Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive 120

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Archive 115

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Archive 118

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How to proceed with proposed change to lead

I have posted a suggestion for a revision to the lead of an article, on the talk page of that article, here [1] I'm wondering what else I could do to further this process. Is it the usual thing to solicit feedback from other eds who have been active on this page by postin a note on their personal talk pages? In the past year, there have been approx 18 editors who have made changes to the article. However, there has been no talk page discussion for nearly two years. If I seek feedback in this way, should I go to those who have made any kind of edit, even a simple factual correction, or should I go more for those who have been more involved? And should I give any preference to those who have discussed on the talk page vs those who have simply made edits? I guess if anyone has made an edit that took significant research or thought, they should be included? Many thanks for cluing me in on this! EMP (talk 23:15, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I think your posting on the article talk page is more than sufficient - if any other editors want to discuss it. You might fine the article Wikipedia:BOLD, revert, discuss cycle useful. Regards, Ariconte (talk) 02:27, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

wiki love

How do I add wiki love to my User/Talk page tabs? Stmullin (talk) 21:33, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Welcome back Stmullin. WikiLove is a way of expressing thanks and appreciation for your fellow editor. You can give yourself WikiLove if you desire, but these are generally things you give to other editors for their work, or as a way to welcome them. You can find some templates at the bottom of the WikiLove page, or you can easily give WikiLove to other by using Twinkle, which you can use by checking out your preferences under Gadgets and further under the Browsing menu. I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 21:40, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks I,Jethrobot! I found the code at https://git.wikimedia.org/summary/mediawiki%2Fextensions%2FWikiLove but do not want to apply it incorrectly. When I gave SuggestBot a cup of coffee, there was a tab with a heart on his user talk page menu. Does Twinkle provide a way to add that extension more easily? If so, I need links to Twinkle. Stmullin (talk) 22:06, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Stmullin, you don't need to go anywhere near the raw mediawiki extension. Just go to Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-misc and you'll see the option to switch wiki love on there. NtheP (talk) 22:14, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedians also recommend biscuits with tea.

Stmullin (talk) has given you a cup of tea. Tea promotes WikiLove and hopefully this has made your day ever so slightly better.

Spread the WikiLove by giving someone else a tea, especially if it is someone you have had disagreements with in the past or someone putting up with some stick at this time. Enjoy!

Spread the lovely, warm, refreshing goodness of tea by adding {{subst:wikitea}} to their talk page with a friendly message.

Policy on titles and names of places

Hi.

I believe there is an inconsistency in Wikipedia.

I refer firstly to the English placename Staines. The town is always known by that title, despite a 2011 resolution by Spelthorne Borough Council that IT would refer the the town by the invented name "Staines-upon-Thames". It was stated at the Council's discussion that this appelation would be optional. Yet, Wikipedia (or some of its editors) has rather zealously renamed the town's article, and inserted the words "-upon-Thames" after most references to the town throughout Wikipedia. It is my understanding that English borough councils are not empowered to change the names of towns - only of electoral wards. I feel that the article should be reverted to "Staines", and that references to "Staines-upon-Thames" should be restricted to a discussion of the purported renaming.

I would suggest that this would be consistent with the treatment of the US state of Rhode Island. Even though that state legally and quite correctly has a longer title, the main article - and almost all cross references - use the name by which the overwhelming majority of people refer to the state.

Please can someone advise if I am being dumb here ... and if I am not, perhaps an editor more skilled in the mechanics of Wikipedia can set matters straight as suggested?

Northern winter (talk) 20:52, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

The relevant policy here is WP:COMMONNAME - Wikipedia prefers the name that is most commonly used (as determined by its prevalence in reliable English-language sources) as such names will be the most recognizable and the most natural. This is often referred to using the Wikipedia short cut term: "COMMONNAME".--ukexpat (talk) 21:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Northern winter. Though I am personally unfamiliar with naming issues regarding Staines, it seems likely that your analogy with Rhode Island is a good one. Did you know that San Francisco is officially known as "The City and County of San Francisco"? Only official documents use that. So, if the briefer name is what is used predominantly in reliable sources, even after creation of the new name, then the old name should be the one routinely used. But if the new name, reflecting the location on the famous river, is taking off and being widely used in reliable sources, then its use in articles is justified. I hope this helps. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 01:09, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

article denied

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Amzingrl/Pauline_Nordin my article was denied comment was:

Comment: The majority of the references provided were written by Nordin herself. This does not help establish notability. Please provide more 3rd party reliable sources. RadioFan

I tried to contact the editor on this and talk with him over the facts that alot of the resources were not written by her, if he'd would look at the articles, hence the different names for sources. I am able to add more referencing now, which I can do, but it seems this article has plenty and nothing fabricated. But this editor will not respond to my requests.

I would like to add that a previous article over her was approved with much less located here:

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Nordin

Please help, I would like this article to be added, she's a notable fitness instructor, athlete and more. I have noticed many articles here on wiki about weight lifters, competitors, etc that I had looked at prior to starting this article, with much less referencing that some were highly questionable for one for notability. Amzingrl (talk) 18:41, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Amzingrl and welcome to the teahouse! Take a look at Wikipedia:Good articles/Sports and recreation to see hundreds of recognised Good Articles about athletes that you could use as a comparison for what your article should look like. Picking a random article about a weight lifter or other competitor that might have been created years ago and just happens not to have been deleted yet, is not the best way to work out what your article should contain. Using a Good Article as a comparison is a much better idea.

Some things that stood out to me in your article submission included:

Almost all the references provided seem to be either basic stat pages with no significant coverage, or sources that are involved with her in some way, e.g. "coming soon on our TV channel", or "we team up with expert Pauline Norden", or at best interviews with her. The Marine Times piece is probably the most independent, reliable and significant of the sources (although I do wonder, from its tone, if it would even be capable of being critical) - there need to be more like that, and the non-independent or non-reliable or non-significant ones need to be trimmed back so that the others don't get lost amongst them.
She is not a book, and therefore should not be in category "Dieting books". Same for many of the other categories listed.
The number of External Links listed is ridiculous - there should be half a dozen or less.
External links don't go in the body of the article.

Hope this helps! --Demiurge1000 (talk) 22:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

(No actual e/c b/c a line was skipped, but moving here because it posted above, out of order

Hi Amzingrl. What Wikipedia looks for in sources is mainstream, reliable, secondary sources, completely independent of the subject of an article, which have reputation for fact checking and accuracy, and treat the subject is detail, which can then be used to verify the factual statements in an article and show notability. Think newspaper articles by professional journalists, non-vanity books, major magazine write ups, etc. Of the first four sources, three are from her and the fourth is an interview of her. The fifth is a blog (and a broken link). The sixth is another interview, by some website of unknown provenance. The seventh appears to be a hidden advertisement for a dietary supplement by someone – just seeing that used as a source will make many reviewers cringe and tinge the rest of a review. The eighth, in Swedish, looks like a halfway decent source as to reliability, but says so little that its usefulness is limited. 9 = blog; 10 = interview with website of unknown provenance; 11 = same; 12 = best source by far, but is drowning among all the others. I'll stop there. You need to start both looking for more independent reliable sources to verify the content and show notability, and get rid of all the unreliable sources so the forest can be seen for the trees. Serious pruning required. Best regards--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 22:12, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

One more thing. You'll also need to get rid of all wording like "her dreams of inspiring others towards fitness", "an innovative approach to fat loss that brought her fans and more attention", "her tenacious style", "Pauline’s no nonsense, disciplined adherence training and inspiration", "Her tough, yet effective approach towards fitness", "everyday people that aspire for the most amazing backside", and so on. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a marketing brochure. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 00:32, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Rookie editor looking for tips

Hi I just started editing, trying out the new VisualEditor. Any tips? What are the most common mistakes rookie editors make? Anon524 (talk) 17:14, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Anon, thanks for your question. The VisualEditor is still pretty new, so we're all essentially rookies when it comes to its mechanics, even editors who have edited for a while. Personally I only use it a little. Does anyone have any useful advice? I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 18:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Anon, welcome to the teahouse. I'm a pretty new editor myself but here are a few ideas. First on the Visual Editor, you have probably seen this page already but in case you haven't here is the user guide: http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:VisualEditor/User_guide I think one of the hardest things for many new editors is getting used to the collaborative nature of Wikipedia. That no one "owns" an article and that you need to subvert your ego a bit to be a good editor. One hint I have is to lurk in the teahouse, just reading other people's questions and the answers can be very instructive. The other hint is to start with your references first. By that I mean look at the article you are editing and figure out where it needs more references and check the references that are there to make sure they are really valid. Often times just doing that can lead you to very interesting books or articles on topics you are interested in and in the process can lead to more knowledge you can put back into Wikipedia. Most of the time if I'm going to add something to an article now the first thing I start to do is to put the references into the draft text in my sandbox, then build the additional text around the references. One other tip that it took me a while to figure out, if you want to search for something specific to Wikipedia put "wp:" in front of it. So for example, if you just type "Manual of Style" into the Wikipedia search you get the article on the generic topic. But if you type "wp:manual of style" you get the page for the Wikipedia manual of style. That can be a good way to find policies, help pages, etc. Mdebellis (talk) 19:02, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I'll do this.-- Lee Tru. 19:52, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

One more idea is after you've done a few edits try suggestbot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SUGGESTBOT You put some code on your talk page and suggestbot provides you with some suggestions for editing based on your edit history. Its great to get some ideas for basic edits that need to be done and it gives you hints as to what needs to be done (e.g. wikify, add references, etc.) on each potential article. Not sure how many edits you need to do to get good suggestions but the suggestions that I've received have been right on target. Mdebellis (talk) 20:23, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How to make mouse-hover- display-of- "link" (a 'hint') read different than the actual link AND the displayed anchor word

I guess I browse hyper-text differently than it's meant to be used, but I like to sometimes hover the mouse over an anchor word to see if perhaps it will show what the word might mean without clicking on it to go to the full link. I saw an article that I thought could 'benefit' from making an anchor word do that, but can't see HOW. An example, IN Wikipedia itself, of what I mean is: in your left-side 'menu' here, there's an item that READS, "Contact Wikipedia", and if you HOVER the mouse over that, you get a 'hint'(USUALLY the link itself, but in this case NOT) that says, "How to contact Wikipedia", and the ACTUAL LINK (as it shows in the status bar) is "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us". Is there a way I could edit an entry to do the same kind of thing? Here's the place that led me to want to do this: at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_protein-coupled_receptor#Conformational_change the second link in that section is "G protein" and links to a wikipedia article named "G protein", and I'd like to make the mouse-hover show "guanosine nucleotide-binding proteins" instead of the LINK "G protein", but still GO TO the article for "G protein". Is this permissible/doable? Thanks.75.6.232.200 (talk) 17:11, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi there and welcome to the Teahouse. You would need to create the article Guanosine nucleotide-binding proteins and make it a redirect to the G-protein article. You could then use a piped link to have a link to Guanosine nucleotide-binding proteins under the text "G-protein".

Now, only autoconfirmed users can create new articles, and the first step to achieving such status is to create an account - something I'd strongly recommend for many many reasons. :) --LukeSurl^{t c} 19:18, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

No, you can't (except by the workround that LukeSurl suggests). But if you create an account, and login to Wikipedia, you can enable a gadget called Popups. This doesn't do exactly what you are asking, but it might do what you need in a different way: it shows you the first few lines of the article linked to (as well as a load of other useful links). --ColinFine (talk) 20:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Problem nominating categories for deletion

I tried to nominate Category:Exotic firearms and Category:Exotic weaponry but in both cases I get the message:

Tagging category with deletion tag: completed (Category:Exotic firearms) Adding discussion to today's list: failed to find target spot for the discussion Opening page "Category:Exotic firearms": Retrieving page creator information

And then it hangs. Am I doing something wrong? Someone not using his real name (talk) 16:49, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

If I go edit the list manually, it says:

    Please do not add new nominations here.
    Use the current day's NEW NOMINATIONS section
    (to properly order entries and avoid edit conflicts).
    Thank you for your cooperation.

I don't understand what that means. Where is this NEW NOMINATIONS section?? Someone not using his real name (talk) 16:52, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Are you following the process described at WP:CFD#HOWTO?--ukexpat (talk) 17:04, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I am not sure why it said that it gives you the message, however, both have been nominated for deletion by you now... Mat ty.007 19:48, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Not really. Twinkle tagged them, but it did not create the discussion and "ate" my rationale. I'm going to list the discussion manually as described in that howto, despite the warning in the HTML comment on that page not to do so. It would be helpful if instructions given in various places were less contradictory. Someone not using his real name (talk) 20:49, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Unsalting a page

Hi!

I want to create a page about a company, and I've noticed the page has been salted because at one point the company (Checkmarx) itself (it appears) was, well, spamming Wiki. However they've recently been covered in a number of articles about some research they did on Wordpress and I believe they are now relevant. I intend to fix many of the original issues that were on the page (eg, marketingspeak). Do you know what the best way to go about unsalting the title is? --Neo12345292 (talk) 15:40, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

This question was moved to the top of the page; the editor has been notified. I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 15:51, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

The usual process is to ask the admin who salted the page. In this case I think it is User:MBisanz.--ukexpat (talk) 15:57, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

photo deletion inquiry

Hello,

I posted this question a month ago but never received a reply. Please let me know if you can add any insight, or can recommend where I should ask:

Hi,

A photo that I had uploaded to my article, Eco funnel, has disappeared. When I tried to reupload the photo I received an error notifying me that it had been deleted. Curious why the photo was removed, since it was uploaded for common use with permission from the owner.

Thanks, Jordan180 (talk) 15:40, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

Hello and welcome to the Teahouse Jordan180. I don't suppose you have a link to where the file was in the syntax of File:filename would you? That way one of the hosts here can take a look and see if we can explain it better for you. Thanks. Technical 13 (talk) 16:57, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

Hello, thanks for your reply. This is the image that has disappeared, although I don't know if it's the information you are looking for: File:ECO Funnel, OSHA and EPA Compliant Waste Management System, March 2013.jpg

The original file name was EF-8-GL38-SYS. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jordan180 (talk • contribs) 17:02, 11 June 2013 (UTC) Jordan180 (talk) 15:32, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I think I've found it on commons. [2]. I've added this to the article. --LukeSurl^{t c} 15:57, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hey, thank you kindly, LukeSurl! Cheers!

Jordan180 (talk) 22:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Can a user nominate two articles for GA class at the same time?

Hi, I was wondering whether a user can nominate two articles for Good article class at the same time. I have already nominated one article, but the reviewer has said that he can only review after 8th July. So I'm waiting as of now, and I'm perfectly alright with that. But I had another article ready for GAN and I thought maybe I could nominate it :3 . Just before I do, I want to make sure if it is possible or allowed. Thanks! WonderBoy1998 (talk) 15:01, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi WonderBoy1998. Yes, that's perfectly OK. --LukeSurl^{t c} 15:59, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the information! --WonderBoy1998 (talk) 04:53, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Talk page

I created an Article about our educational institution. However, I created it under the "Talk" heading and not "Article". Is there a way to transfer this over to the Article page instead of retyping everything!. Thanks Drwalton222 (talk) 14:48, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

You have created a draft at Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Newbern. The "Wikipedia talk" space is the correct place for draft articles in the AFC process. When you are ready to submit it for review, please add {{Subst:submit}} to the top and click save.--ukexpat (talk) 15:03, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Can someone walk me through Disambiguation?

I've been unable to create some pages due to there already being a page with the same name. So it is obvious that a new page needs to be created. I've read the article, but it doesn't get into the mechanics of how-to. Specifically, Run Boy Run and Run Boy Run (Band) need a page.The Ukulele Guy - Aggie80 (talk) 14:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Aggie, usually when there are only two relevant articles, a disambiguation page is not necessary (see WP:TWODABS). It is sufficient to use the appropriate hatnote at the top of each article. I have added a properly formatted one to Run Boy Run.--ukexpat (talk) 15:07, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, I'll try to do the reverse in the band page. But I still need to learn the process, I've got a large number of politicians with names that need dividing out in order to even create a page for them.The Ukulele Guy - Aggie80 (talk) 15:58, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Infobox

My article is not being accepted for lack of an infobox. How do I add one--with a photograph--into my article?

Vinylhero (talk) 10:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Vinylhero. It looks as if User:Arctic Kangaroo has moved the article Robert L Qualters into main article space, so I'm not sure quite what you mean about "not being accepted". But to add an infobox, please see Template:infobox artist. By the way, your User page redirected to the article, presumably because you started working there, and then it got moved. I took the liberty of removing the redirect from your user page. --ColinFine (talk) 11:08, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Album art

Hello everyone

I have a few questions regarding album arts

1. What If I myself scanned the cover using a scanner. In that case what should I write in the source column? - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chennai_Express_2013_3.jpg

2. Can I upload 600x600 or even in that case 1200x1200 pixels covers which I usually get after scanning. What is the wikipedia standard for uploading images

Thats it. Any kind of reply will be most appreciated

Regards ---$o#aM ❊ আড্ডা 10:25, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, Soham. I am not an expert on Copyright, but the general answer is that album covers are almost always copyright, and making a scan of the cover does not remove that copyright, and might even be an infringement of it. This means that you may only do this if you strictly follow the policy on non-free content use. You may find some useful information at WP:WikiProject Albums as well. --ColinFine (talk) 10:57, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Soham, welcome to the teahouse. There is good news and bad news here. The bad news is that whether you scan the image yourself has nothing to do with the copyright and ColinFine is right, album art is always copyrighted. However, the good news is that if you are using the album artwork for an article about the album then there is a fair use exception, but note it only applies to using the artwork once and for the article that describes the album. You can upload the file using the Upload Wizard here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard There will be a short series of forms to click through and one of them asks specifically something like "is this for an article that the art was used to promote and only for that article?" and if the answer is yes you are OK. Note, its a good idea to have the page already created if possible because the form asks you for the link to the page where the artwork will be used. For that kind of use there is no need to scan the artwork yourself. It has no bearing on copyright and the resulting image probably won't be as good as what you could find on iTunes or Allmusic. Mdebellis (talk) 13:47, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

One more thing I thought might be useful. You may know this already but I didn't know it until recently and it kind of confused me at first. There is already a lot of media that Wikipedia has the legal right to use. That media can be found here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page If you go there and search for the artist you are interested in you might find that an album image is already there and if it is you can just use that. But also (and this is what I found confusing) there is a difference between the Commons and the file upload wizard I linked to above. Uploading a file via that wizard does not put it in the commons. Stuff that is in the commons means Wikipedia has the copyright or there is no copyright and it can be used anywhere in Wikipedia. The file upload wizard is for exceptions where we don't have copyright of the image but there is a legitimate exception for certain kinds of articles. Mdebellis (talk) 14:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Many many thanks to both of you for such a prompt reply. Now each one of you have given a brilliant, simple at the same time an easy fix for the problem but there's still one glitch. I originally wanted to ask What to add in source if the image is self-scanned. I know that whether the album art is hand-painted, scanned or for that matter sourced from itunes, allmusic or amazon its copyright remains to the graphic designer or label. In my case the album art was nowhere to be found on the internet as it had not released by then but I had a copy which I sincerely wanted to upload in WP. Thanks for your voluntary help anyways as it took my respect for teahouse to another level as in no public help desk you get a reply this fast and I do mean it.

Regards

---$o#aM ❊ আড্ডা 16:08, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Identifying Articles That Are Written Like Advertisements

What defines an article as written like an advertisement? Should I include or remove the "advert" tag if the article is about a company but seems to be rooted in valid third party resources? Krowe Let's discuss 10:15, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, krowe. It would help to know which article you are talking about, but "written like an advertisement" is about the language, and sometimes the content, rather than the quality of referencing. Does it contain evaluative words (that aren't directly from an independent source)? Does it contain puff? Is it "talking up" the person, product, company or organisation, rather than neutrally describing it? There is some subjectivity in this judgment, and sometimes one editor will think some writing is promotional, while another editor thinks it's fine. If you think that it is, or isn't, like an advertisement, you're fine to add or remove the tag - but be prepared that somebody might disagree with you, and be ready to discuss it on the article's talk page. Actually, it's worth looking there first, to make sure that there isn't already some discussion of the question. Oh, and make sure you give a useful Edit Summary, so that people will know that you have made a considered judgment. --ColinFine (talk) 10:49, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

An article I did a few edits on has the tag but I'm not sure if I should take the tag off or what I should remove from the page to make sure it's not an advertisement. This specific article is Cenveo. What do you think? Krowe Let's discuss 17:14, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to The Teahouse, Krowe. I don't see anything really wrong with the article other than the lead (lede in the UK) and the list of directors. I was looking at another Teahouse answer today which said don't list directors unless they have Wikipedia aeticles, or should. As for the lead, nowhere in Wikipedia should we see "solutions" in a description of what a company does. That's just marketing speak and doesn't tell you anything. I'm not entirely sure about the word "spectrum" either.— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:10, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

So if I remove "solutions" then the fixes would be substantial enough to remove the tag. I believe the directors are important to have since a lot of investors would be interested to learn about them when researching the company. It's published information that is sought after. This is my first edit to remove such a tag and I'm being cautious about this. Krowe Let's discuss 21:37, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Problem with wiki-linking

Hi. I added a wikilink to the article Dekko, but accidentally did this via the new editing software rather than using the 'Edit Source' button, and now I've added smart phones to the page without actually adding a wikilink (so it just appears as black text). I've tried re-editing it but it still comes up as black text rather than a wikilink. How I can fix this problem? Thanks! The Giant Purple Platypus (talk) 09:57, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

For some reason the text between "Using" and "like" has become encased in the <nowiki>...</nowiki> tags. I think this happens when you write something that looks like regular wiki markup using the Visual Editor. --LukeSurl^{t c} 10:13, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Okay, thanks for your help! The Giant Purple Platypus (talk) 10:29, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Visual Editor turn off

How to turn off visual editor? I turned it on few hours ago and now the option is missing from "editing preference" page. --Tito☸Dutta 23:07, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Heya Titodutta! At the top of the page, where the "edit" link takes you to the Visual Editor, but there's a new link named "edit source". Click that to edit the "old way". You never have to actually use the Visual Editor, and there's no need for any gadgets or preferences to disable it, just use the "edit source" link and it will bother you no more. (just figured this out myself FWIW). --Jayron32 00:00, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#VisualEditor going live has a lot of complaints about this. Special:Preferences#mw-prefsection-gadgets has now added the option "Remove the VisualEditor from the user interface", but it may not always work. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:03, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Jayron. Thanks for your helpful note how to avoid using the Visual Editor! And thanks to the Teahouse for being here for even a seasoned editor such as me who needed help! --Rosiestep (talk) 01:26, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you. --Tito☸Dutta 01:36, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for the solution. I stumbled badly immediately after using it. I'll never use it again.

Regards

---$o#aM ❊ আড্ডা 09:17, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

They have made it default editor. It is a nightmare for slow internet users. --Tito☸Dutta 09:35, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Category:Wikipedians who have turned off VisualEditor --Tito☸Dutta 09:43, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Tito you're the first one. I am the second. Got an edit conflict.---$o#aM ❊ আড্ডা 09:49, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

For a quick fix, if you get stuck with a page that isn't working, remove the ve from the URL line right before the word action and reload. You can then edit as normal. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YourPage?veaction=edit The Ukulele Guy - Aggie80 (talk) 14:48, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Problem with delsort

I can use Twinkle now (after waiting for some days), but delsort isn't working properly for me. The firearms list is not showing up in the menu. Can someone help? Someone not using his real name (talk) 22:49, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Have you tried WP:VPT?— Vchimpanzee · talk · contributions · 21:13, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I am new to creating articles - Armegeddon Tour

Hi there teahouse

I have tried to do everything by the book and followed guidelines at Wikipedia about submitting new articles. My article has been declined twice now

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:DianeSunshineCoast/sandbox

The article is just in the preliminary stages and I have been researching so that I can support the concert song setlist, band members and personnel as well as critical response to the concert tour with citations.

It is difficult to create new articles when you do not know the subject matter so I was really happy to be able contribute with an article that I knew something about. This was pretty much my first article and I thought it was valuable to Wikipedia and it was also a big concert tour that I attended so I was knowledgeable about it as well as having a concert program from my attendance that had all the details of this 20 date national concert all across Australia playing to large venues in the capital cities as well regional event halls.

Should I just give up on this now or can I get some tips on how to improve the article so that it is accepted and I can continue to research and improve the article.

Many thanks for any help or assistance.

Diane (talk) 20:41, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Diane, welcome to the Teahouse. As I found out, your article exists as a section of the page Armageddon (Guy Sebastian album). Your article looks good, I mean really good, so I'm going to resubmit and create your article. I will add a link at the original page to this tour. Thanks, the one sean 03:36, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks so much Theonesean for your confidence in me as a newbie article creator - I wont let you down or Wikipedia down in improving the article!

Diane (talk) 07:46, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

References form a video

How can I add references to an article from a Spanish TV Show named "Viajeros Callejeros"?? And can I take a print screen of one of the suites for the article I am creating?? Ms.Bono^(zootalk)^☆ 19:41, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

There's a template for that: {{Cite video}}.--ukexpat (talk) 20:37, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

As regards the screenshot - probably not. Such a screenshot will be under the same copyright restrictions as the video itself. You could try and write a fair-use argument, but that would likely be difficult in that context. --LukeSurl^{t c} 21:29, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, LukeSurl. The article is about a hotel, I was thinking about taking a screen shot of the facade, since in the pictures of that hotel here the facade is far away from the photographer and it cant be distinguished very well. Ms.Bono^(zootalk)^☆ 12:26, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

How to find out if a picture is protected by copyright?

I would like to use a picture from the web in a wikipedia article but i don't know if its protected by copyright. How do i find out if it's protected by copyright?1WikiRitter (talk) 16:30, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Hi 1WikiRitter, and welcome to the teahouse! All creative works (including photographs and other pictures) are automatically protected by copyright when created. If you want to find out whether a picture from the web can be used on Wikipedia, and the website does not specifically indicate under what conditions the picture can be re-used, then you could write to the website owner asking if they own the copyright to the picture and if they would be willing to license it according to the conditions described at WP:CONSENT. --Demiurge1000 (talk) 16:34, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, 1WikiRitter. Demiurge is correct: unless you have clear evidence that an image is not covered by copyright, you must assume that it is copyrighted.

There are important exceptions. If the image was originally published before 1923, the copyright has expired. If the image is a work of the United States federal government, it is copyright free unless labeled otherwise. The bottom line is to do your homework and be sure before uploading an image. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 16:51, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

To check the copyright status of an image you must have some basic information. Photographer, date the image was taken and if it was indeed published anywhere (even on the internet) and when it was published. Some images dated from a period in the 1960s to the mid 1970s is also not protected id the copyright was not renewed (renewel is no longer a requirement but those images from before the change in law are still covered by the existing laws from the time they were created. The point is, there are many different issues that effect copyright. Could you provide a link to the image so that I could take a closer look at the image in question?--Amadscientist (talk) 19:02, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

You might find it useful to look at Wikimedia Commons, rather than Wikipedia. Commons has some good resources on copyright and on the suitability of images for uplaod here. Also you should probably upload most images to Commons, not to Wikipedia. There are cases when you should put them on Wikipedia, but this is even more complicated.

Try Commons:Licensing for starters. Andy Dingley (talk) 09:53, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

When are external links to profit making sites allowed?

While looking at the history of California, I clicked on Page view statistics, which took me to:

Wikipedia article traffic statistics

This page contains a link to Flattr, which seems to provide for monetary donations.

Are such external links allowed in Wikipedia? Wikfr (talk) 22:31, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Wikfr hi & welcome. stats.grok.se is a well used tool for checking page views of Wikipedia articles. It's not a page supported by the Wikimedia Foundation so if the developers of the tool want to try and attract donations via flattr that's up to them. As flattr isn't appearing directly on the Wikipedia article on California or even as a click through then it's not an external link. If links to any webpage that then contained a link to a financial operation were disallowed there wouldn't be many pages with external links! NtheP (talk) 22:46, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello Wikfr, and welcome to the Teahouse. I agree with NtheP about the specific link under discussion. More broadly, if Wikipedia has an article about a company, then a link to the company website is appropriate. So, the article about the Ford Motor Company can have a link to the company's "profit making" website. But the generic article about the Automobile shouldn't have links to any car company websites. That would be considered spam. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 02:14, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Hiring a wiki biographer

Would anyone know an experienced Wickipedia biographer- with integrity - who would tell me honestly if a certain person from the world of technology was "Wicki Worthy" and who would be able to write the bio with minimal direction. There are several online writing sites that offer such a service however not sure if they are legitimate. Thanks, Lydia69.109.213.38 (talk) 22:24, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi, Lydia! Welcome to the Teahouse. Boy, that is a can of corn you are opening! Paid editing is a subject of more than a little contreversy around Wikipedia. Although it is not banned, a capable volunteer editor would probably be willing to do it if the person is notable and the sources are available and IMHO, they would do a better job than someone you pay. You should ask yourself though, "Why am I doing this?" If the answer is to publicize the person, then don't. If you truly think the guy is important and want to share some knowedge with the world, then go for it. I do not write biographies, but I can tell you if the person would be notable enough for an article. Either leave me a note on my talk page, or email me (there is a link on my talk page on the left for that). Hope that helps. If you are not concerned about sharing the person's name in a fairly busy place, you are also welcome to reply here with it. Then a few of us can tell you what we think and maybe one will volunteer to write, or help you write that article. Gtwfan52 (talk) 22:36, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi again, Lydia. Add the name to the appropriate sub-page of Wikipedia:Requested articles. You may find an editor fascinated with your subject and willing to research and write the article. Take care, DocTree (ʞlɐʇ·cont) Join WER 23:44, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

After Submitting an Article

Hi,

My name is Chris Heitzig, and I am new to Wikipedia. I am an avid reader of Dostoevsky and noticed that there isn't a page for his short story "The Heavenly Christmas Tree," so I decided to write an article. I submitted it (I think) for review. I was wondering if there is any way to track the article, to see whether it has been approved or not. Also, if it is approved, is there any way to access it through my account? Will it be under my "Contributions"? Thanks you!ChrisHeitzig (talk) 19:20, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Chris, and welcome to the teahouse! If you go to here, your contributions, you can see what articles you have edited. The page you submitted is here, consider adding it to your favorites, but you will need some better references. It is advisable that you read this page, which is designed to help new users deal with references. If you have any questions, ask here, or on talk page. Happy editing!

Mat ty.007 19:27, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello Chris Heitzig. I took a look at your draft, and it seems that the article in its current form is pretty much just a plot summary. You should try to find some critical analysis and commentary on the story, and incorporate that into the article. Perhaps a good biography of Dostoevsky might discuss the circumstances of the writing of the story, when and where it was first published, what reviewers wrote about it, and so on. That's the sort of information that goes into a beginning article about a work of literature. Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 04:15, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Editing information with dead Reference links

What's the policy on editing information supported by Reference links that are no longer active? The information may (or may not) be good, but if a suitable alternative Reference source cannot be found, is it safe (and Wiki policy) to delete the content? Redwriteromaha (talk) 19:14, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

See Wikipedia:Link rot for the full policy. It would be best to go to archive.org and see if an archived version of the page is available. Calliopejen1 (talk) 19:21, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, Redwriteromaha. Depending on the type of reference, it may be that paper or database versions of the reference still exist even though it's no longer on a web page. Wikipedia doesn't insist that the sources be on line, only that they exist. Many topics were written about extensively before the Internet existed, and these references are still considered valid. —Anne Delong (talk) 03:08, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Did you know

Hi, I submitted an article for DYK, here, and it got moved to the pending page, here (Prep 2). However, my nomination had a picture, and there is no picture on the pending thing. Will it be added?

Thanks, Mat ty.007 18:45, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

User:BlueMoonset moved your nomination to the pending page. Without further intervention, the picture will not be put on the front page. I'd ask User:BlueMoonset why they did not include the picture in the prep area. Often, there are too many nominations with pictures so not all of the pictures get used. But yours was the first one moved that that prep area so I'm not sure what's going on. (Maybe they assumed another hook would have a more interesting picture?) If you talk it over with that user, maybe they will go back and add your picture to the prep area. Best, Calliopejen1 (talk) 19:30, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

The nomination had previously been promoted by another editor to an earlier set, not in the lead (picture) position, and then swapped to a new set. It was one of two religious building hooks in that new set, so I moved it again to an as yet unused set, retaining its later positioning. As Calliopejen1 points out, there are far more hooks approved with pictures than there are pictures slots (only 1 of 7 slots can take a picture, the first one of each set), so most pictures do not run along with their hooks. We've recently had a building as the pictured hook (it's running now), so having another one in close succession would not be my choice. BlueMoonset (talk) 19:40, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Thanks for answering, Calliopejen1 and BlueMoonset. What do you think about putting in the picture for now, and waiting to see if any other pictures come up? Thanks, Mat ty.007 21:27, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Bigger image (wordmark/logo) for side-bar of an article

Hi there, I'm trying to figure out how to increase the size of an image imported from Wikimedia for use in a Wikipedia article. It is the logo/wordmark in the sidebar of the article. The original on Wikimedia is too large, but when imported into Wikipedia, it is too small.

How do I make it bigger (appropriate size)?

Here is the article in question: Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University

Thanks! Kathleen5454 16:05, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Kathleen, go into edit source for the article and towards the top you'll see all the parameters for the template {{infobox university}}. The fourth parameter is called |image_size=, set this value to a larger size e.g. 300 (images in infoboxes tend to default to 225/250 px) then preview the result to see if you are ok with it before saving. NtheP (talk) 16:54, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Thank you NtheP. That was all it took. Fixed! Much appreciated. Kathleen5454 17:05, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

translating from english into french

where do I go if I want to contribute by translating from english into french? Tarahumaraolivier (talk) 12:06, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Tara-- thanks for your question. I'm not sure in what circumstances content on the English Wikipedia needs to be translated into French, though the other way around is certainly more likely. One place you can head to for the latter is Articles needing translation and seeing if any need any content in French needs to be translated to English. You might also consider checking out to see if there is a similar area on the French Wikipedia]

Do any of the hosts have any other ideas? I, Jethrobot ^{drop me a line} (note: not a bot!) 13:15, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

I'll second Jethro's suggestion to try working at French Wikipedia. There are millions more articles at English Wikipedia than there are at French Wikipedia, so surely there are plenty of English articles here at English Wikipedia that could be translated into French at French Wikipedia. They'll be glad for your help! --Jayron32 14:00, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Translating from English to French is the province of the French Wikipedia, fr.wikipedia.org. The relevant project page at French Wikipedia is fr:Projet:Traduction. You can find a category of outstanding translation requests at fr:Catégorie:Article à traduire. Good luck! Calliopejen1 (talk) 19:25, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Help please in creating my first article

I have tried to submit my first article but it has been declined for the reason that it has not been written in a neutral enough tone. I have tried very hard to write it in the correct manner and would really appreciate some help! Before I rewrite the whole thing can anyone help me identify the particular phrases that are causing the problem? that would help me enormously, to be honest I'm finding Wikipedia all a bit mind boggling! Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Bobby_and_Jemima

Kelly LiebermanKellylieberman (talk) 08:43, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Kellylieberman and welcome. You have made an excellent start and I don't think you are that far off. The fact that you have split the article into 2 biographies takes away from the subject (the band) in my opinion. As was suggested in one of the reviews, you could trim down the band story and write articles on Charlese Allen and Matthew Shaw. I will follow up at your talk page. Flat Out let's discuss it 09:35, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Help Wanted

Will someone please help with the article, "The Institute of International Law'. - The Institut de Droit International. Wiki has an article in english under the french title just given. The article requires updates wich can be done under it's french title. Adios RCNesland (talk) 07:29, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

can u plz help me in creating a page for Totu, Shimla

can u plz help me in creating a page for Totu, Shimla http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Totu,_Shimla 117.211.91.178 (talk) 06:45, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, 117.211.91.178! I see that your article has been declined several times for insufficient reliable sources. I have added a couple for you; please look to see how I did it and continue to find news reports, magazine articles, or entries in books about this village. It seems to have an interesting climate; perhaps you could add information about that and attach a citation to it. —Anne Delong (talk) 12:16, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Assistance of Approving an edited/revised Article

Hi,

I have posted an edited/revised article content from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alubijid previously but has been nominated to a speedy deletion, it was an update and a complete information for the site, the profile of Alubijid, the new set of Local Officials and if considerable the establishments around the Municipality. The information i have added was with the consent of the Administrator of the site.

Please assist me to how would it be taken to completely be accepted and published as well as others.

Thank you and God bless!

Please Help,

HENRICK U. GARCIA Alubijid, Misamis Oriental Henrickug (talk) 03:02, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, Henrick, and welcome to the Teahouse. I was a bit confused about your question, because "Speedy deletion" is the name of a specific process in Wikipedia, for deleting a whole article, and I couldn't find such a process in the history of the article. I think you are referring to DMacks' deletion of the material you inserted, because it was a violation of copyright. Wikipedia takes copyright very seriously, and requires that any material in it be explicitly released under one of the licences compatible with its aims (which allow the content to be reused for any purpose, commercial or not). In order to use the material from the community's site, you would need a mail in a prescribed form to be sent by the owner of the copyright, explicitly licensing it: the procedure is described at WP:OTRS. However, this is almost never appropriate for the text of articles, because the aims and purposes of the original website are unlikely to be the same as Wikipedia's, so the tone and content of the text are almost never appropriate for a Wikipedia article.

It would be much better if you would write the text in your own words, basing it on the community's website (or even better, on what independent reliable sources have said - such as books or newspapers) and citing the source for each piece of information (see WP:Referencing for beginners).

One of the advantages of writing it yourself is that you can make it a much better encyclopaedic article. For example, looking at the version you created, I can see that

there is one great block of text, which is difficult to read
It contains many statistics, with no citations to tell the reader the source of the numbers or when they relate to
Words like "apparently" and "estimated" must have a source, so that the interested reader can find who published the estimate and when, and who drew the conclusion implied by "apparently".

Good luck in improving the article. --ColinFine (talk) 12:35, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

length for a new article

Hi! I've been editing band articles for a little while now, and I'm now trying to create my first article. I'm trying to make an article for Darkside, a band which includes Nicolas Jaar as a member, but it's been turned down twice to be merged into Nicolas Jaar's article due to length. Although I'm more than happy to add a Darkside section to his page, I do think that the act is a separate musical venture and that my article establishes notability for it to standalone as such. I've looked at wikipedia articles for other bands of similar stature, and I think mine is of comprable length (it's even longer than Nicolas Jaar's own entry!). Does anyone have any suggestions? This is my first time trying to create an article, so I'm definitely far from experienced.

Here is a link to my article (I'm still adding more info) if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Articles_for_creation/Darkside

Thanks so much!

Emilywaf (talk) 21:55, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Emilywaf and welcome. Can I suggest you have a look other bands with notable side acts and compare the amount of information in those articles, with yours? There are independent articles on Green Day and Foxboro Hot Tubs, as well as Michael Hutchence, INXS and Max Q that you can review. The difference with yours appears to be that most of the information on Darkside is specific to Nicholas Jaar. Perhaps a section within the Nicholas Jaar article for now, and expanded into an article if more information becomes available. Flat Out let's discuss it 01:40, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Flat Out (hoping I did that right!) ... I see what you're saying more with Max Q than Foxboro Hot Tubs. I think of Foxboro Hot Tubs as a true side project where it's never been a main focus of the members involved. Whereas Max Q is more of a legitimate separate act/entity for the musicians involved (despite the fact that they never played a live show). I think Darkside is more this type of an act (+ live gigs). Also, two of Jaar's other projects that are closely associated with his music (record label Clown & Sunset and production house Clown & Sunset Aesthetics) have their own articles that are also fairly Jaar heavy. I think that if Jaar and Harrington did not think of Darkside as a separate musical act from their work together under Jaar's name, they wouldn't continue to release music under a separate name ......... Anyway, I've done a little bit more tweaking on the article to make it less Jaar focused (Jaar and Harrington's names show up almost the same amount of times in the article now), but I'm pretty sure it's not ready to be resubmitted (would love your thoughts though!). I'll put a less detailed Darkside section in Jaar's article when I have a chance! Emilywaf (talk) 20:49, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Emilywaf, I will have a look at the revision and I will follow up at your talk page if I have any feedback. Flat Out let's discuss it 23:52, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Dublin

I am looking for a User who lives in Dublin, near Wellington Quay. I need help with an article... or someone who is good at finding pictures of places Ms.Bono^(zootalk)^☆ 19:51, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

I suggest you ask at WT:WikiProject Ireland. --ColinFine (talk) 20:21, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Merci beaucoup!! Ms.Bono^(zootalk)^☆ 20:24, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

Does that mean, "Thank you, good police officer?" Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 01:24, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

I think it means, Thank you very much. Maybe I spell it wrong :( Ms.Bono^(zootalk)^☆ 12:35, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Hey,ColinFine... in my few months as Wikipedian, I've dicovered that there are places where people just ignore you if you are a newbie or a probie... well, WT:WikiProject Ireland is one of those places. Anyway if I could pay a trip to Ireland myself, i would take the picture without any help :'( Ms.Bono^(zootalk)^☆ 15:08, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

editing discography section on bands page

I attempted to update a section on the discography but in the preview it didnt look right as I do not code nor know much of anything about it.Vmruffalo (talk) 22:28, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Hello, Vmruffalo, and welcome to the Teahouse. Can you link us to the article so we can help you out? the one sean 00:16, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACDC_discography#Box_sets

I just got a box set by the group that is absent in the list, but when I tried to add it I'm missing something with the code to expand the box, essentially I'd like to hand off the info to someone else better at code workVmruffalo (talk) 01:14, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Hi Vmruffalo, you could just post your suggested edit on the article's Talk page and let someone else pick it up. That way you can also see how they make the edit once its complete. Flat Out let's discuss it 03:54, 5 July 2013 (UTC)

Logging in Firefox

I have a relatively new computer running Windows 7. I can log in with IE v. 10, but I can not log in using Firefox v. 22. Why? Is anyone else having log in problem with Firefox? Davjohn (talk) 20:54, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

How savvy are you with computers? This will help us give you an answer that is neither too simple nor too complex for your abilities.  Senator2029 ➔ “Talk”  22:52, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

hi Davjohn, welcome to the teahouse. I am able to login with Firefox but I have it running on an old Mac laptop. I assume you've tried the standard things: restart your router, restart your computer, etc.? In addition to telling us more about your basic computer skills here are a few more details that would help diagnose your problem: 1) Are you able to login to other sites via Firefox? 2) What kind of error message do you get? Does it say username or password not recognized or does it give you some other error? Mdebellis (talk) 00:48, 5 July 2013 (UTC)