner's alleged anti-semitic views) is tagged as "citation needed." In the Richard Wagner article, there is an entire section on the subject. [2]

Would it be right to link to the article (as above) as a "citation"?

--Somerandomnerd 14:51, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Generally you shouldn't cite Wikipedia as a source for other articles. Wikipedia:Verifiability, a core policy, requires all article to be based on outside published sources. In principle, the section in Richard Wagner should cite the original source, which means the same source can be cited in the other article. I looked and it appears Richard Wagner only cites one source, which is a discussion of his views, not a description of them; however, a lazy editor could cite this source anyway in wedding. A more diligent editor would look it up herself. --Ginkgo100 ^{talk · e@} 16:36, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Is there a suitable way to simply refer readers to the other article- I wouldn't think that readers of the "Wedding" article would particularly want to read a lengthy discussion of Wagner's anti-semitic views (or not, as the case may be), but it seems a waste to have the discussion on his views written on Wikipedia, but not directing readers to it where it's relevant to another article.

--Somerandomnerd 13:23, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

You can use a == See also == section. See the Wikipedia:Manual of style for more information.—WAvegetarian•(talk) 14:23, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Karen Kelleher

I would like to add the following biography of a women who made the definitve film on Jaqueline Kenenyd Onassis:

Karen Kelleher, writer and producer, of the film "Jackie Behind the Myth" for PBS, has been an active film maker for over fifteen years. Her most celebrated film "Jackie Behind the Myth" was a cause celelbre for all New Yorkers and many people around the world. The film, as if a travel journey with Jackie, was filmed in New York, Washington, Paris, East Hampton and includes rare archival footage of her travels to Prague, Russia, Greece, Cambodia, South America, and France. Karen Kelleher was credited on the Miramax feature film, "Benefit of the Doubt" starring Amy Irving and Donald Sutherland. That film explored the tragic events of a family attempting to recover from a history of child abuse. Ms. Kelleher has worked on highly succesful projects in feature films (Regarding Henry, Dead Again and Benefit of the Doubt), cable television (A&E Pride & Prejudice) and public telelvision. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.77.198.11 (talk • contribs)

So long as the person is notable and the information you provide is verifiable, there shouldn't be much of an issue. Of course, it would be a good idea to check out Wikipedia:Starting a new page. Let me know if you need more help! —Keakealani •talk•contribs• 00:49, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

It just occurred to me that you haven't created an account (since I just added the unsigned template). You will need to do so before creating an article. In addition, there are many reasons why you should create an account. I guess I ought to also note that you should remember to sign your posts on discussion pages like this one (just add four tildes like so: ~~~~), so that we can see who we're talking to. —Keakealani •talk•contribs• 00:58, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

While only account-holders can create articles directly, you can submit content for a new page to Wikipedia:Articles for creation without logging in. —24.20.69.240 01:33, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

how do i get a copyright for my project ? 

Sri Lankan college

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Sumangala_College this project is created by me .is there anyway to get a ownership of this page ,all i want is avoid unnessery editing and deletions and protection . if there anyway how much do i want me to pay for wikipedia ? best regards rajith alwis —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rajithcalwis (talk • contribs)

I'm not exactly sure of what you're asking, but it is most likely impossible. You'll probably want to read WP:OWN and WP:C. Basically, you can't control an article (the Wikipedia is openly editable by anyone). All of the content added by other users is also subject to the GNU Free Documentation License. Therefore, if you want to use the article in some way, you have to comply with that license (you can't be redistributing it all willy-nilly). The license does give a considerable amount of rights, though. Hopefully what I've said is at least somewhat helpful. -- Consumed Crustacean | Talk | 09:44, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

thanks for ur help.this is really helping my future projects.

Rajithcalwis 11:36, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

It would be wrong to protect the article against editing and deletions. I have just done major editing on the article because it was clearly not written by a native English speaker. There were countless spelling errors, too much praise for the college and numerous other corrections to be made for ungrammatical and strange sentence constructions. It's great that you wrote it but anything you write will need editing by a native English speaker (I live in Bristol, England) - Adrian Pingstone 07:22, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

new wikipedia entry

My grandfather's grandfather was a prominent cotton mill owner in the Bury, Lancaster area. The house he built for himslf and his family, as well as well know pub named after him still exist. i would like to write an entry about hhim in Wikipedia. Can I do thi and how do I go about it? Regards, RICHARD HAMER <email removed to prevent spam>

The first thing you need to do is get a username. Then, see: Help:Starting a new page. You might also look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Wikipedia:How to write a great article. Make sure the article adheres to the policy of verifiability and neutral point of view. Also looking at Notability would be good. -- Lost^(talk) 19:30, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

How do you change your signature?

I see a lot of people who have their own different signature; i.e. colors, fonts, sizes, etc. How are you able to do this? Thank you. --Jake 22:48, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

You can edit your sig in Special:Preferences under 'signature' (see Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages). To change the colour, size, font, etc. it's usually a case of adding an html tag, so to make red you put <font color=red> before the text and </font> after it (there's a list of tags you can use at HTML element#Presentational markup). Ziggurat 23:52, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! Like my new signature? Jake (talk) 20:41, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it looks neat -- Lost^(talk) 04:33, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

copyright violations

I posted some copy today for my School, thinking, obviously incorrectly, that I could just cut and paste something from MY OWN Web site until we came up with something different. I should have read the lines just below the Save Page button that said plainly that Most Web pages were not allowed.

so now, my question: I've submitted a new temporary page of copy, but how long will it be before the copyright violation page is replaced with the new page? —Preceding unsigned comment added by J-School (talk • contribs)

• Hi there. The copyvio page gets backlogged regularly. Since you wrote the page USC - Columbia, South Carolina, you can place {{db-author}} on the article page to have it speedy deleted; more likely a faster result there. Teke 01:46, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Changing erroneous article title?

I have been working a little on some Africa articles and have run across two article names about persons that are misspelled (Dinizulu, should be Dinuzulu, son of the Zulu king Cetshwayo, and Nggwane IV, should be Ngwane IV, a Swazi king). These are not new articles made by me.

1. Can I change the title, or is there some administrative place where I should draw attention to the problems?

1. If I changed the title using "move" as is suggested in answer to questions about title errors people made in composing a new article, what happens to links in articles made to the misspelled title?

Cclowe (I cannot get tildes to appear in these dialogue boxes, see next question) 08:04, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

You can certainly move the articles yourself to the new name. "Move" will ask for the new (correct) title and a reason for the change. It's not a bad idea to mention your source for the correct titles, to forestall others changing the name back. Once the page is moved, you'll get a page that allows you to check for redirects. Any articles that were links to the old name will be listed under that name. These are "double redirects", and should be fixed to point to the new title. Other ordinary redirects will automatically jump to the new title, but you may want to fix them, if only to keep people from reading the wrong spellings in those articles. More information on this is available at Help:Moving a page. If this seems like too big a step for now, you can add the articles to Wikipedia:Requested moves. But it's really not hard, and if anything goes wrong, it can always be fixed. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 11:22, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Username or signature problem

For some reason I am unable to get tildes to appear in the dialogue boxes so as to sign my name in a linked fashion. When I click on the link below the dialogue box, nothing happens, and when I try to type tildes from my keyboard, the relevant key-cap combination does not work in my browser.

I am using a Mac with Safari -- could the problem be due to the particular browser or something about Macs?

Cclowe 08:09, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

I can't help you with the Mac keyboard, but until someone who can answers, one workaround is to use the edit toolbar's signature button. The toolbar is a row of icons just above the edit window, starting with a "B" (bold) and ending with a "#R" (redirect). (If you don't see this, it isn't enabled for you. Go to the "my preferences" tab at the top of any page, next to "my talk"; click on the "Editing" tab, then check the "Show edit toolbar (JavaScript)" box and save.) Once you see the toolbar, the signature button is the script-like icon between the crossed-out "W" (nowiki) and the "—" (horizontal line). When you press it, the editor will insert two dashes and four tildes (a common signature form) wherever the cursor is in your edit window. Hope this helps. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 11:12, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

• You need Javascript enabled to make it work, I think the link you tried needs it too. Failing that, you could try a different browser in which the combo does work. - Mgm|^(talk) 09:14, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

sources

how do you add sources to the articles?

Here's a good style guide for you to refer to -- Lost^(talk) 18:49, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

contributing

I just made several changes to the page "denglish". After saving the page I noticed that I had neglected to sign in beforehand. Could you please change the contributor from my IP to my name "cakeandicecream"?

Sorry, but that's impossible. If necessary you could make another (minor) edit and state in the edit summary that you were the previous IP number. Garion96 (talk) 11:38, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

New article

I've recently created a new article: San Quinn, is there any ways on improving the article? Neo2000 11:12, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:How to write a great article -- Lost^(talk) 11:39, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

AAODOA (American Assocation of Defenders of America)

AAODOA was formed in 7/27/06 by Matthew D. Hilston, Sean D. Leafston, and Tommy G. Walther. They were soon joined by Dail J. Brown.

Are you trying to start a new article? You should take a look at Wikipedia:Your first article and Help:Creating a new page. However, please make sure that the subject you are writing about is notable. -- Natalya 03:56, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

sending in a new wo

Dear Sir

What form would I send in a definition of a noun. I am new to your network and baffeled by how to form the definition that is suitable.

I really have two definitions of one word.

Jonathan

Wikipedia is not a dictionary. We don't accept dictionary definitions, you should try our sister project, Wiktionary, located here. A page explaining the layout they use is located here, but be sure the word meets their criteria for inclusion, located here --Rory096 03:32, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

limited ToC

Is there a way to restrict a table of contents to show only the top N levels? I'm editing Terinu, and thinking that the 44 third-level sections need not be in the ToC. —Tamfang 06:10, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Hmm, unfortunately I'm not aware of a way to do that. If anybody else knows of one, go for it; if not, you could work around the problem by using bold text as headlines, instead of section headers. Sticky problem, I guess, not sure if there's a clear answer. =\ Luna Santin 06:14, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Heh. I made them section-headings from bold text, partly because each character's paragraph had a footer line ("First appearance") also in bold. —Tamfang 07:57, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

How about moving the "footer" line to just under the current heading for each character, then indenting and italicizing it? It achieves the intent of supplying special information without being visually confused with bolded (non-section) headings. ~ Jeff Q (talk) 08:43, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Hi,

Jill Mormon

THIS IS A WORK-IN-PROGRESS! PLEASE ALLOW ME TO FINISH IT TOMORROW BEFORE YOU START TO EDIT IT!!!!!

[Note-to-self, or anyone else reading this article: All words and phrases surrounded by Quotation Marks will, (if one of us knows how to and/or wants to do it) link to another article in Wikipedia.

JILL MORMON: A female version of the more commonly used term, "Jack Mormon". In either case, either person is at the very least, a member of: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints", (The Church's, official name). Around the world, to both insiders and outsiders, the Organization is usually refered to as, "The Mormon Church". For purposes of this article we will simply refer the religion as, "The Church"; which is (not incidently) the term most often used by "The Churh's" own membership.

Members of; "The Church of Jesus Christ", [NOTE: this is SORT OF, the religion's "unofficial" abreviation], are more commonly known inside and outside of "The Church" as "Mormon" (YES... a "flock" of "Mormons" are often called by thier "Group Name", "Mormon", just as, the plural for "Woman" is "Women", not "Womans". Members of "The Church" are also known as, "The Mormons", or simply, "Mormons". This nickname, "Mormon", came about as a result of the publishing of the book known as "The Book of Mormon". It was called, "The Book of Mormon" or "The Mormons", name " are, AND known, almost universally--in and out of "The Church"--as, "The Mormons". Since the term Jill Mormon and Jack Mormon are perceived by those in and out of "The Church" ) For some, who have parents who were ("JM" for purposes of this article),

---

A child, born into a Mormon family where at least one of the parents is a baptized (i.e. "official") member of, "The Church", -or-, for some reason, (which although rare, is not exactly uncommon), the child (or an infant, or a teenager, OR {virtually UNheard of}, an adult); is "Given a Name and a Blessing", is considered "ipso facto", a "virtual" member of "The Church".

which almost always happens on the next/earliest Sunday Service that both mother and child are feeling recuperated enough to attend the first hour and 10 minute general meeting;

, A JM usually has AT LEAST baptized a MEMBER of THE CHURCH at--or shortly after having turned years old. A J

• Note: For these sorts of things, you would probably be better off at Articles for creation. This page is just to help with newcomers' questions. --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 15:57, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, if you want to discuss an article idea with others before creating it, you might want to try the drawing board.-- 24.20.69.240 02:30, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Redirection

How do you redirect articles because I made an article on the CEO of this airline in Ohio but I typed 'Ely Chulli' but it didnt go to my article, I had to write 'Ely B. Chulli'. I typed 'Sir Freddie Laker' and I came up with 'Freddie Laker'. How do you redirect to articles when you search something?

See Wikipedia:Redirect. 24.20.69.240 23:10, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Redirection

Oops. FOrgot to put my username User:Monbro

Edit the Ely Chulli page, and put this text in exactly: #REDIRECT [[Ely B. Chulli]]

Then, save the page with an edit summary of "creating redirect" or something like that. Good luck! --Mr. Lefty _{Talk to me!} 16:02, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

darby hinton

darby hinton played israel boone on the tv series "daniel boone" is he still alive and if so is there any information or photos of him?

Try asking at the reference desk. _{talk to} JD ^{wants e-mail} 00:32, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Creating A New Article

I attempted to create a new article about VeryLiberating.com and it was quickly removed with a note saying it was note Notable.

I think it is just as Notable as other websites listed in the same field (PostSecret and GroupHug).

Does someone with a higher access need to create it maybe?

I had a fairly decent article written and then 2 minutes later it was gone.

It is always good to read about the notability criteria before creating an article. You can put a word on the deleting admin asserting the notability of the article citing reliable sources. You can find the admin's name in the deletion log. If you can tell me the exact name of the article, I can find the admin's name for you. And please sign your posts on talk pages -- Lost^(talk) 18:37, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

The Article was VeryLiberating and was deleted by Ulayiti. VeryLiberating is reference in other articles, such as [PostSecret].

Signed - SoftBlue

OK, the first thing to do would be to put your rationale on Ulayiti's talk page if you feel that the article merits an inclusion here. If he disagrees and you still feel that the article is worthy of keeping, then the next step is to take it to deletion review where other admins can also have a look at the article and comment on whether it should be undeleted or not -- Lost^(talk) 18:52, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Thank you very much Lost! —Preceding unsigned comment added by SoftBlue (talk • contribs)

Welcome.. I have pointed Ulayiti to this discussion -- Lost^(talk) 18:56, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Please do not add commercial links or links to your own private websites to Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a vehicle for advertising or a mere collection of external links. You are, however, encouraged to add content instead of links to the encyclopedia. If you feel the link should be added to the article, then please discuss it on the article's talk page rather than re-adding it. See the welcome page to learn more about Wikipedia. Thank you. - ulayiti (talk) 19:34, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

• The deleted article included no reason as to why it should be included. Please explain how it meets the criteria at WP:WEB. - Mgm|^(talk) 08:56, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

barbie 1987

hi please help me im looking to buy the barbie from 1987 who was inspired by the singer madonna? i dont know if its called the tour barbie or?? please send me a picture if you got one of it? or better if you got one on sale i could buy thanks best regards heidi from denmark —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.72.132.196 (talk • contribs)

Have you tried Wikipedia's Reference Desk? They specialize in knowledge questions, and will try to answer any question in the universe (except how to use Wikipedia, since that's what this Help Desk is for). For your convenience, here's the link: Reference Desk (when you get there, just select the relevant section, and ask away). I hope this helps. -- Natalya 22:30, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

how many hits ?

how do i count how many hits my wikiproject done ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rajithcalwis (talk • contribs) .

The feature to count how many times a page has been visited has been turned off for performance reasons. For more details please see Wikipedia:Technical FAQ#Can I add a page hit counter to a Wikipedia page?. -- Lost^(talk) 12:07, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Creating New Pages

Is there any way to add new pages? What I am looking for doesnt have its own page yet. Can i create one for it?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lexidoodleellis (talk • contribs) .

See Help:Starting a new page.--24.20.69.240 20:50, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Black Sports Hall of Fame

Dartmouth Black Hockey and Sports Hall of Fame should be added. They inducted 50 members this weekend. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.144.130.7 (talk • contribs)

You can create is yourself :See Help:Starting a new page--Coasttocoast 01:23, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Also, you are currently editing under an IP address. In order to start a new page (and to do some other tasks as well), you need to get a username. --Gray Porpoise 21:35, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

However, you can submit content for a page at Wikipedia:Articles for creation without a username. --24.20.69.240 05:02, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

Question about etiquette on deletion of a section of an article

Hello, got my wiki account today and wanted to ask about deleting versus modifying sections within an article. In the article on Operant conditioning there is a section written by someone who asserts that a method used in dog training somehow "breaks" the laws of operant conditioning as a means to "refute" this conditioning procedure.

There is already some criticism of this section on the article's discussion page remarking upon the authors clear bias and contradictory claims, and yesterday I also added my comments about this problematic section.

My question is whether this section should be modified (and if modified, in what way), or deleted. I would find it difficult to modify a section that has such a distinct POV voice. However, I would feel that complete deletion would appear heavy-handed.

Put your points on the discussion page and try to arrive at a consensus as to what the page should look like. If no responses are forthcoming, go ahead and make appropriate changes. Just go through the various Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines before making major changes -- Lost^(talk) 02:12, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Can't make a page

I'm trying to start 2 pages (the colombian top 40 singles chart page which i will title Los 40 Principales de Colombia and singer Mya's 5th album Control Freak which for some reason goes to the 4th album's, Liberation, page) and when i go to the link to make the page an index.php thing downloads but nothing happens. please help.

See Help:Starting a new page. That should help.--Joe Jklin (T C) 06:14, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

For the index.php thing, go to Special:Preferences. In the Editing section untick "Use external editor by default". That should set it right. For the Control freak problem, click on the link you gave above. You will arrive at the redirected page. Just below the title, you will see redirected from... Click on that and then edit appropriately. -- Lost^(talk) 07:01, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

You're trying to edit a redirect page. If this is what you really want to do (and it sounds like a good reason to me), when you get to the 4th album page you should see (Redirected from Control Freak (Mýa album)) underneath the article name at the top of the page. Click on that, and you'll be able to see the redirect page. Click on edit and have fun! MECU≈talk 14:56, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Adding photgraphs

Hello there,

I'm brand new to Wikipedia. I can't seem to load any photographs. I've included the url address etc but the pics are not being added to the page. Can anybody help?

Jim

Are you using this link to upload the images? What error message do you get? -- Lost^(talk) 13:10, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

• You can't link to images outside of Wikipedia or the Wikimedia commons. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:29, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Using search

Using Wikipedia search seems useless in finding articles. Is there some secret to using it? Before creating an article, I used Search to see if it already existed. The results said no. But then on Google, the Wikipedia article popped up right away. GBYork 13:03, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Actually you are right. The google search is more effective than the wikipedia search. The google servers are more quickly updated than wikipedia servers. But the Go button is pretty effective if you are sure of the capitalisation and spellings. -- Lost^(talk) 13:09, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

How long does it take for the Wikipedia search servers to get updated? My article has been out there for two weeks & still has not been indexed. The title of the article is "Pivotal eRelationship," in case that helps.

Disappearing page

I created a page called Hartriono B. Sastrowardoyo. It disappeared tonight. How can I find out who deleted it? RahadyanS 00:53, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

It's not deleted? Theresa Knott | Taste the Korn 00:55, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

• It's still there. You're probably referring to the fact the search engine hasn't got it listed yet. See WP:VFAQ. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:28, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Barnard's Star

I posted a question to this discussion but not being a really hot topic,it may not get answered.

How do I draw the attention of editors to it?

Jack Schmidling 14:46, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

It seems to have been answered by an experienced user already. Cheers -- Lost^(talk) 14:52, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Does my Wilkipedia 'account' cover Wilkiquote etc

I've created my account and started contributing - but don't seem to have access to Wilkiquote in same way. And I can't find an answer.... help please! - Tony in Devon

Mediawiki wikis currently do not share login information - you have to create a separate account for each wiki you frequent. There are plans to change this, though, and they should be happening pretty soon. (See m:Single login specifications) In order to prepare for this, and to ensure a speedy transition, it is suggested that you (1) Create an account using the same username (if available) on all wikis you use. (2) Set the same e-mail address for all wikis you use, and follow the confirmation procedures. The password can be different; that won't matter. You can link your user pages by using the same interwiki syntax used on articles. - Tangotango 15:56, 31 August 2006 (UTC)