Jump to content

Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive 726

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Archive 720←Archive 724Archive 725Archive 726Archive 727Archive 728→Archive 730

EDITED ARTICLES

Good afternoon!

I'm one of the contributors in Wikipedia before and it has come to my attention that one user edited an article and placed incorrect details [or deleted the details, at least]. Now, I may just let that pass if it's just a small thing but the problem here is, the article they touched is actually under the Kpop band EXO and a lot of fans are getting angry, to the point that they may do mass reporting and such. They've been talking about this on Twitter and Instagram and it's causing a lot of damage to Wikipedia's name. I don't want that to happen anymore. EXO has the largest number of fanbase among all Kpop bands and trust me, they have the power to do things beyond our imagination.

This is the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exo_discography

They changed a lot of information. They removed all the details under 'Certifications' and even removed the updated information for the sales of the Japanese single. I have all the trusted sources for the correct details if you'd need that, but for now, I really hope you do something about the people who keep changing them. These things are the most important for EXO's fans.

Thank you. I hope to hear from you sooner.

Sincerely, Jann DG Jannnichick (talk) 07:41, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Jannnichick. The article in question is Exo discography, and it has been semiprotected because of persistent efforts to add unsourced or poorly sourced content. We care about maintaining properly referenced articles and we do not care at all about angry Exo fans venting on Twitter or Instagram. They can say whatever they want and we will continue to maintain our quality standards. The proper place to propose changes to the article is Talk: Exo discography, and be sure to provide high quality references to reliable sources for any changes you want to make. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 07:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
One consideration, Jannnichick, is that (among other things) some of these fans have sought to use Twitter and Instagram for sources, something that will almost never be considered acceptable under Wikipedia policies and guidelines. As far as the putative "damage to Wikipedia's name" goes, we're generally sanguine about keeping a reputation for requiring quality sources for important information, and if these fans want to rave on their own forums about that, well, they're the best judge of their own time. (grins) Ravenswing 08:47, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Wikipedia newbie - need your opinion on the article

Hello, dear Wikipedia community!

I'm a newbie here and I have never wrote any articles on Wikipedia, so I need your opinion on the article I'm working on. I'll really appreciate any advice you can give. I try to stick to the rules, but there's still a chance that I've missed something important while editing the article.

Here's a link on the draft: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:ESforce

Much appreciated! — Preceding unsigned comment added by MariaKR (talk • contribs) 14:01, 15 February 2018 (UTC)

According to the article, ESforce is a holding company, now owned and controlled by a bigger company. So it's not an independent business, and it doesn't actually do anything, it just owns other business. It sounds like something of interest only to accountants. Maproom (talk) 14:14, 15 February 2018 (UTC)
Hello, Maproom, thank you for your comment! According to the documents, ESforce is still an independent business, which operates with subsidiaries (it's a common practice in Russia). So I'm not quite sure that writing the opposite will correspond to reality. But if this is important, I can remove the mention of the holding's independence from the article. MariaKR (talk • 08:50, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Hello and welcome. I haven't fully examined all the sources, but they seem to be press-release type announcements of routine business transactions, which the notability guidelines for organizations at WP:ORG specifically state are not acceptable to establish notability. What is needed is in depth coverage of this company in independent reliable sources, which does not include press releases or routine business announcements. 331dot (talk) 14:18, 15 February 2018 (UTC)
Hello, 331dot, and thank you for a warm welcome! I've tried to search more sources, but (sadly) there seems to be not enough publications about this holding on English. There're plenty of russian sources with a great variety of opinions, but I can't add them to the english Wikipedia (according to the rules). So, I tried to use materials from popular and non-promotional media. MariaKR (talk • 08:50, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Hi MariaKR, sources don't need to be in English. As long as they are reliable and independent of the subject they can be in pretty much any language. ϢereSpielChequers 21:12, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Thank you, Ϣere, for your advice! It makes everything less complicated for me! All the best, MariaKR (talk • 08:32, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Thank you for all your comments and advices, Maproom,331dot,Ϣere, they helped me a lot. I'm looking forward for your feedback. Should I change anything? Draft link (updated version): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft:ESforce MariaKR (talk • 10:00, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Answer simply

I am not a new editor, i joined wiki in 2016. And started active editing from 2018,editing. I made 750+ edits, and got experience too. I joined teahouse as a host. But i am confused how to start helping ! And from which page. Does a host has another profile or page to do so ? . Need answer from experienced host only. Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 13:10, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hey Abirlal Mukhopadhyay. The only thing that's really required of a host here is to respond to questions you know the answer to, and learn from those you don't. Even those who have been helping people here for a long time don't get everything right, and while Wikipedia encourages editors to be bold, it's often good to be somewhat cautious when helping newer editors, since a number of contradictory responses can be easily confusing. Other than that, we're happy to have you and thanks for helping us build a better encyclopedia. GMGtalk 13:14, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello,

How do you upload a logo? I of course do not own the picture and am not quite sure how to unload it to a page without copyright problems. Thanks is advance BoxedUp (talk) 10:14, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

@BoxedUp: Hello and welcome to the Teahouse. I googled your username and a business with the name "Boxed Up" came up as a result. Do you represent that business, even though you are not editing about it? Even if not, you may need to change your username by visiting this page to request a username change, as usernames cannot be that of a business per the username policy.
As to your question, I believe logos are OK to upload with proper attribution(though others will know more than I), but your account must be autoconfirmed to upload images(that means your account must be at least 4 days old with at least 10 edits). Information on uploading images can be found at WP:UPIMAGE. 331dot (talk) 10:19, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
You'll find advice about logos at WP:Logos. --David Biddulph (talk) 10:43, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Thank you, I had no idea my username was a company. I just came up with something as everything else I was trying was already taken. i will change it no. Thanks for the help BoxedUp (talk) 12:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Hey BoxedUp. I would just add that most common phrases will probably end up being the name of one of the millions of businesses out there, and if you don't represent a company, then you should be just fine with the name you have. Also, if you would like to fill out the information there, you can request an image be uploaded at WP:FFU. GMGtalk 13:05, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
@BoxedUp:I agree that since you are clear that you are not a company, you don't need to change your name. Maybe just put something on your userpage saying you are not a company. My apologies 331dot (talk) 14:09, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Templates

Hi, I'm new here. Where can I find a page with templates and useful stuff to collaborate? Thanks Onaxis (talk) 17:01, 16 February 2018 (UTC)

Also, how can I add a page to my Watchlist? Onaxis (talk) 17:05, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
And how can I edit my signature. Sorry for so many questions. Thanks loads. Onaxis (talk) 17:07, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
@Onaxis:| Hello and welcome to the Teahouse. With regards to your watchlist, (and assuming you are using a computer and not a phone) every article has a star in a tab at the top, next to the "View history" tab. If you click this to change the color of the star to blue, that adds that page to your watchlist. 331dot (talk) 17:44, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Also, I think that if you click on your Watchlist, one choice will be Edit raw watchlist. Can add (and subtract) articles and Talk and stuff there. David notMD (talk) 22:10, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Questions! Questions! Questions! We love 'em! Welcome to Wikipedia, Onaxis. You might like to follow this guidance for modifying the appearance of your signature: Wikipedia:Signatures#Customizing_your_signature. I'm sorry if I'm unsure what exactly you mean when you ask about collaboration. In essence, every article is a collaboration. We do have around 2000 Wikiprojects on a wide range of themes where people focus on one subject area. The page I've just linked to includes a search box for topics. Hoping this might help. Regards from the UK, Nick Moyes (talk) 22:24, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Thank you for your help. I think I managed with the signature. :) OnaxisTALK TO ME 14:23, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Return

Hi, I was an active member a few years ago (about 4 or 5 years), and for some reason I had to retire. I am decided to come back and contribute. But after so many years, I am a bit clueless, and would like to know somewhere where I can start. Or somewhere I can read about the changes that WP has gone through. Thanks. Miss Bono [hello, hello!] 15:55, 16 February 2018 (UTC)

@Miss Bono: Check out WP:HOW for some ideas on what to work on. I dont think anything has changed much in the past few years. Feel free to ask questions if you need help. RudolfRed (talk) 16:24, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Welcome back Miss Bono, it's really good to see your username pop up again. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 17:46, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Thanks Roger (Dodger67), it's good to be back! Miss Bono [hello, hello!] 19:58, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
Welcome back, though it's only 18 months not 4 or 5 years since you were very active here. Theroadislong (talk) 20:01, 16 February 2018 (UTC)
I thought it was longer, Theroadislong. The last time I had access to Wikipedia at work was in Nov 2013. But then, I could log in and do some stuff, not much from time to time. Miss Bono [hello, hello!] 14:25, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

new user need help

hello i just joined wikipedia. can you tell me how to get started? FiliInSK (talk) 11:52, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hey FiliInSK. One good way to get started is to consider taking our interactive tutorial at The Wikipedia Adventure, which can help explain alot of how Wikipedia works. Then, keep this page in mind where you can seek assistance and advice when you run into something confusing. GMGtalk 12:15, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia FiliInSK. It is nice to inform you that if you want to get involve , read all the guidelines carefully, then, make out that you have not to be too speedy. You have time. Trust your abilities. And try to modify articles that you can. Don't do things you have no idea. For any information you may use my talk page. Have a nice day . Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 15:21, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Need Permission

Hello, dear host. I am needy, please do a thing for me. I have contributed a lot for many types of pages and became an experienced editor.(not like you, ha! ha!). I am able to review 'pending changes', but it depends on user's contribution topography. So, please have a look to my 'edit count' and answer that should i request for the 'pending change review permission'?. I know it is not a general request and you have to research a bit, but please do it for me , sothat, i may make wiki better. One more question, when i was new(joined just) i was blocked once for my test editings. Will it cause any negative marking to get permissions in future? Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 13:29, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hey Abirlal Mukhopadhyay. It seems that User:Mz7 has already answered your question in their reply to your request at WP:PERM/PCR. Mz7 is extremely experienced both as a user and an administrator, and the appropriate course of action would be to continue to build a track record of contributions that demonstrates an understanding of the relevant policies and guidelines, and then reapply after several weeks or a few months of doing so. GMGtalk 13:53, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Thank you sir, but you did not answer to my second question that i asked . Please solve that. Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 14:12, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Sure Abirlal Mukhopadhyay. Previous blocks are certainly something that a reviewing administrator will look carefully at when deciding whether or not to grant advanced permissions. Even in good faith, recent blocks are often an indication that an editor has either not yet well understood Wikipedia policies, or has not yet learned to work collaboratively with others, both of which can lead to users, even unintentionally, misusing these types of permissions.
At this point, your block was only about a month ago, and similar to my above response, you will need to demonstrate that the issues which resulted in a block are no longer a problem, which you can do through continuing to contribute to the encyclopedia without further issues that might necessitate warnings or sanctions. GMGtalk 14:26, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
We're in 2018 now, User:GreenMeansGo, so Abir-lal's block is a year ago, not just a month. --David Biddulph (talk) 14:43, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
(edit conflict) @Abir-lal: It seems highly unlikely to me that a small block over a year ago (2017, not 2018!) for what, quite possibly, was a misunderstanding in editing, would have very little effect on future requests for user rights, except perhaps 'Adminship'. What, if I might politely observe, makes me more worried about the competency any editor is when I see that they frequently clean out their talk pages, leaving no discussions visible, and I find many of those blanked notices highlight lots of poor past judgements. If that applies to you, you might like to consider setting up a bot to archive your talk page, and leaving more of your recent discussions there for people to view. It's also a very good way of showing how your understanding of editing Wikipedia has evolved. Nobody minds mistakes - what helps is demonstrating that we've learned from them and don't repeat them. Kind regards from the UK, Nick Moyes (talk) 14:47, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Derp. I always knew I was bad at math, but I didn't realize I was quite that bad. Stricken. Thanks for catching that. GMGtalk 14:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
No worries. One time when I'd spent all day cataloguing a collection of Victorian specimens in a museum I worked at, I went to my bank and signed/dated a cheque 1894!
Don't say like that sir, you are , so we are. I mean your dedications makes a user Wikipedian. Salute to your contributions.

Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 15:11, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

  • Thank you so much. Your words are too much helpful. If i develop no block in future, would Wikipedia consider me to permit Administration .

Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 15:01, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Please don't raise your hopes at this point regarding becoming an administrator, Abir-lal. It's something to consider only after many years of editing and applying policies in a fair and competent manner, as well as of gaining the trust of the community of all the other users over whose work the admins oversee. It is certainly not something that any editor has to aspire to. Indeed, there are many extraordinarily good and experienced editors here who would tell you they have absolutely no desire whatsoever to get involved in the minutiae of "wielding the mop" (as they like to call it). Regards, Nick Moyes (talk) 15:35, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Help?

I have a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Young Folks Edition, No 182 published by M A Donohue & Company. How do I find out more information about it? I don't know the date on which it was published. Thank you.108.178.193.218 (talk) 22:43, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, 108.178.193.218 The Teahouse is designed to help new editors with questions about editing Wikipedia, you might be better off asking for help at the Wikipedia:Reference desk with your question. Theroadislong (talk) 22:51, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

Dear user 108.178.193.218 , is it a good question ! You should use search engines or reference books. Or you may contact the publishers. If you have any problem about any articles, understanding please clear that in my talk page. Thank you . Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 16:45, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Can some more experienced editors please intervene in this edit war?

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Binney_(U.S._intelligence_official)#Memo_incident_on_Infowars

and the talk page for the same article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:William_Binney_(U.S._intelligence_official)#Secret_Memo

An inexperienced editor is continually wrecking the section in what seems to be a case of WP:JUSTDONTLIKEIT

Can some other editors weigh in? Maybe the page needs a protected status.Localemediamonitor (talk) 15:18, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hey Localemediamonitor. I've watchlisted and warned. Probably about all that can be done at the moment, although WP:ANEW and WP:RFPP are certainly options if things get worse. GMGtalk 16:50, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

about editing wiki pages

once you edit something, and it may not be correct.. will a helpful source come back and edit it properly? Kylam2002 (talk) 19:18, 14 February 2018 (UTC)

@Kylam2002: - If you edit something which is factually incorrect, and do not provide references from reliable sources to support your edit, it will more than likely be reverted by another user. If you edited something which you know is incorrect, this is an unconstructive edit and possibly vandalism, and you should remove the edit yourself manually. However, if it is an accidental error, fear not, as another editor will likely fix it and reference with a helpful source. Stormy clouds (talk) 19:30, 14 February 2018 (UTC)
They were probably asking about this edit. It has been reverted and they have been warned. ~ GB fan 19:35, 14 February 2018 (UTC)
@GB fan: thanks. That is a very weird edit, in that it is clearly detrimental to article quality, but not the extreme and overt vandalism which we so often see on en.wiki. Anyhow, thanks for handling that, and my notes regarding the original question stand. Stormy clouds (talk) 19:44, 14 February 2018 (UTC)

Why not, dear Kylam2002 ! If you suddenly develop a little mistake in any edit. That will be resolved by other users. But before doing any edit. Make sure you have enough knowledge about that. Have a nice day. Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 16:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeelp me?

How do I prove that a village exists beacause accusing me of hoaxing? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Enuis (talk • contribs) 20:08, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello, Enuis, and welcome to the Teahouse. Cite reliable sources that say that the village exists. – Finnusertop (talk ⋅ contribs) 20:35, 18 February 2018 (UTC)
... and don't confuse your home town in Surrey with an imaginary village in Estonia. If you really have found a namesake in Estonia, then tell us where. Dbfirs 21:12, 18 February 2018 (UTC)


Nice question. Dear Enuis, to prove a location you may use proper cordlines, but you have to understand that secondary resources should always be added to prove the reality of a place. Your village can be located by google maps. But it is not enough for verification. Try to find the location in books, or any trusted website. Then inform. Thank you. Have a nice day . Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 17:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

New Wikipedian

Hello everyone! I'm Coloradodude19. I am a new Wikipedian who just joined this encyclopedia yesterday. I have read Wikipedia articles since I was younger, and now I want to help improve it by editing articles on here. I will be adding info to stubs, and improving grammar and spelling errors. After surfing around Wikipedia for a while, I found that this is the place to go if I want to ask questions. I just created my user page, and I started my talk page as well. Will some experienced editors be so kind as to leave me a welcome message on my talk page, please? Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to participate in editing and improving Wikipedia! Coloradodude19 (talk) 17:48, 18 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello Coloradodude19 and welcome to the Teahouse and to Wikipedia! — jmcgnh(talk) (contribs) 04:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

@Jmcgnh: Thank you for the opportunity! Coloradodude19 (talk) 18:06, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

How do I find a page I created with the Wikipedia Wizard?

My page is named "Reggie Codrington".Fowlergirl2 (talk) 06:16, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, Fowlergirl2. This Teahouse post is your only edit to Wikipedia. We have never had an article called "Reggie Codrington". The only thing that I can think of is that you did not click the blue "Publish changes" button, and your work in progress must have been lost. Please read Your first article. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 06:28, 19 February 2018 (UTC)


Hi, Fowlergirl2, welcome to teahouse. If you want to create a page named Reggie Codrington, click here==>Reggie Codrington but before doing so you have to read how to create an article. Never try to do direct copypest. Have a nice journey. Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 16:28, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

@Fowlergirl2: The advice from Abirlal is unwise. As a new user it would not be sensible to try to create an article directly in mainspace. You ought to create a draft and submit it for review through the WP:Article for Creation system, which is the advice which you'll see in WP:Your first article. --David Biddulph (talk) 17:14, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Thank you respected sir , David Biddulph. I'm really not much wise, i have just started hosting. Therefore , i need some time to be a good host. Let me learn from milestones like you. I'm now your student sir, mercy my faults. Have a nice day . Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 17:46, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

As you were advised earlier, please don't try to answer questions where you don't know the answers. If you read the answers here and at the Help Desk you will hopefully learn. --David Biddulph (talk) 18:27, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Can I edit Lyle stevik

Help editing fir article Lyle Stevik? Thanks Enuis — Preceding unsigned comment added by Enuis (talk • contribs) 20:30, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello again, Enius. Yes, of course you can, provided anything you add has supporting references, or if the changes you make are small, but enhance the article in some way. No opinions, no sources from Twitter and so on. Only reliable, independent sources like mainstream news media. Oh, and please, from now on, could you sign every post you make? You do this by typing four tildes (like this: ~~~~), and then press the Blue 'publish changes' button. Thanks, Nick Moyes (talk) 20:55, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

How to create scripts?

Hi. I want to create a script that fixes pages in Category:CS1 errors: dates. Unfortunately, I don't know how to code on Javascript. I want the script to be able to compare the citation date with the page's history so that it can determine when the reference was added if the error is in the access-date parameter. If the error is in the date parameter, I want the script to compare the date of when the source in question has been created and fix the error by substituting the date in which the source has been created in the correct format so that the error is fixed. Can you please help me out. Thanks. Pkbwcgs (talk) 20:14, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Phew. That's a heckuva question Pkbwcgs, and well beyond my own technical ability. In case you don't get a response here (which is usually for comparatively simple questions), may want to try at some place like Wikipedia:Village pump (technical) or Wikipedia:Bot requests. GMGtalk 20:18, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
@GreenMeansGo: Okay. I will copy this question onto Wikipedia:Village pump (technical). Pkbwcgs (talk) 20:26, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Something is wrong. Lots of Wikipedia:Teahouse revisions have been deleted for no reason. Pkbwcgs (talk) 21:23, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Looks like something needed suppressed that was sensitive enough it ought not be talked about publicly, which usually means something like private information that shouldn't have been shared on Wiki to begin with. See also the thread at User talk:DoRD. GMGtalk 21:29, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Incorrect terminology for Ice Dance

Hello, I've just realised that the Wikipedia page for Ice Dance is fundamentally flawed because it keeps referring to ice dance as ice dancing, the first example being in the page title itself, not to mention the filename! I've checked with the ISU website[1] and they do indeed refer to it as Ice Dance. 'Ice dancing' is an informal description of the activity of dancing on ice but the discipline itself is officially termed Ice Dance. I would like to reflect this fact in the relevant Wikipedia page by changing its title and correcting the wording where necessary in the page text. However, the article is held in a file called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_dancing and that I cannot change! How would I go about getting this altered, as it would have repercussions for pages linking to it and all sorts of other potential conflicts. Rodney Baggins (talk) 09:52, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

@Rodney Baggins: Hello and welcome to the Teahouse. Articles on Wikipedia are titled with the most common wording given to the subject and not necessarily what something is called officially or legally(see WP:COMMONNAME). For example, the article Bill Clinton is titled "Bill Clinton" and not William Jefferson Clinton(though it is a redirect); Barack Obama and not Barack Hussein Obama II; Microsoft, and not "Microsoft Corporation". While I am not an expert, I believe Ice Dance is commonly called "ice dancing", which is why the article is titled that. However, if you wish to attempt to change that, you should start a discussion on the article talk page for that article; click "Talk" at the top right of the article(assuming you are using a computer) and begin a discussion that other interested editors can weigh in on. As you seem to be aware, changing the title could affect many articles, so it should be discussed first. 331dot (talk) 10:09, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
I'll just link to the talk page: Talk:Ice dancing. 331dot (talk) 10:11, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

References

  1. ^ ISU: Single & Pair Skating / Ice Dance
As example of a name change - article title Folic acid, the common name for the vitamin, changed to Folate after much discussion, leaving behind a redirect for those who search on folic acid. David notMD (talk) 13:39, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

OK, thanks for all your advice. I will see what I can do, starting with a discussion on the talk page. Just a thought though: what happens if no-one wants to talk about it? Then what do I do!? Rodney Baggins (talk) 19:31, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

I think it unlikely that such a major change being proposed would not draw some discussion, but you could make the discussion a formal Request for Comment if no one discusses it with you. 331dot (talk) 21:53, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Create a template to avoid multiple annual changes

I curate all of the library system pages in Georgia, and having created almost all of these pages last year, they all follow the same general format so there's uniformity across the the subject. In the lead of all these pages I have a blurb explaining the library's card providers, PINES and GALILEO. Recently, PINES added another library to its system, and therefore the only thing I have to update now on 50 different pages are two numbers - the library system and number of counties served. It's not much of a hassle now but, the next time this happens I'll have to go through that entire process again - I can see it becoming a bit mundane. I was wondering if there was a way editors can get around this, and my first idea was by making templates, or similar. For example, if I were to make a {{PINES}} template, and stick it on all of those pages, then I only need to make one edit to effectively change 50 articles. But I've never seen a template in the article body, so I was wondering if this is allowed/encouraged. I realize if someone new comes to the page they may not understand the purpose of the template and won't know how to edit it.. so other ideas are appreciated as well! Thanks! SEMMENDINGER (talk) 15:08, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

 Working GMGtalk 15:28, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Hey Semmendinger. I took the liberty of creating Template:PINES data, which can be used by including {{PINES data}} into the text of an article, which as currently written would replace the text 284 member libraries across 143 counties, as can be seen with this edit. Once the replacement is made in the articles, all you will have to do next time is update the template. This might be slightly unorthodox (I don't really work with templates that much), but seems to solve your problem fairly well. GMGtalk 15:38, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
GreenMeansGo I figured it would work nicely as well! Thanks for the template, I'll start adding that later on tonight! SEMMENDINGER (talk) 15:42, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Hello, Semmendinger. This is not related to your question, but I'm a little concerned by the word "curate" that you used. If you simply mean that you have an interest in them, and are watching them and making improvements as necessary, that is fine: thank you for your contributions. But it might also mean that you think you are in charge of the articles, and get to control what is in all those articles: if that is your thought, please be aware that nobody owns a Wikipedia article. --ColinFine (talk) 17:44, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
ColinFine I simply watch them...we use the word curate as NPP's when it refers to making sure articles are up to snuff. Thank you for your compliment. SEMMENDINGER (talk) 22:28, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

conflicting information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Dutch_Foods

Founded Calgary, Alberta, Canada (1934) Headquarters Calgary, Alberta

The company began as Old Dutch Products Co. in 1934. They originated in St. Paul, Minnesota,

Old Dutch opened a plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1954 to manufacture chips for the Canadian market. The head office for Canadian operations remains in Winnipeg. 50.71.218.214 (talk) 23:03, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello to the person at 50.71.218.214! Thank you for pointing out the discrepancy; the information was changed, without a citation, a few days ago. I've corrected it. Howicus (Did I mess up?) 23:12, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Anyone know how to qualify an edit that includes a name that then automatically links to a wikipedia page for same name, wrong person. I typed in Matthew Lipman, the living violist, who does not have a wikipedia page, but the edit highlighted it and linked it to Matthew Lipman, the deceased scholar. Any ideaS? Genealogyfacts2Genealogyfacts2 (talk) 23:47, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello Genealogyfacts2, welcome to the Teahouse! What you want to do here is called Disambiguation. A common way to differentiate between people is to put the person's occupation in parentheses. So instead of Matthew Lipman, you'd link to Matthew Lipman (violinist). If you don't want the (violinist) part to show up in the text, you also do what's called "piping" the link. In the source editor, you'd type [[Matthew Lipman (violinist)|Matthew Lipman]] and what you get is this: Matthew Lipman. Hope this helps! Howicus (Did I mess up?) 23:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Many thanks! Genealogyfacts2Genealogyfacts2 (talk) 23:59, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
But that is appropriate only if there could be a Wikipedia article about Lipman the violist, i.e. if he meets the criteria for notability. If he does not, then there cannot be an article about him, and it is not appropriate to create a WP:REDLINK. Genealogyfacts2, Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia which contains only notable subjects, If a non-notable person happens to have the same name as a notable person, then Wikipedia will find only the latter, and will simply not notice the former. (I'm not saying that Lipman isn't notble: I haven't investigated. But the onus is on the person creating the red-link to check that the target is notable.) --ColinFine (talk) 00:24, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Can't find the save button

Hi: I have searched both my Sandbox page and the Draft page and cannot seem to find a Save button anywhere. I thought it would be at the bottom of the Edit box but I see only Publish. Would you please direct me to the correct location? Thanks.Doungleung (talk) 22:56, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

@Doungleung: Hello and welcome to the Teahouse. The Save button was recently changed to say Publish. The functionality has not changed. It was thought it would be less confusing. 331dot (talk) 23:04, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Confusingly the software was changed by the WMF, so the button is now labelled Publish rather than Save (even though for a draft or sandbox it doesn't actually publish it as an article and merely saves an updated version of the draft). It is recognised that some of the instructions weren't updated, so if you tell us where you are seeing the instruction to use the Save button someone can hopefully change the instructions. --David Biddulph (talk) 23:07, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Thanks very much for clearing this up! References to the Save button can be found here, as well as in other places that mention saving one's work:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:GLAM/Beginner%27s_guide_to_Wikipedia.Doungleung (talk) 01:02, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

@Doungleung: I am really very sorry you encountered these instructions which still had "save" instead of "publish" in them. That's my fault in a way, as I've been scouring Wikipedia for the last two months, looking for examples of any out-of-date help pages, but I don't think I searched for project pages which just had the word "save" in them. I have updated that page as best as I can for now.
Please, if you or any other editor finds any other mainstream help pages like this one which still contain the old "Save changes" or "Save" command in them, feel free to moan about them here, or paste the link in THIS USERPAGE which I created to help me manage all the mismatches. Regards from the UK, Nick Moyes (talk) 01:32, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Information to users coming here: Thanks links are currently deliberately hidden due to a bug where the wrong editor is thanked. See Wikipedia:Village pump (technical)#Thanks not working. PrimeHunter (talk) 02:41, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Thank you! (oh, the irony!) Nick Moyes (talk)
An editor actually managed to log a thanks for the edit which hid thanks links! There are still ways to do this, at least when it's the most recent edit to a page. PrimeHunter (talk) 03:18, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Group of accounts that did PR/paid editing for Singaporean articles

I'm fairly certain there are a bunch of accounts that are used for PR/paid editing (Singaporean articles) in 2015, initiated by the Singapore National Library Board (NLB). They said so themselves here [1] that it was a SG50 project called the Singapore Memory funded by the government.[2]

Here's a list of accounts used to add (or attempted to add) chunky content to corporate/brand pages:

I read that paid editing is allowed so I'm not sure if this is even notable, but I do hope some seasoned Wikipedians can keep a lookout for promo content on the corporate pages these accounts have edited. NoCringe (talk) 17:17, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Per WP:PAID, paid editing is permitted on Wikipedia once it is disclosed. However, it must be openly declared in order to avoid conflicts of interest. However, if these accounts are still actively editing as a collective, we must carefully monitor them, despite their declaration. As they are funded by the government, the editors must be careful not only to edit in areas where they have a vested interest, but must also avoid introducing bias in their edits. They should also avoid using self-published material as citations, which they attempted to do in the edit which you referenced above. On a personal level, I would urge these editors to avoid making edits in topics which directly relate to them, as such edits will likely require thorough vetting by other (volunteer) editors. Stormy clouds (talk) 18:30, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Most of their usernames are violations, as well. -A lad insane (Channel 2) 19:40, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
@A lad insane: - forgot that. One's username cannot be that of a company or organisation, and doing so is a bannable offense. Most of the usernames above contravene this policy as they imply shared use and could be considered promotional and should thereby be removed with haste. Stormy clouds (talk) 20:19, 19 February 2018 (UTC)
Thank you for the helpful replies Stormy clouds and A lad insane. The thing is they didn't not disclose their affliation in any of the talk pages or userpages, I was just wondering why these usernames with NLBS50 appeared in so many curiously-lengthy brand pages and started trawling through their edits when I found the actual connection to National Library Board. But it seemed like it was a one-time effort. Still, I suppose I will try to alert fellow editors on those article talk pages. Thanks! NoCringe (talk) 04:25, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Two Q: New Article and Translate Article

Dear All,

I am a newbie and very much interested to write articles on Wikipedia. I have two questions.

1. How to write a new article in my native language (Tamil). Guide me how to do?

2. How to translate an article into my native language(Tamil) for the articles in the English language?

Freesudhakar (talk) 04:38, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia. To answer your second question first, there is advice at WP:Translate us.
Before trying to write an article in whichever language it is wise to become familiar with editing in that language's Wikipedia. Advice before writing an article in the English Wikipedia is at WP:Your first article. The equivalent advice for the Tamil language Wikipedia is at ta:விக்கிப்பீடியா:முதல்_கட்டுரை. --David Biddulph (talk) 05:05, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

article and logo update - conflict of interest

Hopefully you are able to help me.

I would like to update the Adler and Allan article on Wikipedia, i tried this in the past however there was a conflict of interest. the current information and logo and the page need updating, how would i be able to do this. can i send the new information and logo over to be proof read before uploading to change the article.

please let me know.

kind regards,

Rene Rene Willemsen (talk) 10:57, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

@Rene Willemsen: Hello and welcome to the Teahouse. You've been given some great advice and an offer to help on this at your user talk page, User talk:Rene Willemsen; but to summarize, you should propose any changes you wish to see on the article talk page first, Talk:Adler and Allan.
You also need to, if you haven't already, review the conflict of interest policy at WP:COI and the paid editing policy at WP:PAID if you are a paid representative of Adler and Allan; the latter is required by Wikipedia's Terms of use for paid editors. Those policies ask you to formally declare your conflict of interest and its nature(especially if you are paid). 331dot (talk) 11:06, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello

Reading an article, I saw this regarding page info[3]. It includes number of page watchers and number of page watchers who visited recent edits. Is it also possible to see which editors watching the page or which page watchers visited the recent changes? 5.3.242.227 (talk) 10:17, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Such information is unavailable for privacy reasons. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:19, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Dispute res/user reporting outside of 3RR

I am dealing with an editor on Giovanni Gentile who keeps reverting to an edit on the page that was sourced with an unverfiable link from a fringe right-wing news website, WorldNetDaily.

Their reversions have not been in the course of a day, but occur every couple of days. How should I report this? They are clearly edit warring (have not discussed on talk page despite my posting there several times) but not under 3RR. Etzedek24 (Would it kill ya to leave an edit summary?) 01:59, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

  • @Etzedek24: If your case is strong (which I have not checked), WP:AN/EW can be used to report edit-warring even outside 3RR violations.
Also, I would encourage you link to your talk page in your signature. WP:SIGLINK does not mandate it but I believe it is still good practice. For instance [[User:Etzedek24|Etzedek24]] [[User talk:Etzedek24|<sup><small>(Would it kill ya to leave an edit summary?)</small></sup>]] would generate Etzedek24 (Would it kill ya to leave an edit summary?). TigraanClick here to contact me 11:36, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Possible sockpuppet, now what?

Sockpuppet spotting is not exactly what I dreamt of doing here on Wikipedia, but I might have spotted a suspect.
I wrote the details at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:DexterPointy/sandbox
What now? DexterPointy (talk) 01:59, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello, DexterPointy welcome to the Teahouse. It's funny how one can get sucked into the minutiae of Wikipedia and start feeling incredibly protective towards it, and sometimes suspicious of other's intentions, whether rightly or wrongly. Now, I've only recently started to get drawn into the wonderful world of sock puppets (via a suite of recently deleted and remerging articles on Defiant Wrestling, created and defended by numerous sock puppets) so I do have only limited experience to offer you. You are probably right in the first instance to gather your thoughts and collate them in a userpage before bringing it here or to WP:SPI. However, maybe it's the lateness of the hour here, but I'm really not seeing any behavioural correlation in the edits myself which concerns me. I do find it surprising that a brand new account made yesterday is only editing at WP:AFD, spouting policy and !voting keep one minute and delete another, so they've clearly done a lot of edited before - and that's no crime. But I can't see any suspicious correlation in the behavioural editing patterns myself, nor when using this interaction analyser tool. There are no overlapping edits between the two accounts you noticed, and it's not uncommon for a !voter to change their opinion (as you'll see I did with the sink-drainer cover article), or possibly even remove it completely. Other editors might see something that my tired brain has missed. But when I do have concerns, but I would simply note my suspicions away somewhere (maybe even offline) until I have strong reason to suspect and report to WP:SPI. But I don't think you have that at all, right now. Keep up the good work, though. Regards from the UK Nick Moyes (talk) 02:53, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Well, I'll just let it slide. Even if the two accounts are controlled by the same person (aka. sockpuppetry), then there's no urgency to taking action, as long as the person's participation isn't doing any harm. --DexterPointy (talk) 13:59, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Can we create a page about a famous Makeup Artist without disclosing her age?

Hi there, We want to create a page for a well-known BAFTA award winning makeup artist, but she doesn't want her age to be disclosed on her wikipedia page. Is that possible? Or is it required for a personal profile to include birth year and therefore, age? 2A02:C7F:DC04:C200:C194:B468:D8CF:9F85 (talk) 14:37, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello IP user and welcome to the Teahouse. I'm not sure who "we" is but if you are associated with the person you are describing you will need to review the conflict of interest policy at WP:COI and possibly the paid editing policy at WP:PAID, if you are being paid for your Wikipedia efforts.
Regarding your question, it depends on how well known the person is. The policy in this area is at WP:BLPPRIVACY. If the year this person was born is not written in independent reliable sources, it does not need to be in the article. If her birth year is written in a minimal number of sources, you might be able to keep it out, but the more well known the person is, the harder that will be to do.
Please note that a Wikipedia article existing about a person is not necessarily a good thing for that person. Please see WP:PROUD. 331dot (talk) 14:45, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
The subject of an article has no editorial control over it at all (except for the removal of obvious untruths etc) If this person's age is publicly known it will be added to the article, if not by you then someone else. But, more important than any of that. Are you creating the article at the request of that person, or are you employed by them or have strong links to them? If yes, you shouldn't be creating the article at all because of a conflict of interest. See WP:COI before you start. - X201 (talk) 14:50, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

That's all really helpful thank you. 2A02:C7F:DC04:C200:C194:B468:D8CF:9F85 (talk) 15:05, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Heritage USA

I’m working on is Heritage USA. Just curious, where do you think the image should go, “History” or “Heritage Grand Hotel redevelopment”? —LovelyGirl7 talk 15:44, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

I think that thematically, it could work in either section. It may be better to try out both locations, and see which one "looks" better; for example, you'll want to avoid having too many images in the same part of the article. --Jayron32 15:53, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

How do I translate a page?

I've noticed I can't find much information in my language so I've decided to sign up and translate some of the articles, but I don't know how. Could you please help?NuAuInfoInRomana (talk) 16:15, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Welcome to the Teahouse, NuAuInfoInRomana. Please read Wikipedia:Translation and also Wikipedia:Translate us, which should give you a good overview. You must provide attribution, so pay special attention to the licensing requirements. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 16:21, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Legislation about accounts

May a user use two different accounts ? I noticed even master editors are using two accounts. Is it legal ?. If he/she use one of them for test edits or softwork. Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 12:26, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

@Abirlal: There are circumstances where using two different accounts is permitted; this is often done when someone uses Wikipedia on a private home computer and on a public computer(such as a library) for security reasons. A list of acceptable uses of multiple usernames can be found on this page. 331dot (talk) 12:29, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Thank you 331dot, your words are truely helpful. Have a nice day.Abirlal Mukhopadhyay (talk) 12:39, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
You have used another account User:Rnhelp to add your own name to various articles here… [4] and here [5]. This is not an acceptable use of a second account. Theroadislong (talk) 12:51, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Not two user names for editing the same article. David notMD (talk) 16:37, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

what is the correct way to credit any of these soundtracks if I use them in a short video.194.66.229.8 (talk) 14:19, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_sound_files/Bac–Baz 194.66.229.8 (talk) 14:19, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello, IP user. Those files are at Wikimedia commons, and the information you're looking for is at C:COM:REUSE. --ColinFine (talk) 18:01, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Is this a bogus reference?

A recent edit of Xiphoid process included this reference Filling the Gap: on the New Micro-toponomic Phenomena and Partial Topologies [6]. I wonder if it is a a real academic article. It does not appear in Google Scholar or have any other citations anywhere. Rhadow (talk) 16:53, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

  • Short answer: it stinks to high heaven.
The parent journal's publication policy does not exactly fill me with confidence about their process (first of all, that page is filled with broken English; second, in the initial evaluation phase, it is pointless to read the manuscript and assess the author's credentials, if the latter counts for you, do it first; third, single-blinded reviews are IMO a poor idea, and most journals who do it do not brag about it; fourth, the "ethics" section looks exactly like you would expect from a press house with no ethics). Neither does the fact that they ask for reviewers to postulate on their website.
What really gives the game away though is the "author instructions" page. There are things to say about the contents, but the giant red flag is the inclusion of a citation to the MDPI's style guide in the examples. (See Beall's list and the lead of MDPI if that does not ring a bell to you.) TigraanClick here to contact me 17:10, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Many thanks Rhadow (talk) 17:28, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello, Rhadow I have had the misfortune to have encountered this author (and Wikipedia contributor) many times recently. In virtually all cases their articles and associated websites are purely self-serving, self-promoting bullpoo, making the Daily Mail look like an academic journal, whilst their own pseudo-academic journal-sounding websites and ramblings are a laugh a minute. Nick Moyes (talk) 18:59, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

creating new pages

Hello, I'm teaching a university course with editing wikipedia as an assignment option. We would like to have several wikipedia pages created that don't yet exist. Do we go through the normal process to do this individually for each page? how long does it usually take to get a page created? Thanks!72.33.2.68 (talk) 18:04, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

Hello anon. Usually the best way to start out creating articles is to create them using the Article Wizard submit them for review with our Articles for Creation project, where they can be reviewed by an experienced volunteer who can offer feedback prior to publishing. Prior to this, I recommend reviewing our tutorial on writing your first article. You should also probably consider reviewing our resources for educators as part of our Wikipedia education program. GMGtalk 18:14, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Hello, IP editor. I highly recommend that you contact the Wiki Education Foundation, which can offer you their expertise and staff support. I know their executive director, Frank Schulenberg, and he is a fine person. You should also sign up for an account which will facilitate communication with experienced editors. Have your students read and study Your first article and associated links to begin. Cullen328 Let's discuss it 18:16, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Hello, anonymous teacher, and welcome to Wikipedia. "Editing Wikipedia" will be a fine assignment option, teaching the students how to edit while improving Wikipedia. But creating new pages is really difficult for inexperienced editors, and the attempt would be likely to cause grief and disappointment for the students while bringing no improvement to Wikipedia. Creating new articles is a tiny fraction of the many tasks that editors work on, and one of the most difficult. I would urge you, for your sake, for the students' sake, and for Wikipedia, to chose a more attainable target. Maproom (talk) 18:32, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Thanks - I will create an account and follow up on this advice! 2607:F388:107E:0:E4F4:6D55:A7B1:E624 (talk) 19:00, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
I have nothing to add to the advice above, and the links will provide plenty more. I will just add that if ever you have WikiEd-related questions, Wikipedia:Education noticeboard is the place to go (you will get answers sooner than on the general help desks). TigraanClick here to contact me 19:27, 20 February 2018 (UTC)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions/Archive_726&oldid=827347260"